Open In Over His Head

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

Slicing through the sentry's body, Kirvan dragged his blade across whatever skin was there and pulled the sharp edge through the flesh. A wave of satisfaction washed over him briefly, knowing that at least part of his plan was working and that there was one less blight on Laviku's domain. Not waiting to see the damage, Kirvan bowled towards the harpoon, not caring whether the people below heard or not. When the body hit the ground, Kirvan was nearly at the launcher, and when the thump resounded down into the hold the Svefra could hear the approach of the dead man's companions. Shouting ensued from beneath the stern deck, and soon a big burly man looking to be in his middle years emerged onto the deck, eyes raging at the sight of his downed comrade. When he called to his friend, Kirvan was relieved to discover that there were only two left and that he wouldn't have to fight an entire crew. Turning to the Svefra on board and pulling his cutlass from his sheath, the man ran up the steps, muscles rippling as he screamed a war cry. The way his muscles moved was strange however, shifting in a way the didn't seem natural, rippling with something that Kirvan had never seen before. There was no time to think much about it however, what with the enraged pirate charging him. Kirvan trained the harpoon on the vagik, making sure it was lined up but not aiming for anything in particular. He wasn't good enough to strike a lethal blow against a moving enemy, but he could at least make it difficult to fight for the other sailor. Aiming for the largest target - the torso - Kirvan fired the harpoon, sending it rocketing through the air. Without waiting to see whether it had connected or not, he charged forward and brandished his own cutlass, roaring a reply to the man's battle scream. "For Laviku!" he cried, sprinting forward and bringing his cutlass to the side, hoping to get a swipe in before he had to step back and counter.

[Cascade]

The harpoon sprung forward and pierced through the man’s right thigh. Kirvan had missed his target—the man’s torse—by a lot, but the damage was significant. He howled in pain and staggered backward, and with a strong grip, pulled the harpoon right out. Hissing, he looked down at his thigh and at the blood that seeped right through his pants. The deep wound could be seen beneath the rip in the cloth. He yelled and threw the harpoon aside. Raising his own blade, he rushed right at Kirvan. His flux did little to hide the now noticeable limp. “You will die!” the pirate growled at him beneath seethed teeth. Kirvan’s blow had missed him, but when he attempted to strike back, Kirvan had evaded. The two exchanged blows, and for multiple strikes, neither could get the best of the other. But the man’s wound was visibly slowing him down. His strikes were getting slower, and Kirvan would be able to get some blows in. The pirate was enraged, but none of his attacks were hitting Kirvan. The pirate named Thomas panted. Sweat ran down his whole body as he fought this losing battle.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

The big man managed to duck Kirvan's swing, a deadly hiss ringing through the air, followed by a second one as the pirate tried to counter, only to whiz through empty air as the Svefra sidestepped. His shot from the harpoon had missed his intended target, but this result was nearly as good. Even though his opponent had removed the projectile, the wound was still leaking blood and the tissue was still torn, and the leg wouldn't be able to support the man's full weight without intense pain. Yes, this was just as good. There were two ways to take advantage of the injury. One would be to stay to the his left, where his sword arm was at a greater distance but he would be leading with his good leg. The other would be to stay to his right, where his strong hand could reach him better but he'd be relying on the injured leg to advance. Opting for the second option, Kirvan quickly cut across to his left, taking a swing at the pirate as he passed. The attack was obvious, and the pirate blocked easily. As he moved to counter however, he had to put weight on his leading leg - his right - and immediately a grimace spread across his face as he took a sidelong slice at the Svefra, muscles still rippling with... something. The slight delay gave Kirvan ample time to skitter out of reach, then to the side as the vagik tried to face him head-on and use his good leg. Now to the pirate's right again, the Svefra closed in quickly and took another swing, this one coming from behind the pirate's right, forcing him to turn in that direction and hence stress the injured leg. Steel clashed against steel with a loud ring as the two blades bounced off each other, the pirate vagik again trying to counterattack but with little success. For another chime this dance continued, Kirvan attacking from the pirate's right while the scumbag constantly turned, trying to get the jumpy Svefra where he could use his good leg, throwing in his own attacks that never reached the seaman. With each turn and each attack, more of the pirate's energy was sapped from him as he continuously tried to strike the Svefra and foolishly put weight on the injury each time he did so. Although Kirvan could have won out of sheer attrition and patience, time was not actually on his side. Every chime spent toying with this idiot was another that his friend belowdecks had to prepare and appear, and though in the case that did happen Kirvan could easily have steered the fight away from the limping moron it would be best that the he was incapable of using the heavy harpoon, which didn't need two good legs to operate. Besides, though this man was probably more powerful, it was plain that he was not a seasoned fighter, as could be gleaned by his constant attacks that were clearly never going to catch the Svefra. Wrapping up shouldn't be too difficult. As the vagik's movements became more sluggish, Kirvan suddenly switched from his passive offense to a full-on aggressive attack, much like the pirate had been trying to get. However, unlike what the pirate had pictured, Kirvan was much too fast for him in this state. Had he gotten the opportunity earlier, or had he thought to hold back and let the Svefra come to him, he might have been able to match his pace and even drive the leaner man back. As it was though, it took all he had plus a little bit of flux speed to simply keep up with all the attacks Kirvan was pouring on, not even managing the time to throw in a counterattack. A swipe from the left, block, an uppercut from the lower-left, block, a swipe down and across, block. All the time, Kirvan was getting close to the bigger man, forcing the less experienced one out of his comfort zone and forcing him back towards the edge of the boat, the entire time hacking away at defenses that barely made it in time. None of the Svefra's attacks had very much power behind them, if one connected it would likely just be a minor injury, but the goal wasn't to injure but rather overwhelm his enemy. He cut down, aiming for the vagik's head, which of course forced him to raise his sword and block. His other arm was left dumbly to his side, leaving the big torso in front of Kirvan an easy target for a nice solid kick. The impact wasn't enough to send the pirate sprawling, but it was enough to make him stumble back to the edge of the boat, where he looked back with surprise and fear as if just realizing that it was there. Never relenting, Kirvan kept pushing and soon he was sending a flurry of attacks at the pirate while he was nearly backing over the edge of the boat to find space. His limp made a maneuver around the Svefra impossible, and now with nowhere left to go it was only a matter of time before one of Kirvan's attacks got through.

