high_seas | To go with your crew...

Entry tags:

To go with your crew...

Who: Everyone who is fighting in the battle to kill the witch.
Where: The Black Fortress in the East
When: Jan 24th-25th
What: The grand battle to get back what you have lost, get revenge for what was taken, and avert disaster.
Warnings: Language. Death. Victory. Defeat. True love. Miracles.
Style: Text or prose
Status: Open to all

The black fortress ripples with shimmering iridescent energy, the piles of black coral heaped on roped together barges around it, bobbing in the waves. On the largest barge stands a slender man with a copper belt, wearing a face mask, orange red hair flecked with black from ash or dust. As the dawn slowly folds over the ocean, he'll look up, as if hearing some hidden voice.

At the top of the fortress, a figure climbs into vision, a woman, dressed in gray, features obscured by a hood with impenetrable darkness behind it. She staggers a moment as if she is weary, then straightens to her full height. As she speaks, her voice comes out of the journals, echoing over the water, low but clear.

"This is no small task ye do. She that rots within'll do anythin' ta stop ye. Don't hesitate to kill what ye find. If they were human once, they hain't no more. Watch out for her golems, too, or they'll drain ye dry quicker'n a wink. But if ye can get rid of 'em, it'll weaken her." She hesitates, cants her head to the side. "And if ye lot aren't as much of a bunch'a idiots as usual, ye might come out alive through this."

That said, she raises her hands. After a moment so does the man on the barge. For a moment, nothing seems to happen and then iridescent light shimmers over the coral, seeming to match that which surrounds the fortress. It crackles and dances like a fire, and then without warning bursts into a furious life, slamming against the energy of the fortress. There is the sound like thunder and light snaps and crackles, zipping with energy. Then with a woosh the light flies upward, taking the figure with it. The man on the barge lets out a cry like a seagull and dives into the water as if intending to swim after her.

For the boats that remain, a part of the fortress will crumble away into the sea, revealing a small harbor and an open doorway. Enter all ye who dare.

[If things become too crowded, feel free to make another thread outside of these. Just put where you are in the header.]

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[Since escaping with Elizabeth, they've been trying to make their way out as peacefully as possible. Unfortunately with the legion of undead, this hasn't been very possible. It was a good thing she was with him because battle skills aren't Hachiken's forte.

He didn't find a knife, but he does have a broom handle which when it comes to the undead he's been swinging wildly and hoping for the best, with no skill whatsoever.

At some point, he's lost Elizabeth and now, storming the castle are the people he wants to see the least. He drops the stick willingly and raises his hands.]

I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.

[Hachiken's voice is unsteady, worried. He can barely meet the crew of the Sinewave's gaze, settling more on the floor. His body is screaming flight. He takes one step back then another in self-preservation. He bumps into the rock behind him, feeling completely cornered.

Behind him, a small section of the wall vanishes, revealing a secret pathway. Since it was so unexpected, Hachiken falls onto his backside, looking incredibly confused.]

Edited 2014-01-24 15:23 (UTC)

[The crew of the Sinewave is missing one ginger-haired woman, but she's been replaced by another--a masked and caped individual with indistinguishable features, which despite her unassuming disguise somehow makes placing her appearance impossible.]

[Screw being incognito, though.]

Hachiken! [No, don't ask how the Tyrant knows his name or who he is or even why she's so happy to see him, she'll give the same cryptic answer as she's given to everyone else. Besides, they're probably too concerned with the fact that she's leaped ahead of the others, intending to tackle the young cook into an electrically-charged bear hug.]

[...Which will undoubtedly send them both tumbling into that new secret passageway, if she isn't stopped.]

[For a moment, it was hard for Ihrie to not react to a secret passage as any ruin explorer would - with abject glee because that was obviously where all the good stuff would be. She even got the momentary greedy look in her eyes before she caught herself. Hachiken had been their priority and she was going to make sure they recovered him.

And that was going to start by stopping this idiotic woman who'd somehow tagged along - when did she show up anyways - who WASN'T part of their crew get her grubby paws on him. So, the armor-clad first mate reached out and grabbed that convenient cape of the woman's and yanked her back before she could touch Hachiken.]

Are you trying to set off a trap?! Secret passages always have them. Be thankful he didn't set one off. Now, be useful, you masked moron, and check for them. I'm going to make sure my crewmate is okay.

[That done, Ihrie moves past the woman to hold a hand out to Hachiken.]

Come on... I'll smack you upside the head later. Glad to have you back.

[Leo could only shake her head at the appearance of the passage. Not because of the sheer dumb luck of it, but because she had the uncomfortable feeling she'd seen all this before. One of the hazards, she'd learned, of a gift of prophecy so strong it required no meditation, was that every such fleeting sense of familiarity became a sign of potential doom. In this black fortress, so much like the one where the stars had last seen fit to show her the future unbidden, it was especially unnerving.]

