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[Redcoat]

OOC: Make sure you've read the last chapter's final post before continuing.

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Anikus reached out with his senses. The ship was familiar territory to him, and so his ability to detect the aura of the offenders would be enhanced; he only detected two of them, at maximum, and only on the main deck. That's a bit odd if you're trying to steal a ship... he thought, but at least we'll have the drop on them.

"Even weakened," he said, "We far outnumber these troubadours. There's two of them. I've got a plan, and it even avoids fire."

His humour was lost on his captive audience. Given that they were on an island like this one, it was likely that the thieves--if you could call them that--were either desperate, unlucky, or had been following them. He sincerely hoped it was the second; a man was most dangerous in a corner and the idea that someone else had found out about this zany scheme was most unpalatable.

"We're going to board from both sides, using the ropes. Surprise them from two directions. Any objections?"

[Lyon]

"I'm game," said Telchi, sliding his swords out silently. "How do we plan to overtake our own ship, though? I take it you have a plan of sorts?"

Kaethe scoffed. "Please, not another one of Anikus's harebrained schemes."

Telchi looked at her disapprovingly. "For better or for worse, he is our leader. And I doubt any of the members of our group are going to follow through on their outlandish threats. I for one would like to throw Anikus to the troubadours right now. But I'd never even consider it. In fact, I'm not sure why I would think of that in the first place."

((Lampshade Hanging!))

[Vithar Megilaglar]

Takeshi and Sakura looked at the ship.

"So, someone is actually taking our ship...But our brilliant captain came up with a plan. Might work."

"Indeed it would Sakura. Another Anikus ploy, perhaps..."

"We shall see, Takeshi."

"Well, we're ready to move when you are, Anikus."

[Durandal]

Marketta silently wandered the ship along with Isabelle - empty. They had finally found something to save them and they are greeted to an empty ship in prime condition, boring, yet she guessed it would do. It could have been worse - she thought it should have been; a ship like this, in the middle of nowhere probably belonged to pirates, maybe even adventurers, but an island like this made her think as though it was definitely Pirate bait. Moving towards the bow, she leaned over the edge to catch something amazing in her line of sight. The crew!

She was afraid, were these Pirates? No, they didn't look like they were, they seemed like... Adventurers? Smiling, she knew they had help. "Thank you Mother Nature." she whispered, waving "Over there! Come aboard!" she hollered out to these adventurers, immediately moving to the Steer Wheel on the Stern and spinning the wheel until the ship gracefully turned it's side to the island, and then immediately jumped down to move the boarding plank - she had no idea what seafarers used to explain whatever it was, but she knew it only as a boarding plank. Sliding it across the deck, she finally allowed it to fall onto the soft sand below - allowing the crew to board. Although it was a risky move that could get them killed, she hoped they only understood the situation they were in and weren't out for blood.

Edited by Spectre, 04 June 2010 - 09:32 AM.

[Redcoat]

Anikus paused for a moment. His ordinary instinct would be to approach in a friendly manner, now, but with his recent experiences at the tunnel--he was sure he'd have shellshock from that, just you wait--he decided to play it safe.

He motioned to his party to follow and walked, sabre drawn and magic--what was left of it--ready, to be used. He really didn't care, at this point.

"Who goes there? What is your purpose?" Anikus called.

[Luchiaros]

Isabelle Elicia Gisselle Felicity Chaucer looked up from where she sat on the deck of the ship, her new companion had called out to someone. She stood up and looked to see who was out there, the crew of the ship had returned.

"Who goes there? What is your purpose?"  The man who was most likely the captain called

''The name is Isabelle Elicia Gisselle Felicity Chaucer, but you can call me Isabelle,'' She said with a curtsey ''As for our purpose, we are but two shipwrecked souls in need of assistance, we happened upon this boat not to long ago.''

She brushed her hair out of her face and smiled

''If this is your vessel then we apologize, we believed to be abandoned.'' She said

[Lyon]

"If it was abandoned, do you think it would be in this good of condition?" said Kaethe from near the bulkhead, keeping her distance from the strangers on the ship. "Also, out of curiousity, what kind of a name is Isabelle Elicia Giselle Felicity Charter? Bit of a mouthful, don't you think?"

Telchi sheathed one of his swords. He didn't think he'd need both to defend himself if either of the women attacked. He didn't think he'd need either, for that matter, but you could never be too safe.

[Kamikaze_X]

Thalmir, who followed wearily behind, noticed at once that there were people on the ship. As weak as he was, he decided to ignore Anikus' order to flank the boat from both sides, finding that him going into the water was definitely not such a prudent choice. Instead, he hastily ran and ducked into some tall grass, pulling his dark green hood over his head as he went. If he were to try, he would only be a burden on his comrades. Sitting down in the tall grass, he retrieved his water-skin and took the last few sips he had left.

