Beach Bandits (Jette/Midnight)

[Jette]

Location: North of Sunberth, Eastern Sylira Coast Timestamp: 5th of Summer 510AV, Dawn Locked into a rhythm of trudging through sand at the cliff base, Jette and Pythe were barefoot as they followed the coast line in search of a suitable place to set up camp. They had been traveling all night after the afternoon head subsided, and had covered quite a distance, but they were hungry and growing weary with every sluggish step through sand that became muddy with the passing tide. Jette stopped them when they found a depression in the side of the cliff that led to a small alcove of beach. An old firepit lay in the center, an obvious sign that others had used it before, and a good reason not to camp there. But Jette and her companion were desperate just to sit down to eat. Soon the fire pit was alive again, twinkling with flames that warmed them to the core. Food was shared, legs were relaxed, and everything seemed to be in perfect calm. But the sound of three voices, emerging from the corridor of rocks that lead to the beach, split the air like a sword through butter, and without a moments hesitation Jette and Pythe were up on their feet, their weapons within arms reach; Jette's long dagger in between the folds of her skirt, and Pythe's sword under a sprawled out cloak by her feet. "Well lookie here, a couple o' beach babes found our nest." One of the three bandits laughed to the others; two men and a woman. They didn't seem to be individuals of great skill, and Jette wondered if her and Pythe could subdue them if the need arose. "We could share camp" Jette proposed, appearing relaxed so as not to communicate her fear. The three laughed loudly, they weren't interested in sharing anything. The taller male took out a few lines of rope, and Jette knew immediately that they had intended to sell them off as slaves, or worse. But they wouldn't go without a fight. Jette's hand twitched in the direction of her short sword and foolishly devulged her armed position. "She's armed!" the three responded by pulling out their weapons and surrounding them with ropes in hands. Three against two, the odds weren't great, but Jette and Pythe were on the defense with their blades, ready to fend off their greedy hands.

[Midnight]

Midnight drug his legs as he approached the cliff's edge. Tired from the long travel. He was lucky to not have run into to many obstacles. The dark still dominated the sky but the rays of sunlight over the horizon foreshadowed the promise of light soon to come. He set down his sac full of what little he owned and gazed at the ocean with orange eyes. “My word, what a trek! Glad I am here now,” he spoke to himself and gathered his possessions getting prepared to scale the cliff to the coast line, “I have heard much adventure could be had near the coast line.” The sun had not crest the horizon when Mid set foot on the cool sand. He squatted down then sat back with a sigh. He took off the shoes and stretched his toes. He studied his fair skin and noted any small injuries. Clothes looked as if they had seen better days, worn and freyed from the days of constant use without break. A few moments of rest pass the kelvic before he stood and started to make his way to the cool ocean water. A little bounce in his step as he walked. Happy that a new day was about to begin and eager to find out what secrets it held. While on the way to the ocean he caught the scent of smoke. A bit curious, he turned his attention from his original task to figure out who or what was on fire. He made sure his long butterfly sword was still attached around his waist, a bit of yarn used to attach it to his body. The sand moved under his bare feet and soothed the blisters and callouses caused by many days of being rubbed. Finally, Midnight could hear people, “Well lookie....nest.” Mid visually perked up at the word nest. Could they be other bird kelvics like himself or just colorful wording. “She's armed!” This next exclamation put the bird on arms. He pulled out the butterfly knife before a medium sized rock caught his gaze laying undisturbed in the sand. He picked it up and walked low to the ground just far enough to see the group of people. Two separate groups could be seen by the kelvic. Two ladies and three armed, dirty looking people. The irony of the teens judgement was that he probably looked like one of the petty thieves. He decided quickly to chuck the rock at the closest of the group much like he once did with snow and a strange man who had trained in the forest. It struck the person on the back. Instantly Midnight yelled, “OYE! Could you through that back here please, I need to practice Juggling!” The person who was struck, grunted and turned in the direction of the kelvic.

