113 replies to this topic

[Steel Samurai]

Prelude: Several months ago, the end of the Dorm War, Hurian Island

Steel sighed as he emerged from the tent. He needed a stiff drink. The peace talks had gone as well as could be expected, he supposed. His own foolish miscalculation had cost them the war. Again. But there was nothing that could be done about it now, and he had managed to wrangle the Fortress an excellent point from which they could begin incursions on woodie or Ikana territory, if necessary. But that was several years in the future, at the least, and for now, the war was over, and that meant it was time to drink and catch up with old friends, a pleasure all too rarely denied him.

Some enterprising pirate had set up a large tent near the center of the island and started selling alcoholic beverages of various sorts. As he was the only one with liquor in stock, the man had made a killing over the last 3 days of the peace talks, charging ridiculously high prices which people nonetheless paid if they wanted some grog to cool their throats. Under normal circumstances, the pirates would have already burned every tent and raped every woman on the island, but Steel had given strict orders to their commanders that if any females from the enemies were touched, the ones responsible should be hung before dawn, and so far things had been orderly, with only 2 pirates breaking the rule by attempting to molest some rather attractive Ikana warriors. True to his word, Steel had seen them hung that night.

He pushed aside the flap of the tent and sat down at the bar.
"Rum and whiskey, Jack."
"Arrgghh, Right up, sir. "
Steel settled back and looked around for any of his former adventuring comrades who he hadn't seen in a while.


OOC: This will be a quest to take out the Captain of the Sultan, it simply made more sense to gather the party during the peace talks than later.

[ninja kitten]

Having been dragged to the peace talks by her leaders, Shiima was more than happy to have it all over with. Being around the leaders of the other countries. Somehow it always seemed to remind her that she was an adopted woman, not really belonging anywhere. Wandering around the island in the warm night, Shiima headed towards her favorite hangout where she meant to spend the long hours of the night alone. Impulsively (and rather unlike her) she decided to grab a drink first.

She reached out with a hand and pulled back the tent flap, suprised to see Steel sitting at the bar. Quickly she pulled cloak to cover her daggers and approached the lone figure. "It's been awhile since we've last seen each other," Shiima spoke softly, hoping he wasn't sore about the war that had just ended. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to approach you earlier during the talks..." she started, letting her voice trail off, suddenly aware of the few customers lingering over their drinks.

Sitting down at the bar she suddenly worried whether the gruff bartender would allow her to purchase a drink. "I'll have whatever he's drinking," she spoke up, hoping that he wouldn't just ignore her. It was always so hard trying to remember the different customs for the different regions. "Lovely little island, eh?" she began, determined to keep the conversation light.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken rubbed his sore wrists where manacles had been earlier that day. Thankfully, his sword was considered too cumbersome for the Ikanans and had been sitting in storage over the course of his imprisonment. His clothes had seen better days. His traditional robe-like tunic had seen even more wear and tear since he last it. Judging from the stains, it seemed to have been used for cleaning up a few messes. His leather armor, belts, and boots had since been confiscated and had been cannibalized for other other uses, so he never got those back. In the end, he had to tie heavy strips of cloth to substitute for a belt, intricately so that his heavy sword hung from his back. As for his feet--well, he figured he might as well go barefoot.

The celebrations were uproarous, either way. Even those who had lost were just glad for the fighting to be over and to have a reason to get drunk. Like an excuse was ever needed amongst pirates. Ken however, ended up just walking about, staring at his feet. He had been hoping to see Hina at the negotiations, but it seemed she was too important of an asset to keep outside the Fortress. She was one of the few things he would think about in prison... In any case, he found nothing to celebrate. It was just another war, and at the rate things were going, there would doubtlessly be another.

While wandering about, Ken found himself shuffling towards a tent a few others were going to. Upon opening the flap, he saw the reason it was so popular.

"Why not," he sighed to himself.

Ken walked up to the bar, paying little attention to anything else in his pensive state. He told the barkeep to "surprise him", and soon had a pint sitting in front of him. Ken clutched the drink in his hand did not even sip it--he just stared at it.

[SL the Pyro]

The past few hours had left Shadow with many conflicting thoughts.

First, there was the heinous idea that he had to go to the peace talks. His commanders had practically insisted on it, going on the notion that if they could work things out with the Woodie who won them the war, then things would go much smoother in the long run. Thankfully Shadow had stopped questioning and started accepting the fact that some of his comrades were a bit screwloose a long time ago. He'd have to keep a sharp eye for any Boners or Seamen who might want his head... especially the ones he defeated. He was surprised that the peace talks had even worked out as well as it did, as many of the verbal beratings and insults were directed at him.

Second, there were the mysterious orders he'd recieved from his Uradiel general -- who had met him when he was alone and on his way to the peace talks, of all times -- about the Forsaken Fortress. It seemed that the Princess of Vanadiel had been kidnapped. It was understandable that this would get the interest of his superiors, but what irked him was how the General even knew this. Then again, he'd been acting weird ever since the Battle of Van'Duras. Possibly it was due to fear or stress that the Labyrinth of Doom had become a dangerous factor in the war, but still... it didn't sit right with him. But, he'd been given orders to find a way into the Fortress and extract -- the exact word the General had used -- the Princess and bring her into Uradiel custody. He didn't even care how long it took... another reason for Shadow to keep his eye on him, as he wanted all assignments done with specified timelines.

