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[Selena]

It had been decided amongst the Ikana soldiers that they would split up for now. Too many of them running around Sornaiid would certainly draw attention. Especially the ones that didn’t have any flesh. So, Selena decided to go herself, and take with her two of the highest ranking officers in the Royal Guard. Rhiannon, the Guard’s captain, and Xeres, the Guard’s best assassin. The two would be crossing the sea in an attempt to get to the northern nation as quickly as possible. Hopefully, they wouldn’t run into any pirate patrols. Though the boat they were taking was certainly small enough to stay under the radar.



The consul led the other two females to the northwest, near the border with Lanasach, where a small Ikana outpost had been built before the Dorm War and had thankfully been left untouched during the conflict. There were a few discreet watchtowers, and a place to rest and eat. But most important of all, the outpost was home to a row of docks. It was Ikana’s ‘navy’ so to speak, which was nothing more than a few small transports to get them where they needed to go quickly. Other than that, they didn’t dare spend a massive amount of funds on anything beyond that. Their forte was land warfare.



Selena took the last bite of a small piece of bread the soldiers there had given her, looking back to her other two companions. This would be a good learning experience for Rhiannon, she reasoned. It wasn’t often that the Captain ventured out into the real world – much less a long journey like they were about to embark on. Hopefully she’d pick up on skills from both her and Xeres during the course of the trip.



“Well, I think it’s time we were off, then,” Selena said, walking towards the docks. “I do hope that neither of you are seasick. And that you know how to sail, for that matter. We’re doing this by ourselves.”



The consul walked up the gangplank and onto the main deck of the miniscule transport, waiting for the others to join her. It’d… been a while, to say the least, since she’d tried to do this, but she imagined it was like riding a bike. Just a bike with sails and a rudder. At least the ship’s small size would make it fairly agile.



“We’ll try to make our way up the islands, stopping when needed, but I hope we can just do this as quickly as possible. The less time we spend in pirate waters, the better,” Selena explained. She put a hand to her head, thinking of another matter. “Good god, I hope Wisp can handle Ikana and not make it explode while I’m gone.”



Dismissing that thought, she waved the others up towards the ship, ready to get a move on.

[Xeres]

Xeres boarded the vessel, hesitant to be out in the bright sunlight, most certainly not her preferred time of day to do work. Seeing the somewhat unsure face of her leader, she decided that it might be best if she exercised some of her former knowledge in the Alliance military to aid in the operation of the seaworthy vessel. Making herself as comfortable as possible as someone wearing a heavy cloak and hood in the middle of a bright and sunny day can, she set to work preparing the vessel for departure.

"I am indeed capable of operating a vessel of this size on the open sea. I have aquired... Suitable training... For such an endeavour."

She glanced over at Selena, trying to get some sort of reading off of her. She'd spotted the Ikana leader in the dark late last night, but could not track her for long, watching from much too high a perch to perform proper surveilance. She did notice the fading marks around her neck, and thought it best to infer her own conclusions based on what she knew about Selena and the LA, rather than attempt to coerce answers out of someone she knew to be none-too-willing.

She allowed herself to glance in the Captain's direction, still not too familiar, or comfortable with the young charge. She supposed that her chosen leader's confidence in her should be enough, but there was something nervous and secretive about the girl, something that did not sit well with Xeres, as she wondered if this would translate into unsteady combat... Something that she would not take lightly. She reserved judgement for now, accepting the fact that she would simply have to observe the girl in action to determine her strengths and weaknesses.

"I suppose this weather is a blessing for travel, regardless of how I personally dislike it. I require some form of darkness or kind of night for my magic to be effective, and it seems that even the shadows are in short supply. I do expect combat, trespassing in pirate territory..."

She trailed off, pondering the situation at length. Her magical prowess was limited currently, a feeling that never sat well with her. She was confident in her weapon and close-combat abilities, but she did not want to underestimate the strength of the pirates. She also reconsidered her clothing, becoming increasingly uncomfortable in the heat and unsteady motion of the boat. Such full and flowing garb was not wise, and she found herself caught between her personal wish to be concealed, and the most reasonable course of action. She realized she'd stretched out her silence too long, and continued,

"...And so we would smart to remain on guard. The denizens of the Forsaken Fortress no doubt have an advantage on the seas. If we can make it 'till nightfall without an encounter, there are some measures I can introduce."

Her voice remained low and hushed, as usual, the death whisper appearing to be her preferred method of speech. With that, her slight preparations complete, she rested with her back against the bow of the ship, looking off to the side in quiet contemplation, her breath slightly unsteady as she attempted to force herself to adjust to the rising temperature, trying to use years of military conditioning to her advantage.

[Rhiannon]

Rhia knew her skills and knowledge were greatly inferiour to those of her fellow crew mates and she knew that she would have to give a 110% in order for them to believe in her. Selena trusted her somewhat, which was more than most people got out of her, but there was always room for improvement. The main person she would be trying her hardest was for Xeres. She had been known around the canyon for her mysterious nature and exquisits assinating skills.

