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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While talking towards the cells, Tager couldn't help but feel this had been far too easy. There were a lot of undead, sure, but they weren't very difficult to defeat. The combined efforts of everyone on his crew fighting together, not to mention the other crews chipping in, allowed them to plow right through these hordes like a flaming chainsaw through a lump of butter. Needless to say he was suspicious, though he wasn't about to turn down the order of his captain. Motochika may not be Kokonoe, but he's the closest thing to a superior he's got.

"Roger that. Do you want the bars destroyed, or would you rather we find a way that will cause less collateral damage?"

It was a fair question. While obviously no one would care if this place was damaged, Tager didn't feel like having the place fall right on top of them if he was a bit rough on the cells and bars.

The hours ticked by endlessly inside the prison. The dark walls were enough to keep out any sense of daylight. It was very disorienting. Haruka had no idea how many days had passed by, or how many more were to follow. It was still unfathomable to her that anyone would want to use people in the manner Isabella had... and then to turn around and lock them away from the world on top of it. She was trying to maintain a brave facade, not for herself so much as for her other cellmates.

When she'd first arrived here, she'd been an absolute mess. She'd cried then, and nearly spiraled into one of the worst panic attacks she'd ever experienced. Thankfully, even if she didn't know them before now there had been those willing to reach out to her and bring her back to her senses. The guilt of her actions still lingered fresh in her memory, and the betrayal of the witch still dismayed her.

Sitting on the ground, she pulled her legs toward her so she could rest her head on her knees. Maybe this was where she was going to remain, in a way.. she deserved it for what she had attempted.

Startled by the faint sounds of footsteps in the corridor her body stiffened, her ears strained to catch any accompanying noises. It could have very easily been one of the guards. If it was, the last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself.

The longer she listened the more she picked up. There were voices but she wasn't sure what they were discussing. Getting to her feet, she steeled her nerves and moved closer to the bars. Swallowing hard- she thought about breaking the silence. These people might be here to help. "Ah-nno...." It came out barely over a whisper. She regretted her hesitation, her fear. She wanted to help other people... and she wasn't a lockpick, she wasn't brutishly strong, and she couldn't build weapons out of the material in this cell. The least she could do, was call for help.

Taking in a breath she called out a bit more loudly,"Is anybody out there?! Can... Can you get us out of here!"

Mitsuhide hummed thoughtfully, considering. The fortress was not somewhere worth keeping intact, but on the other hand, they couldn't risk making damage that would bring any floors down. Who knew how many were still trapped here?

"The bars, I should think. I have no care for this place but we don't know where the supporting..."

He trailed off, frowning, as Haruka's voice reaches his ears.

Her words were not clear, but it was obvious she had to be somewhere along the corridor. There was no guarantee that the person calling out was friendly, so they would have to remain on guard.

"Do you hear that? It's coming from one of the cells down the other end of the corridor. We should start there."

As long as they were select with which bars they destroyed, Motochika foresaw no issue. Not that there was time to contemplate the matter.

"I hear it."

A beseeching female voice, crying out for help. He looked to Mitsuhide then Tager, determination in his gaze. Their course of action was clear.

"Let's go!"

Motochika declared, and wasted no time in following Haruka's voice, his shamisen held at the ready. The expectation that Mitsuhide and Tager would follow meant that he spared no glances backward as he pressed onward.

In response to Mitsuhide, Tager nodded, both to his response and to the question about hearing another's voice. It was a young sounding voice, somewhat faint, but he'd recognize a human voice when he heard it. This could be one of the capture crewmates he was told about. Although which one was a bit harder to determine.

"Roger that." responded the Red Devil without hesitation. He wasn't exactly fast when it came to moving, but even so he did his best to follow Motochika deeper into the corridor.

After she spoke up, Haruka quieted down long enough to try listening for the voices again. The faint sound reached her ears once more but then it went quiet. Maybe they turned around and left? She spared a glance back towards the other people in her cell block, an apologetic look on her fair features.

.. but then the voices were replaced with footfalls, and they were drawing nearer. Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing was left to be determined but at least it was a change. Something different was transpiring.