[Mark Darkwater]

The SeaDragon lurched forward slicing through the water as a sword would flesh leaving behind it a trail of water called wake. The wind had been good today which Mark took as a sign that the Father of the sea was happy with him though he had no real way of knowing. It wasn't that the young lost Svefra was devoted to the father just that he didn't really know how to please him. Never the less he hoped that his actions reflected his desire to do his best.

As Mark let the wind behind him pull him along the blue water under the boat he let the cool wind take him where it wished as he hadn't really a clue to where he wanted to go. It had been around two years since the day he had been taken from his pod, and for those two years he had searched and searched. Knowing deep down he most likely had been declared lost to the sea his only hope was to keep trying.

It was with this idle thoughts did Mark first spot the vessel sitting in the water, and as he came too saw the second not far off from the first. Then as he came closer the sound of metal on metal rang out through the wind, and Mark suddenly became more wary of the ships at hand. Pulling his sails he let them go slack just a bit to slow down as he watched for signs of what was happening, and his hand seemed to go to the blade at his side.

[Cascade]

A transparent, liquefied hand suddenly extended from the ocean. The Otani had morphed her arm and made it longer, giving her the power to grasp for the man despite their distance. It grabbed the collar of the pirate that Kirvan was battling and, with a horrified scream from the man, he was pulled into the sea in a quick maneuver. The sound of his heavy body hitting the water could be heard, followed by a violent struggle. Finally, there was nothing but silence. The Otani used her extended arms to pull herself up to the side of the ship. There was a playful smirk on her face as she resumed the shape of a human girl. Her arms morphed back to its normal length as she put her hands on her hips and stared right at Kirvan. “He is done,” said the familiar voice of the Otani. She had drowned him. “And look. Another one of Laviku’s has arrived. Perhaps you should ask for his aide?” She gestured towards Mark Darkwater and his ship. Mark had a hand ready to grab for his weapon, and he had seen the fight, up until the moment that the Otani had drowned the fake pirate. He had seen it at full length as she kept a tight grasp on his throat and kept him unable to resurface until his lungs gave out, and now the dead man was floating in the sea, unmoving. The Otani held her eyes towards the cabin door. Despite the loud fight and struggle, the other pirate had yet to immerge, and there were no longer any sounds coming from him. It was strange, and the Svefra men would need to investigate to find out to see what had happened to him.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

When the watery arm shot forward from the deep, Kirvan watched in horrified awe as the brutish man he'd been fighting was pulled by his throat into the ocean, screaming the entire way, his sword clattering to the deck. Stepping towards the edge of the ship, his awe turned to solemn condemnation of the fake pirate as he watched the activity beneath the surface of the sea, bubbles streaming towards the surface as the man struggled to free himself from the Otani's grasp. Then, just like that, the bubbles stopped, the sea calmed, and the vagik's body floated to the surface. A sense of accomplishment washed over Kirvan, and satisfaction that there was one less rodent on the sea. Then, as the Otani came up onto the ship to join him, announcing the death of his enemy, Kirvan nodded. He looked over to where she had motioned to, and indeed he saw another casinor slowly sliding across the surface of the sea. On it, a young svefra man much like himself stood watching the scene, his hand on the weapon at his hip. He seemed indecisive about joining, not making any movements to his tiller to change course, and that frustrated Kirvan. Was it not the responsibility of Laviku's children to wipe out all fake pirates on the sea? Regardless, the young warrior grinned and raised his arms, waving at his kin with the cutlass still in one of his hands "Ho there cousin!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing across the water. "Come join me in finishing off the last stupid vagik on this bloody ship, let us please the Sea Father with our zeal!" However, at the mention of the last fake pirate, Kirvan slowly lowered his arms and looked down at the door that led belowdecks. Despite the frantic fighting and the obvious commotions and the dead man's calls, no one had emerged from beneath the deck. They had ample time to, this ship wasn't that large, so Kirvan could tell something was afoot. Lifting his cutlass before him, he warily made his way down to the main deck, looking over his shoulder to his brethren across the water. "Are you coming?" he called.