"I, I.. I've only been on a boat a couple times before," she timidly answered. "But I'll try." Without delay, she began to help Xeres in untying the boat from the docks.

As soon as they were on the water she ran to the port side and began to heave up the buoys. She then retired to the bow and began to talk with Selena. "Uhm, why exactly are we going to Sornaiid, Lena? Or more importantly... what are we going to be doing there?"

She knew Selena was secretive and for the most part she accepted it, but sometimes it made her uneasy, especially since Xeres was involved. She knew this was an important mission and felt more than honoured to be a part of it. She hoped Lena would trust her enough.

[Selena]

Waiting no longer, Selena ordered the anchor drawn and the sails let loose. Catching the wind, the boat slowly moved out from the docks and into the open waters, their journey officially beginning. Fittingly enough, she had found herself behind the helm of the vessel, playing pirate for the moment. Once the ship had cleared, she tilted her head to Rhiannon, but only briefly in order to indidcate she was indeed speaking at the girl. Afterwards, she kept her eyes on the horizon.

"We are going to Sornaiid, because as that little letter said, it's in a state of rebellion. Remember that Ikana stands against the Alliance. If we can make the situation there worse, we can feed off the chaos ourselves. And hopefully, after the Alliance is driven out of the western regions of the nation, we can set up a base there. That'll give us a place to strike the Woods from easily. If Sornaiid becomes independent from the Alliance in the process, all the better."

"In other words," Selena summarized, "our goal there is to blow shit up. And maybe do some recon on the Woods while we're there."

She referred to her map of the sea, her route having been marked down beforehand. Turning the rudder slightly, the ship turned to starboard slightly. Bringing it back amidships, she turned to look at the other woman she had taken with her. That was a girl who needed to learn the value of summer clothing.

"Maybe we can buy you some short sleeved shirts while we're there," Selena said sarcastically, cracking a grin.

[Xeres]

Xeres smiled ever so slightly under her hood, aware of how irrational she was being. With that slight smile carrying in her voice, she replied,

"I'm well equipped to handle this weather... Under the cloak. I just... Well... Prefer not being seen. Let's pretend I'm hideously mutated underneath, and terribly insecure about my deformities. Should the situation arise, I'm sure I can get over that fear in an instant."

Admonishing herself, she fell back into silence.

[Rhiannon]

She giggled a bit at the exchange of words between Xeres and Selena. She knew this would be a most rewarding trip. Yet something Lena had said still bothered her.

"How close exactly are we going to be to the woods?" She asked timidly. She wrung her hands together, looking down at them. Thoughts of her dream* ran through her head, the murders, the darkness, she whimpered softly. Immediately she put her hand over her mouth. Lena is right there you wuss, suck it up! she thought. She straightened up and looked Selena straight in the eyes, "I mean, I'm just wondering that's all. I suspect that the citzens around the boarder might know a couple things, no?"


*[occ] Dream refers to the post I made in Toan's thread. His first post will explain it all. [/occ]

[Selena]

Selena stared blankly at Rhiannon, already picking up on her tense behavior. She looked over to Xeres for a moment, to see if she'd noticed, and then turned back, raising an eyebrow. "Doing recon work in the Lost Woods means... actually going into the Lost Woods. If you didn't know that, hell, remind me not to give you a reconaissance mission. What's the matter, you scared of trees and shrubbaries?"

The consul chuckled to herself, keeping her eyes glued to her compass and map. She sighed, however, at how long this trip would take. She took those Labyrinth portals for granted, it seemed. It would take a week or more to even get to Sornaiid's sea border. Getting away from the desert shorelines shouldn't prove to be too difficult. Lanasach didn't exactly have much of a navy, but every so often, a patrol boat or two made its way by the coast.

And today was one of those days. She spotted white off to her side, the sails of a small combat vessel easily seen against the deep blue of the sea. Muttering a swear word, Selena adjusted her course to hopefully give her an edge in getting away. Her ship was small, light, and agile - more than the Lanasach ship was, in theory. Never the less, it was not the time to take chances.

"You two! Open up the sails the rest of the way! We need speed fast," Selena shouted. "The angle they're at puts them at a disadvantage at catching us, and they're far away, but who knows. Let's hope they think we're civilians."

Edited by Selena, 18 June 2006 - 09:45 PM.

[Xeres]

Xeres made a slight nod when Selena made eye contact with her, she had noticed the Captain's aprehension, and was beginning to piece together bits and pieces about Rhiannon's behaviour and tendancies... Her eyes narrowed slightly... This girl was most probably the one who had attempted to eavesdrop on her and Selena... She seemed the inquisitve, curious type... And had the proper access and authority to walk around unchallenged. Oh well, better a loyal soldier than an untrustworthy spy.

That mystery solved, and filing away Rhiannon's mysterious fear of the Lost Woods, she moved quickly to follow Selena's orders, aware that conflict was not in their best interest. Quickly analyzing the situation, she spoke,

"Our sudden move to avoid them will most surely alert them, we must simply hope to outrun them. A strong tailwind could bring them within boarding distance in around fifteen minutes."