And then there was the Dreadlord. Activity from Z had all but ceased during the war, and Shadow half-expected him to do something when it was all over. Now that it had ended, he was likely to make a move soon. This Shadow would have to watch out for...

And the most boggling of all... Shadow himself. The memories of what had happened to him after his fight with Steel in Crowe's Sanctuary were still lingering with him. When he inspected the leg wound he had... Shadow hadn't forgotten that purple-white aura... or at least what Jordan's friend had described to him. He was sure that the light from Steel's new sword would've given him a horrible week or two, or even killed him. Instead, with a simple inspection of the wound, there was a flash of that purple-white light and then he was left with only scars.

Shaking the memories of the past away again, he focused on the present. He was thankful that the objectives given to him by both the Woods and Uradiel didn't conflict with each other, but rather they flowed into one another. But, that wasn't to say there wasn't significant risk involved, considering who he was in the presence of. Many Pirates and Ikanians he passed by looked at him, a mixture of glares and raised eyebrows. It was clear that some still begrudged him, even after the peace talks had concluded.

"My employers really need to give me a raise, not just something to keep me living for a few more seconds..." he thought as he walked towards the bar; indeed, his payment for doing the Woodies this service seemed more like a 'stay alive' incentive than anything -- the Aegis Shield. The Woodies can be surprsingly cheap when they have to... bah, all of this thought on the motives of his superiors had given him a headache, he needed to occupy himself with something else. He took notice of the three people already there. Steel, the pirate commander that he still had unfinished business with, and probably wouldn't finish for a good while due to the peace treaty. A girl... Shiima he thought she was called, the Ikana warrior that had bravely fought against him in the last moments of the war; something he respected her for, he liked people who fought against the odds. And Ken, his old aqcuiantance from when he, Jordan and himself took on the wraith Crowe. A shame that he hadn't found the warrior that had fought to his last breath against Shadow... what was his name, Goose? Too bad he couldn't patch things up with him.

"What'll ya have, boy?" said the barkeep, a hint of venom in his voice. Just what Shadow needed, another hater.

Sighing inwardly, he replied, "Something grape-flavoured, if you have anything like that."

"Ahh, that we do." the barkeep said, shuffling off into the back of the bar.

A moment later, a mug of grape wine was put in front of Shadow. Dropping twice the required price of the drink onto the counter -- he hoped the huge tip would get him off his back -- he walked over to a seat where he knew he wouldn't be bothered. "I swear, I think I've lost count of how many people want to kill me in this place." Shadow said to him, trying to feign happiness as he took a seat. "Nation-wide fame isn't as good as it sounds sometimes..."

He sipped his wine lightly, wary that the barkeep might've put some kind of poison in it. It didn't taste too foul, just enough to take the edge off; good. It looked like he'd live a bit longer after all.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 04 May 2008 - 06:58 PM.

[Selena]

He wasn't supposed to be there. As the captain of the pirate vessel Osprey, Riley was supposed to remain on the sea and standby in case of emergencies. Matters were so serious, however, that he was forced to disobey orders immediately. He abandoned his ship and came ashore, getting odd looks from those who were there specifically for peace talks, and furiously sought out his commanding officer. Riley had made quite an ass of himself by poking his head in, only to find a few of the Lost Woods generals, who promptly started snickering at him. Well, great! Now where was he supposed to look? He interrogated half of the pirate population before he was able to get a straight answer out of anyone. The moment he heard about this precious liquor tent, he was off and running. He was breathless by the time he reached it, but there was Steel, and that was enough. Most patrons were ignoring him, but his rapid entrance had not gone unnoticed by the more observant. Was he in trouble or just that anxious for booze?

Okay, time to play it down. Riley was in mixed company - both an Ikana and a Woodie nearby. Taking several deep breaths to calm his nerves and regain needed air, he approached his commander. He bowed his head to Steel and hoped that he wouldn't get in too much trouble. "Pardon, sir, but there's an urgent matter that requires your attention immediately."

Not quite sure what to do with the others, he simply gave them a simple, respectable nod.



(note: my plot-mover-forward characters in these things are NPCs, so anyone is free to move them about as they see fit. You can recruit this guy as a redshirt extra character, as an example.)

[Steel Samurai]

Steel looked up at Shiima as she sat down on the stool next to him.

"It's been awhile since we've last seen each other,"
"A long while indeed . . . A pleasure, Shiima, as always."
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to approach you earlier during the talks..."
"No matter. I fear I was somewhat preoccupied anyway. How have you been?"

