The ape just gaped at Thurden, as if unable to process the subtlety. Then he seemed to take offence, as he stepped forward to slug ‘Salt’ in the stomach.
for a possible bludgeoning nonleathal.
=================================================
Reijo is swimming under the hull of the ship.
==================================================
The sczarni gripping Sunny’s arm gives her a shake.
”Don’t lie to me you little @$#@$@!” He shouted, waiving his dagger next to Sunny’s cheek.
”You’re just his type! So spill where he is, or I’ll spill you!” He said, flicking the blade and dealing 1hp damage to Sunny’s cheek.
===================================================
The sczarni gripping Nhati, turns white, drops his grip and backs away trembling.
”Hey rube!” he shouted.
Turning at Zakgrobs threat, he shrieked and lashed at the goblin with his dagger.
for a possible] slashing damage.
=====================================================
Shadeen’s aggressor narrowed her eyes at her…
"What? Out of my way!" She shouted, then dropped Shadeen and ran down the ladderway to the deck below.
=====================================================
The bottle landed near the first mate and exploded, setting the deck on fire and dealing one point of fire damage to each of the crew and 1 to Zakgrob as well.
The Captain staggered to his feet.
"That is IT!" He bellowed in a surprisingly loud voice.
"Put out those fires! Cast off! And ANYBODY WITHOUT A TICKET GOES OVER THE SIDE!!"
The sczarni gripping Sunny’s arm gives her a shake.
”Don’t lie to me you little @$#@$@!” He shouted, waiving his dagger next to Sunny’s cheek.
”You’re just his type! So spill where he is, or I’ll spill you!” He said, flicking the blade and dealing 1hp damage to Sunny’s cheek.
Suny's large, blue eyes grow even wider as the man yells into her face. Then she blinks as his weapon pieces her skin.
She flails inefectually in the man's powerful gasp.
(>_<)
While holding his breath for a few moments under the ship, Reijo has a thought.
"Thar be more bloody barnacles on this old hunk o'junk than Blindey can cook in a week. Bloody ship must be run by lubbers!"
Then Reijo has another thought. He swims to the opposite side of the ship, the side closer to the dock...
Slowly, silently, Reijo's head bobs up above water. His wet pipe remains in his mouth for some odd reason. The choppy water splashes him in the face, and he loudly snorts and spittles it angrily back out of his nostrils and mouth.
Reijo then takes a gander at what he sees and hears both on deck and on dock.
Spotting Bellamy, Reijo decides his old companion has the right idea. Taking his axe out, he tries to quietly climb to a position beneath one of the mooring lines, a position with the least visibility from others. At first, his wet and hungover self slips a bit, but he makes it fine. He then whacks the line with his axe, making a clean cut. One mooring line and two gangplanks to go...
Anyone who spots Reijo sees an expression of menacing glee on his face, as if he is enjoying the excitement.
With the first step the large man makes towards Thurden is met with a slight drop in temperature and a spike of frozen water springing from the dwarf's hand.
'I told ya to keep your damn mitts offa me, you dumb flounder'
Zakgrob's eyes narrowed and his mouth flared open in an impossibly large grin as he danced out of the way of the dagger and the man failed to take heed of the threat posed. "Gave you a chance, Zakgrob did! You should have taken it."
He surged forward and flicked his dagger at the man's hand, the one wielding the weapon. He let out a cackling laugh as he did so.
Shaedeen breathes a big sigh of relief when the strong woman with the sizzling frying pan releases her death-grip and scurries down belowdecks. She looks around quickly, failing to see Reijo's shenanigans, but she views the Sczarni nick the cheek of the tall, tanned elf. Although this enrages her, Shaedeen keeps her cool for once and doesn't react recklessly. She instead tries to hide her slim frame behind the foremast, lifting her right leg so she can more easily draw the hidden dagger from her boot.
If that creep hurts her any more, he'll find my dagger in his spine buried up to its hilt! she silently vows.
When the Sczarni man attacks Zakgrob, Nhati's eyes go wide. "That was uncalled for! And I believe you do not have a ticket!"
She takes a step back, speaks some arcane words, and a cone of scintillating colors spreads out in front of her, potentially stunning the Scarni man.
