Private Tales Best Of Intentions

[Talia Frost]

Talia was short of cash, and there were rumors of mutiny amidst her crew. Though her knee jerk reaction was to simply line people up and execute them for such treacherous thoughts, she couldn’t blame them this time. The Salty Bitch had sustained quite a bit of damage the last time they had attempted to take down a ship, and they had been sent back with their tails between their legs.

Swallowing her pride, she had made port closer to mainland and was determined to get her hands on some goods to sell. The Bayou was notorious for black market goods, and she knew if she managed to sell some Allirian treasures there she would make a fortune and get her ship repaired and crew paid. Some of her crew needed to be replaced anyway - Old Man Green was pushing eighty and mistakenly thought he was part of the crew on the enemy ship.

Talia had changed out of her rags and dressed up as a posh, young city woman. No one would be able to tell she was a cutthroat pirate, and she was going to sell this bullshit story as long as she could. She had to get creative and stuff her bosom with tons of padding that she would later replace with treasures on the way back. She also had a few daggers on her for when the time to strike came.

Currently, she had sold some sob story about being left behind on a dock by her horrible fiancee. This got her aboard a merchant ship that was scheduled to go to Alliria, pick up some cargo from a vault and then sail back to a trading city. Talia planned to join in till they picked up the goods and began to sail back - and then should quietly make an escape with the stolen goods. She would switch up disguises on the way back.

“-And can you believe it? He just left me!” Talia blew her nose into a handkerchief and dabbed her fake tears away. The man aboard the ship, a powerful merchant, looked very concerned and had been hanging onto her every word. He patted her on the shoulder and offered comforting words, and she tenderly grasped his hand and looked up with a gentle smile through the tears.

He of course didn’t notice his expensive bracelet was missing when she took her hand back. Nor would he for some time.

 

[Talus]

Spell-Sword.

That was what he called himself on these little trips.

It worked out rather well most of the time. People generally didn't question why you were wearing nice armor and carrying a good sword when you told them you killed people for a living. At least that was what he'd discovered.

This time around he actually had been hired as a mercenary, though he had not requested payment like most people had.

The Merchant had already given what he'd wanted, and now he just had to keep up his end of the bargain. Slowly he leaned back against the railing of the ship, watching as people boarded and prepared themselves for the journey ahead.

 

[Talia Frost]

The ship began its journey towards Alliria, and Talia kept a low profile. A few of the men whispered here and there about the curse of bringing a woman aboard, but they quickly hushed as the merchant walked by. Talia used the opportunity to quickly stash away the bracelet she had nabbed from the merchant, keenly observing everything while pretending to be a passenger that had never been on a boat before.

The merchant made his way over to the dreadlord that he had hired, grinning broadly, “You don’t talk very much do you?” He said to the man leaning against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest. The merchant glanced back for a moment before lowering his voice.

“The poor woman,” He said, shaking his head, “Bastard of a man left her behind,” He kept glancing over at her, “All alone...left behind…” He gazed longingly at her before turning back to the Spell-Sword, “Make sure nothing happens to her. I don’t want someone innocent and wonderful like that to come under harm. You know the city streets aren’t safe for a dame like that to be wandering alone.”

 

[Talus]

"Good thing we're on a ship then." Talus said dryly.

He was more concerned about piracy than he was anything else. Though the Allirian Navy was a powerful force, the ocean was as vast as could be and piracy and been an ongoing problem for as long as many people could remember.

Talus knew that Vel Anir still had troubles with it too, though these were different waters.

"I'll do the job you paid me for." He told the merchant. "But I'm not a bodyguard."

He had signed on to guard the ship, not a person.

If he'd wanted to keep someone safe he would have stayed in Vel Anir. Half of his life had been spent protecting prissy nobles and men who could not fight for themselves, Talus had sworn that off when he'd graduated the Academy. "A bit of advice though, perhaps don't stare. Women don't like it."

 

[Talia Frost]

The merchant opened and closed his mouth a few times upon hearing the curt response. His face turned increasingly red before he finally sputtered out a few words, “Then I’ll pay you more! I don’t want anything to happen to her.”

