-Manseer-

[Archon Torches]

The sky was clear, light blue and cloudless, great weather to be on the docks. A slight breeze flew in, bringing the fragrance of fresh water with it. One peculiar thing about the water in the eye on Nuva-Ocea is that it's all fresh water until you pass the outer ring of islands. Three soldiers were chatting among themselves on one of the loading docks.
"So, any big plans you guys have for this coming week?"
"Oh, yeah, BIG plans buddy, what kind of question is that? We have patrol duty all week!"
The other soldier just sat down on a dock post and sighed.
"Alright, alright! What do you think you would be doing if we didn't have patrol duty then?"
"I'd be at my girlfriends place, that's for sure"
"Would ya look at that, our buddy here misses his girl, can't blame him though, I would too."
A man with a clipboard came up to them and they stopped their chatting and looked at him. He was the Docking Manager, he had a list of ship names, and times they were supposed to be coming in.
"You three, stay sharp, we got a Drakonian trade vessel that should be coming in about two hours. It's got a large shipment of Stone, Sand, Drakonian Mountain Flour, and Black Seishi grass."
"Oh hey, that's the stuff that they use in bomb fuses!"
"Ahaha, very good smart guy! You paid attention in explosives?"
The three began to laugh and the Manager just stood there looking at them still.
"Was there something else sir?"
"Yeah, it's the "Red Fang" that should be coming in, and when it get's here, you three need to go into the cargo hold and check everything out, you know basic procedure."
"You got it sir." he made a salute and as the dock manager turned around he made a face at him.
The man just shook his head and walked back to his office while the three soldiers laughed.  

[Archon Torches]

Zyx, Karshe, and Bushido entered the city limits of Manseer just as the sun was rising. They had made wonderful progress along the way here from Arkson, and actually had time to spare before the Red Fang even entered the port.
"Well well now, seems we're early. If you two want to go browsing the port shops while we're here, now's the time to do it. Or we could wait till after you get pain, the choice is yours. Perhaps we could look for things we like, and if you have enough gold later we could always go back and get it." He wore his usual grin as they rode up to an Inn, one of many in Manseer. The city was bustling with people, and the smell of ocean water flew in on the winds. It was always a pleasant experience entering Manseer. Though, for a group of raiders, today would definatelly not be their day for pleasantries.  

[Mugentsuki]

Upon arrival, Zyx came up with a great plan. When Karshe requested they browse the shops, he left to do just that, or to make it look like he was doing just that, but as soon as the other two were out of sight he slipped into the water and swam to the docks where the ship would make port and began his ruse. "Gasping and out of breath" Zyx "barely managed" to pull himself up on the dock. He "coughed out" a large amount of water as the guards rushed over to aid him. When the guards helped him to his feet his hood "fell back" to reveal the fact he was a Drakonian. Please, Zyx gasped, our ship was attacked by pirates and I was barely able to escape. Before I jumped overboard I heard they were using the ship to slip into the coast and mount their attack. A merchant ship scheduled to land is completely unsuspecting and therefore the perfect disguise. The crew is already lost, they were cutting us down without mercy. Please, you must intercept it, sink it before it even reaches port, otherwise I dread to think of what might happen here.  

[Durban59-]

After arriving into the port city of Manseer, Anhktem began to feel the warmth of the sun grazing through his poncho and warming his carapace. Unlike the drakonian, he didn't feel like starting the job until he was on the payroll. So, taking some time, he decided to take in the sights and sounds of the city. With his trusty pipe, he popped into one of the pipe stores, and gladly bought some tobacco for his pipe. Whenever he made it into a new town, he always had to sample some of their fine herbs. He gladly stuffed a few into the pipe and placed a lit match against it, taking in the first few puffs with a relaxed sigh. "Now that i'm under contract, i'll be able to get as much tobbaco as I please for a while." He told himself as he sucked in a few more puffs. "Even though our race always said this herb would always make us shrink inside our carapace. Well, i'll believe it when I see it for myself." He told himself as he found a place to sit and relax for the waiting period.  

[Archon Torches]

((Sorry it's been a while, long story short, got lots of stuff going on, looking for job, considering further schooling, the works))

Upon Zyx's warning the guards quickly turned serious.
"Can you tell me the name of your ship? We can shoot it down before it even makes dock.. damn pirates" The other guards quickly ran off to get the assistance of their commanding officer and prepare for a fight.
"Sir.. a drakonian just swam ashore, he said his trading ship got taken over by pirates and their heading here to attack!" The soldier had just burst into the office and was panting rather hard.
"What?! Damn it all.. ready the cannons!