[Jette]

Jette flung herself forward as soon as the three bandits had craned their necks at the curious looking child behind them, grabbing the rope in the woman's hands and yanking her arm down to bring her onto her stomach. Just as she tumbled downwards, Jette planted her foot into the other's chest, sending him down but grabbing at the second rope he had been holding. As he tried to brace his own fall he let go of the rope and Jette tossed it instinctively to Pythe, who jumped onto the man's chest and pulled his arm into a lock behind his back, forcing him onto his front in the sand. But Pythe would not be able to hold a rage filled man for long, Jette had to work quickly with getting her current target in a submissive state. The woman bellowed repeatedly as Jette tried to knot the rope around her wrists. Her kicks were strong and she nearly wiggled out of Jette's control, but Jette clubbed her on the back of the head with the hilt of her sword. The woman yelped and lay dizzy for a few seconds, enough time for Jette to wrap the rope around her wrists three times, and then weave it strategically in the middle before using the lose end of the rope to bind her struggling ankles, connected by a length of rope so she couldn't walk. Infuriated by her position, the woman roared and yanked at her restraints, to which Jette hit her over the head again quickly before speeding off to help Pythe tie up the second bandit in the same fashion as the first. When the same strategy did not appear to fool the second bandit, Jette approached him physically with caution, both of them watching the others movements in anticipation of who was going to strike first. Jette had him figured out and after appearing so intimidating and ready to attack she straightened up suddenly, relaxed her shoulders and took a deep breath. That did two things - give Jette a physiological advantage for fluidity in her movements, and also give him the visual impression that her guard was down; hopefully tricking him into attacking first. He took the bait and lunged forward at her. Jette dodged under his arms and came up to the back of him, slipping the crook of her elbow around his neck and securing that hand to her other arm which held the back of his head and pushed him forward into her bent arm. The tighter she squeezed his neck the more docile he became until eventually passing out for lack of air. His arms punched and grabbed behind her but she was strong and he was malnourished; a beach rat at best. He lost the battle in a matter of seconds and his body went limp. The trio were unskilled, uncoordinated, and simple beach pests. There was no need to kill them, but if they didn't gain control over the situation, they would be killed instead. The bandit who had been hit by a flying rock was effectively distracted with the young child, whose movements seemed far more graceful than she would have imagined.

[Midnight]

Midnight watched as the bandit who he had hit with the rock run toward him. During the brief moment he looked past him and watched as the women took care of themselves. The bandit scowled something about Mid's appearance, something about being a kid, it of little importance to the kelvic. He took a sloppy fighting stance. He gripped the heavy butterfly knife like a club. He had no reason to open it and expose the blade held within. If it weren't for the fact that he wasn't comfortable with hand to hand, he'd be weaponless as well. The man was first to throw a punch, which was easily dodged by the smaller framed male. “Mister all I wanted was my rock back,” the kelvic teased the man who started to throw another punch at Mid. It landed on Mid's shoulder and knocked him back a bit. The way the man threw his punch made him open for attack in the stomach area. He took the opportunity granted to him and threw a punch of his own at the bandit. It landed hard, harder then what would be expected from a man his size. Both Mid and the Bandit stepped backward with a grunt, knocked back by the force. “You know it's not polite to take advantage of lovely ladies. That isn't very gentlemen like of you.” Mid's fist throbbed in waves like the ocean. He had hit what felt like flesh and bone or something else. He began to retreat a little closer to where the other two where located, while he kept a cautious eye on the bandit. The two women were busy as they tied the other two bandits up. Mid looked back at the bandit and soon found he had not hit his hand upon bone. The bandit reached toward the spot that was surely bruised by Mid's blow and pulled out a sharp, shimmering knife. Mid was now a little worried, not because of the man who was rushing toward him with a sharp object, but because he didn't want to open his weapon and possibly cause harm to himself or the bandit. None the less he repositioned the sheathed blade in his hands. Popping open the lock at the base of the swinging arms. He waited for the opportune moment, which soon came when the man reached out in an attempt to plunge the blade into Mid's chest. Mid swung one of the heavy arms around. It whipped in a short arc and made contact, out of luck, with the man's out stretched hand. The wooden arm made contact with the back of the man's hand with a shattering crack, knife dropped in response to the hard blow. The man wailed a yell, which echoed off the cliffside. Mid quickly drew his free hand back and gave a hard left hook to the man's head, which knocked him flat on his back unconscious. He looked down at the bandit and continued to speak a little riled up with adrenalin, “Now aren't you glad you're knocked out? If you were successful in stabbing me, your clothes most certainly would have been ruined.” The kelvic spoke sincerely seemingly more concerned about the bandit then his own well being. Mid's weapon now open silver hooked blade exposed. With a flourish of the wrist, the arm began to swing back into it's closed position covering the hooked blade.

