SKYWARD MIRACLES - IC Thread

[Izurich]

Welcome, Traveller...

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Bumi, The Divine One's Jewel in the vast expanse of the Universe. Here on the Blue Pearl, you will carve your mark in history.

You are the shooting star...

You are the trail in the skies...

You are the...

Epic Magitek Fantasy Roleplay​

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[Izurich]

Through storms and hurricanes, we sail
Where others fall, we soar.
Trailing in the skies, bright as a shooting star.
We are the Lughanta Company!
​

PROLOGUE
The Crimson Phoenix​

---

Up in the blue skies somewhere above the Hindia Ocean, a crimson airship could be witnessed sailing steadily, streaking a trail of white as she parted the air in front of her. She was the Lughanta, pride, joy, and titular airship of the Lughanta Mercenary company. The airship was home to more than three hundred brave men and women. The majority of them were fighters, supported by cooks, engineers, doctors, legal officials, and even maids to keep daily routines running smoothly.

Owned and headed by Agatha Nightingale, third daughter of the Nightingale Family. The company might only have been operating for five years, but it quickly rose to be one of the best sellsword band money could offer. Hunting pirates, valuable cargo delivery, and high-profile escorts were some of the many services they offered. Speaking about jobs, Agatha herself received an urgent request not a few days ago. This called for a briefing with the men.

Thus, they were gathered into the mess hall, hundreds of sailors excluding the support roles. The brunette captain, bright and confident as always, took the stage. She positioned herself behind the central podium, fiddling with the magitek switches embedded there, activating the voice boosters, enabling everyone to hear her clearly without straining her throat. "Greetings, Lughantans!" Agatha paused for a moment, letting the idle chatter calm down before continuing, "I am aware there are rumors among the crew that the company has received a request from His Serenity, Doge Enrico Donatello himself. I'm here to say that... it's true." As expected, the chatters resumed once more, but this time heavily tinged with awe, surprise, and anticipation. Sure the company was popular, but... a personal request from the Doge, elected ruler of Venesia? This was quite unusual.

"Ahem...!" The female captain cleared her throat to gather attention back towards her, "I'll keep this short so you can rest your curiosities. The Doge had enough of Yellow Beard's shenanigans. Yes, that Yellow Beard. His pirate band had raided another Venesian treasure airship, it was the last straw. Frankly, it is about time we put an end to that son of a bitch." She certainly spared no insults to the infamous pirate captain, "Venesian informants had provided us with the location of Yellow Beard's hideout. We'll be joining with other merc companies the Doge also hired in two days, then we'll storm his band and end his plague over Venesian skies once and for all. Further information will be provided to you by our officials. Until then, you are dismissed..."

"...except for these sailors." Oh no, the briefing wasn't quite over yet as Agatha procured a parchment from her pocket, a short list of names was written there. "Fukurou Taka, Adale Jertan, John Herald, Helen Fabularis, Kazanari Shinobu, Cera Regnier, Silvania Sloan, Miyamoto Saki, Achlys Nyx, Sun Wukong, Charlotte Henriette, Seven, Herman Schmid, Fay Corndale, Marumei, Laura Delain, Drayton Vance, Yumi, Sorina Caramitru." She inhaled, by the Divine, she couldn't believe she called them all in one breath, "Meet me in War Room in one hour." With that, the young woman rolled up the parchment, deactivated the voice boosters, and left the stage.

---

A short moment later, War Room

Upon entering, one would spot a rather spacious - but not as open as the mess hall - room with a big circular platform propped in the middle depicting the map of Bumi. On one side of the wall was a board where various images and notes were propped. Magitek orbs strategically placed on the ceiling to illuminate the otherwise windowless room. It was clear that it was designed for private meetings where sensitive information must not leave the room. "Alright, welcome everyone." Agatha was already waiting for her selected crew members. Drinks and pastries were available at the side while they waited for everyone to arrive. Unfortunately, nothing was available for the particularly... carnivorous individuals.

Once everyone was gathered, the captain would gesture them to gather near the central platform. Various miniatures of airships were already set up. "Adding from briefing earlier, we will be joining the group, all companies like us hired by the Doge." She moved a piece representing the Lughanta towards a formation of no less than five other airships, "...and we expect to encounter Yellow Beard's hideout... here." She pointed to a spot between Venesia and Armerium Council. "If everything goes well, we should be descending upon unaware pirates, airships docked, unprepared for combat. However, as much as I hate to say this, Yellow Beard is crafty, I bet he has eyes and ears everywhere. I say they'd be expecting us. So..." Agatha moved in a couple of airships facing the merc hand. "This will be a battle, not an ambush."

"Still wondering why I gathered you here? Well, I've chosen you as my personal boarding squad." She narrowed her eyes reddish brown eyes, the bright cheerfulness from earlier giving way to no-nonsense seriousness, "Yes, we'll be boarding the Golden Midas, Yellow Beard's flagship, and take him down directly. Cut off the snake's head..." She flicked the figurine representing the pirate's airships, "The body will crumble quickly. How do we do this, you ask? Well..." Agatha took the Lughanta then moved it away from the merc group, "We'll be splitting from the main battle line, flank the pirates with our superior speed, and position ourself here." She parked the Lughanta behind the enemy line. "This done, we'll send boarding teams to assault the Golden Midas. I'll be among them and you will be my squad."

"Of course," She gave a glance towards Helen, Shinobu, Saki, Wukong, and Sorina, "Those who can fly on their own don't need to board an airboat, you can cover us or preemptively assault the flagship, just be careful if you decide on the latter. I don't want you dying on me, you hear?" With that, she exhaled then drew back.

"There. That's the plan, any questions? Ask them now. If not, you are dismissed."

 

[ShiroKiyoshi]

​

John, after adjusting to Lughanta company, found most of his time was spent staring into the sea and keeping his body into shape. During his stay he had also become accustomed to the feeling of weightless that came with being so high in the air and, at times, a lack of equilibrium. The journey was interesting so far with what little he had done -- and it didn't look like the trend was dying anytime soon.

John received word that the fighters among the crew were to assemble in the mess hall. He set down whatever meager task he had offered to help with and made his way over to the mess hall for briefing. Entering the mess hall he bore a smile as he saw Agatha on the stand.

He crossed his arms and looked up to her on the podium and his smile faded to a more relaxed expression, showing his neutrality in the situation. Agatha, for as great a person as she was, was a woman. It took some adjusting to suddenly start taking orders from one, but the real issue was that John thought he would be able to easily overcome the teachings of his home. To him it is a minor setback in trying to be a part of the world. However, he has thus far held no animosity toward the woman or disgust for the woman's position. Just a strong sense of discomfort and a want to question motives and tactics even without basis, but a military training has kept John at his best behavior around her. He responds, and plans to continue to respond, to her as he would any other above him.

Other opinions on the girl did swirl in his mind though, especially as she stood there, the center of his attention. She was indeed quite pretty and she was strong too, not to mention she commanded an entire ship. She was also shorter than John, quite a bit shorter than the six foot male. He never cared much for Brunette's, but she wore it well and--

The speakers buzzed to life cutting the train of thought in young John's mind. His focus shifted onto what Agatha had to say. For the entirety of the briefing he stood at parade rest waiting to be dismissed. That too, did not look like it was coming, as the speech ended Agatha called on him to meet in the war room in one hour with a group of eighteen others.

{ 1 HOUR LATER }

John did the same as he had in the cafeteria and stood by the door. He crossed his arms and stared at the sphere and people pooling into the room. He then looked to Agatha as she spoke up. When she finished, John took a step forward, raising his hand.

