View Full Version : John the Fisherman
((Soloz))
The port was beautiful in the soft moonlight, so much so that it was common for the folks of Scara Brae City to sit by it and gaze lovingly into the black waters for hours on end. The nurturing sounds of water bubbling against the shore was enough to make any man forget the day's troubles, and set his mind at ease among friend and ally.
Madyrn found no similar solace in the effect of the sea, but he stood nearby anyway, a foot draped across the other as he leaned against a wooden post, golden eyes skimming quickly the paper he held in his hands. The idiot hiring him had left the thing posted on a typical mercenary board for all to see, so even if what he requested was done, anyone who had read the notice before hand would know he was behind it.
Normally, that stupidity enough would have deterred Madyrn from taking a job from him, but this was different. One of the men on General Fishery's 2nd boat was Gavin Dross, an ex-scourge known for his incompetance and willingness to go to the highest bidder. He held secrets in his mind that could compromise many of the Scara Scourge's plans, and he needed to die.
He crumpled the paper and tucked it under his shirt, where his kukri sat strapped across his chest in it's sheath. He could be back at the assassin's guild castle before dinner tomorrow.
Morning...
"John!" cried the fisherman-boy, his eyes wide with excitement and his boots smacking rapidly, loudly, against the surface of the deck.
The man he called to turned about right away, recognizing James' voice and the excited pitch in which he called to him. John was the owner of General Fishery's grandest boat, the Salty Serpent, and his face showed his experience with the trade. He had a permanent scowl on his visage despite being a very cheerful man, and his green eyes were one with the sea. Some said he was able to spot a school of fish a hundred feet below the surface, simply by the way the water rippled.
"Ah, James mah-boy!" he said happily. "What news ya bringin'?"
James skidded to a stop inches before tumbling into the huge, muscular captain, gathered his breath, and hastily looked west out into the sea. "John, they got a postin' for ya up at the ol' mercenary office! Old mister Cradin, that fart, he's gonna pay someone to sink some o' our own ships! Imagine that!"
The wily captain smiled and put a pawlike hand over the boy's head, tussling his hair gently and kneeling to his eye level. "Thank ya for the news, Jamesy. I'll be keepin' an eye out for any foul play now. Why don't ya run along an' play with that lass, what's 'er name again?" he asked slyly. "Veronica, is it?"
James gulped and looked back out to sea again, his pale cheeks flushing red. "Kay," he said, before turning to head off again to do childhood things John had long forgotten about.
The boy gone, John's face twisted into concern. James had no business being in the bar, nor anywhere near the mercenary board right next to it, as he was only eight. Something wasn't right, and that only made John's concern all the more potent.
"Jimmy!" he called up to the crow's nest. "Get down 'ere and have a talk with me, if ya please!"
James ran along with a grin on his face. Veronica was a sweet girl from his morning classes near the Town Hall, who had long dark hair and puffy, pinchable cheeks. The boy didn't mind people knowing he had a crush on her, as long as she didn't find out! If that happened, he'd have to move to Oaktown in Corone, where he'd beg his uncle to take him in so he could transfer schools.
He spun about a large building that seperated the docks from the city, and saw the tall man with the yellow hair waiting for him by the street, smiling. James smiled in return and ran even faster, anxious to see the cool elf man again.
Again he skidded to a stop just inches from his target, and Madyrn dropped quickly to meet his eye, a disarming, perfectly genuine-looking smile on his face. "Did you tell mister Melarn about that note I saw?"
James nodded quickly, panting as his breath caught up with his rapid pace. "Yeah, I think everything's gonna be okay now!" he said, eyes beaming. "He's gonna be ready for that jerk old man Cradin, and whatever mean ol' people he sends after 'im!"
Madyrn laughed aloud, an elegant sound emnating from his vocal chords, and his eyes softened as he put a hand on each of James' shoulders. The boy's cheeks were still red and his shoulders were sweaty from all his running in the sun, but Madyrn made no move that indicated his internal disgust with the human. "Why don't you head off and get some fishing done? It's almost afternoon, and you know how the fish only bite in the morning, right?"
James nodded and pulled away, rushing back toward his home at the edge of town. He looked back every half-second to look at the elf warrior. With golden hair and eyes, fine clothes, a sword at his hip and a kukri on his chest, he was something of a fascinating specimen to most of the people who saw him.
He stood when James got out of his eyesight and pulled a hankerchief from his pocket, wiping the filthy sweat from his slender fingers, a look of pure disgust on his face. The boy had apparently done precisely as Madyrn hoped he would when he'd told him to go talk to John, which meant he needed to make his next move immediately.