She quickly checked her swords, concealed safely beneath her cloak, wanting to be prepared for any possible confrontation.

"Also, if they have any sort of binoculars, they will spot you, Selena... I'm sure you and your captain are well enough known in the Legends Alliance to be seen as a threat... So no... I doubt we will go unnoticed."

[Rhiannon]

Rhia knew Lena wouldn't understand which is why she didn't say anything. She saw the exchange of glances of the other two women aboard. Sensing, the mockery in Lena's voice, and the unmistakable distrust Xeres had for her, she fell quiet. This is going to be one long trip she thought.

Suddenly Selena starting shouting, unfortunately Rhia was right beside her, getting the full blast of her masters voice, ""You two! Open up the sails the rest of the way! We need speed fast." Rhia ran to the sails and began to turn them so they were at the boat's premium advantage. She turned to her left and saw Xeres having a little trouble with the sail, she too found it hard. When we get back home, we're really going to have to invest in some new transportation. Her thoughts were interrupted by the loud squeak of her wheel, unfortunately that's all that happened. Absolutely pointless! Doing this by hand will take to long, surely they've already seen us.

She turned to Xeres, "May I?" she asked.

Rhia closed her eyes and concentrated on the sails, and as smooth as could be, all turned unisonly in the right direction. Rhia smiled to herself and ran to the bow of the boat. There she got a perfect view of the on coming vessel. She stared at their sails, turning them to the left sharply. The surprised yells could be heard be all. Rhia giggled, but knew she had angered them. Making sure that Lena's scythe was easily accesible, she turned around to wait for instructions.

Edited by Rhiannon, 17 June 2006 - 05:31 PM.

[Selena]

"Rhia, what are you--?" Selena began to ask, but was then flung forward, her body pinned against the steering wheel of the vessel. "Ack!"

With another mild yelp at the sudden change in speed, Selena righted herself, planting both feet firmly on the deck. She turned her head back to check to see how well they were outrunning the Lanasach naval vessel, and was indeed pleased to see that they were widening the gap between them.

She grabbed a pair of binoculars and brought them up to her face, hoping to catch glimpse of what the enemy crew was up to. The captain was staring right back with his own devices, and Selena took the time to wave mockingly, pissing him off. Crew members were running across the deck carrying what looked like ammunition. Why would they load up the guns already? They weren't even in range for a proper broadside, and if they turned, they'd lose her.

"Maybe they're just dropping extra supplies to pick up speed," Selena mused to herself.

Then, not two minutes later, a shot rang out over the seas, and a cannonball flew through the sky. It landed to the left of the Ikana vessel, causing a gigantic splash. Selena looked at the impact zone for a moment, then back to the Lanasach ship. Turning to her companions, she said nothing for a moment. Some genius had apparently mounted a forward facing cannon on a ship. Stupid, unorthadox desert rats.

"I like their ship better. Wanna turn around and steal it?"

[Xeres]

Xeres pondered their options in regards to Selena's query, considering that Rhiannon had done the work for her, and she was merely concerned with remaining upright.

"... It would appear that we either need to face them, or allow them to sink us with their oddly-placed but effective cannon."

She crouched slightly, the tilting of the boat threatening to upset her balance.

"...To do so, we would need to approach them, as I don't think we're capable of any great long range feats... I know my magic will not reach far beyond the rapidly shrinking shadows."

Xeres scowled, not at all liking the idea of being helpless or weakened... It's why she did most of her work at night. Looking at the water and the position of the sun, she mused.

"If we did turn to face them, at this time of day... Our shadow would be cast facing them... And I believe I could muster up a sufficent shield to prevent them from destroying our vessel with that cannon, if such an effort was necessary."

Her mind already calculating her limits and possible courses of action, she steadied herself on the deck and awaited some sort of command.

[Selena]

"Yes, I'm in favor of boarding them rather than sinking, myself," Selena said, a grin on her face. "So, that said, Xeres, you do what you can with a shield. Magic engine! To starboard!"

Trusting Rhia to adjust her magic to accomodate the sharp turn, Selena spun the wheel until the rudder turned as much as possible, the ship veering off to the right with such force that Selena had to hang on to the wheel for fear of falling over. Then, after a moment or two of that chaos, she returned the rudder back amidships, the vessel going back to a steady course, this time heading straight for the Lanasach military ship.

"I imagine they're in the process of reloading, but that won't take long. Hope for the best," Selena said. She never was one for pep talks. "They'll no doubt board us before we can go to them, so get ready for a fight!"

Always feeling most alive when danger levels were high, Selena's adrenaline began to pump as they neared the enemy ship. Taking one last look at the crew they had on hand, at least on the deck, she estimated that there was maybe a dozen or so crew members. Nothing that the three of them couldn't handle, anyway. That was, what, four to one odds? She'd dealt with worse.

"Here we go!"

[Xeres]

The moment that the ship had made its turn, Xeres got to work summoning the shadows to do her bidding. A soft incantation could be heard from her lips in a language thought to be lost to the denizens of the Legends Alliance.

