Sea salt and sunny brilliance stung away the nothing they left behind. Squinting, the youth's pupils shrank to pinpricks as eion acclimated to their new placement. Ey lurched; the ground shifted. Caught by nothing, ey stumbled and sidled and shuffled until a cannon's loading bay caught em in the ribs, knocking loose a breath. The cannon felt solid, sun-warmed, smelled of sharp gunpowder mixed with subtle charcoal. Eir feet found the scuff marks where the cannon's recoil chafed solid wood. Around it, great wooden sides rose to guard an absent crew from insidious waves. But what crew was there to guard?
As Eion got eir bearings, ey saw none but the girl who tried to fight belief in magic. Now she stood at the helm, harried and weary, tested as before, but with experiential confidence growing subtly into her. She shrunk not into a loathsome cower. She leaned into her anger, into the motivation for action it provided.
"Look at you." Ey spoke through lips lacking malice, curved by ivory. "You're moving. You're self-motivating. That's more than most their first ti—"
A throaty thunder undercut em, sent Eion lurching toward the center of the boat by sweeping impact. The ship itself tottered as it righted against an unknown fury. Smoke billowed out on the wend from a violent explosion that chafed splinters out of their ship, and Eion sensed an urgent rearrangement of bodies where ey found none. Sails billowed and sails rolled back into long canvas pens against the crossbeams. Like the ship was alive. Like it had a pulse.
Eion rushed to the side, fumbling with all the seaside romance stories read before, all the history shows watched of ship battle and cannon fire, and unseen hands guided small wrists to each item in order. The cannon loaded, gunpowder prepped, sights aimed, fuse lit. Acclimating, Eion jogged from behind the enormous lump of cast iron. Then it fired with its brethren in an unearthly unison. Across the waves shot a scatter of black that reached for a ship ey never noticed before, marked with a golden lock.
Still's grin disappeared as she watch the Page hip check the canon, only to send the next shot missing. She shielded her eyes as the shot from the opposing ship nicked their sails and mast made some wood splinters rain down. After a moment she laughed and reached to pick some of those wood bits out of her hair. "Hey, as long as we don't get sunk, no harm, no foul---so let's make that next shot count!"
The order seemed to do the trick.
Another one of the canons, readied by one of the invisible crew, was prepped, and soon the thunderous roar of another firing rang across the ship. Still watched the canon ball go, and brows rapidly climbed into her bangs as it landed a direct hit, much like Chauvet's before. Right into the side, where it really mattered. It tore a monstrous hole into the side of the enemy ship, and next, the ship immediately started to take on water, listing to the side. Even from this distance, the sounds of splashing could be heard as invisible people abandoned ship.
Still stared for a moment, and then she pumped a fist in celebration. "Yes." Among their own invisible crew, cheers and shouts were heard, as it then turned into another round of sea shanties, this time in celebration.
The corrupt straightened her posture, when she caught sight of another ship nearby, and saw someone waving. She raised a hand and waved back as well, mentally wishing the person luck with their own sea battle. Now, she turned back to Chauvet, and smiled. "Excellent work, Dream Boat." She said cheerfully. "I knew I liked you from the get go." She winked.
Strengite screamed in frustration as her third volley did squat s**t. The heavy metal balls did more damage to her ship then they did to her enemy, hell she was beginning to suspect her 'crew' were purposely missing just to piss her off. "Get your heads out of your asses you... you... d**k lickers!" She stomped her heel in anger and frustration. The next attack just had to work. It had to!
"Oh come on!" Strengite gaped at the complete failure of that last volley of cannon fire. "Now you guys are just ******** with me," the lieutenant griped and growled as she stomped towards the cannons. A swift kick ended up with her hopping up and down cursing so much one could say she was 'cursing like a sailor'. After a bit of venting, hopping, and cursing the curvy woman limped her way back to the helm and growled, "coming about. We will try this again. This time lets fire from the other side, maybe then we can actually hit something for once."
