Closed Not always as they seem. [Fox, Ricky]

[Eldritch]

80th of Summer, 513 AV

The day was a bright and clear one, Syna's full glory shone favorably and Zulrav's wind lightly breezed over the idyllic waters of Matthews Bay. Truly it seemed a day for rest and relaxation rather than one to prepare for battle, yet that was very much what was occurring on a small ship far out into the bay. The ship was not large by any means, at most it looked like it could hold fifteen people comfortably. Certainly it was no war vessel but those on it were armed and ready for combat.

The ship flew the three pronged trident of Zeltiva proudly, symbolizing that it was on official business for the city. The men on board were a mix of a few motley garbed crew members and individuals dressed in the azure uniforms of Zeltiva's guardians; the famed Wave Guard. There were six Wave Guards all told, a couple constantly watched the shoreline, their eyes searching for their destination. It was not often such a force was deployed but today's mission had simply been too important to ignore.

They had already been briefed on the situation, supposedly a group of smugglers had set up shop in a cove just outside of Matthews Bay and were preparing to move a large shipment into the city. The goods were unknown exactly, as were the intended buyers. The tip had been anonymous, but it still had warranted sending six Wave Guards out to check the situation. Everyone on board knew the situation and was on high alert, those not searching the coast were making sure their weapons were ready or were chatting quietly with their fellows.

Aboard the vessel was arguably one of the finest of the Wave Guard, Ricky Maze, a man much loved by his fellows and respected by even those who did not particularly like him. The spirits of the others were greatly lifted by the presence of a veteran such as him aboard, his role was one of command in this operation. It fell to him to give the orders here and regulate the tasks for felling these smugglers, a great burden. Would he prove up to the task?

Also aboard was the newest member of the Wave Guard, one Fox Starseer, a man from beyond Zeltiva. He was still relatively unproven in the eyes of the others aboard. This was his opportunity to prove himself as a Wave Guard and gain recognition in the city.

Zeltiva's finest were on a mission, the question now was if the mission would be as easy as it sounded. Only time and the hearts of the men aboard would decide that.

OOCOkay, so I'm sorry this took absolutely forever to get up. Next, Ricky you are the de facto leader of this group, so you are going to be making all the major calls. Whether this thing fails or succeeds will depend on how well you lead the group. Fox, even though you are new a lot of weight rests on you. Your ability in combat as well as being able to function in a group will be tested here. Good luck to both of you.

[Ricky Maze]

The day had only just begun for Ricky, as this job the guard has undertaken fell upon his shoulders. That meant he would be the one responsible here, a lot of weight rested on his shoulders alone after being chosen to lead this operation. Thankfully he wouldn't be alone in the endeavor, unlike the first time when it fell on to him, Odis, and Sebastian to take on a den of smugglers; this time however he had a full force of Wave Guards at his back. That didn't mean their capabilities exceeded expectations of course, in fact this whole operation was a whole testament to their capabilities. For Ricky he just found comfort in knowing there were better numbers, and strength resides within numbers at best. As he came out onto the deck of the ship the men all seemed confident in his presence, this being a good sign on his part of course. To have the ability to rally others with ones own presence was more like a blessing to this lowly Wave Guard.

"One, two, three, four," He kept a head count with a bit of anxiety deep inside, though he hid it well with a confident appearance. To be the said leader meant he had to prove himself able to do so, thus he was determined to see that the operation would pull through without a hitch; this meant as little casualties as possible if they could all be avoided. Deep down he knew there would be blood, blood and injury on both sides as they made their move into the den. "Two stay behind, the rest tag along."

"Everything okay there captain?" Hannah teased from behind, the fire red haired ginger came around to face Ricky as he gave a loose grin. "You'll do fine today, and you've got me at your back so you know you're good." She assured him with a warm smile, Ricky gave a soft chuckle with a hand rub in the back of his hair.

"I'm not a captain f'r one, and two I'd like to lower the chances o' our men gettin' hurt. Though that's unavoidable so I'm just preparin' f'r the big fight." He admitted with a nervous hand on the hilt of his longsword, the shield he brought with him weighed down his left arm already as well. Hannah hardly wore anything noteworthy as far as armor goes, her usual grey tunic decorated with patterns of the wind, sun, and moon. She however had several daggers in different places; one in her boot, two at the waist, and one on her back. She armed herself well and was light on her feet, thus her agility could very well win whatever scrap she got into. "I'll see ya in a bit, gotta check with a few things first." He nodded as he said this, and Hannah in turn nodded and went about her business. Ricky sought out a particular Guard to see if he was ready for this, being the newest recruit he had to know what to expect. Thus any questions Fox had he would do his best to answer.

