Map and Compass [Original Fantasy Adventure RP - In Character]

Sketching101

Coup de Gravy!
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  1. Intermediate
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Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
Genres
Fantasy, Scifi, Mystery
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Credit for art to Takeda11
[font=Courier_New]Sophian Ocean - The Wingless Wyvern[/font]

[spacer]The Wyvern had set sail nearly a week ago. The overcrowded ship had been floating clumsily to its destination much to the dismay of most of its land-roaming passengers. On a rare quiet night, the ship fell silent with the exception of the creaking wood. The soldiers from the Orcish Clans seemed to be in a deep slumber. Even the crew was out cold. The quartermaster had fallen asleep at the helm, the captain, in his chambers. The deck was mostly empty except for the body of the unbothered watch cracked and broken on the wood.[/spacer]
[spacer]Below the deck, however, the scattered and -by all appearances- lifeless bodies riddled the wooden floor and hammocks, leaving room only for the nimblest men and women to make their way out onto the deck without stepping on anyone’s head. As the strayskins and humans on board fell into the dreamlands, those of the Daemons who had been asleep woke up to a strong and sudden jolt of pain coursing through their bodies. [/spacer]
[spacer]A small source of light oozed from inside the captain’s quarters on the deck, but its effect grew dim as a strange blue light started dancing in the sky, leaving a long winding shroud of celestial lights behind it. Attached to the captain’s door, there was a map all too familiar to those who had been on the ship throughout their brief journey. That of the Fifth Pillar, visible from beyond the mountains ahead. Some of the light in the sky seemed to slowly wrap around it and the Second Pillar they left behind them. The captain had guessed they would be in the gulf of the Fifth Pillar within another week, but both pillars could be made out in the distance without much difficulty even over all the miles of ocean and mountains between the ship and the pillars.[/spacer]

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(There's something crudely scribbled on the map in orcish: "That ship is just for aesthetics! We're not there yet!")


[font=Courier_New]Ark Petyr[/font]

Ark flew up with a knife in hand, out of breath, almost falling. He shot a gaze around and saw the uncharacteristic scene. The strayskin soldiers still had their half spilled mugs of grog in their clutches even as they slept. He looked down from the hammock to see one of the soldiers collapsed right next to him on the floor. Still, for all the giant strayskins on the ground, there was a distinct scarcity around the Daemons as usual.

The young man slid his feet off the hammock and jumped on the floor, landing his bare feet on either side of the soldier below him. And just as he got another look around, he noticed that had not been the only one to wake up…

@vide @Snowflake @Crono @Hieronymous Phantom
 
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[fieldbox="Rymond Fallaghan, #694489, solid, 10, Georgia"] [spacer]Rymond had never been fond of sea travel - not the hellish, storm-ridden trip from Southern Concordia to the Second Pillar, and especially not now that the boat was beginning to sway back and forth like a sailor fresh out of the pub. As if the roiling waves weren't enough. Rymond had hardly been able to get any rest the whole trip, even cloistered belowdecks as he was, but perhaps that was a blessing in disguise as he began to notice an odd trend as it happened. It seemed everyone around him had begun to black out, lying eerily still against the cold boards of the ship's floors. Managing to navigate around the napping sailors, Rymond began to make his way into the upper floor of the ship's hold. Just as he'd crested the flight of stairs and put together the basic imagery of what appeared to be a young elven hybrid, a splitting pain shot through Rymond's head, spiking his visualization and distorting the imagery as the pain continued through his body. He staggered sideways to lean on the wall, already reaching up to draw out one of his scimitars as the pain subsided.[/spacer][spacer]"You," he declared, his voice reverberating with the metallic echo from his mask. He shoved off the wall and took a defensive stance as he pointed his sword at the lad. "What have you done here?" Perhaps it was simple coincidence that everyone but this boy happened to drop into slumber, and perhaps it was simple coincidence that sent the pain through his body at the exact moment he began to picture him, but Rymond wasn't going to take any chances. At least, until he sensed others on the ship jerking awake as well, all with similar - yet all distinctly different - magical signatures to himself. In fact, upon further inspection, he would note that even the halfling before him bore the same marks - those of a Daemon. With a sigh, Rymond lowered his blade, but remained cautious of the lad just in case. "I apologize for that. Whatever that pain was earlier must have broken my concentration, and I mistakenly assumed you were the source." He relaxed his stance somewhat as he turned a hooded head towards the other rooms in the ship. "Still, though, this is too odd a coincidence to not investigate. Have you any idea what is happening?" With the inquiry, he turned his faceless visage back to the half-blood expectantly.
Mentioned: Ark (@Sketching101)
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Sena Atlaxys

