Devram is jolted awake by Penance yelling as loud as possible right below him! He fumbles around in his bunk for a second, until it registers what his noisy bunkmate is bellowing about. The half-orc is already out the door, but the danger is apparent.
He rolls out of his bed, landing deftly on his feet. He grabs his sword and his armor, but with the shouts from above, he simply tosses the chain shirt back onto his bed, grabs his crossbow, and runs out the door. He makes his way up the stairs until he hears the word, "Dragon". He stops for a moment and curses his luck, but then continues.
Reaching the deck he quickly looks around and spots the rather small creature in the air. "Dragon? Hells bells. Even one that size could sink this boat, no?"
He loads his crossbow.
Having been reading at the time of the alarm, his reaction only causes him to hit his head against the low ceiling of the bunk. Recovering quickly he leaves his book behind as he leaves his cabin. Cautiously moving down the hall he looks out from the doorway not quite ready to expose himself to a dragon. Studying the creature before making a move, ready to attack or retreat as needed. He spies it flying in mid air, thinking that was perfect. He starts casting a spell that upon completion sends a pair of stars flying through the air at the dragon. Striking it without fail in two different locations on it's scaly body.
________________________________________________________________________
Dragon 1
Gently swinging in his hammock, Iliante begins to hear the rhythm change of the pounding on deck about the time they hear, "dragon." He jumps to the deck with practiced ease, pulls his haversack from the sea chest, and starts equipping himself: revolver, bandolier, crossbow, quiver, then shoulders his haversack.
He finally and calmly heads topside with his crossbow in his hand and revolver holstered. He points and joins the volley of mercenaries.
___________________________________
Telemakos hears the scream “Dragon!” and freezes instantly. He never faced one – he saw a plethora of very well-behaved pseudodragons and once an adorable brass wyrmling in a collector’s mansion, but facing a true, battle-hungry dragon? His throat dries all of a sudden.
“Oh boy, a dragon! Yes!” exclaims Arasmes “This will be an epic fight, master! Let’s go!” the genie grabs Telemakos by the hand and rushes out. Telemakos follows him, hurrying on his short legs and barely remembering to grab the newly acquired rifle; he stays under cover by the door, putting out just his head to see what’s going on.
Oh for the love of… thinks Telemakos as he sees the dragon it is barely bigger than a hatchling… damn alarmism… then he sees the man laying down, face melted, and the fear comes back rushing.
“Come on Master! Let’s slay the dragon! It’s tiny, but it will be the first of many!”
“Arasmes, you dimwit! It’s flying, you cannot get to it!”
“I can fly! And you can shoot it with that boom stick you purchased!”
“Arasmes we both know you can’t really fly that high! Stop wasting our time! I need to call someone else!”
“No Master please… I can fight!”
“I know you can, but you’ll show it another time!”
“Why do you always send me away when you summon someone else? Are you ashamed of me? I want to see who else you summon!”
“I’m not asham…this is ridiculous. Arasmes, you are dismissed until further notice!” with a puff of smoke and a pathetic whining sound, the genie disappears.
The scenery was very straightforward to the untrained eye. A tranquil pond surrounded by an encroaching curl of reeds, a pair of stylized cranes mimicking one another on opposite sides. Swirls of clouds partially obscure the sun's radiance. Dominating this particular slat of black, lacquered wood—merely a small portion of the combined Ciphers—was a single kanji, confined within the boundaries of the barely hidden sun: . "Road". Shinjuko closes her eyes and focuses inward from her perch atop both her folded legs and the still made cot that supported her. The cranes are distraction. Or a hint? The path remains hidden. The road is clear for those who look from above? No. The path reveals itself, but for whom—or what?
Colorless eyes snap open at the raised alarm. Noriki no meiyo flies in an instant from across Shinjuko's lap into her obi with practiced hurry. The soft pad of her hastened footsteps are difficult to make out over the din of noise and alarm outside on the main deck. The Tian-Min woman doubts the claim is true, but she will not risk lives on the merits of her poor guesswork. Soon she pads out onto the deck to join the others in gawking at the diminutive dragon soaring alongside the vessel. They speak truly. Unfortunate. Following the terrified gazes of her shipmates, she makes out the brineling sweeping over the vessel from a commanding vantage. It was a young dragon, fortunately, though she knows it still poses a great threat to all those arrayed beneath it. They would need to drive the beast away or deal it a decisive blow. "Those unseen strike with lethality"
Flaring her fingers out as she assumes a nearly seductive position with either arm, Yamakawa Shinjuko dances about in a fluid spin, the trailing sleeves of her kimono skirting hypnotic. She mutters a phrase low, "Kaze no ushiro ni odoru " before fading from view entirely.
__________________________________________________
Like the rest of them, as soon as he hears the shouting, Corridan rises from where he was sitting in his and Telemakos' cabin, the gnome not that far from him. "A... dragon? Really?" His question is part quip and part surprise as the tailor makes his way out of the room and, squeezing past his roommate, finds himself standing behind Shinjuko, or at the very least where the strange young woman was but a moment ago, as she has now seemingly vanished into thin air.
As his eyes get a fix on the admittedly small creature, he appears to be adequately awestruck, as perhaps even a little fear is evident in his eyes. Still, there is more than a little deception in both his somewhat shocked expression and his somewhat awkward stance, as keen eyes study the creature for weaknesses and hands are ready to strike as soon as it is within range to do so. While waiting, Corridan mentally checks what weapons he has available, which would be his various small blades and his daggers, having left his cane in the room.
