Jim glances over at Dibbets. "Hey, mate. That normal? Thought you said she was supposed to be long gone by now."
"I don't guess the Princess would be willing to tow us to where we need to be for saving her life, would she"?
The eccentric knight gives Jim a confounded look. "Forsoothe! Herein lies the Princess' Realm. Where else would she go?"
He looks rather pained by Dingus' question, but passes along the request. "Er, Princess. These sailors mosteth brave have losteth thine ship and asketh a greate favor, a boon verily. Wouldst thou guide them safestly from thee realm to their destination?"
Surprisingly, the turtle pauses as if listening and then slowly nods its head! Kelizar shrugs. "She sayeth she willst."
Kaul looks on in wonderment and mutters an aside;
"Feck me lads... Maybe she is a princess after all..."
Anatoly and Zossrov quickly jump to getting the boat ready, pulling rope from the jolly and securing it to the bow. The huge turtle gets in place and Sir Kelizar wades in to have some final words with her while the two shipmates carefully secure each end of the rope to her two front flippers. All is ready within moments and Kelizar moves back to the beach and stands with water draining from his shining armor as you all board. Jim Stork takes the 'reins' on the bow and the two crewmen grab their oars.
Jim shakes his head at the sight, then climbs aboard and pulls out the map. "If I'm reading this aright, we bear north from here. I'm not sure how fast the Princess will pull us--she didn't seem to be all that fast." I'm prepared to be surprised, though. He turns and snaps a proper naval salute to the nutty knight. "Sir Kelizar! Thank you most kindly again. Fare well!"
The boat lurches forward nearly knocking Jim off his feet as the great turtle pulls. Kelizar returns Jim's salute awkwardly and then just waves. "Fare-thee-well, Brave Sirrahs! Do taketh goodest care of Her Highness!"
The boat gains momentum as it crossed the lagoon and Jim can see that the turtle does swim quite quickly even hauling the full jolly behind her. The rate is not that much faster than the boat under able and powerful rowers, but she's not likely to tire any time soon either. Anatoly and Zossrov continue working the oars though it is obvious they aren't contributing much. They keep at it though until the boat is some ways from the island's outer shore, then ship the oars and sit back with a wary eye on the slowly retreating island.
"Might as well rest up while we can, gents. I don't know what Lanteri will have told the rest of the crew, so we'd best be ready for a warm reception."
Kaul grins like a hungry shark;
"Hur... Oh we'll chum the seas with their flesh eh lads! Kill 'em all!"
"Now, mate, we can't run that ship with just us. Give 'em a chance to agree to follow the new captains, hey?"
Madman Jim reckons it's about 50 miles which makes the ETA tomorrow afternoon as the turtle swims. Jim Stork sets a steady course by tying up the reins and moves back to look over Jim's map. "Where'd you get that? Want me to make sure that's where they're bound?"
The two other Magpie mates look further flustered by Kaul's bluster and retreat as far as possible from the threatening thug looking wan and tired.
"The late Cap'n Storm Eyes had it. Take a look." Jim will hold the map so Stork can see it, but won't let go of it.
Jim Stork nods and produces a bit of splintered wood. Holding it up with a crooked smile, he waves a hand over it and mumbles a couple of arcane phrases. He peers more closely at the chart and gives a croaking laugh. "That must be the place. There she is already. See?" A tiny ship icon appears on the chart at the island marked with the eye.
Jim Stork sits back looking over the inhabitants of the boat including Dibbets curled beneath a bench and piteous. "Well, we should approach this very carefully seeing as most of our allies are no longer aboard and then there's the question of what to do with those two once the moon rises again. Quarters are tight if they change tonight."
Dibbets stays tight up and reclusive in his fractured shell for the most part, shivering and sweating in turn despite what the heat and cold are outwith. He doesn't react overly to the departure of Nkechi, but those on the outside looking in might easily think that the pain from his leg is getting worse. Intermittently he continues to silently mouth words in series without putting sound behind them.
He stirs lastly at Jim Stork's warding words to growl at low ebb and gravelly "'Toly listened last he turned... might be Zoss would too. Either that or bind an' blind 'em."
Kaul mulls the problem posed by potential were-sharkers in their midst.
"Hur. Quite the pickle... We got rope or rags? Iffen no, then its me and Lopps on overwatch... Hur-hur-hur-hur..."
The thug chuckles to himself and gently pats the handle of his fell hatchet.
Madman gives Stork an appreciative nod. "A useful trick, hey?"
To Kaul, he replies, "No worries, mate. Like Dibbets said, Anatoly can keep control, and I'm sure Zossrov can do likewise. That puts me in mind of something, though." He gives the pair of weresharks an appraising look. "So what happened 'twixt you two and Kelizar? I can't tell whether there's more to that nutter than meets the eye."