"Ho there mate," He called to Fox as he approached the Wave Guard, "Good t' see ye came along with us, I'm here t' make sure ye'll get out o' this alive and well. We've got quite the task ahead o' us, any questions ya've now would best be asked. I'll answer them as well as I can, and then we'll get to work with these hidin' bastards." He finished with a smirk, his confidence slightly boosted in seeing an acquaintance. He would wait and listen to whatever Fox had to say or ask, then the plans for the Guard would come into play as Ricky would decide what to do next.

[Fox Starseer]

Fox sat at the bow of the ship, watching as they left the bay and towards what looked like a small rock outcropping or cove, before looking back at what he was doing. He had his whetstone, and was busy honing his scimitar. As the metal scraped across the stone, he paid close attention to how the blade was designed, the slight curve at the end of the blade, where the cutting edge was, how the point looked. He worked the tip in a figure eight pattern, going to the left, and then to the right, ten each side, dragging the cutting edge of the blade across the stone.

The sea here, it's different being on it, I can actually feel the waves, but it's still open right to the edge of the world, just like the Sea of Grass, and from here the waves still look like the ones we see in the Sea of Grass he thought. He looked out over the waves after putting his sword back in it's scabbard. He stood up and fastened the scabbard to his belt, and placed his hand on his shield, his feet shoulder width apart, grounded, connected to the deck as the ship rocked slightly with the waves. He placed his whetstone and the oil back into his supplies that would remain on the ship.

As Ricky approached Fox looked at his fellow Guard. “Hello there, Ricky” he said. He thought for a second on what to ask. “What sort of resistance can we expect? What does our squad consist of combat wise? And, what will become of what the smugglers are bringing in?” he asked. He looked at Ricky's longsword, then back up to his companion, and commander in this case. “I trust your weapon is well maintained, but if you want me to give it a quick honing, I can do that right now” he added. He looked around at the others, his eyes fell on Hannah. He smiled softly, then turned his gaze back to Ricky.

[Ricky Maze]

When Ricky found Fox he took note that the Guard had in fact been doing the same, preparing for a sure enough fight that was inevitable to avoid. Nevertheless Ricky held a confident stride when he made his approach and allowed himself to relax, he was in good hands after all and those that had his back had him at theirs for sure. He took a little comfort in knowing this, but all the same he still had much to consider as their preparations were nearly complete. "Considerin' this is a smugglin' operation these bastards'll get desperate real quick. Their goods and merchandise is hot property so they'll defend this cove like a rat's nest f'r sure. We've got six goin' in, me self included," he brought a hand up to his chest with a smirk when he included himself, "We all 've standard skills in combat that should see us live through this issue. Best make sure ye use a weapon ya know like a second nature f'r this." He added with a nod to assure Fox, this was an operation he preferred to see through completion after all.

"Still got t' consider their numbers, they may be more than we can take..." As he thought of this he stroked at the beard of his chin, his eyes down to the deck of the ship as he listened to Fox and weighed in their options. "Nah, me blade is sharp as it is mate. Mighty considerate o' ya though." He nodded in appreciation, eyes steadily darted left and right as though he were searching for answers. Ideas, curiosities, some manner of a sign perhaps? He had much to consider but couldn't overthink this, if he did then the choices he would make could go wrong. Yet he couldn't make any rash impulsive decisions either, otherwise it would be the end of his career... or worse; the lives of the men he took with them. "Here's the deal mate, pirates are cunnin' folk," He glanced over to Hannah, who gave him a wide smirk as though she were complimented, "We'll likely be killin' the lot today, if any are spared they'll likely face a private execution. But from me past experiences..." Ricky took a moment to swallow as the bitter memories returned only for one shallow moment. "They'll likely fight t' the death anyhow." He finally finished with his free hand at his waist, still lost in consideration for their approach.

After a moment of silence he finally drew in breath to speak once more, "Be ready f'r a tough battle 'head mate, and know we all 've yer back so long as ya got ours." He granted Fox reassurance before a lean over the bow to look at the water below. Were he still a mere fisherman he could easily admit he wasn't ready for such a responsability, the shakes that took over his right hand as he looked into the surface of the sea, the pound of a sunken heart as fear tested his will, no he couldn't let these things stop him now. Fear wasn't an option, though a humane response to these situations he had to.look strong now, for the rest of his comrades. His reflection barely shown in the water he found comfort in the waves, a sense of peace brought an eased state of mind as he thought of those he had waiting at home. No doubt his comrades had families as well, and they too would appreciate another chance to see them again. Where he found doubt in himself the thoughts of his loved ones brought hope, and with hope he found it easier to think before leading. "Six o' us and the enemies numbers remain unknown, we'll need defensive formations until we know we've got the better vantage." His brow furrowed as he looked to the sea's horizon, then turned around to assess the other three that would follow.

