Fantasy Are you tired of sipping Crab Coladas? (Pirate RP) (Always Open)

[Kylesar1]

The large group decided to stop dragging ass and start joining in. Unarmed for the most part though, they went for brute force towards the fishmen, leaving Sebas and Ferg to get the Berserkers. Half of them charged in and they got the fishmen off Ferg's back easily after the Orc destroyed the tank, dazing everyone around the poor unfortunate soul. The tank explosion was a very smart move as it not only incapacitated the spearmen but the mages as well, stopping their spells long enough for everyone to charge in

The fishfolk were getting dragged to the side to get gang beaten and stomped out, and their equipment and magic shields stolen before being gutted and then stomped some more. With an entire ship destroyed and the crew all but dissolved, it was quite the revenge for the crew to get their aggression out. Even armed, 8 weren't enough for a force at least double that number. After being beaten into a paste, that left only 2 mages who had stood back from it all.

Sebas Deadeye
The Pockets​

Sebas ran towards Ferg's downed berserker, Serrating and firing both harpoon bolts. The bolts smashed through The Viperfish's hide and lodged themselves deep in their skin just like Ferg's bolts were. Sebas then vaulted over him to prevent having his torso decommissioned by the one trying to give chase. These berserkers were very easy to outrun due to them being on land. Webbed feet were a liability here. Sebas ran into a problem when he tried to rebolt...........just like Ferg. "My bolts are stuck........" Sebas muttered as he tried to rebolt, forcing him to hold on to what's essentially become a glorified baseball bat. These Viperfish seemed to have not a single ounce of fat on them, as they caught the bolts like a slime would catch a fist.

"Mages! We need buffs! Make yourselves useful!"
"Buffs incoming! We need to charge!"
"Make it quick, damn it!" They better be charging up something good.
Fist incoming! Sebas was forced to defend with his Harpoon Gun. Big tradeoff. While Sebas avoided instant death, he was knocked back into a wall painfully, dazing him again, and his Harpoon Gun was shattered. "Quite the migraine I'm in for," he groaned before clumsily diving to the side to avoid the charging subaquatic bull.

Exhaustion from doing this shit all day was beginning to crash in all at once. Now armed with nothing but his fist and Serrate, this was about to become David and Goliath real quick.....only David had to fist fight Goliath in this iteration.

WayfaringWaaksian

 

[AniMANIA7983]

(Sorry this is such a long one, my posts probably wont be nearly as long, i just wanted to somehow get him into the battle without making your characters have to try and find him)

Razor lied in the room on the table. It felt like an eternity as usual. He looked around at the IVs that were embedded into his sholders. One was for giving him water breathing potion, the other was for removing blood to study. That is all he really knew, and he wasn't even sure of one of them.

He attempts to pop his neck, and succeeds. He yawns and this also pops his ears which is a strange sensation, being underwater and all. This gives him a little clarity. If he was moved, there must have been a reason. But why would they do it so fast. Heck, they did it in his sleep.

He thinks for a moment and clenches his teeth before clacking them. He needed a way out and though he had no idea where he was, this might be the perfect opportunity. He was alone after all, and he had 2 ‘wires’ plugged into him. All he needed was to somehow get this amulet off of him.

He turns to his right side where the blood extracting IV was, he knew this was going to hurt, and he hadn't really felt pain in years, so it would probably feel stronger than normal. He bit the tubing and yanked it out causing a small cloud of blood to erupt from his shoulder. The salt water stung, but it was a pain he could handle.

Now he only had one shot at this, so he had to make it count. He slowly attempted to thread the needle around and under the amulet.
Easy, now... got it!

He released with his teeth and bent his neck downward attempting to grab the IV again.
Good..

Now he just had to pull enough to get the amulet near his mouth. This was the hard part. He had to pull on the IV, then stop and grip the bottom again so he could pull more. After a few minutes, he managed to get the amulet in his mouth.
Well... what now?, Razor thought to himself. The chain was around his head now and to make things worse, it was caught in his hair. He had noticed his teeth were around the gem.

He had an idea, but he knew it may hurt worse than the sting of the IV extraction. He bit down on the gem, shattering it. He hoped it would work. The shards were no longer glowing, so he assumed it had.

Now he just needed to play the waiting game as he felt his power steadily seap back to him. His honed senses were returning. That was good. Now he could sense people up to a mile away through vibrations of sound. The water had dampened it quite a bit, however. So he couldn’t sense exact locations.

What he could sense however was a commotion, and a big one. Almost right above him by a few floors. He had no idea he was so deep underwater.

After a few minutes, he had enough energy to sustain his metal limbs, though they were robust and very thin. He could move, and that was all that mattered. He created a drill using his hands and swam up to the ceiling, not forgetting to grab his IV bag of water breathing potion. He started drilling into the ceiling and easily made it up to the next floor. It was strangely empty. The commotion upstairs was probably taking most of their attention.

Maybe I ought to wait a few minutes to go up there... he thought to himself. He waited a bit for his metal arms to get to a good strength and then drilled through to the next floor. He was in the pockets again.
Being closer, he could now tell that the commotion was no longer above him, but instead around the corner.

He prepared himself for battle. As we launched himself forward.

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

When the riled crew flushed her assailants away, Fergie was free to watch as spearman after spearman went down, a little slack-jawed at the sight. She was never one to underestimate the fury of a vengeful crew, but she was one to overestimate an enemy. The surprise here was that these towering fishpeople were getting their asses kicked by unarmed, malnourished prisoners like it was nothing. They were at a disadvantage in air, but damn, she didn't expect them to get slaughtered like this.