Zossrov has a haunted look. Anatoly looks much worse for wear, still bearing the effects of the undead cultist's touch. Even his fur hat looks awful now as if its been chewed up and spit out. "Don' know what it is, but definitely something funny there. He taking us to cave behind the falling water and put us each in pit and then something... BIG... put 'UGE boulder over top to keep us in. I no knowing if I resist the changing always. Last night, I could not. Wake up to be seeing pit open and man pull me up with rope. Then we finding you."
"Hm." The Taldan looks off into the middle distance, pondering. "That might be what scared off the kech last night, too. So our nutter has a good (and very big) friend, or he's some sort of skinchanger. Either way, let's not be crossing him if we go back there, hey?"
Small and piteous "So... rope an blindin?" the crusty midget intones.
"Tying up can wait until later maybe?" Anatoly asks. "Hard enough to sleep in little boat."
Kaul's battered ears twitch at the swabs tale;
"Hur... Know what they say... Bigger they is, harder they fall... All of 'em felled by Lopper an' Kaul! Hur-hur-hur!"
Everyone tries to find some room to stretch out in the crowded boat trying to get some rest while the Princess steadily pulls the boat northward past a string of small verdant islands. The weather is fair and seas provide no hazards.
The sun eventually sinks toward the horizon and Madman Jim moves to tie up the afflicted crew. They offer no resistance though Anatoly grabs Jim's arm pulling him close and in a whisper makes him swear he'll protect them from Kaul. Once they are tightly bound and have tested the knots, all wait silently in the gathering gloom. The sun disappears at last leaving the small boat in darkness beneath the kindling stars. There is little noise except the slapping of the waves against the hull until silvery light finally appears over the hills of Raptor Island.
Anatoly and Zossrov grow rigid and strain in the growing pale light. The boat rocks as they jerk violently and froth at the mouth. Anatoly resists and soon stops twitching, but Zossrov succumbs and grows in size, his head jerks back, natty dreadlocks are absorbed and his mouth grows wide revealing rows of serrated teeth. His eyes shrink into dull black orbs that retreat back and to the sides of his head and his nose broadens and retreats to make way for the gaping maw that becomes his dominant feature. The wereshark twists and snaps its great jaws trying to bite its unchanged mate lying next to it.
Wheezing "P1ss an' sh1t... Kauly, lay 'im out wi' Lopper's flat eh?" shuffling away from toothy and wriggling though raising a warily aimed boomstick as final insurance against any further excitement.
Kaul pauses momentarily admiring the were-shark's gnashers before Dibbs' hissed strategy snaps him from the dwam;
"Hur... Lopps' ain't got a flat edge mate! Like askin' a shark to just kiss but don't bite!"
The brute swings his axe full bore, edge bared at the wriggling shark-sailor;
"Nice teeth! Lopper 'ere bites nasty too!"
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Jim tries to stop Kaul before he can chop at the sharkman. "Try your sap first, mate! Knock some sense into him."
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Dingus recoils at the sight of the change, then even further when he sees the developing violence.
"Blimey! Nothing's ever easy is it"?
Kaul goes for a more 'final' solution standing over the bound pair and bringing Lopper's deadly down in an arc the gleams in the moonlight. The heavy ax cuts deeply into the wedge shaped head. Dark blood sprays over the bound pair and the leering thug. The blow would have killed a typical sailor, but the lycanthrope clings to life jaws snapping madly. Anatoly moans in terror.
"Belay that, Kaul! Zossrov, get hold of yourself or you're a dead man!"
Jim's threat of death is probably a bit late even if the frenzied wereshark's rabid mind was able to comprehend it.
A combination of Dibbs' salty wisdom and Jimmer's bellowed threat gives pause to the voracious thug's appetite for violence.
He throws a beady eye toward his shipmates and lowers Lopper;
"Sure ye want me to stand down Jimmer? Chopsrov 'ere ain't fer listening much..."
"Sap him, mate. Don't want him waking up 'fore he's himself again. Unless Dingus has magic to calm him down?"
"Nope. Don't think so. Not without catching half the crowd that is".
Dingus continues to watch, particularly fascinated with the drops of blood spraying from the struggling sharkman.
Kaul sighs and shakes his scarred noggin before swapping axe for sap.
Taking an equal delight, the thug lays about the shark-man with gusto;
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Kaul switches to less lethal means per his mates request. One smack of the sap easily KOs the direly wounded elfbeast. Peace restored, Anatoly settles down and the night passes without further disturbances.
As soon as the warming rays of the rising sun overpower the pale light of the moon, Zossrov changes back to his regular form though he retains a great gash upon his head and remains unconscious. Dibbets shoos Jim Stork from the bow and stands open to sun and breeze praying fervently to the sky. He feels the salty air blow around and through him and once again he is connected to the divine, if not particularly attentive, source of his power.