"I recommend we save the fliers. Their utility is invaluable, it would be best for us to board the same way. Cover fire will be provided by the Lughanta itself I am sure, there is no need for such risky behavior. It would also be a beacon of our position if their take off is spotted by a single eye. So, I see no advantage in them flying off and attacking without us. However, I will say that should it come to an air-to-air battle that them being ready to fly would indeed be advantageous, so for that I say they fly near the boat, ready to counter any enemy aerial force. Besides the giant ship of course." John then made his way to the table.

"I mean no disrespect by any of this, but even among mercs a decent formation should be made in order to be ready, as it stands we will be as gung-ho as these pirates. Until the real fighting breaks out we need to have a plan, who is assigned the task of killing the Yellow Beard and by this I mean who has the greatest chance of hitting him when the fight begins? Assassins have many ways to kill a man, from a range, overwhelming magic, or devastating tech." He looked to the group pointing out those who had decided to sport their weapons in the meeting. "We need to know our squad's armaments and lack thereof in order to work efficiently and be able to assign tasks when we're too busy fighting for out lives to think about it. Who shall guard the rear end of our group and who will take the brunt of the damage and be willing to step into a trap first, at the front? These are all important, yet unanswered questions by your plan. I find it to be too loose and disturbing to say the least." John said before crossing his arms. "But, if any of these are to be answered, will it be day or night by the time this operation begins?"

So, much for the soldier's composure.

 

[LowDefinition]

​

The silver haired sniper Silvania have been enjoying her stay as a member of the Lughanta Mercenary company. Utilizing her long ranged cover, many jobs that the company have done went by smoothly with little to no problems.

Today, while Silvania is currently doing a maintenance on her Widowmaker in the Mess Hall. There was an announcement that there'll be a crew gathering immediately in the Mess Hall. Silvania continued to work on her gun without paying any attention to the Hall slowly but surely getting crowded with the crew. It was as if she's on her own world.

She continued on until she heard the captain started her speech. Hearing that the rumors that the company accepted a request from the Doge of Venesia were true, Silva raised an eyebrow. Does that mean we're also working with another company? It must've be a huge thing that it's not just us who he contacted for this Silva thought.

It turns out that Lughanta along with other mercenary companies are going to put an end to the notorious Yellow Beard. And that's all of the speech, or so Silva thought. She heard herself along with some others being called to meet in the War Room after this.

As the crew disperses, Silva returned to finishing her Widowmaker's maintenance. When she's done, she carries it to the War Room.

---

Silva entered the War Room and took a seat after taking a cup of tea. Waiting on others to arrive, Silva observed the miniatures set up on the table. Oh so that's what's it's all about, wonder why did she call me though Silva thought on the miniatures.

When everyone arrived, Agatha explained the details on the assault towards the Yellow Beard pirate crew. Also stating that everyone gathered here as the boarding squad, confirming Silva's suspicions. Agatha continued to explain how the crew will board Yellow Beard's flagship.

When it's time to ask question, Silva was about to raise her hand but interrupted by John. Stating his opinions on using people who can fly and also pointing out that the plan was too loose to begin with. As John finished, Silva stood up.

"I believe I'll be the one providing the rear guard." Silva said, patting her Widowmaker. "Also, I have to object on being part of the boarding squad. I can only do long range so it'll be better for me to stay on this ship. But of course, I will provide covering fire to the best I can." Silva voiced her objections. "That's it from me. I trust you all already know what I can do and I believe you can put up a better detail on what each of us will be doing on this battle." Silva looked at Agatha, giving a confident look as she finished and once again took her seat.[/hr]

 

[Ehb]

Seven couldn't make sense of the situation.

Throughout his brief time as a crew-member of the Lughanta, he had never done any real combat in front of his peers thus far. Seven was known as the Janitor, the Cook, the Guy-Who-Lifts-Things. But to immediately accompany the captain on an upcoming boarding action? He couldn't tell if Agatha Nightingale had good intuition or if she was simply checking off random names for people to go with her.

As John openly voiced his opinions and feedback on the captain's plan, Seven readjusted his tie. Looking uncomfortable. Uncomfortable over whether there was a possibility his skills or even his own identity might've already been compromised. Did someone in the know of him feed her intelligence that the unassuming redhead in the suit had some combat skills, or was Agatha in on it herself, and was simply throwing him in with the boarding crew in the hopes that the worst would happen to him, leading to his death.

Either way, he had to assume he was going to need some kind of contingency plan in case it was as bad as it possibly could be for him. Jumping out into the ocean was not a problem, but refusing to go along and being absent was going directly against the captain, and his employer's explicit orders. Probably, the best course of action was to feign getting an injury. Though, he might have to go an extra mile to make it authentic, maybe like inflicting a flesh wound on his leg, making him invalid to be sent out.

While in thought, John's words which had been playing in the background for Seven, started to register, appealing to a certain quality he could appreciate.

"...We need to know our squad's armaments and lack thereof in order to work efficiently and be able to assign tasks when we're too busy fighting for out lives to think about it. Who shall guard the rear end of our group and who will take the brunt of the damage and be willing to step into a trap first, at the front? These are all important, yet unanswered questions by your plan. I find it to be too loose and disturbing to say the least."

With an agreeable expression, Seven visibly nodded. Since he wasn't in any kind of position of note in this crew, he could only voice agreement or silent disagreement and/or apathy.

"But, if any of these are to be answered, will it be day or night by the time this operation begins?"

With the flaming ring around the ship, whether the attack came by day or night seemed mostly insignificant. Since they'd be able to spot them coming for them rather quickly with such a boldly designed airship. Of course, there probably was supposed be a way to stop it. It wasn't like the flame was totally vital, and it was just for show for the most part - possibly. In his short time on the ship, there was still much Seven had to learn about the workings of these air-going vessels.

"I believe I'll be the one providing the rear guard."

A woman, sporting her ranged weapon spoke up.

"Also, I have to object on being part of the boarding squad. I can only do long range so it'll be better for me to stay on this ship. But of course, I will provide covering fire to the best I can."
"That's it from me. I trust you all already know what I can do and I believe you can put up a better detail on what each of us will be doing on this battle."

Seven knew exactly what he was going to do. Look complelely lacklustre in the fight so as to not be worth deploying again.

With so many people in one room it was likley whatever he had to say was going to get lost once people began to speak up. So, he had to come forward himself.

"I apologize, I came here because I thought my name was called earlier. But, I think I might've been mistaken. I just work maintenance and the kitchen. So I should just... return to my duties now, yes?"

He said, shrugging dismissively at his own 'mistake.' It made sense that he felt there was a mistake, considering what he'd been doing up until now on the ship.

 

[Weisenhart]

"Ei, missy...! Toss ano'er one o'er here!"​

The crimson-hued airship, widely-known as the Lughanta, was as booming as it was everyday. The mess hall, in particular, was flooded with simultaneous inconsequential conversations between more than a hundred aeronauts, some more rambunctious than others. Eating, drinking and laughing with boisterous vigor, all of it was nothing but the ineluctable part of daily life in this splendid aerial transport.

"Thank ye'. So, as I was sayin', I was right up this thief's ass, and he was pissin' his pants while runnin' away! And I was like, "Ma boi, I ain't that scary! Calm the fuck down!" I was literally seein' the man leak a patch on his trousers!"

"HAHAHAHAHA! ADDA BOY! AWOO!"

"AWOO! I BET LIL' HERMAN WOULD HAVE THE SAME IMPRESSION ON GIRLS!"

"HAHA! THEY'LL BE COWERING WITH FEAR AND PISSI--"

*smack*

"Asshole! I'll bash yer' head in for real if ya don't keep yer' trap shut!!"​

Herman Schmid, a juvenile adventurer and smith, now on his second year prior to admittance into the company, had fully accustomed to the aforementioned way of life on the flying vessel. Bonding with his comrades is pure bliss to him. In comparison to the rest of the crew who are actively boots on land, Herman seldom leaves what he now likes to call his secondary home. forging and making slight adjustments to the weaponry of his crew members as the resident smith. And so, this day became somewhat an eye-opener for the young man.

