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Hunter or the Hunted: Part 2 Chapter 9


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#1 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 23 September 2003 - 05:59 AM

This chapter is not long. It just seems like it is becase it's a lot of text and not a lot of dialogue. Im fact, I think there are two lines of dialogue in the whole thing. Then again, when you're killing slavers there's not much talking that needs to be done.

As always, comments, questions, correction and whatnot are welcomed and loved and petted and called George. :)

-Blue

_____________________________________________________________

Chapter 9





Two days after setting sail the pirates of the Moon’s Revenge spotted their target: a fat, cumbersome cargo vessel that rode low in the water and moved about as fast as a sea turtle on dry land despite the stiff breeze that pushed it along its course. The Revenge, built for speed and maneuvering, caught up quickly to the slaver ship. The slavers tried to run as soon as they realized they were being pursued, but it was hopeless. In a desperate attempt to gain speed they ditched barrels and crates, probably containing provisions and gear, but it made no difference.

Contrary to what Yoshimo expected, Blackbeard gave most of the orders as the Revenge closed on its target, with Smitty throwing in the occasional unprintable terms of endearment to punctuate what the dwarf said. Elliard meanwhile stood at the bow of the ship, obviously concentrating on something, though Yoshimo couldn’t discern what it was. Then he saw Elliard’s hands moving and flame forming between his palms. The elf made a throwing motion and a ball of fire streaked off of his fingertips and struck the water a dozen yards ahead of the slaver ship, causing the water to explode into a hissing cloud of steam. Unable to turn away, the slaver ship plowed headlong into the steam cloud. Yoshimo shivered as he heard the slaver crew scream, their voices shrill and full of pain as the steam scalded them.

Blackbeard shouted, “Drop the boarding planks! Hop to, ye barmy bastards! Get ready to draw steel on this slaver scum!” The crew of the Revenge responded almost instantly, throwing boards across the gap between the two ships and rushing onto the crippled vessel.

Yoshimo tried to follow their example, but Blackbeard caught him by the hem of his tunic. “Hold on lad, don’t get yerself into the middle of that mess. Go down into the hold there and see if ye can’t get a head start on letting the slaves out of their shackles.” It was clear to see that the scalded slavers had by this point regained their senses enough to form a limited resistance to the pirate raiders, but their efforts were weak, and like their attempts to flee, futile.

Never one to argue when it came to keeping himself out of the middle of a chaotic melee, Yoshimo nodded and hurried off, running over the shaking boarding planks and skirting the edge of the fighting and made it to the hold without incident.

He threw the hatch open and ducked inside, hoping that no one had noticed him. He was met by a burly, tusked humanoid carrying a wooden club, who swung wildly at him. Yoshimo dodged to one side, barely avoiding a blow that would have likely crushed his skull, and drew his katana, cursing the tight confines of the hall. The slaver made another, clumsier attack and tripped. As the slaver went down, Yoshimo buried his katana in his neck, ending the slaver’s struggles for good.

He performed a brief search of the slaver’s corpse and found a set of keys, one of which probably went to the door at the end of the narrow corridor. He tested each of the keys until he found the one that fit the lock, and then opened the door.

A foul smell assaulted him immediately, making him stumble back, coughing and struggling for a clean breath of air. Once he had regained himself again he braved the door and entered the slave hold. He half-tripped down the rickety stairs that led into the dark expanse beyond, and was torn between wishing for a light so that he could see where he was going and being thankful that he didn’t.

“Hello?” he shouted, peering into the gloom. He saw human shapes along the hull, but he couldn’t make out anything more than that. He heard movement, but no one spoke up. He retreated up the stairs again, and ransacked the rooms off the corridor for a lantern, which he lit quickly, and then hurried back to the dank hold. He raised the lantern to the doorway and now really wished that he hadn’t.

The slaves writhed in their own filth, shying away from the light that blinded them after so long in darkness. Yoshimo held the lantern aloft and went down the stairs again, trying not to shudder at the idea of living for so long in such wretched condition. The slaves scuttled away from him, the chains that bound them to the decking clanking and rattling as they were stretched to their limits. Somewhere at the back of the room an infant began to cry, and its mother shushed it anxiously.

Unsure of what to do, Yoshimo set the lantern down in the center of the room and walked carefully over to the nearest slave, a man who shrank from him as he approached.

