Return of the Emblem Chapter Fourteen: Fight

[Toogee]

Being below deck, Jam was unable to hear what was happening outside. Thus, the dancer was knocked back between the crates as the ship was rocked by the blast. Fortunately, items in the storage area were fairly secured, so the danger of being peppered by broken glass bottles was nonexistent. Still, Jam wasn't prepared for the assault and slammed into an adjacent wall. She rubbed her back to massage the pain away. The only consolation to this was she had briefly forgotten about the earlier mass slaughter. With a blast like that, her time to process was over.

Before Jam could pull herself up, the ship crashed back into the water. The dancer was slammed back into the floor, but again, she avoided lasting damage. She just hoped that she could see a healer before she had to do any dancing. This was the one time Jam was not looking forward to jumping around.

"Ah..." Jam said as she used the crates to get back on her feet. She turned to Lumi before making her way back up. "I'm gonna see what's going on out there."

Her hand on her injured back, Jam made her way back up to the deck. She found that an enemy ship was sinking other ships. They had narrowly avoided the same fate, Jam surmised. The dancer could only watch and wait: would the enemy try and strike them again?

[Xinnidy]

What in Wrath's name was that ship? Would it even be called a ship anymore? It looked more like a floating building. These things are coming from below? More magic bullshit, great, as if he didn't already feel outclassed.

His face turned pale as the bizzare ship made its power known, making toast of a ship near them. There were shouts of its gun being trained on their ship. He turned his head to see, it was trained on them alright. No. Thales lost his breath, seeing death in the face. There were men running away, jumping overboard, it was almost tempting to follow. Maybe if the memories of fleeing during his last group's final breath wasn't still fresh. Have you come to get me, Casimir?

The flash that followed was nearly blinding, there wasn't much time to think. Thales could feel himself shifting... falling. Am I alive? He could only think of holding on for dear life, but to what?

In a huff of effort, Thales held Malik by the arm --a lighting reaction, remembering the guy was laying down and most likely to fall freely--. Gravity started doing its work, and in a panic, Thales held onto Sasha's sadle, placing his hopes on the wyvern he'd just met.

[Nanami Touko]

"Yeah, we should... What in Wrath's name...?" This fight was going to get interesting, again. A colossal ship had arisen from beneath the water, leaving Eva awestruck once again. Why did I never hear of any of this from my parents? This is Neviskotian military? It's insane... How did they even construct something like that? And did it get here all the way underwater? Gods...

There was no time to parse anything else, as a barrage of death flew towards their ships, striking the Dandelion, and knocking it up, out of the water. The resulting flop back down had Eva grabbing onto Sasha tight, the wyvern himself bemused by the sudden shift, crashing back down onto the deck with a hefty cry. Eva had managed to not get stuck underneath any part of him, struggling to pick herself back up. "Th-Thales! Get him below deck, now! <Sasha! Wake up! I'm gonna need you nice and ready!>" Eva barked her orders, dashing for her supplies and Sasha's snack as the ship began to slowly move again. She tossed them both down into the hold, holding it open for Thales to get Malik into, as Sasha shook his head and straightened himself out. He was tired, but he was ready for anything, now.

-----------

"<Happy as I'll get,>" she managed with a smirk, as a heavy blast rocked outdoors, causing her to sit up in a panic. "<Gods, what are they doing out there? Is it even going to be safe for us in here? The ship might fall apart, if this keeps up...>" That was an exaggeration, of course... Right?

[Xinnidy]

"Guh!" Thales groaned as he hit the deck, squashed between Malik's limp body and Sasha, catching for breath. Thankfully it wasn't actually painful, except for when the ship flopped back down and sasha rolled forward and over his arm. With the knocked out wyvern's weight, that one did hurt. At least Malik was safe?

Pulling his arm out wasn't so bad, and Eva's shouting cut down any time he'd spent disoriented otherwise. "G-got it!" He wrapped Malik's arm over his shoulders and carried him with his good arm, entering the hold. "Medic! Anybody?" Now would be a good time to leave the guy in capable hands... hopefully. "Got a man in need of help!"

[scorri]

Lumi was slammed about as the ship was lifted up out of the water and then fell back down. Her head smashed into the wall and she crumpled to the ground with a groan. As Jam called out to her that she was headed upstairs, Lumi croaked out, "No, don't..." but it was too late. She was gone already, leaving Lumi all alone. The previous shock combined with the most recent attack and then being left alone was too much for the teenager to handle. She curled up on the ground, hands holding her aching head as tears started to slowly slide down her face. It was all just too much.

 

Hoshi watched the massive ship destroy ship after ship in frozen shock before suddenly snapping out of it. The only thought she had was for those below. Turning around, she quickly made her way back below deck, and made her way to where Haruhi was talking with the demon. <"Haruhi, there is a large ship out there that is taking out ships as we speak. I do not know how well we will survive. I... I am sorry that you are caught up in all of this. I should have let you leave before. For now just... stay down here. There is nothing you can do up on the deck and if any more enemies come, you will be safer down here. I do not think you will be getting any food any time soon and I am sorry for that as well.> It was strange what things seemed to matter at times. They were likely going to die here because of that ship and all she could think about was how she didn't manage to get Haruhi some food.