[spacer]It seemed that the only time Sena was not on deck was when she was asleep. She had a habit of going for a swim when they were sailing against the wind and she could keep up but for the most part was around offering general assistance to the Captain and crew. At the moment she was resting against the side rail when a sharp pain shot through her like goosebumps. Looking up she saw the crew fall asleep on the spot and blue light dance in the sky. A second later as the pain faded she heard a splash of water on her side of the ship. Without thinking she leapt off the rail like a leapfrog and dove underneath the waves looking around with the Hunter Eyes for whoever fell overboard. She wasn't far off the mark when she saw the body just beneath the surface. Grabbing hold of the fallen sailor she shot them both out of the water like a SnapjJaw at the prey that nears the edge of the water. She barely made it in time to grab the rail and throw the person back up on the deck.[/spacer]
[spacer]With a moment to think she realised something bad was about to happen so she quickly grabbed her spear from the rack on the deck then rushed down beneath the deck where the rest were sleeping. Sure enough, she found the two of them on edge with weapons drawn, herself too holding a spear in one hand. Only the Daemons were still up and about, rest were out for the count. What sort of magic only affected non-Daemons? What made them so different? Perhaps some sort of Holy spell to make them fall asleep resulting in the Unholy being agitated with pain. It was to narrow to call it accurately, but one thing was certain. "We have trouble coming! There's strange light in the sky!" She shouted at them from the stairway soaking wet and dripping on the floor. She noted only Rymond and Ark. If others were around as well she did not spot them right away. After saying her piece she rushed back up on deck unsure but prepared for anything.[/spacer]

Mentions: @Hieronymous Phantom @Sketching101
 
Kalen Tu

The journey was a long one and Len knew that he had to adapt, deal with the extended time he’d be in the ship. From the time he boarded until now, he took to his usual coping style. Since living with another hunter clan aside from his own, Len turned to silence and observation whenever something new happened. Whenever there was change, he looked at it and let others immerse themselves on it. He did not wish to isolate himself, but it always ended that way. This particular scenario wasn’t different from all the others before it either.

The sudden change in the ship’s situation was concerning. Bodies fell like they were leaves welcoming autumn and the unusual wakefulness of a select few people; it was all too suspicious. As one person jumped down from their hammock and another came accusing them of causing such a development, he made the choice to do his best and conceal himself.

He hadn’t established the ship as his territory. Casting magic would take more than he usually spent and focus would become more of a priority. Acting now won’t turn into his favor, and so, he bit his lip and swiped the blood with precision as it became a magic circle on his right inner elbow. He wore nothing but his weathered cloak, gloves, and bottoms. He looked like a common man with only the marks upon which his kind was identified with twisting tattoos on his torso and limbs. It wouldn’t be noticed in the faint lighting but it was there – a clear sign that he was a daemon.

With his spell Blind Vacuum activated, his magical presence turned into nothing and his focus only spend on making himself still and unnoticeable. His eyelids were mostly closed but leaving just enough to let him see what exactly happened around him.

A rushed and brief warning came from another, a woman, but it was clear. Magic was cast and something was happening. It wasn’t just the abrupt slumber of the other passengers and the crew. The would be another incident, and so, Kalen rose up. He eyed the two others who were awake and followed the woman who knew more than he did.



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Vallen
It was apparent that Vallen had made himself known to the other passengers of the ship. It was his first time seeing a boat, nevermind riding on one. He had done nothing but stumble with each of its churns as the waves batted the vessel around like a cruel cat. In the later days he was sick, spending almost all his time hunched over the side of the boat. His skin paled to near pink over the days and he had been irritable to nearly everyone who weren't of a authoritarian position. Only his hammock sought to aid him slightly against the malicious devices of the sea.

Vallen had drifted off to sleep only seconds before the feeling of a dagger being stabbed into his chest grabbed him. He rose in a flurry, entangling himself in his bed, he probably would have taken it for something else horrible that happened in boats if the same didn't seem to happen to only the other Deamon's on board. The first thing he was able to understand as language was the accusation of some nearby kid. "Hey, Metalhead, try givin' it some thought." His words were slow but carried all the weight he wanted them too. He nodded and freed his limbs when the guy corrected himself, gathering the Lopper and his smaller axes after that lady came down to yell.

"Better get somethin' bigger kid." He smiled weakly at the younglings' knife. As his brain started to process the nature of the situation, it seemed 'Holy' Magic was indeed the source of the issue. He took the time to activate Lifeblood and make a small incision on his arm, coating the glowing red blood onto his axe blade before stopping the flow with a finger and regenerating the cut. He grunted in affirmation before heading above deck.
 
