[center][img] http://i.imgur.com/PXheJ60.png [/img][/center] [center][hider=Music][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejixGvnNTDU]For your enjoyment[/url][/hider][/center] Shadows lurk in the dark and creaky corners, of that one could always be sure. Emilio was sure of that as he set his matted head to rest on the skinny down pillow. He hadn’t felt this sort of comfort in months. The cushioned mattress sung out to his muscles and eased them into submission. Each stitching in the undoubtedly high thread count of his sheets wrapped him up in serenity. He felt comforted, like he was shielded in his mother’s arms once again. Emilio thought he could smell her perfume as the last of his waking consciousness drifted off into the ever expanding dreamscape. In fact, it wasn’t his mother’s perfume. Emilio was able to grab the butt of his pistol as the edge of the crescent shaped knife shaved his neck. It drew blood, and the point curved over his throat poked at the dimple of his adam’s apple. “If you scream, Signor Cicatrise, I’ll be forced to make you a new mouth.” Said a silky voice in a hard Spanish. Emilio’s eyes opened steadily, found the dark voice which spoke to him. It was a woman, clad in black leather, with draping dark hair tied mostly in a bun. Her lips were a crimson red and dark makeup shadowed her eyelids. If she were beautiful it was hard to tell through the smoky darkness of the room. Emilio already had his pistol readied against her abdomen. “I won’t need to scream.” He responded easily. [hr] Epu was at the bow with the navigator, a smart young man named Pablo, when he heard the metallic thrusting of energy from down the ship. He headed to the bannister overlooking the main deck, half expecting to see Leonard and his new friend splayed on the floor covered in screws, and bolts, and whatever else they had piled in one of the barrels. Instead Epu witnessed something he’d never seen before. Among the broken crates, and barrels, and the battered floorboards was a nearly familiar shape. An ebony suit of armor, coupled with a huge riding lance, crunched it’s way out of the crater it’d made for itself. A hellish thunderstorm played on it’s armor as crackles of red sparked among the dense black fog which surrounded it. Pablo came up beside Epu at the bannister, was overwhelmed by fear and could only utter a deep gasp. “Go warn the Captain.” Epu said in a flawed Portuguese as he unlatched the throwing axes he had hanging from his body. Pablo scampered down the steps but stopped at the corner as the armored figure approached his position. Epu took a deep breath and scaled the bannister. “Over here, trespasser,” he said in Spanish, “You’ll be playing with me.” As soon as his words breached the night air the figure turned to him, lifted the abnormally long lance toward Epu’s position. It crashed through the bannister as Epu avoided the blow, jumping into a roll which set him behind the massive figure. The axe that he threw as he landed lodged itself in one of the ebony plated figure’s knee joints. Instinctively Epu dodged toward the stern of the vessel, trying to draw the aggressor his way. By doing so he avoided a heavy strike which pulled up some more boards. Epu tried lodging another axe in the figure’s shoulder but only managed to make the axe ricochet off of the finely angled armor. The figure struggled to move with the axe in it’s knee, but pressed it’s attack anyway. Epu crossed the deck and doubled back toward the bow, jumping over a table, and grabbing a carbine housed there as he did. He turned as quickly as he could, aimed the sights, pulled back the hammer. The smoky figure smashed through crates on it’s rampage toward the American, it’s faceless visage intent on his position. Epu pulled the trigger: [center][u][i]Click[/i][/u][/center] It wasn’t loaded. Epu prepared for an overhead strike, one which he was sure he couldn’t block, as he saw a truly familiar figure come up the steps from below. [center][u][b]BLAAAAAAMMM[/b][/u][/center] Went the blunderbuss as it sent shrapnel into the armor. Leonard dropped the big gun and pulled his pistol out, fired once at the back of the thing’s head. It turned with a violent reaction and came rampaging after Leonard, who’d already taken his cue to start running. [hr] [center][hider=More Music][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoF7ZzMUrgA]For extra enjoyment[/url][/hider][/center] “I’m not here to fight you, Dread Captain.” The woman said as she heard the commotion begin outside. Emilio thought better of looking to see what he could, as raising his head even a little would begin an enduring tracheotomy. “Then why is my first mate getting ready for a fight?” Emilio asked. “The same reason why I’m here and not stowed away in your galley. I was paid to do something to the [i]Padre Etemo[/i]—lead you into an ambush—but you have a visitor. One which will sink your ship if I don’t help you.” The woman responded. “And why do you have a knife to my throat?” Emilio asked with an indefinable humor. His heart began to beat quickly as he ran through all the options. “I need to make sure you won’t just kill me. And I need to make sure you’d hear me out.” “And is that all I needed to hear?” “Not quite, but suffice it to say for now that you’re currently harboring a rogue Harbinger. One