[Dandragon]

Mavis had to hold on to the boat tightly as it shook from blast. She didn't move until the boat had settled back into the water, her grip like a vice upon the wooden railing until the the rocking stopped. Mavis looked up and out at the destruction upon the other boats. Even Mavis's cheery demeanor had disappeared in the face of such tremendous power. Then she looked long and hard at the enemy ship blasting apart everything out there. That was the thing standing in her way between here and Kigen, and she wasn't about to let any 'skotians take her down before she took care of that man once and for all. This wouldn't stop her. This couldn't.

"If we're gonna make it to Kigen," She yelled to everybody still standing. "Then somebody is gonna need to take care of that thing once and for all!" She looked back. Everyone who was still on the boat seemed to be able to move. Then, she spotted the big, green wyvern that had landed on the ship not too long ago, then turning around, she looked back out to the sea, the wyrms still out there, prepping the snap at anything they could. "...Hey, Eva! How far do you think your little buddy can fly?"

[Nanami Touko]

Good, good, Thales was moving Malik. Eva didn't think there was a way to get Sasha down into the hold, and they'd need him awake and ready if something happened to fly near or come on board. Not what this woman was even getting close to suggesting. "Sasha is not leaving this boat again if I can help it! I am not even going to entertain the next words coming out of your mouth. Brace for impact and trust the captain, or get your own wyvern to sacrifice!" Eva was probably being too defensive-- well really, was she? Sasha had just survived that massive blast of magic, and now that she had him safe again, putting him in danger against THAT thing was more than foolish, and especially more foolish than she would consider being.

"Sasha, come on, let's keep you safe. Follow me. <Come on.>" She ushered the tired wyvern along with her, who only grunted. He hadn't eaten, he'd been pushed too far, he'd been battered around... Eva would be able to fix at least one of those.

----------

 

[Dandragon]

This lady was not very cooperative, was she? Well, without any way to get from boat to boat, it looks like all she could do was sit and wait. But Mavis wasn't content with waiting, no, she would much rather do something. But what could she do? If she tried to swim, not only would she probably drown due to her arm being out of commission, but she would be a prime target for instant incineration by that cursed weapon. But if things remained the way they were, then they were just sitting ducks out here waiting for another, more powerful blast to tear apart the ship. Was there anything they could do?

[Toogee]

Jam saw Mavis apparently declare war on what the dancer thought was shore. Jam quickly realized that shore was a massive ship, an enemy ship at that. With strategy like that, Jam made a point not to follow the new recruit into battle anytime soon. She could only hope the enemy had other plans than to go after little ol' them. 

Though she couldn't do much about the ship, Jam heard the calls for a medic. She saw Thales carrying someone down below deck...Malik? That must have meant the others had returned! Jam rushed over and found that Malik really did need the aid of a healer.

"He looks terrible," Jam commented, looking around for Amon and Haythem. They seemed to be the only people who could stand being around Malik for extended periods of time. It was strange that they weren't here now.

"Healers...they must be below deck, waiting out the battle," Jam replied to Thales before turning to Malik. "As soon as we get you to one, we'll go find Amon and Haythem. I'm sure they're hanging around here somewhere."

Jam's attempt to reassure Malik was more for herself. If they weren't here now...

[Phoenix]

Not Enough

How were these wyvern riders still in the air? Edith could hardly believe what she was seeing, a mere handful of wyvern riders fending off nearly one hundred pegasus knights. Granted these riders were completely on the defensive, and not even responding to attacks in kind, but sheer numbers should have ended this in less than a minute. Not one blasted casualty on their end, though. Edith feared they were some elite group not sent in with the first wave of riders, maybe even the underlings of a Imperial Guardian. That the last thing she needed today.

Edith's own opponent, Lev Mikoyan, was proving just as difficult to kill as his peers. Despite forgoing a helmet, Edith hadn't managed to land a solid hit on the man, and since he wouldn't attack her in return, his defenses were never down long enough for one of her squad mates to take advantage. This was bad, putting it mildly. She didn't know how much longer the Basilisk would be vulnerable to attack, but she couldn't even set up for it with Lev pestering her. If she tried, she'd be giving him the opening he needed to take her down. If that happened, her allies would have to fight the Basilisk conventionally, and it so grossly outgunned all of their ships that their chances weren't even worth considering without her and the Maas' lance.

What felt like total failure struck Edith hard when the water began to fold in on itself and drag the Basilisk back down into the depths of the strait. She'd missed her chance, and there was no telling when or where the ship would come up next. Her eyes shifted angrily to Lev, who simply shrugged at her as he passed overhead. "You're the one, aren't you?" Lev asked, "you're the one who took out an entire wing of our riders."

"That's right," Edith snarled, absolutely fed up with Lev, "and I'm going to add you to the body count!"

"Haven't you killed enough people, today?" Lev frowned at her, not even reacting to her sudden turn as she came charging in at him. "The only time this many die in battle is when someone pulls the tarp off a devastating weapon, or the gods get involved," he said, a dead serious look on his face. That look almost kept Edith from following through on her attack, but she did follow through, forcing Lev to duck or die. "You may think you're doing the right thing, now ... but it's not going to feel so good later. Trust me, I know."

