Open In Over His Head

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

20th of Fall, 512AV North Suvan Sea The sun shone brightly over the Suvan as it crested the horizon, illuminating the area around a small casinor bobbing on the waves somewhere in the great sea. Its sails were reefed for the night and the lines were all loose, coiled in piles around the ship. An almost serene picture, the small boat sat loosely on the sea, relatively still and calm. Then it lurched to one side. A loud bump sounded from within the small cabin, followed by a not-so-soft groan. "Ster!" shouted a voice from inside as the Svefra picked himself up off the wooden deck. Rubbing his banged head, Kirvan stepped outside into the sun wearing nothing but his trousers, the wind blowing gently against his shoulder-length blond hair. His blue eyes squinted in the reflected sunlight, scanning the surface of the sea for the mammal he knew was out there. Another bump and the boat rocked to the other side, sending Kirvan stumbling and straining to keep from falling overboard. "Ster! Stop that!" he shouted, recovering his balance. Loud clicks and whistles emanated from the starboard side of the boat, and Kirvan looked over to see the white head of a beluga whale breaking the surface, his mouth hanging open as he continued to squeak at the Svefra, almost laughing at him. "That's not funny Ster!" Kirvan scolded, kneeling over the side of the boat and extending his hand towards the whale, letting the beluga rub his nose into the man's palm. "Wood hurts, especially when you send me hurtling to the deck. I'm perfectly capable of waking up on my own, thank you very much." The white whale looked at Kirvan, a look that seemed to say you're joking, right? followed by another chorus of squeaks. "Oh don't give me that," Kirvan said, lying back on the deck and looking up at the sky. "I don't have a job today, we're hours from the nearest coast. Can't I just get my rest?" Kirvan had to admit, though, that today was one much better suited to spending out of bed. The wind carried with it the usual crisp scent of salt that the sea usually had, but Zulrav appeared quiet in this part of the world right now so the water was relatively calm. Cloudless as it was that day, the sun shone uninterrupted on the waters, Syna's glory radiating without pause over the ocean. On such a beautiful day, it would be shallow not to offer her something. "Besides, what am I going to do?" Kirvan asked rhetorically, momentarily subduing any thoughts of the divine, at least for a short second. Another round of clicking. Swim with me, Ster seemed to be saying. Propping himself up on his elbows, Kirvan turned his head back and looked at Ster, the white wale peering over the low edge of the boat, courtesy of his flexible neck. The Svefra could not help but smile. "Sure, why not?" he said, pulling himself up off the deck. "What better way to get the muscles going? Just give me a minute, I must make an offering to our father." Lifting himself from the deck, Kirvan walked back inside the small cabin. It was a cramped space, but still managed to fit one rather comfortably, two if you were willing to cramp and lose the comfort. On one side of the little space was a bed, opposite of which was a boxlike trunk where Kirvan kept most of his possessions. He lifted the lid, which creaked a little on its hinges, and withdrew a gold miza from a pile of the coins in a corner of the trunk. Stepping out onto the deck again, the sunlight gleamed off the gold-rimmed jewel, the intricate design and gnosis of Xyna shining with reflection. The stone itself glimmered, some kind of maroon jewel mounted in the precious metal. It was worth a bit, to him especially since he was a little short on money these days, but he could make it up in his next job. Besides, a worthless offering was a pathetic offering. Standing over the edge of his casinor, Kirvan held the miza in his hand, as if trying to feel the weight of the value he was giving to his god. Then, without a second thought, he flipped the coin high and the air and prepared to watch it fall into the Suvan...

[Cascade]

The coin did not sink. In a most strange occurrence, it seemed to float in the water, until the area around it materialized into a hand. The hand glimmered as it rose to the surface, the coin on its palm. Then a face surfaced as well, followed by its body. The creature had the soft features of a woman’s face, and hair that was vaguely transparent. It was an Otani. “Thank you for your offering,” she said. Her voice had a musical intonation to it, and she spoke in straight Fratava. “My dear Svefra, where is your pod? I am in need of the loyalty of the Sea God’s children. Please, direct me to your Lia.” The coin seemed to disappear in her hand. Soon, she went under the surface again. What resembled a dolphin’s fin followed her under, and it was evident that this Otani had the appearance of both a dolphin and a human girl She resurfaced some meters away, right next to Ster. The Beluga whale looked at her, and he was clearly comfortable in the creature’s presence. The Otani looked at Ster, as if examining him—and for a moment, her skin turned white. She looked back at Kirvan. The creature was waiting for him. “Hurry now, my dear Svefra. Show me to your Lia.”