“I will not hurt you,” Yoshimo tried to assure him, using his best diction and minimizing his accent as much as possible. “I will help.” The man flinched pathetically as Yoshimo reached his hands forward and tried one key after another on the lock that held the shackles to his ankles. At last the lock clicked and the chains fell away, but contrary to Yoshimo’s expectations, the man did not rejoice or try to run, he just huddled closer to the hull and shivered. Not wanting to waste time, Yoshimo moved on down the line of chained slaves, unlocking their shackles, but they all reacted in the same way as the first man.

After a few minutes, some of the other members of the Revenge’s crew joined him and gently started coaxing the slaves out of their dark prison. Like feral, mistreated animals, they were reluctant to put their faith in their fellow man again, but slowly they began to act more and more human, until at last one woman broke and followed one of the pirates up out of the hold. After that it was like a tidal wave of people clamoring toward the light and their freedom.

Yoshimo passed the keys off to another one of the sailors and took out his lock picks, figuring that having two people working at once would make things move faster; and the faster he got out of that stinking hole the better, as far as he was concerned. The light was poor, but he didn’t need too much light to pick such simple, crude locks, and he moved along almost as quickly as the sailor with the keys.

They were almost done, having gotten all the slaves but two, a woman and her young son, unlocked, and nearly all the rest out of the hold, when Yoshimo heard shouting and then an explosion of flame ripped through the deck above his head and tore a gaping hole in one side of the hull. He was knocked off of his feet and peppered with splinters of wood, dropping his lock picks and losing sight of them as water rushed into the hold. The sailor that had been helping him floated on the rising water face down, a piece of wood a foot long and several inches wide driven through his skull. All the slaves that had until now still been hesitant to leave the hold lost their ambivalence and made a mad, frantic rush toward the rickety stairs out of the hold.

Yoshimo got to his feet and about to turn and leave when the child he had been trying to help started to wail loudly. He turned back, torn between wanting to get the hell off the sinking slaver ship, and knowing that he ought to help the boy. He felt around on the deck again for his lock picks, thinking that if he found them quickly he might be able to help the boy without endangering himself, but though he failed to find his tools his hand did fall on the ring of keys the sailor had dropped. He searched through them, trying to find the right key by feel since the lantern had been put out and thrown only the gods knew where. Only the fact that most of the ceiling had been blown away enabled him to see even a little bit of what he was doing.

He found the right key and waded through the water over to the screeching child. He fumbled under the water for the boy’s shackles and was about to open them when another explosion rocked the ship and a heavy shower of debris descended into the hold. A piece of the mast struck Yoshimo across the back, knocking him into the water. The keys fell from his hands and were lost in the swirling water. Stunned, he tried to get up, but found one of his legs pinned. The child kept screaming.

Yoshimo felt very close to screaming too. He twisted his head about and tried to see is there was anyway he could dislodge himself. The piece of the mast that held him down was wedged tightly against the hull, and though he tried to move it, it wouldn’t budge. He tried to wriggle free, but found himself too firmly stuck. He felt at his side for his katana, but found that it had been dashed away from him in the tumult. He spotted it just out of reach, jammed uselessly into the deck.

The water rose up to his chest, and he began to get violently worried. As Yoshimo began to shout, calling out for help, the boy fell silent, either too shocked to cry out anymore or too tired. Soon the water was up to his chin, and the boy was struggling to keep his head above its roiling surface. Then at last it was Yoshimo who was struggling to keep his head above the water, and the boy disappeared all together.

The sea dabbled at his lips and nose, and he held his breath. His eyes burned from the salty water, but he kept them open and turned up to the faint light that was his only hope. His vision began to erode at the edges, black and red spots seeping in from the sides as his lungs begged for air. He inhaled a mouthful of the sea and wished for gills. He thought he saw something above the water, and then he thought nothing at all.

#2 Guest_Oryx_*

Posted 23 September 2003 - 09:19 AM

This chapter is not long. It just seems like it is becase it's a lot of text and not a lot of dialogue. Im fact, I think there are two lines of dialogue in the whole thing. Then again, when you're killing slavers there's not much talking that needs to be done.