Now if only it were just as easy to take out these fucking fish mutants. "Shit, Sebas!" Further evidence that harpoon guns weren't the best shields. Decent one-use shields, maybe. With them both effectively disarmed once again, Fergie tossed her gun to the side and charged towards his attacker from behind. Impaled with four bolts and legs tangled in a pair of chains, the downed berserker wouldn't be getting up soon. Hopefully.
Her intention was to raise enough of a ruckus to distract the other one from wanting to beat Sebas into a pulp, but the orc beat her to it, rushing forward with the force of a charging bull and plowing his good shoulder into the berserker's side. The size difference between the two was comparable, even with someone as large as the orc man, but he'd caught him off guard. They both fell hard to the ground, the orc rolling off and jumping to a stand with speed and dexterity a fish out of water couldn't manage. With this window of opportunity, the mages had better be close to casting their buffs.


Kylesar1
AniMANIA7983

 

[Kylesar1]

The mages were close, but their casting was hindered by the last 2 fishfolk mages. 1 began to heal up the impaled berserker. The other started firing off icicles at the their charging mages, breaking their focus either due to having to dodge or to mitigate damage.

The tackled berserker stood up clumsily and its eyes began to glow red as it looked at the orc. Its scales jutted out slightly, turning it into spikes. Any attack that came from behind would stab into its attacker. It then charged towards the orc, but before striking, it spun around and grabbed one of the iron doors from the cells and flung it right at the orc's midsection like a frisbee, an attack that would break a few ribs and knock his breath out........or break his arms if he blocked with his arms

Regardless of what the orc did, the next thing coming was a spiked shoulder charge just to return the favor to the orc.

Sebas Deadeye
The Pockets​

With the Orc distracting the second berserker, Sebas had the time to think up an idea to address the mages. He had a plan, but it would take a slight bit of time. "Ferg," Sebas said to her, "We're gonna get those tanks and blow them the fuck up." It was the easiest way to deal with the berserkers if they could get the explosion at their midsection. Their harpoons got lodged, but shrapnel propelled by an explosion would destroy them. "I need you to go for one of those mages while I relay the orders. I honestly don't care which one you hit."

• Attack the attacking mage- Get the buff faster (next post), but the downed berserker heals up quite a bit
• Attack the healing mage- Prevent the downed berserker from healing up, but hold off on the buff (2 posts)

WayfaringWaaksian



As Sebas went to go relay the orders to the crew, something came roaring from the corner, startling the crew. "What the fuck is that?!" Sebas ripped one of the spears from one of the crew's hands. It was.......something. Is this some kind of fishfolk dwarven fuckery? Some kind of necromancy? A man dismembered but moving due to obvious magic. Sebas had no idea what the hell this was, but the fact that there was a human face kept him from spearing this construct or whatever straight through the chest. "What is this?!" Sebas barked at him. Best case scenario? This was a man fully alive, in the same situation as Ferg, but on steroids. "Are you with these fishfolk?!"
AniMANIA7983

 

[AniMANIA7983]

“Hell no!”, Razor smiled, “those things can rot in the puddle they belong in”, he creates a scimitar. “Im getting out of here like the lot of you! Would anyone like a weapon?”, he creates 5 more swords of different types floating in the air waiting for them to be grabbed. “Ive been trapped here for who knows how long. And figured this commotion is my window of opportunity to get out.”

His legs get to full strength and he shapes them to look like jeans. He shakes the water out of his hair and smoothes it out shaping his hand like a comb, “Also I figured you could use some assistance getting outta here yourself.”, he turns his hands into claws, “now who do you need to be filleted?”
Kylesar1 WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

The projectile came too soon and fast to dodge. Contact was met with several cracks and the orc was slammed onto his back, where he laid wheezing. Breathing was agonizing after that blow to the chest, but still he forced himself onto his feet in a hunched stand, demonstrating that he'd muscled through such pain before. His movements were still slowed, he wouldn't be getting out of the way of the berserker's charge in time, but he wouldn't have to to avoid those spikes. Ducking down and crouching just before contact, the orc's back toppled the oncoming viperfish over, who landed square on his face. That gave him the time to put some much-needed distance between the two. At a greater disadvantage with his injuries, the orc wouldn't be winning this fight unarmed. He sought out for another spear from one of the fallen spearmen while the berserker was recovering from his awkward tumble.

"On it!" As Fergie and Sebas went to enact their given tasks, she remembered that attacking someone usually pertained using a weapon. With her harpoon gun out of commission, and the spears the prisoners were toting about like trophies being too large for her to make use of, it was looking like she'd have to rely on the old tooth and nail. That is, until that metal man bounded around the corner.

Fergie turned towards the sound of Sebas's yelling, and after getting a good look at the newcomer, had a very different thought process. One, two... four?? Startin' to feel one-upped 'ere...
When the stranger supplied them with arms seemingly out of thin air, she had the mind to not wonder "how" and dove forward, snatching up the first one in reach. A simple shortsword was brandished in her hand to get a feel for it. Yes, this would do.
With no time to give thanks, Fergie answered his call to action by pointing in the direction of the scuffle between the wounded orc and the berserker. "Fillet that fish!"

She was off again, making a hard sprint towards the healing mage. The buffs could wait, and the last thing they needed was two of those giants when just one was giving their muscle a hard time. Coming up from behind too fast for the mage to react, she plunged her sword into the back of their thigh, cutting through to the bone. "Heal this!"


Kylesar1
AniMANIA7983

 

[AniMANIA7983]

Razor smiles, “will do.”, with a glint in his eyes he glances at the berserker as it charged towards the Orc. “I took on a few of those before they managed to capture me. They got lucky and figured out how to knock me out. I wont let that happen this time”

He jumps and lands in a fighting stance (for effect) as he creates metal spikes in the ground in front of and behind the charging berserker. They long spikes growing longer, though they appear quickly and dont give them time to slow down before the berserker is impaled.

