Private Tales A Study of the World

[Beckett]

Beckett glanced back at Akio. "Until we chat again, then. Watch out for the cliff vultures." It was an odd thing to say, considering they weren't near enough land to see any, let alone cliffs. And cliff vultures were rumored beasts of great sizes that liked to pluck unwary travelers from ships. Mostly a story told to children to keep them alert during travel.

Perhaps it was just a story; perhaps it wasn't.

With a bounce of Beckett's blue, braided hair, she disappeared out of the sun awakening deck and into the shadows of the hold.

 

[Arius Flint]

"Cliff Vultures?" Arius sounded more than a little dubious.

He was almost entirely sure that they were far too at sea to be worried about vultures. Yet nevertheless he clutched his things ever so much more slightly. Fingers dragging over the journal as he pulled it back into his lap.

A small smile touched his lips.

More talkative than the last one. Arius noted down, scrawling the words in the ancient script upon a hidden page. Thought it would take more time, pleasantly surprised.

The smile on his lips grew. [/color]Will seek her out more tomorrow.[/color]

As he his pen left the ink, he couldn't help but feel the satisfaction rising in his chest.

 

[Beckett]

The next day was the opposite of what it had been. Bright blue skies were full of low-hanging clouds. Thick billows of fog rolled early across the nearly stilled waters. An unseasonably cool breeze moved the fog like ghostly walls across the ship's deck.

Beckett had stayed below most of yesterday after her chat with Arius.

Today, she spent most of the time on deck. The storm mages were muttering in the crow's nest above the decks. The Captain kept his wary reptilian eyes into the mists. Spy-glass tapped against her shoulder as she stopped along the port rail. Elbows propped against the splintered edges as her keen eyes looked out.

There was magic in the air. And the cards predicted a bad fortune for today.

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius came onto the deck with his trademark smile already in place. His journal was tucked beneath his right arm, and in his left hand was a small bottle. Inside of it sloshed a liquid of silvery hue, opaque but only just.

The young alchemist surveyed the crowd of sailors for a brief moment.

Eyes lingering on his query for just a moment before he pulled them away from her and found the man he was really looking for. ”Alexander!”

He said brightly.

”I made this for you, as we talked about.” The Sailor looked at Arius, a slight embarrassed look on his face. ”It’ll clear up your problem, just make sure to drink it all in one go.”

The man looked at Arius, then the bottle, then quickly grabbed the potion.

“I…err, thank ye.”

Arius smiled. ”You’re welcome!”

He declared quite happily before suddenly turning his head towards the sky. ”Looks like rain, huh?”

The Alchemist commented to no one in particular.

 

[Beckett]

A glance over her shoulder at the alchemist. With a flick of her wrist, the spyglass straightened. Blue eye closed as the end came up to her golden one. She looked straight at Arius for a moment before tilting it around and back toward the misty seas.

"Hm?" She hummed at him.

A layer of cool moisture began to coat everything the fog constantly brushed across. And as she glanced at the gray landscape, she could've sworn she saw larger shapes moving within.

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius shrugged his shoulder. "Rain!"

He stated simply, seeming none too bothered by the prospect of getting at least a little bit wet. IN fact he seemed almost excited by the idea.

"I never liked ships much, ya know." The young Alchemist commented, as though his opinion was cared for by anyone at all. He seemed entirely unaware of his surroundings, and most certainly missed any shapes within the fog.

"The waves, the sway." He shook his head. "All terrible for trying to brew potions."

Arius continued. "You need a steady hand, otherwise..."

He trailed off as a shadow suddenly swept over the ship.

 

[Beckett]

Goblinshit.

Spyglass was snapped closed and seemed to disappear in her jacket as she quickly turned away. The alchemist continuing to speak about nothing and so oblivious. "Look out!" Her yell in warning as she seemed to move impossibly fast. One moment by the railing and the next going to tackle Arius around the waist and to the ground.

Because the fog had parted to reveal a massive pirate ship made from dark, almost black wood, pull up nearly right next to them in the fog. And a group of pirates were swinging down from ropes to board their ship's deck right where Arius had been standing.

