Really Bad Eggs and Jones' Terrible Beasty

Poseidon's Sorrow
 * It's hull encrusted with barnacles, the Poseidon's Sorrow is most

definitely a pirate's ship. It's of medium size, complete with a main mast which sports two black sails, a crow's nest and a Jolly Roger flag flying at the very top. Rope rigging appears to be the only way up to the crow's nest. A door aft leads into the Captain's stateroom, while a hatch in the floor leads downwards to crew quarters and storage.


 * The ship sports three cannons per side as armaments and has the stylized

figure of a scantily clad woman as the figurehead.

The ship is, as usual, getting ready to set out to sea. Captain Blake and Al are supervising the other pirates as they make the ship seaworthy.

Linnael walks up onto the ship, looking up at the harsh wind. "Huh," he says. "That wind doesn't look good, Captain."

And Shafi is, as usual, there. She boards the ship, adjusts her fedora, and pats Linnael on the back. "Can't be any worse than Stormy was," she remarks with a wry grin and a wink, "Come on, what's the worst that'll happen? We die?"

"Or yah get chewn apart by zombies," comments that one pirate to Shafi again.

Blake looks over to Linn, he does nod a touch, "Aye matey, it'll be a rough sea out there, for sure,"

Linnael nods, walking over to stand by the edge of the ship. "Nothing we can't handle, though. Where to this time?"

"Bring it up again and I'll do something worse to you," Shafi remarks to that specific pirate darkly, "I tried to get to you, didn't I? The others just left you for dead." Her happy demeanor /vanished/ faster than the wind is blowing, the redhead now rather... well, 'extremely irritated' doesn't quite say it.

"North-north west today, mate," Blake replies to Linn, "Heading out a bit further west than that first island we found, aye?" he replies.

The other pirate, well, gulps a little and brings his crate down below decks, apparently not willing to take Shafi up on that offer.

Linnael nods a bit, leaning against the railing. "Good idea. Don't really want to be stopping by Flamespire." Letting out a sigh, Shafi looks around. "Is our target dummy with us today?" she asks flatly, finding herself a place to sit that's out of the way.

"Aye, those vampires were nasty, weren't they matey?" Blake replies to Linn. As to Shafi's question yup, there's Mr. Rum. Oh, and why look, he's drunk again, he looks to be....well, he probably isn't going to be spouting very logical phrases at the moment.

Linnael smiles a bit faintly. "Yeah... and dummy?"

"The guy who keeps dying on us," Shafi remarks to Linn, pointing at Mr. Rum, "We get into trouble, he talks, he dies, and then the trouble gets worse. It's happened /every time/."

"Aye mateys, is everything set?" Blake asks his crewmates, who reply with multiple "Aye!"s and a nod from Al, before he glances to Linn and Shafi, "Anything else ye two, or are we ready to set sail?"

"We've gotten rather genre savvy," Linn says with a broad grin, before shaking his head to Blake. "Ready to set sail."

"I'm ready," the healer says over to Blake, before quirking a brow at Linnael. "Genre savvy?" Shafi asks, "What do you mean?"

"Let's be off then!" Blake calls out, and the anchor is raised as the ship launches from port, Blake doesn't make a comment to Linn or Shafi's little discussion about Genres and death.

Linnael gives Shafi a grin. "Don't worry about it," he says.

"Riiight," the redhead says, shrugging and looking around. "Meh, to the Shadows with just sitting here," Shafi says, before yelling up, "Oi! Let me have the crow's nest!" And making to climb the rigging to get up there.

"Captain!" Shafi calls down from the crow's nest after a long while of sailing, "I see black sails on the horizon!" She points in the direction she sees them, squinting her eyes a bit as though trying to get a better view.

Linnael tilts his head to the side. "Black sails, huh?" he asks, looking off in the direction Shafi pointed. "Guess there are otehr crews out here."

Blake looks up at the Crow's Nest, frowning a bit, "There haven't been crews past Flamespire as far as I've been told, matey," he replies, "Turn to face mateys, if we're going to meet that ship, give as small a profile as we can, aye?" he turns to Linn, "Safety's sake, mate,"

Right now, the sails are just getting larger, so, it's definitely moving this way.