It looks like it goes further in, too. Somewhere important. [Reason before vision. She hadn't changed her opinion on that matter in the least. That said she turns to Hachiken, looking him over carefully. He certainly looks and sounds his own self, but then he had before he'd turned on them, from what she'd heard. Not much to do about it, though. They'd come here for him so 'sounding right' would have to be enough.]

Got this far on your own, I see. See anything interesting?

Lucky~

[Rider chuckled as she started pushing her way to the front of the line. She expected traps, but the woman had something of a devil may care attitude, and a lot of faith in her dumb luck.]

[Hachiken is thrown by this masked person's joy, really, it doesn't make him feel much better, considering he killed some of them.

With Ihrie's hand outstretched, there's little he can do but take it and get to his feet slowly. He nods a little, he's mostly fine.

He glances at Leo and swallows.]

I was with someone but we got separated. I don't..no. There's just zombies.

Gak!

[The Tyrant flails unceremoniously at the end of her cape-made-tether but quickly gives up when she comes to her senses. Disguise, Codi. You're doing it wrong.]

[She snatches her cape out of Ihrie's grip in a huff.]

Spoil-sport...

[Ignoring the moment her first-mate and Hachiken are sharing in her stead, Codi strides ahead and follows Rider into the secret passage, checking for traps behind where she's already walked.]

Try not to blow us up on your way in, alright?

[Ihrie just gave the masked woman a Look in response. She felt the woman should be grateful she hadn't been unceremoniously kicked out of their group. They had Rider; it could be done.

Still, with Hachiken on his feet, Ihrie reached out to give him an affectionate pat on his cheek, looking him in the eyes to see if she picked up on anything not normal in them. She'd seen the things possession had done to men stronger than him. She didn't hold it against him. Especially since she'd hadn't stayed dead. Had she - well, things would be different then.]

Zombies aren't bad. Pretty slow and easy to get away from. Now that we've got you back [As she was pretty set that he wasn't possessed anymore] we're going to go kill the bitch that did this to you.

Cat, guard the rear and make sure Hachiken stays safe until we come across something we need to take care of. This is my area of expertise [motioning to the passageway they were in] so I'll take lead.

[And she turned, moving up next to the masked woman, eyes alert for traps and other things that would clue her in as to where the passage led. One thing was clear, though, after a bit.]

This doesn't lead to the fortresses' treasury.

[That had been the formation Leo wanted anyway. She could keep her eyes on Hachiken this way, and if she didn't like the idea that she might be stuck behind the group in a narrow passage unable to get in the thick of a fight, well, she could still use her seal spells from back here.]

You stay in front of me. [She guided Hachiken ahead of her as she filed into the passage last.] Something could still follow us in, so I'll be last. And if I say to duck, duck.

[Dave has followed the crew of the Sinewave through the fortress, dispatching the undead along the way. He got left behind for a few minutes but now he's caught up with them just in time to watch them stumble into a secret passageway. He stands back and watches the spectacle, only stepping forward once they've decided on a course of action.]

I'll go in after Ihrie. I can take care of anything that might be lurking in there.

[Unless there are any objections he'll follow her into the passage.]

[she can feel them coming. She can feel it all coming down around her. The fortress is as much a part of her as anything. Her tomb. Her power spread through it like a network of nerves and she can feel every step they take and their breath shuddering over the walls. She wants to twist it out of their throats and watch them suffer.

But she won't stop playing the game just yet. Maybe there is still time. As long as she can keep them here, she can still call him out and using the energy they've given her, can twist his mind to her will. Can rule the seas as is her right. As was her right. As he promised her which was why she got on the barnacled smeared deck to begin with. A woman of her caliber doesn't let power slip through her hands as easily as that.

As the first arrive, through the tunnel that she thought she had hidden so well she'll say:]

So you've come to rescue me.

[Rider was definitely a judgmental person, and that woman looked downright creepy to her. In conclusion, that must have been the witch. ... Besides, she was really a shoot first, ask questions later kind of person as well. Materializing a pair of pistols into her hands, she opened fire immediately, because really anyone behind the secret passage was either an enemy or a prisoner, and she'd shoot either.]

[Bang!]

Rescue you?

[She scoffed as she began to strafe and fire at magical semi-auto.]

[Just because she hoped differently doesn't mean she expected so. The ammunition bounces off a barrier that surrounds her and ricochets around the room]

You're very rude.

[They made it sound like it was for his own protection, but Hachiken was pretty sure they were watching him. He has no complaints on the matter, after all he did try to kill them all and they had every right to be wary.

At the end of the passageway into the room, he finally comes face to face with the witch.

When she speaks, he shivers. That voice. Involuntarily he takes two steps back.]

