The Great Ghost Race: Start??

[highseasmods]

[The morning of the race is cloudy and oppressive with a muggy heat, but there’s a general cheer and anticipatory air, though everyone seems to be looking over their shoulders for someone or something. In any case, whether you are spectating or participating, the race starts off much as it did last year.

Except the announcer this year sounds a little more apprehensive? Perhaps it has something to do with the Naval Ships threaded among the participants, or some number of the crews looking dead-eyed, wearing faintly pulsing shards and staring upward at the peak of the rushing water.

This is the 111th Annual Great Ghost Race! Now, participants!]

GET YE GONE!

Comments

The Beast

[highseasmods]

[And as if things weren't bad enough...]

[rebellions]

[Following this ominous journal entry, something appears on Port Chance. A huge, terrific monster with eight heads, each letting out a deafening cry.

The Black Beast.

It only has one purpose, and that is to destroy everything in its path. Buildings, ships─ it doesn't matter. Everywhere where there are people, it follows. Smashing them with its claws and fangs. Killing them. Devouring them.

It may very well come after you next.]

open...?

[youhearthebells]

[Since the Hazmats aren't racing this year, the Nightfury is still docked, and good thing too since holy crap what the hell just happened up there on the mountain? Being anywhere near the starting line looks like death and disaster waiting to happen, so Gan Ning is really glad they hung back. They're in the safer (?) zone for now.

Except not.

That sky-rending roar behind him makes him turn around, and if he'd been holding his sword he would have dropped it on the spot.]

What...the hell...

[It's close. Too close. He's standing at the bottom of the ramp leading up to his ship and even that's too far to run, it'll be on them in no time flat. Gan Ning knows it, and so he draws River Master.]

I dunno what that thing is, but I'm goin' after it!

[follow him or don't, crew, but he's going to go make sure there's a chance for someone, anyone, to get away. That's not a beast you run from, you have to take it down.]

[crankyshark]

[the Bloody Roses' ship had been docked nearby as well when the giant monster appeared. Thash had been similarly glad they weren't at the starting line, though he'd love to have a crack at Jones if he wasn't so...huge and undead]

[this monster was too close to feel safe from, though. He saw other ships fleeing and his own crew was surely scrambling to get away as well. He could help them, but he knew they could get it going themselves and besides, one overpowering thought was taking over his mind...he had to protect them. There just wasn't any other thing he could do right now]

[so he grabbed his large sword and went to join some other crazy-looking guy that seemed about to attack this beast. He glanced at the guy then watched the monster]

Any idea just where thing thing came from?!

[youhearthebells]

[oh, hey, another armed fellow. Gan Ning's probably seen him before but right now he's not really thinking about that.]

No clue. Dunno if it's with Jones or not. Don't care! I ain't lettin' it get my crew!

[he also has the sickle and chain hooked to his belt, just in case, but right now the broad-bladed scimitar is the way to go. His bells jangle with every step, as he races for the thing without fail. Coming around some buildings, he can see that its feet are on land - it's not a sea beast, after all. Good, easy access!]

Feel like takin' it down with me?

[crankyshark]

Yeah...no way I'm letting it touch my crew either! Let's kick it's tail!

[course, that'd be easier said than done, this thing was huge....Thash had tangled with large sea monsters before but this one being on land made it more difficult for him.]

Somethin' tells me hacking up its toes will only piss it off...maybe we can get it to swallow some explosives!

[he ran alongside this stranger with a familiar face, also getting close enough to see its feet]

[youhearthebells]

And where are you gonna find explosives? Huh?

[sure, he's a man of Wu and that means fire attacks are the best, but he's also not that good with fine strategy. Point him at the thing to be cut and tell him to cut it, and he's good.

Damn, and just when they could really have used Draco and his broom. Do that trick they did on the kraken again. Of course all the best ideas and advantages have been stripped away from them.]

It's got way too many heads. We oughta start by lowering that number.

[EASIER SAID THAN DONE. But Gan Ning is not daunted by the size or the heads, and keeps on running right for it. He needs to get up close to really get a feel for what it can and can't do before he can figure out how to counter it.]

[crankyshark]

This is an island that serves pirates...there's gotta be a place to buy cannonballs and bombs and such somewhere.

[he looked at the creature and it's heads again. The guy had a point....the necks were so long a swallowed bomb would likely just blow off a head at best, not destroy the body. And if it was heads they were after, his sword would probably do the trick if he could avoid getting eaten in the process]

[well, maybe. His sword was about six feet long, but those necks were pretty enormous. It'd take a lot of hacking to cut one all the way off. But this guy seemed confident...maybe he had special powers or something?]

What's your strategy for cutting the heads off, then? Your sword looks smaller than mine and even I think they're too big to just hack off...you got magic?