She turned back around, and clasped her hands together in a silent prayer. Then she spoke up again. "You're getting closer! It's not much farther!" Hopefully she wasn't bringing their doom upon them.. and would they believe that she was truly in trouble when she cried wolf before?

Haruka's second utterance was as a beacon; it allowed Mitsuhide to narrow down the source of the voice to a certain part of the corridor. Running with his companions, he slowed down to a fast walk and began to glance through the bars of each cell on one side one by one as they got near.

It took a few moments, but eventually the samurai glanced into one of the small, confined spaces and found the source of the voice. One of the witch's stolen souls, and more; it was one of the last wave of new arrivals that Gakupo has brought onto the Koumyou, the young woman whose name Mitsuhide wasn't actually aware of yet.

"It's Gakupo's companion!" he shouts out to Motochika and Tager, loud and slightly shocked, before stepping in right up the cell door and addressing Haruka instead. "My Lady? Do you remember us? We're going to help you get out of here."

No ifs or buts about that... though, of course, no path through the fortress was going to be an easy one.

At Mitsuhide's call, Motochika swiftly came to stand beside the other samurai, briefly placing his right palm on Mitsuhide's shoulder in wordless praise before he peered into the cell himself.

There the young woman was. He took a moment to look her over, keen consideration in his gaze. As far as he was concerned, the fact that she had been held on the Koumyou made her his responsibility, at least for now. It did not wholly matter if she was still possessed -- there would rescue her regardless and take the rest in stride.

He saw no visible injuries, which was a promising sign. Still, only she knew exactly how she was treated in captivity, and if she was hurt or weakened in any way then they needed to know before they ran into trouble.

"How are you feeling?" Motochika asked her, as he waited for Tager to join them.

Once Tager was there, he stepped aside to give Tager the room to work, trusting that the giant cyborg would open that cell without requiring any suggestion.

To Haruka, he voiced a single, prudent suggestion as one corner of his mouth curled upwards.

"Stand back."

"To the side opposite of me would be more preferable, if possible." responded Tager once he was in front of the cell. He stood off to the side of it, making sure Haruka had enough room to get out of the way. Once he was certain both her and his fellow crew would be out of harm's way, he brought his massive hands upwards, fist to fist. Electricity began sparking from them as the magnets on his arms came to life. After but a second of charging, he was ready.

"Spark Bolt!"

Out from his hands and chest shot a ball of electrified plasma. It struck the bars, magnetizing a controlled portion of it. Once again the magnets on his fists came to life, crackling with a different kind of electricity. Tager punched the magnetized portion of the bars, sending them flying backward thanks to the combined force of his fist and the magnetic repulsion.

With nothing stopping the girl from leaving the cell, Tager then deactivated his magnets and stepped aside to allow her room.

Edited 2014-01-27 05:26 (UTC)

Upon realizing just who the three men were, Haruka couldn't help but feel a little sheepish and awkward. Although she hadn't really had the opportunity to act on the witch's words these were the crew members she had planned on destroying. Gakupo had captured her almost immediately after she arrived on the Koumyou, in hindsight this had been such a blessing. Had she gone to another ship, with crew members that were not as equipped to deal with her treacherous nature she might have actually hurt someone!

"Mm," She answered the first question with the nod of the head. It was unfathomable that their first instinct was to free her, after everything she tried to do. Haruka was stunned by their willingness, and their compassion. She had half-believed that she belonged behind these bars but her would-be victims were the ones telling her that she shouldn't be. This was such an odd twist of fate! Finally finding her words she spoke softly as she proceeded,"About that time....."

She bowed as low as she could, bearing in mind not to touch the sides of the prison. "I'm sorry for all of it. I would never really want to hurt you or anybody else.. I know it.. might be hard to believe me considering all the terrible things I said before... but it's true." She was about to babble on more about her regrets, and how she owed them so much already for detaining her early on but Motochika's question interrupted her thoughts.

He didn't sound upset with her either. These people were incredibly kind! " Feeling?" She cast her eyes down for a moment before looking towards Motochika. "Mostly a little foolish." In all honesty she had been injured in her battle with Cody, but it was only bruising to her side and well hidden underneath her clothes. The last thing she'd want to do is complain about something like that. Something she'd really brought upon herself by conversing with the witch.