"I wouldn't have to kill you all if you'd just stay away from us," Edith shot back, coming around for another pass.

"Granted, but you've got enough blood on your hands. Just go home."

"And let you kill my people while I do nothing?! Shut your face and die!"

Damage Control

"It's sinking?" Lexi cocked her head at the vanishing battleship, realizing the water dragons were pulling it back down into the safety of an undersea bubble. A few ships, all of them privateers, had begun turning back toward the docks, while the Ursians pushed ahead, desperate to get into firing range rather than be targeted from nearly a mile away and ultimately destroyed before the main imperial force arrived. It was technically a bad plan, but the alternatives were so far and away worse than simply charging at the battleship, that it seemed like the only option available. Naturally they'd gone for it and said their prayers. Likewise, Lexi had to follow them, not just to escape the battle along with the Emi Maru, but also to prevent an Ursian rout, which would leave them as the only remaining targets. The Deadly Dandelion was the only ship attacked so far that was still afloat, and that most certainly hadn't gone unnoticed by the Ursians.

"She's goin' under," one of her crew called up to her. Variations were repeated with mixed reactions among the crew. It was obvious the ship wasn't damaged, so it going back into the water could be very good or very bad depending on its crew and captain's intentions.

"We're keeping this heading," Lexi warned, "so get ready." Lowering her voice to narrowly a whisper, she told herself, "we should probably stick to the shore a bit ..." She looked toward the fore of the ship, trying to see if there was any damage, but there was no telling from as far back as the helm. "Someone get over there and see what the damage is." The Deadly Dandelion could take quite the beating, but Lexi sincerely doubted her ship had come off completely unscathed. Several of her men quickly ran to the front of the ship, trying to lean over the rails to see what they could see, and several others went below deck to check from the inside.

"Start preppin' the guns, cadus too! Port side only!"

The short mercenary approached Shadrak and placed a heavy hand up on his shoulder. "You're not a twig, you can help, too. You wanna survive this you're gonna have to help out."

Shadrak nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, sure." He agreed of course, but the man's delivery was needlessly forceful. He chalked it up to the man being a ship's hired help and therefore being a hit or miss when it came to general social skills.

"You too," he called over to Eva, "takes muscles to be a rider, so you can help." He scanned around and found Mavis, as well. "And you. No weaklings, this isn't easy work!"

Malik opened his eyes, feeling his painful and forced shallow breaths as he was moved again and again. His mind was still trying to make sense of the situation, but all he was certain of was that he was back with the group, and somewhere on a ship. He wasn't even sure what time of day it was or how long it'd been since he'd lost Amon and Haythem to that devastating magic storm. He just wanted to find a way to get his lungs clear and lie down. After that ... he really didn't know. Could he really continue on without them?

"Is he hurt?" asked one of the sailors below deck. Malik was certainly in a lot of pain, but he doubted any of it would be rightly addressed with a staff. His lungs hurt from taking in water and spasming in response. His skin and body ached from hitting the water so incredibly hard, and his pride ached, because with Amon and Haythem gone, he was starting to realize how little he could really accomplish on his own. Was there any way to redeem himself after all of this?

"... by the Sea King," a sailor frowned as he looked over the rails. The Deadly Dandelion hadn't gotten away unscathed. The ship's bow was cracked like an egg above the waterline, and charred black at the point of impact. The golden figure of a maiden that had once been just above that point was nowhere to be found. The foremast had made it out more or less intact, but the sails attached had been partially burned into place, making them unusable. Considering the Deadly Dandelion was moving without the use of its sails at the moment, they seemed wholly unnecessary. As more and more men began to look over at the damage, their minds drifted back toward the ship's mysterious mode of propulsion, and then to its seemingly unshakable captain. The first sailor to spot the damage went back to the helm to report.

"Captain, the hull's taken damage but nothin' below the waterline far as I can tell."

"Figured as much," Lexi sighed, "keep an eye on it and lemme know if anything changes."

"... right ..." he stopped halfway as he turned to get back to work, "Captain, I've gotta know ... what in the blazes is goin' on, here? We should all be dead right now, but we got off with hardly any damage. The ship's even movin' without the sails! Please! What's ... what kind of magic are you usin'?!"

Lexi smiled apologetically. "I honestly have no idea. I just know it works, and I trust it with my life. You should, too."

Seizure of Power

Amon watched, nigh helpless to act as the water rose higher and higher, quickly swallowing the ship whole. They were inside a bubble once again. I can't try it now ... Haythem and I will just drown ... along with everyone else.

<"Make sure the cannons are ready to fire the second volley when we resurface,"> Captain Kohut instructed. His staff got to relaying the orders to the three corners of the ship, quickly as he turned to face his two captives. "What did you think of the Basilisk's firepower?"

"I think you're a monster," Haythem scowled at him. Kohut looked amused, but quickly glanced over to Amon, awaiting his answer.