Assuming a meditative stance, she positioned her hands in front of her as they took on a faint glow. In an instant, the shadow cast by the ship in the sunlight sprang to their defense, reaching up and making a tinted barricade around the ship. The hardest part of the spell completed, she spoke, her voice tired and less composed than normal.

"...I... I would suggest... We move as quickly... As possible. I... May not be able... To maintain the shield... For long... It is... Not dark enough... Out. But... Feel free to make faces at them... We can see them, they cannot see us."

With that she fell silent, devoting all her energies to maintaining the shield and standing upright.

[Rhiannon]

Oh dear Rhia thought. She'd only seen Xeres a few times, but never like this. Her aura was so powerful at the moment all Rhia could do was stare in complete awe. Lena's voice broke her trance and she began to concentrate on both the sails at once, turning them to their best advantage as Lena turned the wheel. They were gaining more and more distance. Once the other ship was out of sight Rhia cheered and ran to Xeres side to help her out. Rhia sighed in releif and the sun came beating back down, harsher than ever.

"That was close," whispered Rhia. Mainly to herself, but Xeres was right by her side, breathing heavily and looking very weary. Rhia just stood by her side, waiting for an order or a request. Lena had just gone downstairs to get something to drink when... *whoosh,kerplunk,whoosh,thunk,boom,WTF*

Startled, Rhia stood up immediately, turning around sharply, almost knocking some barrels over she looked ahead. The ship was right in front of them. "How the hell did they get there?" she screeched. She heard the sound of churning water. She looked down. A nice sized hole stood right infront of her and Xeres. Damn.

"Uh... Lena. I think we have a slight problem."

Edited by Rhiannon, 02 July 2006 - 06:06 PM.

[Selena]

Lena stuck her head up and looked at the hole, wide eyed. Her gaze drifted up, looking at the Lanasach vessel right in front of them, its soldiers armed and ready to board. "Rhia, this is the last time I leave you in charge of anything."

Grabbing her scythe back from Rhiannon, Selena knew that no matter what magic Xeres had in terms of shielding, it was now too late to do much good. Now it was just a straight, clean fight, which is what Selena probably preferred. Just a few soldiers to every one of them, and the ship could easily be theirs for the taking. A good thing considering their was currently filling with water.

"Get ready, girls, the fun's about to start," Selena muttered, weapon in hand.

"Cease and surrender immediately and you'll all be taken into proper custody without any harm done to you!" The enemy captain warned.

The Lanasach captain ordered his troops to board, and two started out, leaping over the tight gap and landing on the deck of the Ikana ship. As they neared, standard swords drawn, Selena rushed forward and, in a wide arch, her scythe sliced open the both of them, gutting them before they could even make their own move.

"You were saying, my dear captain?" Selena asked sweetly.

It didn't take much, that was for sure. With another scream, the rest of the soldiers began to board the sinking ship, ready to battle. They wouldn't have long on their current position, as in a minute the boat would be too low to climb aboard the other, and so Selena made it a priority to get over there before it was too late.

Stabbing one in the chest, she leapt over onto the Lanasach boat, trusting the others to follow.

Edited by Selena, 02 July 2006 - 06:19 PM.

[Xeres]

Xeres cursed silently under her breath, breaking the spell in an instant. The only thing worse than such an effort was such an effort being wasted. She took a second to recover herself, and drew her swords, the dual blades gleaming in the sunlight. She eyed the nearest soldier, nearly sneering at his arrogance

"I may not have the same range, but..."

She moved swiftly, ducking low and spinning gracefully, crossing her blades through the unfortunate soldiers throat, satisfied in the way his body fell to the ground and left naught but a bloody mist in the air. Killing was always an exercise in finese and fine art.

"...I find my methods just as effective."

She didn't have time to admire her handywork, though, as she noted the sinking of their ship and her position on it. Following Selena's lead, she lept from one ship to the other, skillfully intercepting another soldier and running her swords deep into his sides, using him as a springboard to launch herself onto the ship, her cloaked form resembling a shadow.

She landed on the deck noiselessly, crouching low and with smile across her lips, this was something she could enjoy. Finding the cloak too much of a hinderance at this point, she undid the clasp and felt the cloak dissolve into the shadows, one of her more useful traveling magics. Her pale face was still hidden by a hood, but the rest of her body was now visible. This thought didn't worry her, as all these men would soon be dead, anyways.

(OOC: Now, to draw a character picture! Whee.)

[Rhiannon]

"Oh no, oh no, oh no." Rhia squirmed in position. She hadn't expected this, it was all very sudden, too sudden. She felt Lena grab the scythe from her grip. She was weaponless. Two members of the enemy boat jumped across the gap between the boats. Rhia screamed and hid behind Xeres as Selena slaughtered them. Quickly going downstairs before Xeres could tell her off, and to find a weapon, Rhia rummaged through her stuff. Not long after, water began to seep around her ankles. She ran to the kitchen in hopes of finding some sharp knives, but alas, there were only butter knives. "It'll have to do," she sighed to herself. Running back up the stairs she found herself to be alone on the boat. Well, not entirely alone.