[Jette]

When the two were successfully gagged and bound, Jette looked up from the ordeal to see the tall bandit laying in the sand unconscious. Jette was taken a back by the young boy's attitude towards the attack, and was refreshingly jovial. This was no ordinary child she thought to herself, but answers to his mystery would have to wait. The taller bandit was eventually bound and all three were dragged to the back wall of the alcove to kneel with their limbs tied and their mouths gagged. To get his attention, Jette prodded the smaller male in the stomach with the sheath of her sword. "Filthy mongrel, you thought you could squander two ladies and then sell us off to some slaver? Don't look at me as if that weren't in your plans I could see it in your face!" Jette roared at him, grabbing the neck of his shirt and twisting her fist in it until it was pressed hard against his cheek. She leg go with a shove, sending him against the sharp rocks that lined the back of the cave. "Thought you might get a pretty coin for us did ya?" she turned to the gagged woman, glaring into her eyes, forcing her intimidation upon her like a mighty hammer of death. "In fact," she paused, looking them all in the eyes, "I will spare your lives if, from searching through your things, I find something of value. Consider it payment for the interruption you caused my comrade and I." An exchange of approved nods between Jette and Pythe sent the girls rummaging through their captives' bags and pockets, their wicked grins shining in the faces of their hostages. In the midst of their search, a collection of items were found; ten gold mizas, a good pair of thick leather gloves, some fishing twine, and a violin. After seeing the reaction of the small male bandit, Jette knew the violin had belonged to him and while studying his reaction, noticed the twinkle of a silver chain dangling from his neck. Jette stormed up to him and pushed her hand under the material of his shirt to dig out the chain, and on the end of it a large stone pendant. The eyes of the man widened in a panic, and from the look on his face, what lay hanging from his neck possibly meant more to him and his very life, it was highly valuable - at least to him. Jette narrowed her eyes as she considered ripping the chain from his flesh and selling it in the market she found. But the trio had only inconvenienced them and weren't a real threat. They were scared and living in the wildlands like cockroaches, just like her and Pythe. With the show of a bored expression, Jette let the pendant fall and disappear beneath the man's shirt collar, acting uninterested in it; cheap piece of jewelry she said. "You're lucky you had anything at all to offer me, or else you'd be dead." Jette and Pythe picked up their things, and invited the young boy to walk with them out of the alcove; those restraints would eventually give way and they didn't want to be anywhere near those bandits when it happened. "Come camp with us young one, let's escape from bottom feeder bay ". Next would be finding a safer place to settle down for the day, and perhaps the mysterious boy had suggestions.

[Midnight]

Once Midnight had finished what he was doing, he picked up the bandit's knife. He moved away and let the taller lady do her thing, having no idea onto how to tie knots or bind anything for that matter. The couple drug the trio through the sand and into a near by cave. When the kelvic entered the cave it immediately became apparent to him that this is where the three bandits had originated from. When one of the girls gave the bandits the skinny, Midnight couldn't do anything but agree more. After all when a predator catches a prey they are rewarded. It was just the way things went in the world. The kelvic fondled the knife in hand. The simple wooden handle, splintered, worn and old. It most likely held little value to any merchant, even less to the kelvic. His eyes snapped back up to reality when the woman went to one of the younger looking bandits and observed a piece of jewelry. He looked miffed when the woman didn't take the piece of silver. He was about to ask why she didn't take it but kept his mouth shut as he was invited to travel with the couple. He was a little apprehensive at first but soon warmed up to the idea, power in numbers rule one in the bird world. When the women began to leave the cave, Mid walked over to where the bandits where located. He talked in a low voice as he brandished the knife in a threatening way completely unaware of what he was doing. He asked curiously, “Are you all a family?” He didn't wait to see the answer, but one of them nodded. He didn't linger long when he realized he was alone, “Well just remember if you choose a life of crime, prepare to be bitten back at.” He beamed a smile that could of easily been mistakened for a psycho's smile. He dropped the knife in front of the taller bandit from earlier. “Here you go I believe this is yours. Just a warning though, if you follow you may not live to see another day.” Said matter-affactly before he paused, “I mean didn't you see her? She was like blam blam, tackle, wrestle!” The kelvic was acting out the previous event in a comical way. He laughed loudly as he walked away from the dynamic trio and toward the cave entrance. “Have a great life!” Where the last words that left the kelvic's life before he waltzed his way out of the cave to catch up with the duo. He followed a few paces behind the pair, “So are you girls like sailors or something? Are you girls in some sort of band of fem fighters?” His voice had a tenor's tone and a bit of a crackled lisp the laced each word. “Are you girls," he paused, " in a relationship?” His questions continued...