Amon said nothing at first, honestly considering the question. While he agreed with Haythem for the most part, he couldn't deny that the ship had value. In Aisha's hands, the rebels could be cut off from nearly all foreign trade. It wouldn't end the fighting by itself, but it would be an incredible start to restoring Rex-Avaz to something resembling a country. That was the reason, he realized. That was the reason he saw it as valuable, why the emblem was showing this to him. In that moment, he was sure of his new ability and the fullness of its intended use. Amon had been given the ability to procure resources for the total restoration of Rex-Avaz. This wasn't about Sanctuary, it was about the country as a whole. With this ability, Amon could even help bring an end to the rebels and restore peace. All of this could unfold in his lifetime if he conducted himself properly, here. The Basilisk wasn't Neviskotia's secret weapon, not anymore. With Amon here, it was a weapon of the Rexian Goddess, Aisha, they just didn't understand yet.

"Enjoy this ship while you can," Amon said, his voice low and a little defiant, "this all ends, today." Kohut, unaware of the severity of the situation, misinterpreted the remark.

"You think the Ursians are going to sink us? Hah ... hahahahahah!" Some of the bridge staff began chuckling as they worked. "Listen well, boy ... Leviathan himself could not sink this ship. The only choice the Ursians have now is to surrender ... though I sincerely hope that they will fight us to the last man. The Basilisk must be put through her paces and today is a fine day to condemn our enemies to the shore."

Edited January 30, 2017 by Phoenix

[Xinnidy]

Spoiler

 

Reminiscence...

Winter came full force to Southern Ursium that year, probably the worst winter in Thales' memory. He was already sore out of coin since fall. The innkeeper had finally kicked him out as well, tired of the boy's inexperienced helping hand. Thales tried to brave the cold winter streets, and for a short time things seemed like they could go well.

Much too short.

He'd managed to hunt while he still had arrows to use with his father's hand-me-down bow, but even those costed coin, or skills that Thales didn't yet grasp --he was no fletcher, he was never expected to yet--. Eventually even the arrows he'd pick clean would break. Useless. He'd resorted to begging, but it barely gave results. Already past the age where most would feel compassion or pity, it not only was a blow to any self-worth he had left but made the world seem even colder than the snowy nights he'd face with ragged blankets. If there was a light at the end of the tunnel, his had been blown out.

Despite the chain of mistakes that made him all but expelled from military academy, Thales' heart still saw him a soldier-to-be. He couldn't stoop so low as to pickpocket or threathen people, not out of kindness, but out of pride. He had nothing left in life but to honor his father... and he'd manage to ruin it completely. A failure in all senses, fit to hide away from truth in some alleyway, like he was.

Scum.

It had been too many times that Thales had cried over his predicament, more than he could bother keeping track of. He truly had inherited the worst traits from both his parents --his father's short temper and pride, his mother's paranoia and negativity--, bless them for putting up with him.

Still, with resources low, something would have to give. It was time to. He'd either starve or freeze to death...

A man passed down that same alleyway Thales took to hide himself. Unsuspecting, gutsy, in a hurry, or some combination of the three. Good-looking, well-fed, probably had a business, or worked for a good one. Thales looked up from his crouched, curled up position.

That day, he accepted he was no longer a soldier-to-be.

 

 

The situation continued horrible, there were people rushing below deck as well, some of the ship's own crew. It was awkward to keep himself and Malik from obstructing the way, especially with Malik taller than he was. Nope, not gonna princess carry him. He... seemed to be coming to his senses? Thales honestly couldn't tell. Jam showed up again shortly, examining the ally she knew better than him. "Yeah, seems like he's had better days." Honestly, what was there for Thales to add? "Do you know how to heal? I have nothing on me, so I figure I'd leave him with somebody that could take care. Just gonna find a place he can rest up if I can't."

A sailor inquired on Malik's condition, and Thales almost made a snarky remark at the question that asked for the visibly apparent. It would do to have some sense in a situation this dangerous, this was hardly the time, and he didn't know these sailors apart from that they were basically giving him a free guide. "He took a fall and almost drowned. I think he needs some checking up." Shaking his head, Thales figured it'd be better to just find a place to place him down to rest, with all this panic. Below deck was... a bit more chaotic than he'd hoped, but finding a remote spot, Thales placed Malik down, hoping it was decent enough for the man to rest. "Hey... are you alright?" He spoke softly, hoping to get more of a reaction than short breaths and painful winces from the guy. A hand pressed against Malik's chest, hoping to get some more of that water out.

"Can you see if you can find a healer, please?" He turned back to Jam, "I'm going to keep an eye on him, here. He already looks pretty done with this."

Edited January 24, 2017 by Xinnidy

[Nanami Touko]

Or not. Set up the guns? I've never done such a thing... Eva groaned and led Sasha as close as he could get to the below deck opening. "Thales! I tossed my stuff down there; if you get even a second, grab that meat and feed my lizard! He's been through enough and they need me for setting stuff up. Please!" She could only hope that he heard her. Dashing back to the sailor that had called on her, she stood there waiting. "Alright, tell me what you need done! I won't have a clue what's going on otherwise."