Jimmy Smith was John Melarn's best mate, an ally if ever there was one, and it took very little convincing for John to get him to agree to hire some mercenaries for protection. John, after all, was a busy man, too busy to head off in the late morning to spend some gold on some sellswords.
The inside of the bar was dank and almosy moldy, cool and busy even so early in the day. Jimmy had a bit of experience with this sort of thing, having been a mercenary earlier on in life, before he decided to take on a more stable, relaxing job. John had presented him with the opportunity to work on the Salty Serpent years ago, and they'd been great friends ever since.
"Attention, please," he said aloud, garnering attention from the patrons and the armored men alike. "The Salty Serpent's hirin' bodyguards fer the weeks ahead. The pay is a hunnered gold. Is anybody interested?"
Madyrn, sitting nearby and tilted so his sabre was in plain sight, did not rise up immediately. A human a few seats to his left did, shifting a greatsword in his back as he stepped forward. He exchanged words with Jimmy, words that Madyrn could hear but was not interested in, and then he stepped up.
"I'll aid you," he said, coming across as one of the more benevolant elves of Raiaera. "My sword is yours."
He seemed to float over to them, so graceful was his movement. Jimmy looked him right in the eye, trying to get a sense of the elf, but he couldn't. Madyrn was beyond good at playing a role, no matter the stakes.
Another human sooned joined them, a short man with a dozen different blades strapped to different parts of his body and straps of leather armor across his chest, stomach and limbs. Madyrn tried not to show his concern for the other two, and did a good job of it.
Jimmy came between the three of them and looked to them each in turn. "We got somebody working to get to the source of the trouble, but ya'll each get yer hunnered gold regardless of how long ya do the job. Can ya'll come right now to the ship?"
As one, they nodded.
"Good. Come on to the port, then."
The Salty Serpent was a large fishing boat, much like a transport craft except that it was more suited to hauling fish than holding people. The deck was darker than most wooden floors Madyrn had ever seen, and the mast sprung from the center of it to hold a great white sail in the air. The sides of the boat had mesh and nets all along it, and harpoons were every few paces along the edge. These fishermen were well prepared for any whale, tuna or pike they found.
Madyrn took a look around without making himself conspicuous, making quick glances to his left and right when nobody was eyeing him. Gavin Dross, the ex-scourge, was an older, thin man with scraggly grey hair and sunken eyes, and he happened to be nearby, hauling up a net from the water.
"Ahoy!" called John the fisherman, and Madyrn turned to look him in eye. Surprisingly enough, the human was looking right at him. "My thanks to all of yeh, we're gonna need some men in the comin' days while we fish someone outta hidin'."
Ignoring the pun, the elf smiled and nodded, appearing completely genuine in his deceit.
"Anyhow, you guys look about an' get a feel for the ship. Keep an eye out for suspiciousness an' report it to me if ya see it!"
With that, the three mercenaries broke away from Jimmy and John, seemingly to explore the ship.
"Think we kin trust mercenaries?" Jimmy asked when they were alone.
"Nope," John answered without hesitation.
As soon as he entered a staircase leading beneath the deck, Madyrn abandoned his more cheerful persona and a scowl came to his smooth face. He picked up speed and hugged the wall of the hallway, listening closely to each wooden door he passed, wary of the slight rocking of the boat.
Eventually he reached a junction and headed left, continuing to check each door he passed. When he found one with no sound behind it, he carefully turned the knob and entered, eyes darting about. It was a bedroom cabin, and unoccupied. He shut the door and entered, shuffling over to the bed and rummaging through the left pocket of his traveling pants.
Revealing a length of string and a small vial of powder, he set to work.
Meanwhile, a careful John the fisherman walked to the front of his ship, a confident smirk on his face. Jimmy watched him, concerned, but didn't want to pry any information from his friend. Thankfully, John spoke up.
"Cradin's a shrewd lil' shrimp," he said, laughing low as he considered everything that was happening. "I ain't so stupid that I can't see no clever plan right before me eyes!"
Seeing Jimmy's confused stare, John grinned and hauled anchor, preparing to sail off despite having no previous plans to do so. Jimmy was about to ask why they were leaving, when John spoke again.
"He posted th'job there and then got someone t'wait in the tavern for ya to come along, Jim. Itzan oooold trick, somethin' Cradin'd know a lot about, seein' as how old the buzzard is. We just need ta find out which one of 'em is the plant, and keel-haul 'im."
Impressed, Jimmy let a grin splay out on his flat face, revealing gaps in his teeth. "Cap'n, yer too good!"
"Livin' in this business, Jim, ya need to keep an eye out fer that kinda sneaky stuff. Keep an eye out and lemme know if you see somethin' weird."
