To go with your crew...

[highseasmods]

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.]

Comments

Fly, you fools!

[highseasmods]

Someone must have broken the curse of the witch and fortress, and it's time to get out of there as the black rock smashes down around you. Giant blocks of volcanic rock will go crashing into the ocean and after some time a whirlpool will appear, sucking any unwary ships to death by the scabbed remains of the fortress. Get out while you still can.

The Bloody Roses

[redcinemareel]

[The waves become choppy enough to make the boat rock. Still pretty weakened from her numerous fights, Grell simply looks on from her ship as the fortress crumbles, a blanket wrapped around her. She's cleaned up from her wounds, with only a few patches of gauze covering more serious injuries on her neck and forehead. The beauty of everything that sea witch made crumbling everywhere is enough to bring a smile to her tired face.]

Time to go. [She turns to anyone who may be nearby on the deck.] Is everyone accounted for?

[justgetseconds]

I'm here.

[Conchita doesn't get to do much anymore, impeded as she is. Not on the fighting front, at least. But she is... Certainly glad to have the captain back.]

[redcinemareel]

[Grell smiles softly with a nod.] And glowing. Good to know I haven't missed any first steps.

[justgetseconds]

I'm glad, too. I'm not sure what kind of mother I'll make.

[But she's still ready to get this over with so she can do things again.]

[hoodwinking]

[She arrives back on the ship, happily equipped with pieces o'eight, grinning ear to ear. So she didn't have to fight the witch before the place started coming down, who cares? She got paid.]

Hi hi! Is our dear captain feeling better?

[redcinemareel]

[Blinking, Grell turns to the new voice and sees a girl who could have come from some fairy tale. Or at least a few centuries prior to her lifetime.]

Who in the world are you, and why are you on my ship?

[hoodwinking]

[The voice was familiar, a tinge of hostility that she feels like she experienced just recently. Well! That would explain a bit.]

My name is B.B. Hood. Loki recruited me to come and find you, but it looks like you made it back a-ok! I'm glad!

[hisoldtricks]

[Loki may have took a few detours in fortress, because it is hard not to grab some of the treasure and what not. He makes it back on board, looking as though he never broke a sweat. Someone might have took a moment to straighten himself up before reappearing back on board the ship.]

Should be. Besides Conchita and Dave, we took on two more crewmates while you were feeling out of sorts. Hopefully they both meet with your approval.

[redcinemareel]

[Grell had no real inclination to grab treasure. Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible was at the top of her list, and it was completed.

She sees Loki, looking as smart as ever, but raises an eyebrow at his statement.]

So that little girl earlier was one? And the other?

[hisoldtricks]

If you mean the young woman with the red hood, she's likely not as young as you may think.

[Come now Grell, you of all people should know looks can be deceiving.]

A warrior by the name of Helen. You cannot miss her when you see her. She has blonde hair and silver eyes and carries around a rather large sword.

[dersite_dj]

[A gigantic section of the fortress crumbled, threatening to overshadow and smash the ship. Dave, stepping onto the railing, swung his sword once--slicing it in half. The two clean cut halves of it went in opposite directions. At that point, he was still somewhat speechless about the whole affair, ignoring the fine spray of sea mist that came up when the halves sent water in all directions.

Stepping back on the deck, Dave returned to Grell.]

Hey, Cap'n.

Guess what I got?

[redcinemareel]

[Grell simply gives a glance over her shoulder at the neatly cut wall before they crash into the sea. She looks back to Dave with an appreciative nod.]

Thank you. [They couldn't have their ship in pieces just because of some silly wall falling on it. At the question, Grell tilts her head a bit.]

Please don't say music.

[dersite_dj]

Nah, I'm gonna wait for you to be nice and recovered before I turn the bass up again.

I was thinkin' more like--

[Dave produced a captcha card which he turned over, spilling a gigantic four foot pile of gold coins on the deck.

Though, he wasn't an idiot. Just as quickly, he swiped the card and the coins returned into it, leaving pixelated dust floating in the air before completely vanishing.]

[makestrouble]

Here!

[Helen raises one hand, while clutching her sword. She's grinning, looking more than ready to do all the things.]

How're you holdin' up, captain?

[redcinemareel]

Ah~? You must be Helen. [Big sword. Silver eyes. Yes, she matches Loki's description perfectly.]