What seemed to be a relentless hearty squabble between Herman and his comrades along with the others cooled down when their captain, his boss, Agatha Nightingale, positioned herself on the central podium, making her voice be heard through the attached amplifiers. All eyes on the female brunette, her declaration and confirmation of the company's next big undertaking gained their full attention, Herman included. The name Doge Enrico Donatello was surely familiar to him, being his hometown's ruler. For such a man to personally request their company in taking down the nefarious Yellowbeard, this man must be legit bad news.

"Ah, well... I'm sure Agatha 'n the rest of the mercs can wipe the floor with 'im."​

Taking a slow chug of his ale, Herman was blissfully unaware of his eventual role. At the same time, Agatha announced the name of the crew members who were mandated to meet her in the War Room. His name popped up. Wide-eyed while still guzzling his alcohol, Herman suddenly reacted by spitting the contents from his mouth to his friend.

"H-HEY! W-WHAT THE F--"

"Quiet! Aw, piss...

...even me...?"​

---

As he was pretty much ordered to meet her along with a dozen others, Herman had no choice but to obey as he approached the door leading to the War Room. In all honesty, he was slightly anxious. Not because he can't deal with a couple of pirates, no. That was easy peasy lemon squeezy. Any situation that was under his advantage was acceptable. was because this was the first time he was directly addressed with an inordinate mission. He wanted to explore, yeah, but not become part of an upcoming conflict! It certainly wasn't as trifling as your ordinary thieves! Thus, his reason for rarely leaving the ship was explained.

"Dangers be damned... Dangers be damned... Whew. Herman, you can fuckin' do this!"​

Composing himself and turning the handle of the door, Herman entered.

"E-eiiiiiiii, people~"​

With a waving gesture, Herman received naught but indifferent stares from the rest of the crew. He turns out to be the last one to arrive from the people mentioned. His heart was thumping slightly. Herman noticed the sheer difference in experience between him and these selected people. These people were serious-to-the-bone mercenaries. Of course, he interacted with most of them so he acknowledged most of their base personalities. But that was on the outside. Here lies only the most capable of Agatha's subordinates. There was no time to be goofy like the Herman that he was. Respecting Agatha's wishes, he decided to get serious as well, a slight sweat on his forehead notwithstanding.

Herman listened to the battle plan, which screamed reckless in his dictionary, but nevertheless kept silent. Placing a finger on his chin, backhunched, pondering about the one thing that went through his mind: Will this plan really succeed without casualties? This Yellowbeard is, as Agatha acknowledged, crafty. Point of the fact is, he just didn't want anyone in this room to die; these are his comrades. As the discussion continued, Herman heard the technical complaints and inquiries from the other crew members. John, for one, made a justified statement in confirming the efficiency and state of the squad's weaponry. Clearly an experienced mercenary. Nodding in unison with Seven and the others, he also heard Silvania Sloan's objection regarding being part of the boarding squad.

Then, he himself spoke.

"I-I'll... uhh..."​

Herman stuttered then paused for a bit, glancing towards Agatha, before finally letting out the commitment coming from his lips.

...Guess I'll kick some arse."​

 

[Lusterless Nova]

Settling in with the Lughanta company wasn't as difficult as Marumei thought it would be. What she expected? Piles over piles of work crashing down on her. Not that it didn't happen anyway of course, but it was work she could handle. This crew was generally healthy, but they still liked to have a certain stock of medicine for the typical illnesses. So, Marumei was one of those in charge of processing herbs and prepare them to be mixed into medicine the moment it was needed. Quite simple, really. Most things were either just dried and ground to dust, or mixed and distilled. Latter was not something she was used to do, but as it turned out, her fellow crew mates were knowledgeable and kind enough to teach her that. And at times she didn't work, she could laze around in her room, have a drink, or enjoy some sunlight on one of the outer decks. Honestly? She could get used to this.

A couple weeks into her routine, her captain called the entire crew in for a meeting. Judging from the reactions of those who were longer on board than Marumei, this seemed to be out of the norm. Grinning as she expected some exciting news, she finished her last task, then put the tools away, and went with the crowd. Once there, chatter began. That was the uninteresting part, so she didn't pay much attention to that. However. As her captain went to the podium, the witch's hat rose, and a pair of green eyes focused on the brunette. "Cheerful as ever." She had to hand it to her. Speaking so openly while being watched by... maybe 300 men, wasn't something everyone could pull off. The fact that she was out for Yellow Beard probably helped her keep a... not serious, but rather professional feel to her words. It was easy to follow her thoughts and keep being focused. No doubt about it. If she was ever tired of being a captain, she'd make a good entertainer. And speaking of entertainment, the announcement was over. Taking out a parchment from one of her pockets, Agatha began addressing a couple crew mates. This sounded like fun~ Taking a moment to think about the names, Marumei smiled after hearing the first 4 and waited for her name to be called out as well. How she knew hers was on it? Call it a hunch. That, and all of those names were new crew members who joined 1 or maybe 2 weeks after she did. "15th. Probably too soon to mutter some extra wishes, but we'll talk about this one day or another captain." Just a little nitpicky detail, and deciding to pay it no mind, Marumei went to the bar and wet her throat with something refreshing before heading for the meeting.
[The Meeting]

With curiosity comparable to a cat that heard a new sound, Marumei went into the war room and took a look around. This place was obviously designed to talk as privately as possible to others. "Thanks for the invite. So far, I like this break from my routine tasks." Walking over to the round table, Marumei grabbed herself a glass of juice as Agatha waited for the rest of her crew. Huh. Quite a lot of people actually. Including Agatha, there were 20 people in here. Once they were fully assembled, she turned to Agatha as she continued. Yellow Beard's hideout was somewhere between Venesia and Armerium Council. Nothing bad so far, but chances were high he was already expecting them. "And that explains why we are so many. No way we could pull off an assassination with a colorful party as this one." Funny enough, her outfit was probably the one that stood out the most.

Keeping on listening, Marumei gave the plan a few thoughts. Given the right timing, this was a good one. While the Golden Midas would be busy fighting off the big ships, this attack party would have less resistance to fight through. Of course, this still had risks. One being that no one here was fully aware what the other was capable off. They were a bag full of different marbles so to speak. But at least not the useless kind of marbles. Marumei herself had her cards and spellcasting, and while this crew had different levels of experience, none of them was someone to underestimate. Even that chipper boy with the pendant could probably handle a group of pirates on his own. "If anything, I'm only good for guarding myself. Sorry~" Whenever this was proof of her spoiled nature, or just her not being used to fight with others was up for debate. But she did have skills that could come in handy for a party. Putting her hands behind her head, she smiled and continued. "But if you let me hang out in the middle, or the back of the formation, I'll take the time to cast a healing spell or two on you in between my own card and fire spells." Hm... Recklessness wouldn't help them, so maybe she shouldn't make this sound too comforting. "Careful though, I'm a witch, not a white mage. So don't get too careless since I won't be able to put you back together if you get too many extra holes in your body." Going over the plan and all its details, Marumei couldn't help but feeling that something was off about it. "Hm..." What was it though? ...Oh. Right. "Not to down the mood, but if he knows we're coming, chances are there's a trap waiting for those who come for him. So, what do we do if we can't find him or he isn't even on this ship?" They weren't talking about some run of the mill pirate after all. This was someone who was powerful enough to mess with the ruler of Venesia, and smart enough to get away with it too many times. Yellow Beard may have a dumb name, but that didn't mean he should be taken lightly.