A half hour went by before Madyrn left the cabin and went back up to the deck. He was shocked to see that they had left the dock, but he hid his surprise expertly. His golden eyes looked about calmly as he tried to get his bearings, and far off in the distance, beyond what a human would be able to see, he saw the edge of Scara Brae.
Clever human, he thought, 'patrolling' the deck and trying to look as casual as he possibly could. He knows something is wrong.
It was an admirable thing to see in what Madyrn originally thought was a fool fisherman. He was beginning to think that once he'd dealt with Gavin Dross, he wouldn't follow through with trying to kill John the fisherman. A simple sinking of the ship would do nicely, but he wasn't quite sure just then.
John himself was at the helm of the ship, an easy target if Madyrn had ever seen one. His idiotic comrade Jimmy, however, was in the crow's nest, and had both of them well within shot of his vision. The golden-haired elf walked near the edge of the boat, looking from the sea to John, to Jimmy, to one of the two other mercenaries on the ship. The other, Madyrn knew, was below deck.
This one was clad in leather armor, with those many blades strapped to him. Madyrn thought briefly of how nicely some of them would fit his tastes, but his eyes didn't linger. That particular mercenary's eyes moved just as his did, and he'd easily notice too much curiousity on the elf's part.
"One of your hirees is asleep already," Madyrn said as he climbed the steps to the wheel of the ship. "In a cabin downstairs."
John looked at him, making no effort to hide the fact that he was unsure of Madyrn. The elf seemed as honest and truthful as John's own brother might have been, betraying himself not at all. The truth was, of course, that the third mercenary was asleep. Madyrn didn't need to include that his powder had been what had put him in such a state.
"Oh," John said, not taking his eyes from the elf. "I hope he wakes up soon, then."
Madyrn was surprised at the lack of response from the man, considering how much money he'd paid, but it didn't show on the assassin's face. Without a word he descended the stairs back to the deck.
It was time to take care of Gavin.
Gavin Dross, the ex-scourge, was one of three men working in the bowels of the ship. A lot of cargo had to be moved from the front of the storage to the back, where they were more easily accessed when it was time to unload. It was hard work, leaving Gavin with a thick coat of greasy sweat on his body. He had a shallow black beard and curled short hair, and he was tanned.
"Tough, honest work, eh?" a fellow worker with dirty yellow hair said. He, too, was sweating.
Gavin grinned and nodded. The two men with him had lived similar lives as him, earlier. For the moment, these tough labor jobs was all they could get, but it would all be worth it in the end. John the fisherman was a fair man, and rewarded hard work well.
Eventually most of the boxes were moved, and the three workers were well ahead of schedule. They looked among each other and grinned, knowing they could sneak an early drink before lunch. One after another they bounded up the stairs leading to the cabin area and the kitchen. Madyrn was at the side of the staircase, and not one of them saw him.
He waited, patiently, and when he heard them coming back, he ducked into a nearby cabin and moved the door so that it remained open a crack.
One of the humans descended, and Madyrn paid him no mind. Gavin, whom he recognized from the physical description he'd been given, stayed in the hallway with the other human before the went down. They were talking, whispering, but Madyrn could hear them easily.
"Do you think John's gonna let us go up deck soon? We been waiting for a while now, ain't we?" the one who wasn't Gavin asked.
Gavin looked around cautiously, causing Madyrn to quickly pull his head away from the crack in the door. "Just a few months, eh. I think he's warmin' up to us, at least. I know I'm not gonna work down there my whole life."
"Hope not, and not me either," Gavin's coworker said, taking a sip of a bottled ale before heading downstairs again.
Madyrn slipped silently out of the door and whisked down the hallway like a spectre, coming up behind Gavin as silently as he possibly could. Just as the man took his first step downward, Madyrn snatched him from behind, wrapping a hand around the human's mouth and jarring the point of his kukri between two of Gavin's ribs.
"Ssh," he said immediately, for Gavin's friend was only a few steps down. "You should not have left the Scourge." he whispered. "If I wasn't required to, I wouldn't tell you this, but Tempus sends his regards."
Madyrn, with strength beyond what one might have expected, drove the human's face into the side panel of the doorway. Hard. The wood exploded and Gavin cried out, but by then he was already tumbling down the stairs, his body twisting and turning whichever way the sturdy steps wanted it to.
The golden-eyed elf didn't stick around, moving fast through the halls. The death would look like an accident, and Gavin's bloody face could have easily happened on the way down. The workers in the hold wouldn't have known about John's suspicions, either, nor why he'd hired mercenaries.
Perfect.
Everything was going according to plan. Gavin was taken care of, and one of the two other mercenaries was asleep, locked in slumber for another eight or more hours. The powder was potent.
