Trade Interruptions Two: Electric Bugaloo

Trade Interruptions Two: Electric Bugaloo

“FOG!”

The cry filled the air, putting all hands on alert. Three ships sailed in close proximity, perhaps no more than one hundred feet apart at any given time. Their bows sliced through the calm ocean waters, occasion smashing through a small wave. Their ivory sails held a strong wind, and seemed to be pulling them into the dense fog. All was silent for a moment, and then they saw it. A massive pillar of marble jutted from the ocean, and set crudely on its top was the front half of a boat.

Soon, several other structures seemed to emerge from the fog. Grandiose arches made of granite and marble, all with the carcasses of crashed ships strewn on or around them haphazardly. It seemed to be a literal ship graveyard, hundreds upon hundreds of ships seemed to be smashed or crunched together, their wreckage piling tall enough to break the surface of the ocean and form artificial little islands.

“Cut the sails!” the captain boomed. “And keep an eye out, the water seems to be shallow here, we don’t want to run aground…” such a command seemed pointless given the low visibility, but all the men strained their eyes anyways.

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Go ahead and make your first posts! Everyone is starting out on the same boat. Those who are feeling brave can attempt to navigate the structures about them with any flight or movement abilities. We're gonna go one round of posts before the boss rears his head.

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“So the Brotherhood didn’t send you?” a short poison dwarf of a man with a bandana and a glass eye asked as a wave crashed against the hull of the Ussyles and sent a burst of white foam exploding over the timber like grapeshot. Shinsou hadn’t been around many, but he thought of him as the very epitome of what he expected a weathered sailor to look and act like. He was a wretched, bitter person with a wiry grey mess for a hairstyle, beady, almost accusing eyes and a light brown shoe-shine tan that could have either been a film of dirt on the man’s skin or just the pigment of it. A worn flintlock pistol stuck out nonchalantly from a leather belt, probably to serve as a visual warning to pirates or mutineers.

“Well?”

The old seadog known as Ramius had a voice that was rough like sandpaper and raspy as if his chords had been constantly drowned down in rum, ale and cigar smoke. Needless to say, as annoying as he was, the old man was a necessity to Shinsou.

“No. This is a personal errand. I’m here at the request of your captain.” The Telgradian simply replied. His white sleeved arms crossed across the chest of his greatcoat as he looked down at Ramius with a slightly annoyed glance. It was clear the sailor didn’t trust the Brotherhood, but then again, that was nothing new. Trust always came in short supply in the minds of common folk, and hired help that worked for the promise of gold pieces was not going to earn it from him.

“A personal errand? I don’t see why the captain had to hire as many of you as he did. We’re security enough on this ship.” Ramius said with more than a touch of bitterness in his voice. His chewed tobacco shifted restlessly in his cemetery of a mouth. Each yellow tooth stood like a worn gravestone. “Unless the captain knows something we don’t?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t told any specifics.”

Shinsou again issued a short, uninterested reply, very much in a tone that suggested he had no patience to explain further. The sailor wasn’t bothered by this rebuff in the slightest. His aged eyes shot up at the Telgradian with a keen look that Shinsou knew silently insisted on elaboration. He couldn’t really blame Ramius. His captain had hired a throng of mercenaries for protection of their fleet. It was an unusual precaution, given the experience of those on board, and Ramius clearly smelt a rat. The captain was of the new breed of sailors, the kind that wanted insurance for everything and didn’t trust their gut.

Shinsou sighed deeply, relenting.

“The captain asked for me personally, and said he didn’t want anything to do with the Brotherhood. I don’t know the reason for that but I do know that he was worried about this route. He hired me and the others because there’s something on board this ship he needed keeping safe. That’s all I know, but I’ll tell you this; if he has asked for me, it’s because your captain knows there might be something that needs dealing with a mere ship’s crew couldn’t handle.”

The righteous tone stung Ramius slightly, making him recoil with irritation towards the Telgradian. Shinsou, however, seemed untouched by this. His stern face didn’t even display that he noticed the aggravated look on the face of the sailor, who stroked his stubby fingers through week old grey stubble.

“Well, you better be as good as you say you are, boy.”

“Look,” Shinsou retorted sharply, “You and your men work the boat and I’ll focus on what I’m good at if and when the time comes. It’s as simple as that. That way, we’ll get through this journey in one piece.” His tone was definite, making it known that this was not a matter he wanted to discuss any further.

Ramius took this with a grim frown. Shinsou stood to his side and watched as the warning call for fog echoed across the deck. Immediately, the crew jumped into action, the wooden planks covered with men scurrying about with equipment and orders. It looked as if an anthill had been kicked over on the Ussyles.

