Fantasy Red Tide (Open)

[Razor-D-Belphe]

It's a clear mid-morning day on the quaint coastal port town. The air is thick with the scent of sea salt in the Harbor, the sea a majestic blue. Many ships are moored along the docks, and some can be seen in the distance, heading into open water, or else returning from their voyages. Seagulls caw overhead.

Just shy of the harbor sits an inn tavern. Farther inland, the town is divided into market, government, and residential districts, built into the hills. Toward one end of the docks lay the shipyard, carpenters hard at work. A lighthouse sits on a small island farther out. Toward the other end of the coast, cliffs rise high; here the waves are violent, crashing against the rocks.

Inside the tavern, filled with a smoky haze and riotous with commotion, a group of unruly looking men headed by a beer-bellied, but muscled man sit in a corner booth. The man has deeply sun-weathered skin and a stern look about his face as he calls a tavern wench over to refill their ale - a veteran sailor from the looks of him. He nods toward one end of the room, and one by one, a number of other patrons subtly join him. The assembled group speak in low tones.

Who overhears them?

 

[Vi_Vi_]

A hooded figure with a delicate frame sits in the shadows just out of the line of sight of the group of men. A gloved hand grips a grimy pitcher of ale but the stranger does not seem interested in the drink, instead his interest is rather drawn towards the sailor and the men around him. The tavern door opens and a gust of wind coming off the sea enters, ruffling the hood that the stranger had on to hide his face. The hood is momentarily lifted and a glimpse of fair skin and cherry lips is caught by one of the men of that group. Before anyone else can notice, the — once again— hooded figure disappears into the shadows. The men who had noticed the stranger approaches the table where he was sitting but there is no trace of that person left except for the pitcher of ale which bears the mark of a lady's lipstick.

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

The man who went to investigate, a youth really, just under twenty, examined the mug.

"It's a woman's lipstick mark." he said in confusion. "Did someone overhear us?"

"It makes no difference." the captain said waving the boy back to the table. "Sit, have another drink."

The boy returned to the booth and the captain went on. "All anyone would have overheard is that my crew and I are recruiting divers for a ship salvage. No need to get jumpy." he winked.

The captain felt a cough rack his body.
"Damn bends... anyway, anyone able to bring me that gold gets a percentage. Are you still holding onto that stranger's mug, boy?"

 

[Vi_Vi_]

"It just seemed suspicious. As you know, not many women come here, especially not as customers." The boy explained.
The captain grunted but did not say anything further, ending the conversation which, he knew, would do nothing but his waste his time. He had much more important matters to attend to.
Meanwhile, the hooded figure appeared again, just not inside the tavern. The stranger, who had now pushed back her hood, stood near the harbor. The wind billowed her long, dark locks around her face while her stormy grey eyes looked on towards the horizon. The woman's lips were pulled up in a smirk.
"I won't let you get what you want." She whispered, her words being snatched away by the wind.
She raised her hand and the water started churning in the harbor, knocking various boats into each other.

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

A young man sleeping on the banister of a ship, his bandolier full of dozens of daggers, was spilled overboard by the sudden shaking. With a startled grunt, he splashed into the bay.

Bubbles began to trickle up from where he had fallen, then trailed toward an edge of the harbor framed by a shelf of rocks slick with moss.

After three or so minutes, the man burst from the water's edge, gulping down a giant lungful of air, then gasping and sputtering.

He then slipped on the rocks, falling back in.

After a comical display of repeatedly trying and failing to get a foothold on the rocks, he drew his daggers and stabbed them into the stone, finally managing to climb up onto the path.

He doubled over, panting.

"Christ! Why?!?"

He pointed his daggers at the woman. "You trying to kill me? You try weighted swimming! It's not as easy as it looks!"

He was a handsome but fierce-looking man with short black hair done up in a bandanna. His eyes were those of an enraged wild animal.

 

[Vi_Vi_]

The woman was startled, having been addressed by the man directly.
"How do you— W— Why..." She cleared her throat. "Why are you blaming me for something I didn't do? The waves threw you overboard, not me." She said indignantly.
"Oh you know very well what I'm talking about." He replied, spitting sea salt to one side. "I saw you, doing your witchy mojo." He approached her, his stride casual yet somewhat cautious.
The woman took a step back. "Witchy mojo? What did you see? Weren't you asleep?"
"I keep an eye out for suspicious activities so I can steer clear. I saw you, raising your hand and then the waves almost knocked my boat over." He was very close to her now, staring intently into her eyes, he asked, "Be honest, who are you?"

 

[Ransokyos]

A low, raspy voice cuts in. "You'd be surprised what weighted swimming does for the body. Trains body and mind, boy. There are some places they do that regularly," the cloaked form mutters, his tattered red cloak barely shifting in the wind. The only thing visible beneath his cloak, for just a moment, are crimson and white lacquered gauntlets. Though what was more noticeable, was his companion.

