Sypherkhode822

In Dark Seas We Sail

The fireball burned low over the heads of the Barizians, and the gunshots paused. The galley began to slowly alter it's course to run away from the Borealis, then fled as quickly as they could. They must have had another set of men to row the oars, because a normal crew would have been exhausted. The galley beat it's way south by southwest, running as fast as a sail ship sailing in the wind.

The dragon continued to beat it's great wings, and the rider holding the gun took a half step closer to Rio. She wasn't particularly tall, but the way she held herself with the control of a hunting beast. Her quilted jacket was buttoned against the cold, and her chin length blonde hair was covered with a leather cap. The tentacles grew from her upper back and latched onto the rough nubs of bone that protruded up and down the dragon.

Her eyes were the color of the sky on hanging day, a flinty blue grey that stared Rio down before she spoke. She lowered the gun so it wasn't pointing directly into Rio's face and called, "It seems we are not enemies, Shifter. Return to your ship, tell them to let the galley live for a while longer. We'll speak with you, stranger."

Two men watched the exchange, one fore and one aft. They were dressed like the woman in a quilted jacket and trousers, but were too far away for Rio to make out any detail.

There was a pause, and the only sound was the wind, tearing past the wings and ripping at the riders clothes. It made sense they dressed so warmly, being up this high got cold quickly.

---

Wheel lowered the cannon, taking aim against the galley. Firing, he watched the ball arc harmlessly into the water near where the ship had once been. Preparing the cannon again, he took mental note of the range, estimating how long until they would come into range. The Borealis was lucky and had the wind, they would soon be on the slavers. "Hana," he said, "Is there anything that we could use to hide or escape? If that dragon turns on us, I want you to be ready." He looked away before he saw Hana's nod, but he heard her descend to her room to gather supplies.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana walked up the stairs, carrying a stack of muskets like firewood. Dropping the muskets onto a tarp tacked to the deck, she massaged the knot in her shoulders and looked around the Borealis.

Wheel was readying the guns Hana had brought up previously. Although he was busy cleaning and loading the muskets, there was a stillness that surrounded him, and Hana was reminded of the priests who dragged sticks in the sand, creating meaning out of the world around them. She had already reached the armory before she wondered what meaning a gun would bring.

---
Getting closer, Rio could see that the dragon was far from anything he'd seen before. A thick, waxy hide dully glinted in the sun. What had seemed like whiskers were arms. Human arms, all of the same size and shape, the same jaundiced yellow of the dragon. Some dangled limply, others held lines of rope or tack. The dragon flew dumbly, moving through the air than with it.

Tents were strapped to the back, along with cases of supplies. Wheel would have said it looked like a supply wagon far from home.

It was only after the small dragon screeched did the riders notice him. They were bundled in thick sheepskin to protect against the biting cold, but that didn't stop one of the riders from moving quickly. They surged across the back of the dragon, running while the dragon bobbed up and down in it's flight. They returned with a gun capable of killing an elephant. The rider didn't fire, but kept steady aim on the cyradan.

The galley let off a hail of gunfire when they saw the cyradan, and the oars began to beat faster. The crew below had a mercenary look to them. The ship might fly a Barizian flag, but the hired killers came from all over.

The dragon lifted in altitude, trying to lose the smaller dragon through height. The rider with the gun ran across the dragon and fell over the side. Swinging somehow beneath the belly of the dragon, the rider keeps their bead on Rio.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana watched silently as the Rio-dragon lifted into the air and angled towards the approaching shapes on the horizon. She turned away when Wheel approached her, a twinkle in his eyes betraying his otherwise deadpan face. "What do you know about dragons?" He asked. She'd been asking herself the same question, "Honestly? Not much. I know that they live in the east, they know more than any single human could possibly know, and you can win their favor by fairly beating them in a game. Oh, and they're incredibly dangerous." He nodded, looking out on the horizon. "Can you think of any reason a dragon would be out this far at sea?" She shook her head, "I have no fucking clue." Surprised, Wheel let out a barking laugh.

"Alright, come with me, we're going to get the weapons out."

And Hana followed him down to the armory, trying to ignore the worry building in her breast.

---

Pieter heard the clatter of Uban's fallen mug. A smile briefly warmed his face when he looked at his resting apprentice. "The lad will be fine," He thought to himself, "An hour nap should put him back in service."
He took stock of the wind, and adjusted course. Thankfully, the wind was with them, and they'd be able to maneuver the Borealis with ease. Of course, a galley didn't rely on the wind, and he didn't know what to expect with a dragon. He waited for the boy to return.

---

Although nobody on the Borealis had a reference point for what a healthy dragon would have looked like, it's unlikely they would have described what was in the air above them. The eyes were a clouded milky white, and the membrane of it's wings were scarred and mottled like patchwork. The dragons great mouth hung open, and massive, yellowed fangs jutted out. Impossible to see from a distance, but those close enough would have been able to make out three figures atop the dragon. They clambered across the dragon, which seemed to either duly tolerate or ignore them. The figures were bundled in thick jackets and trousers to fight the chill, and one of them would peer over the side of the dragon to look at the galley below.