Several more booted feet can be heard pounding up from the lower decks, along with the jingling of chainmail armor. "Crossbows ready boys!"
"Dragon, what the f*!%?"
"We'll give it some Apis hell!"
"Make me a dragon gut condom, I will!"
The voices of the mercenaries blend together as they hustle out onto the deck. "Ye gods! It is a bloody dragon!" one of them cries.
Penance sits upright at the shouting, jumps to his feet, and bolts for the ladder to the deck. He's already unsheathing his big sword as he moves. "Trouble deckside!" he bellows, just in case someone of their group isn't already aware. Moving out into the hallway, Penance shoves past several mercenaries to make his way out onto the deck. He sees it crowded with fleeing sailors and mercenaries aiming crossbows upwards. There is a corpse splayed out on the deck next to the main mast. All the flesh on its head and shoulders is melted mostly off. The body is still sizzling and smoking. He looks upward, trying to see the mercenaries' target. Flying fifty feet up in the air, above the crow's nest is a small dragon, the size of a large iguana. A blue-green neck frill sweeps back from the head of the dragon, leading to a body of shiny scales and fin-like crests. It appears to be readying to dive towards the deck.
"Godsdamned littlest dragon I've ever seen!" Penance yells for the crew's benefit as he takes in the scene. This is technically true, because it is the only dragon he has ever seen. He shouts wordlessly at the dragon, waving his sword overhead in attempt to draw its attention. Dragons are legendary creatures, but this one looks either really young, or maybe just a flying lizard.... If he can be louder, bigger, and scarier, then maybe he can get it to fly off... or back down a little. Dominance of, uh, natural beasts, and all that crap. He bares his orc dentalware and bellows savagely at the dragon.
Devram is jolted awake by Penance yelling as loud as possible right below him! He fumbles around in his bunk for a second, until it registers what his noisy bunkmate is bellowing about. The half-orc is already out the door, but the danger is apparent. He rolls out of his bed, landing deftly on his feet. He grabs his sword and his armor, but with the shouts from above, he simply tosses the chain shirt back onto his bed, grabs his crossbow, and runs out the door. He makes his way up the stairs until he hears the word, "Dragon". He stops for a moment and curses his luck, but then continues. Reaching the deck he quickly looks around and spots the rather small creature in the air. "Dragon? Hells bells. Even one that size could sink this boat, no?" He loads his crossbow.
Having been reading at the time of the alarm, Nim's reaction only causes him to hit his head against the low ceiling of the bunk. Recovering quickly he sets his his book down as he leaves his cabin. He movs cautiously down the hall, pushing past the mercenaries scrambling to get onto the deck. He looks out from the doorway, not quite ready to expose himself to a dragon. He studies the creature before making a move, ready to attack or retreat as needed. He spies it flying in mid air. Perfect, he thinks as he steps out the rest of the way onto the deck to get a view of the beast. He casts a spell that upon completion sends a pair of glowing stars flying through the air at the dragon. The missiles splash into the dragon, exploding and sizzling against its mystically hardened scales. The creature screeches in pain. There are two small smoking black spots where the missiles impacted its belly. It turns angrily towards Nim.
Gently swinging in his hammock, Iliante begins to hear the rhythm change of the pounding on deck about the time they hear, "dragon." He jumps to the deck with practiced ease, pulls his haversack from the sea chest, and starts equipping himself: revolver, bandolier, crossbow, quiver, then shoulders his haversack.
Telemakos hears the scream “Dragon!” and freezes instantly. He'd never faced one – he'd seen a plethora of very well-behaved pseudodragons and once an adorable brass wyrmling in a collector’s mansion, but facing a true, battle-hungry dragon? His throat dries all of a sudden. “Oh boy, a dragon! Yes!” exclaims Arasmes “This will be an epic fight, master! Let’s go!” the genie grabs Telemakos by the hand and rushes out into the passageway. Telemakos follows him, hurrying on his short legs and barely remembering to grab his newly acquired rifle.
Oh for the love of, thinks Telemakos as he hears that the dragon is barely bigger than a hatchling. Damned alarmism. Then he sees the man laying down, his face melted, and the fear comes rushing back. “Come on Master! Let’s slay the dragon! It’s tiny, but it will be the first of many!”
“Arasmes, you dimwit! It’s flying, you cannot get to it!”
“I can fly! And you can shoot it with that boom stick you purchased!”
“Arasmes we both know you can’t really fly that high! Stop wasting our time! I need to call someone else!”
“No Master please… I can fight!”
“I know you can, but you’ll show it another time!”
“Why do you always send me away when you summon someone else? Are you ashamed of me? I want to see who else you summon!”
“I’m not asham…this is ridiculous. Arasmes, you are dismissed until further notice!” with a puff of smoke and a pathetic whining sound, the genie disappears. Telemakos crouches down, clutching his rifle, safely out of sight of the dragon for now.
The scenery was very straightforward to the untrained eye. A tranquil pond surrounded by an encroaching curl of reeds, a pair of stylized cranes mimicking one another on opposite sides. Swirls of clouds partially obscure the sun's radiance. Dominating this particular slat of black, lacquered wood—merely a small portion of the combined Ciphers—was a single kanji, confined within the boundaries of the barely hidden sun: 道. "Road". Shinjuko closes her eyes and focuses inward from her perch atop both her folded legs and the still made cot that supported her. The cranes are distraction. Or a hint? The path remains hidden. The road is clear for those who look from above? No. The path reveals itself, but for whom—or what?