[font=Courier_New]Ark Petyr[/font]

As the masked hunter drew his sword, Ark twisted the knife in his palm for a defensive grip. The dumbfounded look on his face said it all. Before he could think up the words to dispel the man’s suspicions, the strayskin daemon on board interjected, quickly followed by the man lowering his sword. After a moment, the young hunter lowered his knife as well. "I was sleeping," he muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. His grasp on reality had been shaken quite firmly already.

Soon after the huntress came down the stairs to alert those awake, the daemons moved upstairs. Ark rashly stuffed his feet in his boots, and grabbed his bow and quiver before following them up. He looked around, and to his surprise, there was one person more than he had counted on deck. For all the pain that started their early day, the view was nothing if not beautiful. A shroud of light curled in front of the pitch black sky. The ocean and wind had calmed to a still. An unnerving quiet haunted the ship until a sudden boom of light reached up to the sky from the two pillars far off in view. A booming, distant roar cut through the silence, shaking up the sea and uplifting the wind.

"The pillars… " The bright light reaching up to the skies intensified as the towers that reached higher than the clouds started shifting. "They're... shattering?" Even from the distance the Wingless Wyvern was, they could see the pillar toppling over. The light only intensified as the pillars crumbled. After a few moments of calm, the same roar they heard from before sounded once again, deafening in volume. As Ark looked up to see its source, he could make out a pair of wide, flapping wings in the distance from home. It swiftly passed over them, raising the waves with its gust.

The ship rocked violently, knocking a few of the sailors around inside without so much as making them bat an eye. Ark balanced himself after the sudden shake. His eyes followed the flying Creature as it made its way to their destination. He turned to the others on deck, his voice clearly shaken. "Is everyone alright?"

Mentions: @vide @Snowflake @crono @Hieronymous Phantom
 
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[fieldbox="Rymond Fallaghan, #694489, solid, 10, Georgia"][spacer]The large one who he swiftly identified as a strayskin had a point, of course, but then again that's why he backed off. Still, though... "You would do well to not underestimate anyone, no matter how young they look." At that point, his attention was drawn to yet another Daemon who had remained awake, warning them of danger ahead. Curiously, this one had neither the defining features of an Elf or Strayskin - she was human, just like him. As another Daemon showed himself - a fact that alarmed Rymond, as he hadn't been able to sense their presence - it became clear they would have to do something about whatever was going on. Rymond nodded his understanding to the girl and pushed forward, following her as she led them abovedeck.[/spacer][spacer]If he'd ever harbored any suspicions of a peaceful voyage, Rymond certainly didn't now as the distinct calling of a dragon or other drake-like Creature sounded across the waves. However, more than any Creature, it was what the first Daemon he'd met on this boat said that unnerved him. If the pillars were shattering, what would that mean for the world? Quickly his attention was pulled back to the draconic Creature as it roared again, much louder this time, and upset the ship with its massive wingbeat. Rymond was caught off guard and staggered severely, but otherwise regained his footing. "Aye," he nodded at the inquiry and sheathed his blade now that the danger had passed. As he turned his mask towards the dragon's departure, he muttered a disappointed hum. "We will need to figure out how to deal with that once we arrive," he mused aloud, turning his facade back towards the other Daemons. "For now, we should focus on getting the crew back up - assuming they're not actually dead, of course."[/spacer]
Mentioned: Vallen (@CronoRage), Sena (@Snowflake), Kalen (@vide), Ark (@Sketching101)
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Kalen Tu

As Kalen headed up, he heard another voice join the two who were engaged in some sort of scuffle. He ignored it and proceeded to follow the huntress. What came before his eyes were mesmerizing blue light, oh so filled with magic. He couldn’t place it, nor could he identify whose magic was it as he had yet to envelop the area with his sensory-territory magic, he only eyed it with wariness. Not long after he witnessed magic not his own, the great roar of a dragon creature shocked him, rooting him in place.

However, this did not last long and with his instincts kicking in overdrive, he extended his arms and gathered magic growing and focusing on the sea. Not a second later, with a whip of his hands and command of his magic, Len attempted to send two of his water blades slicing into the dragon. Alas, he failed.

It was too fast and its wingbeats too strong, his blades flying for a short distance before getting overpowered with the wind produced by the dragon’s wings. Fists clenched, he glared at the swift yet massive creature. His focus on the receding figure of the dragon, he had not noticed the pillars crumbling nor did he hear the other people taking note of it. Knowing his magical presence still lingered within the reaches of non-existence, Len moved to a secluded spot and observed. There was no point in hiding his magic signature if he was in plain sight.