Good plan.

[Said to Hachiken, standing behind her; Rider had warned that her abilities, whatever they are, were quite destructive. Best if they take her advice and stay out of her way until the dust settles--or she needs help.]

[...so reasons the masked woman who promptly decides that this rule applies to everyone but herself. Codi waits until the first volley of bullets comes to a rest before taking up position on the opposite end of the room that Rider has migrated towards, staying far away but still within heckling distance.]

The lady asked you a question! Why should we save you?

It ain't been but a rhetorical one, kid!

[A barrier, huh? Rider only had one thing to think about that right now: if brute force wasn't working, she wasn't using enough. She was, after all, still holding back.]

Be a fine day for bloodshed. Stop jabbering and open fire!

[She declared to, well, everyone, thrusting a hand forward as she skid to a stop on one side of the chamber. Behind her, out of magical circles, came the barrels of cannons.]

Cannonade!

[Boom! A volley of magical cannons fired toward her enemy.]

[After watching the bullets bounce off of the barrier the only thing Dave can think is that the cannons won't work either.]

Hey, wait! We need to get the barrier down before we can- SHIT!

[But Rider fires before he can finish so he ducks for cover. He doesn't want to be anywhere near the barrier when those bounce back.]

[Instead of taunting or rushing in, Ihrie was quietly watching the witch and the air around her. There was a barrier, yes, but she couldn't tell what kind of barrier it was. There were many kind out there and some of them only protected from projectile attacks.

Handing the sack she'd brought in with her over to Hachiken - pretty much just thrusting it into his chest - Ihrie then drew her sword and spoke in a low voice to the cook.]

You stay here out of the way. We're not going to let her take you again. But I need you to do something for me. If I have to use magic here, no matter what seems to have happened to me, you need to gather my things up and put them in the bag. Got it?

[And without waiting for a response, Ihrie charged the witch, following the cannon fire in, hoping to use it as cover. If the barrage did bounce off the barrier, she was pretty sure she'd be clear of the ricochet with the angle she took.

Once she got close enough, she was going to see about introducing the witch to her sword.]

Ooh. Not bad! [The ominous black fortress and suffering of her crew had until now evoked from Leo the gravitas she reserved for fighting major demons and pretty much nothing else, but she couldn't help but voice her appreciation at Rider's majestic cannon barrage. But even as she speaks she's muscling her way up the line and thrusting the haft of her axe forward, bringing forth a barrier to protect the others.]

Falling doom! [...calling your descriptive attack names takes most of the surprise value out of attacking from an odd angle, but Leo does anyway and a bright green light flashes from the ceiling down to the witch and explodes. Hopefully before Ihrie was too close in.]

Edited 2014-01-30 06:34 (UTC)

[she hisses at the barrage, as if nervous somehow? The green light from overhead, she looks up at the last second but when the light fades, you can see it flickering through the barrier, though it is much smaller now, the various energies crawling over its surface.]

Please. I am just a victim like yourselves. [she reaches out] Hear me. Help. me.

[Codi has just enough charge to not be worried about the various projectiles flying haphazardly past her, but not enough to attack the target at a distance. She has to take advantage of whatever break everyone's created to try and get in close.]

You're not being very convincing! [The Tyrant pulls out her recently-acquired copper lance from her cape and couches it, feeling the electricity fizzle through her fingers.] Come on, we all know who you are. Give us a monologue like a good villain!

[Not that Codi is willing to wait; as soon as her partners in battle attack again, she'll come in at the end and try to give the barrier a good stab. Maybe it's like plexiglass, and will shatter when hit with a point force? Doubtful, but the idea kind of makes sense in her mind.]

[it doesn't shatter, rather the electricity seems to be absorbed into the barrier, the whole thing crackling and humming with energy, like it's dangerously close to exploding]

It's not true. I'm merely trapped here. A prisoner of my own mind. Like Hachiken.

[a small pause and then she says softly. soothingly]

Hachiken. You understand, don't you? You remember, don't you?

[Hachiken's eyes go a little wide and he takes a step or two back again. His voice is shaky and uneven.]

I...I remember...

[He whimpers a little bit, his eyes changing focus for a moment before he drops Ihrie's bag to cover his ears.]

Don't talk to me! Don't talk to me anymore!

[Not again, please not again.]

[That pisses Dave off. The mind control bullshit is exactly why he came here in the first place and it's just enough to get him to jump into the fray regardless of how many bullets or cannon balls are whizzing past his head.]

Shut up! No one wants to listen to you, bitch!

[He strikes hard at the center of the barrier, hoping that the crackling sound means that it's about to fall apart. If it breaks he might even be able to land a blow to her shoulder.]

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spirits_of_the_air - 2014-01-31 17:58 (UTC) - Expand

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To go with your crew...

The Witch

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