Colorless eyes snap open at the raised alarm. Noriki no meiyo flies in an instant from across Shinjuko's lap into her obi with practiced hurry. The soft pad of her hastened footsteps are difficult to make out over the din of noise and alarm outside on the main deck. The Tian-Min woman doubts the claim is true, but she will not risk lives on the merits of her poor guesswork. She passes swiftly by the cowering Telemakos. Soon she pads out onto the deck to join the others in gawking at the diminutive dragon soaring above the vessel. They speak truly. Unfortunate. Following the terrified gazes of her shipmates, she makes out the brineling sweeping over the vessel from a commanding vantage. It was a young dragon, fortunately, though she knows it still poses a great threat to all those arrayed beneath it. They would need to drive the beast away or deal it a decisive blow. "Those unseen strike with lethality"
Flaring her fingers out as she assumes a nearly seductive position with either arm, Yamakawa Shinjuko dances about in a fluid spin, the trailing sleeves of her kimono's skirting is hypnotic. She mutters a phrase low, "Kaze no ushiro ni odoru," before fading from view entirely.
Like the rest of them, as soon as he hears the shouting, Corridan rises from where he was sitting in his and Telemakos' cabin, the gnome not that far from him. "A... dragon? Really?" His question is part quip and part surprise as the tailor makes his way out of the room and, squeezing past his roommate, finds himself standing behind Shinjuko, or at the very least where the strange young woman was but a moment ago, as she has now seemingly vanished into thin air.
As his eyes get a fix on the admittedly small creature, he appears to be adequately awestruck, as perhaps even a little fear is evident in his eyes. Still, there is more than a little deception in both his somewhat shocked expression and his somewhat awkward stance, as keen eyes study the creature for weaknesses and hands are ready to strike as soon as it is within range to do so. While waiting, Corridan mentally checks what weapons he has available, which would be his various small blades and his daggers, having left his cane in the room.
The terrified soldiers who were on deck at the time of the dragon attack all rush for the cabins, trying to get away from the dragon. "It melted Jackson's face clean off!" Telemakos hears one of them cry as several of the larger sailors rush past him and duck down around him. They all look to him. "Agent, you'll save us right?" a Garundi woman beside him asks.
--------------------------------
The mercenaries in the hallway behind Penance all shove out onto deck, raising their crossbows. Four more pound up the steps from below. More of the soldiers can be heard shouting below deck through the chaos. Eight of the soldiers manage to take a bead on the dragon and fire their crossbows at it. The cloud of bolts streak upwards, while the nimble little dragon dodges rapidly out of the way, diving and rolling. Two of the bolts tear through the membranes of its two meter wingspan, one near the shoulder joint. The angry beast shrieks as it divebombs the group of mercenaries. It rips through the chainmail of one of the soldiers who shot it, nearly taking his head off. The wound spurts crimson blood as the man clutches his neck, screaming. The tiny wyrm hovers above the mercenaries lashing out at them with tooth and claw as they duck away.
______________________________________
Pos Crit.
Not Confirmed
Hit
Penance swears as he sees another man downed. His eyes scan the warriors there- there, there's Petter.
"Petter, drag that wounded man away! Everyone who's not armed, get into the cabins or below decks!" he yells, dodging bodies on the deck as he clambers over the ship's longboat on his way towards the knot of warriors. "Clear back, make a path!"
He keeps waving his sword, trying to get the dragonling to focus on him. He's one of the taller bodies on deck. His bow's back in his cabin, just like his armor-- he doesn't spend every minute on the ship in full plate-- so the best bet is to try and keep it down low, where he can deal with it with the weapon he does have at hand. It just needs to come close enough for him to cut it down....
Strike down my foe, whispers the voice in his head. Penance would laugh if he weren't busy. What? A wild animal? The foe of Abadar? That's rich.
Yes. Foe. Look around. The creature sows chaos. Two of YOUR men may be lost to this creature. Chaos, chaos and death. I am order. I am the work of this ship, bringing civilization. This is the enemy.
"...suit yourself," Penance mutters under his breath. Not like he often says 'no' to the god.
He feels his world get narrower. The other figures die away; only the blue lizard really registers to him. Heat boils in his belly. His limbs move, not quite of his own volition.
It's a detail that nobody is likely to see in the middle of a pitched battle, but the half-orc's eyes flicker from a pale, flat, butter-yellow to a burnished gold as he homes in on the dragon.
Devram tracks the blue beast as it swoops down to attack a crewmember. As it soars back up, he releases the bolt, but the dragon dips at the last second and the shot flies high. "Damn it! Reload and fire again!" he yells out to the soldiers.
Studying the distance it was still out of optimum range of his hidden pistol. He had his crossbow but the beast seemed far to nimble if it could dodge the hail of the mercenaries. He went through his spells, if he had less allies in the way he could do more. Such was life, he repeated his previous casting sending another pair of glowing stars at the beast. Making a mental note to better tailor his spells in the future, got me with my pants down this time.
________________________________________________________________________
Round 2
Equip, equip, equip...
Telemakos finally makes it to the door – just in time to see the dragon dive onto the deck Of course I get to fight a dragon dumb enough to land, just when I sent away Ras’… the gnome mentally smacks himself in the forehead.
Oh well. No time to cry over spilled milk now… I think…
“Agent, you'll save us right?” he hears from the crew.
“What?” he says, genuinely surprised “I thought you were the ones protect… oh. Oh, of course. Yes, of course we will do our best to save you!” he quickly corrects himself, realizing what he was saying.
