Angelcynn: The Myrcian Conflict - Act 5

[SB.]

Do you really have to? Claire thought to voice an objection, but before she could speak Eric conscripted himself to the search party. Don't you people have anything better to do? The mage scrunched up her face in irritation for a second, before easing off into a sigh. "Okay." She wasn't feeling up to forced pleasantries or arguing to be left alone, so she let them be. Her feeling was that Constance would be too stubborn to leave anyway.

Of course, Claire's distaste for her current company was unimportant compared to their findings. Malaphar? He couldn't actually be here, could he? No, don't be stupid. He would have intervened in the battle in order to see them dead rather when the justice freak had made his move. The wizard had already proven that he didn't play fair. But then why was his stench...?

Claire gave Constance a nervous glance. "I'm... not quite sure if it's his." It wasn't dissimilar to what they'd experienced in Malaphar's World, but somehow it felt more personal. Closer to a recurring bad dream than the nightmare that had been their visit to the wizard's wretched place. Somehow, that made her feel better. "I'm going to see." She had to know what was on there. Something about the ship was pulling her in, and Claire was either enchanted by it or simply too exhausted to care about the dangers.

Edited April 24, 2018 by SB.

[Jotari]

Claire hesitated before turning to the two men. "We have more experience dealing with this type of magic than you two. I suggest you try and find out some more about this ship from the locals. If we don't leave within the next hour, burn the thing down." With those instructions given, she followed after Claire.

[SB.]

Claire had almost made it onto the boat before the turned around, staring at Constance with a slightly dumbfounded look on her face. "Please don't." She doubted that it would take an hour, but she would rather not be cooked if things came to that.

[Jotari]

"I'm only being cautious," Constance said. "In case there's something seriously deadly in there. We'll make a quick sweep and be out before too long."

[riariadne]

Sidney shrugged, brushing her hair aside. "I doubt that either of us have a significant amount of naval experience that either of us could make a sure claim of confidence that we're going to be amazing as a captain. But I think I could at least get things in line on the ship with letting everyone know what to do if people wanted me as first mate instead. Whatever is decided on as what's needed from me, that's what I'll be doing, and I'll do as best as I can with anything."

Decima was much more charming, at least. "Beats me... thanks for all the help, Decima. I hope the conditions are nice so we can make it as smoothly as possible and have a safe voyage. Though, that is a good question. I'm not sure we do have enough for that one." She looked over the three ships. "The small one won't do at all, but the caravel, that one could work. It might be a bit tight, but I'm sure we could make it work, probably with much more ease... I wonder," she spoke up after a moment of thought, "if it's worth taking both of the smaller boats? Well, I'm not sure it's useful to have two, but it has to be worth at least considering, though maybe not. We wouldn't want to split who's able-bodied enough to crew the boat too much. Hmm... perhaps it's best left to theorizing."

[Xinnidy]

It had been a while since Owen had excused himself to brood on his own... they were ready to leave now. He couldn't quite deny the requests to his diminishing group. King Olaf would receive a kind letter excusing the prince, letting the man know how much his kingdom was at guilt, but Owen had to restrain himself not to sound petty.

As it were, the campaign had been a failure, it was time to retreat to Wyke. It hurt, but was a reality the prince had to accept. The past few weeks shook the foundations of his integrity, but if he were to stop, just to think, he'd become dead weight to others.

"Yes, yes. If Sidney believes she can pilot the ship, I'm inclined to trust her. Unless Ceirch feels really strong over being the captain, he can settle for first mate and aid her for now." That was his decision, he spoke to Escablor as a refreshing order. No, no need to think. "Personally, I was quite unsatisfied with our route last time. Give me a map, I've studied the stars some, I will help maintain us on the plot on the way towards Wyke. Provided it's a good one." His astronomy studies were nothing special compared to other royals, but with such a crippled crew, Owen was sure he could handle it. For now, kill those emotions... Angus is gone, Cass is gone, I need strong shoulders. "I think the caravel would be best... I doubt we can man the cargo ship properly, that would be a disaster."

[Shin]

Picked by Pants

"Knowing Ceirch, he's not going to object at all. If the Prince has decided, it's a decision that I'm going to accept." Esclabor replied, Owen's input having forced him into agreement. He crossed his arms, focusing on the dock now he'd been defeated. "I'll go sort out the supplies. The Campfire Band can get stuff ready to be loaded, there's enough of them for it. As soon as you know which boats we're using we'll get everything on them. If you need me, just call."