 

[Izurich]

@ShiroKiyoshi

The brown-haired young man decided to take the Devil's Advocate role it seemed, which was quite welcome as far as Agatha was concerned. No one could ever make a perfect plan so she appreciated criticisms to refine the obvious flaws. The risk could never be completely eliminated but they could be minimized. "We won't be launching all airboats, John. I am aware of their value." After all, airboats were the main 'weapons' of privateers and pirates as opposed to a military warship's focus on cannons. "Correct, the Lughanta will be providing covering fire. You are new so I must tell you that boarding is the way we do things, we aim to capture the Golden Midas, not destroy it." Blowing up the flagship would make their efforts useless, not to mention inviting the Doge's wrath. At worst, the Company could be decommissioned. "However, yes, we'll be flanking the Golden Midas as close as possible before launching the fliers, but remember, they have their own airboats as well."

"None taken." Agatha listened further, giving her full attention to the brunette male. She was rather fond of inquisitive people. With experience, John had potential to be his own captain. "We aren't the leader of our battle line, it'd be the Draconus, Captain Camus' airship." Agatha replied as she pointed to one of the figures, indicating it belonged to one of the merc companies hired by the Doge. "Heh..." The brunette smirked, "We are, we'll be going straight for Yellow Beard while our allies keep his ship busy. Expect heavy resistance from his crew, that's why I'm sending multiple airboats after the Golden Midas." She put her arms on her hips, "It'd not be that easy, don't forget that airships have shields to block off rune cannons and magitek weapons alike. Boarding is the mo. If Yellow Beard is smart, which I think he is, he'd not be out in the open... him having bodyguards is also a high possibility." She pondered as he expressed his point about the crew's capabilities, "I have got that covered, why did you think I called you all here? I didn't look at my crew list and randomly pick you names. Rear end, no problem, we aren't fighting alone. The brunt of the damage should be handled just fine by our most durable crew such as Saki, Laura, Wukong, and Sorina among others."

At last, a bright - rather challenging - smile curled on her lips, "Well, those questions are now answered, aren't they?" She took a breath, "Most likely night."

<----->​

@LowDefinition

"Hmmm, apologies, Silva." She made a little blunder, she admitted, she should have clarified that the company's best markswoman should be providing them covering fire. Her custom-made rifle was the only personnel weaponry able to penetrate an airship's shield even when it's at full capacity. "Yes, you are to stay in the Lughanta, provide us covering fire, take out high-profile targets first." That'd mean Yellow Beard, assuming he'd be out, but... she wouldn't count on that, it'd be too easy. "However, you have your own concerns as if the Golden Midas would send its own boarders, you won't be alone as not all of us would be boarding but still, be careful."

"I believe I explained it rather well." She nodded, "Those who could take flight on their own should strike them where they least suspect it swiftly or disrupt their airboats. The rest of you are coming with me."

<----->​

@Ehb

Ah yes, now it was one of her 'odd one out' crew member among the oddities gathered in the room. The redheaded young man who called himself 'Seven'. "Yes, I did call your name, Seven." Agatha gave him a rather impish smirk, "Know what I think? I think you have potential. The way you walk, the look in your eyes, I know a warrior when I see one. You are wasting your talents in the kitchen. Want to make a bet on how capable you actually are? You are coming with us." She deepened her voice a bit, subtly hammering in that it was a direct order. It was for his own good. Besides, the pay for being a soldier was much higher than a janitorial crew, who wouldn't want that?

<----->​

@Holy Shounen Grenade

The raven-haired tanned man who made a rather... dynamic entrance finally spoke up. If it wasn't for the seriousness of the topic, Agatha would have guffawed at his attempt of ice breaking. He was likely covering the awkwardness of being last to arrive, but it just made him the center of attention. "Yes, Herman?" The brunette smiled, waiting for him to finish up, hopefully, it wouldn't take a year, "Wonderful. Time to use your tonfas, blow up some shit, aye?" She tried speaking in his 'accent'.

<----->​

@Lusterless Nova

The golden-haired Lilim was a potent bundle of joy alright, no matter what lay before her, she could always keep up that fox-like grin and cheerfully mischievous presence. Having personally 'rescued' her from that prison, a little detour because she wasn't her target in the first place, Agatha was more than aware how capable she actually was. As expected from a Witch, her magical prowess was nothing to scoff at. Unlike Seven, it shouldn't be hard to figure out why she was chosen. "Ha, you burn, freeze, and zap them good, Mei." The captain chuckled, "Yeah, do you hear her, everyone? Don't catch too many bullets with your body, hmm?"

Oh, she did raise a good point, "Perhaps, it was just my speculation that he'd know we're coming. Who knows, he might be unaware. In any case, we should prepare for the worst-case scenario." Which was retreating, by the way, she wouldn't even attempt to flank and board if things looked too risky. "The Golden Midas is the top priority, we must recover it. If Yellow Beard is not on his prized ship, however unlikely, it won't really matter. We are taking the ship."

 

[RedArmyShogun]

​

Having joined the Company some months prior, the young Blood Devil, while lacking in practical experience was fairly well trained and acquitted herself well in a few early campaigns and thus earning her own cabin aboard the Lughanta, even if a bit small, for a warship her size, cabins weren't all too rare, she was an underarmed, undercrewed, Cruiser. But such was the price of keeping local governments happy she knew.. On the plus side, she was a fine airship with much in the way of creature comforts.

Sitting in her room with a book in hand, and a clear wine glass filled half way with a rather thick looking red wine on her small personal table, Sorina did not much care to intermingle with the crew on boring days like these, a small crystal powered Majitek player was playing a soft if haunting tune consisting largely of a pipe organ. With a thin smile across her face, the occasional clink of armored plates could be heard coming from her arms and legs with each subtle movement. Hearing the sound of footsteps beyond her door pausing, the raspy breathing of a human could be heard... Was he afraid? Pathetic.

"Yes? What do you want. Out with it quickly, or are you just looking for a place to piss yourself?" Stating the words rather acidly, the figure seems to collect his nerve, knocking on the door then opening it. Quickly informing Sorina of the meeting, her smile shifts open, showing sharp interlocking teeth. "Oh. Work finally? Ehehehehe!" Cackling, the girl hurriedly grabs her chest plate from the bed, snapping it on, casting her cloak over it, there was no point in going to the meeting without her battle gear on.

Watching the young Captain atop the platform Sorina always found her to be a strange human, to be so young and to acquire so much power, it was part of why she had sought out this ship. As far as humans went this one was worth treating with some respect. Carrying out her customary greeting, it seemed all the fighting forces were here, sadly the equally annoying roar of some of the crewmen followed the greeting.

Doge Enrico Donatello huh? Grinning, either this was a trade war, or pirates. Either way it meant money and blood, that made it a good day. For a human with such a troublesome name, he was rather important in the standing of the modern world. The next reply confirmed her thoughts, Pirates. Though she did not like the fact they would be working with other companies, the money would be spread out, or trouble would be afoot.. Announcing their dismissal, the Armored knight turns to leave, until her name among several others was called.