[Jette]

As the bright young boy bounced around by her side, she felt a lift in her spirits at watching such an untainted pure soul enjoying even the scary realities of life. After the onslaught of questions he laid out for her to answer, Jette laughed out loud as they trod along the sand, looking at him several times in silence with a smile on her face. truthfully she was a little shocked at his demeanour, since it was so drastically different from any other child or adult she had ever met. He seemed completely in tune with what was going on around him, and lived in a state of perpetual wonderment and awe at the things he looked at and interacted with. "You sure ask a lot of questions" Jette teased, but when she saw an unsatisfied look come across his face, she perked up. She wasn't accustomed to being 'nice' to strangers, but it became clear to her that he was no ordinary beach bum. "We're... family, this is Pythe and I'm Jette. We're not trained sailors, but we do know a thing or two about rigging sails" Jette exchanged a smile with Pythe, who was jogging occasionally to keep up with Jette's long strides. When Jette felt safe that they were far enough from the bandit trio, she slowed down the pace of their walking and started scanning the cliff side for a place to remake their camp, since the last one was invaded by pests. Jette hoisted herself onto some boulders and climbed up through tree growth that sprouted from the cliff face and hung over the beach like draped fingers. Unable to clear the last large rock, Jette called down to Pythe to come help her get a leg up, she was sure she saw the familiar dark tones of a small cave but couldn't see any further without some assistance. "I think there's a cave here, but I just can't reach this next rock, come give me a hand Pythe!"

[Midnight]

The boy stayed close to the brawny woman and the slightly more majestic lady. He stopped with his chatter and heard the tease in the voice of the brawny, yet elegant woman. He looked down, ashamed and began to spout out an apology. But he stopped when a more satisfactory answer graced his ears. The kelvic's brain was busy with storing the information given to him in case he needed it later. He kept up with the group, bounding from step to step like a hurdler. “Pythe, Jette,” he recited back to himself. His brain thinks back to what would be an appropriate response. “Those are beautiful names, fitting for beautiful women.” He remembered some man at a tavern say that to two ladies. The kelvic thought the two ladies were beautiful creatures as well and found the response to fit these two as well. He scooted along the cost now quiet, questions sated for the time being. The leader of the flock searched the cliff for something. The orange eyed kelvic followed the other's gaze and nearly bumped into Pythe as the pace slowed. He stopped and observed Jette as she climbed onto one of the boulders. He watched as she struggled a little trying to hoist herself up. He heard Jette call out to Pythe for help her out to get to a cave. He watched as Pythe rushed over to help. The kelvic thought to himself, 'I can help as well'. He began to strip his clothes off his pale skinned body. Each piece of clothing where folded nicely next to his pack. He left his knife under neath the pile hidden out of habit. “Here I will help you out!” After he called out he gave a few steps back before he took a few jogging steps forward. He hopped off the ground but never returned to the sandy earth. Before he started his jump, the light around the boy seemed to bend and warp like heat. The blurred waves increased as he hopped off the earth. The boy looked like a blob of color that seemed to shrink rapidly into a smaller form. The waves began to fade away and reveal the boy had vanished and in his place was a large, black parrot. The bird flapped up over to where Jette had pointed out to. The large wing span flapped and shown off the orange tips of his wings off to all who was under him. He perched on the rocks above Jette disturbing some dust and sand that had been blown up onto it. The light started to bend again after the bird landed. At the end of the strange transformation revealed the same boy from before knelt down with a hand out to help pull the girls up. “There is a cave up here, and I think we can all fit in here.” The young boy smiled down at the pair as he watched their internal wheels work and piece together what they had just seen. Though it was subtle, did the boy seem a little older and matured or perhaps it was only a trick of the light.

