Private Tales the Violent Waves of Fate

[Mikaela Ryurik]

One couldn’t deny that it was hard to admit a mistake. Perhaps the hardest of all was admitting it to yourself. Others could think what they liked, with them you could agree to disagree and move on, but with yourself, well, keeping on telling lies to yourself would only get you that far. And here she was, in the middle of the sea, that’s where her own tales had gotten her.

Holding tightly to the piece of her boat that hadn’t sunk, yet, she hoped that they would drift to the shore before she would finally freeze. Being a Nordenfiir had its advantages, but the water was still cold and she was tired. One of her satchels had survived the crash and she kept it close to her for there were a couple of drenched pieces of meat in there. She lacked water, though. The right type of water.

Closing her eyes to survive another crashing wave she thought to be dreaming when her gaze met the sight of a ship. Or was it land? A rock? A moving rock.. ? No, it was actually a ship!

Tired from the floating and swimming, she could barely lift her arm to wave. Not that it mattered much. If nobody was on the lookout they wouldn’t see her anyway. She was just a dot in the gray mass of water. Her voice wasn’t enough to reach anyone on deck either. Above that she didn’t even really have one left. Even without screaming the water she’s swallowed and had managed to cough back out had given her a sore throat.

The bear continued her floating while cursing the day she had decided to investigate the island close to Indeholm’s coastline. Now she hadn’t even gotten to see whether the rumors about trees full of honey were true. Perhaps she would die out here, in the water, sailed over by a ship.

“Hey!” she tried eventually. With the strength she had left Mika hoped to reach someone. However, that didn’t mean she would try to swim there. The ship would be too fast should it pass her without noticing. And if that were to happen, then she would need all of the energy she had to hopefully make it to land before dying.

“Hey! Help!”

Common Tongue. Mika wasn’t ready to die just yet.

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

Such cries for help might have not normally protruded this far from the ship, especially given the noise the waves were making in the meantime. Yet it didn't mean hope was gone, far from it. The ship, of which was traveling along it's horizontal course, suddenly began to wheel about. It was heading towards Mikaela, flying against the wind as it's hull crashed against the oncoming waves. The vessel seemingly grew as it approached, it flew at an impressive size.

When the ship was within 500 meters or so, one might have spotted a half-naked dwarf leaping off of the starboard side of the ship, suspended against the hull by a long string of rope. The dwarf seemed to be anticipating for somthing, as when the ship approach he readied his legs.

When they were in shouting distance, the dwarf began running along the hull towards it's stern, before leaping off the hull. Using the momentum from his leap, the dwarf would swing back around, the hand holding onto the rope loosing to allow him to slide further down. The enormous ship was now passing dangerously close to the young women, so close that had she been in the way, the ship might have well crushed her. Yet this was by intention, a very fine and precise maneuver. The dwarf shot his free hand into the freezing water, grabbing onto whatever articles he could of Mikaela, before yanking her out of the water.

"I got 'er! Pull us ya numbskulls!" The dwarf shouted in his heavy accents. There was some audible shouting from above following the command, before the dwarf and his target began to ascend the side of the ship.

Wasen't long before the two were close to the top, as a myriad of hands reached over to pull both the dwarf and Mikaela on-board.

"Haha! I told ya idiots I could do it!" The dwarf shouted triumphantly, leaping up from the deck and throwing a punch at a near by lizardmen. This outburst only spurred on a number of other voices, shouting and joshing the dwarf.

In the somewhat organized chaos, someone threw a rather warm blanket over Mikaela, enough to cover her entire body. Had Mikaela crawled her way out of the blanket and took a look around, she'd see a group of males and females of all races, all either egging on the dwarf or at some prior station. There were humans, elves, orcs, lizardmen and the like. The only thing that shackled them together was there style of dress, being rather similar to that of sailors and pirates, swashbucklers and buccaneers.

"Well, well...what have you pulled in this time?..." A voice, rather soft and refined compared to the louder ones closer to Mikaela. Had she turned to the voice, she might have been able to note a rather well dressed human male approach, hands behind his back. He was actually dressed modestly compare to some of the people around her, wearing what looked to be a captain's overcoat that flowed against the wind., Instead of some fancy hat that would have supposedly matched with it, the man wore a turban; somthing of a rarity around these parts. The most eye catching about him perhaps was what hung from his belt. There was a curved saber of sorts, with a dagger sheathed upon the middle of his belt...it might have been the most lavishing thing about his entire outfit.

"Aye! Captain!..." The dwarf called out, giving a casual salute to the fellow. A proud expression had now plastered itself all over his face. "I manage t' grab this one afore she floated away!"

Another round of cheers went out, causing this "captain" to chuckle, before raising a hand from behind his back to signal for the rest to quiet down.

"Hmhm...well done Twoaxe..." The "captain" nodded, as his chuckling died down, before placing the hand behind his back. Now...it was time to figure out exactly who the dwarf had just rescued, as the "captain" looked over to the young girl. "...now, miss...I hope we hadn't disturbed you too much, but it seemed our spotter thought you were in distress...though, I must say, rather bold of you to be swimming around in this kind of temperature..."