“What’s that?” the swordsman asked, pointing towards the giant structures barely visible through the cold mist. Slowly but surely large, looming arches of stone honed into view. Across their breadth, there lay strewn the wrecked, intertwined carcasses of a vast number of ships. The eerie sound of water lapping at rotting wood and the creaking of swaying hulls reached them in no time at all.

“A ship graveyard,” Ramius replied starkly, “Hundreds upon hundreds of ships claimed by land or sea. Be on your wits, boy. I doubt any natural tide dragged them aground here. The current is too weak and the tide too low. No, something else did this.”

With that said, Ramius turned around and walked away to another part of the ship, grunting something out of earshot as he left Shinsou alone with his thoughts. The Telgradian took a seat at the edge of a grated opening that went all the way down to the belly of the ship, joining one or two others of his hired workforce who already sat there.

Something else? Don’t worry old man. If anything attacks this ship whilst I’m on it, human or otherwise, it will regret it.

"Cut the Sails!" The captain was yelling at those of us who were upon the large naval vessel. HIs voice had boomed over the seas. I looked out from my duties of manning the ballista and saw the tall pillar. It was... strange. I could tell that something was completely wrong. Looking over the various people as they were gearing up for whatever it was, I could only realize that this was no normal thing.

I have sailed for a few years, but even then, you never knew when something new was coming up. Even more so when there were many people who seemed to be able to fight and kill beings of power as easily as I could blink. I knew none of their names, but the powers they had gained through tap were much more than my own. Taking a hold of the large bolt from the stack, I started to load them into the large crossbow that could was meant to shoot down large creatures of the sea.

It was as behind me that I heard of a man speaking about the brotherhood. I had never heard of such a group. Including the fact that we might get attacked by something. With the various ships that were in the sea, broken or otherwise, I could tell we would need more firepower for something other than a skirmish with ships. I readied myself.

My jacket had been laying on the side. Reaching for it, I slid it around me. Letting the short sleeved jacket slide easily over my shoulders. After putting it on, I made sure that the secondary belt around my hip was tight. Undoing the belt, and then redoing it, and slipping the excess through a small loop over itself to prevent it from grabbing onto anything With the sword on my right side.

Taking an armful of the bolts, I moved to a second balista and began to load it as well. I was making sure that the men could use them should we have to, and I had a feeling we might. Looking around me once more, I closed my eyes and breathed in, keeping to myself and doing my work.

Maybe if I had to, I could fight whatever was here as well, but currently, We were just told to come and help the captain on something. Not sure what it was, but I just hoped that I wouldn't be killed by it.

"Initiate, over there! Hold fast the rigging!" The blonde woman brushed the hair from her eyes and pointed toward the stern. A loose rope flailed about. "You need to tie that back down and help them batten the hatches. We don't know what kind of weather we can expect, so be on your guard."

Aelin grabbed the offending rigging and pulled it taut. "Got it!" he called back to her. He set to tying them up and called back to her. "Can't you do something about all this fog?" he asked.

Bethany pulled tarpaulin across the hatches dutifully on her side of the ship as she shot the younger man a dirty look. "I'm not that kind of mage," she spat, "and you can't rely on magic for everything, Aelin. Learn to solve problems with your own two hands." She tied down the corner of cover in her own hands and grabbed hold of the railing. "Are you even listening to m-"

She stopped short when a massive pillar of granite appeared through the fog. Without light, it cast no shadow; yet to the crew, the roadblock offered a darkness just as severe. "Something's ahead!" cried a mate from the crow's nest, and Aelin looked up only to drop the rope before he could knot it. "Weigh anchor! Give us full stop!" he cried out in a panic.

"Sweet Gaea, they're a lively mess of crew." Bethany reached up and played one of her braids. "Initiate, you are not comporting yourself very well on this mission." Her eyes studied Aelin for a moment as he finished with the rigging and turned back to her. "Am I to report that you can't stand very well on your sea legs? You know that would mean that you wouldn't be allowed to leave Corone again...?"

"Do you see it?" he asked, almost as if he hadn't heard her at all. Bethany expelled air from her nostrils in frustration, then looked over to where a ship had been impaled by spire from the sea. "Yes, I see it," she muttered. "Is there something more important than heeding your superior officer afoot?" she tapped her foot impatiently.

"It's not normal," he answered. Aelin stared down at the murky depths below and felt the acute level of humidity from fog brush across his face. "This place is foul. There is something evil here, something... wrong."

"You're sure of this?" she asked, the look on her face incredulous. "I feel nothing out of the-"

"I'm sure!" Aelin rounded on her and stared directly in her eyes. "I know what I feel. The power here- it's not normal. It's pure black. Everything that enters this place feeds it. It's an all consuming death."