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

When the miza refused to sink, Kirvan stared at it, confused. He leaned over the side, looking close at it but not wanting to touch it; there was no telling what powers might be at work. Suddenly, the water began to rise and form a hand, the coin rising with it and resting in its palm. The hand was followed by an arm, which was followed by a face, which was followed by part of a body. Soon, Kirvan found himself looking into the face of a female Otani, soft watery features looking up at him. Her voice was musical and sweet, almost as if she were singing, and she spoke the language the he was raised to hear. This wasn't the first Otani he'd seen of course, but he was surprised nonetheless. He'd figured that Laviku and the Otani would be reluctant to contact one who ventured alone without the aid of his pod, and was somewhat both relieved and ecstatic that one of the god's servants had paid him a visit. It meant that he was not disregarded nor forgotten by the sea, which to Kirvan meant a great deal indeed. "They're-" he started, but before he could finish she disappeared into the sea, the dolphin fin on her back disappearing with the rest of her. Leaning further out to where she'd been, and almost falling over the side of the ship in the process, Kirvan heard a chorus of energetic squeaks from Ster a bit further away. Looking up, the lone Svefra saw that the Otani had changed her skin color to match that of the beluga whale, who was happily whistling and clicking at her. Kirvan watched his tavan swim circles around the creature, who watched him curiously, Ster never ceasing his clicking. The whale had always enjoyed the company of the Otani and would often do what he was doing now around any who had visited the pod. Often he would be accompanied by a few other belugas from his whale pod, making a pattern of white circles that the Svefra children found very amusing. "I'm sorry,' Kirvan began again. "I have separated from my pod, and my Lia is some distance away. I will go regardless, however, should the Sea God so wish it." He picked up the nearest jibsheet, ready to leave at a moment's notice should he be asked. Never once had he wished to abandon his god, the father of all Svefra, and he was at the gods disposal whatever may be needed. "What is it that he desires?"

[Cascade]

When she heard that he didn’t travel with a pod, she looked at him with much skepticism. The Otani then said, “You must be Kirvan of the Deepseeker pod.” The Otani were known to watch over the seas, and they were known to be familiar with the ships and names that passed over their domains. As such, it was no surprise that this particular Otani knew his name. “I am not sure if I should trust the ability of one who decides to travel away from his pod, but I am aware of your offerings, and I know you sail in the name of the Sea’s Father,” she said, her mouth curving to a grim smile. Beside her, the Beluga whale continued to squeak gleefully, as if recognizing the amusement in the Otani’s voice. “But… you are alone; I do not know how you will fare. Kirvan, how will you fare against a group who are not of your kin, but who pirate the seas? They are not very intelligent, but they managed to do something worthy of their death. Follow me if you wish to prove your loyalty.” With that, she went under the water again. Her white skin shimmered, making her visible from Kirvan’s view. As she swam to the North, Kirvan wouldn’t find it difficult to follow her. The Beluga whale made noises at Kirvan as the Otani swam away, and it moved as if to follow creature.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