Class. That was what Shiima had, that 90% of the females at the Fortress lacked. Steel was by no means an ugly man, he was in fact quite handsome, in a smooth, almost girlish way (an irony in and of itself when one looked at his temperament), disfigured only by a small scar above his left eye, easily covered with makeup, if so he chose, which wasn't very often. His looks were an attribute he had used to his advantage in numerous missions which involved gaining the confidence of some high-ranking noblewoman. As such, coupled with his high status, he had gained the attentions of more than a few of the female pirates and wenches who resided in the fortress. But those which threw themselves at him obviously had no class, and the few which did were overlooked as Steel rarely, if ever, looked at women that way. Shiima though . . . Shiima had class.

Shiima asked for a drink. The bartender grunted affirmatively.
"On me, Jack." Steel said
"Nay Adm'ral, tis on th' house for the both of ye." The pirate looked at Steel slyly. A clever, and ambitious man. Get on the good side of the Admiral's second in command, and you might go places in the navy. Steel smirked inwardly. The fact that the man knew enough to forego a payment now in order to possibly gain a reward later meant he was intelligent enough to possibly be useful in a higher position than the one he was in now.

"Lovely little island, eh?"
"Mmm, quite. Unique, really. There's not many islands around here with grassy meadows instead of palm trees and coconuts."

He was about to reply further when Riley burst into the tent, breathing heavily. What? The damn fool was supposed to be on his ship. This had better be damn important.

"Pardon, sir, but there's an urgent matter that requires your attention immediately."

Steel sighed. He turned to Shiima.

"Deepest apologies. I'll be back momentarily." He got up and left the tent, Riley following. They went over into a stand of trees, away from any listening ears. Steel closed his eyes and focused for a moment. Good. No one in listening distance.

"This had best be life and bloody death."

"It's Captain Devinson, sir. He didn't come back with the convoy, and we've just heard that he was sighted up in the north of the continent, attacking our own ships."

Steel cursed. Devinson was a good pirate, one of the best and most respected in the fleet.

"Why the hell wasn't I told of this sooner?

"We thought he had simply gone ahead, or was lagging a little."

"Dammit." Steel's mind raced. There was no way they could go after him right immediately. It'd take a month to get everything shipshape back at the Fortress. Couldn't go after him ship to ship either, if anyone but Lord Juno were in charge the battle would by no means be a sure thing. Damn. Steel sighed. "Thank you for notifying me, Riley. Return to your ship and await orders." Steel walked back to the tent. Whatever Devinson was up to, he could wait until Steel finished his drink. He sat back down next to Shiima.

"Apologies. Something came up." A sudden thought struck him. "Tell me. What are you doing after this?"

Edited by Steel Samurai, 06 May 2008 - 12:44 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

(OOC: Gah, sorry to interrupt, but I'm gone for a couple of days -- starting today at 1:00 PM my time -- so I'd appreciate it if someone just had my character tag along if/when the quest begins if I'm not back by then. Just consider Shadow as "mildly interested", please.)

Edited by Shadow_Link, 06 May 2008 - 08:35 AM.

[ninja kitten]

Shiima was quite curious as to what had passed between the two men, but knew enough about politics to know that often it's best to leave the worries of others alone. She hid the small smile that had crept onto her face by taking a sip of the drink that had been placed before replying, "I was thinking about taking a walk on the beach to relax before sleeping. I believe my group will be leaving tomorrow to return to the Canyon and it may be quite some time before I see the sea again." Nothing quite like talking about the beauty of the sea to capture the interest of a pirate. Normally Shiima was clear-minded and withdrawn, but for some reason she felt like company on this warm evening.

Unfortunately, before she could guard herself, curiosity (her biggest weakness and what had earned her the nickname "kitten") bubbled up inside of her. She was unable to stop herself and blurted out, "What did that sailor need with you?" Shiima squeezed her eyes tightly shut and shook her head as her cheeks began to warm. Practically jumping up from her stool she said hastily in one breath, the words almost running together, "I apologize. I shouldn't have intruded. Good night sir."

With tears welling up in her eyes and shame burning her cheeks, Shiima left the tent with all the pride she could muster and silently hoping that word of her poor behavior wouldn't make it back to her commanders. Once she was out of the tent she took a deep breath. "Badly done Shiima. Badly done. They'll lock you deep in the dungeon this time as punishment for not holding your tongue." She let out a small, bitter laugh. "I guess this is why I'm still alone. I'll never learn to not ask the questions that should go unasked," she thought to herself. With nothing else to do and her evening properly ruined, she turned and walked down to the beach, allowing the breeze to cool her cheeks and the sparkling water to draw her in. "I could grow used to the sea," she thought as she admired the beauty of the stars above and their silent reflection in the wavy water. Sitting on the sand and wrapping her arms around her legs she allowed herself to be lulled by the sound of the waves and embraced the momentary solitude.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel looked up surprised as Shiima left. The hell? Women. So prone to overreact. It had been a perfectly innocuous question, nothing he should've been upset about, and he was not in the least, especially given the girl's reputation. Steel arose and fished a large gold piece from the money bag on his belt, putting it down with a clunk on the wooden bar.

"For the excellent service." He said to the bartender, and stepped quickly out of the tent. He could see her down on the beach. He sighed. Dammit. Bloody females. He had been in such a good mood too. Devinson would pay for spoiling his evening like this. Steel walked slowly down to the beach and stood beside her silently, gazing out into the crystal clear waters. Off in the distance, a pod of dolphins broke the surface of the water, leaping energetically out and crashing back in.