Shafi keeps her eyes on the other ship, frowning lightly to herself. "Hey," she calls down to the crew, "If we tie Rum-lover's mouth shut, will that keep us from having trouble today?"

Linnael frowns, leaning against his staff. "Probably not," he says.

The ship lurches to the side as it maneuvers towards the other ship. Shaif might be able to see some more shapes on the ship, humanoid figures from the looks of it. The crew snort and shake their heads as well.

"Looks like the crew's humanoid," Shafi remarks, smirking down at the crew, "It was worth asking. What's his name, anyway? I can only come up with so many nicknames."

"Just stick with one," Linn says, watching the approaching ship with a frown. "Black sails are never good." The ship keeps getting closer and Shafi may be able to see...well, remember that crew that had been in the barfight with? Yea, it's them, and they don't look too happy, either that or they're drunk, or both.

Blake's crew pauses, looks at each other, then one calls up to Shafi, "We don't know, never asked him,"

Shafi laughs, "Well, then, what do you call him?" She blinks and does a double-take at the other ship. "Oi! It's the crew you got in a fight with at the tavern back at Port Poxy! Can't tell if they're pissed or just drunk off their asses."

Linnael hmms. "I'd imagine both?" he says. "They were really drunk that time. And pissed..."

The ship's getting closer, to the point where it's easily visible by everyone, and even if features can't be picked out, the other crew's position's can be noted. Blake's crew doesn't call back to Shafi, just watching, while the man who'd be remembered as the Captain stumbles drunkenly up to the brow and calls out, "Ye'll surrender if ye know what's best fer ye!" he's definitely drunk.

Shafi rolls her eyes, "Oh, please..." Other than that, though, she lets the Captain do the talking.

Linnael looks up to Blake. "Do as you will, Cap," he says.

"Ye be drunk, captain!" Blake calls back after nodding to Linn, he does signal his crew to start getting ready though, and scurry about they do.

The other Captain tilts a little, desperately trying to keep his footing before he shakes a fist at Blake, "Those'll be the last words ye ever speak," he's tapped on the shoulder by a more sober crewman, and something's whispered to him, before he looks back, "Not ever, but ye'll be hungry and poor the next time ye speak!"

It's with that that Mr. Rum wanders up from below deck. He squints at the other ship and pronounces, drunkenly, "Really Bad Eggs," before turning to one of the guard rails and throwing up overboard.

"He spoke!" Shafi declares, "Damn it to the Shadows!" She starts climbing down from the crow's nest, grumbling to herself the whole way.

"Hey!" Linnael calls across to the other ship. "Were I you, I'd be turning back myself right now. Honestly, it doesn't have to go bad for you."

"Ready the cannons!" the other Captains calls, as both crews scurry to do just that, before the drunk captain looks at Linn, "What're ye saying?" he calls, sounding confused.

"He said," Shafi starts as her feet meet the deck, "KNOCK IT OFF OR WE'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT!"

Linnael stands and walks up to the edge of the ship, and smiles as air starts swirling around him, making his robes flutter up into the air.

Both crews are ready, just waiting for their captains to give the order to open fire with their guns. The drunken Captain looks between Shafi and Linn, blinking, "Are ye...threatening me?" he asks, still sounding very puzzled and very drunk.

"You threatened us first," the redhead points out with a bit of a smartass grin, "If you stop now, there won't be need for threats, let alone following through on them. Which we're ready to do if we must."

Linnael nods and smiles. "So long as we all understand each other."

The other Captain pauses, looks over at them as the ships pass by each other, "Ye have any grog?" he asks simply, maybe he's completely forgotten what's going on.

"Yeah, but I doubt the crew'll give it up," Shafi calls back, "How's about the next time you're in Port Poxy, you send out for Shafi? I'll buy you and your crew a round. But that's only if there's no trouble now."

Linnael smiles and lets the wind die down, and he's back to normal, cheerful Linnael. Not scary-looking at all.