Slowly losing fear, Rhia, threw a couple of the knives at some on coming enemies. Slowing them down, would give Rhia enough time to cross to the next boat before this one went down. She ran quickly to the next boat, picking up an enemy's short sword before almost falling of the edge. Rhia didn't like heights, especially those over water. Not her cup of tea that's for sure. Stabbing a couple more enemy's behind her with her mind and butter knives she took a huge leap over to the next boat. Unfortunately, an Lanasach solider grabbed a hold of her ankle. She was stuck. Stuck inbetween a sinking boat and a stable one. Great.

[Selena]

As Selena swung her scythe back to prepare for a strike on the panicking captain in front of her, she heard Rhiannon's yelp and came to a quick and abrupt stop. Pivoting around, Selena spotted her apprentice caught in a very bad situation, a Lanasach soldier with an iron grip on her ankle. Forgetting about killing the captain for a moment, Selena backtracked to Rhiannon, trusting that Xeres could handle some of the other soldiers until she could return to the fight.

Leaping up on the edge of the ship, Selena used her weapon's size to her advantage. With a quick stabbing motion, she impaled the soldier on her scythe, and drug him until he slid down between the ships and disappeared under the water. As his teammate ran up to attack Lena, she batted away their sword and hacked them open with another swift movement. The coast clear, she turned back to Rhiannon.

"Butter knives? Just... what the hell?" She said in passing, and continued on her way to eliminate the rest of the enemies in the area.

[Xeres]

Xeres watched in disdain as Rhiannon found herself in peril, with Selena coming to her aid. Now was not the time to reprimand her, though, it seemed like Selena was managing that without much effort. With that, Xeres turned her attention to the guards, who weren't wasting any time in attempting to end her life.

Calculating her surroundings, Xeres decided to slow her opponents down, lest she risk having all the fun herself. Noting the position of the cargo on the deck, Xeres made a slight gesture, causing the shadows to spring to her aid and entangle her would-be attackers. Facing the enemies that were out of her shadow's reaches, she couldn't help smiling.

"You really have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?"

Her chilling voice did little to deter the soldiers, which was fine.

"Of course you wouldn't know... That's the way I want it."

She swiftly sidestepped one attack, gracefully turning and stabbing him in the back of the neck, the exposed skin giving way all too easily. She extracted the blade and used her off-hand to deflect another attack. There were more of them than she expected... No matter, they'd die all the same. Repelling the latest attackers, she backflipped and threw one sword into the air. In that instant, she reached behind her, pulling out an ornate dagger and tossing it to Rhiannon in one motion, catching her sword and standing ready.

[Rhiannon]

Thanking Lena quickly Rhia ran to help Xeres out, but before she could get near, Xeres pretty much showed them who was boss. In one quick movement she sent her dagger towards Rhia. Rhia chaught it, yelled a thanks and preceeded to turn sharply and stab an oncoming soldier.

"You people are much too loud and thumpy," she sighed, albeit in delight, at their clumsiness. "And Lena calls my clumsy.. pfft." Just as she had said that, two soldier ran towards her. She got Xeres dagger readY, Rhia aimed for one of thes soldiers neck, she was millimetres away from and as she lunged, slipped on some other soldiers blood. She quickly stood up, looked around for Lena, then stabbed the soldier underneath his breast bone. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other soldier getting ready to attack, she stabbed this one once more and then concentrated on the three butter knives left in her pocket. Simultaneously the rose and began to stab the other in the face multiple times. Rhia smiled to herself, as the other soldier screamed half in fright and half in pain. Silly uneducated soldiers she thought. Instantly the knives rose high up in the air and Rhia twisted the dagger inside her victim. He fell to the ground. The other soldier ran away, the butter knives followed.

"They seem to be working quite fine Lenabena!" yelled Rhia over the loud grunt of a pain her next victim breathed after she gently but firmly sliced his side.

Edited by Rhiannon, 03 July 2006 - 10:57 PM.

[Selena]

For however much Rhia was acting like a slapstick fighter, Selena concentrated on the task at hand again. Xeres and Butter Knife could handle the remaining grunts just fine. But that timid little captain had fled, and Selena felt compelled to go find him before he found some kind of primitive firearm to use on them. Scythe in hand, she sprinted to the aft section of the vessel, kicking open doors to cabins and rooms, peering inside for any kind of life.

Then, at long last, she caught him in weapons storage, gathering what he could before returning to battle. Before he could use the flintlock in his hand, Selena darted forward, he weapon stretched to its maximum length. Catching his throat in the scythe blade, she drug him back towards her, like some horrible vaudeville act being pulled offstage. Blood poured from the instant cut, and she grabbed him by his coat, holding him up against her.

"Now, now, you didn't honestly think that would work, did you?" She hissed.

Digger her weapon deeper, she tore open more of his neck, and he sank to the ground, arms flailing, as he slowly bled to death. Wiping some of the liquid off of her armor and weapon, Selena meandered back to the main deck after giving the hold a quick lookover to make sure no one else was lurking about. Seemed quiet enough.