Finally, Steel broke the silence.

"Captain Riley needed to inform me of a certain . . . development within the ranks of the Fortress. One which will require my full attention soon."

Steel squatted beside her and looked at her. He gently turned her chin toward him.

"There was nothing wrong with what you asked me. If it had been a . . . sensitive matter, I would have said so."

A warm breeze blew in off the ocean, rustling the leaves of the lone palm tree on the beach. Steel rested his hands on his knees.

"Anyway, I meant to ask what you were doing after the peace talks. I could use your help."

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken continued staring at his drink, wondering what exactly to do. Captain Riley certainly piqued some interest, and that fact the Shiima just caused a commotion only hightened that interest. As Steel left, Ken rose up to follow behind him, but was halted by the barkeep.

"Oh no ya don't, you gotta pay."

Ken looked down at his untouched drink. Thinking it better to just get the barkeep off his back, Ken slapped down a couple of coins then turned again. He was about to turn away again when the barkeep grabbed him by a bit of his loose clothes.

"Now listen ya useless lump, you get ta pay fer the good Adm'ral's drinks."

Ken sighed and simply dumped out all of his coins on the counter.

"You'd best be be pretty drunk ta' think that will pay for what he had."

Ken sighed.

"Now if you were ta give that hunk a metal you call a sword..."

There noticable switch in Ken's demenear. Shortly, he unraveled the cloth that tied his sword to his back. Then, in one smooth motion, he swung around, and slammed the over-sized blade down, splittering the makeshift bar. As the dust settled to the ground, Ken brought himself slowly up, locking a wild, predator-like gaze with the barkeep.

"The name is Ken Miyamasa, and this," Ken hefted the heavy blade up, "Is Wolfen. Remember both of those names well."

Leaving the tent and it's gawkers behind, Ken set out to see what the fuss was all about. His eyes softened, though they were still intent.

Soon after, a platinum-furred wolf with a sword floating over it was sniffing it's way through drunkards to the beach. There, found a hiding spot and perked it's ears up intently to listen into developing conversation.

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 11 May 2008 - 06:30 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

When Ken was out of earshot, Shadow roared with laughter at the old barkeep. He didn't seem so bold now. "What're ye laughin' at, woodie freak!?" the barkeep stammered out.

"Ahhh, I'm sorry. I just thought that, since you were both pirates, you'd know better. Ken is rather... attached to that sword, shall we say. He'll probably lop your head off if you tried to get it." Shadow said cryptically. He finished his drink and got up, tossing a bunch of gold coins to the barkeep. "That should pay for the counter."

Slipping out of the tent, he noticed that Ken had disappeared. Now, that was weird... unless he was running, he should still be in view at least. So where could he have went off to in such a hurry? Shadow knew that he shouldn't pry into the matters of others, but sometimes curiousity got the best of him. He closed eyes and opened his senses, trying to look for Ken... he did pick up on his energy, but... it was different somehow. It had undergone a drastic change. Now Shadow was interested. Using his senses as his guide, he took off silently after Ken.

When he found him, he had to do a double-take. He saw a wolf with his hair colour... but it was definately his sword floating around him. He then pieced it together; he had also sensed energy from the sword... Ken's energy and the sword's had merged somehow. A side of Ken he'd never seen before.

The wolk-boy seemed focused on something, and Shadow wondered what. Giving a small wave to Ken, he laid on the ground to hide himself and looked where he was looking... at Steel and Shiima all alone at the beach. He smirked. "Well, what do we have here..." he thought, also trying to listen in.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 11 May 2008 - 06:28 PM.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel was pissed off. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"Sorry, this will only take a minute." he said to Shiima.

He got up and stalked over to where Shadow and Ken were attempting to hide, reached into the bushes and pulled them both out, holding Shadow several feet off the ground by the collar of his shirt, and Ken by the scruff of his neck.

"What the BLOODY HELL do you two think you're doing?" He said. "Ken, I can understand that Shadow would be rude and crass enough to eavesdrop on a private conversation, but you really should know better, especially when one of those involved is your BLOODY COMMANDER!" He dropped them to the soft sandy floor. "Furthermore, are the both of you daft? A deaf man could've heard you a mile away with all of the cracking and creaking you made, let alone someone with augmented senses."

He sighed and rubbed his eyelids. "Get out of here. Both of you." He turned back to Shiima. "No, wait. Ken, go see if you can find Ransom. He should be somewhere in the camp. Shadow, I swear, if I see you lurking around trying to spy on me or any of my crew again, I'll have you drawn and quartered."

He looked back at the beach, but Shiima was nowhere to be seen.

"Bloody women."

[ninja kitten]

Shiima took advantage of the distraction and hurried off the beach into the tent city. She had to get back to her group before they noticed that she had slipped off for so long. She tried her best to empty her mind of anything other than the upcoming travels, because otherwise Captain Rhia was sure to pick up on her sour mood. "Bloody canyon and all it demands" she grumbled. Ducking into her tent, Shiima forced a smile and welcomed her group.