He was, in fact, in the middle of awkwardly waving at Talia when the Dreadlord kindly reminded him how impolite it was. The merchant scowled at the man, quickly dropping his hand, “Mind your own business!” He gazed past the dreadlord, “Er um… what’s that?”

In the distance, a ship with tattered sails had begun to gain on them. They were in open water now, no other ship in sight and no land nearby. The merchant kept gawking at the ship. Before he could say anything, Talia had run over towards the railing, gazing towards the ship.

“Oh fucking hell!” She let slip in an accent that she wasn’t using minutes prior. The merchant gasped at her unladylike behavior, and she quickly cleared her throat, flashing him a smile, “I uh mean… um...golly jee, that ship sure looks suspicious…”

She knew what it was. It was a pirate ship captained by a man that had been wanting to chase down the price on her head. He must have heard that she had snuck aboard this ship - it would be a win/win and he would loot the ship and get her as well.

“Don’t worry, miss, I will protect you!” The merchant proudly declared, while looking nervously back at the Dreadlord and mouthing ‘do something!!!’ urgently.

 

[Talus]

He looked at the Merchant for a moment, blinking.

Talus had been in a few naval battles before, he'd even commanded a small one, but...he couldn't really jump into the ocean and swim to the other ship. For a brief moment he wondered what the Merchant wanted him to do, and then he shook his head.

"ALL HANDS!" If the bastard wouldn't take charge then Talus would.

He was supposed to be a spell-sword, but he could command just as well. His hand came up and he quickly gestured to the sailors.

"Bring that sail down." He motioned to the nearby sailors. "Cut hard to port and take us closer to the coast."

That would let them move a bit faster. "They'll catch up, but we're more maneuverable."

He scowled.

"Everyone else..." A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "Prepare to be boarded."

 

[Talia Frost]

The merchant had been reduced to a blubbering pool of panic, proving utterly useless as the Dreadlord took command. He had heard about pirate attacks, but he had brushed it all off and never thought it would ever happen to him.

Talia gazed out at the ship, grimacing to herself. Whoever was taking charge was right - they would be boarded. There was a moment of pause when the sailors looked from Talus, to the merchant, then back to Talus. It wasn’t until the merchant screeched for them to do what was asked that they got to work, and it lost them precious time.

Talia had to find a way to make the best of the situation - she had to change up disguises and swing over to the pirate ship to blend in. Amidst all the chaos, she quickly ducked into the crowds to make her way towards the merchant’s quarters to access the riches aboard the ship.

Meanwhile, the pirate ship began to rapidly catch up quicker than anticipated. Ballistae were pointed directly at the merchant ship before she could turn all the way, firing all at once to broadside them.

 

[Talus]

The massive arrows of the ballista smashed into the side of the ship and Talus caught the side of the railing. A curse echoed from his lips, fingers tightening for a few seconds as he let his other palm rest on the hilt of his sword.

"ALL HANDS!" The Sailors were listening to him now, but he doubted that would matter much.

If these pirates were any good then he would likely have to deal with this problem on his own. A breath filled his lungs, and he shifted his weight. "Take them as you can! Don't surrender, they won't offer you any mercy."

He actually had absolutely no idea if that was true, but there was one thing he'd learned commanding armies; men fought better then they were afraid.

The ring of his sword leaving it's scabbard echoed out.

 

[Talia Frost]

“WHY DOES ANYONE HAVE TO FIGHT?! CAN’T YOU JUST BLOW THEIR SHIP UP? WHAT DID I PAY YOU FOR?!” The merchant screamed hysterically at the Dreadlord, toppling over and falling on his face moments later as the ship rocked from the broadside. The sailors, thankfully, had more guts than the merchant and they prepared for a fight.

The merchant ship was more or less dead in the water, the pirates swinging over with ropes and blades. The men that came over were starved, full of disease, and were ruthless with the blade. They fought for their next meal, and they would give no quarter to the greener sailors.