----------

Relaxation, relaxation... And there it went. Haruhi sat up as Hoshi came back down, worry on her tone, and some rather scary mentions in her words. "<I, whhh... What!?>" She pulled her tired self up and stumbled over to the woman, grabbing her wrist tight. "<No! Just, show me how to do that magic thing, where I draw out of the tome, please! Even if I'm a beginner I can manage something, right!? You want me to just sit here and wait for the shop to crumble, otherwise?>"

Perhaps if it was just more Neviskotians on wyverns this wouldn't be as big a deal... But if she was going to be stuck on this boat, letting Hoshi and Canaan drown as the ship went down... These were the first people she'd met that didn't put her worth in marriage. "<Please. Anything. Let me do anything.>"

[Toogee]

Jam looked to Thales and nodded. Despite all the craziness, the new guy was adapting pretty well to their adventures. He didn't seem to sweat when faced with chaos surrounding them. She respected that. But before she ran around trying to find a healer, she simply asked the sailor next to them.

"Well, you heard him. Where is your medic?"

[Dandragon]

It wasn't too long before one of the mercenaries on the boat was calling for both Eva and Mavis to help with firing cannons. That was something she could do. But would that be enough? ...Well, it was better than standing around, waiting for the next blast to hit. That was for sure. Mavis looked down at her arm. She could still feel pain whenever she tried to move it, but it had lessened, if only a tiny bit. Should I risk it? She wondered how much permanent damage she would do if she tried working with both arms. If she didn't, it would take longer to move a cannon into position, if she didn't have a second person with her.

Mavis nodded back at the mercenary, then rushed down below deck without a word. Making her way to the cannons on the 'port side', as sailors called it, and got to one of the unmanned ones. With her good arm, she did her best to push the thing into place. With that out of the way, she looked down at the cannon. Now, she had little idea how to fire this thing, but didn't want to admit it to anyone. Do you light up the fuse with a match, or do you just pull it? At some point, Mavis gave up trying to figure it out and instead just waited for others to come down. She would watch how they did it and would try to mimic their actions. It was how she learned the basics of wielding an axe, anyway, so that strategy had served her well so far.

[Phoenix]

Returners

The plan seemed to be falling apart, now; more wyvern riders were coming, having taken off from the countless imperial ships approaching from the south. There weren't nearly as many as the first wave, maybe a hundred or so, but that was more than enough to give the pegasus knights a difficult time. Shifting things more in their favor was the fact that they were fresh, whereas the pegasus knights had just finished picking off the survivors of Edith's opening attack. They weren't tired yet, but their stamina was definitely going to go before the enemy's. There was no telling what the morale situation was like at this distance. Edith had wiped out the entire first wave more or less, but the Basilisk was unharmed, after sinking five ships. At the very least, these riders knew that the Ursians' attention would be divided this time.

The situation was far worse than Edith realized. A spear shaped hold spell shot out of the water and into the sky, their only warning being its sharp splash and arrow-esque whistle as it ascended at blinding speed. It wasn't warning enough; it struck and impaled a pegasus, along with its rider, killing them both before dissolving back into water. Another spear made of water appeared, and another, and another. "Climb!" Edith called out to her allies, but only her squad mates were close enough to hear and heed her. "It's the water dragons," she surmised as she tried to gain altitude and avoid the deadly water projectiles. While keeping an eye out for spells in her flight path, she tried to locate Lev, whom she'd misplaced in the sudden ambush.

"There!" Edith spotted Lev, flying low near the water. All the wyvern riders seemed to be flying awfully low. Suddenly she wondered if this was really an ambush and not just a fighting retreat, a cover for the wyvern riders. When they started hitting the water and disappearing, she realized that was exactly the case. "... we didn't take down a single one, did we ...?"

Reporting In

Lev stepped onto the bridge, soaked from head to toe, and clearly not in the best mood. <"Found her.">

<"So it was a pegasus knight?"> Captain Kohut asked, looking intrigued.

Lev nodded somberly. <"She's using some kind of special rune weapon. That's what sucked up the dragons' magic and nearly drowned us a while ago. It's also what killed off the first wave. I'm sure of it. She's still up there, and I doubt the dragons would have gotten her.">

<"Why didn't you take her down?"> Kohut looked displeased, but was clearly still withholding judgment. Lev after all, had done exactly what he was supposed to do as far as his orders were concerned.

<"I didn't have an opening, and making it back alive to report took priority,"> Lev answered, <"but we did exchange some words. Plenty of pride ... and potential.">

Kohut squinted. <"Don't get too attached. The next time we surface, we're going to lure her in and have Alyosha finish her off. Get ready to head back out. We're moving behind the advancing ships before resurfacing. I know they'll be expecting a maneuver like that, but there's nothing they can do to counter it, right now. We'll also be able to take a few shots at the garrison in Urquium while from that range.">

<"Understood,"> Lev saluted. Shooting at the Ursians on land was barbaric with civilians still around, but it wasn't his place to question it. He left the bridge, sparing the captured rexians a glance along the way.

"What was that about?" Haythem asked. His indignation gave him enough courage to try and get information. Amon's was giving him the resolve to wait for the Basilisk to resurface and not upset the captain in the meantime. "If this ship is so powerful," Haythem continued, "why do you need to keep going underwater?"

Kohut sent the sancturan a glare, but quickly composed himself. The smugness came quickly after that. "The Basilisk is powerful, indeed ... but there is no reason to give the Ursians a traditional fight. I will take every advantage available to me to ensure not a single man aboard my ship is harmed or killed, and I will instill such a powerful impression of my ship on the enemy that the mere mention of her will send them fleeing in the opposite direction in the future. This is how we will defeat Ursium this time. You should be grateful to witness this with your own eyes."