For a moment, Bethany blushed from how close he got. The pain of his grip on his wrist lanced through the knight, and she shoved the youth back. "Ow!" he yelped when he landed gracelessly on the deck. Aelin rubbed his backside and fought to his feet, then pursed his lips. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," she huffed. "I'm not used to people getting in my face. Don't do that again." She turned her back to him and raised her nose a bit. "Now, if what you say is true, I need to tell the captain to turn the ship around."

"It's too late for that," Aelin stated. It was not a fearful voice, but there was something about the way he said it that made Beth cringe. "It's not... it's not that whatever it is has magical power, or that I know it's coming for us," he explained, "but the way this place feels... like a chasm of magic. All the life that came here, and was lost..."

"That's enough, Valth," she whispered. Her hands trembled. "Enough."

"No, it's not!" he cried out. "Do you understand? This place is a graveyard, and the ghosts want to make us permanent residents!"

"I said enough!" Tears streaked Bethany's cheeks as she gripped Aelin by the collar. The boy gasped in surprise as she slammed him against the mast. "Can't you understand how other people feel? You need to get a grip, Aelin. If you don't, people won't ever be able to depend on you!" she sobbed. "I won't be able to..."

The ship lurched as a creaking sound growled up from over the side. The ship rocked, and Beth tumbled. "Uwahhhhh!" she cried out as she tripped over the rigging, and she sailed over the rail. "Gods!" she cried out.

"Lady Beth!" Aelin cried out as he rushed toward the edge and threw his hand out toward her. "Piss on this place," Aelin cursed. He watched helplessly as the woman plummeted into the fog, and the loud splash that followed caused his heart to sink.

"Man overboard!" the captain slapped him across the back. "Hop to it, son, we need to get her back on the ship before we lose sight of her."

Bethany flailed in the water as she surfaced and cried out. Aelin stared down in horror, and then glanced back toward the others. "What in the hells do I do?" he asked. All the time he spent aboard ships meant nothing. For the first time, he felt the uselessness and terror grip his heart, and he shook from head to toe as he stared at the deck. "What do I do...?"

While the sway of the ship was gentle, Cath’s stomach roiled like the soft undulating of the bow in her line of vision. It wasn’t sea-sickness that had the High Elf so physically caught off guard; it was her last memory of being on a ship for this long. Though that previous time, she’d been in the hold in the bowels of the brigand’s vessel, under a grated hatchway between the upper and lower deck, sweating and sometimes shivering depending upon the weather and whether it was night or day.

Fog shrouded the crew’s vision, and like the freedom she had now, Cath hoped for a strong breeze to blow away its grey mantle.

“What’s that?” she heard a fellow sailor shout, and sure enough, her breath hitched in her throat as the Bard saw the debris looming through the fog. Months, even years of craftsmanship by master builders had created these majestic wooden sea monsters.

But yet the sea itself had easily slain the hulking beasts.

Or had it?

Cath glanced over at a dark-haired crewman loading up a giant crossbow. The Bard instinctively touched the wooden end of her recurve bow, which was strapped to her back. There was an audible but hushed panic about the ship, as though another loud noise would summon the demon that felled the giant ships before them.

And suddenly a splash drew Cath’s attention away from the front of the boat.

“Forward or aft?” she asked to no one in particular. “And which side?” Spying a young man who appeared paralyzed by the unanticipated event, she pointed at him, almost stabbing him in the chest with a gloved finger. “You there! Did you see where she fell in?

“And better yet… can you swim?” the dark-haired Elf asked, her hands outstretched tentatively as though she may just push Aelin into the drink.

(OOC: I RPed that Cath has the bow she bought at the bazaar, even though she technically doesn't have possession of it yet. Hope that's okay.)

(Considering how I'm going to sell you said bow and pay for what you might not have, I don't mind)

All eyes had shot to the overboard sailor, the emergency occupying all three ships. The captain made several loud commands as people scrambled to and from to toss a line to the overboard person. Noone even notice the giant stone hand jutting from the ocean until it was too late. All three boats entered a large circular clearing in the wreckage, large enough for each ship to maneuver in. In the center, a barnacle encrusted hand carved from granite clenched the wreckage of a ship tightly. A low pitched grumble sounded through the air as the water began to stir. Several sailors tore their eyes from the other spectacle to eye the new obstacle before them. Several sailors noticed how the fog had seemingly faded, clinging to the ring of wreckage around them.

The crashing of water drew all eyes to the center, as the massive stone gauntlet clenched tighter, crushing the wreckage as if it were nothing and throwing the wreckage aside. The water stirred more as a massive stone behemoth rose from the surface, the tide washing off its barnacle encrusted body like waves off a jetty. The beast’s head turned to glare at the three offensive ships, eyes carved from rubies glowing intensely. It let out a roar that sounded more like an avalanche and struck the furthest ship ahead, shattering and downing it in an instant. The other two ships quickly averted course and circled around the massive beast readying their canons.