Yay! Less talking, more killing! :)

As always, comments, questions, correction and whatnot are welcomed and loved and petted and called George. :)


Tell me about the rabbits again!!! *BANG*






Two days after setting sail the pirates of the Moon’s Revenge spotted their target: a fat, cumbersome cargo vessel that rode low in the water and moved about as fast as a sea turtle on dry land despite the stiff breeze that pushed it along its course. The Revenge, built for speed and maneuvering, caught up quickly to the slaver ship. The slavers tried to run as soon as they realized they were being pursued, but it was hopeless. In a desperate attempt to gain speed they ditched barrels and crates, probably containing provisions and gear, but it made no difference.


Heavy with slaves?

Contrary to what Yoshimo expected, Blackbeard gave most of the orders as the Revenge closed on its target, with Smitty throwing in the occasional unprintable terms of endearment to punctuate what the dwarf said. Elliard meanwhile stood at the bow of the ship, obviously concentrating on something, though Yoshimo couldn’t discern what it was. Then he saw Elliard’s hands moving and flame forming between his palms. The elf made a throwing motion and a ball of fire streaked off of his fingertips and struck the water a dozen yards ahead of the slaver ship, causing the water to explode into a hissing cloud of steam. Unable to turn away, the slaver ship plowed headlong into the steam cloud. Yoshimo shivered as he heard the slaver crew scream, their voices shrill and full of pain as the steam scalded them.


Ha!! Nice use!

Blackbeard shouted, “Drop the boarding planks! Hop to, ye barmy bastards! Get ready to draw steel on this slaver scum!” The crew of the Revenge responded almost instantly, throwing boards across the gap between the two ships and rushing onto the crippled vessel.


Arrr! Board'n'plunger!

This be high adventure on the high seas!

He threw the hatch open and ducked inside, hoping that no one had noticed him. He was met by a burly, tusked humanoid carrying a wooden club, who swung wildly at him. Yoshimo dodged to one side, barely avoiding a blow that would have likely crushed his skull, and drew his katana, cursing the tight confines of the hall. The slaver made another, clumsier attack and tripped. As the slaver went down, Yoshimo buried his katana in his neck, ending the slaver’s struggles for good.


FATALITY!

Nice bit. Half-orc, I presume. I like the from-his-PoV unnamed description.

“I will not hurt you,” Yoshimo tried to assure him, using his best diction and minimizing his accent as much as possible. “I will help.” The man flinched pathetically as Yoshimo reached his hands forward and tried one key after another on the lock that held the shackles to his ankles. At last the lock clicked and the chains fell away, but contrary to Yoshimo’s expectations, the man did not rejoice or try to run, he just huddled closer to the hull and shivered. Not wanting to waste time, Yoshimo moved on down the line of chained slaves, unlocking their shackles, but they all reacted in the same way as the first man.


interesting

Yoshimo passed the keys off to another one of the sailors and took out his lock picks, figuring that having two people working at once would make things move faster; and the faster he got out of that stinking hole the better, as far as he was concerned. The light was poor, but he didn’t need too much light to pick such simple, crude locks, and he moved along almost as quickly as the sailor with the keys.


Ooh goodie! Thievin' skillz!

Yoshimo got to his feet and about to turn and leave when the child he had been trying to help started to wail loudly. He turned back, torn between wanting to get the hell off the sinking slaver ship, and knowing that he ought to help the boy. He felt around on the deck again for his lock picks, thinking that if he found them quickly he might be able to help the boy without endangering himself, but though he failed to find his tools his hand did fall on the ring of keys the sailor had dropped. He searched through them, trying to find the right key by feel since the lantern had been put out and thrown only the gods knew where. Only the fact that most of the ceiling had been blown away enabled him to see even a little bit of what he was doing.


heh


The sea dabbled at his lips and nose, and he held his breath. His eyes burned from the salty water, but he kept them open and turned up to the faint light that was his only hope. His vision began to erode at the edges, black and red spots seeping in from the sides as his lungs begged for air. He inhaled a mouthful of the sea and wished for gills. He thought he saw something above the water, and then he thought nothing at all.


!!!!!

and what in the heck causes those explosions? a wacked-out mage? a battlemage on a third ship? hmmm

Question: Is there a large-scale version of Invisibility? That could make a whole ship invisible? (Oh wait, didn't you already have that in a previous chapter....something about Elli pointing out the signs of an invis ship).