The Svefra nodded solemnly at the mention of his name. It was not uncommon for the Otani to know exactly who they were talking to as they all kept in contact with each other and Laviku. He had no doubt that the Sea Father had heard of him and likely shunned him for his actions. What surprised him was that the Otani brought it up at all instead of just disappearing beneath the sea. It gave him hope that he could earn the Sea Father's forgiveness, perhaps demonstrate that he was still a loyal follower. While the Otani voiced her misgivings, Ster squeaked away as happily and jovially as before, seemingly along with the Otani in her amusement. Kirvan had been getting a lot of lip from the other Svefra for his decision to travel alone, the Lias often pressuring him into joining their own pod. Some of the haughtier Svefra cajoled him, but no one despised him for it. They just found the preference distasteful and most left it at that. "I have never stopped sailing in his name," Kirvan replied. "As foolish as I may be, I will obey Laviku's wishes if it means the end of me." At the mention of the pirates, Kirvan's face twisted into a grin. Fighting was a favorite pastime of his, and non-Svefra pirates were a ripe source for that. He remembered back to four years ago when he fought the Myrian captain; never had he felt his blood rush as it had then. Still, a whole crew? He would follow where Laviku pointed, but this was going to be difficult. "If the Sea Father warrants their deaths, I will deliver it to them." As she submerged, Kirvan quickly let loose the sails and tightened the port jibsheets. Nudging the tiller, he set his casinor on a northerly course, following the Otani.The light casinor slowly began to pick up speed, propelling him towards a challenge he had no idea how to confront.

[Cascade]

The wind was against Kirvan’s sails as he followed the strange creature. The Otani had copied a form similar to his Beluga whale. Ster swam alongside her as she led the way towards the ship she needed Kirvan to deal with. Suddenly, she stopped in her progression. Ster followed her actions and he made a few agitated sounds. He was clearly uneasy as he swam around Kirvan’s casinor. The Otani pointed a fin to the North. A fair distance away was a ship twice as large as Kirvan’s. It had no raised flags and its sails were down. The fact that it sails were down implied that its crew were going nowhere soon. There was only one man on the deck—he was supposedly the lookout but he had dozed off. If Kirvan got closer, he would notice the empty bottle of ale beside the man. The other ship swayed calmly with the waves. If Kirvan was careful he could sneak up to it without being noticed. No other men aside from the lookout were visible. They were inside the ship’s cabin. The Beluga whale continued to make agitated sounds. Finally, the Otani seemed to lose her patience. She made an angry sound at it, ordering it to be quiet. The whale then dove underwater and was soon nowhere to be found. Even if it held its loyalty to Kirvan, and even if this might have been uncharacteristic of it, there was clearly something which frightened the animal. The Otani pointed at the other ship again, and she watched to see what ideas Kirvan had.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