The Sczarni just dodged Sunny’s ineffectual slap. The attempt seems to enrage him.
”I’ve had enough from you girly! You’re mine now, so you need a brand.” He said, grinning evilly.
He proceeds to start cutting a deliberate scar into Sunny’s left cheek in the shape of a lighting bolt. Take 1hp damage.
=============================
Reijo succeeds in hacking a mooring line free unnoticed due to the commotion.
=============================
Not appearing to notice Thurden’s missed icecicle shot, the ape just stepped forward to slug ‘Salt’ in the stomach again.
for a possible bludgeoning nonleathal.
=============================
The sczarni who lashed out at Zakgrob has his finger sliced off by the goblin and his dagger goes flying.
At the same time he clawed for another dagger, Nhati’s burst of scintillating colors knocked him out cold to the deck.
============================
As Shadeen hid behind a mast something warned her just in time for an enraged woman with a fry pan stalked up to her.
”You hussy! I know it was YOU!”
She swung the fry pan, intending to hit her in the face.
for a possible
At this point several sailors directe by the first mate seize the unconscious Sczarni, drag him to the rail and hurl him overboard.
Somewhere below, a body hurtles by Reijo and splashes into the harbor, dousing him with harbor water.
Bellamy continues to sing his jaunty sea shanty as he tosses another mooring line. He hears the grinding of the gangplank and realizes the ship is free.
"Ho! Gangway! Wait fer me!" he shouts as he runs up the gangplank.
The Sczarni just dodged Sunny’s ineffectual slap. The attempt seems to enrage him.
”I’ve had enough from you girly! You’re mine now, so you need a brand.” He said, grinning evilly.
He proceeds to start cutting a deliberate scar into Sunny’s left cheek in the shape of a lighting bolt. Take 1hp damage.
(O_o)
Shaedeen sees the frying pan coming at the last instant, ducking enough that she only receives a glancing blow to the top of her skull. Though her instinct is to retaliate against Frying Pan Freida, Shae sees the naked elf's captor carve some more into the woman's cheek.
Enough is enough! she thinks while gritting her teeth. The girl attempts to roll with the force of the frying pan blow, hoping to end up behind (and flanking) the elf's tormentor.
for
Thurden dodges back from the brute's telegraphed punch.
'Look, lummox, I've had just about enough out of you.' The dwarf's tone low and threatening. Salt flings another icicle at the thug.
As the unconscious Sczarni man splashes water into Reijo's face, he grumpily wipes it away. The sailor then dives for the poor sinking Sczarni man and...
...and he picks his pockets!
Reijo then leaves the man to drown as he too hears the grinding sound of the ship breaking away. With axe in hand, he swims for the ship and climbs the wooden side.
Moments later, Reijo's head pops up carefully. He scans the scene before him. His eyes of course first fall upon the naked woman, who is now getting cut up by another Sczarni scumbag.
Reijo climbs aboard now, wrath in his eyes, as he charges straight for the carving Sczarni with cutlass and axe both in hand...
Zakgrob turned as he heard a shriek. He almost flung a dagger towards the shriek from his instincts, though he was barely able to keep a hold of the dagger at the last moment seeing it was the weird not-clothed tan-girl screaming.
He grinned at Nhati. "Good, yes?" He jerked his head towards Sunny. "Should help tan-girl?"
The First Mate whips the sailors into some semblance of organization. Some quell the fires, some start unfurling the mainsail, and others start grabbing the unwelcome passengers.
As No-Eyes Bellamy reached the deck, the ship finally moved far enough away from the dock to cause the gangway to fall free into the water. Bellamy made a desperate jump, quite spry for an old blind guy, and he fell prone to the deck.
As Sunny kicked helplessly in the Sczarni’s grip, Shaedeen’s knife cut a lock of hair from his head.
The near miss caused the crook to drop Sunny and turn on Shaedeen.
As he stepped forward to lash out, a couple of crewmen grabbed his arms, hauled him to the railing, and tipped him overboard despite his shouted threats.
The woman who was trying to cave in Shaedeen’s head with the frying pan was also grabbed and hurled overboard with a shriek.