"Marcus is good with the long blade and shield, so he'll be a steadfast rear guard at best. Gant is a more offensive type, from what I've learned he'll be good f'r scrappin'. He and Hannah could be our head goers while Marcus 'and I take most o' the blows and deflect them." As Ricky looked to his shield he had to consider the chances that he and Marcus could be overwhelmed, they would have to be cautious at best since they would be the first to to enter. "Two front guards with a scrapper, three scrappers t' follow int' the heat should things turn ugly. Yet..." He looked to Hannah next, considered her abilities and what she could probably do. "Hannah can be a sabotuer for us, it be risky but she's clever. So that's another thing t' consider, and Fox..." He measured up Fox with a few glances and thought about it, finally sure that the newer guard was more well enough a scrapper as well. Yet he could likely do with offense and defense, Ricky couldn't tell for sure but it was an assumption nonetheless. Either way Fox looked to be more of a fighter rather than defender. "Kayo then..." He mumbled as he looked to the third Wave Guard that would follow them in, he approached the Guard with a confident but gentle smirk and greeted him. "Kayo, I've got an idea on what the others can do. Mind tellin me what ye can do and from there we'll get started?" He requested with an open mind, ready to finalize his formation so they could get their job started.

"Well just look at him work," Hanah sighed with a casual grin as she relaxed against the bow next to Fox, "At least he looks good. Confident and ready, just as he should be." She admired with a quirk, reasonably enough she'd come to respect Ricky rather fondly. Maybe it was because of his warm protective nature, or his ability to put others at ease just by being around. There were a number of guesses why she couldn't find it in her to leave again, for all she knew she cared about Ricky well enough to consider him almosy family; and he did treat her like family as well. "So you nervous about the incoming battle?" She inquired casually with a smirk to Fox. "I think we'll be just fine with our captain to lead us." She giggled once more at the title, though Ricky denied it he did have that appeal. She watched him mainly, but her eyes would switch between Ricky and Fox to show she listened to the recently new recruit.

[Fox Starseer]

Fox listened to Ricky's explanation of what would be happening. “Well I didn't expect them to go down easily, and don't worry, a Drykas never leaves his friends behind” he said, chuckling slightly. Once Ricky mentioned he should use a weapon he knew how to use the best, he turned back to his bag, unhooked the scabbard that held his longsword from the special weapon and shield holding area, slipped his scimitar into place, where the longsword was. He slipped his longsword out if it's scabbard and began to check it for imperfections and wear and tear. He ran his thumb along both edges of the blade, checking for nicks in the blade. Then he held it at eye level where he could look down the blade to check in case it was warped or bent.

After checking, he always kept this sword in good condition as it was the heirloom his father handed to him, he looked back up at Ricky. “Well, I'm best with my longsword, and I'm capable with the shield, although not the best just yet, but I can block somewhat well with it. I do know some falconry, but without a bird, and the fact that I'm still learning, that skill would be more or less useless right now” he said. “Oh and I know some basic first aid stuff, like stemming the bleeding and how to bandage and clean a wound” he added.

He looked at Hannah and smiled. “Father always said, only a fool isn't nervous before a battle, and he never raised a fool. So yes, I am nervous” he said, giving another small chuckle. “Anyway, I'm sure we're all good at what we do. I'm sure some of us would defeat the enemy just with our looks” he added, smiling softly at Hannah.

Fox picked his Guard shield up, and held it at his side, after attaching his scabbard to his belt. “This shield is a basic round shield, which is a little unfortunate. I have one back in my room in World's End Grotto. It has a rounded section cut out of it for sight reasons and so I can attack through it. But don't worry, I trained with shields like this when I was a kid, I can still use them” he said. He looked back out over the water, towards their destination.

[Eldritch]

The ship drew closer and closer to its intended destination, before finally the cove came into view. A few jagged rocks could be seen in the distance, signaling that taking the entire ship there would be near impossible. The cove was hugged by rocky cliffs, obscuring the view of what laid just beyond their sight at this area of the sea.

At this point there were a few options available to them, choices in how to proceed for this mission. If they were confident in their sailing abilities the ship might be able to escape the rocks and land on the shore sure to be within the cove. Alternatively a small lifeboat would be able to slip through the rocks and land in the cove more easily. If they made a mistake there though they could easily be dashed along the rocks. The ship was equipped with a small boat large enough for all the guards.