Yoshimo: Captain, Bird of Prey decloaking off the port bow!

Elliard: Cast Shields!

#3 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 23 September 2003 - 12:08 PM

This chapter is not long. It just seems like it is becase it's a lot of text and not a lot of dialogue. Im fact, I think there are two lines of dialogue in the whole thing. Then again, when you're killing slavers there's not much talking that needs to be done.


Yay! Less talking, more killing! :)


You worry me sometimes.


As always, comments, questions, correction and whatnot are welcomed and loved and petted and called George. :)


Tell me about the rabbits again!!! *BANG*


This is one of those times I mentioned above.


Two days after setting sail the pirates of the Moon’s Revenge spotted their target: a fat, cumbersome cargo vessel that rode low in the water and moved about as fast as a sea turtle on dry land despite the stiff breeze that pushed it along its course. The Revenge, built for speed and maneuvering, caught up quickly to the slaver ship. The slavers tried to run as soon as they realized they were being pursued, but it was hopeless. In a desperate attempt to gain speed they ditched barrels and crates, probably containing provisions and gear, but it made no difference.


Heavy with slaves?


And supplies and in general just a slow, sluggish ship. Think of a fat man versus a fencer and you've got the right comparison between the slaver ship and the Revenge.


Unable to turn away, the slaver ship plowed headlong into the steam cloud. Yoshimo shivered as he heard the slaver crew scream, their voices shrill and full of pain as the steam scalded them.


Ha!! Nice use!


Yeah, you wouldn't want to use Fireball directly on the ship, since you might hurt the slaves below deck, but firing one off into the water to boil the crew is perfectly safe.

Arrr! Board'n'plunger!


This be high adventure on the high seas!


Internation Talk Like a Pirate Day ended a few days ago, but since this sotry contains pirates, you're forgiven. :)


As the slaver went down, Yoshimo buried his katana in his neck, ending the slaver’s struggles for good.


FATALITY!


Nice bit. Half-orc, I presume. I like the from-his-PoV unnamed description.


Yup, but Yoshimo doesn't even know what an orc is yet, let alone a half-orc. I think he'd be like "How do those things get up the nerve to *breed*?" *shudder*


Not wanting to waste time, Yoshimo moved on down the line of chained slaves, unlocking their shackles, but they all reacted in the same way as the first man.


interesting


Well there would probably still be loud fighting noises going on above deck, and they have been chained up down there for quite some time, they're reasonably wary and a little mentally disturbed.


The light was poor, but he didn’t need too much light to pick such simple, crude locks, and he moved along almost as quickly as the sailor with the keys.


Ooh goodie! Thievin' skillz!


Indeed. He is bustin' out the mad theivin' skills.


Only the fact that most of the ceiling had been blown away enabled him to see even a little bit of what he was doing.


heh


It's like "Holy crap! Someone made the ship go splodie while I was still on it!"


The sea dabbled at his lips and nose, and he held his breath. His eyes burned from the salty water, but he kept them open and turned up to the faint light that was his only hope. His vision began to erode at the edges, black and red spots seeping in from the sides as his lungs begged for air. He inhaled a mouthful of the sea and wished for gills. He thought he saw something above the water, and then he thought nothing at all.


!!!!!


Oh don't make those exclamation points at me, we all know he can't *really* drown. He can come veeeeery close, but he can't die for another fifteen years yet.

and what in the heck causes those explosions? a wacked-out mage? a battlemage on a third ship? hmmm


Just a mage on the slaver ship that everyone thought had been scalded to death early on in the fight. He woke up and said, "Well, I may die, but lets see if I can't take them down with me! Muahahaha!" And then he popped off a couple of fireballs before someone managed to stick an arrow in his eyesocket.

Question: Is there a large-scale version of Invisibility? That could make a whole ship invisible? (Oh wait, didn't you already have that in a previous chapter....something about Elli pointing out the signs of an invis ship).


T'was Ebony that pointed out the signs. That was sort of a special case scenario thing. Elliard got some help from some other mages to do it.

Yoshimo: Captain, Bird of Prey decloaking off the port bow!


Elliard: Cast Shields!