"Right," the other Captain replies, "Turn her back to port! We're getting grog!" he calls to his crew, apparently that's enough for him. Blake just kinda looks to Linn and Shafi, then nods, "I knew ye two would be good in a scrape."

"Wow...," Shafi remarks, "That worked..."

Linnael hmms. "Good thing," he says. "Didn't really want to destroy that ship out here."

The Poseidon's Sorrow is out near Flamespire, but a bit to the west and further out. It just had a near run in with another pirate crew, who's Captain was rather drunk and threatened to attack the Sorrow, thanks to Linn and Shafi's persuasions though, that ship is sailing off back to port, neither ship harmed.

Blake looks to Linn and Shafi, nodding, "My thanks mateys, would have taken a long time to repair her after a scrap like that,"

"No problem," Shafi remarks with a grin, "Hope they're smart enough to realize they'll get back before me and just put it on a tab in my name." She sighs and looks up, before climbing back up to the crow's nest, "Still can't believe that worked..."

Linnael gives Blake a salute. "Mm. Any time." He looks over the rail with a grin. "We're going to keep on, then?"

"Aye, until we find something," Blake replies, "Reset course!" he calls out, and the crew goes to their duties of putting the ship back on course.

Situated once again in the crow's nest, the elf resumes looking around for anything more than water and sky.

Linnael nods, then sits down next to the mast, resting his staff against his shoulder.

Well, the ship gets back on course. No, there isn't a large dark splotch in the water moving towards the Sorrow. Or at least, Shafi can't see it.

It's not for lack of looking, as Shafi /is/ looking. But it's dark. YEah, that's the problem... >.>

Linnael hmms, and stands up after a while. "No sight of land?" he calls up.

There's nothing as far as the eye can see except waves, ocean and that big dark spot, which rams right into the side of the Sorrow, knocking multiple pirates off of their feet, "What was that!?" calls Blake as he picks himself back up.

"Nope," Shafi calls back down, "No la-WOAH!" The Elf crouches down and clings onto the mast in the middle of the crow's nest, cursing but staying situated. "What in the Light's name...?" she starts, standing again and looking about the ship for the cource of that crash.

Linnael is not so lucky. Like several pirates, he falls down onto the deck. "What the...," he grumbles, before holding up his staff. "Light! That's a good thing!" The entire staff starts to glow brightly.

Up from below, looking a bit disheveled, but otherwise not too much worse for the wear, is Alexia, her whip in her hand, "What's going on?" she calls out, fear and concern in her voice.

Finally, with the light cast by the staff, people begin to see things. Noticibly the big black blob that's moving out from under the Sorrow. When the light is cast on it, it's shape is easy to make out, a large squid like creature, multiple tenticles trailing behind. And it looks as if it's turning around to come back at the ship. "Cannons!" Blake calls out.

And Mr. Rum, who's been leaning over the rail ever since he threw up, looks straight down at the blob and calls out, "Jones's terrible beasty!"

Shafi makes to climb down again, and hits the deck with a -thud-. "What?" she asks of Rum, frowning in worry and confusion, "Who's Jones? Tell him to take it back!"

Linnael looks down at the water for a long moment. "Giant squid," he grumbles. And then? Proving he's either extremely badass or extremely stupid, he runs forward and leaps over the edge of the boat.

The mage floats out over the water, slowly descending before... FOOM! He twists over and /rockets/ underwater. The air magic aids him in this, serving to propel him as well as to give him air to breathe.

Alexia's eyes go wide as she watches the mage jump over the side, "No do.." but it's too late he's already gone. With Lin out of sight her eyes track over to the squid, "Hmmm..." she ponders, her whip being run through her hand as she thinks.

Well, Linn does /something/ that's for sure. The giant squid thing must be in pain after those rockets of air go through it, and there's two signs to tell from it, one, there's blood in the water, which Linn can certainly see if not taste. The other sign, well, it flails a bit with the tenticles, and with Linn in the water, that might not be a good thing for the mage.

One of the flailing tenticles rises up out of the water and smashes into the deck, breaking boards and smashing at least one pirate. That tenticle however, seems to be stuck, the broken boards sticking into it, as evident by the blood spilling out.

