A Week Ago|Back In Madam Trixie's Chamber
The Pirate Queen watched Ariella's reaction, a sly smile curling on Trixie's face as she noticed a subtle flash of anger in the yellow magician's expression. That emotional response was an indication of Ari's feelings for Azix, but it didn't answer if they were actually together. That question was soon answered when Ariella implied that she knew Azix quite well. The comment about vomiting confused Trixie and she raised an eyebrow.
"Vomit?"A knock on the door interrupted Trixie from prying any further. Abel entered the room, quickly closing the door behind him as he looked at the purple-haired woman sitting across from his Captain. Turning his gaze back to Trixie he cleared his throat,
"Our guest would like to speak with you." The Pirate Queen gave a small nod and she dismissed the lieutenant with a wave of her hand. She knew who he was referring to and made a mental note to see him later, interested in finding out more about the purple-haired magician before her. She suppressed an urge to smile, observing that Azix surrounded himself with fascinating individuals. When she looked back over, Trixie noticed that Abel hadn't moved.
"Was there more?" Abel noticed a hint of irritation in Trixie's tone and spoke quickly.
"Yes, I apologize. I don't mean to interrupt, but I would like to discuss two of the men that came on board with the rest of the treasure hunters." The lieutenant glanced at Ariella before shifting his gaze back to the Pirate Queen.
"In private."Madam Trixie glared at Abel for a moment before her expression softened. She knew that he wouldn't insist on disturbing her unless his concern was great. With a sigh she took a final drink before placing the bottle in a drawer and faced Ariella.
"I hope you don't mind if we continue this chat later." She gestured to the door while Abel held it open for the magician, waiting until the purple-haired woman had left before closing it behind her.
Present Time|Below Decks
Vladmir listened patiently to the silver-haired man's reply, rubbing his palms together. A grin stretched from ear-to-ear on Vladmir's face the more he heard. When Adrastos finished speaking, a cry in the distance crystallized his speech and both robed-men seemed to shiver in excitement. Vladmir turned to his associate who stared back with a mask of boredom on his face. Like two comrades who had fought in countless battles together, it seemed an entire conversation passed between the two without a single word spoken.
Vladmir turned back to Adrastos and spread his hands.
"Ah, splendid! It is not often we find someone with the same beliefs as us. So many believe that the threads of Fate have a higher purpose, leading them to some grand destiny, but we know better." His hand slipped into the folds of his robes and produced a small obsidian orb that fit in the palm of his hand. Hesitating for a moment, Vladmir held it out for Adrastos to take.
"As I said before, Vincent and I are part of a brotherhood. We travel the world in search of ancient knowledge to help us break the chains of fate, so we can carve a new world. A world where we can write our own destinies."Suddenly, Vincent stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Adrastos shoulder as he leaned to whisper in the man's ear.
"This is your opportunity to see your dreams come true. Think of that orb as our calling card. When you are ready to see your ideals realized, come find us in Kou." Vincent's eyes bore into Adrastos, making sure that he understood before removing his arm and walking up the stairs.
Vladmir gave Adrastos a serious look as the body manipulator walked away,
"The brotherhood will provide you the knowledge to obtain great power, but you will have to prove your loyalty. Speak of this to no one or else you can consider the offer null and void." Without giving Adrastos time to reply, Vladmir hurried after Vincent.
The two robed-men slipped through the festive crowd above deck, heading for their quarters on the other boat. Before they slipped inside however, Vincent threw a rock over the side of the ship. A light flickered and the rock turned into a small crow that flapped its wings, lifting high into the sky to deliver a message.
The Celebration
Tyrus filled up his umpteenth mug of ale and downed half of it in one gulp. His mind was still reeling at what he had learned from El Drago in regards to their culture. Tyrus had wanted to keep asking the dragon questions, eager to learn all he could, but El Drago hadn't seemed keen on continuing the conversation. Now that he had drank more than his body weight, Tyrus had a new surge of confidence and went to look for the dragon.
He approached El Drago with a drunken grin on his face,
"I demand more information!" A flush of embarrassment flooded his cheeks as Tyrus realized that he had spoken rather loudly. The archaeologist looked around, searching for something better to say and noticed the crew dancing.
"Umm...errr...I mean...do you want to dance?"Meanwhile, Madam Trixie drank with her officers, keeping a careful eye on the treasure hunters. She noticed a cloaked man follow one of the robed men that Abel had warned her about and her eyes narrowed, but she made no move to interfere with them. As long as they kept to themselves and didn't mess with the others, Trixie felt no need to bother them. She believed Abel had a right to be cautious, however, the past was the past.
Her gaze soon fell on Ariella, who had enveloped a rather striking Fanalis woman in a hug. The Pirate Queen smirked at the familiarity of the embrace and wondered how well the two women knew each other. Madam Trixie excused herself from the conversation that was taking place around her and slowly worked her way to where the two women were conversing. She came to a stop a few feet behind the two women, allowing them the chance to finish talking before interjecting herself.
"The goddess of the sea blessed us with a beautiful night, wouldn't you agree?" There was a sparkle in her eye as she leaned in closer and spoke in a sultry, hushed tone.
"If we survive this island, I wouldn't mind bringing the two of you back to my chambers to work off the adrenaline of battle." Madam Trixie's gaze lingered over the Fanalis' toned muscles and smooth skin, noting the curves of her bosom and hips. Trixie imagined how many years of training the Fanalis had gone through to obtain such a body, going further to imagine the feel of that body. Snapping out of her reverie, Trixie met Ayero's gaze and winked, turning back to take in Ariella's beauty. Laughing softly to herself, Madam Trixie walked off with an exaggerated drunken gait, leaving them to wonder if it was the alcohol talking or a genuine offer.