So. So. Brine dragon… couldn’t have been a regular dragon, one of those that everyone recognizes, no, in this gods-forgotten expedition we get brine dragons… what do they breath? Cold? No, the sailor’s face melted… acid! That’s what they breath! Yes! a large, satisfied smile appears on the gnome’s face, quite baffling the crew.
Oh he goes back to a more serious expression right. Acid. And it will fly away… so, how do you contact Elysium again? I think… yes! Yes there we go... “Incoming! Here comes the…ehm… aerial support!” safe behind the corner of the door, it is somewhat easier for Telemakos to show a bravado worthy of his genie.
The gnome points a finger at the dragon – and a small arcane gate opens. Out of it flies a lonely, majestic eagle, shining with bright celestial light. “Oh that’s… I am sure I summoned at least a couple of those birds… they always fly in pairs, if I remember correctly…” Telemakos scratches his head, a bit disappointed by his performance.
The raptor (somewhat angered to have been distracted from a relaxing morning flight with his mate above the Field of Broken Tyrants) furiously attacks the dragon, managing to land a couple of hits.
_________________________________________
Patience. Know your enemy's move before it happens. Shinjuko remains placid and immobile, studying the dragon's body language and eyes intently. Her left hand secures the tachi nestled in the obi wrapped about her thin waist. She remained hidden to the world, ready to strike as a viper. That her foe could retreat to the skies was vexing, but its hunger seemed to propel it ever forward to bolder intent. When it made a mistake, she would be prepared—ready to visit a masterful stroke against it.
__________________________________________________
Taking into account how crowded the deck is, as well as his need for secrecy, at least at this point, Corridan stays in his place. After all, he did say his skills have not so much to do with fighting and he finds no reason to prove otherwise, especially when he barely knows his new associates. Still, he studies the dragon intently and is more than ready to strike at the beast as soon as it comes within range.
The mercenaries in the hallway behind Penance all shove out onto deck, raising their crossbows. Four more pound up the steps from below. More of the soldiers can be heard shouting below deck through the chaos. Eight of the soldiers manage to take a bead on the dragon and fire their crossbows at it. The cloud of bolts streak upwards, while the nimble little dragon dodges rapidly out of the way, diving and rolling. Two of the bolts tear through the membranes of its two meter wingspan, one near the shoulder joint. The angry beast shrieks as it divebombs the group of mercenaries. It rips through the chainmail of one of the soldiers who shot it, nearly taking his head off. The wound spurts crimson blood as the man clutches his neck, screaming. The tiny wyrm hovers above the mercenaries lashing out at them with tooth and claw as they duck away.
Penance swears as he sees another man downed. His eyes scan the warriors there- there, there's Petter. "Petter, drag that wounded man away! Everyone who's not armed, get into the cabins or below decks!" he yells, dodging bodies on the deck as he clambers over the ship's longboat on his way towards the knot of warriors. "Clear back, make a path!"
He keeps waving his sword, trying to get the dragonling to focus on him. He's one of the taller bodies on deck. His bow's back in his cabin, just like his armor-- he doesn't spend every minute on the ship in full plate-- so the best bet is to try and keep it down low, where he can deal with it with the weapon he does have at hand. It just needs to come close enough for him to cut it down.... Strike down my foe, whispers the voice in his head. Penance would laugh if he weren't busy. What? A wild animal? The foe of Abadar? That's rich.
Yes. Foe. Look around. The creature sows chaos. Two of YOUR men may be lost to this creature. Chaos, chaos and death. I am order. I am the work of this ship, bringing civilization. This is the enemy.
"...suit yourself," Penance mutters under his breath. Not like he often says 'no' to the god. He feels his world get narrower. The other figures die away; only the blue lizard really registers to him. Heat boils in his belly. His limbs move, not quite of his own volition. It's a detail that nobody is likely to see in the middle of a pitched battle, but the half-orc's eyes flicker from a pale, flat, butter-yellow to a burnished gold as he homes in on the dragon.
Devram tracks the blue beast as it swoops down to attack a crewmember. As it hovers over them, he releases the bolt, but the dragon dips at the last second and the shot flies high. "Damn it! Reload and fire again!" he yells out to the soldiers.
Studying the distance, Emerion decided it was still out of optimum range of his hidden pistol. He had his crossbow but the beast seemed far too nimble if it could dodge the hail of the mercenaries' bolts. He had few spells that would be effective with so many of his companions in the way. Such was life. He repeated his previous spell sending another pair of glowing stars at the beast. They strike the dragon with another sizzle, drawing its attention. He makes a mental note to better tailor his spells in the future. Got me with my pants down this time.
Iliante finally walks onto deck, holding a loaded crossbow. He raises the weapon to his shoulder and calmly fires. The bolt streaks across the deck, just over the heads of the mercenaries to slice along the dragon's ribs, leaving a large gash in its wake.
Telemakos finally makes it to the door – just in time to see the dragon dive onto the deck. Of course I get to fight a dragon dumb enough to land, just when I sent away Ras’, the gnome mentally smacks himself in the forehead. Oh well. No time to cry over spilled milk now… I think…
When the crew asks if he will save them he says, “What?” genuinely surprised. “I thought you were the ones protect… oh. Oh, of course. Yes, of course we will do our best to save you!” he quickly corrects himself, realizing what he was saying. So. So. Brine dragon… Couldn’t have been a regular dragon, one of those that everyone recognizes, no, in this gods-forgotten expedition we get brine dragons… what do they breath? Cold? No, the sailor’s face melted… acid! That’s what they breath! Yes! A large, satisfied smile appears on the gnome’s face, quite baffling the crew. Oh, he goes back to a more serious expression, Right. Acid. And it will fly away… so, how do you contact Elysium again? I think… yes! Yes there we go...