"Crazy bastard!" Shafi calls after Linnael in shock, "How am I supposed to heal you if you get hurt down there?!" She doesn't have much more time to yell, as she finds herself dashing and rolling to get out of the way of that tentacle. "Son of a-," she starts looking back to that tentacle with wide eyes, "Get that thing out of the ship, it'll toss us around like a bathtoy!!!" And so she tries a stunt of her own. The Elf makes for that tentacle and dives down below, landing with a cat's grace from floor to floor and trying to detach tentacle from wood wherever she can manage.

There are benefits to controlling the elements. You're never quite out of yours, for one, and underwater is no exception for the mage. Magic forces push Linnael along under the water, weaving past the kraken's tentacles like a glowing torpedo. And from the salt in the water around him, for crystalline blades form, spiraling around each other just before Linnael as he charges one of the beast's tentacles.

Alexia jumps clear of the raging tentical, trying to pull as many of her crew mates back with her as she can, "Shit," she mutters under her breath, "Get down!" And once it's embedded itself in the deck she tries to get back to her feet and follow Shafi's instructions, "Come on guys, give us a hand, eh?" she calls as she does her best with her sword to try and hack the tenticle free.

There's more thrashing from the sea beast as Linn gets to it with his salt knives, and definitely more blood in the water. The trashing causes more splinters to break loose and rain down on Shafi, it doesn't managed to toss the ship about, but it's certainly jerking it and doing damage to it. Shafi might also notice that the tenticle is right in the firing arc of a cannon, still loaded from before, but the crew are dead.

Lexi and a few pirates who've come to their senses and joined her manage to hack into the tenticle, managing to cut over halfway through at various points, and where Lexi cuts, almost all the way through, getting more blood out on the deck.

The redhead holds her arms up to protect against the shards of wood, before noticing the cannon. She blinks, looking from cannon to tentacle. Shafi makes her way over to the weapon and examines it for a moment, before noting the tools... a small grin works its way slowly across her features as she gets the general idea, and manages to figure out how to work the cannon from general experience with seeing it in use and seeing BIG BOOMS from the gunpowder. The redhead lights the cannon and then runs off to the side to hide from potential damage!

As the mage continues weaving through the ocean, his blades fade away. Instead, he changes tactics and holds his staff out before himself. There can be no flames under the water, but heat is everywhere. He rushes toward another tentacle, his spear of searing heat aiming to dismember the sea monster.

Alexia continues hacking away at the tenticle stuck in the deck, "Go back to the depths...or hell...wherever you came from!" she shouts at the giant squid monster as she continues to slash at it, "Put your weight into it guys!" she calls to the crew, not letting up even as she does this.

The cannon thunders, and carves a large chunk out of the tenticle. Between Shafi's cannon efforts and the hacking of Lexi and the pirates, a large portion of the tenticle is severed, part of it remaining on the deck, but the ragged stump trails down the side of the ship, leaving blood with it.

This leaves Linn in the water with the sea monster, or what's left of it. It's still thrashing at him, which gives those on the deck a good view of /where/ it is with all the bloody foam it's creating.

Those on deck might also see something else, it starts as one, then two, and multiples almost exponentially. Shark fins, closing in on the sea monster and Linn.

Shafi comes out of her hiding place, giggling like a giddy little imp. "That was great," she remarks to herself of the cannon's destruction. Her glee, however, is short-lived, as the redhead looks out of the side of the ship and notes Linnael's danger. Her first instinct?

"More cannons," the healer mutters to herself, and makes for the nearest one to try and blow things that aren't Linnael out of the water.

As he sees the kraken falling away, Linnael nods once before looking straight up. There is a churning in the water below him, and then... FOOM! Like a rocket, he shoots up out of the water, guiding himself with well-aimed gusts to land on the ship. "I'm... definitely going to need a bath."

Alexia watches over the side as the Kraken falls away from the ship, her breathing ragged as she tries to catch her breath, "We need to get away from her quickly!" she adds, moving back from the side now, "Sharks!"