The lummox accosting Salt Leadbeard was shocked and stumbled backward looking at the blood flowing from his left hand, where Salt had shot him. His face clenched with rage, and he stepped forward, but a swung block stunned him, and three sailors tipped him over the railing also.
Reijo sees a number of Sczarni, angry women and thugs fall past him and splash into the water below as he climbs up his rope.
It is this scene that Reijo sees as he climbs aboard dripping with harbor water. Three sailors gripping belaying pins and about to tip you over the rail as well.
Nhati too faces a couple of sailors about to grab her and throw her overboard as she searches for her tickets...
Sunny huddles against the lass who was all smiling and helpful before the nasty meanie pirate got a hold of her poor self.
(;_;)
Zakgrob leaped forward angrily shouting at the sailors and waving his knife around. "ALREADY TOLD I HAD HER TICKET! YOU TALLFOLK DON'T LISTEN WELL! NOW BACK OFF!" His eyes narrowed though it was actually a small bit of fear even though it looked like anger.
Sunny shies away from the loud angry noises...
(;_;)
Shaedeen looks around, deciding that she's safe for the moment. The elf who the Sczarni assaulted had found comfort in the arms of a member of the Throaty Mermaid's crew. You're welcome! Shae thinks snarkily, but that reminds her that she's guilty of the same thing. Turning to the crewmen who'd tossed the creep and Frying Pan Freida over the rail, she beams her best girlish smile and says, "That was a timely intervention, gentlemen! You have my thanks."
Aware that at least one of the Sczarni had used her name, the girl decides now's a good time to slip out of sight belowdeck. She hands the ticket collector her ticket and scoots off to claim the comfiest bunk or hammock in the passengers' cabin.
Thurden smiles as the crew gives the lout the bum's rush and spits over the side after the man. 'Thank you kindly' The dwarf says to the assisting crewmen. 'Hopefully that bath cleans out that clod's ears.'
Thurden smiles at the feeling of a moving deck beneath his feet once again and remembers the poor showing from the supplies being carried aboard. He grabs the attention of a less busy sailor. 'Might I have a word with our cook for the voyage? Probably down in the galley, I'd imagine?'
"HA! Bloody losers!" Reijo chides the Sczarni as they fly over the ship's edge into the waters below. He adds to the frying pan wielding woman as she ragefully glares back at the wet sailor, "Sorry love! Promise ta catch ye next time I'm in town!"
"I GOTS ME A BLOODY TICKET YE MANGY SNOGGERS!" the wet sailor HOLLARS at the three crew mates with pins, about to dip HIM overboard too! Reijo reaches into his wet pouch to retrieve two tickets, and holds them up in their faces to prove it.
He yells at them again, in a slightly less loud tone this time, but still loud enough for Bellamy to overhear, "The other's fer that fool ole' blind man o'er there, all fumblin' an' fallin' on his bloody face! HAHA!" Anger turns to sadistic humor as he sees his old companion fall down.
(If and) When the sailors wave him on, Reijo comes closer to Bellamy. "Bloody deserved that! Fer callin' me out, ya bloody scoundrel! Ye WANTED a good ole' tussle ta give ye some joy in yer ripe old age now, did ye?"
After Reijo roughly aids his friend back up to his feet, Bellamy receives a rather hard, and loud, slap on the back from his friend. Though Bellamy might not see it, he can nonetheless sense that Reijo's got a mad, ear-to-ear grin on his face.
Overhearing Thurden talk about cooking, Reijo adds loud enough for Bellamy and the dwarf to hear, "Another cook ta compete with eh, Blindey? Thar cert'nly be enough barnacles fer the both o'ye ta boil on this hunk'o'junk's underside, that's fer sure."
Reijo makes eye contact with the naked elf, the Mwangi woman, the young girl and... and... "Who let the bloody bilge rat onboard?!" He points at Zakrob, and reaches for his cutlass!
The dwarf shudders at the thought of cooking barnacles and frowns at Reijo 'I just want to meet the monster that'll be starving all of us paying passengers.'
Sunny continues to hold tight to the nice lady, still seeming in shock and horror at all that has befallen her self.
(;_;)
After staking out the finest accommodations (if such even exists) by tying a red bandana to it, Shaedeen decides she's being unnecessarily antisocial and climbs back on deck to see if the goblin's been slain yet or the naked elf has found some clothes. She feels safe at last from the Sczarni of Magnimar.