"You probably don't want to get hit by that weapon that got us," Haythem noted, his thoughts wandering to Isis.

Kohut's smugness cracked for a split second. "I suppose it would be troublesome if she damaged something, but she will be dealt with the next time we surface. Just sit there and watch. Our victory was a foregone conclusion."

Getting Acquainted

"Gotta get'em over to the infirmary if he needs a good heal. This way," the sailor beckoned. More moving, Malik could already feel his body aching.

Over by one of the older cannons, a loader approached Mavis. "You're helpin' with this one? We should have a full team in a sec, I'll be loadin', you help the others aim." It didn't occur to him immediately that she might not have much experience with naval guns, but when it did ... "Right, try not to overdo it. Cover your ears when the gunner fires, then help move the gun back into the ship so I can clean and reload, then help push it back into position ... cover your ears, again. Serious about that last part, lass. First shot's probably not gonna hit anythin' but it'll give us the range, so don't panic."

All Caught Up

Joanna didn't know what to expect when Liam brought her to the Emi Maru, but they seemed to have just barely made it. If they couldn't fly, they would have been left behind. Ironically, the ship was headed in the general in the direction of the massacre that had taken place, earlier. Joanna had regained full control of herself since Liam had grabbed her, realizing that the Ursians had finished killing off all the riders that had arrived in the first wave. If she flew over there, she'd only get a waterlogged and bloody dress for her efforts. She wouldn't find anyone alive in the water.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Phoenix

[Xinnidy]

Thales turned to acknowledge Eva's call for a moment, but he was too far to see her frame, and for her to see him back. He made a mental note of it, still. So I gotta feed that... hope he knows to only eat his meat. A hesitant thought about his hand being chewed up for lunch too reared its head, but that was thankfully shortlived. A sailor agreed to take them to a healer for Malik, excellent. "Alright." A short response, and Thales found himself lifting Malik yet again. Unfortunate for the Rexian to be lugged around in that state, probably. Thales wasn't all that acquainted with him to think about it much, but his significance to the others meant Malik wasn't just dragged across the floor, at least!

[-Cynthia-]

Nadya

"Oh, havin' a workin' staff would help," Nadya said, punctuating the statement with some nervous laughter as she grabbed one. Refocusing once again, she gathered the light energy and focused on healing Nena's wounds. The effect was much greater this time, leaving only superficial cuts and bruises. I'm really gettin' tuckered out doin' this, between Canaan and that storm my magical energy whatevers are probably shot.

Liam

"Are you...all right?" he asked Joanna after setting her down on the ship. It was rather a stupid question he thought in hindsight, as obviously no one was all right given everything that had happened, but he could not think of anything more comforting to say at the moment.

[Phoenix]

New Orders

"Lieutenant," a messenger approached, throwing her voice as far as she could to reach Edith, "Lieutenant, orders from the Castor! Captain Gram wants you to return immediately!"

Edith winced down at the water. She could almost make out the bubble containing the ship. She could also see the hold spells shooting up after them. They were far too high up now for the spells to pose any danger to them. That didn't change the fact that the enemy's battleship could resurface at any time and kill off hundreds in just one volley. She had to be here when they returned. "But the Basilisk ..."

"You have to return, now," the messenger pleaded, "he told me to tell you that he has a plan for sinking that ship!"

"And here I thought I was in trouble," Edith muttered beneath her breath. She cast one more uncomfortable glance back at the dark waters and then swallowed her pride. Whatever Gram's plan was, it would at least have been well thought out. "Alright, let's go."

Lessons

"Over here," a gunner placed a hand on Eva's shoulder and led her toward one of the cannons, "I'm doin' the shootin'. You and a few others will move the gun in and out of the port between shots, got it? Don't try and move the whole thing yourself. You'll just tire yourself out and we'll have to replace you after a few shots." The cannon the gunner picked happened to already be partly crewed, as the self appointed loader was instructing another one of the ship's passengers, Mavis.

"Anyone else?" the loader asked, "I think we could use two or three more hands."

The gunner nodded. "Just two more'll do," he amended, "and we should be fine on hands if we're only dealin' with port side guns. Frees up a lot of the crew." It also, admittedly, confused the hell out of him.

Infirmary

The infirmary was far in the back of the ship, but thankfully on the same deck Thales and Malik had started on. Inside were just two cots to accommodate any injured, along with a table built into the wall of the otherwise cramped room. The cots were to the left of the entrance, lined up perpendicular to the door, which was what left so little space for navigating the infirmary. The counter was jutting out from the right side of the room, near the back. There was no chair for the ship's surgeon, who happened to be an old woman. Her hair was mostly dark, but graying here and there, and her complexion was darker than the Deadly Dandelion's captain, Lexi. She wore a somewhat elaborate sash that wrapped around her in multiple directions, and beneath that was a modest white robe. The jewelry she wore along with the outfit marked her as a financially well off nomad, or perhaps a covetous one. The pale yellow light cast by a small rune on the ceiling was the infirmary's only source of light, but the illumination was strong enough to do its job, and its reflection in her earrings made them stand out even more.