The beast let out another roar as it focused in on the current wreckage, ignoring the other two boats for a moment as it went about its work. It took the wooden remains and crushed them between its massive granite paws, forming a jumbled ball of wood, metal, and cloth. Something about the moss on the beast’s hands seemed to press the wreckage together and act as an adhesive. Satisfied the beast launched the ball through the air and back into the graveyard of wreckage. Howling, it turned back to the other two ships.

The tide sloshed around the beasts mid torso, allowing the creature to stand shoulders and arms above the water. It’s head seemed to be shaped like some crude helmet, with massive rubies socketed for eyes. Jutting from its chest was a similar ruby formation in the shape of several spikes. Moss, seaweed, and barnacles seemed to coat the stone monoliths skin, what little was uncovered appeared to be carved in the shape of armor.

TL;DR: A big colossus just rose from the ocean and destroyed one of the ships in one hit, then turned it into a gooball and chucked it out of the arena. It’s now coming for the other two ships.

“Man overboard!”

Ramius finally managed to speak, echoing the words of the young mercenary with an uncertain grimace as he rushed over to the side of the Ussyles. Soon enough the sailors around him started to down their tools and rush to the aid of the woman who had tumbled from the ship, a worried look on their faces.

“Forward or aft? Which side?” one of the other hired hands spoke. Her young elven face was the only one, other than Shinsou’s, that held any semblance of calm.

“There’s too much fog, I can’t see anyone.” Shinsou said grimly but without changing the expression on his face. His words and tone only added to the concern of those around him, but the Telgradian resolved to himself he was only stating the facts.

It was at that moment that a loud, bass-driven boom tore through the thick mist, a harbinger of something terrible. Shinsou felt his calves wobble underneath him as the entire deck shook.

“What the...!”

Even before Ramius managed to finish his sentence, the deafening sound of crashing water erupted from the side of the ship. All three vessels in the fleet had sailed unwittingly through the fog into a large circular lake that lay amidst the labyrinth of wrecked ships and debris. Dead centre, a once-stoic colossal hand carved from granite crushed the hull of a wreck already trapped within its unstoppable grasp. A low pitched whining sound hummed through the air, accompanying the moment as bronze-age golem rose mightily from the middle of the lake and loomed over both the graveyard and the vessels within them. The colossus’s monstrous head swivelled to look at the three ships in the fleet in order from west to east, seemingly individually analysing the threat posed by each. Gigantic eyes carved from strangely flawed, dim rubies glowed and pulsed intently before selecting their first prey; a ship to the west of the Ussyles.

By the fucking gods…!

With a bone-shaking scream that carried with it the acoustics of the roars of a thousand lions, the golem struck the furthest ship with all of its considerable might. The ear-splitting crack of wood silenced the shouts of all three of the ship crews with ease. Shinsou knew that sound and the fact that it had no place here only silenced him even further; it was the sound of the Stormbreaker’s hull disintegrating underneath the incredible force of the golem’s stone fist not half a mile away.

“Shit almighty!” the Telgradian's expression was bordering on worried now, he himself not believing what he was seeing. The crew around him panicked, some of them slowly stepping away from the sides of the ship and deciding that to be in the centre of the vessel and away from the sides was a better option now. Others, mostly those that were left standing by the retreating bunch, looked to Ramius for advice. When none was forthcoming, they turned to Shinsou. The Telgradian had none. If he gave the advice that went through his head at that point, Shinsou would only be able to tell them to run for their lives.

It seemed they had awoken something that wouldn’t be put down easily.

Did that bastard Schwell know about this? Shinsou wondered, questioning his employer, the captain of the ship who had yet to rear his head.

The cracking of the wood stopped and once again silence took over the main deck. It was the heavy silence of desperation, the kind that left a man frozen with countless thoughts of his own demise. The wind was high and blowing from the south, making waves that shattered on the upper torso of the granite behemoth and creating spray that would rattle over the debris of the weathered ship cemetery. As the fog began to roll away, buffeted by the strong wind current, the beast remained still but Shinsou knew it would only be a matter of seconds before it made its way to them. Looking around for some sort of sign of assistance, all the Telgradian saw were frightened men that were uncertain whether they should attack this mesmerizing giant that sprung out of the ocean or turn around and mindlessly run for their lives until they would reach the stern and they had nowhere to run anymore.

Fuck it. If no-one else is going to do anything, I will. Someone has to!

