Re: Inexorable Altercation [Round II - Armada]
03-08-2011, 09:41 PM
Originally posted on MSPA by PlumFinder.
The flashes of light. The cursed flashes of light!
There was some sort of fire, or explosions, or lots of lamps on every ship now, and spots of color were dancing in front of Loran's eyes. He held one arm infront of them, trying to shield his sensitive eyes from the fires, but that only served in making the swimming much more difficult. The other option was lowering his blindfold again, hovering up his eyes, and while he relished the thought of some blessed darkness, he just couldn't do that right now. The surroundings were too chaotic, too unpredictable. And even if he hadn't been in the middle of a large battle with ships and seas and cannons, there was still the matter of several powerful beings trying to kill him.
He would need all his senses.
He grabbed hold of the hull of a ship, and tried to climb on board. While swimming was certainly a good way of not getting shot by some random soldier, it was tiresome, and he could see very little of what was going on aboard the ships. He didn't manage to get on board. The wood was too slippery, and his cloak, heavy with water, was not making the climb any easier.
'There's no way I'm going to die by drowning!' he growled to himself.
He climbed a few feet to the side, where a piece of rope was dangling overboard. If it was fastened, he could pull himself up. It was, and he proceeded as planned. As he was hanging there from the rope, he heard a splash, and looked round. Some huge stony thing had jumped off one of the ships, not too far away. Loran only knew of one big stony thing around these parts, and if that particular big stony thing had visited a ship, it was worth taking a look. At best, he would find an unsuspecting ally of Voitrach's on the ship. At worst, he was at a place where Voitrach was not going.
He let go of the rope. He could handle another bout of swimming.
'Now, I don't think we've met, have we?'
The crew turned around hurriedly. Most of them had been busy watching Voitrach go. Felix supressed a smirk.
'Who are you?' the captain of the ship asked. Felix smiled pleasantly.
'Felix Atrum, pleasure to meet you,' Felix said, lifting his hat the slightest bit.
'Yes,' the captain said. He motioned to his men, who did not seem to understand it. Some of them raised arms, some of them lowered them. 'But who are you?'
'Ah, yes,' said Felix pleasantly. 'I am one of the acquaintances of Voitrach... that stone thing that just jumped off your ship,' he added, when the captain looked nonplussed.
'In fact,' Felix continued, 'I may be the very acquaintance he is looking for. You are in luck, captain, for finding me.'
'Ah, yes,' the captain said, and this time he definitely motioned for lowering of the arms. 'Why was the big stone looking for you, again?'
'We will discuss that in a more quiet place,' said Felix. 'Your cabin, perhaps? While enjoying the pleasure of a cup of tea? I would be most grateful for that.'
The captain stared.
'Tea,' Felix insisted. 'Surely you have some? You are British, are you not?'
'Yes, yes,' the captain said. 'I have a personal supply.'
'Let's have a soothing drink, then,' Felix said pleasantly. 'Lead the way.'
The captain started towards his cabin, and Felix followed him.
'By the way,' he added, 'there's a young girl downstairs. Tell your men she's not to be harmed. She is with me. There are also three dead sailors there. They went mad and killed themselves. Speaking of wounds, could someone fetch a medic or something? I fell over just now and got a nasty cut in my arm. Nothing special, but the blood is ruining my suit.'
Will arrived on the deck just too late to see Felix dissappear in the cabin.
'So, are you winning?' Felix asked. He was watching through the window in the captain's cabin, but couldn't see much of the battle.
'I'm not sure, sir,' the captain said. 'Communications have not been good the last few minutes.'
'A pity,' Felix said. The captain put a cup of steaming tea in front of him, and Felix smiled. 'Do sit down.'
The captain sat down on a small stool, since Felix was occupying the captain's chair. The villain took a sip, and smiled again, looking at the captain sitting nervously in front of him. He liked this captain. The man seemed to have understood there were things going on beyond his understanding, and decided to just roll with it. Such men were the best kind, Felix though. All one needed were a commanding voice and an imposing posture, and they were yours.
'Sir, you're colleague promised us help with the fight... is that why you are here?'
Felix smiled assuringly at the captain.
'Most definitely,' he said. 'I might need your help with one or two little problems first, but after that, I will do all i can for you. You have my word.'
The captain nodded, satisfied for now.
'I will return to the battle, then,' he said, and he seemed to grow a little as he took on the role of captain again. Felix studied a map laid out on the table.