Facing Agatha, and acknowledging the command, Sorina's right arm comes up along side her breastplate, with a soft metallic clink in salute. "By your Command, Captain." It didn't matter if the woman heard or seen, it was courtesy owed to her rank and position.
​

~~~ One Hour Later ~~~

​

Entering the meeting room, Agatha explains the situation to them, so she was planning to use the other captains and her own forces as distractions, to pin the enemy in place, while they invade straight on to cut the head off the beast. Small infantry tactics would be best suited here. Not really having anything to add, someone voices complaint, a human of course..

First voicing his complaints in regard to the flyers, his counter points soon delved into how best the ship should be utilized in covering them, order of battle for invasion, then who would square off against Yellow Beard, then talk of armaments and assigning tasks. While there was some Merit in what he was saying, there was much he did not seem to understand, or at least not from the standpoint of her own Training and Doctrine. Even if this human was a skilled fighter, he was not in command, was ignoring the essence of war.

Chaos.

Stepping forward, the much smaller armored Woman clears her throat, stepping forward.

"While an esteemed fighter, your lack of upbringing is painfully apparent of the Peasantry. I shall however concede to your point on us fliers. But I do not believe we should accompany you, it presents far too many problems, nor should we escort the flagship. We should take up an advance screening, guarding the transports, and intercepting incoming attacks before they can get close enough to do harm. And the Lughanta covering us? Are you mad? Inaccurate canon fire? Never mind allowing her to plunge into the enemy fleet, and within range of return fire of the Golden Midas? They are Pirates, they do not follow your honorable codes, they'll be armed to the bloody teeth, but alas Cannon fire will have trouble hitting our landing craft, no? And I unlike you would like to keep my cabin free of shell holes, but maybe you like sleeping in a large group with the crew, as if it were a large camping trip..."

Sweeping her right arm aside, to cast her cloak about, the young Blood Devil continues her counter speech, likely attempting to gain the attention of others.

"As to a plan, you should put more faith in your comrades, the plan was already laid before you, while the other idiots attack the small fry, our smaller and faster assault craft will assault the enemy command ship. We will board the central craft, and we will kill all aboard. The tactics are simple, land, clear the upper to the lower decks, swordsmen up front, or lure the enemy to the upper decks, use elemental magic to kill strong points. Show no Mercy and no sense of morals and rend apart their mongrel hides! Burn them, smash them, slash them! Give no quarter and allow no recovery! A plan in tight quarters fighting, only gives them the edge, if we waste time they escape, or someone else claims the glory and the lion's share of the reward!"

Loud and chaotic with her words, as her kind was known to be, she was largely quoting the doctrine of her people, but she had to conclude in a softer tone of counter argument, to at least not ruffle feathers, while she didn't think highly of John they were allies so long as they were on this ship..

"Speed is what is needed here, with known capabilities being used on the fly as needed, to situations as they arise. Yellow Beard has grown conceited and arrogant with his conquests. And with so many Mercenary groups coming for him it is possible he knows we are coming, and he'll believe his rabble are the better soldiers, for if we fall, all of the local region will be at his whim and mercy. And a Pirate Captain not being on his ship? What such men would follow him to give him such a large collection of ships? They keep control through fear and power. We are the Lughanta Company, and we should act as such.

Each assault lander should formulate it's own plan structured around the assaulting units, and Yellow Beard, no special duels or plans need to be made for him. Burn him alive, boil him, drain him of blood, crush him, use weight of numbers, it matters not who finds him, just that someone does and makes it the priority to kill him. Because if we see him, then revert to a plan of who should end him we run the risk of letting him slip through our fingers."

Finishing what she had to say, Sorina takes a step back, turning on her heel, giving her customary Salute to the young commander. However some of the next replies irked her, the shooter that even brought up envy for the small girl, at least knew her job. It seemed that one's brains didn't go to her breasts after all, next was a human named Seven who worked largely worked in maintenance and the kitchen. Deciding to add in her own thoughts before panic took hold, she directs her gaze to the man, and makes a pointed remark.


"Maintenance? then perhaps you can shut off their ships engines or undo Sabotage, I've also seen you lift things around the ship, at the very least you can pull out the wounded who cannot walk." Next to speak was the Braggart of a tan man, would he even survive? Not having any words of reassurance for him, Sorina turns, joining back with the crowd in a few steps, muttering a bit of a remark as she does so.

"..well we found who to spring the trap.."

And Next was the girl dressed like a Witch, while her remarks on friendly fire or inability to heal past a point came up would be a sore point of contention, Sorina was rather fine with it herself, next was the Captain herself spoke up, hopefully putting others at ease, though it ultimately made Sorina's speech somewhat meaningless, but such was the nature of Humans. Regardless, she thankfully, if limitedly could fly, and as a lancer, short of fighting on the deck, or in defense of the ship, she wouldn't have to join the Assault on the internals of the pirate ship.

Well until, her name was called out for the Assaulting force, so she would have to venture below, keeping a somber look to her face, the Infenral gives a nod, acceapting her orders, at the least it should be amusing, plus plenty of blood to enjoy.

~~~

Direct engagement/Mention @ShrioKiyoshi @Izurich @Ehb Mentioned indirectly @AlwaysWillBeWeise​

 

[ERode]

People sure liked to talk, huh? Standing in the back of the room, Shinobu's gray eyes flickered from one person to the other, from the obtrusively immature Herman to the pointlessly aggressive Sorina. While others issued their complaints about the plan or about other people's complaints, she only continued to digest all the information that had been given to her thus far.

Yellowbeard, a successful pirate due to intelligence and charisma, instead of combat ability. A proper leader, essentially, despite his criminal profession. Lead a fleet of pirates and most likely delegated most administrative tasks to the former captains of those airships. Annoying enough to be a thorn in the side of the Doge, but not yet important enough that the Doge would be willing to ask help from other nations to deal with this problem. No doubt if Enrico had requested foreign help, Venesia's treasured independence would be threatened by this 'debt'.

And if this operation fell through, the Lughanta's own reputation would plummet as a result. During the past two years that Shinobu had worked as a mercenary upon the ship, she had bore witness to its meteoric rise to fame, one successful job after the other creating what was essentially a five year long 'win' streak.

Failing something as critical as this would definitely bring the Lughantha back down to earth. A ship only good for small-time missions. A ship that cracks under the pressure.

And for such a crucial mission, they were including people like Herman, Fay, and Seven? Considering the massive Erchius consumption of Helena's own Seraphic Liberators, putting that child in the self-flight vanguard also sounded like a mistake.

But Agatha was the boss, and so, Shinobu kept quiet albeit for three points.

"If Seven is unwilling to fight, do not force him to. This is too dangerous of an operation to test his mettle," Shinobu said, sparing a glance at the red-headed janitor, "And sabotaging the ship isn't as helpful as it sounds. We are to capture the ship, not have it fall into the ocean and break against the waters while we're still onboard."

She didn't bother to look towards Sorina as she spoke that.

"Helena should not be part of the flying vanguard. Her own wings are still too inefficient. Such high Erchius consumption would be detected by the Golden Midas's radar, thus giving away the rest of us."

"Similarly," the willow-esque woman continued, "Yumi should not be part of the boarding party at all. She's may be a prodigious assassin and a scout, but we're expecting a firefight here, and she is ill-equipped for such situations. If the plan was for her to infiltrate the ship before the battle begins and then provide us with blueprints of the place, then I would be inclined to agree, however, as we are now, it sounds like you intend on forcing a child with a knife to partake in a battle between adults armed with guns and swords."

It was sheer stupidity, putting someone like that into such a combat-heavy mission, after all. One must wonder what their captain was thinking in such a situation.

Maintaining her gaze upon Agatha, she finished, "Finally, is it correct to assume that we will be in position before the battle begins? If it has not already been planned, I recommend a sea-to-air approach, ascending from the ocean to infiltrate from the bottom of the Golden Midas. Anti-air armanents are rarely positioned on the bottom of non-military airships, in order to prevent degradation due to seawater exposure."

Indeed, the greatest failure of past airship designs was the inability to truly envision the three dimensional battlefield that the vessels would be fighting in.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

Saki wasn't the sort to say much in briefings like this. She'd been with the company long enough to know that they'd go in, do the thing, and that would be it. And everyone talking and arguing over the best course of action was just annoying. She hated that sort of thing. Why waste time yammering about what might happen or might be best, and making the situation hypothetically worse? It wasn't really that useful, to her.