Shouts of alarm and warning bells filled the air.

 

[Arius Flint]

"Huh?" Arius intoned, his head turning towards Beckett as she shouted her warning.

He entirely missed the pirate ship exploding out of the fog just behind him. Instead tackled to the ground with a loud and echoing thump. He barely prevented his head from smashing against the wooden deck, a grunt escaping his throat.

Above them the sound of boots slamming into the deck echoed out.

Pirate crawled over the ship like ants, swinging onto their vessels with cries of battle. Arius blinked, catching sight of one of the ragged men as his sword flickered forward and caught one of the Sailors. "Oh."

Arius said, Beckett still atop him.

"Oh dear." He added, noticing one of the pirates stalking towards them.

 

[Beckett]

At least she'd kept the Alchemist from getting smooshed or cut for a moment longer. Her chest was pressed against his own. Arms still wrapped around his core. Some of her arm had broken their fall on the deck. Bi-colored eyes glanced down at him and she huffed some of her wild indigo hair away from her face.

"Maybe focus on not getting stabbed by the pointy things," she breathed down at him as she went to untangle herself from him so she could stand. A quick glance to the pirate approaching them, then another to see where Akio was.

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius lay on the deck a few more seconds, allowing the beat of his heart to calm for a moment as the pirates began to roam around the ship.

A furious nod tipped his head as Beckett peeled herself away from him. The, what the strongly suspected, Fae pulling herself away from him. His own form shot up just a few seconds after she did, lips thin and eyes flickering from place to place. "Shit."

He swore.

"What do we do?" The Student asked."Aside from not getting stabbed."

A thousand ideas of what he could do flickered through his mind, but most of them involved vials and chemicals that he had left in his cabin down below.

 

[Beckett]

There was too much chaos and she couldn't spot the red-skin and tail of her companion anywhere. A hand dipped inside her jacket and she pulled out a sleek-looking coppery-bronze sword. Though not a longsword by any means, it still seemed incredulous that her sword fit inside her jacket in the first place.

A look to Arius and with a swift step, she'd tug him toward her as if they were dancing. One arm spinning him in as her sword arm came up to meet a lumbering shaved headed and golden-toothed pirate's sword in the space the student had just been. "Got any of those potions that could help in your cabin? I should be able to get us there..," a gentle push of her hip against him as she parried another blow from the Big Guy.

A small nudge to angle Arius closer to the door that went below deck and away from spaces where pointy things threatened to stab the air around him. Another swing and clang of her sword. Another light push against him. Hip-hop-hip. Keep on moving. Watch the head!

 

[Arius Flint]

Oh yes. I was very right. Arius mused to himself as he watched her rip a sword from her pocket. Pleased as punch that he had been correct.

As Beckett nudged him out of the way, Arius also inadvertently dodged out of the way of another blade swiping just to the left.

The blow had not been meant for him, but was wide enough that it would have cut had he been standing where he would have been. He let out a quiet 'oop', and then quickly shifted as the Fae nudged him to the door leading below deck.

"Of course I do!" He exclaimed, not a hint of panic in his voice.

Instead what was found was thrill, excitement, perhaps even a hint of joy. "But it all depends on what you want it to do!"

There were a few things prepared of course. Flash jars, night powder, and even something a bit more...special, but it all really depended on what she had in store. Did she want to blow up the entire ship? Because he could probably manage that too.

 

[Beckett]

"I think," she huffed, another clang of metal. A grimace as she pushed off another blade. She lunged forward, the tip of her sword slashing across clothing and flesh. A pull-back and a duck.

"Anything to get them off this ship and to think twice about boarding us again." Perhaps if she'd known Arius better, she would've been more prescriptive of her wording. Been more worried about keeping him in a set boundary. But she didn't know him that well.

And Beckett was always one to throw caution to the wind. She chose her profession and her life around mortals because she thrived in the chaos and danger. Safety was never a concern as much as it probably should have been to the blue-haired fae.

With another swipe of her sword there was a sudden break. "Go, I've got our backs!"