The sound of snapping once again broke the silence, only this time the sound was instantaneous. The Telgradian opened his free left hand, spreading the fingers wide. Within two seconds, thin, forking tendrils of black and purple convulsed and converged around each other to form a lance of dark matter within the palm. There was a crackling noise as the fading remnants of the thick fog met the electrical form of the weapon, the moisture in the air and the chemicals in the lance reacting violently and repulsing each other.

With a profoundly angered look on his face, Shinsou walked further down the main deck, dark matter lance in hand.

Hit it in the eyes, buy yourself some time to think!

The Telgradian, jumped down a stage and landed in front of the foremost crewmen with a loud dull thud and a expression of a sadistic murderer. The eyes that once carried the rich colour of gold stared bleakly into the stained rubies of the golem. Before the monstrous goliath could make its move, his hand reached around the shaft of the weapon he manifested, yanking it through the air with such force that forks of purple electricity snapped at the air around him, but even as he did so the beast in front of him moved closer. With what sounded like a muffled growl, Shinsou released the spear with all the strength that was available to him, aimed towards the ruby stones in the colossus’s disfigured stone head.

"I-" Aelin began to speak, but the Elven woman spoke over him. He did not look her in the eyes as her barrage of questions caused his shoulders to sag, and he grit his teeth in frustration. When her hands came perilously close to him, Aelin took a staggered step backward. His heel hung over the edge of the ship and he gasped at the sudden recognition that there was no foothold. "I can swim, but I don't have the strength to pull someone else out of the water," he answered quickly. "And we have bigger things to worry about," he said with a quick motion of his hand toward the monolithic being that rose from the depths.

"Aelin Valth, you had better get me out of the water right bloody now," Beth screamed up at him, "or by Gaea I will-" the ocean churned as the colossus chucked one of the ships clear across the sky, and the elder Arcane Knight followed the mass of mangled bodies, wood, and canvas until it disappeared from sight. "Twelve hells," she hissed as a wave tossed her further from the ship. "Valth, what the hell is going on?"

"Someone toss her a rope," Aelin directed, "someone who has the strength to pull her back on board, preferably." He looked to the elven woman and sidestepped her hands. "We need to figure something out, because there's only one ship left before he runs out of other targets." His body trembled as he walked toward the central mast and his eyes knit shut tightly.

"Come on, Aelin," he whispered to himself. "Keep it together. How do you handle this situation?"

"Man the long guns," the first mate cried out from behind the wheel. "Broadsides at the ready, I'm bringing starboard to bear on the beast!" His eyes flew open as Aelin recalled something.

With the anchor plunged deep, the ship was a submissive target for annihilation.

"Gods," he hissed as he broke for the chain. His hands gripped the links in vain as he tried to leverage himself with the deck. The first mate pointed toward him and two other sailors hurried over to assist with recalling the stabilizing tool. Aelin felt the weight as it responded to their joint effort, and his muscles creaked in protest as it slowly rose from the sea. "We need to get the sails open," Aelin yelled out. "We have to put some distance between us and that bloody thing! It's slow, so mobility is the only advantage we have!"

"Good bloody work," Beth muttered to herself as her eye twitched, "but I'm still in the water, Valth."

A rope descended from the deck and landed in the water, floating aside nondescript bits of tattered ship. Beth reached out and grabbed hold, and the sailors began to hoist her up. "Easy lass," one of the men called down to her, "might be as you'd feel better not seeing what we're faced with."

"Bollocks," Beth huffed as she finally came over the rails with drops of seawater falling off her person in droves. "I-"

Her face contorted as the Colossus slowly turned its head to gaze on the caravan of ships. The villainous ruby gleam gave her pause. "By the Thayne," she whispered hoarsely.

Sails unfurled once more as the first mate took the helm and their ship caught the wind. They peeled to the left and the hull cut a swath through murky waters as they turned the broadside of the ship toward their foe. "Fire!" the first mate called, and all twelve cannons unleashed their payload on the stone horror. Several cannonballs slammed into pillars and the wreckage of ships, which tore holes and carved away stone as it sent smoke roiling skyward. Other shots landed in the sea with a fierce splash, but at least two were true aimed and should have made their mark.

Aelin watched as one of the strange men unleashed a magical attack toward the massive beast. "Lady Bethany, are you all-right?" he asked over his shoulder.

"No thanks to you," she spat as she sent a well placed elbow into his gut. Aelin folded. "Do you have any bright ideas, Initiate? You said you could feel the magic moving here, do you know what we're up against?"

Aelin muttered discontentedly as he shook his head in the negative and rubbed his ribcage.

Bethany turned her gaze toward Cath, the elven woman. "Ma'am," she began, "we have precious little time to waste. How good are you with that bow?"