From such a distance, the sailors aboard the top deck of the galley were miniature, and it was easy to assume the danger they represented was as slight as their size. The faint crack of gunfire whenever the dragon ducked lower was very real, however.

The dragon and the galley were in a stalemate. The galley didn't have powerful enough guns to hit the dragon when it was at a distance, and the dragon and those atop it seemed reluctant to dive into the range of the slavers. It would have been a trivial matter for the dragon to drop a heavy rock on the ship and anyone unfortunate to be standing beneath, but nothing like that occurred.

By now, both the dragon and the galley had spotted the small ship approaching them. Neither of them changed course. The dragon lifted further into the sky, staying completely out of range of gunfire.

Clouds rolled across to the east, and the wind was stiff. The distances between the galley, the dragon, and the Borealis created a sensation of stillness. Nobody was moving, the sea and sky around them shrank.

Soon, the space between them would disappear completely, and it was anyone's guess to what would happen then.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Once Hana saw that the brat was cleaning himself, she stumped back to her seat and settled back with her book. She politely kept her gaze on her book when she heard him splash out and start cleaning his clothes. She'd done the same plenty of times on the road, and without the benefit of warm water. She was soon engrossed in her reading, and didn't notice anything was amiss until Rio stopped in front of her silent. She looked up to see his mouth slightly open and his attention fixed on Pieter and Berlin.

"Wha-" She said, "What's going on?"

---

Pieter chewed his lip and raised the spyglass to his eye. Before he looked through he knew something was amiss; he'd been addressed as Priest. Whatever was on the horizon was beyond the ken of a first mate, and that worried him.

His unsteady hands and the rocking of the Borealis made the small circle of vision of the spyglass veer wildly across the sky, and Pieter first saw nothing important. He removed the glass from his eye, wiped his palm down his trousers, spotted the dark shape on the horizon, and looked again.

It was... An eel? Or a snake. Flying. Were their wings? Yes, he saw the movement on the sides, with a rather concerning wingspan. It was at some distance, and the clouds obscured the long and sinuous creature from them. He'd never seen something quite like this. He'd been told dragons existed across the Eastern Ocean, but he'd never heard of one crossing the Ocean, going over Elbar and the rest of the continent to come here.
The clouds parted, and Pieter could see more. The dragon had the color of sallow skin, and was just smaller than the Borealis. It glided in wide circles, dipping low suddenly to surge back in altitude. Swinging the spyglass to follow the dragon, he saw the dragon plunge over a ship.

A galley.

The wind picked up, and Pieter thought he could hear the turtle's laugh in the snap of the sails.

They'd found the slavers.

A cloud of smoke lifted from the galley, and the dragon wheeled upwards.

The galley and dragon were moving in a diagonal line to the southwest of them, moving faster than what he thought reasonable. They were over open ocean. How could the Barizians take a galley across the ocean? There was no way they could carry enough food and water for the crews needed to make such distances. And to carry slaves as well?

He had no clue as to how often a dragon needed to feed. It was over the open ocean, and he didn't know if dragons ate fish.

He shook his head, handed back the telescope to Berlin, and said, "That's a damn strange scene, captain. There in the sky looks like a dragon," He pointed, "And it's hunting a slavers galley."

---

Wheel sucked on the lime, enjoying the sourness. He was pleasantly sore, and there was a looseness like he'd been massaged. Of course, while a berserker's definition of pleasant and sore were different than most people's The slight smile on his face was genuine. The curse had faded to a slight buzz and filled him with good cheer. He rolled a cigarette while he drank, and broke the silence with the occasional unhurried remark. Uban's oath made him look up, and he scanned the horizon until he saw what was going on. It was some distance away, "We could meet them in an hour and a half, two hours," He stood up, lighting his cigarette, "Sit easy, I'll find out what the plan is."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Black dots swam in Hana's vision as she took shallow breathes. The crew was laughing, and despite her embarrassment, she started to laugh weakly, her sides aching with the effort. Regaining her breath, she stood up, clutching the side of the barrel. She waited, panting, until Rio lifted his head from the water.
"If you don't scrub yourself with the soap until you're sparkling, I'll knock the barrel over with you in it."

---

Pieter smiled at the scene played out on his deck before turning his focus back to the seas ahead of him. There was a shadow near the horizon, a ship, and fast moving. "Captain, your spyglass."

In Dark Seas We Sail

The ice cube landed on Hana's foot, sliding coolly to the planks. She shuddered involuntarily and shook her foot to get the icy water off her. Her toe slammed into the metal band around the barrel, hard. Gasping at the sudden pain, she twisted away instinctively. Off balance, she flung her arms out still on one foot to try and regain balance. She posed on one foot, her arms pinwheeling to keep control.The [i]Borealis[i] rocked, and Hana fell over. The bar of soap flew from her hand. Dropping straight down, she landed flat on her ass and than her back. The wind was knocked out of her, and she stared frantically at the sky. The bar of soap completed it's arc, and dunked directly into the makeshift tub. Bathwater splashed itself on her sore toe.