[Jette]

At the sight of the small boy taking his clothes off, Jette raised her left eyebrow, her mouth opening into an amused gape. Pythe giggled silently as he undressed but when he began to morph into what they later learned was a dark coloured parrot, the two women clung to each other in a moment of terror; neither of them sure of what was happening. Jette had vaguely heard of kelvics before from pirate babble, but her experience with one was little to none. "You are a boy filled with mysteries" Jette said in amazement as the boy transformed back into his human form and called out that the cave was empty. With a heave ho and a foot up, Pythe was hoisted up onto the ridge with Jette pushing her up from below. She was about to begin crawling up herself, but ran back down to the beach and retrieved the bird boy's clothes, throwing them up towards the cave and clambering up herself. They stood on the rock cliff overlooking the beach, trees growing out from the cliff face on angles that concealed the entrance to the cave. The rock they stood on slanted downwards into the cliff, also making it difficult for anyone below to see the cave entrance, or anyone who was there; hopefully their camp would go unseen and uninterrupted. Kindling was collected, a fire set up, and they all eventually sat on the warming rock floor around the growing fire, searching through their packs for something to eat. Jette and Pythe had been without food for more than a day, and with neither of them knowledgeable on how to fish, they both looked to each other and exchanged grumbling protests from their stomachs. If they had to, they'd wait until the midday sun left the sky to continue to Zeltiva, a place where they'd find lots to eat. Alas, a bread roll was located tucked into the far corner of Pythe's pack, and the three of them split into thirds, for Jette, Pythe, and the small bird boy. "You must be a shapeshifter to be able to do that kind of trick" Jette gestured to him before savouring a small piece of bread, even if it was a little dry and stale, it tasted like heaven. Suddenly and without warning, the boy took off in a sprint and left the cave. By the time Jette and Pythe raced to the cave entrance, the boy was out of sight. They looked at each other and shared a look of wonder and uneasiness. They would be careful to watch their backs, and hopefully the shapeshifting boy would be safe.

[Baku]

Thou has written, and thou has completed, so I award thee the following.... Jette: +2 Wilderness Survival, +2 Subterfuge, +1 Short Sword, +1 Unarmed, +3 Observation, +1 Larceny, +2 Climbing, Lore: Beachcombing: “Where the Hell Do We Sleep?”, Spotting the Signs of a Slaver, Subduing Slavers via Bondage(Ropes Are Fun), Choking an Opponent Out, Wow the Young Runt is Surprisingly Upbeat, Insult to Injury: “Gimme Your Stuff Slavers”, Inviting the Bird, Finding New Shelter, Finding the Upbeat Infectious, First Kelvic Shifting(“Hey, he’s stripping. This is getting kink….HOLY SHYKE HE TURNED INTO A BIRD!”), Even Stale Food Tastes Good if Starving, Midnight: +3 Observation, +1 Stealth, +1 Throwing(Rocks), +1 Batanga, +1 Larceny, +1 Intimidation, +1 Flirting, Lore: Searching for Adventure, Parrot Kelvic Tactics: When Seeing Two Groups About to Battle? Pick the Pretty Ones to Side With, Quipping in Battle, Taking a Hit to Give a Hit, Punching Flesh and Bone, or Something Else(Petch! My Hand Hurts), Agreeing With Insult to Injury, Hey! Take All Their Shinys, Warning Against Further Aggression, Questioning Sexuality of Companions(If You Two Were Lesbian, That Would Be So Cool), Finding Satisfaction in Answers, Assisting de Pirate Ladies Additional Awards: Jette: +10 Gold Mizas, Leather Gloves(Approx Value: 5 SM), Worn Violin(Approx Value: 2 GM), Fishing Twine Additional Notes: An interesting thread, and a shame that it had to end prematurely. Who knows what further adventures would have ensued within the cave. Alas, perhaps Jette can find another bird to perch on her shoulder and complete the pirate like get up. Jette, remember that in future threads you should simply make remarks of pilfering your NPC’s and make a request for Mod to give you what you gain. I allowed it this time, but in the end only Mods can award items and Mizas in a thread.