(note: i'm gone for the summer. have fun!)

[SL the Pyro]

(OOC: D: Bye kitten. ):)

"GEEZ, what's got your blindfold in a bunch?" Shadow said to Steel, righting his clothing. "If you didn't want anyone else around, you could've just said so instead of ripping our heads off. We were just curious was all, sheesh..."

Knowing better than to hang out with an enraged pirate commander, Shadow walked off and then broke into a run. Maybe he'd give himself a personal running tour of this place, he didn't quite know the way around yet.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken felt awkward being treated so brashly, but he knew he had it coming. After being dropped, he paced sheepishly away away and ducked quickly into an ally to shift his form back to human form without being seen. Well, it would best to try and fix his indisgression. Time to find Ransom.

It had been a few years since Ken saw him, but Ken remembered Perseus Ransom well from a few years back.

After searching around for a bit, Ken still found it odd he could not find the winged fellow, considering it ought to make him stick out like a sore thumb. Then another thought occured to, and he looked up. Perhaps he was flying?

[SL the Pyro]

It was a few minutes during Shadow's run, that he noticed something out of the ordinary. He stopped at another beach-head to the island, to see a ship approaching. Torches on the ship illuminated the banner on the mast; the symbol of Uradiel.

Shadow waited for them when they docked; it was a small ship, carrying probably no more than 4 or 5 people, just enough to run it. Clearly they were around for a quick trip. When two of the men dropped a plank to get onto the beach, Shadow gave them cold hospitality. "What the hell are you doing here? The General was supposed to order that I not be disturbed!"

"He did." said one of the soldiers, not in uniform; it looked like the clothing a commoner would wear. His accomplice was dressed in a similar fashion. "We snuck out."

Shadow's eyes narrowed. "Care to explain why?"

In response, the other soldier handed him a large envelope. He usually got one of these when he was given an assignment. As he tore it open, the soldier said, "We have reason to the believe that your General... well, can't be trusted."

Shadow read through the notes. "Go on."

The second soldier cleared his throat. "Presumably, someone else in special ops came across that folder. It's supposed to have orders for everyone in the unit... except yourself." That got Shadow's interest as he read on. "The assignment wasn't supposed to be on record."

Shadow stopped at a certain paragraph in the script, reading it again. He paled. "You know what this could mean, right?"

"Yes, sir."

Shadow crushed the paper in his hands. "What motive does his have for this?"

"We don't know. One of his special ops just found it in his desk, and we thought we had better come to you before anyone else."

Shadow looked the soldier in the eyes. "Wise choice..."

"Your orders, sir?"

Shadow had to think about this for a couple of moments, his hand to his chin. "Alright. I want you guys to find any more material that you can on this secret mission the General is cooking up. I find it hard to believe that he'd betray us after all he did for Uradiel... but if he does turn out to be rotten, use what you find as evidence to have him detained and arrested. You have my permission to use force if necessary."

"Yes, sir. And what will you do?"

Shadow crossed his arms. "I'll play along with the General's plan for now." He looked back at the soldiers. "Now, scram before one of the dorms sees you. I don't want these peace talks falling apart anymore than I want another civil war."

"Sir!" the two soldiers said, saluting and running back onto the ship. Shadow rushed away before he was seen, thinking on what he's just seen and heard...

Edited by Shadow_Link, 15 May 2008 - 02:27 PM.

[Ransom]

It had been a short and annoying war for Ransom. Not only did an imposter take his rightful rank in the lines of the Woodies, but he was imprisonated in practically the first battle.
A day before his promised promotion to a commanding officer, Leon, or as his disciples called him, “the master of time and space”, suddenly arrived on the scene. He dazzled everyone with his crude magical prowess, and was instantly promoted to commanding officer. That of course meant someone had to step down. Ransom was apparently first in line.
So, again reduced to the miserable rank of a regular soldier, Ransom would find no glory in this war.
Deciding to be optimistic, he told himself to chin up, and at least try and distinguish himself as best he could.
His dreams were once again short lived, as on the very first morning of the very first battle, he copped a cannonball in the shoulder (this was mid-flight mind you) and was sent hurtling to the ground behind enemy lines where he was subsequently captured.
The weeks spent in Valhalla cursing his own bad luck - and well, his stupidity in getting hit with a cannonball in midair – was a miserable and boring time. He spent a lot of it doing what training he could and building up his strength in case of a surprise jailbreak, or uprising.
But of course the jailbreak never came, and the uprising was never started, and Ransom spent his achingly long sentence like any other prisoner of war.

Now he was free. And what was he doing with that freedom?
Sitting around the peace camp drinking his ass off of course. Could he drown his sorrows in milk? He didn’t know why he was trying justify himself anyway. It was fine. Everything was fine.
He would just stay here, in the shadow of this big tent, and drink his fill. He could probably stay like this for as long as he wanted. No one would really care. Its not like he was really a valuable asset to the almighty Woodies or anything.

No.