“That looks like it hurt, but just for good measure; let me...”, he pretends to snap and makes a clicking noise with his mouth as he sends a spike from the ground up through its head and then causes the spike to split and bloom like a flower into 5 sharp segments and cuts them down from the center. As one can imagine, the scene is very gory, though it doesn't seem to phase Razor. With his expression, it seems he’s done this plenty of times. “Fish, filleted“

he smiles and shouts with his eyes closed and hears a clanking noise, “I figure one can be flashy and kill the opponent in multiple moves, but it’s more... strategic.. to just hold them in one spot and do it in one or two carefully aimed motions.” He scratches the back of his head, “and honestly, I just wanna get out of here after a few months of them stealing my blood. Er, At least i think its been that long.”

He grows weary of the clanking sounds and turns around to see a fishfolk spearman had tried to sneak up behind him and had begun prodding him. He noticed the guy with his honed senses, but his metal layer is blocking all of the blows to the point where he didnt even feel it so he didnt even care, “know when to give up, mate.”, he skewers the spear wielder instantly and watches him drop to the ground.
Kylesar1 WayfaringWaaksian

 

[Kylesar1]

The healer crumpled from Ferg's attack as the attacker pelted the mages with more spells, faster spells, on the mages still working on their incantation and having a hard time getting back lost focus.
When Ferg yelled out Filet that fish, unarmed crew grabbed the few swords with Sebas grabbing the one that looked the closest to his signature sword, and the crew charged the downed berserker to begin stabbing into him, aiming for sensitive spots like the eyes. That berserker swiped a few and thrashed violently, but he only managed to take down 2 crewmates before succumbing to the rabid crew and Sebas breaking his spine by puncturing the scales covering it with Serrate

The charging berserker was taken down by this newcomer extremely easily. Literally in the time it took all of them to take down that one downed berserker, he took down the one that gave the orc a run for his money. What exactly was he again? And why exactly has he been down here this long if he could do all this?

Sebas Deadeye
The Pockets​

With the threat clear for now, the Search and Rescue team began their effort to heal wounds, especially on the orc man who seemed to suffer the worst injuries. The other mages finished their incantation and casted the spell. Instead of a buffing spell, they turned into a mass Refresh, which healed up the crew quite a bit of their injuries, though those that suffered fatal injuries weren't healed up fast enough to survive their injuries. It also served as a stimulant, getting rid of their general fatigue and muscle fatigue. While Sebas was incredibly hungry, at least he wasn't dog tired anymore. He looked to Razor, "Oi, my name is Sebas," he said, resting the sword on his shoulder and cursing his lack of hilt, "That there is Ferg. Us 2 are here to get rid of whatever is causing those whirlpools and find the treasure we know they've hidden. The rest are here to save your asses." he decided to address everyone at this point. "Does ANY of you have any clues as to where they'd keep their treasure........or any information as to any sort of boss or leader figure."
WayfaringWaaksian AniMANIA7983

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Unlike the berserker, who was able to take a few down with him before succumbing to the onslaught, the mage didn't get a chance to retaliate, Fergie's blade impaling their temple and ending them the moment they hit the ground. "Magic types ne'er pay attention," she muttered as she worked to disconnect the tank, yanking off tubes and undoing straps. By the time she was ready to drag the thing away, she looked up and saw what remained of the absolute carnage that had ensued. "Holy shit." She didn't think the metal man would take "fillet" so literally. That viperfish was in pieces, as well as any other who'd made the unfortunate choice of confronting him. Sebas and the prisoner crew made quick work of the downed berserker, too.

She looked down at the tank her twiggy arms were struggling to lift. "Eh. Fuck this, then." The hoisted end fell with a hard thunk, and she bounded towards the rest of the group, but not before stopping at the berserker she'd downed. Though Sebas's gun was done for, Fergie's only needed to be dislodged from the fishman's tough scales and skin. Using her shortsword, she began cutting the barbs free.


The human woman who'd admonished Fergie for her fixation on the treasure let out a tired groan, but the orc, sitting down as to give the mages better access to his injuries, replied to Sebas, "We heard talk between the jailers about some Megalo fellow." He gave a shrug, a gesture that should have hurt in his condition but he didn't so much as wince at. "A name like that doesn't leave much to wonder."


Kylesar1
AniMANIA7983

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
The Pockets​

Sebas scoffed, "No foolin'," he muttered. Well shit. Megalo had to be massive. Probably too massive to be the one making the whirlpool. The hell would it need a whirlpool for? "If it's a Megalo, then we wouldn't exactly need to FIND it." Something that big would need to be either hidden with magic or summoned. "Then again, if they were talking about someone named Megalo, it needs to be accessible.........right?"

One of the water mages stepped up. "Megalodons are ancient creatures of legend, long since extinct. That's what we're taught, anyways. The question is the connection between Fishfolk, the Viperfish, and this Megalo, provided it's the CREATURE and not just some name or title."
Sebas sighed. "Well we need to get the survivors out of here." He didn't have time for some mystery plot. Critical thinking would give him a headache at this point. It was most likely turning night by now and he wasn't about to come back down into these waters if he got back on the ship. He'd sooner end up on Dead Man's Isle. Sebas couldn't speak for Ferg, but he was willing to bet she had the same sentiment. Any sane person would, in all honesty.