Zakgrob's lips pulled back from his teeth as he turned to glare openly at Reijo. "Man who caused all this trouble should learn to shut mouth to avoid more." The words were spoken with conviction and dangerous intent. The dagger in his hand twirled around slightly, almost idly as he waited to see if the man would try something.
"Zakgrob paying customer. And cook. And able sailor person. And not bring trouble on to ship while still in port. Choose words with care, trouble man." A smile tugged at Zakgrob's lips though it was more of a snarl than a grin, and it wasn't a pretty sight.
Shaedeen froze on the stairs when she heard the goblin speak--nay, challenge--Reijo. She raised her head up just enough so her big green eyes would be able to see Reijo cut down the creature. Sure, technically the goblin was right--Reijo had brought trouble down upon the Throaty Mermaid, but...Shaedeen had seen and heard enough about the sewer goblins of Magnimar to despise the little creeps.
Shaedeen waves down one of the Throaty Mermaid's crew and then points toward the rather distraught Sunny.
"One of those thugs tried to carve a mark into that poor elf's face. Do you have a healer aboard? It'd be a shame if she were scarred for life."
Sunny sniffles... and winces... blinking back tears.
'You two baboons just about done measuring swords? I'd hate to miss the fun if you find your courage and gut each other.'
Reijo approaches the "bilge rat" with malice in his face. But as Zakrob speaks, Reijo stops dead in his tracks.
No, he's not afraid. Though the goblin might be a menacing sight, the salty sailor's expression is not at all one of fear.
It's one of confused wonderment.
After the goblin finishes his counter-threat, Reijo just stands still there for a moment. Cutlass still in hand and raised, his furrowed brows remain furrowed as he asks Zakrob, in all serious, "What in the bloody Nine Hells does a gobbie cook cook? Wormy stew? Bilge ratatouille? Or... worse?!"
Then it seems some fear does creep into his eyes, but only for show, "Now THAT be givin' me the frights far more than yer gobbie threats!"
Jovially, he yells back at Bellamy, "The thought ov'it makes me long fer your stinkin barnacle soup by compar'son, Blindey! Ha!"
Turning back to Zakrob, he sheathes his own cutlass and grunts back at him, "Put yer butter knife away, Ratty. I'll let ye live..."
Leaning closer in, he grins a maniacal grin, and adds in a lower and more menacing tone, "For now."
..
Now turning his attention to the naked elf with her cut face, he says, "A bloody sin, love. Cuttin' up a saucy wench such as yerself. Makes me blood boil, it does."
Looking round at the crowd, he echoes Shaedeen's query to one of the crew, but does so louder. A lot louder. "Any bloody healin' types be onboard?! MAKE YERSELF USEFUL!! CHOP!! CHOP!!" he exclaims, pointing at Sunny.
Realizing that she's a bit beat up as well, Shaedeen reaches up to feel the top of her skull where the frying pan made contact; when she discovers a large bump growing on her otherwise perfectly-shaped head, her eyes go wide.
"I could use some healing, too!" she tells the nearest crewman. "One of those...intruders...you let onboard the ship hit me in the head with a sizzling fry pan! I mean, for the ticket price of 30 gold pieces a girl has the right to expect a modicum of safety, doesn't she?"
Reijo coughs reflexively at finding out from Shaedeen the cost of a ticket for this hunk of junk, having, shall we say, "acquired" his tickets in another manner. He soon catches himself, though, and plays along by grumbling his agreement. "Aye, love. A bloody fortune we spent, didn't we?"
A moment later, Reijo averts his gaze and whistles innocently to himself as a man and his wife are the last to be tossed overboard. The husband's last words, "I swear! I paid for and had two tickets in my pock..." He's cut off abruptly by the sound of splashing in the ocean.
Nhati watches the ongoing chaos with an expression somewhere between amusement and befuddlement.
She moves up close to Zakgrob. "I think they finally realize you have a ticket. I'll vouch for you if you need it. But..."
After an awkward pause.
"...you are aware of the dietary needs of humans and elves, yes? Not quite the same as that of goblins...."