He had to stop pitying himself, it wasn’t getting him anywhere. What would get him somewhere? Perhaps a nice walk. Yes, that would be perfect.
Or maybe a quick zoom around the camp. No better not. He had never tried flying drunk before. Was he actually drunk?
Na just a bit tipsy. Just a little bit.

Thud. “Ouch.” No flying was out of the question.
Hey no need to get angry pal, I didn’t bump you on purpose… relax… just relax. Damn pirates, always sticking their noses in everyone’s business. Except Steel… Steel is alright. Stoic, and authoritative, yeah, but hey he needs that for his position. Pretty damn good looking though. What?
Where’d that come from?
That other guy as well. What was his name? Kim, or Kent or something?
Oh yeah Ken. That was it. Yeah he was ok too. A bit touchy maybe…
Speak of Diel, here he comes right now.

“Ahoy ken!”

Ransom stumbled over to the man, and put his arm around him comfortably, giving him a big grin.

Opening his mouth to say something no doubt profound, he instead emitted a loud hiccup.

“I… Hic!”

Edited by Ransom, 27 May 2008 - 10:07 AM.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

Ken watched Ransom with some amusement as the drunk fool stumbled about. As Ransom drapped his arm over, Ken gently removed it, the winged drunkard's breath stinking his nostrils, his arm dangerously close to touching the handle of Ken's sword. Only the divine could count the number of times Ken had to deal with his fellow drunk pirates.

"Ahoy there Ransom."

Ken looked the other up and down. The fellow had seen better days.

"Steel has been looking for you. I don't know why, but he seems to have some business with you."

[Ransom]

"pshhh... he always has business of some sort. I doubt its nothin' serious." Ransom stumbled and barely righted himself from an embarrassingly big fall.

As drunkards did, he changed the subject.
"What the hell is the point of such a big ass sword? you think it would just like... *hic* ya know, get in the way..."

Staring down at the sword in disgust, he did the unthinkable.
"And anyway it just looks stupid next to your average frame." He then gave the flat of the blade an indifferent pat.

"what was it called? Dolphin or something...?"

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

"What the hell is the point of such a big ass sword? you think it would just like... *hic* ya know, get in the way..."

*snap*

A sudden feeling welled up within Ken. One little voice said to take it easy on the drunk fool...

"And anyway it just looks stupid next to your average frame."

... But a much louder one had a different idea. Every muscle seemed to tense up in his body, his eyes again taking on that animalistic, predatorial look.

"SHUT UP!!!"

Ken spun around and gave a heavy punch to Ransom's midsection. Even after a few more hits, Ken's rage was not quelled. He kicked Ransom to the ground, continuing to hit him over and over.

[Steel Samurai]

Steel caught Ken's ankle as his heel dropped into what looked like it would've been a particularly painful hit to the groin. His fist smashed into Ken's cheek, sending the young pirate staggering backwards.

"What, in the name of Neptune's Groin and all his children, do you think you're doing?" Steel's voice was ice cold, his face pale with anger. "I send you to get someone for me, and you beat him up? I don't give a damn if he was demeaning your bloody mother, there is no excuse for fighting when you have orders to carry out." Steel sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Get to your ship, Lieutenant Ken. After your actions tonight, it may be shipmate Ken by the morning. We leave on the first tide."

Steel picked Ransom up and carried him over his shoulder to the fortress medical tent. He dropped him on one of the tables, then turned to one of the orderlies.

"Patch him up and give him one of those hangover-killers. Send him to me when he wakes up."

Edited by Steel Samurai, 01 June 2008 - 08:26 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

Shadow had just happened to be running by when Steel was carrying Ransom into the medical tent. "What the hell?" He skidded to a stop and followed them in.

"Patch him up and give him one of those hangover-killers. Send him to me when he wakes up."

Shadow knelt down beside his Woodie comrade to better see his wounds, then turned his head to Steel with a heated glare. "I hope there's a good explanation for this, especially so soon after the peace talks."

[Steel Samurai]

"I hope you have a damn good explanation as to why you're in the Fortress Medical tent. One of the provisions of the treaty, if you don't recall, is that there is to be no incursion on the soil of the other dorms without written permission from Fortress leadership or accompaniment by a ranking Fortress officer. As this entire quarter of the Island was designated Fortress territory, I don't see any written permission from myself or Dark Juno, nor are you accompanied by anyone who even remotely resembles a pirate, let alone a ranking officer, I think you'd best get the hell out of here before I decide to exercise my right to imprison illegal immigrants."

"If you must know, your comrade here instigated a fight. The pirates involved will be suitably punished, but that's none of your concern. Regardless, you've done very little to endear yourself to me this night. I'm almost tempted to complain to your superiors."

With that, Steel turned and left, motioning to the guards to escort Shadow Link out of the Fortress Quarter.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

(ooc: I got no problem except a nitpick detail Steel; Ken has no boots on, he is barefoot.)

Ken begrudgedly did as he was told, but only because Steel has his superior, as well as the stronger man. Casting a glare on Ransom and Steel, Ken stormed off with nothing but dark thoughts in his mind. He still didn't give a damn that Ransom was drunk.