*groan* I bet they'd use Magic Missiles and Fireballs as opposed to Photon Torpedos and such.

Thanks for reading and commenting,
-Blue

#4 Guest_Chantrys_*

Posted 24 September 2003 - 02:00 AM

This chapter is not long. It just seems like it is becase it's a lot of text and not a lot of dialogue. Im fact, I think there are two lines of dialogue in the whole thing. Then again, when you're killing slavers there's not much talking that needs to be done.


Nothing wrong with that. We like our action. :)

Two days after setting sail the pirates of the Moon’s Revenge spotted their target: a fat, cumbersome cargo vessel that rode low in the water and moved about as fast as a sea turtle on dry land despite the stiff breeze that pushed it along its course.


Heh! Shouldn't be a match for the Revenge!

The elf made a throwing motion and a ball of fire streaked off of his fingertips and struck the water a dozen yards ahead of the slaver ship, causing the water to explode into a hissing cloud of steam. Unable to turn away, the slaver ship plowed headlong into the steam cloud. Yoshimo shivered as he heard the slaver crew scream, their voices shrill and full of pain as the steam scalded them.


Oooh! Nice spell strategy there!

It was clear to see that the scalded slavers had by this point regained their senses enough to form a limited resistance to the pirate raiders, but their efforts were weak, and like their attempts to flee, futile.


Arrr! Resistance is futile, me hearties!

He half-tripped down the rickety stairs that led into the dark expanse beyond, and was torn between wishing for a light so that he could see where he was going and being thankful that he didn’t.


Yeah, I don't imagine this is the sort of place you'd want to see. Or smell.

At last the lock clicked and the chains fell away, but contrary to Yoshimo’s expectations, the man did not rejoice or try to run, he just huddled closer to the hull and shivered.


The poor things. ;)

Yoshimo passed the keys off to another one of the sailors and took out his lock picks, figuring that having two people working at once would make things move faster; and the faster he got out of that stinking hole the better, as far as he was concerned.


Yes, two sets of hands always helps. Especially when the ship is about to blow up.

They were almost done, having gotten all the slaves but two, a woman and her young son unlocked, and nearly all the rest out of the hold, when Yoshimo heard shouting and then an explosion of flame ripped through the deck above his head and tore a gaping hole in one side of the hull.


Think you might need a comma between "...and her young son" and "unlocked."

And...AAAAAHHHHH!!!! Run! RUN!!!

The sailor that had been helping him floated on the rising water face down, a piece of wood a foot long and several inches wide driven through his skull.


Ick. This reminds me of that movie...Final Destination something or other...

All the slaves that had until now still been hesitant to leave the hold lost their ambivalence and made a made, frantic rush toward the rickety stairs out of the hold.


Typo: mad

He found the right key and waded through the water over to the screeching child.


Aw, Yoshi...you're so good!

He fumbled under the water for the boy’s shackles and was about to open them when another explosion rocked the ship and a heavy shower of debris descended into the hold. A piece of the mast struck Yoshimo across the back, knocking him into the water.


Eeep! Maybe you were too good.

Stunned tried to get up, but found one of his legs pinned. The child kept screaming.


Missing word here. ("Stunned, he tried to get up...")

Then at last it was Yoshimo who was struggling to keep his head above the water, and the boy disappeared all together.


Oh, no! You lost the kid!

He thought he saw something above the water, and then he thought nothing at all.


Well, somebody better rescue him! Soon!

Great chapter! Pirates and explosions and drowning...all good! :)

#5 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 24 September 2003 - 04:40 AM

This chapter is not long. It just seems like it is becase it's a lot of text and not a lot of dialogue. Im fact, I think there are two lines of dialogue in the whole thing. Then again, when you're killing slavers there's not much talking that needs to be done.


Nothing wrong with that. We like our action. :)


Yessss we do, we likes it precioussss! *Gollum face* (I think there needs to be a Gollum smiley face.)

Two days after setting sail the pirates of the Moon’s Revenge spotted their target: a fat, cumbersome cargo vessel that rode low in the water and moved about as fast as a sea turtle on dry land despite the stiff breeze that pushed it along its course.


Heh! Shouldn't be a match for the Revenge!


Shouldn't and isn't. Daellin knows ships.