The beast grew closer and closer, the inevitable dread creeping across the crew as the ship frantically tried to sail away from the lumbering behemoth, each step churning the ocean around them causing the water in the arena to become cloudy and choppy. The boat began to rock violently side to side as Shinsou let his spear fly. The rocking set his aim askew slightly, but the projectile barely glanced the eye of the beast forcing it to emit a howl of pain as it staggered back, various bits of seaweed the dangled from it swinging wildly.

The colossus recovered and stalked backwards, as if it was retreating from the fight entirely. The crew stood in awe of the Telgradian, as if he had singlehandedly saved them all. Several cheers cried out in the man’s name, but were silenced when the first projectile came.

A large chunk of marble pillar careened carelessly through the air and crashed haphazardly next to the ship sending waves crashing about, threatening to capsize the ship. Still jutting from the ocean, the pillar now formed a usable platform about twenty feet in diameter. Several more chunks of debris, an odd mix of ship parts, rocks, and ruins, soon scattered the clearing forming a myriad of makeshift platforms as the beast finished its onslaught of artillery. During this time, Ignis, and Cath were sent careening overboard.

Roaring, the beast lumbered back into the arena and beat on its chest with its fists in some primal gesture of rage as it noticed the two ships seemingly unscathed.

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TL;DR: Shinsou hurt the beast, it started flinging rubble into the arena forming a bunch of platforms for you guys to attempt to navigate in order to get some mobility.

Ignis and Chopsalot are out, Bubbles and Revenant are in! You have Three days to post a reply!

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A single glowing eye opened, cutting though the cabin’s darkness. William looked blearily around the room. Something, the revenant determined in his sleep addled state, wasn’t right. For one thing, the Ussyles was rocking far more than normal. But that hadn’t been what woke him. Sleeping in a hammock tended to help somebody ignore little things like rough seas. After all, wasn’t that the primary reason why ship’s crews used them?

No, William decided after a few moments. What had woken him wasn’t the turbulence. It was all the yelling and screaming coming from outside.

“Is there a storm?’ William rolled out of his hammock with a grunt. That thought went by the wayside when William heard what sounded like a massive, blaring horn. That made sense, William supposed. The Ussyles had obviously found the raiders that he and the other mercenaries had been hired to deal with.

Since it didn’t sound like the Ussyles had been boarded yet, William figured that he still had some time to get ready. Yawning, the warrior stretched his arms overhead, his hands clasped together to pull the knots loose in his back and shoulders. He grunted against as the ship took another heavy roll, momentarily losing his balance before instinct matched it with the ship’s pitch.

William glared at the cabin door. What was going on out there? Was that fool of a captain trying to lose pursuit by radically changing course? Unless enemy ships were right on top of them it was a stupid idea. It would be a far better idea to simply put the wind to their back and run for it. William didn’t really think highly of the captain, why hire a bunch of mercenaries to defend your cargo when the ship already had an onboard security detachment, but he doubted the man was a fool when it came to running his ship. Foolish captains didn’t last very long in this business.

Realizing that danger must be imminent, William made a little more effort to ready himself. He’d been up all night with Ramius’ night watch since the captain insisted that at least one of his hired mercenaries be on watch at all times. And though William had no idea of what time it was in the dark cabin, the ache of fatigue in his limbs told him that he definitely hadn’t gotten a full measure of sleep.

“This had better be worth the hassle,” he grumbled, reaching for the cabin door. He’d thought of pulling on his titanium breastplate and heavy leather cloak, but had decided against it. Cumbersome armor like that was a near death sentence out here on the open ocean should he have the misfortune of falling overboard. He could probably get away with it, given his tremendous strength, but William didn’t want to have to worry about it. Besides, anything that could get through his war form’s innate toughness and overcome his regenerative capabilities at the same time would likely have no trouble with a bit of thick leather and metal.

Instead William took up his warscythe and wrenched the cabin door open hard enough to cause the hinges to squeal. “Alright,” he roared, “what’s the …”

The sight of the colossus stopped William short. He paused, blinking once at the chaos spilling across the deck, then stepped back into his cabin and grabbed Carver, his massive cleaver. He’d left the ancient dragon bone weapon behind for the same reason as the armor, because at five feet long and two feet wide, the massive weapon weighed over eighty pounds. Though his inhuman strength made it possible for William to wield the oversized blade in one hand as easily as a child wielded a tree switch, the possibility of going overboard while carrying such a weighty thing was too daunting.

Or it had been too daunting before William laid eyes on the massive stone form rising from the churning sea.

“Alright then,” William grinned as he erupted from the cabin at a full sprint, one hand holding Carver behind him and the other sweeping the warscythe’s blunted polearm to clear the deck in front of him. Sailors, merchants, and warriors were bowled over as William passed by, the revenant ignorant and uncaring about the attempt to save those who had gone overboard. William had been hired to fight for the Ussyles and that is what he was going to do.