He was on the deck, gazing out to sea. He couldn't see Scara Brae anymore, and thus didn't have a clue about how to handle the ship. He would have set it to burn with whatever supplies he could find aboard, but unless he wanted to try swimming back to land, wherever it was, that idea had to be put on the shelf. He could always kill John, he thought, and force Jimmy to help him navigate back to Scara Brae, but what of the other mercenary and the crew below deck? All Jimmy would have to do was scream, and Madyrn would be in serious trouble.
So he waited, and thought.
Fortunately, Gavin's two allies were too concerned about the ale they'd stolen to tell John about Gavin's accident. At least, that's what Madyrn figured, as they hadn't yet shown up. Time passed and the day came on in full. Madyrn guessed it had to be mid afternoon by now, an hour or two before evening arrived.
Jimmy had come down from the crow's nest some time ago. He and John had gone into the captain's quarters just below deck to eat lunch. Fortunately, the hold was at the rear of the ship, far away.
"Jim, I asked ya to keep yer eye out. See anythin' worth tellin'?" John asked in between bites of a large roasted fish that he hadn't even bothered to scale.
"One of 'em ain't moved from the deck once, but the elf went up and down a few times, maybe he's really doin' rounds," Jim said, tapping his chin as he delved deep into his memory banks. "The normal guy just sticks around up on deck. Makes me nervous, Johnny."
John considered the words for a moment. The elf had been somewhat personable, and Jimmy's reasoning made some sense. John had reason to believe the human was the plant, if there was one.
Meanwhile, Madyrn settled in for a long ride at sea. A long ride at sea meant the other mercenary would wake up at some point.
He couldn't have that.
Night eventually fell, and still the elf could not see Scara Brae in the distance. Where they were going, he didn't know, but Madyrn was fairly certain they hadn't moved from where they were. The sails weren't up, even.
Taking care of the sleeping mercenary had been easy work, considering that he'd been completely unconscious. Madyrn had smothered him with his own pillow, and now only needed to hope nobody went in to check on him. If they did, it was a natural looking death, so he wasn't all too worried. Even if someone suspected foul play, he still had another mercenary aboard with which to split the blame.
He'd been careful to move about normally, as if he was taking careful examination of the other mercenary. He knew John knew something, or suspected one of the two hirees was there for a nefarious purpose, but he couldn't act. All he could do was be as natural as possible, until an opportunity presented itself.
Unfortunately, things didn't quite end up so simple.
Gavin Dross revealed himself at the mouth of the stairs. Madyrn needed to force himself to restrain his surprise, but as usual, he did so perfectly. The human had a bandage on his nose and was limping, but otherwise seemed rather... Alive. Madyrn cursed himself and his failure to be thorough, keeping a watchful eye on Gavin as he moved toward John at the wheel. Unless some stray hair had flown from Madyrn's face and in front of the human's eyes, Gavin didn't know what he looked like.
Madyrn knew how distinctive his voice was, however, and was sure Gavin would realize who had pushed him simply because of his heritage.
The human certainly looked nervous, though, which made sense. Madyrn, after all, had absolutely no intention of letting him live. Why he went up to the deck alone after what happened, the elf could not guess.
From the other side of the surface of the boat, Madyrn watched through golden eyes as Gavin spoke with John, who seemed more and more anxious with each word. The elf could make out only a few words from his location, but didn't need to in order to know what was going on.
He looked down and scooped a fish hook into his hand, then concealed it in his belt, under his shirt. Two weapons might not be enough, he knew, if things went the way he thought they might.
That's when John looked up, straight at him, just a half-second after Madyrn was done tucking the weapon away. Just as quickly as they'd looked at him, John's eyes darted over to the other mercenary, who stood against one of the rails of the deck.
John looked to him and then the other mercenary in turn, giving them each a sign that bade them come forth. Madyrn looked to the human with all of the blades strapped to him, and they briefly made eye contact. Something in that moment felt a bit off to Madyrn, but he didn't dwell on it. He moved as casually as he could to John's location, climbing the few steps up to the helm and meeting up with the captain, Gavin and the other mercenary.
"What happened?" Madyrn tested, looking into Gavin's eyes. The look he got in return told him everything he needed to know.
The elf reached for the mercenary.
If he were significantly faster than the human with all the knives strapped to him, Madyrn would have gladly slit his throat with his own weapon. But to reach over, snatch a knife, and then jut it into the mercenary's throat was impossible. He did the next best thing, unsheathing one of the iron knives and then whipping it over into Gavin's chest in a single fluid motion.
He didn't wait to see the final result, but Gavin's screech and pained whine told him he'd succeeded where the stairs had failed. Madyrn leapt over the stairs and bolted for the steps that would take him below deck.
The mercenary, momentarily surprised, caught on quickly and leapt over the short railing at the ledge, landing on the deck. He drew two knives and threw them after Madyrn as he made for the staircase. One flew wide, the other whizzed past the elf's head, slicing a few golden hairs from his skull.
