[b][u]The Lord Captain[/u][/b] [u]The Sea of Tears, east of Eodaland and north of Syrome[/u] [i]The Storm's Herald[/i] collided with the much smaller Eodaen ship, their hulls noisily grinding together. An exchange of crossbow bolts quickly ensued, but the men of the smaller ship took far more injuries than they delivered. Grappling hooks were thrown, pulling the two ships together. "Crew, prepare to board! Aella! The [i]Herald[/i] is yours!" And with those words, Lord Captain Leofric, pirate Earl in self-imposed exile, strode forward, clad in full chainmail with longsword in hand. "With me, men!" He shouted, vaulting over the railing and landing on the enemy deck below. He slashed out with his sword, cutting a diagonal slash across the chest of his first combatant. A woman lunged at him, but he merely sidestepped the thrust and delivered a horizontal slash across her belly, before parrying yet another strike and plunging his blade through the foe's chest. While his blade was stuck in the enemy's torso, a fourth attacker attempted to rush him, only to be felled by a crossbow bolt to the neck. Then Leofric's own men joined him on the deck, cutting their way through the ranks of the enemy crew with vicious determination, beating back the foes that had begun to surround their captain. Leofric pulled his blade free and continued fighting, never relenting. Somehow, he managed to cut his way out of the melee and came face to face with the enemy Captain and First Mate, both of whom had hung back from the fighting. Together, they rushed him. Leofric sidestepped a thrust, and parried a slash, before feinting towards the captain. The captain instinctively stepped back, and the first mate struck again, attempting to take advantage of the opening. Suddenly, Leofric's blade changed direction and moved to bat aside the strike. Leofric then followed up with a strong kick to the stomach, sending the First Mate stumbling backwards against the railing, gasping. A crossbow bolt lodged itself in the man's chest a mere moment later, finishing him. Meanwhile, the enemy Captain charged in once again, and the two locked blades. Leofric had been about to bring his knee up into his foe's unprotected groin, but the captain acted first and spat in his eye. With a twist of the wrist, the Captain then disarmed him, sending Leofric's blade skittering to the deck. Leofric then ducked under the Captain's swing, before bringing his fist up in an uppercut, striking the captain in the chin. As the captain staggered backward, Leofric rushed to his sword and picked it up by the blade. As the captain came at him once again, Leofric swung the crossguard of his weapon into his opponent's face, sending bloody teeth skittering across the deck. A kick in the knee brought the captain to the floor, and then Leofric's sword was at the man's throat. "Yield," Leofric ordered through grit teeth. The captain opened his ruined mouth and spat out blood, as well as another tooth. "I... I surrender..." he managed to gasp out. "I surrender!" Some of the enemy sailors heard him, and began to throw down their weapons, which caused the remaining sailors to throw down their weapons as well. Cheers rang out. Leofric wiped his sword off on the railing, and smiled. --- "Captain, we found this one hiding below deck." Leofric glanced at the man who had been brought before him, and immediately scowled when he took note of the robes. A Squirrel Priest. His crew was already in the process of transferring their ill-gotten goods onto the herald, while the survivors of the enemy crew lay facedown on the deck, with some of Leofric's men watching over them. Any religious symbols dedicated to the Squirrel-Demon had already been thrown overboard. Save for this priest. Leofric turned to the Captain, who stood next to him, disarmed with his hands tied behind his back. "You might have mentioned him," Leofric stated calmly, pulling out his dirk and turning the weapon over in his hand. "He's... he's just a priest..." The Captain muttered, blood dribbling from his mouth. "He won't fight you, he's no threat..." Leofric frowned. "And yet you still felt the need to hide his presence. So quick to protect him... I'd say you've forgotten your God." "Heathen. Your God is a lie, nothing m-" the Squirrel Priest began, before Leofric's gauntleted fist slammed into his face. "You have all forgotten your God," Leofric declared to the captured crew, raising his voice so that all could hear. "I would say you need a reminder." He pointed his knife at the enemy Captain. "Hold him down." The Captain's eyes widened, and he sputtered out a protest, drops of blood falling onto his jacket as two of Leofric's men pinned him to the deck. Leofric pointed his knife at the priest, who lay on the ground covering his head. "Hold him up." Two more of Leofric's men complied, turning the priest so that he would be forced to watch what was about to happen. Leofric knelt beside the Captain and pressed the tip of his knife against the man's forehead. The Captain began to pray, and then the prayers turned to screams as Leofric began to carve. There was neither joy nor satisfaction on his face as he went about the deed; merely grim resignation. Half a minute later, Leofric stood, looking down at his grisly work. A holy symbol of God had been carved into the Captain's head. "As for you," Leofric pointed his bloody knife back toward the priest, who appeared both sick and sweaty, "you led them down this path. I would say a more severe punishment is in order." He pointed to the two men who had held the Captain down. "You two. Fetch a long coil of rope. --- The transfer of goods was finished. Every weapon as well as anything of value had been looted, save for enough food to bring the surviving enemy crew into the nearest port. A rope was wrapped around the captured ship, with the priest acting as the 'knot' that held it together; one end was tied to his ankles, while the other end was tied to his shoulders. Several men held onto the rope, while the remainder stood in observation. Leofric and Aella had grim expressions on their face. Peric's eyes were downcast. Alicia tried not to betray any emotion at all. "Begin!" Leofric shouted. The men pulled on the rope. Slowly, the priest inched across the deck, then over the side, and finally under the water, vocally praying the entire way. By the time they pulled him up from the other end, he was no longer capable of praying. Leofric walked up to the priest and examined him closely, noting that he was still breathing. He pulled out his knife once again, and cut both ends of the rope, taking care not to damage the priest any further. "Right then, that's done." Leofric declared as blood pooled beneath the priest's unconscious body. "Back to the ship. We sail for Syrome."