"Well, then," Selena declared, "aside from these lackeys, I think the ship is ours, ladies. Finish them off and secure the rest of the ship, and we'll be back on our merry little way."

[Xeres]

Xeres raised an eyebrow at Rhiannon's questionable fighting style, the inclusion of telekenesis and butter knives was both interesting and utterly absurd. Nothing like the delicate art of killing she herself practiced.

She counted the rest of the soldiers around her. Trusting Rhia's bizarre tactics to take out the two fighters she faced, Xeres faced the remaining three. She had a smile on her lips while her bloodstained blades shined, ready to partake in as much bloodshed as she required to feel truly alive again. She noted that there was indeed fear in these men's eyes, seeing her deal with their comrades must have shaken the men. The feeling of their fear made her smile, a fact made even more haunting by the coldness in her gaze and voice. She dropped the remainder of her magic, preferring to do this the old fashioned way.

"...What, are you afraid now? It's a bit late for that... You should have been afraid the moment you saw our vessel."

One soldier steeled himself against her words and lashed out, his fear making him entirely insolent.

"You're nothing but another two-bit assassin, and you'll die just like the rest!"

She nodded absently at his threats, her mind making the most minute calculations in the instant before the three soldiers lunged at her. Yes, yes, this would be beautiful indeed.

Predicting every movement and attack, Xeres executed her plan with grace, performing something akin to a macabre waltz to dispose of the soldiers.

When the first one lunged, she backflipped away from his attack, landed and brought her main blade up through the insolent man's torso, twisting the blade and retracting it in one swift movement, while her secondary blade intercepted the second soldier and forced him back. While he recovered, she turned and dealt with the third man, ducking his first ungainly attack, and lunging low slicing deep into his leg, bringing him down onto one knee. With a swift spin to face her last able-bodied attacker, she used her off-hand blade to slice the jugular of her disabled attacker.

The last man hesitated, obviously shaken. Xeres smiled as the realization dawned on him... Only one person knew that fighting style, only one fallen soldier. His eyes widened for an instant, and in that moment, Xeres was behind him, whispering savagely in his ear.

"Glad to see I'm not entirely forgotten... At least, not my method of killing... At least the last thing you're privledged to see is my art... And you'll even be a part of it."

And with that, she drove her swords between his shoulderblades, as his body seized up, she crossed them swiftly, carving an 'X' through his back and watching his body fall to the ground. The disarming smile remained on her lips as she waited for Selena to return to the deck.

"Perfect."

[Rhiannon]

"Weee!" Rhia cried ran through the whole ship to make sure no one was left. Downstairs she found a nicely furnished rooms and a magnificent kitchen.

"This room's mine!" she yelled through the top of the stairs. She could just picture Lena's eyes rolling.

[Selena]

And Selena rolled her eyes indeed, in addition to putting her hand to her forehead. Always Rhiannon. But, as there appeared to be no one else left alive on board, she ascended back up to the deck to get things back on track. They were, surely, far off course by now thanks to all the warfare they'd been dealing with. The main task at hand was to get back on the right track to continue the voyage to Sornaiid.

Getting behind the helm, she pulled out her map to reference where they had been. Making the proper corrections, she turned the ship back to the proper heading, and resumed the journey. And, as she sailed, she noted a corpse next to her. With one swift movement, she kicked it over the side. The decor was pretty, and all, but the stench was not. Flower scented bodies should have been invented at some point, for sadists' sake.

"Well, then, that's quite enough of the sea adventures," Selena declared.

She took a look at the sky, noting the sun was beginning to grow closer and closer to the horizon. A pink hue was starting to spread through the clear blue skies, a star or two becoming visible. At least darkness would provide a decent cover for them. Perhaps she would be forced to let Xeres man the helm as the night settled in. While the night was her favorite time of day as well, it was difficult to try and steer the ship for twenty-four hours.

"Good to see that you aren't rusty, my assassin friend," Selena stated to Xeres off-handedly, though she didn't take her eyes away from her view of the horizon.

Her gaze did, however, slowly shift to where the other member of the group had disappeared to. "Though I wonder just how one learns to fight by psychokinetically flinging butter knives at their enemies. That was surely not a move that I taught you, Rhiannon. You must also be under the guidance of some not-quite-right chef."

With a heavy sigh, she leaned up against the wheel. "Though I was almost hoping for some kind of further conflict, I admit. I want to fire this cannon they have."

[Xeres]

Xeres surveyed the remaining corpses onboard, aware that the sight of a dozen bodies would be slightly disconcerting to any passing ships, and it would do them well to get rid of the mess. Taking note of the setting sun, she decided to use the growing darkness to her advantage, and snapped her fingers, the shadows overtaking and absorbing the bodies into them, leaving no trace of the violence.

Pulling her hood closer around her face, aware of her vunerability without the cloak, she spoke, her voice back to it's normal apathetic tone.

"I would prefer it if we could go with as little people seeing me as possible... But... I suppose if we leave no survivors, then I have no problems... Darkness is approaching, my magic will be much more effective."