Where the BLAZES was Akio?!

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius nodded his head, trying to think of the most creative solution he possibly could.

After a moment of consideration he scrambled down the stairs and towards his quarters. His footsteps thumped through the ship, but before long he slid to a stop. Practically slamming open the door to his quarters he scrambled towards the nearby desk.

There he began to tear apart cases, cupboards, and everything else he could. He reached for half a dozen bottles, grabbing them all and quickly mixing them within a small funnel attached to a bottle. "This...and this, and that, maybe a bit of...oh yes."

He remarked.

"Brilliant." Arius declared as he snatched the newly forged potion and suddenly rushed back out towards the hallway. "THIS NEEDS TO GET UPSTAIRS!"

The Alchemist called to Beckett, brandishing a potion of black and green.

 

[Beckett]

As Arius scurried away like a ship's little stowaway mouse, Beckett held the door. She lunged and parried with her sword. Kicked out with her booted-foot. Bi-colored gaze swept the opening she'd created back ont othe chaos of the deck. The mists were still swirling like thick billowy puffs from a dragon's mouth.

There were clangs of swords and things hitting flesh across the ship's deck and beyond the white veil.

But for a moment, she thought she caught a flash of red from Akio's tale toward the bow and amid the rigging.

Head whipped back at Arius' voice. The glint of a sword caught in her peripheral and she moved with that speed again. Narrowly avoiding the sword meant for her abdomen. A quick step in and elbow into the pirate's face. "Come on then!" She yelled back to Arius as she slid the copper into the man's gut.

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius didn’t need to be told twice, or rather, he didn’t really need to be told at all. He might have been a fool with his head in the clouds, but he wasn’t stupid enough to think that a sword in the belly wouldn’t kill him.

Thus he quickly rushed from his place and pushed out onto the deck.

With a swirling flourish, he tossed the odd potioned mixer up and into the air. It flickered there for a moment, almost seeming stuck, and then it came crashing down onto the deck with a clatter of glass.

”There!” For a moment, it seemed the potion did absolutely nothing.

Then suddenly there was a massive explosion of pressure. Everyone, pirate, sailor, good or bad was thrown from their feet. Their bodies collapsing as a waft of smell converged around them. The mist surrounding the ship burst into nothingness, swept away within an instant as the potion took effect.

In the end, only Arius and Beckett, barely on the edge of the door remained standing. Everyone else seemed utterly unconscious. ”There.”

He declared with a chipper smirk.

 

[Beckett]

With a grimace, Beckett pulled her sword free from the belly of the pirate. Brows nearly disappearing into her indigo hairline. Head poked out next to Arius.

"Blimey," she breathed. Did he just...had he just...killed them all?

Sword still tightly gripped in one hand, she squeezed passed the alchemic professor.

"What the blazes did you do?" Taking a knee next to one of the fallen deckcrew, she checked the pulse, seeing if they were dead.

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius glanced over towards Beckett for a brief moment before he drew his attention back to the deck of the ship. "I created a knock-out pulse. Simple really, though kind of expensive."

The components to brew the potion had been...difficult to acquire. It wasn't likely that he would be making another one of those for a long time. As it stood he was running low on pretty much all of his solvents and it wou-

Well it didn't matter much now.

"We have ten minutes." He pointed out. "Perhaps we should do something productive, like..."

Arius motioned to the pirate vessel. "Burn that."

 

[Beckett]

There. She felt it even as his words confirmed it. A low-pulse just beneath the skin.

"Worth your life, though, eh?" She asked when he spoke about cost. And she was learning perhaps he was a bit more dangerous than he seemed on the outside. Humans were such interesting creatures.

Back to her feet, she looked to the ship. The fog and mists from earlier beginning to lift providing more visibility than there was a moment ago. She eyed him carefully. As if she was seeing the real Arius for the first time.

"You got something else for that?" Striding swiftly back down the hold, she'd come back a few moments later with a wad of rope. She'd toss some to Arius. "Let's tie up the pirates first. Then the ship?"