Madyrn charged down the stairs and instantly saw why Gavin had come alone. His two allies stood in the narrow hallway, talking, though surely by the way they each held an iron sword, Gavin had been concerned about trouble. They looked at him and awkwardly readied themselves, seeing the look in the elf's golden eyes.
There was a single door to Madyrn's right. He heard the mercenary behind him and knew he could not break through the two men ahead. With no choice, he opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind him. He fumbled for the latch that would lock it, found it, and snapped it in place just as the knob turned and the door shook.
He could hear voices on the other side of the door, but didn't pay them any immediate attention. It was him against everyone else, now, on a ship in the middle of the sea. He took quick inventory of the room, only slightly lit by the moonlight pouring in through the window.
The window, he thought, and moved toward it.
The pane of glass did not hold against the strength of Madyrn's sword hilt. He ran the blade along the window's rim and cleared away the remains, then stuck his head out and looked above. The edge of the deck was quite a ways up, but just like it lined the inside of the edge, a great net fell down along the boat's side. Madyrn reached up and touched it, pulled, then slid his lithe body through the window.
The climb was difficult until he was high enough to put his feet in the net, but after that he rose quickly to the edge of the deck. He swung over and quickly looked about, spotting John still at the wheel. The human spotted him, and Madyrn drew his sword and kukri.
Amazing, John didn't seem worried. He pulled a harpoon up from the floor. "So who ya workin' for, elf?" he wondered aloud.
Madyrn didn't answer, choosing instead to stalk forward and up the few stairs.
"Fair 'nuff," John said, pulling the harpoon up to eye level, holding it parallel to the floor.
The elf uttered a syllable, and around his sword appeared a whirling storm of blue shards. As swift as a tornado, the cold dervish made his blade into a deadly typhoon. John showed his surprise but didn't back down. How admirable.
Madyrn close the gap and reached in with his sword, dipping to try and gut the human in one attack. John quickly used the tip of his harpoon to knock the attack away, though the whirling shards slapped roughly against the polearm, nearly ruining his aim.
Quickly the elf closed in and struck with his kukri, scoring a shallow hit with the curved dagger against John's shoulder. The bigger man pulled back and tried to open a gash in the elf, but the slash was too high. Madyrn simply ducked and ran in close, driving his sword forward. John responded by dodging left, though the swirling shards cut ribbons into the side of his shirt.
Madyrn quickly pressed the attack, knowing that he was quicker than John. He slashed twice quickly, hoping to capitalize on the injured human, but the steel harpoon darted left then right, deflecting even the small kukri aside with relative ease.
The hooked polearm came in then, opening a gash in Madyrn's side just below his armpit. The elf grimaced and sucked a breath through his teeth, falling back a few paces to gather himself.
Madyrn could hear steps approaching from the deck. He looked briefly and saw that it was Jimmy, brandishing a dirk in one hand. The scrawny human took the steps two at a time and attacked with no skill, screeching all the while. For Madyrn, it was rather simple to sidestep the human, grasp his wrist and disarm him. Then in one smooth motion, he twisted Jimmy's arm behind him and slid his kukri up to the human's throat, halting his thrashing.
For the first time, Madyrn could see Gavin's body behind John. He couldn't supress a smirk.
"Looks like I've the upper hand, fisherman," Madyrn said. At that moment, the men from below deck appeared from the staircase, seemingly realizing that Madyrn had climbed up. "Your friend for my freedom. Take us to Scara Brae, and I will take him outside of the city walls. You will provide for me a horse, and if all goes well, we will never see each other again."
John hardly needed to consider the decision, as he stood there holding his wounds. Jimmy was his closest friend and ally, but he was needed in the crow's nest if they were to have a safe journey back, especially in the darkness.
"Jimmy's gotta be in the nest, keepin' his eye out fer patches in the water." John reasoned.
"Make someone else do it," Madyrn replied, his eyes moving to Gavin's two allies, who were whimpering at Gavin's fallen body. "The mercenary would be ideal."
John shook his head immediately. "Needs ta be Jimmy, 'e knows the sea as well as me own self."
Madyrn couldn't help but sneer, his patience nearing its end. "Then we rot at sea, human, standing in a face-off. But it doesn't have to be that way."
To emphasize his point, the elf pushed the tip of the dirk into Jimmy's throat. The thin man squirmed and cried out, but the blade was out before he uttered a sound. A thin stream of blood coursed down his flesh, staining his white shirt crimson. John eyed the wound with an angry grimace, knowing he needed to protect his friend.