"It's all gonna go to hell in the first couple minutes anyway," she pitched in with her own two cents on the matter. "We know what we're going to do, no reason to worry about every detail." The dragon girl raised her shoulders and wings in a shrug. "The only actual problem I can see is if our crafty enemy is smart enough to not even be on his own boat."

"You can all count on me on the front lines," she said, puffing out her chest with pride. "I'm not the sort to just run away, and you should be glad to have the might of a dragon on your side. I'm not gonna just run away or buckle under a few pirates or anything. Not sure about flying ahead of the boats, but we can just wait and see if we want to do that when we're actually there." She seemed quite smug and confident in her own abilities, at least.

 

[☆Luna☆]

One of the Company's newest recruits Yumi now gets to experience her first major operation with the crew. Up until this point, Yumi spent most of her time helping out in the kitchen with Seven. Although she always got the feeling that he didn't trust her too much, she also didn't expect him to. In spite of it, she managed to have plenty of fun. Though, when she wasn't busy cooking for the crew, she spent a majority of her time in training. Although she knew she had talent for her age, she also knew that she could not afford to rest on her laurels. She expected to have much to learn, but at least with respect to the crew, she found few equals. These practice duels eventually came to Agatha's attention, which Yumi presumes is the only reason she even ended up in these circumstances.

Yumi found herself happy to be of use, though she also wasn't particularly sure how she could be useful. She thought about it throughout the entire hour they were given before reconvening with the captain for debriefing, yet ultimately decided that it would be difficult to know anything before meeting her teammates. Since the list of names called seemed on the small side, Yumi took this to mean that the list was selected with care, though she briefly considered that expendability might be a factor before factoring in that the captain herself would join them.

Sitting in the group, off in her own little quiet corner, Yumi does the traditional Yumi thing; wait until she is needed. When it came to planning battle strategies, it seemed wise to see what everyone had to offer. It seemed like John, Seven, and Sorina all had far more experience in this regard than her, and for this reason felt quite ready to differ to their judgement. Yumi began thinking about all the roles that the team needed fulfilled, thinking about how she could utilize her abilities, when she finds herself called out unexpectedly. Aware that she was likely the least important person in the room, she thought it would merely be her place to do what she is told like always.

Shinobu surprised her with her wealth of knowledge on her abilities. Despite only having limited interactions with her, it seemed like she already knew so much. Yumi seems visibly happy that someone as important to the team as Shinobu was paying attention to her, even if it was simply to say how she did not belong. Yumi speaks up, "I don't know about myself. Maybe Shinobu is right, but, I think Seven definitely belongs. I see him in the kitchen a lot, but I think that he just does that because he is humble. He likes to pretend that he is not capable, but even you can probably notice, the way he talks about combat shows that he knows his way around a battle. I think if you give him a chance, you won't be disappointed. " Covering her mouth Yumi backs away before using a more apologetic tone, "Sorry, I probably just said too much. I just... wanted to be helpful however I can. I can spring traps for you since I can just back out with my abilities. If you want to take me, I'll do my best to keep everyone safe, but even if you don't, I'll do what I can to support you from here. The important thing is making sure Yellowbeard can't keep hurting all those people." Yumi appends, "I mean, it is hard to lose with a dragon on our side right?"

 

[Mahou-Shoujo]

Helen had been working in her room when she was called up to see the captain, and though displeased at being forced to stop her tinkering... She hadn't really been getting anything meaningful done.
Looking at her room it was surprisingly clean and bare of personal possessions, there was clothing, a few books, and one corner filled with parts, tool, and a chest of Erchius.
Helen had joined the crew mostly as a source of income, after all, her experiments were expensive, but had grown to like it in her brief time among the crew, the work wasn't too difficult, the crew, or at least what she had seen of it so far, were for the most part pleasant people, and of course there was the fact that she was constantly airborne, a boon to both her spirit that craved the skies, and chances to test the Seraphic Liberators she had constructed without the worry of crashing into a building or annoying locals.

Helen didn't say much during the meeting at first as she wasnt sure wether or not she should actually talk with her less than high rank, though she was quite pleased at being included among the fliers, a lot of people underestimated or completely disregarded her wings, and even though they were less graceful than organic ones, they were still far better than nothing and had the added utilities of being both more durable than feathers, and far more effective as a weapon.
Helen flashed a quick glare at John for recommending that they save the fliers rather than using them as a vanguard. Save them for what? They wouldn't be capable of doing much damage to the airboats on their own, and though she wasn't too sure about the others, Helen knew that she could wreak havoc on an enemy ship with her magic.
Just as she was preparing to deliver her argument Helen was distracted by something that truly got on her nerves. It was a crew member suggesting that her wings weren't good enough to join the other fliers.

Turning towards the source of the (in her opinion) ridiculous statement, she saw a woman... Shinobu was her name if she remembered correctly.
"By that logic we should keep the entire ship out of range in case they detect that, or do do you think that they can only detect me?! I will sit out if the captain orders me to but I am sure she thought this plan through far longer than you did!"
Helena gave the woman in question a quick, slightly nervous glance as if to make sure that she hadn't over stepped, when it came to her Seraphic Liberators she tended to get quite defensive. And Helen hadn't quite been there long enough to judge the captain's personality yet.

 

[Miya]

---

Cera merely stood there and crossed her arms, looking disinterested at the ongoing heated discussion on how to execute the boarding of the Golden Midas, flagship of a reputable pirate named Yellowbeard. The red-eyed girl cringed at the unusual name. However, seeing that the pirate managed to harass His Serenity and the fact that they are working with the other groups mercenaries to take him down, it will be going to be one hell of a battle.

Perhaps that was why people are getting restless.

Cera sighed as Agatha ironed out the first batch of questions. The half-Infernal mostly has no issues with Lughanta's crews, save for a few nitpicks, for example Herman's booze habits and Sorina's snobbish attitude. Considering that Cera herself has a bad temper, she tends to keep herself so that she can avoid being angered as that usually means something will end up being broken, living or otherwise. Even then, Cera also has the tendency to pick on people as well.

Just like how Seven preferred to do janitorial and other menial works in his expensive suit. That alone would sooner or later gets Agatha's attention.

There was Shinobu too, giving out suggestions and thoughts that sounded more constructive compared to the first few others, especially on the sea-air approach. Cera was not planning to comment, but she just said something about seawater degradation to the airships. If the sea-air approach was that effective, then why the other mercenary groups did not suggest it? Perhaps it was a pain to get rid of the rusts that happened afterwards? Then again, it was not Cera's concern, not to mention that Shinobu has a military background. The half-Infernal's job is to bash pirates with her sword, and that was it.

Then it was Saki's turn, echoing Cera's and perhaps a few silent ones' sentiments with a confident aura. Throughout her time in Lughanta, Cera knows that Agatha's leadership is trustworthy enough not to send her crew into the meat grinder. At the end of the day, your fighting skills will be the only thing that matters for your survival, no matter how hard you plan.

Yumi soon followed, saying that Seven should be assigned as a part of the boarding crew despite Shinobu's protest. It was obvious that Seven has done a bad job in keeping himself inconspicuous. Cera gently chuckled as Yumi went on about Seven, before the half Youkai realized she said too much.

Then Helen happened, with a fierce response to Shinobu's suggestion of keeping her away from the flier vanguard team. Cera's eyebrows twitched as the Lilim spoke, before she gently shook her head. Once Helen was done, the half Infernal figured that she should pose this question just for the heck of it.

"Do we have a Plan B, by any chance?" She asked, nonchalantly with a smile.

