Sabine glances up at the half-orc. "What? You mean this floating death-trap filled with murderers and thieves?" The druid scoffs. "Yeah. It's my first time." She stays silent for a moment, tensing as Mikael makes a move to trip Crimson.
"Thanks, though. What about you? Are you used to this?"
Mikael follows Crimson down, straddling his chest and drawing his right hand high, pulling the other man's with it. His free hand grabs the dropped dagger; bloodthirsty images flash through his mind - he could pin Crmson's free left hand to the deck, easily enough - but he growls and shoves the blade into his belt instead.
Drawing his left hand back, he delivers a swift punch to the man's jaw instead. After all, cutting him while he was down seemed morally reprehensible. Hitting him... Well, still so, but in his defense, that cut had hurt.
Crimson takes the hit well. He struggles with his pined hand, but gives up quickly and punches Mikael in his wounded shoulder!
The pain lurches through Mikael's shoulder again, and he abandons all pretense of holding a higher moral ground. Pulling the dagger back out of his belt, he stabs it at Crimson's free hand.
Pain jolts down Mikael's arm again as Crimson's punch drives into the fresh cut, and a red mist begins to blossom in front of his eyes. So much for moral high ground, he thinks, drawing the knife from his belt again. With practiced speed, he brings the knife across the other man's free arm, following it up with a fist to the face.
When the first punch draws blood Xav smiles. When the second hits Crimson's face Xav can't hold back and shouts, "YEAH! Get 'em Mik!"
Ausk grins, watches the "fight," as he nears finish with his drink.
"Part of this, yes. I grew up on ships. I grew up under a rough dwarf Captain up in the frozen north. There...well, everything tries to kill you, so you have to be tough and be raised tough..."
The big half-orc rubs the back of his neck where there is an obvious mark of one of the Chelaxian slaving companies.
"But this...this isn't the way.." Ausk stares out into the water "Not the way I've ever seen.."
"The dwarf bought you?" Sabine asks, bluntly.
The half-orc nods, not seeming to be bothered by this line of subject.
"All for the best really. I probably would have died somewhere in the North if he hadn't. Instead, he built me into the sort of individual I am now. Stern as you'd expect, but if ya did good, then ya'd get rewarded. This sort of thing would never have stood on the Stormsails."
Ausk grins.
"Still amazes me that the ol' saltbeard was one of the best swimmers I've ever seen. Could dive like a fish, even in plate mail. Weirdest thing I ever did see."
Finishing his drink, he turns the mug over onto the deck and shakes his head.
"I earned his respect, and he treated me like a son. He died, though. Everyone onboard died, as far as I know, died. The Chelaxians didn't like it when he started raiding them."
Mikael's slash and strike ends the fight with sudden finality. The old crew moans and the money is tallied. Mikael comes out with a cool 100 gold and everyone else gets 10 each.
Otherwise, the night is uneventful.
Mikael: = Kroop is sober! You get two ships actions tonight. All the better to take advantage of your new found popularity!
Ausk: =Upper Rigging Work - 50ft climb + Profession Sailor and DEX check (DC 10)
That upper rigging needs work! Get up there! Plugg commands. He seems more irritable this morning than usual.
Luke: =6)Repairs – Profession Sailor/DEX DC 10
I seen ye wanderin' about. Make yerself useful!
Sabine: =Swab the Decks – STR DC 10 and CON DC 10 to avoid fatigue
Ye and Birdie did a mighty good start yesterday, Fishguts. Spit shine the rest of it today!
Xav: =2) Rat Catcher – Stealth/Survival/DEX DC 10
Elfie boy! Noticed some rats down below! Go get 'em!
Archapex: = Swab the Decks – STR DC 10 and CON DC 10 to avoid fatigue
Birdie! Join the Sharkgirl again!
Crimson is up on his feet today, and looks sore, but he isn't in the least bit bitter. In fact, you'd call him downright friendly now.
Ausk almost entirely ignores the angered officer, getting up the ropes with an agility and strength that almost borders on the supernatural. Once up into the rigging, the half-orc grins.
"Ah...Much better."
And with the practiced ease of one who is well versed in the arts of the sails, Ausk repairs the rigging to the point that it is most likely better than it was before.
"Well, how'd ya like the song last night? I figured it'd go over a bit better than the last one." He asks the female sailor, smirking as they work.
With a shaky laugh that grows in confidence, Mikael flips the dagger and slices through the rope binding his right hand to the now-unconscious Crimson's. Keeping the dagger, he climbc to his feet, raising his arms in victory. He's bleeding heavily from the shoulder, he has a split lip and a nasty bruise on the rips, but he's the one standing, so at the end of the day, it's a win.