"David," John said, his eyes moving to one of dead Gavin's coworkers. He was a redhead, with freckles across his cheeks and all along his arms. John indicated the crow's nest, and David reluctantly made to the ladder to climb it.
Now Madyrn was faced with a dilemma. He could kill Jimmy easily enough, but then he had John, the mercenary, and the blonde hold worker to deal with. That was only if he chose not to follow the deal he'd made with John.
Suddenly he was aware of Jimmy's whimpering. Faintly, he could smell urine. Madyrn didn't attempt to hide his disgust, and the sound he made only scared Jimmy more.
"So then, can ya be releasin' me friend, now that we struck our deal?" John asked. Even as he asked the words, the expression on Madyrn's face betrayed the elf's disbelief in the suggestion. Was the human that stupid.
"We wait, captain. When I see land, perhaps I will release your friend and take you under my dagger instead."
Madyrn wasn't about to stand up holding Jimmy all night, so he tied the human to the mast using one of the smaller fishing nets bundled up against the edge of the deck. The elf had his kukri sheathed on his chest again, but was close to Jimmy. Dangerously so.
A quick scan of the deck showed him everything was going well. John was at the wheel, the mercenary was at the back of the ship, far enough away that he couldn't attack, David was in the crow's nest, and Gavin's other ally, the blonde, was sitting in the spot where Gavin's body had been before Madyrn cruelly threw it overboard.
Enough time had passed that he could see Scara Brae again in the distance. His mind was racing as he tried to think of a way out of his predicament. If even one of them got off the ship, he'd never be safe in Scara Brae. Not only did he need to make sure the crew was killed, he needed to sink the ship and still find a way to get himself to shore, all without being conspicuous. It was an impossible feat, but something Madyrn would not give up on. He couldn't.
Not a moment had passed when nobody was looking at him, so Madyrn didn't wait for one to come. He needed the high ground, and though his wound would make it difficult to reach, the crow's nest was the highest ground there was. He slit Jimmy's throat in one smooth motion, sliding his kukri back into its holder as quickly as it'd come out. Madyrn heard someone behind him scream. He grinned into Jimmy's wide eyes as the human gurgled and tried to breathe.
Almost immediately, he regretted doing it. Not because Jimmy didn't deserve to die, because he'd been dead the moment Madyrn stepped on the ship, but because the elf had done away with his one bargaining chip. It would be a desperate scramble now, and he knew it. It was just a matter of being quicker and smarter than the others aboard. Being humans, he didn't expect John and his company could stand against him in the end.
He swiftly gripped the net which dangled from the bottom of the crow's nest and began to climb, making his wound, wrapped less than an hour ago, rip open once again and bleed down his side. The men below were shouting, but Madyrn's golden eyes were cast upward at the lone man in the crow's nest, who looked down in pure horror.
The elf chuckled at the redheaded human, drawing his kukri from its place on his chest. David climbed over the opposite side of the circular perch and began to climb down the other net, but Madyrn was up and reaching down for him. He seized the human by the collar and pulled him roughly up. When David didn't comply, he drove his fist into the back of his head and grabbed him once more.
"If you don't get back up here, Davie, I will carve through the back of your head and pull out your eyes through your brain." David whimpered, but Madyrn pulled harder. "Before I kill you, that is."
He eventually got the human up, but by then the mercenary was up in the crow's nest, drawing a long dagger from each leg. Madyrn moved liquidly behind David and held his kukri to the man's throat, a wide, devilish grin flashing.
They looked eagerly at each other from over David's shoulder. Madyrn wanted to kill the redhead and then take down the mercenary, but knew it was a bad plan.
"Whaddaya want!?" he heard John call from below. Madyrn looked over the side of the crow's nest, careful to keep the mercenary in his peripheral vision. "Ya killed me best friend, elf, what more kin ya do t'me?!" The hurt in his voice was very obvious, as if he made no attempt at hiding it.
"I can kill you, your crew, and then sink your ship," Madyrn called down to him immediately.
Now there was no turning back. He'd played his final cards and made his intentions known.
David's throat was opened, and Madyrn could feel the hot, thick liquid pour over his fingers.
Immediately the mercenary was upon him, unfazed by the spray of red that accompanied David to the floor. Both weapons flashed, one left and one right, so Madyrn ducked both and rolled to the side to give himself a bit of space. The crow’s nest rocked with the movement, but he kept his balance well.
The mercenary got to him just as he rose, slashing under Madyrn's raised kukri to score a hit on his ribs. The elf stumbled and fell into a feint, pretending to be severely wounded. His opponent came in with heavy strikes, looking to score the kill, but Madyrn capitalized with each weapon. His kukri came in close and slashed the mercenary's forearm, and his saber blocked the other dagger.