"'Demeaning my bloody mother' eh? He would be one to know." the young man spat out, as memories of recient years were brought to mind.

As he retreated to his designated ship, the smart pirates gave way and let the enraged Ken through while others were shoved aside without a second thought.

Settling down into his quarters by his lonesome, Ken calmed down and removed his sword from his person, laying it ceramoniously on the floor. He kneeled down and thought to pray, but to what? His family's guardian spirit, the Silver Wolf, had left him for reasons he could not understand--that Ken had to go on alone as the Platinum Wolf.

So Ken prayed to whatever divinity might be listening--a silent prayer asking for guidance in doing the right thing, that he may someday understand his place in things.

Before finally going to sleep, Ken looked to the red cloth tied around the end of the sword's handle, remembering those who gave it to him.

Edited by Ken the Wandering Soul, 01 June 2008 - 07:58 PM.

[SL the Pyro]

"Sheesh, just looking after my comrade, thanks!" Shadow called out to Steel, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Stuck-up pirate." he muttered under his breath.

When his "escorts" led him out of the Fortress territory and left him alone, Shadow decided to head back to the Woods quarter. Maybe there wouldn't be people there that wanted to murder him.

Alas, he didn't even get the chance to do that. An arrow whizzed by his face and hit a nearby building, grazing his hair. "What the!?" he stammered, looking around. People dressed in black, no less than 5, came out from behind some buildings with cutlasses drawn. And they were running at him. "Oh, for Diel's sake!" he cursed, running back into Fortress territory; he could just kill them, but he couldn't run the risk that they were dorm members, thus putting treaty infringement on his head.

If he lived through this, Shadow was going to wring the necks of his superiors the first chance he got.

[Ransom]

He opened his eyes to an unfamiliar world of pain and headache. His body was covered in bruises and welts. His chest felt like it was on fire. A broken rib?
And his wings. They hurt more than anything else. The extra sensitive nerves sending jolts of affliction straight to his back. His right wing a little bit bent out of shape where ken had repeatedly kicked him. Something was broken there to. And to top it all off, he had the hangover of a century. Didnt they have drugs for that?
This was almost too much. If only that cannonball had taken him down for good.
Hopefully he would just die here on this soft bed.
Bed? Where was he?

He looked up and around him from his position lying on his stomach. He was in some kind medical tent. Judging by the mess it was in, he guessed it was located in the pirate camp.
Why was he here? What happened?
Something about a sword and... Ken!
Ken.
He did this to him. And for no reason. Just because an old friend is irresponsible enough to get drunk in a camp full of enemies is no excuse to beat the crap out of him!
Ransom didnt get it.
Why?
He had been through [img]http://forums.legendsalliance.com/public/ALOT.png[/img] with the guy.

A fresh new wave of pain erupted from his chest and back. His wings started spasming wildly, and he heard something smash, and a nurse scream in alarm.
Damn that Ken. He would get him back.


Thirty minutes later found himself less than adequately patched up and on his way to Steel's tent. Walking was an effort. his legs were bruised and battered, and his wings hurt just from holding themselves up.
He figured the nurses getting rid of him so quickly "by Admiral Steel's orders" had more to do with his involuntary sporadic outbursts than anything else. They could've at least given him a painkiller or something.

To be treated like a freak was definitely a disadvantage of having the coveted ability of flight.

Finally reaching the tent, he strode straight through the entrance only to be stopped by a heavily clad guard.

"Wait here."

The guard stole into the tent, emerging five minutes later, only to announce, "He will see you when he is ready."

Ransom found himself too angry to exercise any sort of patience.

"Damnit Steel." he yelled, "I'm not waiting for you!"

[Steel Samurai]

Several minutes later, Steel motioned the guard to let Ransom in.

"Sorry about your injuries. Ken will be suitably punished. I'd love to take the time to catch up, but there are more pressing concerns"

"I cant even fly. It could be weeks."

Steel rummaged around in his makeshift desk for a moment, and then tossed Ransom a small vial with a ruby colored liquid

"Take this. It'll sting like hell, but it should accelerate the healing"

"Ok then."

"I have slight problem I could use your help with. One of our trusted captains decided to desert after the war was over. His exact location is unknown, but we believe it's up near Port Almirante, in the Amalthea Islands. As soon as I've gotten things finished up at the Fortress, I'll be taking a small team in to eliminate him. Your flying ability would be an invaluable asset, but, more importantly, I trust you. The pay, of course, will be excellent."

"Excellent. We'll meet at The Gurgling Duck in Almirante in, shall we say, a month?"

"Uh yes. that will be suitable. For recovery etcetera. Also i can get some new weapons. One last thing." Ransom said "Who else will be on the mission?"

"I'm unsure of the exact members at the moment, but I was planning to assign Lieutenant Ken to the mission for one, as well as several of the elite pirate guard."

Ransom paused for a moment. "Ok. Seeya in a month."

Steel returned to the reports he was perusing. Dammit. If those two caused problems during the mission it could become an issue. He would just have to do his best to ensure they kept their fights outside of the mission.