There were five of them now, including him. All of whom were awake. ”What are we going to do now?” He said, in a deep voice not fitting for his lean, slender frame.



 
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Vallen

Vallen rose his eyebrows, scratching at a bit of dried drool on his cheek. He scrunched them again looking down at the Metalhead, "Listen: if you think you see a murderer you don't tell that murderer 'I think your a murderer' because guess who the next guy to get murdered is?" He was interrupted by the sound of primal ferocity, initiating a glint in his eye and him sprinting up the stairs. The collapsing Pillars were of no concern to him, he was entirely focused on the magnificent creature ripping across the sky. He toe the leather holding one of his throwing axes in its hasty withdrawal, loping to the back of the boat. He nearly threw himself over the railing just to get the glory in his range, when it left he cursed loudly and slammed his hatchet into the floor.

"What a waste!" Vallen spat into the sea. He regained his ax and wrapped it in leather again, then returned to the group. He jumped when the grey Deamon spoke, he hadn't noticed he was there. He regained himself and growled, "Probably wake these lads up, were you plannin' something else?" He promptly went into the captain's quarters to smack him awake.
 
Sena Atlaxys

[spacer]Sena watched wide-eyed and awestruck at the sight of the Pillars that were supposedly holding up their world collapse and wither like rotted trees buckling down under their own weight. The cursed world tearing them up from the inside crashing the bearers of the sin, the sin that the Church claims Daemons are supposed to embody. Their war seeming so petty and weak compared to the sight of the everything they knew and fought for falling into ruin. Given the chance she would have brought them all down, let the world fall into the chaos and shatter the faith of Concordia at the core, now... It seemed Cataclysm was already here.[/spacer]
[spacer]Just then a roar resounded through the air shaking her awake from the daze of the light show and collapsing pillars. Instead, a mighty beast soared above them it's heading matching theirs. Waves rocked the ship as a mighty storm would and rushing to the prow Sena kept holding onto the handrail and ropes. She looked onward after it unsure what to think of this sudden change. Her companions were excited at the sight of the mighty beast, yet it seemed like it may be a bit much for merely the five of them. Spear in hand on the edge of the prow holding herself by the rope she shook her head and turned back to the rest joining them on deck.[/spacer]
[spacer]"The Wyvern cannot be manned by only the five of us, not to mention the lack of knowledge necessary for seafaring. If we cannot rouse the sleepers through mundane means then perhaps more extreme measures will have to be taken." She approached the bell hanging from the side of the mast. Grabbing hold of it firmly she started shaking it violently sending out the deafening sound loud enough to be heard bellow deck. "ALL HANDS ON DECK!" She shouted energetically. Sure normally this was something that The Captain, First Mate or the Quartermaster would do but seeing as everyone was asleep it seemed only fair.[/spacer]
 
[font=Courier_New]Ark Petyr[/font]

To Ark’s surprise, most of the others seemed to be disappointed that the Creature that flew overhead didn’t attack them. He looked back over to where the pillars were standing but a moment ago. He shook his head to snap back to reality. We need to focus on what we need to do here and now, he thought. The sea was getting more and more restless, forfeiting any resemblance to the calm of the night earlier.

The deafening sound of the bells boomed throughout the ship. ”Ugh… What happened…?” The sailor Sena had pulled out of the water seemed to begin coming to his senses. The sizeable strayskin looked at his wet clothes lazily for a second or two, until a wave hitting the ship woke him up completely. He quickly leapt to his feet. Just then, an orchestra of groans could be heard from below deck. Soon after, the sailors all seemed to have come on deck, though they all looked like they had just taken a punch to the face.

As Valen entered the captain’s quarters, the old seafarer didn’t move. He didn’t seem to be able to wake up quite as smoothly as the rest of the crew. He was laid back in his seat, struggling to breathe. He seemed to try and say something to Valen, but failed to produce any intelligible sound.

Another strong wave hit the ship from the side, turning its nose firmly away from their destination. The wet sailor cried out, pointing to the backside of the ship, "There’s a’freak comin’!" The quartermaster was trying to turn the wheel with one hand, the other twisted in an unnatural way, but as the large wave hit the ship from behind, he fell on his back. Without a force to keep it in place, the wheel started spinning rapidly, changing their course nearly against the wind.