Madam Trixie and her crew awoke early the next morning, preparing both ships to enter the fog. When they were ready to move out, any of the treasure hunts not already awake were shaken out of their sleep and instructed to meet above decks. They would find Madam Trixie standing next to Grimwald, waiting patiently for everyone to arrive. On either side of them, their lieutenants stood at attention. Before them sat a hobbled old man blowing the rising steam from a hot cup of tea.
When all the treasure seekers had gathered around, Madam Trixie gave them a small smile.
"Good morning. I hope you enjoyed yourselves last night, because from this moment on you are charged with protecting my crew. Artemis will explain what to expect."The old man sitting at her feet cleared his throat, setting down the hot cup. Underneath gray, bushy brows, he gave the men and women gathered before him a tired look.
"Ah-h-h, yes. It has been a long time since I've seen this island, but I remember it well. Terrible beasts lurk behind the mists, protecting the knowledge the island holds-""Knowledge?! What kind of knowledge?!" Tyrus took a step forward, eyes wide and hungry for information. One of the archaeologists held him back, shaking their head in disapprovingly at his outburst. With a sheepish look, Tyrus retreated into the crowd.
Artemis furrowed his brow at the interruption from Tyrus,
"Young man, you should not be excited. You sould be fearful. I still have nightmares of that island. It is alive, self-aware. We should count ourselves lucky if we make it out alive!" He let out a cry as Grimwald kicked him in the back. He sent a glare towards the Captain,
"Your queen asked me to tell them what to expect. I am doing as was asked of me."Turning back to the adventurers, Artemis continued.
"I've been a slave all my life, till these...kind...people rescued me. When I was a young boy, I was sold to a wealthy merchant chasing after a legend. Chained to an oar with dozens of others, we sailed across the world in search of this island. What we found was a nightmare. All of our men were picked off, one by one. Most of them by flying beasts, bigger than that dragon there. Only myself and a handful of others made it out alive."A shout from the crow's nest made the pirates turn to look at the fog, which had begun to part. Captain Grimwald reacted immediately, pointing to Zadi, Lagi, Spiritos, Vincent, Bahir, and Merrze.
"You six stay with me. The rest will go with Madam Trixie." Turning to the Pirate Queen he said,
"I will lead us in."Trixie let out a haughty laugh,
"I think not. If I'm going to ask another to die for me, I will lead the charge." She narrowed her eyes at her second-in-command before spinning on her heel to board her ship. Trixie would wait for Ayero, Ariella, Noir, Adrastos, and Vladmir to step foot onto the Madam's Storm before signaling for the board between the two ships to be pulled back and the anchor raised.
The sails of both ships lowered, catching a breeze that edged them forward into the parting fog. The sounds of drums echoed throughout the hulls of the ships, the rhythm matching the rise and fall of the oars that swiped at the water along their sides. The Madam's Storm cut in front of Grimwald's ship, leading them between the giant walls of mist. Flashes of shadowy forms could be seen within the mist as they traveled deeper. Strange high-pitched squeals and guttural calls could be heard from every direction.
Madam Trixie stood at the head of the ship and with her twin curved blades held in either hand. She tilted her head back at the treasure hunters with her,
"Keep your wits about you and remember, this is what I'm paying you for!" Grimwald had a similar speech for his group back on the Ceres' Roar.
As soon as she had spoke, six silvery forms burst forth from the mist, three for each ship. The sunlight glinted off their metallic bodies as they dived towards the deck of the ship, their long wings tucked behind them, moving at twenty meters per second. They each snatched a pirate or an unfortunate archaeologist, that hadn't hid below decks, before disappearing within the mist once again.
One of the
Kah'Tul snatched a deckhand up and arced upwards, but only made it about five meters away before Vladmir struck the creature with a
Wobbling Goo. The creature let out a cry, spinning into a descent before crashing into the chill water with its prey. As it splashed into the water, a cacophony of howls erupted around the ships and sixteen Kah'Tul emerged from the mist, darting every which way.
Six of the liquid-silver creatures would land individually on each deck while two Kah'Tul circled each ship, looking for an opening to support their brethren. The ones on the ship kept a distance between themselves to avoid clumping up and making an easy target.
- Enemies:
Enemy Name: Kah'Tul
Rank: B-Tier
Needed damage to take down: B-Tier
Abilities:
Flies at 20 m/s|Moves at 10 m/s|Deals Natural B-Tier Damage
*Eviscerate - Slashes a target at 20m/s to deal B-Tier damage.
*Parry - With a fluid movement, the Kah'Tul parries an attack up to B-Tier at 15 m/s
*Harpish Trill - Lets out a high-pitch sound in a five meter cone that is five meters wide at its farthest point, deafening anyone hit for one post.
- Vladmir:
Name: Wobbling Goo
Tier: B-Tier
Cost: 30|15
Weapon Type: Gun}Magic Weapon
Class Offensive
Range: 40 meters
Cool-Down: 5 Posts
Description: Slime Magic - The combination of Life and Water magic creates an acidic slime or ooze that slows movement speed by 5 m/s for 1 post while also inflicting damage.
The user launches a one to five meter wide ball of goo at 25 m/s that travels over forty meters. Anything hit by the goo is dealt B-Tier damage.