Unable to turn away, the slaver ship plowed headlong into the steam cloud. Yoshimo shivered as he heard the slaver crew scream, their voices shrill and full of pain as the steam scalded them.


Oooh! Nice spell strategy there!


Would you like your slaver steamed or deep-fired?

It was clear to see that the scalded slavers had by this point regained their senses enough to form a limited resistance to the pirate raiders, but their efforts were weak, and like their attempts to flee, futile.


Arrr! Resistance is futile, me hearties!


*Best Borg Voice* We are the good guys. Resistance is futile.

He half-tripped down the rickety stairs that led into the dark expanse beyond, and was torn between wishing for a light so that he could see where he was going and being thankful that he didn’t.


Yeah, I don't imagine this is the sort of place you'd want to see. Or smell.


And poor Yoshimo has to do both. Icky.

At last the lock clicked and the chains fell away, but contrary to Yoshimo’s expectations, the man did not rejoice or try to run, he just huddled closer to the hull and shivered.


The poor things. :)


They need some TLC, poor babies. *snuggles*

Yoshimo passed the keys off to another one of the sailors and took out his lock picks, figuring that having two people working at once would make things move faster; and the faster he got out of that stinking hole the better, as far as he was concerned.


Yes, two sets of hands always helps. Especially when the ship is about to blow up.


Well, that and it stinks down there. When you make nigh unto fifty people crowd into an itty-bitty place with no way to dispose of waste or the dead that inevitably crop up in such situations (D'oh I forgot to mention the corpses... eh, well, there are corpses down there too. Rotting, fly-clad bloated corpses.

They were almost done, having gotten all the slaves but two, a woman and her young son unlocked, and nearly all the rest out of the hold, when Yoshimo heard shouting and then an explosion of flame ripped through the deck above his head and tore a gaping hole in one side of the hull.


Think you might need a comma between "...and her young son" and "unlocked."


Thanks.

And...AAAAAHHHHH!!!! Run! RUN!!!


But if the main character flees from the danger where is the dramatic tension? :)


The sailor that had been helping him floated on the rising water face down, a piece of wood a foot long and several inches wide driven through his skull.


Ick. This reminds me of that movie...Final Destination something or other...


Never seen it. I like to drive bits of splodie things into characters. Primarily ships, actually. I just realized it, but I did something similar to another minor character in an original story I'm working on. I wonder if my tendancy to impale people on vaguely phallic objects is somehow freudian.


All the slaves that had until now still been hesitant to leave the hold lost their ambivalence and made a made, frantic rush toward the rickety stairs out of the hold.


Typo: mad


Thanks again.


He found the right key and waded through the water over to the screeching child.


Aw, Yoshi...you're so good!


He wasn't going to help at first though. Sqwualling children somehow have a way of erroding the better judgement of even the most determinedly nuetral characters.

He fumbled under the water for the boy’s shackles and was about to open them when another explosion rocked the ship and a heavy shower of debris descended into the hold. A piece of the mast struck Yoshimo across the back, knocking him into the water.


Eeep! Maybe you were too good.


See, this is what happens when you're a nice guy. The plot beats you with blunt objects.


Stunned tried to get up, but found one of his legs pinned. The child kept screaming.


Missing word here. ("Stunned, he tried to get up...")


Thanks again again

Then at last it was Yoshimo who was struggling to keep his head above the water, and the boy disappeared all together.


Oh, no! You lost the kid!


Yup. Not only did the plot beat him with a blunt object, it made his efforts in vain.


He thought he saw something above the water, and then he thought nothing at all.


Well, somebody better rescue him! Soon!


I think I'll let him lose a few brain cells first. Maybe it'll teach him to run next time. ;)

Great chapter! Pirates and explosions and drowning...all good! :)


Thanks again again again

-Blue

#6 Guest_Oryx_*

Posted 24 September 2003 - 07:08 AM

This chapter is not long. It just seems like it is becase it's a lot of text and not a lot of dialogue. Im fact, I think there are two lines of dialogue in the whole thing. Then again, when you're killing slavers there's not much talking that needs to be done.



Yay! Less talking, more killing! ;)


You worry me sometimes.


*whistles innocently*



As always, comments, questions, correction and whatnot are welcomed and loved and petted and called George. :)



Tell me about the rabbits again!!! *BANG*


This is one of those times I mentioned above.