She did not like loosing and every moment she was here she could feel the sea spray crusting her hair with salt. It was one thing if she was sitting on a beach sipping MaiTai's and ogling the shirtless guys, but this.... this was just messed up!
[Allegra Marchesi] "I refuse to go down like this, ridiculous as this nonsense is. Magic is all well and good, but being in what seems to be a literal Ship in a Bottle is UTTERLY stupid." When stuck in what was blatantly magic, continuing to deny it would be the act of a complete fool, but that did not mean she had to appreciate it being stupid nonsense.
Allegra held her hands steady on the wheel, feeling hints of guidance when it seemed necessary to show her how to keep the boat from going the wrong way. She observed Eoin, and the way they handled the cannons, with approval. Clearly the young person had skills and the ability to handle themself in the situation, despite the ridiculousness of it.
She eyed the other boats, and found herself turning the ship and guiding it hard at the other. "BRACE YOURSELF!" She called out, as the prows of the ships slammed together, doing damage to each boat in equal measure. She was not sure if that was what was best for the situation... But she was damned if she was going to let herself be a sitting duck for the other boat. Once the boats pulled away from each other again, she turned the ship, trying to give Eoin another chance to fire the cannons.
"Ok so thats a step in the right direction guys! Lets keep this going!" It really wasn't all that good but Strengite would take the minor damage they caused over missing like the last time. Maybe some positive reinforcement would actually get the job done! As it were it seemed this fight would be a battle of attrition. She just hoped her ship lasted longer then her enemy's, it was starting to look a little worn and battle weary.
It was neither to the cliffs nor the seas that she found herself, but a boat. A rather impressive one at that, if its gleam meant anything. She could see only two others, but it was clear from the sway and motion from the other parts of the ship that there was an invisible crew at work. Odd that the being from nowhere would give them such a boon, when it seemed quite happy to keep them there forever; she was wary of such a crew and watched for a moment.
Then something struck the ship, and she recoiled like it had struck her instead.
Loreley wanted the mass of chaos and order people in one location again. Being thrown like this into such a small group made her feel naked; she could only take a small solace in that her veil partially obscured her face. (She had yet to know exactly that there was a Veil of sorts for all with that power.)
Still, it was impossible to just stand there and be invisible like the provided crew was, so she forced herself into action, head ducked. The woman in particular sounded angry, and she had never done well against that. Loreley couldn't rightly deny her her denial either. How long had she herself fought against Mintaka and the talking cat before being thrust into the mirror? Would she have died if the woman hadn't taken a cruel pity on her, given her this power that was bloodbound and now inescapable?
Loreley said nothing and hoped that she had aimed the cannon right before it went off. It blasted and made her flinch again, but she could hear the tear of wood as the enemy ship's main mast went down like a felled tree.
She sighed at the small damage against her enemy ship, hers was really taking a beating. Silver eyes took in the others who were appearing and apparently doing a hell of a better job then she was. Bloody hell.
She just wanted out of this bottle at this point... out of the whole damn thing. Strengite muttered to herself even as she directed the boat to keep the other in its sights, "Never should have left the bar."
Well, they definitely weren't in Bottle Space anymore.
Encke loosened his grip on Basiluzzo's arm to take a look around what they had landed in. They weren't in Bottle Space, but they hadn't exactly escaped the motif of ships. Seemed they were physically on a ship. A tall ship. Resembled a pirate ship, a bit, or at least like the pirate ships seen in modern pirate movies. He'd watched a few in his time.
The disembodied voice caught his attention begrudgingly, and he listened to it.
They had to find a ship with a golden ... lock.
Cool.
"Is the lock really made of gold, or is it just glided?" asked Encke, because of course, this was the perfect time for snark and random irrelevant asides. "Maybe it's on the flag? How are we supposed to tell if it's the right ship? Will the ship be gold?"
A pause.
"If we're attacking the ship and taking a golden lock from them, is this a pirate fantasy?"