A young red headed guard bounded up to Ricky and offered a crisp salute, his shield clean and well oiled and his uniform pressed and without a single crease. His demeanor was no nonsense and dutiful, clearly a Wave Guard to the core.

"Ricky, sir, the cove is in sight. It appears that we won't be able to take the ship in, shall we ready the lifeboat?" He inquired.

The troop composition of the smugglers was unknown, as was the area within the cove itself. The landing could very well have not shore and simply be a cave to sail into. Scouting out the location might help to be prepared, but it would take time and increase the chances of detection most likely.

In the end it was Ricky's call but other's could offer suggestions if they so chose to. A leader is often strengthened by the people they surrounded themselves with, offering more balanced perspective on the situation.

[Ricky Maze]

"Hah, were it so then you yourself could do some work." She reflected with a wink and casual smile, her attention fully on Ricky as he continued the construct of his plans. He was indeed in his element know, ready to start formulating strategies for whatever they may face, however the path before them still remained a mystery. A mystery that they would soon have to face. The guard he approached with a salute to him and he briefly nodded in recognition, with the instruction that the cove had shone to be in sight now. They were upon it and there were options to consider options Ricky had to think upon for just a minute, not only was it important to follow through with strategies but it also was important to know what's choices at best. For Ricky this provided the chance to hear some input from his fellow guards.

"There numbers remain unknown and we've little knowledge upon the lay of their land." He stroked his chin as he looked at the cove, the distance between it and the boat grew ever so slowly smaller as they sailed in its direction. "Have a lifeboat at the ready, I'd like t' be prepared just b'fore makin' our next move." He noted with a look to his peers, his face already rather puzzled at what move they should first make. "If we send scouts we can better learn the lay of the land better and form a good strategy, but then again if we just go in blind we put ourselves at risk for the sake of a jump on 'em." It was a tricky situation as both choices had merits and faults toto consider, finally he gave in and with a sigh decided it best to ask his fellow guards. "Alright mates, anybody know our best options? I'm open f'r any suggestions that could help us out." He added with a nervous hand run through the back of his hair.

Hannah was the first to suggest her idea. "Maybe a couple of good swimmers can scout about the entrance? The Guard is after all well known for capable swimmers." She added with a sly smile, arms crossed as she waited to hear feedback. Ricky stroked at the hair on his chin as he contemplated the idea, still curious to hear of any other suggestions from the other peers.

"That could work... does anybody else 'ave anythin' to throw in?" He looked around curiously with his full attention on the other guards, his mind open for other ideas that would prove beneficial to their operation. He was after all the leader of this group, therefore he took the safety of his peers seriously. Which meant he also respected whatever they had to offer, and would in turn consider what their next move would be.

[Fox Starseer]

Fox listened to what Ricky said, and what Hannah suggested. He looked back towards the rocks that protected the cove, then back to his fellow Wave Guard. "This may not work, but we could always try to get some of the clothing the smugglers wear and send a couple of our guys in as a surprise attack. Assuming they wouldn't recognise two new faces amongst them, and we can somehow get a couple of smugglers away from the rest of the group" he suggested.

It probably wouldn't work, it probably wasn't doable this close when they planned to do the raid. "And I think I know who to send too" he added. He looked back at the cove and noticed something, on either side was two large rocks, close to the shore, and, from what he could tell, big enough to hide the lifeboats behind. He turned back to Hannah. "Do you think we could get two lifeboats out there, one behind each of those large rocks?" he asked, pointing to them. "If so, we could do a two-pronged attack, come from the left and right. They'd see the ship, and anticipate a front attack, hopefully. Then we can surprise them by coming from their flanks, which should be relatively exposed" he said, looking at Ricky.

[Ricky Maze]

When Fox put his suggestion out Ricky's brow furrowed as he tried to imagine out the scenario, sure it was all well and sounded feasible but these were pirates they were dealing with. Vicious cunning pirates that could turn their plan into a nightmare easily if one mishap occured. No there was something key in the idea he liked, the idea of deception as they would draw them out by chance. Hannah's idea was clever too, clever enough to add to this little operation they had. "We can set up the two life boats near the entrance and send in a scout or tw' f'r a closer look, Hannah would likely be ideal for one candidate as the other..." He looked among his guard, not wanting to put them in such risk without heavy consideration. "Gant maybe? Bah! I'll decide when we make our approach, f'r now we just need t' set up our position." He took a long intake of air and allowed a deep breath to slowly escape, his mind focused on remaining calm as his hands jittered nervously.