Sniffles and presses bloodied cheek against the nice, freindly lady. ;_;
He grabs the attention of a less busy sailor. 'Might I have a word with our cook for the voyage? Probably down in the galley, I'd imagine?'
The sailor looked at Salt as if he were crazy.
"The cook? Yeah, he's up forward in the Galley. Focsle down one." He gestured vaguely towards the bow before putting his back into grabbing a line and hauling more sail aloft.
"Bloody deserved that! Fer callin' me out, ya bloody scoundrel! Ye WANTED a good ole' tussle ta give ye some joy in yer ripe old age now, did ye?"
Bellamy rolled over, his eyepatched face looking in Reijo's general direction.
"Well now Reijo boy; 'Tis good ta not see ya again! HEE he he!"As fer callin' ye out, I was usin' yer name ta get 'em ta follow me down the dock an' around the corner.
"An' it was workin' fine! Right up until ye stood up an shouted!
"If'n I KNEW ye were lookin' fer a four way brawl I wouldn't a' bothered tryin' in the first place."
He put his hand out to be hauled upright.
After Reijo roughly aids his friend back up to his feet, Bellamy receives a rather hard, and loud, slap on the back from his friend.
"ow." Coughed Bellamy. Pulling out a pipe, he lit it with a slight motion of his hand and drew.
He grinned and let the smoke dribble from his lips again, the smoke drifting up into Reijo's nostrils in a completely coincidental manner.Though Bellamy might not see it, he can nonetheless sense that Reijo's got a mad, ear-to-ear grin on his face.
Overhearing Thurden talk about cooking, Reijo adds loud enough for Bellamy and the dwarf to hear, "Another cook ta compete with eh, Blindey? Thar cert'nly be enough barnacles fer the both o'ye ta boil on this hunk'o'junk's underside, that's fer sure."
"Well now, that's how ye tell the good ones from the bad.
"I can make barnacles taste good! Hard on the teeth though. HEE he he!""Who let the bloody bilge rat onboard?!" He points at Zakrob, and reaches for his cutlass!
"Bilge rats?" He asked, turning his eyepatched face about futily. "Pretty gamy eatin', unless ye got the right spices."
"Zakgrob paying customer. And cook."
"Another cook? Jest how many cooks does one ship need? They must be in DEEP trouble! HEE he he!" He chortled.
"One of those thugs tried to carve a mark into that poor elf's face. Do you have a healer aboard? It'd be a shame if she were scarred for life."
Bellamy stopped smiling.
"What? Someone carved someones face? Where is this elf? Take me there!" He called out to Shaedeen.After being guided to Sunny, he ran his bony fingers over the wound area.
"Miss Sunny is it? Me names Bellamy, or No-Eyes however ye wish ta call me." He said, the not unpleasant smoke wreathing about both of them.
"Now, unless ye want ta keep the scar, I got somethin' ta fix ye right up!" He cackled.
He pulled out a flask and popped it open. He took a little nip of the whisky within then dribbled it over the wound.
"I could use some healing, too!"
"You too then missy! Come on over here!" Bellamy called out.
He did the same to her, dribbling a bit of whisky on her head."A fryin' pan hey? D'ye an' Reijo visit the same clubs? HEE he he!" He cackled.
"One of those thugs tried to carve a mark into that poor elf's face. Do you have a healer aboard? It'd be a shame if she were scarred for life."Bellamy stopped smiling.
"What? Someone carved someones face? Where is this elf? Take me there!" He called out to Shaedeen.After being guided to Sunny, he ran his bony fingers over the wound area.
"Miss Sunny is it? Me names Bellamy, or No-Eyes however ye wish ta call me." He said, the not unpleasant smoke wreathing about both of them.
"Now, unless ye want ta keep the scar, I got somethin' ta fix ye right up!" He cackled.
He pulled out a flask and popped it open. He took a little nip of the whisky within then dribbled it over the wound.
Sunny is hesitant at the attention and ministrations from this new stranger. From prompting and reassurance of the nice lady Sunny aquesses and allows Bellamy's ministrations to be applied.
The alcohol innitially stings, elliciting a quiet hiss and wince, but is quickly replaced by the soothing warmth of healing as it flows across the wound.