'You do that,' he said. 'Say, you don't happen to have some milk for my tea, do you?'
There was a soft gasp near the door, and Felix looked up. He was just in time to see the captain crumple to the floor, blood gushing out of his neck. Loran took a step away fromt he man and pressed a bloody knife beneath Felix's chin.
'No,' he said, 'but I have some blood, if you want to.'
Loran looked Felix in the eyes for a few seconds. Was the villain frozen with fear, with indecision, perhaps? Why was he only looking mildly displeased?
'Why did you kill that man? I liked him.' Felix asked. Loran tried to hide his shock at the calm tone of Felix's voice.
'So did I,' he said. 'He died easily.'
He put his knife back into it's sheat.
'Why weren't you frightened?' he asked, annoyed.
'You know I'm dangerous,' Felix said. 'or at least, you think I am.'
He calmly took another sip from his tea. Loran started to have second thoughts about his descision. This man was infuriating!
'A trained assassin like you wouldn't have given me a warning before killing me,' Felix finished. 'And he certainly wouldn't have made a quip at my expense.'
'Alright, have it your way,' Loran said. He put his hands on the table, and leaned forward, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of Felix. 'I'm here to talk.'
'About what?' Felix asked. He put down his tea, and folded his hands. He suddenly looked more competent than Loran had seen him thus far.
'About the others.' Loran sat down. 'You can look at it from any way you want, but sopme of them are just too strong. Voitrach... He is a freaking golem with some kind of black hole at it's center! How could I ever kill a thing like that?'
'Yes, black matter is a tricky thing to beat,' Felix said. 'I wouldn't try it on your own, if I were you.'
Felix looked awfully smug about something, but Loran pushed on.
'Right, and that is why I'm here. Together, we might be able to kill the thing. We'd need a good plan of course, and perhaps someone else to help, but we could do it.'
'Hm,' said Felix. 'And at what point would you try to stab me in the back?'
'When I get the chance,' Loran said. 'Just like you. Still, I would be prepared to call a cease-stab-in-the-backing until Voitrach is dead.'
'A pact to kill Voitrach,' Felix said musingly. 'I will need to think on that.'
'Don't think too long,' Loran said. 'I want that thing down before I'm out of possible allies.'
'Oh sure,' Felix said. 'Just go kill something, I'll get back to you in due time.'
The flashes of light. The cursed flashes of light!
There was some sort of fire, or explosions, or lots of lamps on every ship now, and spots of color were dancing in front of Loran's eyes. He held one arm infront of them, trying to shield his sensitive eyes from the fires, but that only served in making the swimming much more difficult. The other option was lowering his blindfold again, hovering up his eyes, and while he relished the thought of some blessed darkness, he just couldn't do that right now. The surroundings were too chaotic, too unpredictable. And even if he hadn't been in the middle of a large battle with ships and seas and cannons, there was still the matter of several powerful beings trying to kill him.
He would need all his senses.
He grabbed hold of the hull of a ship, and tried to climb on board. While swimming was certainly a good way of not getting shot by some random soldier, it was tiresome, and he could see very little of what was going on aboard the ships. He didn't manage to get on board. The wood was too slippery, and his cloak, heavy with water, was not making the climb any easier.
'There's no way I'm going to die by drowning!' he growled to himself.
He climbed a few feet to the side, where a piece of rope was dangling overboard. If it was fastened, he could pull himself up. It was, and he proceeded as planned. As he was hanging there from the rope, he heard a splash, and looked round. Some huge stony thing had jumped off one of the ships, not too far away. Loran only knew of one big stony thing around these parts, and if that particular big stony thing had visited a ship, it was worth taking a look. At best, he would find an unsuspecting ally of Voitrach's on the ship. At worst, he was at a place where Voitrach was not going.
He let go of the rope. He could handle another bout of swimming.
'Now, I don't think we've met, have we?'
The crew turned around hurriedly. Most of them had been busy watching Voitrach go. Felix supressed a smirk.
'Who are you?' the captain of the ship asked. Felix smiled pleasantly.
'Felix Atrum, pleasure to meet you,' Felix said, lifting his hat the slightest bit.
'Yes,' the captain said. He motioned to his men, who did not seem to understand it. Some of them raised arms, some of them lowered them. 'But who are you?'
'Ah, yes,' said Felix pleasantly. 'I am one of the acquaintances of Voitrach... that stone thing that just jumped off your ship,' he added, when the captain looked nonplussed.