The Strike Team spoke. "Sebas, we can get the survivors out of here and come back if needed." he sensed Sebas's thoughts.
"Thank god. You all have Arc Lightning and I don't even have a damn harpoon gun." Without a harpoon gun, Sebas was stuck with a fishfolk-made spear. It was beautiful and pearlescent, but he wasn't exactly a spearman nor was he too sure about the durability. In the ocean, one didn't exactly have a NEED for high durability, high pierce weapons. "Get them the hell out of here. When you come back, bring me a harpoon gun."

Sebas spoke to everyone. "Everyone leaving, go with the Search and Rescue Team," he said, "Ferg, you can't leave, and we need 1 healer with us."

By this time, everyone's wounds were healed for the most part. One of the healers stood by. The malnourished crew were quick to move with the Search and Rescue Team

WayfaringWaaksian AniMANIA7983

 

[AniMANIA7983]

Razor looked at Sebas, “Im called Razor, you might have heard of me. Nice to meet ya.”, he thinks for a second after everyone is addressed, “I may not know specifically where the treasure is, but I may have a general idea of where they may have moved it to, though its underwater. They moved me to a ‘more secure place’ earlier. I assume the treasure may have been moved around there. I assume walking around there would take a while, but I drilled a few holes in the ground so theres that.”

He thinks for a moment, “i could show you where the holes are, but I honestly wanna get out of here soon. Unless you want me to stick around in case more of those fish people show up.”

He stops, “did you say they all have arch lightning?”, he looks to them, “I uh, recommend you don't use that around me, even if you aim it at an enemy, it may hit me anyway. My metal is very conductive.”, he looks around at everyone else, “Also if anyone is holding one of my swords, it might hit you too, so just a warning.”

His hands transform back to normal metal hands and he scratches the back of his head, then his shoulder, “oh yeah.”, he removes the iv of the water breathing potion, “anyone need to breathe water?”

Kylesar1 WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Ugh... who cares what's in a bloody name?" Fergie had her retrieved harpoon gun cradled in her arm, so her other hand was free to rub at her face in frustration. She and Sebas weren't too far apart in their struggles, her own head pounding behind her ears. Those buffs worked wonders in curbing physical exhaustion, but that said little for that of the mental. "Whoever the fucker is," she patted the side of her gun, "he'll be gettin' the point pretty damn quick." That point obviously being more than... fuck, she just went right for the punchline. She was too tired for this shit.

Sebas's statement that she couldn't leave was a given, but she still made a show of how this made her feel, letting out a long sigh towards the heavens. "Fuuuuuuck, I need a drink. Why're we puttin' our lives on the line fer this damned treasure, anyhow?" Well, she liked getting paid. And having sleeping arrangements. And not being on Dead Man's Isle. Hell, it could be worse.

Complaints would have to be set aside, as questions rose back to the surface. Gods, she wished she was the one rising back to the surface. "The hell're they gonna "come back" to us, in this labyrinth?" She'd been wondering about that for a while, how Sebas had gotten backup so quickly. The prospect of teleportation eluded her. Even with the ship's myriad of capabilities, that would have seemed far-fetched to her. She was in for a surprise.

Razor introduced himself, claiming they might have heard of him. That was a maybe. Fergie had heard of a handful of Razors in her days, so that didn't narrow down the options much for her. More importantly, he had some vague idea of where this treasure Captain Adonis cared so much about was. Finally, a lead. Not only that, he was offering his presence as extra manpower. They barely knew each other, but after that display of magic, there was little reason not to have a powerhouse like that around. Nevertheless, she looked to her partner. "What're yer orders, Seb?"


Kylesar1 AniMANIA7983

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
The Pockets​

"There's a laundry list of relics that he wants," Sebas said. The man told his crew fairly little in that regard, but the relics are highly specific. "Some relic. I don't give a shit, in all honesty. I just know we get 2nd pick of any relics found in there and then the largest cut of the gold.........Plus, since we've come this far, I'd rather die than let this all be for nothing." If they leave now, they've fought through an army for literally no reason.

"Look, whatever. Now that we have a lead, let's finish this nonsense up." He shook his head, looking for words to say, "If you need a drink, I'll buy you a whole keg after this," he muttered to her. Ferg needing a drink was the most relatable understatement he's heard this week. He then sighed, pushing back brain fog. "Anyways, the Search and Rescue Team and the Strike Team will get the survivors out of here and then they'll be on standby to be teleported back to me." Putting them on standby made them more versatile and able to be used as semi-instant reinforcements.
"Won't Evangeline punish us?" one of the mages asked. Evangeline was the name of the angel that was in Adonis's leadership circle
"I'll give her an offering for it, Probably my damn relic or all the gold I get.......if the relic is good." Evangeline had incredible power, but since she was divinity, she was subject to Divinity Law and Provocation restriction (to be expanded on later). Her power was needed once. She wouldn't use it again without a tribute.

Sebas, Ferg, a Healer, Razor. That was the group to finish this. Hopefully they could get to this treasure without having to deal with this Megalo thing or person. If so, they got what they came for and Seb would put a boot up Adonis's ass if he wouldn't just steer the ship around the whirlpools to get out of there. The treasure was the primary objective. Dropping the whirlpools would help them immensely, but it was ultimately secondary. "Razor, since you're a powerhouse, and you know the area, you can take point."
WayfaringWaaksian AniMANIA7983

 

[AniMANIA7983]

“Alright”, Razor says. He paces around as he talks, “I don’t exactly know the area, i just have an idea on where the treasure could be, though thanks for the compliment.” He leads them to the holes he drilled earlier there seems to be an opening into water, “i was held down there. I still seem to have the water breathing effect, do any of you still need it?”, he holds up he iv bag, “I assume one can drink it.” After waiting a little and giving the potion to anyone who needs it, he jumps down into the depths. And drills open the door at the bottom to see 2 gaurds. He quickly takes care of them while making a bit of a mess. There seems o be another hallway to the left and right with doors along the walls.