The captain of the pirate ship landed with a thud, grinning with yellow and crooked teeth, “Top o’ the mornin’ to ye!” He said cheerfully, brandishing a stolen cutlass that had once belonged to a naval officer, “I’m feelin’ generous today. Just so happens ye got a lass aboard that I be after. Give ‘er to me and I’ll leave ye landlubbers alive,” He addressed the merchant.

The merchant’s eyes widened and he looked around, “FIND HER! HAND HER OVER RIGHT NOW!” An abrupt change of tune from earlier…

Talia, of course, had changed disguises by then. The countdown was on for the crew to find a woman in a yellow dress and posh hair that was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

 

[Talus]

Talus didn't really hesitate. "No deal."

That was all he said.

The blade in his hand seemed to sing as he suddenly dashed forward and closed the distance between himself and the first pirate. The sword struck through malnourished flesh in half a breath, slicing off the man's arm and severing it one smooth stroke.

Then it cut into his belly.

"FIGHT!" His voice boomed out.

He didn't need the sailors to actually put up much of a fight, he just needed them to be a distraction so he actually had time to kill as many pirates as he could. Hopefully with as little magic as possible.

 

[Talia Frost]

“WHAT’RE YOU DOING?!” The merchant screamed, “WE JUST HAVE TO HAND THE BITCH OVER!” He ducked for cover as the pirates began to swing their blades. To say that the captain was surprised was an understatement, his eyes wide from the blatant refusal of his offer. Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth and prepared for a fight.

The pirates began to engage with the sailors, cutting some of them down easily. The sailors hadn’t seen real combat before, and their experience consisted of swinging at dummies. When facing true enemies and smelling the stench of the breath and seeing the whites of their eyes, it was enough to make a few men drop their blades and cower for mercy.

The coppery stench of blood admixed with the salty taste of the ocean as the fight was in full swing. The merchant ship had taken too much damage to stand, and it began to slowly sink.

Talia had changed into men’s clothing, having knocked out one of the pirates. She had also broken into the coffers, stealing precious gems and jewels worth a fortune. All she had to do was swing over to the pirate ship and escape. There was no chance this pathetic merchant ship would survive, right?

The Dreadlord was surrounded by four pirates that realized he was a threat. They rushed at him with their blades, hopping to overwhelm him. At the same time, a pirate had climbed atop the foremast and aimed and loosed an arrow at his chest.

 

[Talus]

Talus entire form shifted.

A snap of blue ran over his being and as the four men rushed towards him he stepped into the ether. The arrow passed through the ghost as though it were nothing. Then the ghostly after-image of him shifted to the left and through one of the me, grasping at his very soul and ripping it free.

There was a deathly wail of pain as Talus quite literally ripped the man's essence free of him, fingers coming together in a crushing fist.

There was a wink, and then the mans body collapsed to the floor.

Talus' body snapped back into existence a second later, grabbing one of the pirates and hurling him onto his sword before he whipped around and kicked the corpse towards his two fellows. "GET OFF THIS SHIP!"

His voice boomed out, magic swelling it's echo.

 

[Talia Frost]

The display from the Dreadlord not only struck fear into the pirates, but also the merchant that hired him. The poor man was cowering on the deck, staring with terror at exactly what he had hired. The pirate captain recovered first, growling at the Dreadlord.

“Why are ye protectin’ tha’ filthy pirate bitch?!” He extended his hand out to showcase all the dead bodies on the deck of both sailors and pirates alike, “All ye had ta do was hand ‘er over!” However, his pride was too high for him to ever cower from a fight.

Meanwhile, the merchant ship’s stern began to tilt as it began to descend into the sea. Everyone aboard would slide down the deck and have to hold on for dear life.

Talia cursed as she began to climb the foremast to get to higher ground. With any luck, she would swing over to the still intact pirate ship and save herself. Everyone on the merchant ship could perish for all she cared.

The captain was relentless, attempting to slash at the Dreadlord as he skidded down right past him. Men screamed and yelled as they fell atop one another, a few falling overboard and into the open water.