“Incoming! Here comes the…ehm… aerial support!” safe behind the corner of the door, it is somewhat easier for Telemakos to show a bravado worthy of his genie. The gnome points a finger at the dragon – and a small arcane gate opens. Out of it flies a lonely, majestic eagle, shining with bright celestial light. “Oh that’s… I am sure I summoned at least a couple of those birds… they always fly in pairs, if I remember correctly…” Telemakos scratches his head, a bit disappointed by his performance.
The raptor (somewhat angered to have been distracted from a relaxing morning flight with his mate above the Field of Broken Tyrants) furiously attacks the dragon, managing to land a couple of hits.
Patience. Know your enemy's move before it happens. Shinjuko remains placid and immobile, studying the dragon's body language and eyes intently. Her left hand secures the tachi nestled in the obi wrapped about her thin waist. She remained hidden to the world, ready to strike, as a viper. That her foe could retreat to the skies was vexing, but its hunger seemed to propel it ever forward to bolder intent. When it made a mistake, she would be prepared—ready to visit a masterful stroke against it.
Taking into account how crowded the deck is, as well as his need for secrecy, at least at this point, Corridan stays in his place. After all, he did say his skills have not so much to do with fighting and he finds no reason to prove otherwise, especially when he barely knows his new associates. Still, he studies the dragon intently and is more than ready to strike at the beast as soon as it comes within range.
The sailors who can continue to retreat to below decks, trusting the mercenaries and Bronze Agents to handle the threat.
--------------------------------
The mercenaries surrounding the dragon drop their crossbows and draw their longswords, hacking at the beast. The others reload their crossbows, and try to get off a lucky shot into the melee. The wounded man manages to stab his blade through the leg of the wyrm flying directly above him. Petter also gets in a lucky blow, slicing open a huge rent in the dragon's wing membrane. The hail of crossbow bolts all either miss or deflect off the dragon's iron hard scales.
The creature takes in a deep breath, doing an aerial backflip and exhaling a gout of acid over four of the mercenaries, Devram, and Emerion. The faces of the mercenaries between them and the beast absorb most of the caustic liquid, but Devram and Emerion are still signed as several droplets of burning liquid splash over their faces. The man whose neck was previously bitten falls to the deck, dead, his face a melted ruin.
__________________________________________
Miss
Poss Crit
Confirmed
Miss
Miss
Miss
Hit
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Miss
Breath Weapon:
Pass
Pass
Fail
Fail
Fail
Fail
The men are dying. As Abadar points out, his men are dying. That's the problem, with responsibility: now every person on this deck is his fault, if they die.
"Damn your eyes, men, CLEAR A HOLE!" Penance shouts again-- there, a man is down, a brief gap in the bodies. He pushes forward, shoving men out of the way, struggling to get as close as he can.
Then he swings with the greatsword, a whistling line of steel.
Devram screams as the acid burns him through his shirt. The soldier took the brunt of the attack, but it's still hurt like hell. Breathing hard, he aims for the dragon again as Penance closes with it. Best not to get too close to a beast like this.
Moving fast with a strange grace for such a "stiff" man he avoids most of the acid, what little does touch him seems to have no effect on him. Seeing another dead man and having run out of useful spells at this point he flicks his wrist, his revolver appearing in his hand he points it at the dragon.
"Would you mind moving so I can get closer."
He says calmly to the mercenary in front of him before firing where he stands. The sound of a thunderclap issuing from the weapon with a small cloud of smoke escaping from the end. His free hand moves up to adjust his dark lenses. Six rounds, five left.
________________________________________________________________________
Telemakos sees Penance charge and strike true at the dragon, inflicting it a mighty wound That should’ve been Ras’ job, for the Nine Hells… he could’ve done the same, maybe better… “Very well done, Master Penance! Come on now! Let us show this beast how the Consortium fights!” he shouts as encouragement, still safe behind the door.
If only this deck wasn’t so crowded… Oh well… I guess I’ll have to try this thing sooner or later… he aims the rifle positions uncomfortably the butt of the weapon against his shoulder, and aims… But… but what if I hit my eagle? Oh, you should’ve trained more, stupid! uncertain about what to do and still not feeling sure with his weapon, he just fiddles with the loading chamber while his eagle attacks.
___________________________
The deck too crowded to effect any worthwhile contribution, Shinjuko foregoes her plan and allows her eyes to sweep the aft deck for a higher perch. Soft footsteps pad up the slight curve of the steps and across the raised deck, coming to rest at the top of the opposite rise of steps nearest to the brine dragon. Noriki no meiyo is freed from sheath and obi as she comes to a rest, extended behind her in a hostile stance should the creature find it's way to her position. Her free hand traces lines through the air unnoticed, perfect forms that accompany a powerful intoning that makes manifest some of the ancient techniques afforded her by the teaching of the Ciphers. The light bending around her, obscuring her from sight, would not last more than a few moments longer. She would need to bolster her defenses if she were to survive the beast's ire.
"Kaze ga anata no teki ni idomu!"
__________________________________________________
Corridan moves around the crowded deck as quickly and carefully as he can, looking for either a fallen mercenary he could get a crossbow from or a conscious one with one to spare. "So small a creature, yet it is still alive after all this punishment," the tailor mutters softly making a simple enough observation, his tone one of mild interest.
Iliante stows his crossbow and quiver in his haversack.