* * * *

One Month Later

Steel walked into The Gurgling Duck, the smoky room teeming with pirates, mercenaries, and adventure seekers all eager to see what mysteries the new continent had for them. He sat down at the bar.

"Get me a whiskey with chu juice."

"Comin' right up, adm'ral."

"Seen any woodies around lately?"

"Nay sir, can't say as I 'ave."

So, they weren't here yet. Well, Woodies and Pirates alike were often late.

"I'll need a room indefinitely. Maybe for a day, maybe for a month."

"Aye aye sir, I'll have the girls prepare it immediately."

"Good."

Steel sipped from his drink and waited.

[Ken the Wandering Soul]

One lashing for each bruise.

Five lashings for each bleeding wound.

Ten lashings for each broken bone.

Steel did not beat around the bush when it came to Ken's punishment, and for good reason. There was no point in being soft in the fleet of the Fortress, especially when other dorms wanted just compensation for damages.

During the course of the voyage to the new continent, Ken's back remained raw in memory of the unbelievable pain. After punishment, Ken did not to try fight Ransom, but it did not stay feelings of malice. He took whatever chance he could to either avoid Ransom or cause some small trouble and rudeness for the winged woodie.

Ken had been placed in charge of extra duties for the voyage as additional punishment, which meant he had to go through the tedious work of making sure the ship was properly docked. It seemed everyone else had gone off to find Steel, though Ken imagined it was an excuse by the pirates to find a bar to go get drunk and leave Ken to finish their jobs.

When the ship was finally all set, Ken got himself ready and stepped off the ship to look for wherever Steel was.

[SL the Pyro]

Last month today, it had indeed been a frustrating ordeal. It turns out that the people in black who had ambushed Shadow back then were pirates who wanted his head for the same damn reason everyone else there did; being a war hero. He couldn't simply beat them up, or he'd be held responsible for treaty infringement; while the Woodies were a bit sick in the head, they were strict on their punishments. The ninja-ish pirates seemed intent that he not leave Fortress territory -- probably so they could eventually corner him and eventually kill him -- as he was ambushed again and again with each attempt to leave. But the foolish pirates didn't seem to realize that it was Shadow's cunning that was his most valuable weapon in the war; again and again he gave them the slip. He'd almost been making a game out of it. But they were still ready for him with each attempt at a territorial escape, so he was forced to hide in the Fortress quarter until he had a chance to stwo away on the ship headed for Almirante, having to avoid pirate guards while he pilfered food and drink.

On his way off he'd knocked out a pirate and stolen his uniform to conceal himself, after making it look like the victim had just got drunk and passed out. He rather liked his style of clothing, which was a brown sleeveless vest and and some black jeans. He wore his tunic under the vest -- without the belt, since it wasn't required now that he had jeans -- so he could still access his weapons through the magical fabric; it looked more like an oversized sleeveless shirt under the vest. The pirate even had a blue bandana that concealed Shadow's hair -- which, being purple, would be a dead giveaway to who he was. After tossing his own clothing that he'd had to get rid of -- and taking money from the pirate as compensation -- and strapping his sword and the Aegis shield to his back, he hit the town.

He then rumors started circulating about the upcoming mission about a mutinous pirate ship. The pirates seemed desperate to reclaim it, and were willing to pay big bucks for any wayward mercenaries who wanted in. When opportunity knocks, it knocks loud; Shadow could find a way into the Fortress to complete his own personal mission, and even get some extra cash on the side. It was simply a matter of finding the one in charge to lend his services too...

...which Shadow was less than pleased to find out was none other than Steel, who would probably recognize Shadow in his disguise. That particular pirate didn't trust Shadow any more than he could throw him, and he'd made that clear on more than one occasion. Not that the feeling wasn't mutual, Shadow didn't really like Steel either. This was going to make negotiations difficult, but he wouldn't get anywhere otherwise. Who knows, maybe he'd get lucky and Steel wouldn't recognize him due to his being blind... though it was unlikely.

After asking about ten or twenty different people -- Shadow lost count at the tenth -- he found out that Steel was at The Gurgling Duck. "Thank you." Shadow said to the pirate he had just finished talking to before spinning on his heel to take off for the bar -- bumping into someone immediately afterward. "HEY! Watch where you-- OW! E-YOW! Goddamnit, that smarts!"

Of all the luck; not only had he bumped into Ken Miyamasa, but a second after that he'd clipped his arm on the exposed metal of his broadsword. Being a light-elemental blade and him being a dark-elemental, that was going to leave him with a small but frustrating burn. He flailed his arm around a bit to try and shake the pain off.

Edited by Shadow_Link, 05 June 2008 - 06:18 PM.

[Tseb]

"Ice cold beer!" the barkeep of the Gurgling Duck announced "New house specialty."

It had been a long week for Tseb and he found himself once again trading magical services for food and shelter. He had hoped to find work at the pub, but that had been a week ago and he had instead ended up showing the barkeep the value of ice cold beer. the bar looked it usual surly self as Tseb sat behind the bar chilling beers with his water magic.

A few new faces... hmm maybe someone will have work for me. he pondered. Tseb decided to watch the newcomers maybe try to hire himself out.