With the wind coming from the very direction that Kirvan was trying to head in, the lone Svefra was forced to tack quite often, switching the jibsheets and leaning the tiller one way then another and forcing him to refocus on the Otani every time he did. Fortunately, her pure-white color and distinct shape made her easy to spot each time, so keeping up was no trouble at all. Slowly, a tiny blot arrived on the horizon, slowly climbing as Kirvan zig-zagged his ship after the Otani. It was right in the direction the Otani was heading, who now looked more or less like a beluga whale at this point, so Kirvan guessed that it was his target. Sure enough, as the blot climbed higher and then came closer into focus, Kirvan could see the shapeless mass slowly turn into a boat slightly bigger than twice his own casinor, with no sails and no flag. Whoever these people were, they weren't planning on heading anywhere anytime soon. Most likely they were still asleep in their cabins belowdecks. As the Otani pulled up and pointed to the ship, confirming that it was the target, Ster started circling Kirvan's ship and squeaked frantically, obviously upset about something. "What is it Ster?" Kirvan asked after slackening the sails and letting the boom drop onto the deck. For once, he could not understand what his tavan was trying to say as the beluga circled and kept clicking and whistling. Whatever was agitating Ster, it obviously wasn't affecting the Otani nearly as much as she clicked her own reply to the whale, who promptly disappeared beneath the sea. Curious as to his friend's departure, Kirvan looked to the servant of the Sea Father. "What was worrying him so much?" he asked. The only answer he received was a fin pointed at the ship, as if telling him to stop wasting time and do something about it. Diverting his attention back to the subject of Laviku's ire, Kirvan examined the ship and wondered about how to approach the problem. The ship was still relatively small, not quite like any of the standard build Kirvan had seen while with his pod, and used a steering wheel as opposed to a tiller. The stern was raised slightly higher than the deck itself, though not high enough to allow a captain's cabin like most trading ships gone rogue did. Instead, beneath the wheel, there was a small door that ostensibly led to the bunks beneath the deck and possibly a storage room. It would make sense, especially since the only man on the ship was a man slumped against the wheel. Probably a sentry who fell asleep on watch. Without anyone looking out for arrivals, Kirvan could easily approach, so long as he remained quiet. While Kirvan had fought groups in the past, he found it preferably to always at least whittle down their numbers or employ tactics to make it easier, something that his pod usually took care of. If he could get close enough to use the heavy harpoon mounted on his bow, he might be able to pick off the crew if he was within a decent range. The hull was too high to climb if he swam there, but the actual sides of the ship left little room to take cover behind, the only safe place being on the other side of the mast and wheel. However, Kirvan was petched if the crew had any ranged weapons that were even slightly decent shots, especially if they were archers. Alternatively, he could try to sneak aboard by bringing his casinor up close and using a tethered harpoon. It would also make it a simple matter to dispatch the snoozing sentry, then maybe sneak into the hold and kill as many pirates in their sleep as he could before engaging them in the close quarters of the room where his mild acrobatics experience would aid him more than the crew. However, Kirvan had never done anything sneaky in his life, the Deepseeker pod's preferred strategy to swarm in from as many sides as possible. While it hinged on a lot of things going right and a huge amount of luck, this was the most appealing idea he had at the moment, and he had to act soon. The longer he waited, the more likely the crew would wake up and he would lose the element of surprise. "Thank you for guiding me here," he told the Otani as he tightened the mainsheet and picked up the wind again, this time angling slightly astern of the bigger boat before him. "Let us pray that the Sea Father grants me victory, as impossible as it seems." As he drew closer to the stern of the boat before him, he began thinking about a fail-safe, a largely foreign concept in his mind. If the man on the wheel woke up and spotted him, as unlikely as it seemed as his snoring could be heard by Kirvan as he grew nearer, then at the very least he would be groggy from sleep and still easy to take care of. Even if he called for aid before Kirvan took care of him, the rest of the crew would be suffering from the very same problem and take a moment to get their bearings. Being at the stern also gave Kirvan a slight height advantage over anyone suddenly breaking out from belowdecks. If, however, Kirvan was spotted before he was even on the vessel, then he would have to fall back on his initial plan and take shots with his harpoon launcher. As the casinor drew withing firing range of the ship before it, Kirvan slowly loosened out the mainsheet and eased the boom onto the deck, careful not to make much noise. With that done, he hurried to the front of his boat, lest he miss his opportunity and overshoot, forcing him to double back. After loading a tethered harpoon into the large crossbow-like contraption, he aimed it at the top of the stern, aiming to get the edge of it. It wasn't a hard shot at this distance and with such a wide target. Compensating for the movement of his boat, Kirvan fired the harpoon and was rewarded with a gentle thump as it embedded itself in the hull mere inches below the edge. Retrieving his cutlass and scabbard from within the cabin of his casinor, Kirvan grabbed onto the tether and began shimmying up towards the deck above.

[Cascade]

The harpoon had hit its target. While it made a noise that would have woken up any average lookout, this one just stirred and scratched his belly. The empty bottle of ale beside him rolled across the deck as the ship swayed. As Kirvan made his way towards the deck of the other ship, the Otani stayed in the water, a few feet away from him. She had morphed back to the figure that resembled a human girl. With stern eyes, she looked at Kirvan, as if telling him to be quick about it. It was evident that it was incredibly important for this task to be completed correctly. “Be quiet about it, Deepseker,” she hissed as the bigger ship moved slightly. Kirvan’s weight on the tether caused both ships to pull towards each other. In order to help, the Otani quietly swam towards Kirvan’s ship and placed both hands on the side of the ship. The strange creature seemed to be stronger than she looked as she made sure that the two ships didn’t collide. And when she steadied Kirvan’s ship further away, the rope that hung between them stretched tautly as well, making it easier to cross with. When Kirvan finally made his way towards the top of the other deck, he would find the lookout still asleep. There was a heavy harpoon on the side of the ship, next to the lookout. It looked menacing, and it would clearly make a chase difficult. From the cabin, he would hear voices of merriment. There were drunken people, but they were very much awake—and it would pose a problem to Kirvan if he didn’t think fast. The voices didn’t seem to be many in number, but against a lone Svefra, that could possibly prove to be plenty. “Sam!” a voice bellowed from the cabin. “Hey, Sam, get over here!” The lookout stirred again. He was being called by his crewmates, and it appeared that he was going to fully awaken any moment now. “Can’t he hear us!? Wait here, I’ll go get him,” said the voice from the cabin.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