“alright, now we just need to find the treasure room.. that is if they aren't all treasure rooms. They said they moved me down here because its more secure, so i can assume the treasure is also around here somewhere. Start looking through doors using the guards keys, ill just drill some holes.”

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie looked to Sebas as he spoke, the exhaustion in his tone making her forget hers momentarily. She'd been forced into trial after trial, almost drowning and risking her own hide for the sake of strangers. But Sebas had been through his own kind of hell trying to get back to her, never relenting in his search despite the odds. And he never had to, not for his own sake. She wasn't so conceited to believe that he came back just for her-- hell, they were still strangers to one another, just having met the morning prior-- but rather his own dedication towards the mission. It took principle to not bail out when the risk threatened to outweigh the reward.
Entirely too much principle, if Fergie had to be honest. How does one's life mean nothing in the face of failure? The way Sebas talked made her uneasy, but damn, if it didn't make her respect him.

Figuring that the least she could to for him was to show some appreciation, she mustered whatever jovial spirit she could reach for underneath the slew of pissiness. It wasn't too hard of a feat, thanks to Sebas's offer. "Haha! Shit, I'd drink the whole keg in one sittin'. Give the Capt'n a run fer 'is money." Knowing she'd have to do more than humor weakened her grin to an uncertain smile, and she gave him a hesitant nudge on the shoulder. "Look, I'm-- we're good, alright? I'll see this to the end, so long 's that's where yer headin'. I know ye didn't 'ave to come back fer me, an' I'd be damned to not return the favor." She felt like there was more to say, but there wasn't enough time to waste searching for encouraging words. So back to humor she went. "Don't mind it all that much, I just like bitchin'."

Kylesar1


With Razor, it was back to business, so the words came much easier. She declined his offer of the potion, gesturing at hers and Sebas's air tanks. "Ye oughta hang onto that." He was the only one out of the four without a tank, so that would be his lifeline down there.

Unlike the spacious and empty-feeling pockets, these corridors were long and narrow, and might have been claustrophobic had they not accommodated the size of the fishfolk who carved them. Reminded of the tunnels of that dark magic maze, Fergie wrestled with the notion that there were only three exit points where they swam. It would be so easy for them to get cornered, even with Razor's demonstrated ability to drill through these walls. "Keep them eyes peeled," she warned, not turning her own away from one direction of the hallway even as she worked away at the lock of her first door.

AniMANIA7983

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Water Prison(?)​

Sebas hated every second of this. The corridor was somehow more narrow than the Dark Maze, and they had passed some doors. It was like the Pockets but flooded......like some sort of downed ship........or something like a long sunken civilization, given that the rooms were made of stone and had those same steel doors. It was even colder down here, and seemed to be getting colder the more they swam
"Sebas." The whisper shattered his thoughts. It was the healer woman with them, their support mage.
"What is it?"
"I can illuminate this area."
Sebas had to fight back a done-with-life induced short temper. "The hell were you waiting on?"
"These walls are lined with rune traps."
"Of course they are," Sebas sighed, "Any other news we should know before we proceed any further?"
The woman, as cute as she was to Sebas, was kind of intimidated by him and his fast-growing annoyance. "I......Um."
"We don't have time for this shit, whatever your name is." Sebas had no idea how long she had been a Basenji, but he didn't know what her name was. "Is there. Something Else."
"I'm still low on mana, so my spellcasting is limited until it recharges."
Sebas facepalmed. "You used up all your mana potions?"
"Y......y-yes," she said, suddenly interested in the pattern of the walls
"Is this your first mission?" It was the only explanation that Sebas could think of to why this person was an idiot.
"No, my third and my first underwater.........I was put on this mission to get more experience."
"Yeah, well you're an idiot," he said harshly, "Until you prove to me otherwise, never let anyone tell you any differently." She had used up all of her mana potions, meaning she wasn't careful in spellcasting. She was just now telling them that the walls were trapped, meaning she could sense them without seeing them and just didn't tell them, and she had limited access to her spells due to her low mana..........and she was just now telling them instead of doing this BEFORE they split and came underwater. With that in mind, Seb wouldn't trust her to bring him water in a tavern, let alone heal injuries. "Now illuminate this area."
A dejected and humiliated "yes sir" was her response before she cast the illumination spell

The darkness receded, giving them all clearer view and showing them all the sheer amount of doors down this hall. "This is insanity," he muttered. Even with Razor, it would take them all night to check these rooms. As Ferg worked on the lock, he spoke with Razor. "Razor, was there anything or anyone besides you being kept down here?"
AniMANIA7983 WayfaringWaaksian

 

[AniMANIA7983]

Razor scratches his head, “not that I know of in particular. I was by myself in the room laid down on the table. If they would have strapped me in, I honestly wouldn’t have been able to get out, but they must not have felt the need to.”, he looked to the mage, “do you have any idea what the rune traps will do to us? Or how one might get through them? I mean the fish folk were able to somehow come in to feed me.”

He continued to drill through doors, being more careful when he stepped as not to set off any traps unintentionally. He stopped for a second and started to look through the windows of the doors, “I say instead of just barging in, its probably better to see whats inside first.”
Kylesar1 WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

"Fuckin' hell..." Fergie's muttering was largely from exasperation at having this neophyte mage tagging along with them. What was the Search and Rescue team thinking, sending this bundle of nerves alone on a risky heist like this? She was hesitant, with bad resource management; if that was how she was in this calm, Fergie dreaded how she'd act during tenser moments.
"Here," she said after heaving a long sigh, pulling the two mana potions out of her belt and shoving them in the mage's direction. "I don't need 'em, anyhow."
She was loathe to show it in any capacity, but Fergie also couldn't help feeling sympathetic. The admonishing Sebas had given couldn't have compared to the severe tongue-lashing the Sub driver had gotten at the start of the mission, and while both were well-deserved in her eyes, she knew that harsh words received as a trainee stung worse. It made them learn faster, but not without a cost. Fergie figured she ought to keep a close eye on this mage, and not just to make sure she didn't fuck up.