He takes his winnings with a grin, retrieves his weapons, armour and shirt, and claps Xav on the back with a grin. "Good to know there are those here who believe in me. Did you see the way he fell?!" he asks gleefully, face shining like a child's - a very sweaty, bloody child.
Mikael whistles as he works, in good spirits from the night's fight. Around midday, he wipes the sweat from his brow, calls out to Fishguts that he's getting some air, and steps out onto the hot sun and cool breeze of the deck, still grinning.
He approaches the sore-looking Crimson, holding out a hand for a shake. "Didn't see much of you after they dragged you off to rest up, but you fought well. Been a while since I had a game of knivesies like that." He shifts his shirt off his shoulder to show the cut he recieved, healing, but obviously planning to scar. "Last time I rememebr something like that, I was in Riddleport, and this fella challenged me to fight his brother. Took one look at the scrawny fella he was and accepted - after all, how different could his brother be? Turned out he was only his half-brother. Other half was orc. Huge brute he was - had at least half a foot on me, and twice as broad. I got the knife, but he didn't much seem to care about that. Next thing I remembered, I woke up on the docks, looking like Pharasma herself had kicked me out of the Boneyard. All my money was gone, and my best pair of boots, too. They left me with my knives, at least." He chuckles at the memory.
"Anyway, thought I'd best congratulate you. And return this," he adds, drawing the other man's knife from his own belt. "Sad to hand her back so soon - she's a beauty - but at least I know you'll keep treating her well."
Sabine shakes her head. "No creature on land or in the water deserves to be sold. Still, I am glad that you made the most of it. A weaker person would have wilted." She looks up to see Mikael end the fight decisively and gestures to Ausk. [b]"Follow me."
Walking over to where Mikael and Xav were celebrating, she gives Mikael a wolfish grin. "I can heal that for you." Turning to Xav and Ausk , I have something for you all."[/b]
Sabine puts her back into the labor, eager to give herself more time between herself and when she and Mikael were caught sneaking around.
"There are very few times I have ever been weak. I do my best never to be." the half-Orc says with a level of finality that definitely suggests he does not intend to go further down that path.
When he sees his weaponry, he grins.
"You found them!" he says with quiet excitement. Lifting his axes, he puts the largest one, which looks like the haft of which was taken from driftwood, onto his back. The other looks normal for its construction, looking no different than your average boarding axe.
"I'd be a fool to not take you up on that," Mikael chuckles, grinning at Sabine despite his blood loss. His free hand eventually clamps over the shoulder wound as he comes down from the high and he becomes more aware of the fact that he could have been killed. "At your leisure."
Ausk - Toppin smiles as you approach. 'Twas a lovely song. I liked it much better. You just needed to get your bearings is all. I'm glad you're on board. I was getting so tired of all the drunken bellowing!
Mikael - Crimson takes the knife with a smile and a flip of the blade Thanks. Took me a while to save up for a good blade. Piracy in feast or famine, ya know. Enjoy the feast, while it lasts.
To make up for the rate at which he exhausted himself last time, Archapex tries to pace himself. The result is he gets almost nothing done, and it doesn't go unnoticed.
He laughs. "Well at least there'll now be on key drunken bellowing." He grins and continued working.
"Hoping I can keep getting more of my bearings on the ship. Think you'd be able to point me in the right direction of other folks?"
"Feast or famine, indeed," Mikael echoes, looking out over the water. He stays silent for a moment, listening to the general hustle and bustle of the ship. Eventually, he turns back to Crimson. "So, where'd you learn to fight like that?" he asks, drawing Yolanda and playing with the rondel as he talks. Perhaps not the most important question - not like, "Who should one suck up to around here?" or "How often does the Cat get brought out at the Bloody Hour?", but hey, he had curiosity that needed satisfying.
"Good to know there are those here who believe in me. Did you see the way he fell?!" he asks gleefully, face shining like a child's - a very sweaty, bloody child.
"HA! Priceless!"
Xav slaps Mikael on the back and says, "Once we get off this forsaken place, the first round is on me my friend. Thanks for sticking it to him, if you get my point. Ha!"
Xav clasps Mikael's shoulder with a smile and accompanies him over to Sabine for healing.
The next morning he tirelessly chases rats around below. He expends so much energy that he exhausts himself doing it. He eventually comes above deck and plops himself down. He shakes his head and says, "Where the hell do we pick up so many freaking rats if we never anywhere but at sea?!"
As youall finish up your work, Plugg strides onto the deck and calls an all-stop, all canvas up. You! You! You! he calls to each of the party in turn, The captain wants crab for his supper. Get out there and fetch it for 'im! He points to a reef about 200 yards to port and tosses four crab pots at your assembled feet. Get at it!