Climbing the tether took longer than Kirvan would have liked. What with all his experience jumping and climbing on the rigging of the palivars in his pod, he thought he'd be able to climb the tether no problem. Turns out there's a difference between climbing a net of rigging and climbing a single line. As he grew higher, he found himself pulling the two boats closer together, mentally kicking himself and trying to climb faster than ever before the bump inevitably woke the sentry up. It didn't come however, and as Kirvan looked down he saw the Otani helping him out and pushing his casinor away, stretching the line out and making it easier to climb as well. He was tempted to whisper his thanks, but decided against it for the time being lest he wake up the very person he was trying to sneak up on. When he made it to the top, he saw a scene similar to the one he expected. Slumped over the wheel, the lookout was still fast asleep, an empty bottle of booze rolling across the deck as it gently swayed with the waves. What he didn't expect to see was a heavy harpoon mounted into the deck slightly to the left of the wheel, on the port side of the stern platform, the launcher nearly identical to the one on his own bow. That complicated matters, and would make an escape difficult if things went badly. It also made him glad he didn't opt for picking them off from afar, now that he knew they could return fire. What he heard on the other hand gave him even more cause for concern. Contrary to his suspicions, the other members of this crew were awake, and very much. He could hear muffled shouts from beneath him, shouts of merriment and drunkenness. Well, at least their minds were addled by alcohol, which was a benefit. It wouldn't make up for two absent enemies however, and Kirvan may still find himself in a hard place. Pushed into gear by the sound of an approaching pirate, Kirvan made a quick plan and rushed to execute it. If he managed to take out this vagik before his friends could wake him, then that would be one down and one less to fight. A kill was necessary, a cut the the abdomen or leg would take him out of the fight just as well. After that, he could use the harpoon on the port side to skewer whoever came out, taking potentially another pirate out of the growing conflict. From there, he could use the height advantage being astern gave him to fight off whoever else was there, maybe jump over their heads to confuse them if he was feeling fancy. Without a moment to waste, Kirvan quickly drew his cutlass in his right hand and ran towards the sentry at an angle so that he could quickly shift his destination to the launcher, his footsteps pounding on the deck as he threw stealth to the wind. Raising his weapon, Kirvan was ready to bring it down with a great slash on whatever of Sam was most exposed - which was all of him as he just barely stirred on top of the wheel.

[Cascade]

The blade plunged right at the sentry. It left a wide gash from the bottom of his neck up to his stomach. Kirvan’s blade pierced into skin and meat, and the sentry’s eyes widened and blood came sputtering out of his mouth. There were only a few moments of life left in him and nothing but garbled sounds came out of him as he fell into a heap on the deck. His blood pooled around him morbidly. Kirvan had killed the sentry, but his body fell to the deck in a loud, resounding thump. “What was that!?” yelled the voice from the cabin. The footsteps became louder and quicker and the cabin’s door swung open. And by the time the man came out to the deck, Kirvan had already made his way behind the large harpoon. The person didn’t seem fazed. He was a large man, probably twice Kirvan’s age. The pirate looked down at the dead body of his companion, and rage flared in his eyes. Roaring with fury, he quickly unsheathed the cutlass that had been hanging on his hip. “Thomas! What’s going on?” called the voice of the last person, the one who was still within the confines of the ship’s cabin. “Get up here, Ven!” Yelling a war cry, the large man named Ven rushed forward, cutlass at in his hands. He was unperturbed by the harpoon staring right at him. His muscles rippled as power surged towards his arms and legs, giving him extra strength and speed—the mark of a flux user. Kirvan didn’t know this yet, but if he shot a harpoon at him, he would avoid a lethal blow using his advantageous speed.