--------------------

Karshe was browsing through the shops, looking for a new belt or maybe a new cloak.. he wasn't quite sure yet, when he noticed several soldiers running towards the port. He knew the ship wasn't even here yet, so someone must have tipped them off. Time to start rallying the kill squad. Bushido wasn't too hard to find, relaxing under a tree smoking his pipe. "Looks like it's game time a little early. The soldiers are preparing for the ship to come ashore."  

[Durban59-]

Seeing Karshe come up to him meant that he was possibly going to have to do some overtime. Pressing his thumb into the pipe, he snuffed out the burning tobacco and salvaged what was left within the pipe itself. Standing up, he sighed due to the situation. "Seems as though this is going to be more of a tougher job then I thought. Very well then, just tell me what needs to be done." He told him, making sure his blade and bow were secured upon his belt and back respectively. "By the way, where's the drakonian?"  

[Archon Torches]

Karshe looked around a bit "Good question.. He walked toward the shops but if he knows what's good for his wallet he may want to meet us at the docks... if not then You get paid more then, eh?" He beckoned to follow and started his way to the docks. Two soldiers ran past and a third one was about to when he stopped to talk to them.
"Hey, can you two fight? We heard there's a group of pirates heading to the dock and we need to be prepared if they make it to shore."
"Pirates you say? Sure.. we can help out.." Could it be that the ship they're preparing for isn't the raiders I hired? That would make today even more interesting. He glanced back at Bushido and nodded, hoping he was thinking the same thing.  

[Mugentsuki]

s**t! Zyx thought to himself, he hadn't thought of the name of the ship, and Karshe never mentioned it, Oh well, how many Drakonian trade ships can there possibly be? Zyx used a tiny portion of his shadow and corruption magics to put himself in a fake death, eyes glassing over, body becomming limp, the works, and fell back into the murky water where he released the spell and swam off. Zyx knew it would be suspicious if he, having left toward the shops came back soaking wet, so he quick bought himself a new cloak, a bit fancier than his old, rugged one, and set off to meet up with the others. This would also divert his identity from the guards, who wouldn't suspect him as the same drakonian who "passed out" back into the water. Zyx's wallet was feeling a little light after the purchase, but if his plan failed, it would be heavier than it had been in a long time. Zyx felt the stirring in his mind again, only this time he wouldn't hold it back, he'd let it come, the bloodlust and instinct at the very core of his being. Normally he suppresed it, but this time, may there be mercy for any who got in his way.
He saw Karshe and Bushido talking with a guard, luckily not one of the three whom he had met on the docks, and approached them, What did you two do this time? Hopefully not start any fights...  

[Archon Torches]

Karshe looked over his shoulder at Zyx. "Not at all my dear friend, this man of the city was just asking for some assistance for a possibly pirate attack on the port. You're just in time as I have just accepted to help." The three of them began down the path once the soldier was ready to go and they all reached the port. The Red Scar was nothing but a speck on the horizon, too far to launch an assault for sure. The only thing to do was wait. Karshe sat down cross legged and played with some fire, swirling a small tuff of flame around his fingers. He looked over at the other two, now noticing Zyx's new apparel. "So that's where you ran off to eh? I must say, you picked a decent fabric, but the color doesn't quite match your scales. Possibly if you were a lighter tone, a dark grey or a white.. but not quite black. My opinion of course."

----------------------------------------
On board the Red Fang

The Drakonian captain took another deep breath of the calm sea air. Just one of his favorite things about being a captain. He could see the port of Manseer almost clearly now. He called for his second in command and asked him to take the wheel as he prepared for docking in his quarters. There were a few errands he wanted to run after he traded his supplies to the humans for a few Isis wares and goods. He had heard rumor that a childhood friend of his was living here so he was planning to drop by his estate. Zael was the reason he became a captain. They grey up in the same village, but when he was 18 he left his home to train under the Kal-Dra ship captains, hoping he could see his friend again some day. Perhaps today would be that day. He was almost grinning from excitement as he began to pack his shore-bag. It wasn't long before something seemed wrong. His teachings from home had honed his skills of awareness. He ran out of his cabin just in time to see a cannonball hurling towards them. He quickly cast an orb of water and lashed it toward the oncoming threat. Why would they be firing at us? It wasn't long before several more were launched at them. The entire crew did what they could, but they were a trade ship with only so much firepower and nobody was certain if they should fire back or not.. The captain did what he could to deflect the cannonballs but it wasn't long before he issued the order to begin firing back. If they wanted a fight, by the gods he would give them one. The ship came closer to port, and they had been hit several times. The raiders in the hull were confused, but waited patiently. Perhaps this would make things easier for them. They managed to ram the ship into dock, and several Drakonian warriors ran out to fight the soldiers. The raiders waited for the fighting to die down. If the crew were fighting the soldiers defending the city, than the longer they wait the less men they have to kill.  