 

[Arius Flint]

"No, but I know the liquor barrels do." Most rum onboard a ship usually had high enough proof to knock out an elephant. It wasn't any different here, Arius knew, and although they would need to take some time it would work well enough.

Usually did the trick even with ships. Though he supposed they would have to account for the sea swells, the wind, and of course any pirates still on board. Arius frowned as he thought, calculating it all out when Beckett caught his attention. "Huh."

He said with a glance.

"Oh right." The Alchemist said, quickly gathering up the rope. "I'll get them."

Arius continued, beginning the long task of tying up the unconscious pirates.

 

[Beckett]

"A shame to lose the liquor," she said with a twinkle in her eyes and quickly disappeared back into the hold. Beckett returned a moment later, with a barrel tucked beneath each arm. Something that would be too much for a human to carry.

"You got them all?" A quick scan at his work on the deck. Most pirates tied and tethered. A shift of one of the barrels on her hip. A look to the pirate's ship beside them. It seemed quiet. But like Arius said, there could be more that weren't affected by his...pulse.

"Are you ready?" She began walking toward the ship, nimble steps making climbing and lugging around barrels of lum look easy.

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius wasn’t, by any means, unfit. He made sure to exercise daily and get some form of movement in. He had learned early on during his studies that just sitting around all day wasn’t the sort of thing you wanted to do. Usually it lead to back aches, pains, all sorts of different maladies.

Still, despite that constant regime he found lugging around casks of liquor to be…trying.

”Augh.” The researcher’s voice cobbled out as he lifted another one of the heavy barrels and stepped behind his companion. A shake of his head and a quiet huff was signal enough to his mood. ”I think i’d rather have left a few of them untied.”

He remarked. ”After all the trouble, the least they could do would be to help us blow up their ship.”

An unlikely proposition, and the pirates would be out cold for another few hours at the very least. But the dream was there, and he would have given almost anything for it to work out that way. The less labor he had to do, the better.

”Let’s get these to the bottom of the hold.” He remarked, following behind Beckett.

 

[Beckett]

A glance over her shoulder, one electric-blue brow lofted. A small twitch at the corner of her mouth at his lament. Honestly, she was impressed he was able to carry as much as he was. More muscle beneath his lanky form than she thought. And for him being human.

"A shame we don't have anyone traveling with us who can do compulsion," it was hard to tell if she was joking or not. Setting one of the two barrels down that she was carrying, her head tilted for a moment, listening, then yanked open the door that would lead them down a dark set of stairs to the hold.

She didn't hear anyone else but that didn't mean that it was clear. There still might be someone hiding or someone beyond her fae-ears.

 

[Arius Flint]

Arius frowned almost as soon as she said the word ‘compulsion’. ”Vile magic, that.”

He was no stranger to such things of course. There were students at Althhaven who were particularly talented in such aspects. The Professors of course kept a close eye on them, and warding the mind was one of the first things one learned as a student. Yet the craft did not sit well with him.

For Arius, the mind was a sacred thing.

Without his own he would not have been able to do half of what he could. The thought of someone violating that, breaking into his thoughts and looking in on his secrets was utterly abhorrent.

As Beckett swung the door open, Arius stood and watched.

A soldier might have covered her back, watched the hallways behind them, but Arius was no soldier. He was a student, and not a particularly observant one when it came down to it. So, as Beckett pressed forward, Arius was utterly oblivious to the door opening behind them.

 

[Beckett]

The casks of alcohol were cradled against the curve of her hips. The only lighting provided by cuts in the deck above their heads filtering through. But she could see fine. She made sure not to walk too fast. Wouldn't want to cause the Alchemist to trip and make them go back for yet another cask of alcohol to help destroy this ship.

They probably didn't have that much time. They probably...

Head whipped around as her ears picked up on footsteps behind them. Large footsteps. A lumbering orc with curved tusks and an eyepatch.

"Shit!" One of her casks dropped to the ground as her hand whipped forward, fingers trying to enclose around Arius' shirt, trying to tug man and barrel forward, out of reach of the orc's grabby-hands and weapons.