'In fact,' Felix continued, 'I may be the very acquaintance he is looking for. You are in luck, captain, for finding me.'
'Ah, yes,' the captain said, and this time he definitely motioned for lowering of the arms. 'Why was the big stone looking for you, again?'
'We will discuss that in a more quiet place,' said Felix. 'Your cabin, perhaps? While enjoying the pleasure of a cup of tea? I would be most grateful for that.'
The captain stared.
'Tea,' Felix insisted. 'Surely you have some? You are British, are you not?'
'Yes, yes,' the captain said. 'I have a personal supply.'
'Let's have a soothing drink, then,' Felix said pleasantly. 'Lead the way.'
The captain started towards his cabin, and Felix followed him.
'By the way,' he added, 'there's a young girl downstairs. Tell your men she's not to be harmed. She is with me. There are also three dead sailors there. They went mad and killed themselves. Speaking of wounds, could someone fetch a medic or something? I fell over just now and got a nasty cut in my arm. Nothing special, but the blood is ruining my suit.'
Will arrived on the deck just too late to see Felix dissappear in the cabin.
'So, are you winning?' Felix asked. He was watching through the window in the captain's cabin, but couldn't see much of the battle.
'I'm not sure, sir,' the captain said. 'Communications have not been good the last few minutes.'
'A pity,' Felix said. The captain put a cup of steaming tea in front of him, and Felix smiled. 'Do sit down.'
The captain sat down on a small stool, since Felix was occupying the captain's chair. The villain took a sip, and smiled again, looking at the captain sitting nervously in front of him. He liked this captain. The man seemed to have understood there were things going on beyond his understanding, and decided to just roll with it. Such men were the best kind, Felix though. All one needed were a commanding voice and an imposing posture, and they were yours.
'Sir, you're colleague promised us help with the fight... is that why you are here?'
Felix smiled assuringly at the captain.
'Most definitely,' he said. 'I might need your help with one or two little problems first, but after that, I will do all i can for you. You have my word.'
The captain nodded, satisfied for now.
'I will return to the battle, then,' he said, and he seemed to grow a little as he took on the role of captain again. Felix studied a map laid out on the table.
'You do that,' he said. 'Say, you don't happen to have some milk for my tea, do you?'
There was a soft gasp near the door, and Felix looked up. He was just in time to see the captain crumple to the floor, blood gushing out of his neck. Loran took a step away fromt he man and pressed a bloody knife beneath Felix's chin.
'No,' he said, 'but I have some blood, if you want to.'
Loran looked Felix in the eyes for a few seconds. Was the villain frozen with fear, with indecision, perhaps? Why was he only looking mildly displeased?
'Why did you kill that man? I liked him.' Felix asked. Loran tried to hide his shock at the calm tone of Felix's voice.
'So did I,' he said. 'He died easily.'
He put his knife back into it's sheat.
'Why weren't you frightened?' he asked, annoyed.
'You know I'm dangerous,' Felix said. 'or at least, you think I am.'
He calmly took another sip from his tea. Loran started to have second thoughts about his descision. This man was infuriating!
'A trained assassin like you wouldn't have given me a warning before killing me,' Felix finished. 'And he certainly wouldn't have made a quip at my expense.'
'Alright, have it your way,' Loran said. He put his hands on the table, and leaned forward, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of Felix. 'I'm here to talk.'
'About what?' Felix asked. He put down his tea, and folded his hands. He suddenly looked more competent than Loran had seen him thus far.
'About the others.' Loran sat down. 'You can look at it from any way you want, but sopme of them are just too strong. Voitrach... He is a freaking golem with some kind of black hole at it's center! How could I ever kill a thing like that?'
'Yes, black matter is a tricky thing to beat,' Felix said. 'I wouldn't try it on your own, if I were you.'
Felix looked awfully smug about something, but Loran pushed on.
'Right, and that is why I'm here. Together, we might be able to kill the thing. We'd need a good plan of course, and perhaps someone else to help, but we could do it.'
'Hm,' said Felix. 'And at what point would you try to stab me in the back?'
'When I get the chance,' Loran said. 'Just like you. Still, I would be prepared to call a cease-stab-in-the-backing until Voitrach is dead.'
'A pact to kill Voitrach,' Felix said musingly. 'I will need to think on that.'
'Don't think too long,' Loran said. 'I want that thing down before I'm out of possible allies.'
'Oh sure,' Felix said. 'Just go kill something, I'll get back to you in due time.'