Almost immediately, Madyrn followed up with a heavy kick to the mercenary’s chest, knocking the wounded human against the wall of the nest. He dropped his weapons, but pulled a pair of thin, long blade in their place. The man looked to the elf with hatred in his eyes, struggling to keep up enough energy to hold on to the swords.
“Even if you run, you’ll go down with the ship,” the golden elf teased, twisting the sword in his hands.
“I have no intention of running, you idiot,” the mercenary growled, lunging forward.
Madyrn parried a blade and twisted off to the side to avoid the second, dancing across the nest as the mercenary’s swords followed. He swerved as he reached the edge and turned, blades flashing. The mercenary blocked both despite his wounds, and pushed Madyrn’s arms to his left with his weight. He knocked shoulders with the elf, bringing Madyrn teetering over the edge of the crow’s nest.
With a grunt he forced himself back into the nest, but it cost him a slash over his arm. Madyrn winced but charged forward, his weapons flashing. He chanted a high note, and his kukri began to glow.
He slashed once, and being the weapon a blue light followed, solid but suspended in the air. The mercenary watched it nervously, but his eyes lingered a moment too long. Madyrn’s saber found his gut, causing the human to lurch and cough. The impatient elf twisted hard and pulled the weapon free, beginning his descent down to the deck before the man even hit the floor.
Gavin’s ally was gone now. He’d retreated from the fight as soon as Madyrn had climbed up to the crow’s nest. By the time the elf returned, the blonde was long gone.
“Fuckin’ demon!” John bellowed, his voice echoed by the sea. His livelihood would be destroyed no matter what happened now, and he had lost his best friend on top of it. Worst of all, he didn’t even understand why. “Why!?” he cried aloud, taking up a harpoon and charging toward the center of the deck.
“You don’t need to know why,” Madyrn muttered, weapons at the ready. John had been a formidable foe earlier, but now Madyrn was at a disadvantage. His wounds were shallow, but there were a few of them.
Fueled by rage, the broad, thick human came in with a wide swinging arc. Madyrn ducked and the pointed tip of the harpoon soared overhead, shearing a hair or two from his scalp. He stepped in quickly to eliminate the threat of the polearm, but John pushed the elf back with a heavy arm. The harpoon dove for his neck like a striking snake, and Madyrn had to drop to the slick deck to avoid it.
He kicked against the surface of the deck and slid upward, pushing to keep his distance from rumbling John, who had his harpoon poised to drive down as soon as the opportunity came.
Madyrn made it to the staircase downward, and rushed down them. John lumbered behind, far too close for comfort, but the elf was significantly quicker. He bolted down the narrow hallway and to the back of the hold, then down the steps to the very lowest level of the ship. He even saw the remains of Gavin’s blood.
John followed him, and there they stood. Crates of cargo were shoved neatly in the corner, and besides a couple of vertical beams for structural support, the hold was completely empty.
Madyrn was suddenly aware of how heavily he was breathing. His chest and arm burned, and he felt faint. John swung with all his might.
His vision was blurring, so Madyrn could only make out the motions of John’s swing and not where the harpoon was, precisely. Desperately, he ducked once more, and the weapon flew over his head and bit deeply into one of the wooden beams. John ignored him for a moment as he tried to free it, giving the elf an opportunity to stumble against the side of the ship and set his vision.
The moment gave him a chance to balance, something he desperately needed to do if he was going to have any kind of chance against the huge human, but when he held his blade forward, it was crooked and limp. Madyrn felt as if he lacked the strength to wield it properly, but there was little else he could do. Needing to use the heavier weapon, he slid his kukri into its sheath on his chest, and gripped the saber with both of his hands. It felt more stable, though he was not as comfortable.
John growled as he tore the harpoon free. As loopy as he was feeling, Madyrn was able to muster a grin. “Your crew is dead, Johnny. Your life might as well be over.”
“But why?” John demanded, holding back on attacking for the moment. He was shaking.
“You stepped on some wrong toes,” Madyrn replied with a shrug. “I never need to know why, just who. Details just complicate things.”
“Makes th’ people ya kill too real huh, elf? Sick business yer in, sick ‘n twisted, ‘n now yer gonna regret ever hurtin’ mah crew.”
“There is no value in the thoughts of your race; you’re like animals, not knowing how worthless you are in the world. Every human I kill gives me a greater sense of purpose. So please, come and die.”
John wasn’t even listening. He came forward with the harpoon held high and drove it forward, toward Madyrn’s adam’s apple. The elf was feeling somewhat stable again and was able to dip to the side, swerving to sweep his blade in a diagonal, upward arc as John’s harpoon was driven hard into the side of the ship. As big as he was, John was able to hop back to avoid the slash, though he needed to release his harpoon to do so, leaving it embedded horizontally in the wood.