*still whistlin'*



Two days after setting sail the pirates of the Moon’s Revenge spotted their target: a fat, cumbersome cargo vessel that rode low in the water and moved about as fast as a sea turtle on dry land despite the stiff breeze that pushed it along its course. The Revenge, built for speed and maneuvering, caught up quickly to the slaver ship. The slavers tried to run as soon as they realized they were being pursued, but it was hopeless. In a desperate attempt to gain speed they ditched barrels and crates, probably containing provisions and gear, but it made no difference.



Heavy with slaves?


And supplies and in general just a slow, sluggish ship. Think of a fat man versus a fencer and you've got the right comparison between the slaver ship and the Revenge.


Heh. Nice.

Btw, I came across a neat Prestige Class the other idea...Duelist. Inidgo Mantoya sprang to mind at once. Of course, saw Princess Bride (no, no, not the first time. 30th?) the other day, so....



Unable to turn away, the slaver ship plowed headlong into the steam cloud. Yoshimo shivered as he heard the slaver crew scream, their voices shrill and full of pain as the steam scalded them.



Ha!! Nice use!


Yeah, you wouldn't want to use Fireball directly on the ship, since you might hurt the slaves below deck, but firing one off into the water to boil the crew is perfectly safe.


Vewy vewy cleve!

Y'know, mages do need to be smart, not just for the arcane, but for tactical stuff like this. Then again, half of them use bad tactics cuz they're just insane.

Jade: *pets Xzar* he knows his stuff. he's just...creative...


Arrr! Board'n'plunger!



This be high adventure on the high seas!


Internation Talk Like a Pirate Day ended a few days ago, but since this sotry contains pirates, you're forgiven. :)


Oh yes, what a wonderful day. Pity it doesn't receive more coverage. (It be the Landlubbin' Media Conspiracy.)


Nice bit. Half-orc, I presume. I like the from-his-PoV unnamed description.


Yup, but Yoshimo doesn't even know what an orc is yet, let alone a half-orc. I think he'd be like "How do those things get up the nerve to *breed*?" *shudder*


LOL! Reminds me, I want to have Grom or some he-half-orc actually, y'know, be attracted to both human women and she-orcs.

Onyx: *drooling over Aerie* Ah, mine heart doth blah blah blah...

Grom: Grom no like! Too tiny like doll! Where her hips? *grabs she-orc in heat*

Kagain: Like the gold-colored hair, but where's 'er beard?

I'd guess there's an (understandable) tendency to project human preferences onto the other races, and maybe he-orcs *are* just like that (it would, sadly, explain the existence of Grom et al. in the first place), biologically speaking I think preferences w/i a species (which humans, elves, and orcs must be) can have racial gradients.

Er, that sounds rather erudite. I don't actually know that stuff. Heh heh.


!!!!!


Oh don't make those exclamation points at me, we all know he can't *really* drown. He can come veeeeery close, but he can't die for another fifteen years yet.


Even then, he'll come back :)


and what in the heck causes those explosions? a wacked-out mage? a battlemage on a third ship? hmmm


Just a mage on the slaver ship that everyone thought had been scalded to death early on in the fight. He woke up and said, "Well, I may die, but lets see if I can't take them down with me! Muahahaha!" And then he popped off a couple of fireballs before someone managed to stick an arrow in his eyesocket.


ah. lovely.


Question: Is there a large-scale version of Invisibility? That could make a whole ship invisible? (Oh wait, didn't you already have that in a previous chapter....something about Elli pointing out the signs of an invis ship).


T'was Ebony that pointed out the signs. That was sort of a special case scenario thing. Elliard got some help from some other mages to do it.


ah yes

#7 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 24 September 2003 - 08:47 PM

Btw, I came across a neat Prestige Class the other idea...Duelist. Inidgo Mantoya sprang to mind at once. Of course, saw Princess Bride (no, no, not the first time. 30th?) the other day, so....


I love that PRC. I've never had a charater take it before, but I love it. Mmm... Sword and Fist (or Sword-Chucks, as my friends and I have nicknamed it) is such a good supplement. It's got the Drunken Master PRC too, which is one of my favorites, as well as the Master Samurai and the Weapon Master (the 3E update of the Kensai.)