Never taking his eyes off the colossus’ massive form, William reached the railing, put one foot up on it for extra leverage, and leapt. Flesh blackened and charred as he hurtled over the roiling waves towards the marble pillar that the colossus had just thrown, revealing glowing lines of molten heat beneath William’s skin. Claws of bone dug into the marble platform where William landed, anchoring the revenant to the tottering raft.

“Show me what you’ve got,” William enthusiastically roared at the colossus, letting his destructive enlightenment scour the creature. Despite his stone frame, William knew that the creature had to have a weak point, and when he found it, he’d hit it with everything he had.

A large wave rocked the ship John had made his bed in, tossing him from his hammock. He hit the ground with a heavy thump, barely opening his eyes in sleepy rage against both the wave and the captain.

His strange companion had just left the room as he looked up, dragging a massive sword behind him.

No stranger than myself though, I suppose, John thought as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. The screams of sailors and the grinding of rocks, as if from a giant's millstone, sounded through the decks of the ship, and his body acted on instinct. If anything, the Ussyles was under attack, and he needed to be there to defend it. He leapt to his feet, looking around for his massive tower shield. Finding it in the dark of his quarters, he fused the armor of his left hand to it and rushed to the stairs.

He emerged, blinking into the light, and instinctively took a step back as he saw the behemoth. His eyes widened in shock at the ships crashed around it.

"By the Thayne," he whispered as he tried to form a plan in his head. Either way, he needed to act, or the slow-moving colossus would wreck them like it had the countless other ships scattered round.

The marble pillar to the side of the ship wasn't going to sink, and hopefully wouldn't rock too much with the waves, so John made a running leap across the water to the thing, landing squarely on top of it, next to his strange companion, who roared fiercely at the behemoth.

The half-giant planted his shield in the marble, willing his armor to cover his body. flowed up like quicksilver, clicking into place to cover his entire body. The cool sensation of the armor coming up dumped adrenaline into his system, and he smirked a little at the thought of battling this extreme foe. His shield split into two, forming into two large war-hammers that he now held in both hands. The giant could probably blow through the shield easily, and he needed all the offensive power he could get.

"Move!" Her barking command carried as much force as the elbows she threw, shoving men and women alike as she plowed past. Despite the small space, there were still plenty of individuals around to mutter their disapproval. The knight initiate paid them no mind, her icy gaze reserved only for the end of the narrow corridor. She had no time for whatever insults the wealthy passengers could form under their breath. She had more important things to attend to.

As usual, her main concern was Aelin Valth. Though she would never admit as much, Josette preferred to keep him within her sight when they were on excursions such as this. He had a nasty habit of getting himself into trouble, and it appeared that this trip was no exception. Only an hour before, the elf-mage had drawn him from the room Josette and Aelin shared, and asked him to escort her top-side. The blonde had paid no attention to the female knight, and Josette had refused to invite herself along. It was not until a young boy poked his head into her room to declare that Bethany had fallen overboard did the woman spring into action.

Idiot boy, she thought, anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach, and prompting her to move more quickly. How the hell did he manage to lose her off the side of the ship?

A hard hand met her breastplate with a jarring thud. Instinct balled her hand into a fist, and she might have struck the burly man had the ground not suddenly lurched beneath her. Both she and the deck hand were thrown against the hall's wooden paneling, amidst a chorus of frightened cries from the other passengers. By the time the raven-haired woman scrambled to her feet, the man was once again blocking her path.

"Sorry miss," he shouted over the panicked chatter, "you can't go up there. Seems we've run across some sort of beast, and-"

"And do I not look like I can handle it?" Josette bit back, motioning to her armor, and the sword that never left her side. "Besides, I do not plan to be trapped down here if this ship is reduced to toothpicks."

Her careless words only roused another round of terrified shouts. But the man, recognizing that there were far important battles to be fought, allowed the young knight to pass. Long, hurried strides carried her up the steps, and into a scene of complete chaos.

The first thing that she noticed was the great stone beast, who had already dealt more damage than she could comprehend in that moment. "Aelin!" she cried out, but her voice hardly carried against the pandemonium. It was no use, she recognized that immediately. She would not find him in this madness. He would have to find his own way.

Fully committing herself to this line of logic, Josette allowed the adrenaline and years of training to take over. Battle mode, her first-year swords master affectionately dubbed it - when nothing else mattered but the task she had been given. "Don't get in her way when she's like that," the man had teased Aelin during one training session. "You're likely to lose a limb."

With a sharp, metallic hiss, she freed her sword from its sheath. Most individuals scurried about with no direction, their expressions that of pure terror. But one figure was different. He was enormous in stature, clutching two equally huge war-hammers. He moved with purpose, and so drew Josette's attention.