And speaking of fucking up. "Dammit--" After Razor's suggestion, Fergie stopped herself before swinging the door open by impulse. "Er-- Aye. Good call." She made haste to peek through the window, rubbing a sleeve over its smooth surface and squinting when she couldn't tell what she was looking at. "Uh..." She still couldn't tell what she was looking at. Was she seeing this right? "Seb? Might wanna check this out."

Kylesar1 AniMANIA7983

 

[Kylesar1]

When Ferg shoved the mana potions to the healer, Sebas looked at gave the healer a death glare. "What's your name, Healer?"
Completely rattled to the core, the woman was. "Elaina.......sir."
"How long have you been with Adonis?
A glare more oppressive than the darkness they were surrounded by. "2.........." It almost sounded like a squeak
"What?!" Sebas said, "Speak up. All I hear is water."
"2!" she yelled, then immediately caught herself. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I've been here for 2 years."
The oppressive glare started to grow. "How the hell are you a trainee and been here for 2 years?!" Sebas was growing annoyed again. 2 years still a trainee sounded like laziness
"No! No! I was a scout and tracker before now!"
It actually rang a bell now. Elaina was the best scout on the ship. However, her time was always spent either on the ship or a good ways away from any actual danger, in the air on her Pegasus, NOT some claustrophobic underwater crypt. "The hell are you doing here then?"

Absolutely fidgety. "Captain said I'm a mess if.......things hit the fan, so he wanted me to be cross-trained in Support Magic instead of just Sensory and Deprivation magic." In general, it made sense to cross-train something like a scout and tracker to be more useful than just seeing stuff. However, this meant even her healing was limited. "So your bread and butter is in intelligence and seeing shit, correct?" He didn't bother asking about her healing because he knew he wouldn't like the answer. She wasn't a dedicated healer.
"Yes."
"So this ISN'T your third mission?"
"No. It's my third mission as a support mage. I've been on many missions as a scout."
"What a headache," Sebas said, done with this. "Just do scout stuff and don't separate from the group."

It seemed she was incompetent in everything except for scouting. How is it possible to be an expert scout but that shitty in communication?

Elaina
Water Prison(?)​

Oh god was she making herself look like an idiot! To say Sebas was intimidating was an understatement. She was far and away the weakest one here. She didn't have her bow, nor would it be useful underwater. Her strength was seeing and deciphering stuff, not dealing with THIS. Sebas was built like a machine, had the tongue of a whip, and the temper of a bull. It was making her nervous to the point of brain static. She was built like the heaviest thing she's carried was a tray of food and ale.

At least he is letting her do what she signed up to do. Unlike Adonis who told her to focus on healing.........

She answered Razor's question. "Rune Traps are very well versed. I can't know unless I analyze them since there are so many one can make." As for the fishfolk. "When it comes to preventing accidental activation, there's a good chance that they had access to a form of magic that prevents from activating them.........or that the runes have in it a condition to activation written in." Her words were absolutely seamless, as if her fear was nonexistent now. "It could be something like 'the entity must not be a fish' and it would keep any and all fish from activating it. It takes more advanced magic, but it's stronger and it's perfect for hunting down specific targets, or preventing friendly fire in this case."

"Can you see them?" Sebas asked her
"Yes. and clearly," Elaina responded without hesitation, a bit in her element. "I can reveal them to everyone, but it eats magic the longer it's activated." Given that she was certain he wanted to harpoon her for magic mismanagement, she made sure to caution him.
"Just activate it for like 5 seconds then."
Elaina glowed and a yellow light pulsed from her. All of them could see runes all along the walls and on some of the doors. There wasn't a vast amount though, which lended credence to Elaina's assessment that they were likely stronger than normal traps and had built in activation conditions. Then they all dimmed until they were effectively invisible again. "This room interior is free of rune traps."
Sebas was actually impressed with that ability, a reaction that gave Elaina a genuine but also smug smile.

Sebas nodded, now knowing what to do. "Razor, I need you to drill more holes into these doors. Elaina, cover him and ensure he's not going to hit a rune."

Elaina looked to Razor. "Shall we?" At Razor's lead, they would move along without going too far. Having impressed Sebas, thus taking a bit of his edge off, she was feeling slightly more comfortable. Slightly

AniMANIA7983

Sebas Deadeye
​

No wonder I haven't worked with her, Sebas thought. If she wasn't spouting off nerd shit, she timid as hell. He was surprised she didn't shit herself. Why would Adonis send a scout and tell her not NOT do scout shit? In the middle of a dangerous mission was hardly the time to send someone to do things they weren't trained enough to do.

Sebas walked over and peered through at Ferg's beckoning. Even with illumination, it didn't shine all that well inside the room. "Can't see it clearly either. Let's open and check."
He looked back at her from the window. "Since you have a harpoon gun, I'll take point." He opened the door, spear pointed at the thing. If it was living and hostile, it would be impaled on the spear if it charged.
He wasn't entirely sure what it was, but he moved silently. It dawned on him that there was Dark Magic in this room that obscured his vision, as it should've been illuminated by Elaina's spell, but somehow wasn't fully illuminated. What was this?
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

This was flabbergasting to Fergie. A trainee who wasn't exactly a trainee, but expected to be a trainee during a worst case scenario like this nightmare of a mission? What the hell was going on up in management? She would have ran a hand down her face, had it not been covered by a mask. What a headache, indeed. But at least this Elaina person stopped fidgeting once told to do scout shit. Hell, maybe this was even better; a scout could spot dangers and stop them from getting busted up in the first place, so they wouldn't need a healer to patch them up.