 

[Izurich]

@RedArmyShogun

"Pfft..." Agatha couldn't quite hold back her small chortle as the Lughanta's resident Blood Devil began her boisterous monologue, berating the 'inferior' human John. The brunette appreciated that she defended her though. Some of her crew were still uneasy in her presence, but Agatha had gotten used to it. It was good to have an Infernal on board, someone who wasn't afraid to get down and dirty. "Yes, yes, we'll kill them. Yellow Beard is good either dead or alive." The first priority was the Golden Midas anyway, but getting the notorious pirate was a very nice bonus. She could demand extra Florin from the Doge if her company was the one who brought him the pirate's head.

"Good, Sorina, save that spirit for those pirates later." She gave the Infernal a rather malicious smirk in return, Agatha wasn't one to shy away from conflict, especially against criminal scums.

<----->​

@ERode

The opinion of someone who had actual military experience serving under The Empire shouldn't be taken lightly. The notion wasn't lost to the brunette Venesian as gave ex-soldier her full attention. "I can understand your point about Seven, Shin." She smiled a little, "But I know talent when I see it. Sometimes, you just need a 'little' push in the right direction to bring out the warrior in you." It was clear that the captain was adamant in bringing in Seven along. "You are correct, don't destroy the Golden Midas' engine, we are taking it as intact as possible."

"Hmmm..." Agatha pondered for a moment as she gave a glance towards Helen. "I think no matter how high her magitek wings' consumption is, it can't match an airship. No worries on that part. The Golden Midas would have detected us first long before they'd even noticed Helen."

"Uh..." Ah right, the half-breed Neko, huh? Well, she could understand Shinobu's concern considering how the purple-haired girl looks on the outside. "Yumi is a full-grown adult, you know? She can take care of herself. I have seen her used her sword, it's truly one of a kind. If anything, she can set off any traps and zap, return completely unharmed. Our field scout in a way. However, I thank you for the concern." That meant Shinobu cared about the safety of her crewmates.

"Hmmm... yes, by default, we will be among the other merc companies, but..." Her eyes ran over the figures on the circular map once more. "I suppose we can fly at a lower altitude... let the main battle line engage, then flank the Golden Midas from below. Yes, good idea." It was a solid plan.

<----->​

@R-9 Pilot

The Dragon Youkai was definitely one of the group's most eye-striking individual. Her majestic golden horns and wings just exude a mighty aura, uplifting allies and intimidating foes alike. Make no mistake, morale played a crucial part in any battle, having someone who looked like the mythical beasts of destructions was a welcomed boon. "Yep, once things go off, we have to focus on locating Yellow Beard, strike without mercy. No worries about Yellow Beard if he's not on the ship like I said, the Golden Midas is what we want. However, as much as I hate to admit it, pirates do have a crude sense of comradeship among them, Yellow Beard will be there or the battle is already lost before it even begins."

"Of course, Saki, go full Dragon on their raider asses." The captain winked. "Just be careful not to go overconfident, you are a Dragon, but you are no God."

<----->​

@☆Luna☆

The timid Yumi finally spoke up for herself, "I have heard the stories about you, Yumi. You are depreciating your own abilities." the cat-eared girl wasn't one to boast herself, but sometimes, she's too timid for her own good, time to change that. "Hey, we are your comrades here. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Why did you think I accept your application in the first place? Yes. You can scout ahead of us, do what you do best."

<----->​

@Mahou-Shoujo

"Calm down, Helen, I don't think your wings can match up an airship's engine signature in the radars." The captain shrugged a little, "I know you have been itching to use them, it's now time. Make sure you work out all the kinks, don't want them to malfunction and plummet to the sea below, aye?"

<----->​

@Miya

Such a short question yet hit the nail right on the head. The Infernal halfbreed came in with a simple, excellent, inquiry. "Plan B, hmmm... should the unlikely case of our group being pushed back by the pirates and Yellow Beard can't be located. We have no other choice but to retreat. However, as I said, very unlikely. They are pirates, not soldiers."

 

[Skyswimsky]

Laura listened. She listened to the blunt male asking question after question as if he had never been in a briefing before and the gun-wielding silver hair voicing her concerns. The red-eye listened to the red-haired vaguely familiar gentlemen. She did not even think bad about whatever the individual called Herman was doing - though, definitely not amused either. Even the Clown Magician wasn't that weird for Laura's taste. Or maybe she simply refused to think ill of her companions. In fact, the Divine Knight was even unfazed by the Blood Devil's small speech: being very well aware of their Chaotic nature. Heck, Laura could even forgive Shinobu's false assumptions about voicing a ground-to-air approach as the best choice. If anything, that'd been more dangerous.

In the end, though, people were either just complaining, saying to get along with it or asking some valid questions. For the Divine Knight, who had been one of the first, she simply kept silent for the majority of it. While the pseudo-undercover Inquisitor had only been here for a small amount of time, Laura had a certain amount of trust into Agatha. Not because she, well, has seen her abilities, but simply because the white-haired human fully trusted Israfil who sent her here in the first place.

Of course, there was always the possibility of Laura being supposed to uncover something dirty on the Lughanta itself, hence it was in the Inquisitor's nature to not loudly proclaim their presence to any and everybody. At least as far as Laura was concerned.

Adjusting the full-body cloak she was wearing over her gear the Divine Knight actually considered to not say anything at all. She would definitely keep shut about her own flight capabilities though. While she was capable of air-battle's the armoured Knight was simply at a disadvantage if it would extend for too long. "Miss Nightingale isn't new to this." Clearing her throat, Laura spoke up. Loud and clear. "We should put some more faith into her capabilities." Unless this was some ploy to simply get rid of the Inquisition's influence upon her company.

"As far as I am concerned. IF we go through the trouble of crafting a clever ploy and the assumption that this ve- Yellow Beard is at least capable to some sort of degree, considering his past accomplishments, I don't think attacking from anywhere but the back would make much of a difference." With those words the Mercenary gave a small nod, indicating that she was finished.

Closing her eyes for a second, Laura regained full composure. While hunting pirate's wasn't on the Inquisition's to-do list it was, right now, still part of her divine task. Not to mention something Israfil supported. Removing trash like that from the face of Bumi and ultimately giving them a new chance, a fresh start, to make something better of their existence. That was a right thing to do.

 

[Crow]

Monkey Business

The end of a journey signified the start of another, or so her prior mentor said. Wukong looked out of her room and through its windows. Nothing but blue and white. Granted, grey would be dull.

It's been a short while ever since her first day - a few weeks. A few light missions here and there. Overall quite the experience, but she had yet to experience a mission on par with or even better than her pilgrimage. Maybe such a mission would come soon?

Wukong simply grins as she hears a knock on her quarter doors. It was the signal for adventure.

---

Meetingeth Roometh

And so, the meeting proceeded. Wukong preferred peace to drabbly meetings, and action to sitting, but she knew that the action from the mission and peace from the post-meeting would arrive soon, so she listened to the Laghantan Captain Agatha speak her words.

It was quite the process, but Wukong's attention multiplied a hundredfold when her name was called. Suddenly felt like it wss yesterday when she was assigned her name.

The order was to meet in the War Room - for war, obviously.

"So, five of us are flying huh?" Wukong mentions. "I'm honoured to get the best part with these four comrades. Any elaborate plan for us five or do we work with what you've provided us?"

Wukong heard mentions of 'no destroying the engine' or 'don't make it go crashing down'.

"I have other things to crash anyways," Wukong grins, "you can count on me."

In response to Plan B, Wukong comments, "there's a classic rule that when one mentions such a scenario, it'll happen. Glad we have a plan for that, not a fan of retreating, but your orders are word, Cap~!"

Wukong had nothing else to add.​

 

[Weisenhart]

---

It didn't take a dumbass to figure out the condescending stares and glares in the room, most of which were pointed at Herman, that his little drunk ass isn't worth gracing an assuring description. Regardless, he kept his bravado as straightened as it could be. Shaking his head awake to reality, Herman followed with a deep breath. The alcohol from earlier knocked his consciousness a few.