"Ho'kay mates I think I've an idea. I liked both Fox's and Hannah's input and think a combination o' the two could pay off, while I dunno who necessarily is our best stealthiest of the Guard, Hannah ye might be going in f'r a quick run o' things." She nodded to him with a smile on her face, and Ricky proceeded to further explain his plan with glances to all the other guards. "We'll keep the ship away fr'm the cove and bring tw' life boats to each side o' the entrance, fr'm there one fr'm each boat will swim inside f'r a quick scout thr'ugh the entrance. If it's all clear we'll enter and make a careful approach." He spoke with few quakes in his voice, his confidence slowly built as he preparred for the start of their assault. They would see this operation ended just as soon as it started, and by the sound of the plan things could go well if performed correctly. He hoped greatly that would be the case.

"So let's round up on the boats, three on each boat and fr'm there we make our silent move. Let's try t' be silent and quick 'bout this mates, if we can hit 'em hard with surprise then we'll 'ave the upper hand." He added with fists clenched shut, ready to act on their plan in earnest. He had to make sure to keep a clear focused mind and make calm calculated decisions if at all possible. Even if he wanted this whole thing to work out accordingly he still had to expect the worst, that was what this job involved when such missions came around. Thoroughly plan and prepare for the unknown and expect the unexpected, lest you allow yourself to lose so easily.

[Eldritch]

The guard moved quickly to carry out the orders, readying the two lifeboats for departure from the ship. The task was easy enough, most had been sailors or had possessed some experience regarding ships before joining the Wave Guard. Ricky and two younger Wave Guards, lads by the names of Dalton and Harold, filed into one of the boats. Fox, Hannah, and the red haired lad by the name of Rolf, were in the other. Once filled, the lifeboats were slowly lowered down into the water and were quick to set off to their respective destinations.

The waters were placid for the most part as the small boats made their way away from the ship at to the cove, travelling alongside each other for most of the way. The going was easy but as they drew closer they couldn't help but notice the way the water dashed itself upon the rocks, a reminder of the care they would need to take in order to avoid such a violent fate. Ricky's plan would require two of their number to swim through that, the two candidates being Hannah and Dalton as they were the best swimmers in the group.

The two boats split off from each other with Fox, Hannah, and Rolf heading to the outer part of the cove closer to the ship and Rick, Dalton, and Harold going to the far end. The former would have more difficulty seeing exactly what lay beyond the cove, but the latter possessed very few hindrances in that regard as they rowed around the rocks to the other side. The option to take the lifeboats within the cove turned out to be a good one, as the cove possessed no outer shore to be seen. The only thing to note was the cave that swallowed up the water of the cove. They guards were too far away to peer into the darkness of the large cave, but it appeared large enough to row into and safe enough for a couple of swimmers to scout out provided they avoided being dashed upon the rocks. There were no lookouts on the exterior, most likely to avoid looking suspicious.

Once Ricky's boat was in position the selected duo prepared for a swim. Since maneuverability would be key to avoid injury on the rocks both Hannah and Dalton stripped of their armor, uniform, and shield going in with only their swords and small clothes. Not ideal for a fight but it would ensure higher mobility in the water.

On Ricky's ship Harold shot his friend a sardonic smile.

"Try not ta turn inta shark chum now." He joked, obviously trying to take the edge off.

The joke was met by a scowl that didn't quite reach the other man's eyes before he took a couple of deep breaths and jumped into the water.

Across the way, Rolf had the decency to avert his gaze from Hannah as she readied herself.

"We'll, uh, hold down the fort here." He said, slightly embarrassed.

With that both swimmers were away and heading for the barrier of rocks, the slightly rougher waters becoming much more apparent. Dalton entered the ring of rocks carefully, paddling his way through and making certain to find bearings under the water as well as above it. Occasionally when the waves appeared to shift a little too much he'd cling to a rock for a chime before moving on slowly. He made it through without injury and easily enough.

Hannah possessed a rougher time of it, moving slowly as well but not being as in tune with the waves as the other swimmer had been. As she made her way through she was tossed rather roughly by one of the waves, causing her to cut her calf against a jagged piece of rock underwater. She hissed in pain but continued onward, making it through with only that as an injury.

Both swimmers met up at the cave and headed inside, quickly moving beyond the sight of the other guards. They were safely inside and all seemed like it would go off without a hitch at this point.

Then the waiting set in, five chimes past. Five chimes turned to ten chimes, which soon became fifteen chimes. After a good twenty chimes neither swimmer appeared at the mouth of the cave, it was as if the darkness had swallowed them whole. At this point there was worry on both boats. What was taking them so long? On either boat the creeping thought that something might have gone wrong had settled over their heads like an oppressive cloud.