[Mark Darkwater]

Mark watched the power of what ever being or spirit took hold of the pirate on the boat and left him to the watery death he was given. There was a power here that was stronger then anything he had imagined and it left the sailor a little shaken for a moment. To tell the truth he stood there till he heard some one calling out into the sea, and Mark caught sight of one of his own asking him if he wanted to join him in the fight at hand.

With a feeling of excitement over seeing one like him on the water, and the chance at a good fight the svefra man decided he needed to be on that ship, and needed to join into the fray. Quickly changing directions Mark lead his ship right next to the other, and dropped his anchor then used his mast to climb onto the other ship and nodded to his new friends and said "you lead I will follow" and with that he drew his sword from it's resting place, but the gleam of the metal told that it was ready for battle.

[Cascade]

The two men made their way to the cabin. Behind them, they could hear the definite footsteps of the Otani. When they finally reached the cabin door and opened it, they were met with the most peculiar sight. There were odd trinkets in every corner of the room. There were books, potions, weapons, and boxes whose contents were unseen. These men that they had pursued were just as much smugglers as they were fake pirates. At the end of the room was their last opponent. He had a dagger in his shaking hand, but what was startling was the creature he was holding the dagger at. There stood a Charoda, her wrist shackled with chains, and a dagger at her neck. It was clear now why the Otani had made this an urgent matter. These were men of many crimes, but their utmost death sentence was when they thought they could enslave one of Laviku’s own. The Charoda appeared to be weakened, and she could do nothing at the moment to defend herself. The man holding the dagger to her neck was petrified as well, and this was the only choice he thought he had to keep himself alive. “Release her,” the Otani spoke up furiously. In response, the man spat at the ground. OOCYou can try talking to him or you can find a way to disarm him. Either way, you may control him and get the upper hand in order to move the thread forward. Since it’s two days until seasonal change, let’s try to wrap this up in only a few more rounds.

[Kirvan Deepseeker]

These poachers seemed to deal in more than just raiding by the looks of their supplies. There was no way that just three inept scumbags would be able to force ships out of this much stuff, regardless of who they'd come across. All around there were baubles and trinkets, knickknacks and tidbits, even a few chests of Laviku knows what. Whatever these vagiks were up to, they'd been at it for a while. About time they faced justice. However, what was supposed to be a simple skirmish turned into something much more difficult, and Kirvan cursed as he saw the last man hold his pathetic weapon up to some chained, um, woman's throat. A hostage situation, great. That was exactly what was needed. Even if Kirvan did not know exactly who or what the hostage was, it certainly looked as if she didn't deserve this, what with the chains around her wrist and th dagger pressing into her throat. She looked afraid, and the otani behind him confirmed that this person was important. That was the trouble spot. Kirvan never negotiated with enemies, it usually came down to just fighting it out with a bunch of raggedy dirtbags. He'd never talked anyone down, and was hopelessly out of his league here. Unfortunately, all that left was a risky dash across the cabin. If he was fast enough, perhaps he could injure the pirate's arm before he had a chance to strike. The poacher was too scared to think clearly, and rather than standing behind his hostage where she would act as a meat shield he was off to the side, holding her arm with one hand and holding his dagger with the other. Maybe Kirvan would be able to get him away from his hostage before things went wrong. Praying to the Sea Father for his success, Kirvan suddenly darted forward, his cutlass in front of him and making a short controlled slash towards the man's arm. Instead of circling away to make another attack however, he carried his movement forward and shoved himself between the woman and her captor, making sure to keep himself between the two. At these close quarters it would be hard for him to use his slashing weapon, but he hoped that his sea brother could help with that as he focused on keeping the dagger away from the prisoner.

[Mark Darkwater]

Entering into the cabin below opened up to what Mark could not think to call a treasure room as it had trinkets and the likes scattered around. Truth be told he was surprised to see so much stuff below he had expected much less. Though it was surely something Mark could have pondered more if it had not been for the sight that now stood in front of him.

A man stood shaking with a knife to the throat of a woman, or at least he assumed it was a woman. The being that had follow with them ordered for the man to release his prisoner which only resulted in the man spitting on the ground. Looking towards his Sea Brother to seek a plan he found that his new friend had already decided on one.

Then with out another moment the Svefra darted forward cutlass in front of him as he slashed at the man's arm then throwing himself in between the girl and the pirate. Mark jumped to action only a second after the other, but seeing the actions of his Sea Brother he moved in his own cutlass flying to find purchase at the mans throat. Mark hoped in the struggle with the first Svefra the man would be thrown off, and then sure enough the blade of his cutlass held just at his throat.

"Well now, that wasn't so bad" he said to the man "following orders is something you really should do better" Mark said then looking to his ally for instructions 'he is your foe first, shall I end him?"