[Durban59-]

Bushido didn't tend to talk much to either of them, seeing as how his break was being cut short due to some unforseen event. Still, he kept himself calm and just followed Karshe and Zyx, staying quiet so as not to say something that prying ears could "accidentally" listen to for some sort of profit. "To keep a long story short, things are about to get more interesting." He told Zyx, making sure his hand was kept close to his blade, should things go a little too interesting.  

[Mugentsuki]

Upon hearing what Bushido said, Zyx glanced at Karshe, noticing him look out at the very ship the guards where preparing to bombard. I see, well then I suppose when this is over I'll be able to get myself a cloak with a better tone, now won't I? Zyx grinned, and his eyes shifted from a golden yellow to blood-red. We only wonder if you have enough to fulfill your end of our deal. Zyx felt the full strength of his blood-thirst now, and was ecstatic, it had been too long since he had last felt this guilty bliss, hence why he normally kept it in check, but now it was unfettered, and his soul was as black as his scales, well, not his soul, but his souls. We hope you aren't dissappointed, but I think, tonight, drinks are on you.

((I have decided to color my talk text to match my eyes))  

[Archon Torches]

The Drakonians charged off the ship. Not a raider in sight, but the three of them promised to help out the Royal Guards defend the port. Karshe quickly conjured up three fireballs and flew them at three different targets. One of them, however wasn't directed toward an enemy at all, but instead flew into the side of the Red Fang, lighting the entire side in flames. The two that were directed towards Drakonian Fighters, did little more than annoy them. Their scales offered a decent amount of flame resistance, but Karshe had a few tricks up his sleeve. One of them had charged him and yelled out a battle cry. Karshe brought down his sword, and slashed upwards toward the oncoming threat. It tried dodging to the left. Instead of a fatal blow, Karshe only managed to take off it's right arm.  

[Durban59-]

Karshe and Zyx seemed to be doing a fine enough job to hold back any invaders that seemed to be coming off the ship, so he focused on attacking any that were firing from the ship. Removing his yumi bow from it's sling, he attached the reinforced harp string from one end of the hardened oak bow to the other. Now, normal bows would easily cause an arrow to get impaled inside a man's arm. However, due to the stag's brute strength and the modifications of his bows and arrows, he was more then capable of ripping a man's arm off. Pulling an arrow from his sling, he simply pulled back and let loose, the sound of the arrow mimicking an eagle's cry. Not too soon, the cry of pain he expected came right from the ship. "Very nice.." He muttered to himself in self admiration.  

[Mugentsuki]

Zyx completely disregarded Karshe, Bushido, and the guards and plunged into the now flaming ship. Every face he saw he recognized, each crew member another of the clan who had condemned him. Zyx knew them all, and they knew him. One leapt forward swinging his sword towrd Zyx's throat, but the Drakonian was no warrior, and there was no power or skill behind his attack. Zyx Deflected the blade with the back of his left forearm, getting a cut in the proccess. Zyx wiped the blood on his sword, imbuing it with concentrated corruption energies. The blade seemed to flicker and burn with an intense ethereal flame. He swung it at the drakonian, who raised his sword to block the attack, but the merchant's blade merely disintigrated upon touching the corruption and the blade sank deep into the merchants shoulder, not cutting, but eating away at the Drakonian flesh like a hot knife through butter. The merchant lay dead before Zyx, cleaved diagonally in half from shoulder to waist, but Zyx wasn't satisfied, no, he was merely getting started. That's one, he laughed, and looked up at the horified faces of the rest of the crew and watched as they shifted from horror to anger and determination, at least this won't be boring.  

[Archon Torches]

The ship captain quickly tried to quell the fire on his ship. It wasn't long before it grew too overwhelming even for his magic. The fire had caught some of the gunpowdere on fire and blew a hole in the seaward side of the ship, sending most of the crew on deck overboard. The captain was among them, and his body flew off into the water.
Down below, the shiphands we're having troubles with Zyx. The more skilled fighters were all outside fighting off the guards. The mercenaries could tell something was wrong as the crates began getting warmer. It was time to spring into action. at least thirty men bust out of their crates and barrels. Most of them charged outside while some stayed to fight the drakonians inside the ship. The fire had hastily pushed their plans forward.
The Mercs inside saw no difference between Zyx and the others. To them, he was just another target. Three of them went directly for him, as he seemed the biggest threat. Those outside targeted the Drakonians first, as they were mostly between them and the guards.