As soon as his party found out that those on board supposedly meant no harm, he stood from where he sat, and started to hobble toward the beach head to meet up with this friends. He kept a hand on the hilt of his claymore, just in case. If his bow wasn't broken at the moment, he probably would have climbed a tree and waiting for the "ok" from Anikus.

In his foul mood, that had been steadily building since falling through his friends grave, he also addressed the newcomers. His tone was cold, almost harsh, and he really deigned not to introduce himself.

"What are a bunch of lowly bilge rat pirates such as yourselves doing on this godforsaken island? Thinking about commandeering the ship, eh?"

[Durandal]

Markette was outraged by this comment, pirates? Ignorant! She thought with a fiery passion, pointing at Thalmir. "We're allowing you to reclaim your ship, you blasted fool! All we want was aid, because our ship that we once commandeered had burned away, we're the only survivors! I'd expect better treatment from Adventurers, of all people!" she hollered, coming down the board to greet the others, hopefully is she walked up to them they'd know she wasn't playing  them for fools. "My name is Marketta Henricke Sohvik, me and... Isabelle here were survivors of a catastrophe over on our own ship that Isabella commanded. We finally came upon this island and decided to get into this ship, see if anyone could help us. We were just about to give up hope and set sail since no one was there, thankfully you came in time. From the looks of your crew, you've gone through hell and back. May we be new additions to your team? We need something to do." She asked, willingly giving a hand to Anikus.

This was a miracle how much she said - generally it'd take her some time to say even a modest, short sentence, let alone a full blown speech like this one. She noticed they were all either armed or hands on the hilts of their blades, and telling from where they came from, they had returned from inside the island. Yeah, through hell and back indeed.

[Chef]

Grimlain looked at the two disdainfully.  Adding more people to this ever growing team wasn't an idea he agreed with.  They had been through much and he just wanted to get on with it and leave this place.  Besides, it was very suspicious of them walking around their ship like that.  He bet that they would've probably stolen it if they had the chance.

"Ehh," Grimlain said irritably. "I've had enough irritation for today.  Can't we just leave these two here and sail away?  They can rot for all I care."

Grimlain somehow knew no one would agree with that, but he could try.

[Kamikaze_X]

Thalmir grunted beneath his hood with disdain. He suddenly drew his claymore, it's long gleaming blade, still wet with Reaver blood down the tip, and aimed it toward the two newcomers. His face was completely marred within the darkness of his hood, except for the slight glimmer of his narrowed eyes.

"Listen, pirates. I don't care who you are. How can any of us trust you when you stand upon our ship as scavengers would. I may be cynical, but I have learned through experience never to trust others unless with rightful cause." Turning back to his comrades, he nodded toward Grimlain. "I have to agree with you."

[Redcoat]

Anikus looked around at his grumbling crew and the newcomers. His frustration built to a point, and he decided enough was enough. He took one sharp look at all of them, particularly Grimlain, with the most piercing and livid look he could muster from his exhausted mind. At the moment Thalmir's claymore was drawn, Anikus marched in front of him, defenceless and acting as a barrier between the Ranger and the newcomers.

"Enough! Your quarrel is not with these newcomers!" he began, voice stern, but avoiding frantic yelling. "I sent us through that tunnel, and I had us shipped to this Stars-forsaken little Reaver-haven. Not these two, wherever they may come from. If anything, you should be leaving me to rot."

He turned to face Markette--she had cat ears!?--and Isabelle, with the extremely long and entirely magalomaniacal name. What kind of idiot thief would do what these two had done? It made absolutely no sense to him. In the back of his mind, he could recognize why they'd done what they did, even if it was in hindsight a particularly inadvisable course of action. He could especially understand Thalmir and Grimlain, who'd both suffered greatly at the hands of this escapade, just like all of them.

"As far as I am concerned," he began, "These two are misguided travellers in need of shelter and our humanitarian aid. From my homeland, the Conventions Upon The Waves demand that I treat them as such. I am sure that all of you hold similar moral principles on those days which you have not been treated to such a spectacle as I ran you through earlier. Thalmir, sheath your blade. Now is no time for rash violence."

Anikus may have sounded confident, but his mind was racing. What if they took the invitation literally, and simply had him marooned here? He'd be, if not dead, seriously reduced in mobility for a good portion of his lifetime. But he was confident that somehow, he'd make it through. He could tell them why all this had happened later; for now, all had to become calm.

[Vithar Megilaglar]

Sakura uncrossed her arms, fanning herself with his hand.

"Very, very beautiful, captain. And, well, everyone for this display. But, I'd like to get moving. This heat is going to be the death of me."

Takeshi walked forward, staring at the newcomers.