In retrospect, it would probably be obvious which ship they needed to attack, considering that there was a boat that was definitely heading towards them.
Quote:
The S.S. Basicke HP: 60 / 60 (Encke & Basiluzzo) DMG: N / A (reminder to self: 2d12-6 for damage)
Enemy Ship: 40 / 40 (reminder to self: -5 autodamage when attacked)
Golden lock? Sure. Okay. Why not? It was about in line with the whole bottles and shrinking thing anyway. When Encke loosened his grip on Basiluzzo's arm, Basiluzzo still stayed close as he surveyed the area warily. No, he wasn't afraid of water and was, in fact, a pretty strong swimmer. That did not mean he particularly wanted to end up in the ocean below them.
So he supposed they'd just have to do a better job at this than the enemy ship bearing down on them. Granted, he had never operated a ship's cannon in his entire life, so he wasn't sure how that was going to go. Something cannonballs something powder something pack the gunpowder then the ball something light the fuse something something? He took a hesitant step toward one of the cannons only to jump back when it seemed to swing into position all on its own.
Okay, ghost crew or possessed cannons.
Sure.
Why not?
"Alright, well, let's give this a shot. Let's fire at the--" He was interrupted by the cannon going off and lobbing a cannonball at the enemy ship. It tore a neat ball-sized hole in one sail, bounced impressively off of the deck, and rolled into the ocean on the other side. ...That could be worse, but it could have been a lot better...
Then, the enemy ship fired a cannonball back, which tore a larger hole in his and Ign--Encke's ship's sails.
...Rude.
Quote:
The S.S. Basicke HP: 55 / 60 (Encke & Basiluzzo) DMG: 9 - 6 = 3 (2d12-6 for damage)
Encke's babbling slowed to a stop when he realized there was another boat coming at them.
Well.
That was easy.
Maybe.
Basiluzzo went off to man the cannons, and then realized he didn't have to, apparently, so Encke figured that maybe he should move up ahead to the steering wheel, whatever they called that on a damn pirate ship. It didn't seem like an invisible crew was working that, right? How was he supposed to know? When was the last time he had gotten a role in a pirate movie? Had he ever gotten a role in a pirate movie? Did he ever want a role in a pirate movie? If they cast him in a pirate movie, what kind of role would he even have? Would he be a villain? Some kind of buff pirate? Would he be the sassy gay pirate? Did movies have sassy gay pirates? Was that a trope?
-- Why the hell was he getting sidetracked by movie pirates when there was a cannonball flying over their head's into the sails?
Encke shook his head to bring himself back into the situation, the stressful situation in which he and Arra--Basiluzzo--were apparently the captains of a ship. In any other circumstance, that might have been fun--
With a hard turn to the left, Encke spun the wheel and turned his attention to the ship that was attempting to end their lives. His eyes narrowed as he stared them down. Did the enemy ship even have a captain? Or a crew? He guessed their ship didn't either but-- Encke cleared his throat. Was he supposed to challenge them? Was he supposed to rouse their ghost crew? "Avast you salty dogs!"
What did that even mean?
"Launch the cannons!"
And so, in response to the cannons flying into their sails, several more cannonballs shot through the air and into the other ship. In fact, Encke saw the ship rock backward for a moment.
"Ha!"
Quote:
The S.S. Basicke HP: 50 / 60 (Encke & Basiluzzo) DMG: 19 - 6 = 13 (2d12-6 for damage)
Bracing did nothing to hold back the great recoil as both collided with enough force to dislodge swaths of wood from each other. Eion struck the deck hard by the shoulder, jamming it well against emself when grip failed to keep em anchored. Some of the bodiless crew echoed eir sentiment with groans and jibs and shanties interrupted. Driftwood splinters floated over the choppy seas while each boat navigated away from its enemy, strangely synchronized, and resumed their deadly circling. Such an impact left each boat rough and even the captain knew it.