[youhearthebells]

Nope. [but as he screeches to a halt at the foot of the beast, and looks up to see the actual quantity of heads - and the size of the whole thing - Ning can tell this is going to be a bit of a challenge. As such, he yanks the Dark Thresher loose from his belt and coils the chain around his arm. He's gonna need both blades.]

Sheer strength. That's all we got, ain't it? But who else is gonna do it?

[the local pirates? They've clearly all wet themselves and run for their lives, already - the ones who haven't been smashed to pieces by Davy Jones. Gan Ning is totally ready to just keep hacking until it dies, or die himself trying.]

[willwork4sugar]

When it rains it pours, huh?

[The thief stands atop the railing of the ship, geared up and ready to go. That eerie red glow's around him again, and in the next moment he's pulled his mask over his face before reaching back for his sword.

With their captain charging off, Gaius leaps down to follow suit. It isn't a matter of defending their ship so much as themselves- that creature's huge and won't be stopped if they just stand there.

He hears a familiar sound as leathery wings take off shortly after he's made his move, and he doesn't need to look to know that Hiccup and Toothless have set out as well.]

[youhearthebells]

Ugh.

[as he runs, before meeting up with other fighters, he points things out to Gaius. People fleeing, dragony heads biting off roofs...]

That's a lotta targets. Maybe we oughta split up and try takin' some of 'em out.

[willwork4sugar]

Makes me kinda glad that Grima's only ever mentioned to have one head.

[He snorts in something of a laugh.]

They sure are big. Think a single person can take one out?

[youhearthebells]

Dunno till we try. [and as confident as he is in himself, he can't say for sure whether he can do it] Damn. Just when we could use Roxas and Draco the most.

*has flashbacks of Suiko Tierkreis*

[willwork4sugar]

[Gaius smirks behind his mask, giving a nod.]

We'll just have to improvise as always.

[youhearthebells]

[damn right they will]

We beat Orochi, we got this. You go that way, I'll head toward the feet. See what this thing is made of.

BRIEF CAMEO

[occupational_hazard]

[While this is an 'Oh gods no' moment, Hiccup has been used to the idea that Gan Ning will never turn tail from a fight.

He doesn't exactly follow him on the ground, though. It's more like following from above? With his trusty Night Fury, of course.]

Thinking like a viking, Gan!

HI HICCUP HI

[youhearthebells]

[he hears the cry above and salutes with a raise of his sword]

Go get 'em, guys! Rip some heads off!

[it's no guarantee, but man, take a look at his crew. He loves his crew. Let's just hope they don't all die together here.]

HI GAN GAN

[occupational_hazard]

[The young man whoops in passing, calling out as loud as he can.]

Same goes for you, Captain!

[Well, death is always a badge of honor or something. Hiccup almost died once, so another death experience would be nothing new.]

for Hiccup and OPEN

[fastandfuryous]

[Seems like no matter where they go, there's always SOMETHING with lots of teeth that's like a hundred times bigger than them. Taking to the skies almost instantaneously, the Night Fury and his Viking glide around, surveying the area and the large creature that's appeared.

Now how'd something like that get here without anyone finding out?]

ATTACK ATTACK

[occupational_hazard]

Will you look at this? It's like a Zippleback tied to three other Zipplebacks! Except they look a lot meaner...

[When they both hail from a world full of dragons, it's almost inevitable. Hiccup has to laugh a little, cut and dry as always.]

...Heh. I'm getting flashbacks...

[Underneath the sardonic commentary, he is a bit on edge. In fact, he's thinking the same exact thing Toothless is thinking. But considering how determined the beast is to destroy everything, they can't waste any more time.

The viking checks his helmet before shifting positions, lying flat against the Night Fury's back, hands gripping tightly onto the handle of the saddle. Fight mode engaged.]

All right. Keep clear of this thing, bud! Let's find an opening!

[fastandfuryous]

[Toothless glances back, growling in his talk-like way. He snorts something of an affirmative, tilting as he angles closer towards the many-headed thing.]

[occupational_hazard]

[Hiiiiighway to the Danger Zone!

Hiccup keeps his eyes on the heads, trying to pick out a spot as the dragon navigates the skies around it.]

They're way too active. This is gonna be tricky.

[fastandfuryous]

[The dragon growlfs in acknowledgment. Well, it's nothing they haven't done before. Besides, he can make those sharper turns at least, and he opens and closes those ridges along his back in reminder.]

[occupational_hazard]

Right, you can do that now!

[It's weird to see those ridges flap, but they have an advantage to make use of.]



Okay. Now or never, bud. Let's go!

[fastandfuryous]

[Flapping up higher a few meters, Toothless grunts in acknowledgement before he tucks into a bombing run, his mouth and nostrils glowing violet as he builds up for a fiery plasma blast.]