"Yes, let's move on. Have Markette and Isabelle come." Takeshi breathed deeply, seeming to collect his thoughts. Then he looked at Anikus."And our captain as well. If he wants to leave, he can jump over board. But for now, we need his head. For whatever crazy, harebrained mission he's signed us on for."

Takeshi walked to the ship, Sakura catching up. He was tired of this.

"Well, I'm going to get on board. Anyone tries to stop me and I'll...walk around them."

[Kamikaze_X]

Almost reluctantly, Thalmir grumbled something beneath his breath and slid his Claymore back into its sheath on his back. With that, he grudgingly made his way past the two newcomers, not hesitating to give them both a foreboding stare from beneath his hood. As he made his way on board, he sat down by a stern bulkhead and shut his eyes, meditating in a lotus position.

[Luchiaros]

Isabelle gave everyone a smile and curtsy as they passed her, she then turned Kaethe and spoke.

''The names 'Isabelle' and 'Chaucer came from my parents, 'Isabelle' was my grandmothers name and  'Chaucer' has been the family name for generations,'' She said ''the names 'Elicia' and 'Gisselle' I chose for myself during my travels, the name 'Felicity' was given to me by a friend who kept forgetting that my name was Isabelle.''

She then found a seat and decided now would be a good time to get some rest.

Edited by Luchiaros, 06 June 2010 - 09:02 PM.

[Lyon]

"Yeah, whatever, I didn't ask for the story of your name," said Kaethe, ignoring the fact that she had. "D'you mind if I call you Izzy? Thanks, Izzy, I'm sure we'll get along fine." She walked off muttering to herself. "Damn stuck-up mysterious travellers... wouldn't be surprised if she was supposedly a princess in disguise or something. There are sooooooo many of them these days, it's hard to keep track of all of them."

She brightened up. Still, if she's rich, I might be able to lighten her pockets a bit... and lightening the pockets of one of these types is an experience that is not to be missed by anyone. She sidled up to Tri'tas with a conspiritorial wink. "Maybe we should check if these people have any valuables, eh?" she whispered.

[Redcoat]

Anikus' mind raced with possibilities as the ship sailed away that night. All were uneasy and in vital need of rest; the fight had been hard, and the emotional traumas suffered cast a cloud of severe anxiety and brooding anger.

He had to keep these infighting maggots together somehow, or his quest, and all things involved in it would fail. Telling them of their true purpose at this stage would result in utter fragmentation. He had the Shard; perhaps he could simply leave them to their own devices, change his name, and run far away, to pick up new help in a location far from Stormguard or any of these companions?

But he could not. Of course, objectively speaking, he could. This one voyage was survivable, since the newcomers had apparently redirected the hatreds of the group--especially the kind one with the obnoxiously long name, though the girl with cat ears (which he still could not rationalize) was a somewhat close second. Slipping away would be welcomed by the older members. But if he did, then what would they be in for? There had been Valdich at the Corsairs' island; they were somehow on to the quest already. Without some guidance, the group would likely be destroyed by these malign forces, even if they were perhaps not useful to the ultimate goals of the North. More likely, he realized, that alone he and his hapless scholar self would be eliminated in short order, his knowledge wrenched from him violently and life extinguished shortly thereafter. He needed this group, and they needed him.

His very nature had changed on this endeavour, he realized. Whereas he had always had a manipulative streak, it had begun to consume his thoughts; it was rationalizable, even admirable, given the circumstances--or so he thought--but he could not stop a feeling of guilt, even shame, rising from his gut. As he sat there, at a primitive desk, disorganized and ragged notes and papers abound, he wondered just how right he could be construed as. He did not know, even, what was behind these Shards; his obsession with them had assured him of their worth--to an objective, scientific level of accuracy, he had hoped--and of the Valdich desire for them. He looked up for a moment, out one of the ship's portholes, at the stars. For a power such as the Valdich to chase with such ferocity objects such as the shards, they had to be important. Powerful, in some way--and useful for their ends. The Valdich were no artists or historians. Obviously, there was a real military significance to what was going on here.

His thoughts turned to practical matters once more. Of all the party, Takeshi and Sakura seemed the most appeased. They were also the largest threat, having martial experience, to his continued power. Keeping them appeased had to be a top priority--apparently, they were in this for reasons of personal significance, making the proper diplomatic methods difficult to judge. Perhaps they could wait until later. They had certainly been least eager to cook and eat him for dinner after the... ahh... Hellway incident.

Thalmir was another matter. This man had every reason to start a blood feud with Anikus, his family and friends, their family and friends, and everyone along that line's business partners, classmates, pets (And their owners, both former and future), slaves, employees, magical summonings, and hangers-on. He had history on the island the first Shard had been present on; his bow, perhaps his most valuable personal possession, had been unmade; his friend's grave was desecrated--perhaps not dishonourably, in any objective sense, but it is the thought that counts--in the opening of the Hellway. His reasons for hatred and subterfuge were powerful and Legion. And yet his loyalty had to be assured as quickly as possible.