Ausk grabs a pot and leaps into the water, swimming almost fish-like in his movements. The half-orc seems so happy to be in the water, so free, that he totally misses any signs of crab. He pounds his fist into the water, showing genuine irritation, before he focuses down on the task at hand.
After a few more moments of renewed focus, he does find the required crab and dives, grasping it and tossing the crustacean into the pot.
Sabine nods and takes a moment to slip out of her hide armor. Extra weight would be a nuisance in the water. Splashing into sea, it takes a moment for the druid to get her bearings, but soon she takes off, paddling after Ausk. In the reef, Sabine easily spots the crabs, but can't seem to find them when she dives under.
Popping back up, she shakes the wet hair from her face. "I can't find them down there," she gasps.
Mikael takes e moment to remove his precious knives, tossing them on the pile with Sabine's armour, before leaping in. He swims out with surprising ease, lean body slicing through the water as he keeps pace with Ausk, dragging a second pot behind him. He's so focused on the competitive streak that he, too, misses the crabs at first, taking a moment t gather himself as he looks around a second time.
His first dive ends abruptly as he surfaces, coughing and spluttering, knocking water out of his ears. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he tries again, this time somewhat more successfully. Unfortunately, the crab doesn't seem to happy about the development, giving him a few nipped fingers for his trouble.
Xav takes his pot and hits the water. He doesn't move through it quickly but swims with ease as it makes his way to a location he believes will be fitting. After looking around he sets his trap and pops down for a moment before he quite easily fills it with a crab. When he breaks the surface with a huge grin he asks, "How's everyone doing?"
You are busy diving and fetching when suddenly a black form hits the water from the sky with a huge splash. Water goes everywhere and Archepex surfaces a few seconds later, crab in hand. The water rolls off his feathers like they're made of wax.
For the first time since being on the ship, he looks actually happy. His grin reveals pointed teeth and vicious canines, but couldn't be interpreted as anything but ecstatic.
He tosses the crab over to Ausk and easily treads water. His wings are kept close to his body while not in use.
Luke arrives and starts diving shortly thereafter. He is a shaky swimmer, but his eye is sharp and he excells at picking out the crabs from the surrounding reef, even if he has trouble getting to them.
Two shapes emerge from the reef. Blood-red spines run the length of this frightening creature, which resembles a lobster in the front and an eel in the back. They advance on Sabine and Archepex!
Archepex spots the creatures and immidiately calls out, Under the waves! Abominations of the sea have come for us! His great wings, used until now, unfurl to their full 12+ foot span. Like a black swan he pounds the water an lifts himself up and out of the sea! He gains a few feet of altitude before beginning a circle back to the rest of you.
Xav watches Archepex burst from the water with awe. Turning to Mikael and his nipped fingers he asks, "Did you know he could do that?!"
Without waiting for a response he pushes himself under the water as instructed.
Sabine manages to catch a glimpse of the creatures before being sucked underwater by a wave. She takes a moment to consider her options.
Ausk swims down to meet one of these creatures, swinging his particularly nasty axe, knowing that it won't do as much.
And this particularly new experience of fighting in water makes his strike go extremely slow and not even touch the "abomination."
Realizing how vulnerable she is in the water, Sabine calls upon Gozreh's power and a cloud of silt bursts from the reef, obscuring her and her allies.
Unarmed and still tender from the previous night's bout, Mikael decides to hide in the silty cloud.
Xav retrieves his dagger and points out the first abomination to his allies, attempting to signal to attack that one first. While underwater of course.
The monsters engage with frightening ferocity. Xax manages to paddle out of the way of a vicious claw, but Ausk takes a scratch across the bicep.
Sabine swims back up to the surface, gasping for air. The druid takes a moment to wipe the hair from her eyes and look around. Ausk and Xav were both under attack, but without her quarterstaff, she wouldn't be much help. The druid starts to swim towards Ausk, intending to heal his wounds.
Mikael starts swimming toward Xav, but accidentally breathes a mouthful of the silty cloud; he stops, treading water, coughing and spluttering. "Anyone got a spare knife or two?" he calls, mentally cursing himself for leaving the girls behind. If these things don't gut me, I'm going to clean each and every one of you when I get back. Then never let you out of my sight again!
Luke in enjoying his time back on the ship. he takes a bit to get more familiar with different parts of the ship as the others gather crabs...
Luke has found himself rather deep underwater, he struggles to reach the surface but it is a long way...
Xav loves the water and innately home in it. He quickly moves through the water like a fish and slashes at the creature before him with his blade. When he hears Mikhail coming his way he speaks without looking at him, "When I'm done getting us dinner I'll let you borrow this one."