Ark turned to the daemon from the Sliver clan. "Most of the sailors are either in shock or still half asleep," he said, loud enough to overcome the sound of waves and splashing water. "We need to help, somehow. Someone needs to take command and tell the rest of us where we’re needed!" He seemed to want to continue, but the ship shook violently once more, cutting him short as he lost his footing. The helm remained unmanned and the two commanding officers, out of commission. The ship wasn’t too far away from land, from the mountains between them and the island they were going to. The seas didn’t seem to have any intention of calming down, as only more and more disasters approached from afar, as a tall bulge in the water south of the ship seemed to grow.

Mentions: @vide @Snowflake @crono @Hieronymous Phantom
 
Sena Atlaxys

[spacer]Things weren't looking good for them, one thing after another seemed to start going terribly wrong. Ark had a good point, with how slowly the others were waking up it was apparent they won't get there in time to prevent serious damage from happening. The quartermaster was out for the count and it seemed the Captain wasn't waking either. With how much the wheel at the helm was spinning she couldn't just sit back and do nothing, that much was obvious. Running towards it she started shouting orders at those around and about. "Vallen! Get over here! Take the Helm." She shouted stopping it and very slowly starting to turn it the other way not even close to correcting their heading at this rate. It was going to take some applied force before they heading turned east again and around the mountains. "Ark, Len! Grab those ropes and pull on them. NO! The MIDDLE ones! Pull until you can't do it anymore then secure them in place!" She kept shouting step by step instructions. While she had enough knowledge to spout orders others would only hear nonsense due to lack of experience. "You in the mask! Get that crew up and about! We cannot man this ship like this we NEED THEM UP NOW!"[/spacer]
[spacer]The few that were already on deck and waking from the crash of the waves were being ordered around as well. Whenever someone showed up on deck they were given a simple task that involved helping turn the ship leeward and away from those mountains. Of course, the oncoming danger from behind did not go unnoticed and as soon as she had the chance Sena instructed Vallen to hold the helm steady then let it go for two and a half rotations once the heading had been corrected. She would use the time to run down to the Captain's cabin and get a telescope to get a better look at what in the hell was coming after them in this chaotic mess.[/spacer]
 
  • Nice Execution!
Reactions: Astroblaze
[fieldbox="Rymond Fallaghan, #694489, solid, 10, Georgia"][spacer]Under normal circumstances, Rymond would have taken issue with the tone used to order him about, but these were hardly normal circumstances. As such, he nodded towards the other human and began working on waking up the sailors. Despite the magical origins of their slumber, most of them seemed to wake up just as easily as if it were natural sleep. A firm shake is all it took to rouse most of the sleepers, and as he made his way about, Rymond pointed them towards the seaworthy lass whose name he didn't know to receive their orders. Once he'd awoken the remainder of those who were still asleep, Rymond then began work on bringing the others up to form. For some, all it took was a bit of calming down, but for the others he'd need to give them a bit of a jolt.[/spacer][spacer]Unfortunately, the only magic he knew for such a purpose would more than likely harm the sailors more than help. Rymond found, however, that a swift smack across the face was enough to bring them back to their senses. After a quick rundown of the situation, their initially sore expressions instead grew determined with a nod as they got to their feet and went to their positions to try and right the ship. Rymond, having played his part, opted to search for the human Daemon to ask her for further instruction. However, before he went to search her out, something started surfacing out of the periphery of his vision - he couldn't make it out just yet, but he could tell that water didn't bulge like that without some sort of Creature pushing it up. He could focus in on it to try and figure out what it was, but that would require him to remain still and meditate, two things that would be exceptionally difficult given the current circumstances. He'd have to resign himself to letting the girl scope it out with her newfound lens as he backed off to where the two she'd identified as Ark and Len were - now mostly relieved of their work thanks to the help of the newly-roused sailors.[/spacer][spacer]"It may not be the best time for this, but better now while things have stabilized than in the middle of the inevitable fight we seem to be heading towards." His voice rang with a metallic echo as usual, though it was less stern than before. He addressed Ark directly with the following statements, indicated by his masked visage turning towards the lad. "I wish to apologize for earlier. You were more than likely as disoriented as I was - accusing you of being the source was a product of coincidence rather than rational thought process. As such, I am sorry." Rymond didn't expect the boy to respond, he simply wanted to ensure there were no hard feelings between them. Call it intuition, but he had a feeling Ark, Len, and the other Daemons would soon become his new companions for the foreseeable future, and it wouldn't do for there to be bad blood between them.[/spacer]
Mentioned: Sena (@Snowflake), Ark (@Sketching101), Len (@vide)
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[font=Courier_New]Ark Petyr[/font]
Ark listened to Sena intently, squinting and covering his eyes to shield them from the splashing, blinding water. He went for one of the ropes, but then quickly moved to the one next to it upon hearing the warning. He planted his feet on the planks and gave the rope a strong tug, but it hardly moved as the sails wildly filled up with wind. With all of his strength, he pulled the rope by one arm’s length, and as he let go with one hand to grab further ahead, his feet skid across the floor with the force of the wind trying to keep the sails open. He barely stopped himself from letting go, only dedicated to hanging on tightly for the time being.