Esclabor walked away, marching around and beginning to gather the members of his mercenary group. Decima sighed again, shaking her head. "The small boat? Won't everyone fit on the bigger ones? " Decima asked, curious to Sidney's logic. "If Prince Owen knows the stars, there should be enough people who can help plan the route. I know we wanted to avoid Myrcia on the way to Raewald, but going by boat seems a lot quicker than Magonsaete... it's really strange we went that way."

Silence of the Ship

"A ship that size could create a ferocious blaze, especially so close to the dock." Nelon interjected, rather blatant in his attempts to prevent an inferno. Malaphar's name visibly disturbed Nelon, the man clenching his fist nervously. He stepped towards the gangplank, drawing his sword. "Exploring such a vile vessel can only bring danger, yet I feel that leaving it untouched would also be a mistake. If we are cautious... we should be able to avoid trouble. As powerful as... he is, it seems like attacking now would not be in his interests."

The cargo ship remained eerily quiet, the deck still devoid of any life. The atmosphere carried Malaphar's aura, the sense of dread present in the air itself. A echoed groan sounded from within the ship, a tortured cry for help that had only just escaped the depths of the hull. There was at least one person residing on the boat, but whoever they were it was clear that they were not there willingly. Nelon looked at Claire and the group, torn between justice and fear. "Eric, be on guard. If we do venture onto the ship, we may face something unfavourable. In such close quarters, spells may not be as effective as blades." Nelon warned, ready to board with the rest of the group."

[Bluedoom]

"Serge? I keep hearing his name often, is he supposed to be someone important in our group?" Suleiman asked, wondering what was so special about the guy. He had never interacted with him throughout their short journey, so he figured he'd talk to him later and get to know this man. "Ya want to make a special spear? I'd be happy to make it,  I'm always interested in new ideas. But, for sometime, and especially after this battle, I've been wantin' ta get me hands on the enemy explosives. I'm not afraid ta fight fire with fire, lass! The Deirans must pay for their cruel tactics, especially after what happened today!"

[Jotari]

"A ship that size could create a ferocious blaze, especially so close to the dock."

True enough, Constance thought. Not that there's much of this town to burn down. But he's right, it would be exceedingly dangerous. We should figure out what's on the ship before committing to any rash actions. At that moment, the eerie cry echoed from the ship. Constance looked to Claire, waiting to see what she would do.

[riariadne]

"Alright, captain for me it is." Sidney smiled, proud that at least someone had faith in her. "You'll be doing the navigation for our voyage in that case, then, Prince Owen? Well, you surely understand Wykian waters better than I, so it will be much appreciated. And I'm sure Baron Nelon will prove just fine as a first mate to keep everyone relatively orderly."

Sidney shrugged again at Decima's further inquiring. "Well, I just thought of it for a little, I did say we're probably better off not actually doing that. But you're right, our previous route really was unusual... I can't help but think we would've had things go more smoothly if we took a more direct route towards Raewald to begin with, though it's impossible to ever be certain. Oh well."

[ThicreanPhoenix]

"Aye," was Eric's simple response to being told to stay on guard. His hand darted to the hilt of one of his swords. "Truth be told, I don't wanna stay back anyway. That kind of crap makes me feel extraneous."

Who the hell is this Malaphar guy? I don't remember any commander or anything by that name. Apparently he's dangerous, though...

"Queasy stomach or no, I'm ready to board whenever the word's given. And..." He paused, remembering the chilling scream, "For the sake of whoever the hell that was, I'd rather we get a word soon."

[SB.]

In spite of her words, Claire couldn't stop herself from shivering as she took her first step on deck. It wasn't quite like Malaphar's world, even though both were more than capable of unnerving her (especially after the scream) - even if this time she was walking in willingly. Still, she'd made up her mind, and in spite of the menacing aura the mage was feeling quietly confident. It's different this time. I don't need to be afraid. 

She turned towards Constance. "We can handle this," she assured the elder, with confidence that she couldn't quite explain. "But be ready for a fight." There was no telling what lurked below deck. Malaphar alone seemed like an impossibility, but the source of the scream was a still a mystery they had to solve - doubly so thanks to the Wizard's lingering aura. Claire moved towards the captain's cabin first, clutching Razorwind close.

Edited May 2, 2018 by SB.

[Jotari]

Constance still had her Balor tome close on hand, however, she was not willing to use it less than an hour after swearing she wouldn't. She did not tell that to Claire however, instead, opting to summon forth her shadow armour once more. "I'm ready," she said, despite the armour only being semi solid in nature, her voice was still muffled and metallic sounding from within the pitch black helm.