The others--particularly Kaethe--seemed content with going after the long-named adventurer who had recently joined them. Telchi, however, remained loyal. Luckily, he thought, Kaethe was also a little too busy wisecracking to do much. Grimlain was also cynical and melancholy, as per usual, but he could also be appeased. Alec and Ria were angrier, but not livid--Suddenly, a thought blinked into his mind.

The location of the next Shard would be on the southern Continent, according to the knowledge imparted to him by the tomes he was studying. Along the way were dozens of islands, any of which would be suitable for an increasingly urgent supply stop--but one in particular caught his eye. The island of Sarkos, situated south and east of where the Momentum currently existed, was lush, well supplied, and run by a Duke known to him, going by the moniker of Ihkor. Certainly he wouldn't mind getting them out of their morale abyss with a banquet? Certainly, more to the point, he wouldn't mind repaying the favour he owed? Certainly not. This could be assured.

Anikus gave the directions to the island, now barred from helm duty. For now, they had a voyage ahead of them. He could only hope that order could be maintained and mutiny suppressed until then.

[Phantom]

Alec boarded the ship with Ria behind him. They stood there for a moment and nodded to the new comers. It was all odd and Alec was in no mood to be social. Ria was exhausted and sat at the front of the ship letting the wind blow past her and the sound of the waves calm her, She looked over at Alec and smiled, "Well we made it.... in one piece."

Alec frowned and sat down heavily next to her, he scowled and looked ahead, "You know I am not happy about this, you could have died! Then what would I have done huh? Do you really think I can put up with the man who put us all in such rash stupid danger!"

Ria leaned back, "You forget I almost lost you too, I am not any more happy with Anikus but at least we are alive! It could have been worse..... Anikus is lucky he is on this ship alive! I am surprised the rest of the group was able to keep their cool. Though you telling him he would lose his head if he didn't give a good explanation amused me." Ria smiled.

Alec huffed, "Well if I can't have his head then I might poison him.... I know how to heal a body that is hard, but to kill one, that is easy! I can think of a few herbs that are odorless that could still the heart in three seconds. Perhaps I should slip some into his drink..."

Ria scowled, "Alec! Please! I know he is a lunatic but poisoning him. Really I think you should calm down and just keep your guard up. No need to kill him.... yet." A mischievous look came across her face. They laughed for a moment and returned to watching the sea. Alec pulled Ria closer to him and wrapped his arms around her enjoying his time with her.

[Lyon]

Telchi leaned at the prow with his face towards the wind, wiping sweat from his brow. After years spent in the snow-bound taiga and ice-sheets of the north, the south was unbearably hot. He exhaled heavily, unsticking a lock of hair from his forehead. When we turn the ship's head around and head back north, he thought ruefully, I will be eternally grateful to Anikus.

Kaethe was overheated and bored. She had considered jumping over the side for a swim, but seeing as the ship had never stopped, even at night, she hadn't had the opportunity to do so. Instead, she had to content herself with leaning over the side of the ship and hoping she could be splashed by the spray.

After several long minutes of unsuccessfully trying to cool off, she headed belowdecks. Even though the ship was like an oven, it was better to be in the shade. At least mere heat wouldn't burn your skin to a crisp. She sighed deeply. "This voyage is boring," she declared to the empty hold.

[Durandal]

Marketta sat down, trying to relax in the hot atmosphere of the Southern Tropical Islands. This weather was not for her - she enjoyed the brittle cold of the Northern hemisphere, as she was more resilient to the cold - hot climates, however, absolutely exhausted her - she could feel her skin tanning, but she didn't mind - her complexion could use some tanning, otherwise she appeared quite pale. However, the temperature she'd have to get used to, looking at the faces of the others whilst boarding their own ship, the weather was the least of her worries by a long shot.

She was curious why they didn't say anything about her ears, in particular. They were an unusual site, and most would laugh at her or mock her for them; these men must of been so exhausted, or pissed off to care who or what they saw. However, she noticed the expression on Anikus's face when he finally noticed her in full. Giggling, she realized how dumbfounded and suprised his face expression was, he must have noticed; she should thank him for not mocking her for them, it really was a relief that none of them did. It made her feel human again, not a freak-show; a normal human being.

However, getting to know these people, or gain their trust, was a different beast entirely. They found them aboard their own ship, she would have been worried to. If her hunch was right, and they were going to be dragged along for something even more dangerous, she'd better get to know them quick, otherwise she might not make it - but then again, why would they leave her for dead? They didn't have much reason to, but the captain, however, she bet they'd considered leaving to die. Perfect, the captain - she'd get to know him first; getting up, she made her way to Anikus.