I'm exhausted, thank you, although I feel like celebrating.

[There had better still be Bourbon left.

[makestrouble]

Celebrating doesn't sound too bad to me! What to celebrate with, though...

[She has no booze. She doesn't know if anyone else has booze. Maybe Loki has booze...]

The Spades - Sun

[uccellodifuoco]

[If it was just him, he would have gladly remained behind even as the whole fortress fell over him. He hadn't been able to get proper payback on the witch, but he is so full of anger and hate that making sure that there was nothing but ashes left of her body seemed like a good consolation price. Not enough but it would serve, and dying as the fortress crumbled would have given him some peace, probably.

But with Selphie in tow that wasn't an option and he knows he couldn't just tell her to leave on her own. So as the place starts to fall down, and the energy of the witch effectively vanishes, Ikki takes Selphie in his arms and heads for the exit. Eventually arriving to the Sun safely, where he starts to make a beeline to Selphie's room in order to tend to her wounds. Only pausing enough to make sure that everyone else was getting out safely.]

Re: The Spades - Sun

[booyaka_boom]

*At some point during the journey back Selphie fallls ddeeply asleep in his arms. She is almost completely still but for her a slow and steady breathing. Her whole time in the cells was restless, but the knowledge of safety has allowed her to finally sleep. It might take some encouragement to wake her again*

[uccellodifuoco]

[He let's her sleep, figuring that she needs the rest. Thus the travel to her room is a silent one until he places her in her bed carefully. He only leaves her side once, in order to retrieve bandages and medicine for her wounds, afterwards he dedicates himself to treat her wounds.

He frowns at the ones located on her wrists, recognizing the scratches and figuring where they came from. As he tends to the wounds, he drifts in thoughts. The anger inside of him is unsatisfied, still hungry and raging, proving to be more dangerous than anything else because he honestly feels like destroying things. Part of him basically wants to tempt him to destroy the whole ship and everything else, or provoke everyone else into fighting and killing him so he can rest for a while, just like he did before back at his world. But he can't do those things, he doesn't want to do them, which means he only has two options: to keep all the anger and hate for himself and risk that it consumes him again, or to leave and release it somewhere else, where the crew he's with won't be hurt.

It's an idea to consider, he could release his anger and get supplies and things to sell and thus increase the treasure the crew had. Hadn't Marco commented once on how they were lacking on that front?]

[booyaka_boom]

*Eventually, she does open her eyes, fluttering open and resting on Ikki. She smiles slowly, like she's just woken up beside him from a long nap together. Something feels different, though, and she looks down at her arms, alarmed to notice the attentions he's made on her wounds. Selphie doesn't draw her hands away, just throws a look to his face, asking for forgiveness, flooded with guilt too*

Ikki... it was - I hated... being there... all alone...

Straw Hat Crew

[yourotherleft]

[he might not have been down there when it happened, but he just knows one of his crew had to be responsible. At least, he can guess. It feels like Luffy. But this is Zoro, and thus, no matter how determined he is to find the exit, he is likely the last of his crew to actually get there. He stops in the entranceway of the fortress, looking back.

Where are Luffy and Sanji?]

...oi, is everybody out?

[delicate_maiden]

[Kai kind of lost track of what was going on shortly after she lost track of Luffy at the kitchen after the whole cake incident. After that, everything has kind of been a haze of hacking zombies to bits and lamenting the fact that it's probably going to be forever before she can get a proper bath.]

I don't know. I'm out, you're out, I think I saw a few others...did Luffy ever find Sanji? Where are they?

[It looks like the wheels in her head are turning, but that's all she has to offer at the moment.]

[yourotherleft]

I don't know. [and now he's worried. He just stands there like a statue for a moment, or so it seems, but he's using his haki to try to sense them. The entire fortress is a mayhem of undead bodies and crumbling stone and...what the hell is that?]

Get everybody onto the ship. Now!

[elementofcupcakes]

[Pinkie feels something bad coming. Her entire pink little body shakes across the deck as if she was riding a rickety old washing machine. Where she stops is right next to Zoro's leg. With a shake of her head, Pinkie hears what he says and looks worried.]

But what about the others?! [Like Princess Celestia! And Luffy! And Sanji!]