[Juliette]

"Hmm. All's fine by me." Freya didn't feel terribly strongly about who was in charge of the voyage, leaving it to people better informed than her about... well, basically anything water related whatsoever. So she'd leave that to the leaders, instead heading towards Vesta and Suleiman- she didn't know either of them too well, though Vesta had been of help when they rescued Owen back in Raewald. "New weaponry, huh? I've been meaning to expand my own horizons too, be more flexible... I'm thinking of axes. Don't think I quite have the finesse for archery. But I also had another question for you- both of you two are pretty strong, and we're gonna need plenty of people helping on deck- you two mind lending a hand with me? Unless you've got better ideas, either of you."

[Shin]

Fix It Club

"Yeah, Serge... I didn't think much of him when I first met him. He was kinda weird and twitchy, it was really uncomfortable." Vesta replied, recalling the awkward meeting in the Heroes' Guild. She put her finger to her chin, pondering the strange mercenary. "Then I heard a couple of stories about him before we left Raewald. Rescuing a Princess, beating enemies that can't die... even swearing at a city guard. If he's good enough for royalty to hire, then he must be way stronger than he looks."

"Freya? Yeah, archery's a little different to pick up. Not quite the same skills as stabbing or slashing at someone. You could probably pick it up with practice, but it might be quicker if you went for axes. I'm not sure who could teach you though... I mean, there's always Esclabor, depending on how well you get along with him. Accolon might work too, but he's a little odd. There used to be a tonne of people who used axes, I'm not sure what happened to all of them."" Vesta added, curious to the knight's agenda. "I wouldn't mind lending a hand on the deck. I'm not really the sailing type so I'd be better for keeping things in line and fixed up."

 

Cold Captain

Nelon followed after the mages, his sword drawn in preparation. The door of the captain's cabin eased open slowly, creaking as the wooden structure moved. He looked at Constance cautiously, her ethereal dark armour only raising further questions about the hermit. The captain's cabin was gently lit by a latern on the desk, a collection of papers littering its surface. The seat was vacant, although there was a sense that someone had been there not too long ago. There were no signs of any struggle, which only added to the mystery. Nelon approached the desk, looking down at the parchment.

"His writing, it ends in the middle of a word." Nelon remarked grimly, picking up the sheet.  His expression was rather fearful,  the more he read the less comfortable he became."It is as if he disappeared as he was writing. Much of it appears to be as expected, a description of the voyage, issues with morale among the crew. How surreal... there are talks of men succumbing to madness and disappearing from the ship at night. There would be no place to escape to, leaving whilst at sea would be certain death."

In the corner of the room was a trap door, the latch unlocked and open ever so slightly. Chains rattled from below, the echoed cry calling out. There were more sounds of movement following it, but they were vague and scattered. There was still the rest of the ship's deck to explore, but the most disturbing avenue of investigation was right in front of them.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Shin

[Xinnidy]

"Ceirch would certainly follow through with my decision." Owen conceded that much to Esclabor, almost smiling at the fact. Baron Nelon was a well-meaning man, ever so respectful of the prince's authority. It was a breath of fresh air. "Thank you, Esclabor." He watched the man go, before listening in to Decima and Sidney's very curious topic. "I thought we would get to Raewald faster if we plotted most of the path on land, back then. Still, I think we sailedfurther along Magonsaete's coast than intended. We truly did spend a long time on that boat..."  Owen would dread ships if a journey back home took just as long, honestly.

[Juliette]

"That's what I'm thinking, yeah. Not that I'm incapable of learning, but that it's more effective to learn axes, which are a bit simpler overall. And we could really do with some more of them, anyway. It's good to be more versatile, since harsh battles favor the prepared. Although... I think I'd be better off learning from Accolon." Freya opted not to elaborate further on that, seeing as Esclabor was Vesta's boss now, but there was a bit of animosity between them that it would probably not end up being the most productive way she could be using her time to learn. "Me either. I guess I'm strong enough I could do whatever's needed, which I think is important, seeing as we're pretty shorthanded- I'm sure whatever we can do will be appreciated."

[riariadne]

"Ah, I see... well, now we have a better path, at least. We aren't that far comparatively, I believe, are we?" Sidney inquired. "Well, if you're navigating the way we take this time, surely you can try to figure out the best way to not spend such a long time out at sea for our new voyage, hmm?" she teased. "And I'll try to be quick too, but not to the point of taking risks. We can do it- I know we can." She brushed her hair aside, smiling at the two of them. "We can do this- get back to Wyke, and reclaim it from Deira- I'm sure of it."

[SB.]