She surveyed her cleanup job. As an assassin, her ability to leave no trace of her presence was invaluable.

"But I am glad for the opportunity to test some old skills... Assassination doesn't give one many opportunities to test one's combat prowess."

She took a seat at the helm, resting slightly.

"I can handle the ship while you sleep. If that's your wish, I should sleep now. You can wake me when you require my services."

With that, she went below deck, passing by Rhiannon as she made her way to an unoccupied cabin.

"Unorthodox style... But you didn't make an utter fool of yourself."

She nodded slightly in her direction, and swiftly closed the door to her cabin. Alone, she removed the hooded cape she had left on, and collapsed on the bed, letting sleep overtake her almost instantly.

[Rhiannon]

"I was weaponless, had no time to look around to find something!" She called up to Selena. "Maybe if you hadn't taken away the scythe I would have been more help," she grumbled to herself.

Just as she was walking out the door, Xeres came by, said something, and went straight into an empty cabin without a second glance.

"Thank y...ou!" Rhia somwhat finished her words before the door shut her out. Rhia shrugged it off as intelligence needing sleep and skipped up the steps.

"I feel great!" She declared. Every few steps kicking a dead man over board. With every splash Rhia's smile grew wider. The day couldn't get any better.

"This boat is wonderful, eh Lena?" she prompted. She ran up to give her sleepy master a poke when she tripped over an empty bucket.

"Ow" grumbled Rhia. After that, the last thing Rhia saw was Selena laughing at her, for she had passed out cold from fatigue and had begun to snore ever so softly.

Edited by Rhiannon, 11 July 2006 - 11:20 PM.

[Selena]

"Yes, you clumsy fool, this ship is indeed much better," Selena said, assuming that Rhia had just taken a tumble at first. Then, when she did not move, Lena's brows furrowed in worry. "Rhia?"

Locking the wheel into place, she meandered over to the girl, kicked her moderately hard in the shoulder, and awaited a response. When Rhiannon still did not move, Selena knelt down next to her, taking a look at her rapidly brusing forehead. With a sigh, far too used to her reckless disciple acting so clumsy, she sat Rhiannon's unconscious form up, and then slung the girl over her shoulder like a sack of laundry.

Selena descended below deck and into one of the empty crew cabins. Slipping her into one of the beds into the room, the master threw a stray blanket onto the disciple, and left her to slumber. She probably needed it. Not since the war had Rhiannon been forced to fight so frequently. Those mental powers probably drained her quite a bit as well. Throwing those butter knives around like that. Selena turned back out the door, grumbling.

"Better not have given yourself a concussion, whelp."

She returned to her place at the helm, unlocking the wheel and steering manually again. The stars were definitely beginning to show now. The consul of Ikana sailed along for quite a while, the silence welcomed after such a long day. But even for someone who'd grown up in the pits of darkness, meant to be completely stern and self-reliant... well, really, it started to get boring after a while.

"Well," she said to herself, not entirely sure where to go after that. "A skeleton walks into a bar. He goes to the bartender and says 'a pint of ale and a mop, please.'"

She slammed her head against the wheel of the ship. Good lord, if Selena's master could see her now, she'd never hear the end of it. Some display of introverted might she was displaying! Thank goodness Rhia had passed out. Another hour passed before Selena resorted to tapping on the wheel incessantly, making up little drum tunes as best she could, whistling along with the beat when appropriate.

"Hrm," Selena grunted, looking up at the stars. Damn it. Nostalgia central up there. Whenever she looked up to those brilliant lights in the sky, she couldn't help but think about her long, pre-Khuffie exile past. Back in the day when the dorms ruled the land without question. Back in the days of a certain underground maze.


"A sick fascination with weapons of mass destruction like the Goblin. She might just fit in with us!" Amusement and intrigue.

"Initiation, Initiation!" The peanut gallery - far too eager for gore.

"Little spawn's daring to rise up against me?" Irritation, perhaps.

"So, I hear you're the queen's new rival." Interest from the strange and unusual. "Heh. I got an idea, if you're game, kid."

"A coup! Time to put a new ruler on the throne. Who's with me?" Realization of jumping the gun. Queen's back. Slightly worried now.

"Time to put you in your place, weak child." Rivalry is go.

"I'll make a real woman of you yet. ...Wait, no."

"Wow."

The short one stares in shock.

"I mean..."

"Just wow."

"You know what I mean!"

"Woweee." Stupid brother.

Sometime later. Bar. "GIT YER OHN DAHM WHISKY, LASSIE, OR AH'LL SHOOT YEH FULL AH LEAD!" Drunk Scottish, but Irish, bastard.

"Tit-man, give me back my bra!" Not again.

"Hobbit, for god sakes, that's not where that goes!" Inappropriate sporking.


....Slowly, Selena shook her head. Okay, no more flashbacks. That was horrible for one's temporary sanity. Focusing on something else entirely, she resumed her sailing into the night, attempting to man the ship for as long as she possibly could before deciding to wake Xeres for the next shift.