The Kraken is left to fight with the multiple sharks closing in, although it's a losing battle for the wounded and bleeding kraken. The spectators on deck are rewarded with the sight of a fifteen foot long Great White flying through the air, thankfully away from them, getting up a good 30 feet or more before splashing down into the water again.

Blake comes up and smiles at the three, "Aye, this is why I have the three of ye with me on my crew," he nods to Lexi, "Aye, let's be away, Al, take us away from this!" he calls to his helmsman, who does steer them away from the shark/kraken fight.

There is, however, the matter of the severed tenticle still draped across the deck, blood oozing from it's many wounds.

"You need a swift kick in the head, too," Shafi calls up through the gaping hole in the upper portion of the ship, "You're /insane/, diving into the water after that thing!" She cheads up to the top deck and then eyes the tentacle. "Can I clean it off with a cannon?" she asks of the Captain, bearing the look of a small child who just discovered a great new toy.

Linnael grins broadly at Shafi, before pointing at the tentacle. A portion of it is cut off, and then cut into many, much more manageable chunks. "Do what you want," he says. "I'm bringing this bit back to Nodhi, see if he can't make some calamari."

Alexia shakes her head, "We should just push it off over the side, but quick before it weighs us down too much, and has the sharks following us back to port," she adds, her sword still ready to cut it to smaller easier to push off pieces.

Blake blinks a bit at Linn, before belting out a loud laugh, "Aye matey, I like how ye think. Men, get to cutting this up, we'll find us some cooks and eat well tonight!" he calls, and then the pirates who aren't working at steering the ship get their knives, swords and cutlasses and start chopping at the tenticle. Blake turns to Shafi and Lexi, "Ye two are welcome to join, or get your own for ye selves." he nods to Lexi, "Aye, as soon as we have some of this cut off for us, we'll be pushing it off, but for now," he gestures at the feeding frenzy over with the Kraken, "I think our shark friends be busy,"

"You're gonna /eat/ it?!" Shafi looks about ready to vomit at the thought, "Nasty..." The redhead seems disappointed that she doesn't get to fire a cannon again, but merely shrugs it off and looks around at the damage. "Light," she remarks, "Will there ever come a time when we go out to explore and /don't/ run into trouble?" Shafi blinks, then, and glances over to Blake, "Hey, what ever happened to Stormy and that pile of treasure from our last time out?"

Alexia smiles and pitches in with the chopping up of squid, "Mmmm..that does sound good," she says. She does listen to the captain and Shafi as they talk though.

"The tyke is guarding the treasure with her life back in port, matey," Blake replies to Shafi, "She brought it into the tavern and wont move from it, she thinks it's a wonderful game. And don't worry about her, another crew tried to take some, she zapped him like lightning," he laughs, "Blew him straight across the room and had his hair all standing up, not a soul has touched her since," the tenticle pieces get cut up and put into crates to be taken below decks.

Shafi grins, "Ah, a storm after my own heart. Reminds me of parts of my life." She chuckles a bit and looks around. "Did what's-his-name die again or did he survive this time?"

Alexia helps to get the kraken crated up, then taking a bit of cloth from a pouch she carefully begins wiping her blade clean, still just silently listening to the conversation.

Mr. Rum is found to be definitely dead, a broken spar through his throat. He was underneath a part of the squid, one of the few pirates who got crushed. A good majority of the squid meat is cut up and stored, while the parts that crushed people are tossed overboard.

"Ah, nevermind then," Shafi remarks. She regards the corpse with a frown, "Next time we head out, I'm giving him a protective shield of his own. This is ridiculous..." The healer shakes her head, then, and makes to head below decks, "Someone wake me when we get back to Poxy. But be careful, I wake up swinging."

Alexia looks down at the dead one, "Will he recaporialize on the ship?" she asks, "Or will we need to find him back at port?" she looks over to Shafi as she heads off, "Sleep good," she offers with a bright smile, but she doesn't stop in the cleaning of her weapon.

"Back at port, matey," Blake replies to Alexia, nodding to Shafi as the ship sails abck to Port Poxy.