ic Blood is thicker than water

[Ari]

Shaking off the last of the clinging shells and muck, bestial face twisted with disgust, Wave-Eye nodded shortly at the other's call to free Sammy. Clearing the space between him and the unhappy man with a bound, the weary triton raised a clawed hand above him. At the end of his thick, knotted and tattooed arm, it looked for all the world like a spiked club.

 

"Be still" he warned, and struck downwards, claws slicing through the unnatural material like a ragged sword, scattering the stuff in a spray of shells. A few more vicious swings tore off the grasping ooze, and with a last jerk and a gush of black mud the fishman dragged Sammy out of his impromptu prison. Sitting the man on his shoulder, he told the rest "I shall go with him. The Lordless One may try to attack the lifeboats"

 

Trudging with long strides that carried him out of the engine room, he paused and added over his shoulder "I ask that you will forgive my foolishness. I shall not attack again without orders." That said, he jogged quickly out of sight and to the captain, bringing with him Sammy(whose head was in frequent danger when Wave-Eye nearly forgot to duck) and Tsunami's message.

 

Taking a moment to survey the surrounding waters as he waited on the upper deck, the son of Tlaloc carefully scanned for any sign  of Blood's ship.

[Supercape]

GM

 

The boat may have been broken, and only held together with the will power of the truly terrific Tsunami, but the intercom still worked. 

 

The captains voice blasted over the speakers, crackling, and fading at one or two moments. 

 

"What happened down there? What happened? I need full power...now! Full speed ahead! If anyone is down there, please! We need full power now! Give it all you have....it's our only chance!"

 

There was a dramatic pause. 

 

"We are about to be rammed! By...by....Hell, I don't know what! it looks like a frigate or something! Straight out of a pirate movie! And its charging straight at us with a spike as big as a truck! If that thing rams us, we are sunk! Sunk I tell you!"

 

"Full speed ahead! Full speed ahead!" he shouted through the intercom, becoming crazed with desperation. 

[Brown Dynamite]

The warning over the frigate brought Thaelia quickly to action.  Spurred forward she spoke to the remaining pair with Wave-Eye's disappearance.  Under her breath she cursed in Greek.  Whereas Atlantean was her usual go to for such language.  She felt especially riled up and not wanting to openly show her frustrations.  "To arms.  A collision most brutal must be averted."  As far as she was concerned there were two options.  Either fight or flight.  "Either repel the pirate vessel.  Or assist in moving this vessel."

 

She didn't know the state of the lifeboats.  Or if Tsunami could pull some more fantastic time magic out of a hat.  But even if they could get everyone on board off the ship.  That would still leave them contending with a much larger target to avoid on such tiny ships.  Plus by her estimation smashing the enemy to bits was always the fastest outcome.  Unfortunately, thus far smashing hadn't been going in their favor.  Perhaps it had something to do with all the smashing going on aboard their own vessel instead.

[Ari]

As the captain's warning blared, Wave-Eye halted in mid-step. Already enormous, his father's black eyes widened even further at the fact that the pirate was about to go that far to destroy them. He wasn't paralyzed for long, however, leaping into a dead run that left imprints of his clawed feet on the steel deck, his nails tearing thin strips free of the vesseal as he ran to the front of the ship. An idea hurriedly forming in his furious brain.

Scraping to a halt at the...prow? Whatever surfacers called the front of boats these days, he slammed into the thin fence surrounding that, facing the incoming mass of tattered-yet-deadly galleon bearing down on them. Captain Blood distantly visible as a blue spectre near the rudder.

In a glance, the fishman saw how close Blood's ship already was, and fumbling with the strap raised the conch to his lips for a second time 'May this blow be wiser than my last'

With another booming, thundering roar from the depths, the water around the ghost ship swirled, faster and faster as thin red streaks appeared, until a roiling red whirlpool surrounded the thing! Suddenly, Wave-Eye let the long-drawn note fade, and it fell still. Only a second later a massive arcing wave burst up in answer to a renewed blast on the horn, smashing against the crimson corsair's craft like a massive hand!

[Supercape]

GM

 

The Black Plunder had momentum, and was powered by more than sail. The galleon had powerful arcane motors, making it seethe through the water, faster than any ship had a right too. 

 

And Captain Blood had indeed attached a metal spike to its figure head, long, black, and wet. More than capable of punching a hole in the hull. It always paid to have a back up plan. The blistering barnacles were an unstable, untapped force of nature, and Captain Blood preferred the solidity of old naval warfare. 

 

The Conch and the Galleon crashed together like one storm to another. Anyone who was not yet soaked soon was. The collision caused the sea to foam, and it felt like a monsoon on deck. 

 

The Black Plunder slowed, inch by inch, until after an agonizing moment, it stopped, the spike ram a few dozen yards from its target. 

 

Now, Blood was furious. 

 

"I won't forget this, sea-demon! Some day, I shall pull my cutlass on you, and your friends!"

 

He turned to shout at his crew and turn the wheel of his ship. 

 

"About then, me hearties! Away, and to oblivion! The Drowned Man will have me soul for this, and I shall rest! But I will beg respite, just for a moon or two, to get me revenge!"

 

Fog bellowed from the cannons of the Plunder, and with unnatural speed and manueverability, it sped off under cover. 

[Ari]

Lowering the Conch, Wave-Eye watched the Black Plunder sail off into the distance, swallowed up in a thick mist that quickly took it from sight. Suddenly throwing his arms up in the air, the triton let loose a shout of triumph that reverberated like a foghorn.