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Unsure what the incoming ship was about to do she wondered if it was best to dive as fast and as deep as she could in order to have a chance at survival. Luckily, she didn’t opt for that, or the dwarf would have never been able to get his hands on her and she would have vanished beneath the waves forever.

Now she sat there, on the wood, wet and cold, wondering what in the world she had gotten herself into. At least she wasn’t dead. That in itself made things better. The blanket added to that comfort while she quietly looked around. Various species were assembled on the deck. Apparently this was some sort of company that didn’t care for what race you were or where you came from. A good thing, probably, for she too wasn’t human. Aside from that, there was the opportunity to commit the various scents to mind, so she could later, hopefully, use it to her advantage. That, of course, meant she couldn’t die on this ship here.

The waves crashed against the hull, and Mika found herself sliding a bit to the side. Having never been on a ship this huge she wasn’t sure if this was normal, but the lack of reaction or panic from the cheering and joking crew around her convinced her that all was well. At least with the ship’s balance. Her own was rather awkward as she got up from the deck. Sitting felt vulnerable when surrounded by strangers. Standing, however, was hard right now. She tightened the blanket around her, watching the captain from nearby.

“The name is Mikaela, and thank you for bringing me on board so skillfully.”

At the end she had turned to the man named Twoaxe, nodding politely. Cautious about what they would want from her in return, she tried to imagine what she would have to do should they strike. Her best chance would probably be to “kidnap” the captain. Surely they would be careful if she was to put a knife to his throat. Unfortunately she had no knife, so for now she could only hope that none of them bore ill intentions toward Nordenfiir.

“May I ask where you are heading to, captain?”

Better to make conversation and follow his lead, she decided while realizing that the blanket she had received had turned into a drenched towel. The wind was still cold, it cut into her skin even through the various layers of soaked clothing. The satchel she had been holding onto was near her feet, almost forgotten. It held nothing she could use right now, though.

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"Perhaps...but you have two ask behind you to thank..." The captain nodded, as he removed a hand from his back to indicate towards the dwarf that had picked her up.

"Aye, ain't na trouble, 'tis the least I could do for a coldfoot, haha." Twoaxe gave a shrugged, bearing a toothy smile, before patting the girl on the back. This caused a few chuckles and murmurs to ring through the gathered crowed, but the Captain brought his hand up once more to quiet them. The captain's attention hadn't flinched from the girl, as the grin on his face only widened.

"Madame, you ask where are we going...indeed, where are we going lads?" The captain took a step to his side, as he look to the ship's crew bustling all around them. "Elbion!" A unisoned shout echoed throughout the ship, as many stopped momentarily to respond to their captain's question, there answered louder then the crashing of the waves.

"Very good lads!...Elbion...Home of magic, merchants...and depending of whom you ask, a healthy does of madness as well..." The captain chuckled as he brought his hands behind his back, stepping back in front of Mikaela, but still looking to his crew. "Well done, well done...you have all exercised your ability to memorize...now, back to your stations if you please...all of you..."

Upon giving casual order, some of the members of the crowed, while others gave a shrug. There was still more conversation, but the crowed slowly began to disperse...as activity upon the ship resumed, and all that was left idle was the Captain and the girl in front of him.

"Thank you Twoaxe..." The captain nodded, as he glanced over to the dwarf with somthing of a sly grin.

"Ya owe me five coin." Twoaxe laughed, taking his hand off of the girl and pointed it to the captain, before walking off to attend to his duties...whatever that was.

"...hmhm...that I do..." Another chuckle, as the captain looked to the ground. Despite owing money, he seemed to be in a rather cheerful mood. All of the crew really, despite what some might have considered to be the freezing conditions that the nearby tundra provided.

"I hope that answers all your questions..." The captain said, looking up to the girl that they had just rescued, a kind yet cheeky smile....there was somthing to him that was rather contradictory...a man dressed so elegantly...yet had the airs of a thief and a...scholar? "...but if not, well...I always like a good challenge when it comes to trivia..."

Regardless, the Captain would bring a hand forth, indicating for the young women to follow. "But perhaps that, let's first get you out of those clothes before suffer from hypothermia..somthing warm would probably help...follow me, if you will..."

The captain performed an about face, before stepping in the direction of the ship's stern...expecting the girl to follow behind or besides....

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Unfamiliar with the place they had named she felt a wave of worry. Being curious by nature Mikaela had always tried to memorize as many maps as she could. Her knowledge reached beyond the Spine, but Elbion was not a place she had committed to memory. It raised a lot of different question. Ones she would try to find an answer to once her shivering would stop. The latter was the main reason why she quickly followed .. she hadn’t quite caught his name. That she wanted to know now.

“Excuse me,” a shiver, the wind really tore through the soaked layers. “do you have a name?”