Madyrn pressed, attacking in a wide, sloppy arc with both hands on the handle of his sword. The human caught his arms, stopping the sword long before it came close. With his superior weight, John was able to push Madyrn back toward the side of the ship.
Still, the elf was able to free one of his hands. He quickly drew his kukri and slashed open John’s arm, causing the human to stumble and release Madyrn’s sword arm.
With a growl, the elf pounced, his eyes blazing with golden fury. Both arms flailed furiously, but both blades missed as John fell back desperately. Madyrn lost his grip on his kukri, which fell to the floor and slid a few feet away.
John stumbled and fell into the cargo, but didn’t stay prone long. He turned and gripped a box that was as tall as Madyrn himself, and with all the strength his frustration gave him, John lifted it. It blocked his body and his vision, but the human knew where the elf had been. He charged as hard as he could, holding the heavy wooden crate ahead.
Seeing it coming, Madyrn dove to the side. John and the crate barreled forth into the shaft of the stuck harpoon, hitting it at such a perfect angle that it drove the tip of the weapon through the side of the ship. Immediately, water began to rush through the hole and into the hold. John dropped the crate, turning to try and find the golden-haired elf.
He’d retreated to the opposite end of the hold, and was suppressing what would have been a painful laugh. “How clumsy!” he said as he picked up his kukri, “you’ve sunk your own ship, idiot.”
Before John could rush again, a dizzy Madyrn forced himself up the stairs. He could hear the large human rumbling after him, but he was too quick. The elf bolted down the passageway and once again reached the deck, trying to get to the edge of the boat.
He reached it, collapsing against the wooden guardrail and looking over. As he’d hoped, a rowboat was dangling there, the emergency exit from a situation just like the one he was in. The elf thought to leap and drop into it, but thought the height was too great. With John approaching quickly, he had no time to slowly make his way down.
“I won’t let’cha live, fuckin’ devil!” the human bellowed, face glistening with anxious sweat.
Madyrn spun and met John head on, weapons slapping haphazardly. The human was clutching another harpoon, and rather than trying to catch Madyrn’s strikes he plowed forward, driving the polearm ahead so that it pierced the elf’s upper chest. With a gasp, Madyrn fell back. At least, he realized with grim satisfaction, his blade had caught John just under the neck and had sent him falling to the deck.
The harpoon fell from his chest, and Madyrn, with some difficulty, put his weapons away. The wound was shallow, but in a place where it might have severed a vital artery. With newfound determination, the elf swung one foot over the edge of the boat and slid down, using one arm to aid himself in climbing down the net. The other was pressed against his chest.
It took some effort, but Madyrn was eventually able to lower the boat down to the water. Already, he could see that John’s fishing boat was low in the water. With exhausted, pained movements he looked toward shore, off in the distance.
The paddle was as heavy as lead, and Madyrn’s limbs didn’t seem to want to obey. Through sheer will alone, he was able to bring himself to shore. When he arrived he collapsed, face down in the sand. Looking as pure as he did, it was no surprise that when he was found, someone assumed him to be a bard.
The healing process would be long, but Madyrn couldn’t complain about being alive. Soon he would pick up his pay and be on his way off this cursed island.
((Spoils: Gold plz.))
Sighter Tnailog
05-14-07, 09:10 AM
Quest Judging
John the Fisherman
A good, solid thread. I'm not gonna give a whole lot of commentary in the judging, so let me say what I'd like to say here.
Overall, I think you write well with Madyrn. The story flows well, the characters are fun, and there's really nothing wrong with the English. For a nice, simple thread, you did a great job.
Perhaps the score won't be as high as a JC, because in many ways the story lacks the spark of inspiration required -- great stories glow as if written in fire, regardless of their relative simplicity -- but don't see that as a criticism. When you know where Madyrn is going as a character, I predict great success.
STORY
Continuity ~ 7/10.
Setting ~ 6/10. I didn't get much sense of the setting here.
Pacing ~ 7/10. For a simple story, you still managed to hold my interest well; that is a sign of a good writer.
CHARACTER
Dialogue ~ 9/10. My favorite part of the story. You wrote the NPC dialogue and conversations with charm and discernment.
Action ~ 7/10.
Persona ~ 7/10.
WRITING STYLE
Technique ~ 6/10. Nothing stands out as particularly stunning.
Mechanics ~ 8/10. Nothing stands out as particularly wrong.
Clarity ~ 7/10.
MISCELLANEOUS
Wild Card ~ 7/10.
TOTAL ~ 71.
EXP REWARDS
Madyrn gains 1350 EXP!
GP REWARDS
Madyrn earns 1000 GP!
Cyrus the virus
05-14-07, 09:39 AM
EXP and gold added!
Madyrn levels up!!!
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