“Well, someone evidently made it here.” Claire frowned at the parchment’s contents, doing her best to ignore the pained cries from below. It was perplexing - how had the ship arrived in the first place if the crew had all vanished? And where had all the sailors gone to begin with? She suspected that the answer laid below deck, and with a heavy sigh she picked up the lantern and offered it to the elderly mage.

“Bring this, please.” The last part was added rather hastily at the end, as Claire was already eyeing the trapdoor with a combination of intrigue and worry. “We can’t leave this alone.” Was it safer to go back and bring more fighters with them? ...Possibly, but the mage had a small hunch that leaving now would be an opportunity missed. Numbers had done little to help the ship’s crew anyway, by the looks of things.

[Jotari]

Constance took the lantern without saying a word. Her face was furrowed with worry and concern, hidden from the others beneath the helmet.

[ThicreanPhoenix]

With his hand on the hilt of his sword, Eric quietly followed everyone else onto the ship, his stomach churning more with each step. Being on the boat was like looking at it. It was a boat. But he couldn't shake the dread. And the apparent contents of the captain's log did nothing to put him at ease. Screwed up, that's what that is

"Aren't there, like...diseases that make you delirious at sea?" Eric attempted to justify, "And maybe they got so crazy that they threw themselves off the boat, or someone else threw 'em off. 'Cuz I could see that happening."

[Jotari]

"I know of no epidemic that would be so quick and widespread that they wouldn't be able to identify as the problem," Constance said. "And the captain appears to have stopped writing mid sentence, such a malady would need to take hold instantaneously. No, this is magical based, and most definitely related to Malaphar in some way."

[Shin]

Phantom Ship

Going beneath the deck was the group's only real way forwards, all four were quickly within the body of the ship and its unlit passage ways. Constance's light gently illuminated the corridors, dark shadows flickering against the walls. Nelon remained on edge, his eyes fixed on the dark pathway ahead. Tools and boxes populated the hallway, but there were no signs of any struggle. It was like above the deck - as if everyone had simply vanished in a split second. The faint moans of a person echoed from down the hall, louder and more clear than they had been before. However, the rattling of chains came from behind them, an almost organic rhythm directing its tones.

"Everyone... have they all vanished? There is but a single soul left aboard this vessel." Nelon muttered, unsure which direction to focus on. "Neither direction bodes well for whoever has suffered from the crew's fate."

However, neither Nelon nor Eric were subject to what came next. Mutterings from a distant realm, a sickeningly familiar nightmare, began to stir in the ears of Claire and Constance.

"Owen's group has split, Lord Malaphar?" Emmet asked, bewilderment present in his voice. "I knew he lacked authority, but for his own people to leave him? Is he still such a threat to your power?"

"Emmet, you must perceive threats that develop with time. Prince Owen was able to survive an encounter with me. My wounds are still healing, and he has many capable fighters with him" Malaphar replied authoritatively. "He has the likes of Bennett, Montana and Mozzarella with him still... Bennett in particular concerns me..."

[Jotari]

Constance froze, rooted to the spot. That voice, it's him, it's Malaphar. He's here! Despite the circumstances, this was the last thing she'd expected. It had been so many years since she last saw the mage, he had slipped into the realm of the intangible. A threat she knew was out there, but could only contain the damage, rather than combat. Now she felt thoroughly under prepared. She had no way of dealing with him. No way or capturing him, or even killing him. Claire had practiced advanced magic to try and learn to defeat him, but Constance, like a fool, refused to ever seriously consider the ramifications of another reunion. She turned her head to the others and placed a finger over the front of the helmet, the universal symbol of silence. Then, she put out the light and left them in darkness.

Edited May 24, 2018 by Jotari

[SB.]

"H-he's here?" The mage had done her best to remain stoic until now, but the mask was quickly slipping away, as she had to fight to stop her lip from quivering. She'd been peparing for this, but but all she had to show for it were a couple of illusion tricks. She wasn't ready, she'd brought them all down here and-

"Ahhh..." Claire hadn't really heard Constance's advice, but the vanishing light pulled out of her thoughts. Don't panic, focus. You need to focus. she told herself, mind racing over what had just happened. What did she know? They don't know we're here. They know that Cass has left, somehow. Emmet is there with him, that snake... He thinks I'm a threat, okay. That last part was... a good thing, right? She'd have to work it out later - preferably when they were safer. 

"Where did that come from?" she muttered, doing her best to peer through the darkness, but to no avail. The chains and the screams both had a source, but the words of Malaphar were harder to place. "Is he really here?" she asked in a hushed whisper. Nothing about this boat made a lick of sense. She'd heard Malaphar's voice from nowhere, but even though the boat was tainted by his aura, there was no reason for him to be skulking around below decks after the battle, was there? What was going on?