The old woman smiled when Thales brought Malik into the room. "Nearly drowned, I think. Just set'em down and she'll take care of the rest," the sailor explained before rushing off to join the rest of the crew.

"I'll do what I can," she said before running her fingers through Malik's damp red hair. On closer inspection, only her index finger and thumb didn't have some style of ring on it.

Farewell

Nena slowly opened her eyes, surprised to still be alive, and to be feeling off balance ... almost as if she was floating on a raft. The smell of sea water was something she was used to, but it was particularly prominent, now. "Where am I?"

"Aboard the Emi Maru," said the man that had personally carried her here. "I'm sorry, but we didn't know where else to take you ... and ... we have already left port." Nena's dismay was barely hidden beneath a forced smile directed at everyone involved. Obviously, she was grateful to be alive, but she definitely didn't sign up for a random voyage out of Ursium, and her rescuer knew that. "I'm truly sorry," he bowed his head twice in rapid succession, trying to drive his sincerity home as much as possible.

"Well ... bye, Marcus," Nena sighed and closed her eyes. Some debts just couldn't be repaid ....

Darkness

"I just want to find a way to stop this pointless violence," Joanna said, looking across the Emi Maru's main deck and out into the strait. At first it was the red that held her captive and grieving, but then she noticed how unnaturally dark the water was in that area. It had spread so far that it had nearly reached the ship, and would soon enough. It was easy to overlook but now that her mind was comparing it to other mental images of the straits, she realized that this was some kind of magic phenomenon and not something they could normally expect to see. It might be related to the attack that destroyed the flock of wyvern riders, but it was just as likely unrelated. The more she thought about it, the more she worried about it.

"What do you ... think that darkness is? The water shouldn't look like that, even if both sides are using powerful magic." Her closest guess was that there was a massive amount of dark magic on the strait floor, but just about any mage would be able to sense that, and all Joanna felt was the magic in use by both navies.

The Gram Plan

"Edith," Captain Gram gave Edith a disapproving look. Maybe she was in a little trouble after all. "If I factor you into our new plan to sink the Basilisk, will you follow it, or should I just order our forces to hold the line and pray for a miracle, this time?"

"Please, sir," Edith winced, "just ... just tell me the plan. Last time I just ... I knew our riders were going to suffer a lot of losses. I thought I'd be able to get off two shots, but it's more complicated than I thought."

Gram nodded in agreement. "We finally know how that lance works, and it's quite useful. It's gathering all available energy in the area and releasing it in one concentrated blast. If you use it more than once in a single battle, the second attack is going to be far inferior to the first because there's less energy to draw in. Still, that attack is preceded by a period where most magic becomes impossible to use. It's effectively a magic seal."

Edith's eyes narrowed at the captain. This sounded relevant to his plan. "Are you planning on using that, somehow?"

"We already did," Gram smiled, "though unknowingly. The King's Brand reported that some of their reserves had been sapped, which means Yggdrasil's area of influence is at least several miles in all directions. Only that Kigenese pirate has a magic seal with that much power. So yes, we're going to factor that magic draining effect into this. The draining effect won't last long enough to completely seal the water dragons and drown the Basilisk's crew, but it will force them to surface soon after we use it. The King's Brand will then move in and cut that battleship down. The water dragons too if they get any ideas. If you can get off a third attack, feel free to help Captain Catalan with finishing them off, but I don't want to put the whole battle on your shoulders if I don't have to."

Edith shook her head. "Whatever you need. Let's just win this and not lose anyone else."

"Easier said than done, but the Neviskotians are sticking their necks out too far, which means we've got to take this chance to sever the head. If we demoralize them enough, the main fleet might turn around. If not ... well ... you're going to have your work cut out for you."

Edited February 3, 2017 by Phoenix

[Xinnidy]

The infirmary's unique lighting caught Thales' attention during their entrance, he couldn't help but play close attention to the pattern carved on the roof. Magic without the need of a mage was convenient, to be sure...

"I... yes, he nearly drowned. Took a fall too, I think." He just assumed he was with the flock targeted by that veritable death ray. How or why, as tempting as they were to know, could come later. "Got saved by a-- mount. A lot of water in his lungs." Would talking about a wyvern be wise? It was unnecessary detail for the lady's work, and could raise questions with the tensions outside. At the same time, she could very well not care one bit. Still, Thales chose the option to save his breath. Now there was just the matter of moving Malik to lay down on a cot in a comfortable enough position. He didn't want to bother the surgeon, whom placed her hand on Malik's scalp, and decided to move with extra care, lifting Malik by the torso and leg to lay down side up on a cot.

"If there's nothing else you need, I'll leave you to your work." Thales nodded, just now noticing how gaudy the lady fancied her acessories. Maybe it was just the light, but her earrings looked especially fancy.

[Toogee]

Jam followed Thales as he carried Malik deeper into the ship. As they entered the tiny infirmary, Jam had to keep to the walls to avoid the cots. Despite the cots taking much of the space, she couldn't imagine that this was enough given what was happening outside. Her eyes were taken off the room as she looked towards the surgeon. The simple dress she wore served as a canvas for the elaborate jewelry and accessories. For some reason, Jam felt a bit comforted: a doctor that was wealthy enough to wear such accessories must have been successful enough to warrant her pay.