"Ah, nothing, boss. Just keeping my composure up. Heheheh~"'​

Scuffing his messy hair which was kept together by a green headband, a slightly embarrassed Herman continued, addressing his superior's cheerful disposition.

"Rocky 'n Road* is still undergoing refinement, but I can finish 'em up by tonight. An' now that this 'ere big assignment came up, the requests fer the crew's weaponry ta be repaired went way up. Gonna hav'ta ask fer the guys ta help me again..."​

He planted his face on his palm, groaning.

"Welp, guess I'll manage, heh."​

With an earnest shrug, he finished and let the others continue their strategem discourse with Agatha.

---

After further discussion between his crewmates, the laidback young man got the gist of everyone's queries and how they'll be applied on the attack on the Golden Midas. Going low while the main force attacks from the skies, the possibilities of a head-on collision with enemy airboats, and retreating if the situation goes haywire. The flagship was the primary target, and Yellowbeard was just icing on the cake. Herman couldn't do much but listen to his better-experienced comrades, as he certainly wasn't the type to plan. With all said and done, he turned around from the scheming congregation, waving gesture included.

"If there isn't anymore, I'll be takin' ma leave now. Still gotta fuckton to deal in this 'ere ship."​

He took a few steps toward the exit, but then, he stopped.

"... Tch."​

Herman knew he had something to get off his chest before leaving that room. The lad's pride won't let him. With no more time to waste, he let his heart do the talking.

"Ei, fellas!"​

Or, a bellow, as to introduce his nearly indiscernible attendance in that war room. His voice was hopefully enough to gather the attention of everyone present.

"I can't help but admit that I'm the baby of the bunch 'ere in this room. However, the boss called me 'ere for a reason. I know y'all 'are capable enough on yer own, an' I'm a lil' rusty. But let's focus on keeping each other safe, aye~? That being said, since this is my first major undertaking...​

He turned to face everyone, before lowering his head.

... I hope ya'll would take care of me, along with the other recruits."​

What was supposed to be a few seconds of silence after pouring his heart out was interrupted by a sudden belch, presumably from his booze earlier. Scraping his head unashamed, he concluded his remark.

"Oops. Uh... Guess that's all I hafta say. Heh. If you'll excuse me~"​

And then, the young man waved once more before leaving the room completely.

---

"Ah, geez... That was awkward as fuck."​

Note:
* - Herman denominates his dual tonfas as "Rocky and Road".

 

[EmperorsChosen]

It had only been a short period of time since Drayton made his home on the Lughanta, but so far it had been smooth sailing. Food, drink, a nice bed and quarters and quite a few pretty women made the crimson airship an excellent place to live thus far. If the amount of suicide missions were kept to a minimum, it would be perfect. Though from a guy who was used to "roughing it", either staying at cheap inns or on the streets for half his childhood, the bar wasn't exactly very high. Still, raised no complaints from him either way.

When news of an announcement came, the klepto-swordsman was persisting in one of his usual activities, drinking at the bar. Booze served two purposes for Drayton. He enjoyed the taste of most and held a high tolerance, so contests of how much one can down were an easy way for him to "take" without receiving too much trouble along with the coin. Slapping the large unconscious man seated next to him on the shoulder, the swindler took his earnings and departed for the mess hall.

There the captain made her speech. They were to tackle a pirate, this Yellowbeard, a hit requested by the ruler of Venesia. While there were many who gasped with excitement at who the employer was alone, Drayton appeared more interested in the designs on the ceiling. Who would have thought that a street urchin and a thief would care little of the highest of nobles? At the very least, the job would pay well. Then there was this pirate captain. Drayton could enjoy a good fight, but he wasn't holding out much for a man called "Yellowbeard".

As the speech was called to an end, the captain summoned a select few sailors to the war room, himself included. At the meeting, the typical happy go lucky girl would show she was capable of a more stern side, which was a bit surprising, but the thief was glad their captain had some bark to her behind all that optimism, but what really mattered was if she had any bite. Apparently, Drayton would find out as he was part of the boarding team with her and some other interesting individuals of the crew. Regardless, after the captain was finished, she gave room for replies and inquiries.

Many of the mercenaries spoke up, each with their own points and response with the captain replying in turn to a few. Drayton simply listened for a while until the number of voices pitching in seemed to die down a bit, then began to reply to whatever pertained to him.

"Alright... Well, first up... I stab people. I can take some hits too so I should be in the front," Drayton pitched in, addressing where he belonged in the formation. "Honestly, I'm not the tactical type. You give orders, I stab people. Just don't send me on a suicide squad... or put a blue-blood up to giving me orders. They tend to be yappy." More or less, the swordsman would trust the girl's judgement unless her plans would obviously get him killed. That last bit was likely a remark towards the Devil. Drayton didn't stereotype all nobles, but if they opened with something along the lines of I'll move past the fact you're of lower birth, which most did or mentioned, they were likely going to fit the stereotype that bugged him.

 

[Beowulf]

Taka sat in his room, hunched over his desk with a pestle in his hand, with an echirus crystal in the mortar. Next to him was a bowl of paste. Why he had a bowl of paste next to him who knew. What he had in mind was to mash up the echirus crystal, carefully, and put the resulting dust into the paste and see how well the echirus dust could release it's energy while within the sticky paste. If all went well, he could use it to write with, and the resulting letters would glow in the dark. Hopefully. Everything could just blow up, that was always a possibility. If things were to suddenly shake when he didn't want them to, for example. But seeing as how everything was nailed down, he doubted that. Loose objects on board a ship during a storm created a rather large mess to clean up. The table was nailed down, as was his chair. The arms of which would latch into place to secure him as well, should he need to be secured. Bookshelves, coat racks, dresser, bed, all nailed to the floor of his small room. Small, but sadly not soundproof.

Next door was a woman that constantly played her damn music. Oh it spooked him when he first came aboard and was presented with this room. But he quickly got used to it, and it only served to get on his nerve. If he wasn't such a gentleman, and had a cane, he'd have banged on the wall and demanded her to stop. The rumors be damned! Like clockwork the song would start up, play once, then stop. Then later on it'd start again, maybe a different song this time. No wonder this room hadn't been occupied, no one wanted to put up with the constant noise.

He was just about to get up and abandon the rules of being a gentleman when he heard a knock on the door. Opening the door, he saw a man there. "What?" he asked, a bit more angrily then intended.

"Captain said for everyone to come to the mess hall."

Sighing, Taka nods his head and waves the man away with one hand, and pinches the bridge of his nose with the other. Great, another thing that he had to see to. For the most part, the captain left him to his own devices. But occasionally she'd but in and interrupt what he was doing.

The meeting in the mess hall went as expected, he simply nodded his head in understanding of what it was they were up against. And he stood out of courtesy when she said she'd want several people to meet with her privately. He was slightly surprised when she called his name. In fact, it was the first one on the list.

'Don't get an inflated head' whispered his spirit animal Buras, who he had completely forgotten about. Landing on his shoulder, Buras went about preening his feathers, making himself presentable. They were going to meet the captain, after all. It wouldn't do to have shoddy looking feathers. He quickly gave Taka a look as he switched from one wing to another, that glance telling him to look presentable as well.

Harrumphing in indignation, Taka quickly smooths out his coat and brushes off any dirt or echirus dust that may have collected on him. Then giving Buras a defiant look, he makes his way to the war room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once he got to the war room, he took up a spot that was somewhat out of the way, leaving the seats for the women should they choose to sit. He didn't have any questions, everything seemed rather straight forward. Well, he had one question. "May I have whatever echirus crystals and echirus fuel is on board the flag ship?" He needed it after all to study. And free echirus was better then any other kind.