 

"OUUUURAAAAUGH!" he roared, laughing deliriously "That puts paid to you, Lordless One! Fly now, and trouble us no more! Send word to your master! Let the Drowned Man know the might of his-!" Suddenly his shark-like grin slackened, and lowering his arms the fishman stared at the sea, belatedly realizing what Blood's escape meant. 'And knowing these treacherous eels' he thought, futilely reaching out to feel the flow of the sea through his mind 'he will return, with comrades to strengthen him...'

 

That brought the other three to mind. Despite his shameful actions in the engine room(he really would need to relieve Lady Tsunami on the voyage home), he at least knew they had some kind of connection and camaraderie. Turning and loping back to join them, the old triton paused long enough to explain to the captain what had happened, begging his forgiveness and offering to help get the ship back to shore before returning to the others.

 

Bowing humbly, he reported "Captain Blood's vessel attempted to gore this ship. I stopped it, and that finally drove him off. We could chase him, but he will be hard to find in the fog the Black Plunder breathes. And your people here" he glanced at Lady Tsunami and Lady Temperance in turn "need caring for."

 

"The pirate claims he will return. As a wandering spirit, with a history of such deeds, it is nigh-on a surety. And it is doubtful he will come alone. The sea is vast, and maybe his next prey might not be quick enough to call for help."

 

Clearing his throat like a rattling of pebbles after a wave, Nochehuatl asked "Would you three...be of a mind to prepare in earnest for that time? As a group? With myself?" The giant eyes on the sides of his head didn't convey much emotion, but even besides the lights on the ceiling, a faint glimmer could be detected.

[Brown Dynamite]

Having caught the sign of Captain Blood's hasty retreat, a smile slowly formed upon the Atlantean's lips.  Thaelia mulled over Wave-Eye's invitation to join up.  When the time came she wanted to be on the ground floor in bringing Catain Blood down if he returned to reek havok in her seas.  "The fist of the Glamazon will gladly join those who wish to fell the swords of fiends.  The mother ocean is no home to will of evil to do as it pleases."  Thaelia called out triumphantly.

 

Immediately afterwards she jumped off the side railing of the ship.  Thaelia swimming around to take a look at the damage done.  She couldn't swing a hammer with certain precision.  Her fist were already  than any hammer.  If need be, the Atlantean royal was prepared to assist in keeping the vessel upright.  Walking a fine line between arrogance and confidence in her assuredety of being capable of even doing so in the first place.

[Thevshi]

Giang had managed to make her way back up to the upper decks after her companions, a good deal of her concentration remaining on keeping the seal on the hole in the ship. She arrived in time to see Wave Eye turn away Captain Blood's attempt to ram the cruise ship, and the ghost pirates parting words. The mention of this "drowned man" certain bothered the Asian teen, given he appeared to have sway over Blood.

She remained quiet as Wave Eye shouted his responses after the retreating ghost pirate, but focused on the others as Wave Eye turned to the issue of working together to prepare for the possible return of the pirate or his master. "I would always be willing to lend my powers to any would seek to stop ones such as Blood from threatening innocents."

[Ari]

Bowing to the both of them, his fan-like hair ducking with him, and turning a hopeful(or what a triton thinks of as hopeful) massive eye to Lady Temperance, Wave-Eye examined the small flotilla of lifeboats below. Thanks to modern seafaring law, there were enough for all the passengers, and to spare. If they had to take to the water in the small craft, they'd not crowd each other into the depths. On the other hand, letting the humans stay into such cramped and insecure things when a giant bulwark of metal lay right next to them seemed simply cruel.

Not being strong enough to carry the boat on his own, Wave-Eye kept a steady rise of water near the rear of the ship, hoisting the engine room well above risk of swamping and providing a slower yet no less constant thrust back to shore than the crafts' own motors could have done.

Once they had returned, Wave-Eye stayed only long enough to agree to a meeting place, vanishing once again into the black depths of the Atlantic Ocean after a sacrifice to his divine parents, searching for some word on this mysterious Drowned Man...

[Supercape]

GM

 

A little later...

 

....At the bottom of the Ocean, in an underwater cave...

 

"The Sea be protected, oh dread lord beneath the waves!" declared Captain Blood, as boldly as he could. 

 

The cave was dark, only faintly illuminated by an eerie green light. The water down here was...sick, in some mercurial way, like swamp water, full of rot. 

 

Shapes moved in the shadow. Hands, feet, limbs. Bloated and grey...

 

The figure on the throne could not be seen, at least fully. A large man, with long hair down to his waist. Glinting eyes that saw everything. A skull on one of the thrones rests. 

 

"Be protected? By whom?" boomed the voice. It was not exactly loud. It was rich, demanding, full, and complete. 

 

Bloods nerve began to fray. 

 

"Heroes, they say. From the land. Three women, one man. Possessed of unnatural strength, and fierce, too"

 

The Skull on the throne laughed, its jaw clicking. 

 

"Wave Eye! Hahaha! I told you, the muredrer from the past, my dread lord! He know serves the men of the land!"

 

"Be quiet, for once, Skull!" commanded the man on the throne "I know of what you have told me. And I must think on this. This is an unfortunate delay, Blood. All must drown, and all must serve...and I must punish those who fail me...."

 

As he drifted towards Captain Blood, the shadows closed around them. And Captain Blood let out a laugh that was also a scream. 

 

~ Fin ~