He felt some of the strain lifted as one of the crew members grasped the rope as well. "Heave!" The two dragged their arms back in unison, wrapping the sails by a bit. Ark’s face flushed red as he used all of his strength to continue pulling. Finally, one of the magic users of the crew was able to weaken the wind on the sails, using the spell drawn on the sails for particularly these kinds of events. The main sails effortlessly furled soon after, and some control returned to the wheel. The masked man approached him and offered an apology as the young hunter caught his breath. He turned to the Rymond and just as he opened his mouth to speak, the ship shook like an earthquake, as if it had rammed against rocks.

Things grew eerily quiet for a brief moment as the wild waves stopped crashing on the ship. The storm was still going, but there was something taking the brunt of the waves beside the ship. The mysterious wavebreaker rose out of the water, eclipsing the thunder flashing behind it. The serpentine Creature’s glowing eyes opened, freezing the crew in terror.

Name: “The Serpent of the Sophian Sea”
Appearance:
[spoili]
80fcb7b62f20bd54e9c646f7db6ffed8-d7robba.jpg
[/spoili]
Average Size: Five hundred meters long - Ten meters in average body diameter
Sopia: [Unknown]
Essence:
Element:
Corpora:
Other: The Serpent hasn’t been sighted since the last Cataclysm, when the Warriors vanquished it to reach and restore the Second Pillar, according to the Church's scripture.

The serpent’s head slowly fell forwards with its mouth wide open, showing the razor sharp teeth and thick skin. Just as the serpent’s head started falling, a strong windfall pushed most of the ship out of the way. In the back, one of the sailors shot a bolt from the ship’s ballista up into its mouth just before it missed the sped up ship but still managed to take the sail at the back into the water with it. The strayskin who manned the backside ballista let out a celebratory war cry after a few moments of silence. As he celebrated, a light shone from under the water and a blinding bolt passed through the ship and hit the mast, setting it on fire, withered only very slowly by the rain. The ballista had been destroyed and cooked to a crisp along with its operator. The head surfaced once again, some distance behind the ship, seemingly unscathed and clearly enraged.

The rocky reef was close up ahead. Only a few more hundreds of meters, and their feet could plant on solid ground once again.

Mentions: @vide @Snowflake @crono @Hieronymous Phantom
 
Vallen
Vallen's eyes widened as realized the captain was not so much asleep like the others, but paralyzed, he froze with no idea how to act in his situation. Orders came from outside to take the wheel, and the idea of leaving the sea dog like this frustrated him. Thus, as he ran out he threw the old man onto the deck, "It's not like you all! Somethin's wrong with him!" ,he called to the crew and ran up to the wheel, grasping its fighting wood. He thanked whomever granted him Strayskin strength, for this was exactly what he wanted. It was Vallen against the damned ocean that had plagued him, in a contest of might.

The wind howled and the ship creaked and the wood of the wheel was beginning to surrender, but Vallen heaved it over to point the accursed vessel at the shore. Between his sweat and the rain there wasn't a single part of him dry and the sickness affected him more, but he smirked as he proved himself stronger than the sea. Then the sea cheated, it was a wonderful creature, certainly, but it would kill all of them in a instant. That would certainly get in the way of winning the contest. "WE HAVE ANYTHIN' TO STALL THAT THING?!" He shouted over the wind, "ANOTHER BALLISTA, SOME FOOD, THE ANCHOR?!"
 
Kalen Tu

Len only stared. It was all just getting started. The spectacle with the large, draconic creature was not the only thing that caught his attention. As more of the others arrived above, it all spiraled into a one big mess. The woman had too much energy, even with her sudden announcement earlier of what befall them, she was commanding everyone else to man the ship. Of course, he could see why they should - if they didn't, death was imminent.

Without any sign of acknowledgment, Kalen went and grabbed on rope and held on tight. He inhaled and heaved. The wind was strong and doing it with him and only the other daemon wasn't enough. Good thing the crew seemed to be awakening. He held on tight and without budging an inch, kept his place while he held on tight. He didn't know much about ships but with the crew getting it in order, it didn't matter.