 

[Vi_Vi_]

Both of them turned their heads toward the strange man who had joined their company so out of the blue.
"I prefer training my body and mind through other ways, thank you very much." The man with the daggers replied.
The woman took this opportunity to sneak away but the cloaked man was not going to let that happen.
"Stop right there, my dear. I'm afraid, you'll have to come with me. There are certain matters that require to be discussed."
"And what does that have to do with me?" She asked, eyeing the large dog at the side of the man who did not seem to like her much.
"All of it involves you, my lady. You see, you've been causing quite a commotion, interfering with things that do not concern you." The man's words almost had an undertone of a warning.

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

A well-built man in vibrant red clothes walked down the length of dock to them, a cutlass at hia side and sash filled with pistols.

"What's all this commotion?"

 

[Vi_Vi_]

The woman saw that no one was paying attention to her, so she took it as a chance to escape. She crept towards the water and chanted something under her breath. A small whirlpool came into existence at that very second and she jumped into it. The man with the daggers turned but the last thing he saw of the woman was her hood disappearing into the water.

 

[Ransokyos]

"You have heard the rumors of the shadows consuming entire towns, yes?" the stranger mutters in a raspy voice, soft, metallic clicks sounding from beneath his clasped sleeves as metal met metal in soft, agitated sounds, though the source was unseen. "Though they are rumors, they seem to be coming from multiple locations, not merely one. As it is thought, once is incidental, twice is rumor, thrice is a threat," he muttered. He had heard such rumors from a minimum of eight different locations in different areas, though his contacts in said areas abruptly lost contact soon after. He had investigated three personally and found bubbling, broad pools of blackened slime that smelled foul. "We must remain alert that said threat does not show up here," his voice rasped.

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

"Sounds like you spent too much time in the opium den, mate. In any case, I'm just passing through here on my voyage. Plus, I caught whiff of an old 'friend' in this town. Thought I'd give him a surprise."

The man had been referring to the one in the tavern, who had been recruiting divers.

As he turned to enter the tavern, he stopped a moment. "The name's Ruthaford, by the way."

Unbeknownst to him, a number of naval soldiers had begun to covertly descend on the Harbor.

 

[Ransokyos]

A low rasping laugh escaped the cloaked male. "Never went into one, bub... but I'm picking up multiple presences trying to sneak around... not ones that seem to belong here," he chuckled before he let his gauntleted hand rise before, in a fluid movement, he detached and threw back the cloak as he twisted, sparks of flame erupting as the musket balls hit the weighted cloak, revealing what was beneath the cloak.

What was immediately evident was that his irises were a deep ultramarine, fading to a deep indigo, though the sclera, which should have been white, were pitch black. Also, a thick, recent trio of scars slashed across his throat, revealing the reason for his raspy voice. It was obvious some beast had sought to tear out his throat and failed. His arms dropped, razor sharp claws extending from within the gauntlets.
​

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

"Freeze! The lot of you are under arrest for piracy and consorting with pirates respectively." a man at the back of the formation of officers called.

"Excuse me," Ruthaford said, "but aren't you supposed to say 'freeze' first and fire second? The hangman has to make a living too." he joked.

"Captain?" Wes asked.

"Go ahead, cut loose." Ruthaford said as he drew his cutlass in one hand, a pistol in the other.

Wes placed a dagger horizontally in his mouth and began juggling the rest in a high circle.

"So, stranger, circumstances have changed. You help me, we'll help you."

-

Inside the tavern, the recruiter and his men froze at the sounds of gun fire.

"The Navy? Damn." he muttered. "Someone's brought trouble. Meet at the east end at noon, boys, and we'll head to the shipwreck. Let's make our exit discreetly."

 

[Ransokyos]

A snort escaped the stranger. "Fools. If you knew of what I've encountered, you would flee. And besides, how is having a conversation with someone 'conspiring', you dumb bastards?" he growled as he sneered before he began swiping the claws through the air, sharp crackling arcs flickering in the air. "You claim to uphold peace, yet you don't even see when there's a threat under your noses," he growled as the electricity flickered, gathering between his palms which were slightly farther apart than a softball's size. "Raikyu," he growled, flexing his hands as the sphere fired at high speed, arcs of electricity kicking up dust as it traveled. His canine partner growled in a low voice.

​

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

The ball expanded hit home in their center ranks, expanding into great arcs that jumped from soldier to soldier. Most of them fell, paralyzed and twitching, to the dock, smoke rising from their bodies.

From the other side, more soldiers flanked them and fired. Ruthaford smiled as the bullets slowed to a stop and fell harmlessly to the ground.

"What?!?" A soldier exclaimed in shock.

"I control friction, or haven't you heard? That includes air friction. I can raise it - or lower it."

