stone — Roleplayer Guild

𝕆ff the ℂoast
The sky flared a bright red. The air around Tobias instantly dried. He felt his tongue lump up and expand in his mouth.

Halifax was dead. Tobias ran him through the chest again, just to be sure. Dead.

So why was the gate above him still there?

All around him, his elite force was gradually overcoming the pirates’ resistance. They’d put up a good fight. Even with their slightly superior naval fighting skill, the sheer number of navaliers had eventually overwhelmed them.

The gate was still there. Another mageborn? But where? Somewhere protected, away from the fighting, with optimal sightlines.

Tobias’s eyes narrowed. The wheelhouse. He stepped over a body- he couldn’t tell whose- and began to make his way over, clashing with several pirates as he did so.

The gate was still there- and it was making something. Something very very hot. Even through the boiling heat, he shivered. The amount of power gathering was immense- this was no ordinary mage.

He quickened his pace. The heat intensified. More magic filled the air. He realized that, to his left and right, two more gates opened above the accompanying ships to the Kiana. He didn’t see their inscriptions exactly, but the style of magic was… familiar.

The door to the wheelhouse was locked. He smashed his heel into the door. It didn’t budge. Swearing a curse to the beyond, he summoned a pitiful amount of acid from his own gate. The lock weakened slightly. He bashed it in with his shoulder.

Inside was a woman, slightly shorter than he, facing away from the doorway - out the viewing slots. Ashen hair. Tobias felt a tremor pass through his body. At first, he thought it was mental, but then he realized that it truly was a tremor. The woman had released her magic. Tobias thought fast. He rushed forward, dealt a stunning blow to her skull, grabbed her limp form, rushed out the wheelhouse, took a deep breath, and jumped ship.

A moment of calm passed quickly by as he seemed to hang in the air above the sea. Tobias hit the water. The icy waters instantly cooled him down. Luckily, he had decided to wear light armor, and he was able to somewhat doff it before he surfaced. The unconscious woman didn’t float, and he hastily surfaced and kicked hard to keep them both afloat. Then, a massive explosion sent a shockwave through the ocean. Massive waves blasted Tobias as he treaded water. The woman, thankfully, seemed to almost float. Others, however, were not so lucky. In front of him, several armored navaliers fall into the water and sink like rocks.

In front of him, Tobias saw the Ironmaw as well as Kiana’s accompanying ships go up in flames. It was almost incredible. This woman was able to ignite not one, but three ironside ships. A barrel from the Ironmaw flew past. Tobias swam to it, and draped the woman over it, allowing him to focus on keeping himself afloat.

The battle was over. The remaining pirates aboard the now-sinking Ironmaw were surrendering. Tobias kicked hard as he waited for the Kiana, the only surviving ship, to pick him up.

”Casualty report.”

”Thirty-five navaliers lost. Two ironside ships lost- along with most of their crews. Over half of the pirates dead. Every other one captured.”

”Halifax is dead. I saw to it myself.” Tobias leaned grimly against the taffrail, watching the Lapsean waters rush by.

”Understood, sir. I’ll draft the report.” Tobias’s secretary strode away. The man, thankfully, had the head to stay onboard the Kiana and avoid combat. Tobias had been worried that, as a soldier from House Pachel, he would feel the irresistible call of battle. Luckily, he had kept his head and stayed out of the way.

The mission had been a success, yes, but it came at a high cost. Over half of Tobias’s force had died or been heavily injured in the subjugation of what was seemingly a weak enemy. He cursed his impulsivity. Dozens of good men and women, dead. All because he thought his illusion plan would be enough to overwhelm the criminals. He should have seen it coming - should have prepared more for another mage.

Speaking of which, that second mage was probably the only good result of his mission. Tobias had a sneaking suspicion that the woman currently sitting in the hold, bound in zinc ropes and blindfolded, would be his ticket to redemption. Her gate, the hair, her apparent age, it all added up in an interesting coincidence.

It would be a good idea to check on her. He brushed past the mourning sailors on the main deck, past Yolack’s eternally-surprised visage, and climbed the ladder down into the hold.

Each of the surviving pirates was bound, gagged, and chained to the wall. But, for the woman, he had arranged a separate room for her containment. You could never be too careful with mages.

He fished out the key to her pseudo-cell and unlocked the door. She was as he had left her. Bound to a chair, blindfolded, gagged, facing away from the door. He stepped inside and unshuttered the gemlight on his belt, casting a bright glow throughout the room.

“I know you’re awake,” he said.

No response. Of course. The gag. He reached out and undid it.

Still no answer. He stepped back. ”Well, that doesn’t matter. I’ve come with a deal. Miss Rathas Graves. You face trial and likely execution. However, if you truly are who I believe you to be, the family head will wish to see you. That display of power today… it could mean the future to the Graves family.”
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