EDIT
Then, he helps the wounded sailors and mercs get healing attention.
______________________
The mercenaries surrounding the dragon drop their crossbows and draw their longswords, hacking at the beast. The others reload their crossbows, and try to get off a lucky shot into the melee. The wounded man manages to stab his blade through the leg of the wyrm flying directly above him. Petter also gets in a lucky blow, slicing open a huge rent in the dragon's wing membrane. The hail of crossbow bolts all either miss or deflect off the dragon's iron hard scales.
The creature takes in a deep breath, doing an aerial backflip and exhaling a gout of acid over four of the mercenaries, Devram, and Emerion. The faces of the mercenaries between them and the beast absorb most of the caustic liquid, but Devram and Emerion are still signed as several droplets of burning liquid splash over their faces. The man whose neck was previously bitten falls to the deck, dead, his face a melted ruin.
The men are dying. As Abadar points out, his men are dying. That's the problem, with responsibility: now every person on this deck is his fault, if they die. "Damn your eyes, men, CLEAR A HOLE!" Penance shouts again-- there, a man is down, a brief gap in the bodies. He pushes forward, shoving men out of the way, struggling to get as close as he can. Then he swings with the greatsword, a whistling line of steel. The great square tipped blade catches the dragon near its rear end, shearing off a back leg and a segment of its long sinuous tail. The creature screeches in pain and fury.
Devram screams as the acid burns him through his shirt. The soldier took the brunt of the attack, but it's still hurt like hell. Breathing hard, he aims for the dragon again as Penance closes with it. Best not to get too close to a beast like this. His bolt flies harmlessly past the little dragon, as it writhes in pain, while struggling to maintain its flight and dodging away from the mercenaries and Penance.
Moving fast with a strange grace for such a "stiff" man Emerion avoids most of the acid, what little does touch him seems to have no effect on him. Seeing another dead man and having run out of useful spells at this point he flicks his wrist, his revolver appearing in his hand he points it at the dragon. "Would you mind moving so I can get closer?" He says calmly to the mercenary in front of him before firing where he stands. The sound of a thunderclap issuing from the weapon with a small cloud of smoke escaping from the end. The bullet whizzes across the deck over the heads of the mercenaries to clip the dragon, spinning it around in the air. Nim's free hand moves up to adjust his dark lenses. Six rounds, five left.
Telemakos sees Penance charge and strike true at the dragon, inflicting a mighty wound. That should’ve been Ras’ job, by the Nine Hells… he could’ve done the same, maybe better… “Very well done, Master Penance! Come on now! Let us show this beast how the Consortium fights!” he shouts as encouragement, still safe behind the door. If only this deck wasn’t so crowded… Oh well… I guess I’ll have to try this thing sooner or later… he aims the rifle putting the butt of the weapon uncomfortably against his shoulder, and aims. But… but what if I hit my eagle? Oh, you should’ve trained more, stupid! uncertain about what to do and still not feeling sure with his weapon, he just fiddles with the loading chamber while his eagle attacks. The great celestial bird shreds scales off the equal sized dragon. The two beasts snap and tumble in the air, causing the mercenaries to duck and curse as the avians barely maintain their altitude.
The deck too crowded to effect any worthwhile contribution, Shinjuko foregoes her plan and allows her eyes to sweep the aft deck for a higher perch. Soft footsteps pad up the slight curve of the steps and across the raised deck, coming to rest at the top of the opposite rise of steps nearest to the brine dragon. Noriki no meiyo is freed from sheath and obi as she comes to a rest, extended behind her in a hostile stance should the creature find it's way to her position. Her free hand traces lines through the air unnoticed, perfect forms that accompany a powerful intoning that makes manifest some of the ancient techniques afforded her by the teaching of the Ciphers. The light bending around her, obscuring her from sight, would not last more than a few moments longer. She would need to bolster her defenses if she were to survive the beast's ire. "Kaze ga anata no teki ni idomu!"
Corridan moves around the crowded deck as quickly and carefully as he can, towards the fallen mercenary that Penance is straddling. He ducks down and reaches out to take the fallen man's crossbow. "So small a creature, yet it is still alive after all this punishment," the tailor mutters softly making a simple enough observation, his tone one of mild interest.
Iliante stows his crossbow and quiver in his haversack. He looks around for someone who he can help, but of the wounded, none seem critical. The two downed sailors are definitely dead. He mentally curses the crowded deck, feeling useless.
--------------------------------
The mercenaries press the wounded dragon, slashing at it with their blades. The creature is so badly wounded that it can do little to resist. Three of the soldier's blades pierce it simultaneously, and the dragon lets off one final gurgle before dying, falling down onto the deck with a thud.
________________________________
Emerion cleans the barrel of his revolver, removing the spent shell and replacing it with a new one before putting it away once more. Looking over the damage caused by the dragon he speaks to the nearest mercenary.
"Get help for the wounded and make preparations for the dead."
He walks over to dragon's dead body and proceeds to carefully cut off some of it's hide. He needed it to serve as a component to a spell. Once the task is complete he sets it aside to let dry out a bit. Shaking the dragon juice from his gloved hands and dagger he ask the nearest crewman.
"Is there anyone on board with good skills in skinning and gutting? Dragon's possess a number of desirable and valuable body parts. While small it may yet yield something. Get someone to collect it's blood as well, if you have enough it could be used for healing purposes."
He mentally went through what could be used. If properly drained the dragon should still have some blood left in it's body as well. The hide, bones, meat, fangs, claws, liver, stomach, and heart could all be used or sold as well.