---

Pieter scratched his beard and nodded idly. He was thinking about what Uban's power meant for the priesthood. The sea had it's own magic, and he wondered what the Salt would think of lightning. He had turned to Berlin to say something, but sudden movement caught his eye. He saw Hana flailing, and couldn't help the chuckle that started.

---

Wheel clapped Uban on the shoulder, smiling, "Ah, don't worry about it. Next time I'll be ready, huh?" The curse buzzed at the thought, and a surge of joy came over him. "Come on, I'm gonna get some limes, maybe a drink'll do something about those coins you got for eyes." He heard Pieter laughed, and looked around. When he saw what was going on, a grin spread across his face.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana gave a concerned glance to Wheel and Uban. She hadn't seen Wheel go down, but he was lying there, clutching a flask. She didn't fully understand Wheel's power, but she'd never seen him knocked down by anything. She knew Uban's power was impressive, and she wondered what they'd discover next. She tutted, and turned back to the boy hiding at the bottom of the barrel. And she'd been doing so well! Remembering Berlin's instructions, she crossly said, "If you don't wash the dirt off of you, the liniment won't work. Come on now."

---

Wheel groaned again, and sat up, taking another swig from the flask. He made sure not to show it, but he was worried. The curse should have let him brush off the shock, but it hadn't. Was it because it knew that it wasn't a real fight? Was it angry with him? The headache was gone, at least. If there was a lesson here, Wheel couldn't figure it out. He wasn't injured, so the curse had protected him. Standing up, he tried to weakly joke, "I didn't know we rationed the rum."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana politely averted her gaze when Rio splashed out of the barrel. The water sprayed her bare feet. When she looked up, he was back in the barrel, chewing on the ice. His expression was of blank curiosity as he crunched. Answering his theorizing, she said, "You pretty much summed up the process. Only freshwater can freeze, the salt in the ocean keeps it from freezing. You're alive, so you make warmth. Freezing living things is possible, but it's also possible that I could beat Wheel in a fistfight." Holding out the sweet smelling soap, she said "Okay, time to clean."

--

Wheel shook his head, leaned to the side, and spat. It caught on his lips, and the spittle hung on the side of his mouth. He chuckled, and started to stand up. His limbs felt like jelly, and he slumped down again. Lying on his back, he shaded his face with his hands. Uban hadn't stopped laughing. Hells. Groaning, he took the proffered flask. Propping himself on a arm, he drank. Holding onto it, he said, "Uban. Don't do that to someone you want to live."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana smiled easily as the boy puzzled over the ice. "It's frozen water. When it gets cold, it becomes hard. Hold it in your hand and it turns back into water." Nodding to the ice barrel, she said, "There's more there." She hoped that he would accept the ice without too much worry.

---

Wheel sparred with lazy purpose. His blade darted as he sought out the gaps in Uban's defense. He didn't break any ribs, and he considered himself lenient. Whether or not Uban would agree, he couldn't say. He noticed that Uban's attention was split, he wasn't striking at as many openings as he normally would. Swinging his blade in a downstroke, he caught Uban's flashing dagger. There was a flash of light, and the next thing he knew, he was on his ass. The curse clamped down, keeping the edge off the pain. His arm felt like it was on fire, and his teeth ached. The dagger had been flung to the side, the cloth hilt wrapping charred at the edges.

Shaking his head, he said, "What the fuck happened?"

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana cackled with glee, and shot back, "Oh yeah? Well, I'll put jam between your toes!" The threat had been used by her older sister to keep her in line, and she'd spent sleepless nights watching her bedroom door. "Besides, I think it's plenty funny." Hana stretched after the water steamed. There were plenty of better ways to heat up a barrel of water, but she hadn't wanted to use more of her supplies. Most of them were expensive or hard to get, and it'd be better to keep them for when they were needed, and not to just speed up a task. Leaving the boy-octopus swim in the barrel, she went to her cabin to get Des Enrolo's travelogue. Returning, she sat on the railing next to the barrel, enjoying the pleasant day as she read. When two squishy tentacles reached up over the lip of the barrel, she let out a mock "eep!" and the tentacles retreated, pleased. The next time the tentacles reached up, she was ready. A sliver of ice was held up so that when the tentacle flexed, it rubbed against it. Giggling, Hana tossed the ice into the barrel.

---

Wheel chuckled and followed Uban up the stairs. Rolling his shoulders, he went to his place on the deck. There was no marker to tell them where to stand, they'd all just sparred so much that they knew where to stand. His curse receded. The ache still reached as far as it had before, but it's grip wasn't so tight. Sparring could help. It could also make things worse. Most things made it worse. Wheel looked Uban up and down as he eased into a fighting position. He seemed eager, more than he should be for just a practice match. Resigning himself to being shocked, he flicked his wrist, the dull blade catching in the light. He darted forward, slapping with the blades flat at Uban's side.