It is only after the sun's zenith that the little boat's destination comes into view. A thin beach of yellow sand surrounds most of the island except where steep gray cliffs jut from the sea. Bird song echoes over the sea from a thick canopy of green that covers the rest of the island except for the strangest feature of the island: a black formation that rises from the water on the northeastern side. It peaks in a tower upon a jagged cliff that descends into the water spreading just below the surface into a treacherous black reef.
You quickly spot the Magpie stranded upon the beach not far from waves that crash over the black reef.
"Nicely done, Kaul." Jim stretches out and goes to sleep.
The next day, the Taldan busies himself keeping track of their position until the approach to the island. On seeing Magpie's condition, he shakes his head. "Feck. They beached her. Kaul, don't go killing anyone who surrenders--we're going to need every hand to get Magpie afloat again."
The great sea turtle slows and stops as you near the coast. She turns in her harness and looks back at the boat as if to take her leave.
Jim catches himself. "Sorry about that. Dibbets, care to swim out and unhook Her Highness? And thank you kindly for the tow, Princess."
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Dibbets falls off the front of the boat with a languid splash before seeing to Jimmer's request of him. Reborn and baptised he floats on his back beside their wee boat as he responds "Way I see it Jimmer, them feckers have got what's comin. They clear out of the way they ken keep their innards... but iffin they disnae, then they've earnt Lopper's sweet embrace. We rollin hot an heavy or soft like a sneaky feck?"
The Taldan nods. "Agreed. Hot and heavy, I'm thinking. They've seen us fight, they're not expecting us, and the surprise should get them thinking the right sort of thoughts, hey?" He loosens his rapier in its scabbard, then pauses, struck by a thought. Let's see if I've had this fine piece of steel long enough.... He holds out his hand and calls for the blade.
Once untied, the huge turtle simply sinks down a few fathoms to rest on the shallow sea floor.
Storm-eyes' blade now flashes to Jim's hand upon his call and the crew's attention turns once more to the stranded ship. Jim Stork notes that it is odd that there is no one to be seen even at midday. Indeed, as the jolly is rowed closer, you find that the ship appears abandoned.
Using his sailing nous... Dibbets sets a weather eye to whether they'd be able to re-float her with what hands they have...
Noting the lack of people worth revenging apon Dibbs scoffs "Feckin typical cowardly bastards... Iffin it comes tae it tho, should see iffin ye ken goad tha b1tch intae a duel wi' ye Jimmer. Ye'd spill 'er guts nice an easylike"
Jim nods, grinning. "Aye, I'll see what I can do about that." Meanwhile, he looks over the areas for tracks, trying to figure out where the crew might have gone.
Once the jolly is dragged onto the beach, the cowed Anatoly and Zossrov remain behind as the others circle the Magpie for an inspection. Dibbets quickly notes that there is some fresh damage to the hull. It appears that she was scraped over the reef and that will need to be repaired before she is floated. The heavily sailed ship will take more than the seven sailors currently available to get underway certainly. Jim easily spots the trail of a large crowd leading away from the ship and along the beach. He reckons the trail will lead to the ominous black tower still visible above the treetops.
A knocking sound comes somewhere within the beached ship's hold.
Jim cuts the pair loose. "Make sure the boat doesn't go anywhere, hey? Once upon a time, we built a raft and sailed her from Raptor Island to Sentinel Island, and that's an experience I don't care to repeat."
He looks up at the noise. "Wonder who's stuck? If they were on Lanteri's bad side, they might be willing to talk to us." The Taldan moves to investigate the knocking.
The sailors move onto the tilted ship and leaving Jim Stork perched weather deck as a lookout, the four old mates move below. The eerie knocking echoes through the musty dimly lit interior of the ship. Jim follows it to locked quarters in the stern of the main deck, but before goblin hand or heavy axe can be applied, something rushes Dibbets from behind!
"MASTER DIBBETS! You found us!" Rafe rushes to his diminutive mentor's side from his hiding place on the stairs to the lower hold.
Kaul flashes his grilled teeth at the grimy oracle's summarisation;
"Hur... They keep clear or we Lop 'em... Iffen she takes up the challenge I'll bide my time an' hack 'er wide open... Feck honour... I ain't got none... So aye sounds a plan mate... Hur-hur..."
As Jimmer instructs Anatoly and Zossrov to guard the jolly, Kaul shoots them a hard look;
"... an' no splittin' out on us... savvy? Iffen we don't come back ye can dance on our graves an' make mention o' being bound and kissed by Lopps..."
Onboard the thug curses his poor reflexes as Rafe successfully bullrushes Dibbs
Sneaky lil' begger...