Ideally, anyway. So long as they didn't get cocky with this whatever-the-fuck sitting in this abnormally dark room. "Huh..." She peered past Sebas's head. Her goblin eyes were only marginally better at catching stray light than the more diurnal races, but it was just enough for her to make out the shape of... a box? Not a crate, but its sharp edges and sides insinuated man-made origin. Unless it was some automation waiting to spring at them, they weren't dealing with an immediate hostile. "Elaina, can ye get a reading on this thing?"

Kylesar1 AniMANIA7983

 

[Kylesar1]

Elaina
Water Prison​

Elaina swam over and took nothing longer than a glance into the room, then gasped. "The magic is consistent with a curse, so most likely it's a cursed item. I'm willing to bet it's cursed treasure. If so, we've hit the jackpot," she said excitedly. The young woman had never seen treasure before, so she had to fight to contain giddiness. This meant that she would get a bigger cut as she was involved with this mission.

Sebas Deadeye
Water Prison​

As Sebas moved closer, he actually caught sight of it. It was indeed a chest emanating dark magic heavily. He touched it and suddenly a woman appeared on the chest, sitting like one sits on a desk. Legs crossed. She had flawless pale skin and enormously curved horns. Her horns and ears were adorned with undoubtedly fine jewelry. She had on a choker with a gem on it. The choker and both gems hanging on the end of her horns all glowed a piercing glow as red as her eyes, which didn't become visible until Sebas moved close enough. Then it was visible to all who looked in on it. "This is a cursed chest indeed," Sebas said to Ferg. And this woman is the entity that cursed it.
"Hello, Sebas," she said. Her knowing his name immediately made him grasp his spear with a grip that, if it were any stronger, it would break it. The woman sensed it. "Put your spear away. As a curse, you know I don't harm unless you can't satisfy a woman such as myself." Her voice sounded.......hollow, haunting. Her body was......well exactly what you would expect from a demon looking for someone to take them on. Alluring. Darkness was her clothing, as Sebas didn't see a single scrap of fabric waving off her body.

The darkness began to expand, blocking out Ferg's and Elaina's vision. "Suppressive Influence. You can't see or hear anything until you either dispel it or enter it," She said to Ferg. None of them could see or hear anything from Sebas's end unless they dispelled or entered the darkness.
WayfaringWaaksian AniMANIA7983

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

It was almost too good to be true. After all the fights and brushes with death, some payoff. "Fuckin' finally!" Fergie couldn't help but rub her hands together in anticipation, looking between the three others with an eager grin. However, given that it very well could have been too good to be true-- how many things weren't?-- she kept her wits about her and stayed an arm and leg's length. A cursed chest always had some sort of trap or trick to it.

And trick it was. "Ne'er can be easy, can it?" Though she wasn't the subject of this Dark entity's attention, that didn't stop her from fixing her with a heated stare. Fergie didn't care for demons. She didn't necessarily hate or even dislike them-- or so she'd claim, should one question her. She didn't care for the trickery they were associated with, the way they spun their words, or how they looked for loopholes in the words of others and snatched their souls away without giving a second glance, unless it was in gleeful mockery of the victim. It was hardly befitting of a pirate to question the morality of others, but Fergie was a thief of material possessions, which were just that. Material. Copper and gold were expendable and replaceable, in comparison to a priceless, unique soul. She didn't fuck with that kind of shit, and anyone who she suspected did would be under her wary, scrutinizing gaze.

A gaze that wandered up and down the length of her torso more times than she would have admitted. Alluring she may be, but Fergie knew better. "'Satisfy' be a loose term. Don't trust this woman." The words would be blocked from Sebas's ears before she finished, and his lack of reply confirmed Elaina's observation. The thought of dispelling it, let alone entering it, was groan-worthy. "Didn't ye hear what she was sayin'?!" She lifted her hands up, a defense against whatever vile images her eyes might have been subjected to, limited to thoughts as they were. "I don't wanna see any weird shit goin' on in there!" But given that Sebas could be in danger under the influence of this demon, Fergie knew she'd have to take that risk. "Fuck, fine."
Sighing in resignation, she slapped a hand over her eyes and approached the black cloud, reaching her other hand forward in search of Sebas so she could snatch him right out of there.

Kylesar1 AniMANIA7983

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Cursed Chest Room​

Instead of being pulled out, Sebas pulled Ferg in. Nothing was changed from what Ferg had seen. It hadn't gotten spicy and Sebas still kept his distance from the curse. "So a cursed chest," Sebas said. Cursed chests were not only massively bigger than normal chests, but they also held far greater loot than normal treasure. It was loot so valuable that the original owner, likely a Dragon, divinity, or some form of royalty, cursed it. "It all depends on this demon's conditions."
"My conditions are simple, Sebas. Ferg." she said to them, "A challenge."
"A challenge?"
"Indeed."
"Spell out your terms," Sebas said, "No tricks or we walk."
"I am but a curse of my word." She grinned. "My challenge is simple. Get me back to your pirate ship.........but I desire your clothes."
"Why do you want my clothes?"
"Surely you don't expect a woman of my allure to show a lack of modesty amongst your types, do you?" Pirates were known to be less than moral to women they found beautiful
Sebas wouldn't be convinced by that argument. "Modesty is a human concept. Divine beings, holy or unholy, lack a sense of it," he countered.
She chuckled. "Touche. My conditions stand. By holding my chest, you will be stripped bare of all clothes but your tank. Upon letting go, your clothes will return. Get me to your ship while releasing me no more than 3 times, and I will lift the curse. Should you fail, of course I will strip your soul."
"What do I get for it?"
"For you and you only, assuming you take on this challenge alone, I will become whatever you desire sans a curse. Bestow onto you a relic that will call me to your aid when given a tribute. I can be your weapon. I can be a piece of cloth for you. I can keep this appearance and become your loyal and eternally devoted woman. I can become a ship and you sail me along the high seas. I can do you a completely unrestricted favor. We can............talk in private about it." This caused Sebas to scoff. This wasn't his first cursed chest, so any words of allure did absolutely nothing to him. A beautiful body wouldn't compromise his laurels.......at least not when there were people under his watch.