As Emerion asks the mercenaries is there are any skinners aboard, they all look around at each other and then shrug. "I don't think so boss, sorry," one of them says.
Such was the way of things it seemed. But surely they had to have someone, a butcher or even a cook on board. Would they send a ship full of city folk to an untamed wilderness, the consortium was slipping.
"Are you sure there is no one? An entire ship filled with people and not one even knows how to properly cut open a rabbit without tainting the meat?"
He shakes his head at it all.
"Very well get some containers and raise the dragon's body. We must salvage what blood we can before anything can be done to begin with."
Penance stands there, breathing hard, his greatsword dripping the lizard's blood. He looks down: the body of the sailor he'd been too slow to reach in time is at his feet. Gods damn it.
He wipes at his forehead with the back of his hand, and looks around, eyes darting among the sailors.
~~ You did well.
He bares his teeth in a semi-conscious grimace. The hell I did! Two men dead. You call that good? I need to get into it quicker, next time.
~~ Ah, rush to save even Aspis? You know these men are all corrupt...
Penance grimaces at the smug tone with which the voice in his head speaks. Don't give me that. You told me yourself. They're my men now. And a lot of 'em are hurt, bleedin', because of that thing...
No answer. Penance's gaze settles on the wounded soldier standing about ten feet to the east of him. He gestures at him with... his sword, oops.
"You. Get over here."
The soldier looks a bit leery, but limps closer over the bloody deck, clutching at his own injuries. "Aye, sir?"
"Hold still..."
Penance rests his big hand on the man's shoulder, grimacing again. The soldier looks extremely uncertain about whether he's about to have his shoulder pulped or not.
"c'mon, you bastard," Penance mutters low to himself. "I know you can hear me, and help him..."
~~ I ask you again. Do you think they are worthy?
They're MY MEN. Doesn't that count for any damned thing?
The soldier is on the verge of edging away when it comes: a heat that starts in Penance's heart, blazes up his arm and down into his fingers. Warmth floods to the sailor's wounds, sealing shut some of the dragon's claws.
The soldier's eyes widen; he nods his thanks while backing away. Penance squints sweat out of his eyes. He's only done that once before, on someone else-- his mother. He's never tried to give the god's healing to other people, people he barely cares about.
"Alright, whoever else that thing clawed, get over here! And the next time I tell you lot to CLEAR A PATH ON THE DECK, do it."
When he sees Nimlaidas doing his bit with the dragon's corpse, Penance again semi-consciously bares his teeth in between touching the injuries of the mercenaries. He reckons he could probably gut a rabbit, but-- he's busy.
As the commotion of the fight boils down with the death of the dragon, Telemakos adjusts his clothes, ruffled in the excitement, then comes out looking quite proud “Well done, well done everybody! Stellar job” he pats on the shoulder those few sailors short enough for him to reach “We really taught that lizard not to mess with the Consortium, didn’t we?” he looks up at his summoned eagle, still flying circles over the deck “Here, boy!” he calls up to the animal, raising a forearm for the raptor to land on “how about some dragon meat as reward, ah? Come on!”
[dice=handle animal, to "push" the eagle, I guess]1d20+11[/dice]
The eagle keeps flying circles, unimpressed.
Damn bird is going to ruin the moment! the gnome reaches in his pocket for a piece of the terrible dried meat that constitutes some of his trail rations. He waves it in front of the raptor “Come on now, don’t be shy!” the eagle, much more inclined to obey now, lands on Telemakos’ arm and quickly swallows the piece of dried meat.
Ow. Ow, OOW that was unwise Telemakos quickly realizes how much heavier is a Celestial Eagle compared to the hunting falcons he used to train. His arm is giving under the weight Oh Gods it’s killing me so heavy he pats the eagle on the wing, trying to make him climb up to the shoulder. “ Scooch. Move, you stupid beast. ”
“SKREEE!”
“Yes, yes, you are quite the hero, now move! ” the eagle flaps his wings and lands on Telemakos’ shoulder.
Still suffering under the weight of the bird, Telemakos parades around the deck complimenting people, making well sure everyone knows the eagle obeys to him.
“Yes, fantastic aim, boys, really!” he says to the crossbowmen “You could almost give Master Iliante a run for his money, ah? And the hero of the hour, Master… Jacob? Jason? I don’t recall your name, boy” he says to the mercenary who dealt the killing blow ”but I sure will remember the swing of your blade, isn’t that right, fellas?”
“SKREEE!”
He directs the mercenaries in properly draining what is left of the blood before taking out his dagger once more to try his hand. He knew of dragon anatomy and that they had completely unique organs and biological features unknown outside their kind. Still knowledge and practice were not one and the same, he knew that well. He starts at the tail in order to get a feel for it without risking the more sensitive and valuable parts of the fallen beast.
Emerion manages to save the heart, liver and one lung from the dragon, as well as a handful on intact scales and two small vials of blood.
The work turns out to be somewhat successful despite his lack of skill. Carefully and properly containing the dragon parts he looks them over. Beckoning his two servants who had come top side after the commotion.
"Erudira and Iellana would you be so kind as to place those in my chest below deck. Make sure they are well secured."
Doing as bidden the servants leave, he keeps the two vials of dragon's blood on his person while holding the scales in one hand. He walks over to each of the other agents dropping a single scale into their own hand.
"A momento if nothing else. They could be useful in the future."
He places his own scale into one of his many pouches.
"If I am not needed I will be busy for the next hour and ask not to be disturbed."
He stops by his cabin mate before going below.