But, the time did come, and though they'd made good progress thusfar, Selena needed to get her rest for the day. Hoping that the few hours had given Xeres a good catnap that would last her for a while longer, Selena descended below deck again, and opened the door to Xeres' room, trusting the assassin's ear to be fine tuned enough to wake immediately.

"Xeres," Selena addressed, wobbling slightly, though she tried her best not to. "Your turn. Wake me at dawn if Rhiannon doesn't wake me first, please."

[Xeres]

Xeres' eyes were open by the time Selena had opened the latch on her cabin door, her senses tuned to make her rest as lightly as possible, such alertness was part of the job, as it were.

She looked slightly irritated at Selena's entrance, not because it was unexpected, but because she had once again been caught with her guard down. Rather, her hood, which was draped over a chair not two feet from where she lay. She nodded silently, and quickly donned the cape, throwing the hood around her face and glancing at her commander.

"I will do as you ask."

Selena's unsteady stance made her pause for a moment. She put a hand on her leader's shoulder, gently, almost like a cool breeze. And then it was gone, and she whispered.

"Go rest. The ship is fine while I am awake."

She strode past Selena and drifted noiselessly up the stairs to the wheel, prepared to spend the rest of the night reflecting quietly to herself. The solitude did little to phase her.

To be honest, she preferred it, as she had far too many tumultuous thoughts to sort through. This close association with other people was unsettling in her line of work.

[Rhiannon]

Rhia woke freezing cold and little headache. She didn't even remember getting into bed or what had happened the day before. Slowly she got up, wrapped her cloak around her tightly and went into the kitchen to make some breakfast.

She opened the fridge, saw some milk, one egg, one dragonfruit and a bag of pancake mix. Wait, why was there pancake mix in the fridge? she thought. Whatever the case, the past tenants of this ship did not do well on their stocking of food. Rhia would have to make do.

She spent a good part of the next half hour trying to figure out what to make with her limitied ingredients. In the end, a disgusting looking bun is what came out of the oven. At least it's something to eat. She gathered a couple buns, some orange juice she had found in the very back bottom of the fridge and went up to the deck to give it to Xeres, at least she assumed Xeres would be manning the ship by now.

She watched the black cloaked figure by the wheel for a second with awe. One day, she'll be like that. One day. Quietly, she placed the tray on a counter nearby.

"I made this for us. It doesn't look appetizzing, but hopefully it'll do. Sorry."

Just before, she turned around, something on the shore caugh Rhia's eye. She smiled and skipped down the stairs into the cabins. She ran into the kitchen, got Lena's tray of buns and orange juice and ever so quietly opened Lena's cabin door with her mind. This proved to be difficult because of her slight headache she awoke with but she did it with exact percision and no noise at all. Smiling again, she carefully flew the tray in as well, placing it on the night table nearby.

"Oh Leeennnaaa..." she said softly. She heard a grumble, smiled even wider and began to run.

"Lena Lena Lena! I saw land! We're getting there! Wake up!" cried Rhia as she began jumping on the bottom of the bed. Immediately Lena sat up with fury in her eyes. Luckily Rhia saw her from the corner of her eye and running away, she managed to get out of Lena's cabin unharmed, albeit with no cloak. Rhia giggled and ran as fast as she could up to the deck.

She ate the buns she had put in her pocket, which had proved to be most delicious, and watched the tiny tiny tiny spec of land she had seen earlier.

Lena's going to kill me.

Edited by Rhiannon, 13 July 2006 - 04:26 PM.

[Selena]

Selena groaned and pulled the covers over her head. Damn that infernal apprentice of hers! It wasn't dawn yet, was it? With a sigh, Selena pulled herself out of bed, and then noticed. Food. ...Interesting looking food. Food that looked like it just might kill her. But she was hungry after all that fighting, and so she picked the plate up, and meandered to the deck. And it was indeed dawn, though just barely. Xeres probably needed a break by now.

"I'll steer. You eat," Selena commanded, and nonchalantly forced Xeres out of the way, taking back up her position at the helm. She sat the plate down nearby, picking at it when she could. Though with Rhia's cooking, she wasn't in much of a rush, sorry to say.

"Well look at that," Lena said. "My overly-energetic, morning person apprentice of mine was correct about the land. We made impressive time. I was expecting at least another day's sail."

She referred to the map, focusing on the Sornaiid coast. Plenty of port towns to the west, facing into the sea. Patrols would surely be there. The eastern edge was a bit more barren. Time to plan their insertion. Luckily, they were now in use of an Alliance vessel, but even still, it was better to play it safe and drop anchor near the shore, rather than pull into a port.

"We'll come to a stop here," Selena said, pointing to a random cove away from the population. "We'll wade to shore, and hike up to the nearest town to see if they have any intel there. From there, we'll take off to the northwest to see if we can't intercept the spear and spy on the Woods."

She shrugged, and continued to sail. In a few short hours, she dropped the sails and moved the vessel into that cove she had pointed out. Ordering the anchor dropped, she moved to the edge of the ship and looked down.

"Time for a little swim to shore?"

Ugh. She forgot she hated water.