A simple challenge. Haul the chest to the ship stripped bare (but keeping equipment like the oxygen tank). "Ferg," Sebas said to her, "Treasure is what we came here for. If we get this shit out of here now, we can say fuck the whirlpools." It was a massive risk, but it was probably the only way to skip the rest of this and get not only them but the entire crew out of fighting this Megalo thing. Otherwise, they would have to find and then fight whatever it was creating the whirlpools, alongside its probable army. Then the ship would come extract this chest. "What if we don't take this on."
"Then so be it," the curse demon said. "However, you're not down here for no reason. Unless you want to go find this creature and kill it so your ship can come and strip you both of the most valuable spoils, my challenge is easier than taking on this creature as a quartet."
That told Sebas a lot........as in this Megalo was what was not only the accursed, but is what was causing these whirlpools AND it was incredibly strong. "What say you, Ferg?"
WayfaringWaaksian

 

[WayfaringWaaksian]

Fergie let out a cry of indignation as she was yanked into the black fully, but when she saw by whom, and that said whom was not compromised in the least, she gave a relieved, "Oh, hullo. Thought ye'd be nude by now." She righted her hat and turned to continue her glare towards the demon. Her eyes narrowed when both of them were addressed; specifically, at the way she was addressed. "Fergie."
As wildly inappropriate it would have been, Fergie almost barked out a laugh at the conditions. The demon wanted them to carry her chest while ass-naked? Either there was some crazy catch that involved them stripping that would come back to bite them, or this lady was into some weird shit. "So, say, he an' I carried the chest together. Would we both just be half naked, or...?"
She finally did allow herself a snort of laughter at the not-at-all subtle implication the demoness was making to Sebas, going so far as to nudge him in the arm and whisper, "Damn, must've been down 'ere a loooong time." Now that she was certain he wouldn't fall for this woman's wiles, she felt comfortable being an ass about the whole thing. The humor was needed, considering the nonsense-- not to mention the risk-- they'd be dealing with should they decide to take up her challenge.

It wasn't a contest for Fergie. Get the entire ship and crew involved in an all-out battle against a powerful foe, or take this cursed chest and get the hell out of dodge? Their job was to get treasure, not to start a war with merfolk. Best they did it with as few consequences and casualties as possible. It didn't do well to dwell on it, but she wouldn't forget that her new tank belonged to someone else not long ago.
"I say we do it." The size of the chest might have been too much for her lanky limbs above water, but she felt confident that she'd manage in the relative weightlessness here. "Elaina an' Razor can cover us on the way up. Should be a cakewalk." Comparatively, anyway. This Megalo would be a bitch to fight with an army, let alone a party of four, and assuming either was even possible. Though failing the challenge and getting their souls taken wasn't the end she would have planned for herself, either. Ah, occupational hazards. Risk verses reward, and all that. If this demon woman could turn into anything she wanted with just a simple tribute, Fergie already had a few ideas in mind...

Still, she couldn't get ahead of herself. "If yer a demon of yer word, then ye'll tell us if yer hidin' somethin' important r not." It wouldn't do much good, since there was no way they could squeeze out just what she'd be keeping from them, but it would give her whatever notion of control she could get to know for certain if the demon had any tricks up her sleeves.

Kylesar1

 

[Kylesar1]

Sebas Deadeye
Cursed Chest Room​

A small grumble told Ferg all she should need to know about. This question, if left unasked, would've been unresolved. "Yes, I will strip you until I have a full set, divided by the party members. If ANY involved party releases full grip, it is considered a release.......so if Sebas is holding strong and you release both hands 3 times, I strip ALL your souls," the demon said. The addition of moving parts made it easier to carry, but more risky if they encounter hostiles. "If an external party touches or grabs the chest before the challenge is complete, they will receive a painful shock of Black Thunder." That would immediately put someone like Razor into a shock coma

Sebas snorted at Ferg's quip. She did seem quick to go the route of trying to allure men. Too bad for her that this was nowhere near Sebas's first Curse Demon. "Guess fish only deliver when on a plate," he whispered back, earning a bigger grumble from the curse demon.
"I'm NOT. Desperate," she said firmly. Even through they whispered, she still heard it
"WE never said anything............" Sebas said, holding his hands up innocently, "Well anyways," Ferg accepted the terms of the deal. "We accept. The two of us will be the parties involved."

"Hmmmm," she said with a grin, "We'll see how easy it is. Everything I've said is exactly how it'll be." Ferg asked if there's anything important in the chests. "Importance is subjective. It's on you to determine if what I hold is important or not. The items are exceptionally rare, with one of them being the only in existence." She swam off the chest and it floated down to the ground. The time for talk was over. Her tone indicated that she was ready to get down to business. "My chest absolutely will not move until all members have at least 1 hand gripping the chest and they say these words: 'Strip me bare oh baron-ness so that I may carry out your task' When you do that, the challenge becomes bound and it begins."
WayfaringWaaksian