He sighed when he thought it was over when more dreadful things occurred. With the storm beating down on them, another something made the ship fall prey to danger. An eerie peace was lost in a moment when the large serpentine creature made for them.

Before he could act, a ship crew used the ballista, halting the creature but proved ineffective. It got destroyed and the serpentine creature rose again. Not surprised by its appearance this time, Kalen gathered magic on his palms and reached out for the sea. He flicked his wrists in succession and arcs of water blades flew toward the serpent. He targeted its head but with the distance between him and it, he knew only few of the blades would hit - fewer even to hurt it.

Kalen reached into his cloak and retrieved a lone rock inscribed with a formula. He played with it for a few seconds and eyed the serpent. "I'll keep it busy." And as his first spell dissipated, the one negating his magical presence, he channeled a bit more magic into the rock before winding his arm and with a grunt, threw it up way past the serpent's enormous head.


He could sense it reaching its peak and with a smirk, he triggered a magical spark that worsened the storm, mixing his magic with it. It was heavily diluted, with how it already was a storm, but he put himself within it and enhanced the horrible weather. Any second now and his magic will pour from above.

He'd be able to gain awareness around him, his magical presence scattered around what with the new droplets containing just a teeny bit of his magic. It would set his territory and while he knew defeating the creature on his own would be mostly unlikely, he itched to battle it.

He fingered one of of the four stakes he possessed that he kept with him at all times and felt the enchantment within them simmering with hunger. The others were stored somewhere else and needed time to be recalled but they'd be fed. Soon.



 
[font=Courier_New]Ark Petyr[/font]

Ark turned to the daemon who fouled the weather and grabbed his bow. "Alright. I’ll be your support," he said as a blue, translucent arrow appeared in his hand, nocked on the string of his bow. He pointed the arrowhead up and loosed it, sending it flying straight up and through the wood of the burnt top of the mast. The young hunter vanished in a faint blue flash, reappearing on the wooden beam the arrow was sticking out of at the top of the mast.

The arrow vanished and another quickly reappeared between his index finger and thumb, his middle finger pressing on his palm. His sense of the ship’s instability amplified as the mast made long arcs along the sky, but he managed to keep himself steady on two feet. He looked ahead to see where the serpent was.

As the weather worsened with magic, the serpent coiled up over the water. Arcs of thunder parted from its body and tore through the ocean as it seemed to relish in the new, more chaotic environment. It turned its attention to the ship, its eyes glowing with power. Just as it moved to dive forward, thunder struck its head, stunning it for a good few seconds. It slithered into the water again, but its magnificent aura of lightning marked its location even through the thick waves.

Two loud metallic noises rung throughout the deck, as the crew members placed the bolts on the two ballistas up front. "Ready t’fire, cap’n!!"

Mentions: @vide @Snowflake @crono @Hieronymous Phantom
 
Sena Atlaxys

[spacer]"Ancestors, He 'is' REAL!" Sena gasped frozen in a moment as the very thing of legend was made manifest before her very eyes. The dreadful serpent started to bear its fangs and collapse on top of them. They were saved by the skin of their teeth and only because of an experienced sailor who knew not to let himself be frozen in terror and awe. It was a mixture of those two that Sena was drowning in, this very thing before her was one of her Clan's greatest nemeses. Someone far back decided to become a self-proclaimed king of the sea and the world answered with a trio of colossal abominations to test their might. As he watched the monster fry their mast she could see those eyes so full of primal hate. The spawn of this world's death, bringer of destruction. Facing it in combat would be the greatest honour she could ever get, but that wasn't an option. She plunged her spear into the wooden deck and dropped down next to the Captain trying to get him up. Apart from the usual shipbound illnesses such as scurvy and gangrene she had no clue about medicine so the best she could do is give him light slaps and shout over the roar of the storm and beast. Now more than ever the Ship needed its Captain.[/spacer]

[spacer]There was no need for her to look towards land to confirm they were mere seconds from crashing against the rocks. They were less than a hundred meters away and being pushed on by the storm. The only thing left to do was shout. "BRACE FOR IMPACT! EMERGENCY LANDFALL!" She held onto the Captain and her spear impaled into the deck. Once things settled she would pick him up and join others in escaping this beast. T'was a shame to lose such a fine vessel, but lives were more important. Given time and materials, ships could be rebuilt, lives lost were impossible to replace, except in times of war, that is. Only thing left to do now, was wait and hope they reach land before the serpent drags them to the depths.[/spacer]
 
Kalen Tu

With Kalen having set up his territory, he jumped and threw himself away from the ship. With the rain infused with his magic and it touching the ocean – he cast Vector and made magical inscriptions appear at the surface of the wild sea. He started with a dozen of them around the serpent. He could not walk on water but he could propel himself with magic as he hovered above Vector inscriptions.