With the violence washed away Sunny offers Bellamy a wan smile then throws herself at the fellow and embrases him in a crushing hug of thanks.
Stepping back and absently taking the nice lady's hand in one of hers she nods and bobs,
"Thank'e muchly fer tha' soothin'..." She acknowledges Bellamy's help, then looks to the crew about her as they work to make sail and have the ship underway.
Thurden listens to the sailor's directions and nods to the man. As he makes his way to the forcastle he grunts disappointingly to himself. 'Draw steel and not even poke at each other a little bit.'
"I can make barnacles taste good! Hard on the teeth though. HEE he he!"
Thurden laughs at this. 'The trick is to boil 'em into a broth. You boil your shoes alongside with a couple of surplus planks to serve as your meats and potatoes. You boil all that for a day and a half in the crews cleanest laundry, strain out the barnacles, and enjoy.'
'And I ain't here in any official capacity, strictly pleasure.' The dwarf continues on his way towards the bow of the ship he casts a quick glance at the state of the ship and crew. 'Or at the very least, travel'
"You too then missy! Come on over here!" Bellamy called out.
He did the same to her, dribbling a bit of whisky on her head.
"A fryin' pan hey? D'ye an' Reijo visit the same clubs? HEE he he!" He cackled.
"Well, apparently that broad with the pan thought so!" Shaedeen grouses. Though she's not particularly thrilled to now smell like whiskey, a quick check reveals that the bump on her head is completely gone!
"Thank you, sir!" she gushes. "Bellamy is it? And you're the cook? Good--there's a grody little goblin aboard who thinks he can cook, but I don't want to eat worms and rocks and whatever else those little freaks eat!"
Zakgrob frowned deeper and deeper, the green of his skin growing darker and darker with more and more anger. The knuckles of the hands gripping the daggers were straining and the hands shook a bit as he tried to contain himself.
Left and right he was being insulted and spat on just for being a goblin. He had been going to cook them good meals and be nice to them, but now not only would he NOT cook for them, he thought about taking every opportunity to pee in and put things in their drinks and meals, and play dirty pranks on them as often as possible. He wasn't sure he would, but it felt good to think about it.
"FINE! TO HELLS WITH ALL OF YOU! Zakgrob good! You insult Zakgrob and treat him like bad evil thing just for being goblin! You see goblin and must all be same, like all humans must be dumb, can't be nice human, evil human, smart human?? He not cook for you! He not help you! He hope you DIE, you big mean people!"
As he stomped away, tears (of anger, sure) started to fall down from his eyes as he angrily dashed them away.
"Oh dear--he heard me," Shaedeen says quietly to Bellamy. "I forgot those things have...." She'd been about to say 'big, dumb elephant ears'. Shae swallowed those words.
Normally, Shae wouldn't give a rat's arse what a goblin thought of her...but her own recent unfair treatment at the hands of the Tower Girls was fresh in her mind. She realized, albeit very reluctantly, that she'd just acted the very same way toward the goblin. She also realized that she'd be aboard a small ship with said goblin for the next six months. Six months??!! Surely she'd misheard the crewman who'd said that!
Shaedeen excused herself and chased down the retreating goblin.
"Listen--I'm sorry about what I said. I should've at least looked at, sniffed, and asked for a list of ingredients before deciding you were a bad cook. You stood up for that Mwangi woman, and that's unlike anything the other sewer goblins I'd seen in Magnimar would do. I...may have been hasty in my assessment of you. I have enough enemies already; I don't really want to add another one before we've even left port. I apologize."
Compassionless Reijo raises a brow as Zakrob releases his angry retort and runs off. He gruffly whispers to nearby Bellamy and anyone else nearby, "Ya need ta be tougher than iron ta survive in this bloody life. Can't be runnin' off ta whimper e'ry time some arse be callin' ye a bad name."
Looking back at the goblin and the apologetic young lass, "Eh. Best ease off a the li'l boy. That one might spit or piss in me stew."
As if he needed an introduction after all that just transpired, Reijo introduces himself to to Thurden, Nhati, and Sunny as he takes a swig of rum, "So I be Reijo." Offering a sip to each as they wish, he asks with apparent sarcasm regarding the ship's quality, "So what brings ye all ta this fine prize ov'a creaky merchanter?"