which won’t hesitate to kill everyone on this vessel and more to get to you.” Their eyes met then, as she told him the truth. He could sense her sincerity, her fear. It radiated from her well-manicured fingers, through the knife, and into Emilio’s jaw. “You’re Luna’s agent, aren’t you?” Emilio asked as he felt the tension on the knife ease up. “Please, I serve no man.” She said with a huff as she retraced the dagger and tucked it in one of the many holsters clasped to her body. “Especially not a rat-man, like him.” She’d made her way over to the door and peaked through the windows. Emilio made a quizzical face as he rose from the bed. This woman was not normal, of that he could be sure. “I promised Luna I’d kill anyone he sent who got in my way.” He said as he stood, weighing the pistol in his hand then holstering it in the sash tied across his waist. “If it makes you feel any better, think of me as another one of your passengers.” Emilio chuckled in response, “It doesn’t. Passengers of mine don’t usually set the ship up for an ambush. Speaking of which…” “Not now! If I must prove my usefulness to you, I will; but until then, you’ll just have to trust me.” She rebutted with a pertinent impatience. “I don’t trust easily.” Emilio said grabbing his scimitar from the long dinner table near his bed. There was a hard knocking on the door, a rushed adolescent voice pouring Portuguese words over the other side of the wooden entry way. More rushed knocking. “I know. But I’m the only way you’ll make it to Morocco safely now, like it or not. And if we spend any more time arguing everyone on this boat will die, except the Harbinger.” Emilio stayed quiet for some moments, interspersed and interrupted by scattershot knocks at the door and muffled groanings from beyond the wall. A shot went off, then another; Emilio recoiling with each. “Fine. Let the boy in.” the Dread Pirate relented, pointing toward the kid behind the door. Pablo spilled in like a flood, the door slamming behind him. “A monster! Sir, it’s a monster.” Was all the boy could breathe as he leant against the dinner table on the precipice of hyperventilating. Emilio patted the boy on the shoulder as he walked toward the entrance, eyes focusing on the piercingly dark eyes of the mysterious woman who held on steadily to the door. Time seemed to slow for him then as he picked up the blunderbuss he’d brought up from the gunnery. Holding his scimitar under his shoulder Emilio readied the firearm and pointed it toward the closed door, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He nodded toward the woman, which seemed to bring time back to normal. “I’ll need you to distract him.” The woman said in a cracking whisper, her fear getting the better of her ability to speak confidently. “We’ll do one better than that.” Emilio responded with a sly smile. The door opened and fresh rain sprinkled through the space as a new wind swept across the deck. Emilio stepped out onto what looked like a warzone. Epu had upturned a table and was taking pot shots toward the stern with several other men next to him. From above Emilio could hear grunts and brisk movements. Crashing wood broke through the relative silence and brought with it a hail of zinging gunfire. The moon’s light surprised the Dread Captain as it nearly blinded him. “Ha! I got you now” Leonard said in a tired English from above. Emilio glanced up in time to see his Boatswain making the same jump Epu and Emilio himself had made this very same day (over the bannister and onto the main deck), but this time followed by a trail of fire and kinetic force. A huge explosion rocked the room behind Emilio and he stumbled forward with the woman behind him. The roof of the room collapsed and brought the Harbinger down with it, all atop poor Pablo unfortunately. Emilio felt the boy’s death like a palpitation; it rattled him as he dove atop Leo. “What say we get a drink first, boss.” Leonard coughed as he tried to rise. He was caught by a drilling pain in his knee and ankle, so he toppled behind a post with a laughing groan. “Ah, I’m getting too old for this shite.” Among the fiery wreckage of blood, and flesh, and wood, and metal still hummed a dark soul. It's effervescent nature pulling the burnt and distorted metal hunks back toward itself; in doing so it reformed the armor and clattered from the wreckage searching for it's lance, which remained lodged somewhere in the navigation room above. Emilio stood with the help of the mysterious woman, who held his scimitar in her other hand. He carefully aimed a shot and blasted the facade of his quarters, breaking out the tiny stain glass windows and parts of the wall. The figure seemed mostly unfazed. Emilio handed the firearm to Leonard behind him and took the scimitar from the woman. "If there's something you're meant to be doing, I'd start doing it now." he said as he worked the kinks from his shoulders and back. The Harbinger came forth slowly-- missing one hand, legs slightly uneven--, it clasped at the charred frame as it passed through the doorway. The woman went up the stairway to the right, toward the poop deck. A metallic grinding sound came from the Harbinger's core. Seeming to find a rhythm it began forming proper human sounds. "--Peeerrissh. You all shall perish!" It finally said in a dark, echoing tone.