Pushed forward by one of the inscriptions, Len rushed the creature head on and holding the stake in his hand he cast Vector once more and propelled himself with a stronger, faster momentum. He aimed for the creature and with a grin, impaled it with his enchanted stake. Yet… it did not pierce the creature deep like he thought it would. Instead, only an inch or less managed to pierce itself into the serpentine creature with only a faint trickle of magic being fed into Len. The sea monster didn’t even react to it. Not even the slightest reaction to Len’s attempt at feeding off of it, harming it. He cursed and inverted the arrow on the Vector inscription he just made, avoiding the serpent.

He’d fought with countless creatures on his own and by setting up his territory, he’d made himself execute them with relative ease. But this serpent... It was way too strong for him.

Circling the serpent with his Vector set-up, he struggled to dodge its undulating enormous body. The waves violently followed after each of its attacks-movements. It didn’t focus on him, it even seemed uncaring of his intervention and focused on the ship and the mounted weapon aimed at it. ”I need to do more,” he growled, ”something more damaging.”


With that, Kalen made the surface of the sea be littered with Vector inscriptions. Within a 25 feet radius, a vector inscription could be seen glowing with magic one foot apart each. By doing so, Kalen lost more than half of his remaining magic and he needed to feed from this creature or he’d plunge into the water and be drowned by its violent torrents. Controlling his output as much as he could, he made himself be boosted by Vectors, an agile daemon bullet now holding two stakes. He dodged and with the cumulative energy he possessed from being thrown around like a rock by his magic, Kalen thrust two stakes into the serpent’s underbelly.

It worked, somehow. It got deeper, a measly two inches and an influx of magic entered his body. He smirked. ”Finally something’s happening.”


This time, the creature did not ignore him. It reacted with prejudice and twisted its body as it slammed into him – most likely a direct hit. The smirk remained on his face. He took damage and broke his forearm and with the pain in his ribs, probably a few of them to. Even with that damage, his smirk only widen as he managed to not be killed by expending some of the existing Vector inscriptions and a all of the magic he absorbed to make a significantly higher-potency Vector inscription. It vanished right after being used but it prevented Kalen’s demise. He’d call that a victory.

Each remaining Vector he passed was activated by instinct, his mind catching up to time – time that he managed to wrangle off of the creature. Five minutes. He bought them five minutes by distracting with mediocre results. His eyelids opened and closed. Little by little his magic nearing its limits. Still, the Vectors took him far away from the serpent. And with a thud, he collided with the mast and dragged him to unconsciousness.

 
[font=Courier_New]Ark Petyr[/font]

As the ship slammed onto the rocks, the voyagers were shaken violently. The crashing waves seemed to be trying to shred the deck into pieces against the reefs, but the violence of the waves was much calmer, now that the ship touched land. It slowly but surely began tilting, but only ever so slightly. As the surviving crew members got their wounded friends out of the ship, something came flying from where the Serpent was, and tore through the mast, landing on the deck of the ship.

As the mast began to topple over, Ark hurriedly jumped off, bouncing from the lower mast and onto the deck, grunting at his rough landing. He noticed the unconscious daemon laying among the splinters, wounded and quiet. As the Creature let out an ear-piercing roar, Ark grabbed Kalen with the help of the last of the strayskins on board, and carried him off, jumping into the hot water between the ship stranded on the rocky reef and dry land. As the crew made it to land along the shallow water, the sea began to calm down. The Creature seemed to have lost interest now that its territory was no longer disputed.

As the starry, moonless night returned before long, life returned to the struggling old captain. After a quick coughing fit, he spoke meekly. ”What happened? Where’s my ship?” Although his voice was quiet, its urgency was clear as his nails dug into Sena’s arms in a fearful panic. His head turned to the ship just as it fell over its side on the reefs. ”AH!” He jumped to his feet. The usually jolly and hearty old man grew hysteric. ”My beautiful Wyvern! Oh my dear, what have the gods done to you?!”

Ark left Kalen to the care of the strayskin who helped carry him for a brief moment, drawing a magic circle on the ground. Once he completed it, the sailor set Kalen down on it and a magical energy surged into the half-blood, slowly healing his wounds.

Mentions: @vide @Snowflake @crono @Hieronymous Phantom