Swords and Sorcery Inc along with their 3 new companions traveled across the Storm State and showed Sparky, Jin, and Sparky to spots on board the Bonesaw. Leo looks over the ship as Sparky and Jin go to take a nap, then he turns to May and says
"Pretty nifty ship, the bone look prolly scares off prying eyes. Where did you get it?"
"Um... Well we... that is to say that-" Say rambles unsure how to phrase it. Leo puts up his hand then taps his nose knowingly.
The ship gets underway and makes it all the way back to The Kingdom of Deneval. It begins sailing down the river into the center, toward the Capital. On the way Zilo's playing makes the voyage rather joyful for helping the 3 new members become acclimated to the group.
As Leo had remarked, the ship's appearance had really helped the group steer clear of any pirates, but as they began down the river, a ship seems to be heading right for them.
Zilo looks to Maldrek and says, "Maldrek, that ship looks to be getting rather close."
"Don't pay it any mind it must be from the narrow passage, they will pass us with no issue."
Zilo turns back to the approaching ship and it looks as though Maldrek spoke the truth and the ship begins to pass. Cruxis Smiles and turns to Leo, putting his hand out.
"Well Leo, it looks like I win this-" Suddenly a human woman leaps from the ship onto the Bonesaw. Cruxis' smile fades as he retrieves and hands the smiling Leo 10 gold.
The woman stands at a modest build with flowing brownish red hair. She is dressed shoulder to feet in familiar golden armor with a majestic greatsword and shield to match the armor. Her face is stern but beautiful, almost as if her beauty is unaffected by the harshness of sea travel.
Zilo walks toward the woman, clapping as he does.
"Nice jump, that's at least 20 feet, and in armor too! Spectacular." The woman pays the bard no mind, looking around the ship as SSI members amass on the deck. After the woman nods she yells back to her ship in a rather deep womanly voice.
"Go on without me, I'll handle this." The ship continues it's course and heads out to open sea. Maldrek anchors the ship to the river coast with a flick of his arm and the group crowds around her. Maldrek is the first to address her.
"Excuse me mam, Care to explain why you have come aboard our ship." At that the woman stifles a laugh, but still lets out a grin.
"I'm sorry, but No."
Jin raises an eyebrow at that and asks, "No? What do you mean no?"
She whips her hair in the wind and turns to face Jin before saying, "No as in this isn't your ship, this ship was stolen."
Sparky and Jin's eyes go wide as Leo points to the woman and says, "Called it. Either way sweetheart, how by Dema do you know that?"
"Because this ship's first-mate Is my husband. This is his and his captain's flagship, while I command the other ships in the fleet."
Zilo, Maldrek, May, Cruxis, and Alaroc think back for a moment, now recognizing the armor's golden style matches that of the regal noble warrior that had been in the bar fight with them. The woman looks to the five of them and remarks.
"It seems you know of him, well then you won't dispute my claim, If you wish I shall drop you off at the nearest port and you can be on your way."
May slowly reaches for her scythe with a smile, "Sorry to say this miss, but we have you out numbered, and we sorta like this ship."
The woman sighs then reaches for her greatsword and shield, but oddly enough she places them on the deck of the ship. The group looks at this perplexed before the woman cracks her neck and knuckles.
"Last time I used these I busted a mast in twain. I'd prefer to retrieve the ship undamaged."
Maldrek's face goes pale as he tries to process that, saying, "Did you say you split a-"
Before Maldrek can finish that question, the woman bolts forward 15 feet in an instant kicking off the guardrail of the ship. At the end of her kick off, she punches Maldrek in the center of his chest and with an audible boom Maldrek is sent hurling into the air twisting in the air, flying toward the coast of the river.
She immediately ducks under Jin's flying spin kick. She then grabs him by the tail and hurls him into the charging Alaroc, sending them both to the ground. She follows up using both her gauntlets to block sword swings from Leo and Cruxis. she then twists toward Cruxis to dodge an arrow from Zilo and two Scorching Rays from Sparky.
With her twist toward Cruxis she brings in bother her arms at his blade and in an instant the blade shatters into a dozen shards and she grabs him by the arm before hurling him to join Maldrek.
Leo forward steps to close the distance as May and Jin try to flank with him, May from behind and Jin from above. The woman claps her hands together and the air coalesces from it, suspending the three attacks in place, including Jin in mid air.
The woman kneels down in front of May as she brings up her leg, hooking May with her foot. She brings May around in a back flip crescent motion, hooking Jin as well, and throwing both of them into Leo. Once all three are together she jumps off the ground with split second timing and twist kicks the three of them off the ship as well.
The woman rises as another 2 Scorching Rays come flying in from Sparky. The woman dodges the first then punches the second ray so hard that the after-burst of the impact goes flying into the ground at Sparky's feet, blowing him upward and off the ship.
She shakes her hand, letting bits of ash flake off as Alaroc and Zilo hold their sword and bow aloft, pointed at her.
"It's been a while since I had try that one, you two still plan to fight?"
Alaroc takes out his drink as Zilo shakily responds, "What are you!? No human can do things like that!?"
"Well let's just say that only half of me is human, now are you gonna leave or-" Alaroc charges, after chugging a bit of his flask. The woman half-halfheartedly knocks his sword away with her gauntlet and kicks him over board.
"Or that, are we gonna do that." Zilo stares the woman down with an arrow knocked in Harmony and before he fires he responds.
"Well I suppose if you cripple me, I can't heal them, so I guess I'll just be stepping off."
"Have a nice day then."
"You too miss half something lady."
"Jemma, My name is Jemma. Now off with you."
Zilo takes a rope and rides it down to the side of the river, finding his seven companions heavily wounded and lame from being thrown from the ship. Zilo quickly fixes up Cruxis and May so the three of them can heal the rest of the team. Jemma lets Presto and Vivace along with the cart full of their gear off the ship.
Jemma stares down at the group who looks up at her. Alaroc, Jin, and May are looking to go for round two, but the rest are content to get they butts destroyed once and cut their losses. Dejected the group watches as their stolen ship sails away with it's rightful owner.
Jin and Sparky look over to Maldrek. Sparky says, "You no tell ship not yuz!!!"
Jin points his thumb down to the goblin and follows up, "What the little guy said... I think. Why didn't you tell us?"
Maldrek responds, "Well one of you is too dumb to know how to keep a secret, and the other literally took vows to tell the truth, so you tell me."
Jin and Sparky look to one another and shrug with Sparky saying, "That fair."
Cruxis begins stretching as he remarks, "Welp we best get walking, without a ship the capital is at least a day's travel away."
With that the group loads onto the cart and they begin their journey back to the capital without their ship.
No comments:
Post a Comment