Wes threw a volley of daggers through the zero friction air. They flew lightning-quick into the bodies of the soldiers.

Ruthaford charged into their ranks, swinging his blade.

 

[Ransokyos]

The stranger rolled his shoulders, the claws retracting, before he slid the cloak back on before he snorted. "You'd think that a bunch of Naval officers would know the meaning of the word 'Dodge', but then... seems like when they get guns, brains fall out their ass," he muttered before his hands crossed beneath the cloak as he turned towards the other group of Naval officers before a slight, feral smirk crossed his face as he let his legs bend. "Stay," he muttered as the canine sighed, flopping on the cobblestones, before he pushed off, tendrils of gold, dull orange, and sapphire blue flickering around his body. He noticed some of the soldiers turning to fire at him before he smirked as musket balls hit the interior of the cloak as he seemed to vanish. "Huh?" one soldier said stupidly before a glowing arc of flame took his head from his shoulders, the wound instantly cauterized.

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

"And here I thought our tricks were weird." Ruthaford smirked.

An officer rushed him from behind and Ruthaford nonchalantly dodged around him, slashing down his back and dropping him.

Wes caught his daggers, one between each knuckle, and entered the fray directly, slashing with all seven blades as he ran through their formation.

Soon, the small squad was defeated. Wes retrieved his daggers as reinforcements arrived.

"Looks like a hassle. Meet us in our ship!" Ruthaford called to their new ally as he and Wes dashed to a large caravel.

 

[Vi_Vi_]

The woman at the edge of the cliff watched the fight. She had barely escaped the man in the cloak, she had to be careful now. Her eyes flickered to the copse on her left, she thought she had spotted someone there. Curiosity got the best of her and she walked towards those trees.
"Don't get us in trouble because of your revenge fantasies." A female voice, gentle and smooth, came from behind a large tree.
"Oh, it's you, I thought— "
A tall, blonde woman stepped out from behind the tree. "You thought it was him? You realize if he had captured you what would have happened?"
The woman with the dark hair, Eve, sighed. "Amelia, you of all people know why I'm doing this, then why are you here?"
Amelia pursed her lips. "Why am I here? It's true I know best why you're doing this and it's for that very reason that I'm here, otherwise someone else would be and you'd be exiled. You have no idea how much trouble you have stirred up. Just let go of that ship and that sailor."
Eve's eyes blazed. "Never." There was a determination in her voice. She was not going to rest until she took her revenge.

 

[Ransokyos]

The stranger flicked a hand nonchalantly. He rolled his shoulders as he lazily turned. "It's only a strange or weird trick if you don't know the trick behind it," he quipped. "High-speed movement is the basis," he deadpanned. Admittedly, he wasn't sure which ship was theirs.

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

Ruthaford and Wes would be seen manning the ship and sailing alongside the dock to pick up their new comrade.

"Jump for it, man!" Ruthaford called to the stranger as they drew near.

-

"Pirates? Here?" a man of about 20 years, with short spiky hair said.

He sat at a desk in a an office, had been filing paperwork up till now. Before him stood several officers, saluting him.

"Yes sir, in the harbor. They're trying to make their escape now."

The man spat out a mouth full of coca leaves, stuffed another bunch into his mouth, and leisurely sipped at a glass of ice tea with a lemon wedge.
The soldiers looked at each other as if wondering what came next.

"Uh, sir? Shouldn't we... you know, hurry and cut them off?"

"What's the rush?" the man said, cracking his neck. "They're just heading into open water. That's my territory."

 

[Ransokyos]

His eyes narrowed as he focused before pushing off, the cobblestones giving a loud, echoing crack as he pushed off, his form seeming to melt into the air before reforming as his boots slid on the deck, his canine companion landing closer to the stern.

 

[Vi_Vi_]

Water was her element and Eve was in her element, sitting at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to strike as soon as that sailor's boat comes. The powers she had were extraordinary and dangerous, so she had always been told to keep them in check. She had never used her powers to their full potential but she was ready to do it now.
The water started churning around her, a maelstrom was coming.

 

[Razor-D-Belphe]

Meanwhile, the young Navy captain road a small boat, controlling the ocean currents to carry him after the pirate ship at unnatural speed. He tilted his head a little as tue forming maelstrom came into view ahead.

"That's strange, I know these waters like the back of my hand, there shouldn't be conditions for whirlpools unless..."

It clicked.

"There's another hydromancer here."

-

"Glad you could make it." Ruthaford said to their new companion.

"Captain," Wes said, "trouble ahead."

He pointed to the forming vortex, but it was too late. They were caught in the current.

 

[Vi_Vi_]

Eve smirked. Soon, she was going to get her revenge by sinking the pirate ship which sunk her parents' boat. That sailor killed Eve's parents and now it was his time to die. She increased the speed of the current, putting all her power into it. The ship was descended into the whirlpool rapidly.