"Iliante you will forgive me if I take the cabin for that hour. I assure you it is important, hopefully I will have more to say afterwards."
He makes sure to retrieve the now dried dragon hide he had first removed. He needed it for the lengthy spell he was going to cast after all.
You must choose the scale of the map when creating it, opting between nearby (e.g., one or two dungeon levels), local (e.g., a valley or community), or broad (e.g., a country or larger). The map reveals the locations of what the creature deemed most valuable within its area. Depending on the creature, the map might reveal a source of tasty food, suitable mates, or even your own treasure vault.
He stops by his cabin mate before going below.
"Iliante you will forgive me if I take the cabin for that hour. I assure you it is important, hopefully I will have more to say afterwards."
"As you wish." Iliante now wears all of his gear and is as comfortable on deck than in a cabin... with him. He goes to interview the sailors who first sighted the dragon. From which way did it approach?
Emerion completes his spell after some time and emerges with a map that shows the way to an underwater cave a quarter mile from the ship.
Shinjuko finds herself somewhat displeased that she could not effect the victory, though the admonishment fades quickly into a gratefulness that the beast was put down before it visited further ruin upon the ship and its crew. Understanding Penance's harsh tone, she still feels the crew performed admirably. Lesser men would have surely fled before the dragon's attack, seeking shelter in the deeper holds of the ship. They deserved commendation for their efforts.
Descending several steps towards the deck, but stopping short, she allows the ring of her tachi's blade sliding into its sheath to announce her presence to the clamor of crewmen below. "Your defense of this vessel and the important cargo it holds bears praise. You have expertly repelled a terrible beast and have each performed your duty to this mission admirably. I thank you, on behalf of both myself and our most honored employers. Such service shall be remembered and qualified in the future; of this you have my promise." Offering a short but prolonged bow, Shinjuko descends the final steps to oversee the culling of the dragon, though she does not participate herself. She spends the remainder of the afternoon learning the names of the deceased, that she might find a way to honor their passing formally.
Grasping the map in hand he meets those on deck.
"I have a map to what the dragon considered most valuable. Likely it's hoard. Should the Captain not be against it I would like to travel to it's lair which if I am not mistaken is a near by underwater cave. After my own expenses are covered what remains will be given in shares deserved. The Captain, Consortium, and those who were wounded or died by the dragon's attack are guaranteed a share of course."
Devram is coughing hard after the battle trying to catch his breath. It's as bad as anything Penance has heard in their bunk. The man looks pale.
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Handing the crossbow over to one of the mercenaries, Corridan moves to join Telemakos and what appears to be a rather large and regal bird perching on the gnome's shoulder once the summoner is done with complimenting the crew on their performance against the dragon.
"You and the others made short work of the beast," the tailor remarks with a sigh. "I was not much help, I am afraid. I mean, I know how to use a crossbow, but I am no dragon slayer, I do admit. Besides, by the time I found a weapon, the creature was already half-dead." He shrugs, then turns to look at Emerion; the mage seems to be leaving the deck after having stripped the dragon's corpse of various bits and parts. He considers asking Telemakos about it, but before he decides to do so, the mage is back and he seems to be holding what looks like a map.
After hearing what the other man says, he takes a step forward. "Pardon me, but the endeavor you are proposing sounds a little problematic," he offers. "Other than our undine associate, I do not think any of us can reach this underwater cave. Unless, of course, you or Mr. Krostumolis have some magic up your sleeves to enable you to do so."
Oh. Oh, he’s talking about me? WHAT? Magic to go underwater? Is he serious? “I… I am surely sorry to say so, but I find myself somewhat unprepared in that regard… if even Master Nimlaidas, whose variety of magic is much more versatile than mine, is coming up empty-handed… although, now that I think of it…” Telemakos’ eyes brighten up “My magic can’t allow one of us to follow Master Iliante, but if the cave is near enough I am fairly certain I can summon a couple of beasts to escort him, should he desire to… dive into this opportunity.” he winks to who he now considers to be his trusted friend, which is to say the completely trust-worthy Corridan.
Penance looks up from the last of the soldiers, feeling burnt out in the wake of the divine power that had run through him like heat lightning. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to it.
The scale, he stares at blankly before shrugging and tucking it away. He'll send it home to Adjah, tell her a good one about fighting a dragon. It'll even be true.
But when he hears of Nimlaidas's proposal to go off on a dive, his heavy brow furrows.
"Let me get this straight. You want to take the whole ship off course to go look for an underwater cave? I'm no seaman, but isn't the water here pretty damned deep? What if that thing had a mate, waiting in its cave for the first person to swim on down to it? It wasn't that big-- what if its mother is lurking down there?
"We have a mission. Which involves us being off the coast of the island we're to land at at a certain, specific, time window so that we can take advantage of this lapse in the damned magical mist.
"We don't have the supplies for a deep water expedition, unless you've got a bright idea up your sleeve, and detours that could take gods-know how long to go chase down dragon-lairs are not Aspis Consortium business."
He shakes his head, looking for Iliante as their nautical expert to see what he thinks of the idea, but finds Coates coughing like a man on his deathbed instead.
"Coates, are you hurt, or just sick as a dog?" Gods help them, the Consortium's sent a man who sounds like he's one good hack away from his death rattle.
Devram finishes his coughing fit and wipes his mouth. "Just need to catch my breath." He exhales slowly. "That dragon's breath did hurt though."
"I agree, we can't be running off now. We have to get to the island and begin our task. If the reports right, we may have monsters there to slay too."
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