The captain, a captain all of five minutes now, with Eion ever subordinate as a general emself. Were there crew to fight, they could've boarded the vessel. Instead, they saw the vast lot of nothing that piloted their enemy — the same nothing that fueled this war.
Before the youth recovered enough to return to cannon fire, another snuck aboard like an unkempt stowaway. "We've a passenger," ey cast back to their captain. Soaked against the girl's form like filmy seaweed was a dress familiar, a manner of attire so coded and so iconic that Eion could only recognize it as part of the Mirror's miscreants — sanctimonious do-nothings who followed an edict of betrayal. Better still, Eion recognized that iconic outfit by the shroud covering the girl's face; ey knew her but once in shackle. Cast in the light of Faustite's blaze, she suffered silently. Another guarantee, then, that Gevaudan lost his hunt.
Eion cast an appraising eye over her, even as she took up cannon manning at once. Unsurprising that you live, Widow. How much more have you lost?
Stepping forward, the youth passed through endless deckhandsto reach a cannon nearest hers. Newly-practiced hands recited the ritual for loading, aiming, lighting. Eion spoke as ey worked. "Already dressed for our funerals, aren't you?" The youth gestured to emself, then to the woman at the wheel. "Eion. Allegra." A thin hand gestured toward their newest arrival as their broadside fired another volley, coating them in smoke.
It was actually really relieving that the second attempt did as much damage as it did. This was especially the case when their third attempt fell fascinatingly short. It was almost as if it fired... and then just... sort of... fell. Into the ocean. Sad falling projectile sound effects and everything.
Was the gunpowder in the cannons wet?
Was that possible?
Wet gunpowder didn't work as well, right?
Basiluzzo had to admit, though, that whatever Encke was saying was funny as hell. Avast ye salty dogs? Encke. C'mon Encke. He didn't talk like that normally and Basiluzzo knew it. But it did make Basiluzzo laugh, he had to admit, despite the absurdity of being fired at by cannon balls while stuck inside a bottle inside yet another bottle.
'Launch the cannons'?
The cannons?
Basiluzzo took the diplomatic, strategic option of tucking away knowledge of this utterance for later. When the time was right to gently tease Encke.
Quote:
The S.S. Basicke HP: 45 / 60 (Encke & Basiluzzo) DMG: 6 - 6 = 0 (2d12-6 for damage)
Encke turned to watch as the cannons near Basiluzzo fired and then ... didn't, plopping into the water with a rather pathetic noise.
Despite himself, despite the absurdity of the situation, despite the fact that they were apparently fighting for their lives in a strange bottle dimension full of more bottles and more dimensions, despite the fact that they had nearly been crushed by a boat already, despite the fact that his love was in a clear and present danger--
Encke laughed.
He laughed hard.
At least Basiluzzo also seemed to be amused.
Between choked laughs, Encke managed out, "Might need to whip your ghosts into shape, Basi! Tell them to walk the plank!"
It took a few moments before he felt like he was ready to attack again, although he was admittedly brought out of it mostly by the sensation of their boat rocking from another cannon ripping into its side. He gripped tightly onto the wheel once more to keep his balance, because while he admittedly had pretty decent sea legs, he didn't exactly have sea legs for pirate boats that were being actively attacked.
"Better yet, scurvy dogs!" Encke addressed what he assumed was probably operating the cannons, hopefully. "Let's make them walk the plank!"
Dramatically, he pointed at the other boat with a purposefully deepened, "Fire!"
And the cannons did fire, flying through the air and colliding with the enemy boat. Encke was fairly sure he saw something catch fire. He was hoping that was the case. Although maybe he shouldn't, considering there was some kind of golden lock thing they were supposed to be getting--
Quote:
The S.S. Basicke HP: 40 / 60 (Encke & Basiluzzo) DMG: 21 - 6 = 15 (2d12-6 for damage)
"Now thats what I'm talking about!" Strengite cheered when her next attack landed semi-square on her enemy ship. It did significantly more damage then the last several attacks. "Keep that up you invisible bastards!"