"Need assistance?" she shouted, so not to startle him as she moved up alongside.

The beast howled and hammered its fists against its chest in a primal display of power as it lumbered towards the marble platform. It raised its arms and prepared to slam both fists down onto its opponents, but was stopped by the cracking of several canons. The other ship had spun around the arena and prepped its main guns, letting loose a volley of cannon balls. Most of the balls glanced harmlessly off the behemoth, but one struck true and glanced the beast’s back where another mound of glowing rubies seemed to protrude. Cracking, the gems let off several red sparks, eliciting a howl of pain from the creature as it staggered forward. Losing its balance, the creature fell forward, slamming its head on the platform William and John were standing on.

(short post because I didn’t have much to reply to. Hysteria is in next. Same thing, 72 hours from now…)

Waves slammed into the marble platform one after another in a seemingly endless procession. These were the same waves battering the Ussyles and its sister ship, but the vessels’ had the benefit of size and weight to counteract the crashing waves. The marble platform did not.

As tough as it had been for William to maintain his footing on the slick stone, it was doubly so with the leaden weight of John beside him. It had been further doubled by the colossus’ violent thrashing, and William was glad that his feet were covered in rough bone. Each wave threw the front of the pillar half a dozen feet into the air as it hit them, only to plunge them back down into the trough as the wave lifted the back of the pillar in turn as it passed under them.

Even though he’d gained his sea legs during the voyage out, William could feel the violent motion churning his insides. Fighting was William’s forte, and he rarely second-guessed himself in the heat of battle. He preferred to act and react to changing situations as they occurred, leaving critique of his methods for hindsight. But another eight foot drop as he desperately clung to the surface of the marble while the colossus loomed over him made William seriously question the wisdom of charging directly out to sea to fight this monstrosity.

The colossus raised an arm overhead as it approached, the massive thing easily draping the entire twenty-foot platform in shadow. William knew that he’d have little room to maneuver out on the open sea against something that massive. It was just too big to dodge effectively without solid ground underfoot to use his superior speed on. Carver weighed heavily in his hand, prompting William to question his decision to heft the massive weapon out here with him.

”Perhaps my first instinct was right,” he thought, weighing his options.

Swimming with the massive blade was right out. Even with his titanic level of strength there would be no way to stay afloat while carrying a broad eighty pound brick like the Carver. He stole a glance at the armor covering John’s gigantic frame and shook his head. That, at least, was one worry William didn’t have.

Leaping back to the Ussyles seemed to be the best option that William had available. He could try for another hunk of floating debris, but none seemed as stable as the marble pillar, and he was already having to spend most of his time maintaining his balance as it was. What he needed was for something to distract the colossus so he’d have time to reach it unnoticed.

William tensed to make the jump just as the second ship’s black powder cannons roared into the colossus’ back. This, William reckoned, was just the opportunity that he’d been waiting for. He adjusted his plan instantly and instead of leaping from his crouch towards the Ussyles, William released his grip on the marble on the next wave’s upswing, sliding back along platform’s slick length. He braced his warscythe and the Carver against the platform, the weapons’ razor edges digging neat furrows through the stone but giving him three points of contact to steady himself and to keep from flopping to one side and being washed overboard by the breaking spray.

Ignoring John, William focused on the colossus. The cannons had done their job and thrown the massive creature off balance. Instead of a crushing arm descending upon them, it was an awkward head butt, one that shows an absolute lack of grace or accuracy. The stone head slammed into the front of the platform as it began its descent down the backside of the wave. The force of the blow, added to the already downward facing slant of the marble and catapulted the entire thing end over end. This had been what William had been waiting for, and as the pillar’s stern shot into the air he leaped with all his might, rising in an arc over the colossus’ back.

“Target the red crystals,” he roared openly so that everyone on the circling ships could hear. His destructive enlightenment had pinpointed the monster’s weakness and the cannon fire had confirmed it. The stone that built up the bulk of the creature’s body seemed nigh impenetrable, but those crystals were far more susceptible.

William reached the apex of his jump and began falling back towards the colossus with a rabid eagerness. Hesitation was gone, and there was once again no doubt in his actions. He called on the hot winds that enabled him to fly, shifting the force of his molten core to the task. But instead of slowing his descent, William added speed to it. He also used it to nudge his trajectory towards an outcropping of glowing rubies protruding from the back on one of the creature’s shoulders.

Grinning, William twisted, pulling the long haft of the warscythe in tightly against him and angling the blade flat so that it wouldn’t catch the air and impede his momentum. Then he twisted and, with one arm, stretched the massive hacking blade behind him, intending to bring it down on top of those crystals with all the force that his strength, plummeting velocity, and eight pounds of ancient dragon bone could muster.