After Thales announced his departure, the dancer spoke up, making her presence known.

"I'll stay," she said. Jam felt someone had to keep an eye on Malik while Amon was gone. Besides, she was generally curious as to what the woman was going to do with Malik.

"So...is this something you can cure with a wave of a staff?" Jam asked the woman. She had seen cuts and bruises cured with staves, but near drowning?

[-Cynthia-]

Nadya

The lady she had healed seemed sad- probably lost someone close to her I could be the same for all I know- just gotta wait and pray... "Well, ya probably are better off here then back there anyway. Ya can probably take a ship from Kigen back to Port Sergio or somethin'," she volunteered.

Liam

Liam looked out over the main deck beside Joanna. "It...is not something I have knowledge of. Perhaps some sort of aftereffect from the weapon they used?" he guessed before sighing. "Even if we somehow succeed in defeating the Fallen emperor, I do not think we can ever save humans from themselves. I know we must try, but it feels...hopeless," he admitted.

[Nanami Touko]

"Wha--" Eva spun towards the guy giving out the orders, nodding slowly, and then again quickly, as he finished explaining. "Alright. Moving a cannon! I can do that, easy." She set herself up with the rest of the crew that was appointed to that cannon, listening to them speak of needing two more people. "Listen, I know you told me not to stress myself, but I think we can do fine with just one more. Riding a wyvern isn't just for show! I've got some serious muscles under this silly dress. So find that one guy, and let's get these things going!" The sooner the better, really. Even if their cannon fire amounted to little, they needed to retaliate somewhat. That ship surfacing and blasting them again... Nothing good was going to come of it.

[Ether]

With the shock passed from the sudden assault on her aura, Angelica gave her head a bit of a shake as she scanned the area. It seems they were readying the cannons, and needed some manpower... well, these things could fire well out of her effective range, so there was no point in sitting back. She could switch focus if they got in dire enough straits that her magic would be useful offensively. Walking up next to Eva and the crewmen, the adept took a moment to stretch before speaking.

"I can chip in a hand, I suppose. We're gonna get nowhere fast, otherwise."

[Phoenix]

Unconventional

"If he hasn't been able to get much of it out, himself, I can definitely help him along," the old woman offered with a reassuring smile, "not with a staff, but it makes little difference." She stepped closer and knelt down to have a closer look at Malik, whose eyes were open, but barely responsive. "Try coughing for me, please." What followed was an honest but pitiful attempt to expel the water in his lungs. It didn't fail to illicit another smile from his new caretaker, though. "Again~"

"It really hurts," Malik said, his voice quiet and hoarse, "to do that, right now."

"The pain will pass in a moment," she promised, "just keep trying. I'd prefer not to startle your friends."

Standby to Fire

The gunner scowled. "Women always tryin' to act tough," he shook his head. "Fine, but if I hear any whinging, we're callin' in more help." Speaking of help, another of their guests showed up, the lightest built of them, yet. That was awkward timing, and left the loader and gunner with just three sets of hands besides them, two reasonably muscled for the job, and one who was likely better suited to relaying information than physically moving these things, but the job was doable with what they had, currently, not optimally but some of the crew had been freed up if they needed more help or people started getting injured, an all too real possibility with the Basilisk out there.

"Okay let's go over this one more time," the loader spoke up, making sure the women could hear him over the din, "I load, you move the gun to the port, make adjustments as our gunner calls for'em, then cover your ears. After that, haul it away from the port so I can clean and reload. Keep going until we can't fight back anymore or the captain gives new orders. Got that?"

Voyage

"I don't have any money," Nena said, having already resigned herself to whatever fate had in store for her. Something in what Nadya had said seemed to change that a moment later. "... this ship is going to Kigen?" She slowly opened her eyes, looking for confirmation, which she got plenty of in the form of nods from her rescuer and some of the nearby sailors. "Are we too far out for me to swim back? I'm too pretty to be alone in Kigen." Mental images of her being kidnapped right off the docks assailed her, sending chills down her spine. She had her magic, but she could only maim one person at a time. Sooner or later, she was bound to get conked over the head and carried off.

Pray

It hurt the most when they were right here in the thick of it and couldn't do anything about the fighting. Still, those in Aria felt the same way, regardless of how far away the wars were from them. The dark waters seemed to mark the pointless massacre as a blight on the Earth. It was a disturbing thought the more she watched. The navies could obviously see the darkness in the water, but they had seemingly written it off and continued the battle. If only those fighting could see it, truly see it. If they couldn't acknowledge this black stain on the battlefield, Joanna and Liam didn't have a chance of putting a stop to this. Joanna's hands slowly clinched into fists. "I can't just watch this ... I can't!"

Quickly she knelt down and clasped her hands together. "Please ..." she began to pray aloud, "please, help us."

[Nanami Touko]

"<I'll show you just how tough a woman can be, you stupid sea dog.>" Eva scowled, but knew it wasn't the time to start a fight. She figured the crew didn't speak Neviskotian; that would let her vent the frustration without causing more trouble. And then an overview, of what seemed to be a rather simple task. Move it in, adjust, move it out, rinse and repeat. You'd have to be a blockhead to not get that much. "Got it! Once that ship shows back up, let's get started!"