Yeah, you wouldn't want to use Fireball directly on the ship, since you might hurt the slaves below deck, but firing one off into the water to boil the crew is perfectly safe.


Vewy vewy cleve!


Elliard's a vewy vewy cleve guy ^^

Y'know, mages do need to be smart, not just for the arcane, but for tactical stuff like this. Then again, half of them use bad tactics cuz they're just insane.


I haven't played enough crazy mages and sorcerers. Just once I want to play a pyro mage who always has fireball prepared "just in case" and uses it on things all the time.

For example, there's a trapped box in the room that the party rogue can't open...

Pyro says: I can open it! I can open it! *casts Fireball* See, it's open!

Jade: *pets Xzar* he knows his stuff. he's just...creative...


Brynn: Uh-huh, and Monty doesn't steal things, he just "borrows" them.


Internation Talk Like a Pirate Day ended a few days ago, but since this sotry contains pirates, you're forgiven. :twisted:


Oh yes, what a wonderful day. Pity it doesn't receive more coverage. (It be the Landlubbin' Media Conspiracy.)


Aye! Those scurvy dogs! Arrrr!


Yup, but Yoshimo doesn't even know what an orc is yet, let alone a half-orc. I think he'd be like "How do those things get up the nerve to *breed*?" *shudder*


LOL! Reminds me, I want to have Grom or some he-half-orc actually, y'know, be attracted to both human women and she-orcs.


;) I think that's a good idea. Just as half-elves aren't picky about whether they hook up with an elf or a human, so too should half-orcs not be picky. Although, I'm sure that the choice would have to do with which society said half-orc was raised in.

Onyx: *drooling over Aerie* Ah, mine heart doth blah blah blah...


Brynn: Pfft! Men.

I'd guess there's an (understandable) tendency to project human preferences onto the other races, and maybe he-orcs *are* just like that (it would, sadly, explain the existence of Grom et al. in the first place), biologically speaking I think preferences w/i a species (which humans, elves, and orcs must be) can have racial gradients.


I think that, especially in places where there is a history of human/orc conflict most half-orcs are a result, unfortunately of rape, which can't make life too easy. Mind you, don't lay all the blame on the he-orcs, I've little doubt that the greater portion of half-orcs born to orcish mothers have their origins in a human attack on orcish tribes. In more integrated societies, where orcs and humans interact a little more peacefully, I imagine that such cases are not as frequent.

I do wonder sometimes about the number of half-orcs that are second-generation and third generation. That is, how many are born to half-orc parents as opposed to an orc/human pairing. I know that this sometimes happens with half-elves, especially in Aglarond, since the Yuirwood has a population made up almost entirely of half-elves that are two or three, even four or five, generations removed from their human and elven roots. Anyway, it would be interesting to know if half-orcs prefer either parent race over other half-orcs (if there are more in the area) and whatnot.

Er, that sounds rather erudite. I don't actually know that stuff. Heh heh.


No, I get it. I think your right too.

#8 Guest_Withiel_*

Posted 29 September 2003 - 08:36 PM

Heheh. Nice chapter...and Yoshimo finally get the character development denied him in so many other serials! :P Very interesting treatment of the action here, and a complete departure from the last few parts. Liked the "unprintable terms of endearment", too, certainly got my imagination going :P. And a cliffhanger, my my, this looks to be interesting...I wonder if he survives. Keep up the good work!

#9 Guest_The Blue Sorceress_*

Posted 01 October 2003 - 06:01 AM

Heheh. Nice chapter...and Yoshimo finally get the character development denied him in so many other serials! :mrgreen: Very interesting treatment of the action here, and a complete departure from the last few parts. Liked the "unprintable terms of endearment", too, certainly got my imagination going :). And a cliffhanger, my my, this looks to be interesting...I wonder if he survives. Keep up the good work!


Thank you. I sort of do have this way of writing something very I dunno, serious, and then moving on to a funny bit, and then go serious again. The ancient Greek tragedians would hang me for my heresy, but I find that, since real life isn't just bad or good, I tend to mix things liberally when I write.

As for Smitty and his *ahem* vocabulary... well, he's in part based off a parrot I once owned named Sam, who could say one phrase. To this day my mother and I still argue whether or not he's saying "love you" or something... else.

-Blue




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