As Tager drew closer, she tilted her head trying to get a better look at him. Wow! she was lucky not just to have one person trying to save her, but three. This was so unexpected. "Oh!" She exclaimed at the cautioning words spoken by both Motochika and Tager. Listening to them she moved aside and allowed Tager the space he needed to work. Whatever he was doing was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She waited in anxious anticipation to see just what was going to come of the electrical show. Within a matter of minutes the bars were no longer an obstacle, and she was able to walk freely out of the cell. "That was amazing" Haruka mouthed, the words were barely audible. Snapping out of her entranced stupor she was sure to share her gratitude with them. "Thank you, for freeing me. I don't know how I would have gotten out of there otherwise."

... but there was still one thing nagging her. "Do you think... we could save the others too? They were all under a terrible spell. I know.. I really shouldn't be asking this since you've already done more for me than I deserved, but.. I don't want to leave anyone behind."

Edited 2014-01-27 15:21 (UTC)

Mitsuhide was just as impressed by Tager's display of strength; the abilities of his fellow samurai back in Japan had been wide and varied in nature, but he'd never seen anything quite like that before. His eyes went wide for a moment.

"Good heavens..." he murmured, before collecting himself and walking over to Haruka. It was to check her condition a little more closely for himself and judge how capable she was of moving around; this would affect their tactics for any coming fights, after all. But there was no indication that she was hindered in any way, and so Mitsuhide nodded, apparently satisfied.

"At ease, my Lady." His stern expression softened a little, reassurance in his voice. "Myself, Lord Motochika and Tager alone cannot get everyone out, but we do not need to. This entire fortress is under assault by many seeking to rescue those held within. Our combined efforts will surely see everyone safe."

Mitsuhide looked over his shoulder at his companions, before looking back at the young woman.

"We hold no ill against you, let me reassure you of that. But we should not linger; this place is far too dangerous. No doubt more guards will be along shortly."

Edited (typo fixing) 2014-01-27 22:28 (UTC)

Motochika watched Tager destroy the bars with just as much interest as the others, taking advantage of the clear view that had been impossible during their progress through the fortress. As captain, it certainly helped to know what his crew was capable of.

When Haruka stepped out of the cell, Motochika turned his gaze back to her.

"Mitsuhide is right... rest assured that we play our part."

She did not look like a warrior, and what he knew of the incident aboard the Koumyou supported that conclusion.

Come," he beckoned, ready to continue on. "There is no reason for us to linger here. Stay between Mitsuhide and me as we move."

It was not that Motochika did not trust Tager, but he and Mitsuhide fought together effortlessly, well-accustomed to one another -- it would be easiest for them to defend her in sync if need be, and leave Tager unrestrained.

It was a good plan, honestly. One that Tager took no offense to. Aside from the fact that the both of them fought well together, it was also worth noting that Tager was the slowest of the group and the one most likely to cause damage. Having him cover the rear while the others guarded the girl was for the best.

"I'll guard the rear. No doubt these hordes of undead will try to perform a sneak attack."

Mitsuhide spoke with such composure that it was easy to accept his words. No one person could cover the length of this complex. Even if there were three of them they couldn't risk splitting up to cover more ground, not with all the untold dangers hidden within these walls. Hearing that they were not the only ones here, not the only ones trying to rescue people was a bit of a relief. It was still a wonder to her that out of all the people here, they chose to free her? She was no one special. Not really. Being unable to fight, she might only serve to hold them back. Haruka looked to the other men in turn when their names were spoken.

"I understand," She replied to acknowledge both Mitsuhide and Motochika's words. "I'll try to keep up." Haruka certainly didn't want to remain here any longer than it was necessary, not just for her own wellbeing but for theirs as well. When she was instructed to, she carefully stepped between the two men. She sparred one glance to the left, and then other to the right trying to make sure that she wasn't crowding either one of them. This experience was so unpredictable and strange. She felt tiny as they stood to either side.

Then Tager chimed in, and she was even more impressed with how well they worked together. Each had a task to complete all their own and they took on these tasks readily and without hesitation.

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