A quick step or two left her walking beside him. The sailing of the ship still had her struggle to keep balance. The wet clothes together with the blanket didn’t make any of that easier. Stubborn as she was the young Nordenfiir tried not to show it. She certainly wouldn’t complain about it.

“You seem to have quite the crew.” a chuckle made it obvious that she didn’t mean it in a bad way. In fact, she was really curious about everyone on board. Going by their reaction uptil now they weren’t going to be hostile toward her. As long as it would remain that way, she might get to learn a couple of things about outsiders and where they came from.

“Is this,” she mentioned toward her soaked frame with an amused look and a simple gesture. “the way you usually find them?”

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"Hmhm...not usually, as unfortunate as it is..." The captain chuckled, as he turned his head to watch as some of his some of his crew members began scaling the rigging. "No....my crew and I tend to share one thing in common..."

Maintaining his grin, the Captain began rolling up his sleeves slightly to reveal an iron brace; except if one took a closer look, they'd be able to tell that the bracket was actually a broken shackle, the iron hammered into a smoothness with no chains attached.

"We were founded in chains...slavery, if that wasn't too clear..." The captain maintained his smile, but his eyes soften a little as he gazed over what was once his shackles. It had been a long time indeed since he himself broke those chains. "...but now, we're freemen...well, technically fugitives...but...not many nations would take demands from pirates seriously...hmhm"

A small chuckle, as the captain began rolling down his sleeves. Nearly every single crew member of the Magnificent Liberator was once collared to the destiny of their former master...but this...all of this.. gave them purpose....to laugh...to challenge....and to fight like mad dogs.

"As for my name, young lass....I do happen to have one...as, I assume, so do you..." The captain nodded to the girl, smiled, then gave a rather dramatic bow. "...Captain Zufar el Hassan of the Magnificent Liberator...a pleasure to be of your acquaintance."

A sly grin on his face, as the captain peaked up at her reaction. Oh how he did like being theatrical.

"Elizabeth!~" Zufar called out, as he glanced to his side. One of the human female pirates, making her way down to the main deck, looked up. Apparently this one was called "Elizabeth", she was about the same size as Mikaela.

"Aye, cap'n" She responded curtly, a sly smile on her face and now a hand on her hips.

"If you could be a deary and lend our guest here a set of your clothes, I'd be most grateful." The captain nodded, looking back to Mikaela. "Wouldn't want our guest to freeze to death on our deck, now would we?"

"No sir, we wouldna want dat..." The women grinned, cocking her head. "...I'll get on it right away, cap'n"

"Thank you..." The captain closed his eyes, as the female pirate left to accomplish the task. He'd soon open his eyes, tilting his head. "...let's go inside...get you actually warmed up, instead of standing here in the cold...least you prefer it?"

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

The moment her eyes met the sight of the iron around his wrist she knew enough. All of them had once been robbed of their freedom. That, or born into slavery. The news revealed to her so casually left her with a different, more positive, view on the man and his crew. Even as he mentioned them being pirates, she sort of understood where they were coming from. For people with no past and a fragile future very little was left to do but make their own destinies. Apparently that’s what they were doing here. She couldn’t disapprove of that. As long as they left the Nordenfiir alone. She had to be honest there, should they attack her home she wouldn’t hesitate to fight them, but, as it was now, she hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. Especially not because they were heading to a place she had no knowledge of.

“Zufar, if you don’t mind me calling you that?” she briefly stopped, then followed him inside. “I do like the cold, but this is slightly too much even to my liking.” Certainly when being soaked from spending quite some time in the sea. Her limbs were still a little stiff. Luckily the bear blood in her veins was working its magic, warming her up nicely.

Carefully placing the blanket on the first bench she noticed, Mika added the heavy jacket she wore. Now she only had to wait for Elizabeth to bring her something and show her a spot she could use to change fully. If he expected her to change in front of him, well, the least she would give him would be a broken nose. She would certainly go for giving him death, though.

“Elbion was mentioned, I do not know of such a place. Would you mind showing it to me on a map?” she wondered aloud, enjoying the warm air sinking into the thinner layers of her clothing.

Once Elizabeth appeared, Mika carefully took the clothing. “You have my gratitude,” she let the woman know. Then asked the obvious question. “Where can I get changed?”

It wouldn't take her long, and she planned to bring the wet clothes with her unless Elizabeth knew a spot where they could dry.

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"Meh, go ahead, I've no qualms with whatever you call me...there's only a few certain people in this world I would firmly request that they use the title...your not one of them..." There was the grin again, as said Captain cracked open a door and allowed Mikaele to enter. It was clear that they had just entered what looked to be a captain's quarters, as the room seemed rather finely put together then the deck appeared to. But even then, one could tell that the foundation of the room was one commandeered by the Captain and his crew; any addition to the room was widely out of place compared to it's foundation, from the incense hanging off the ceiling to the carpeted rug. One thing was certain though, the Captain sure had quite a collection of books.

Seemed rather fitting, really, to man such as Zufar.

"...Changing screen's back there..." The captain said, tilting his head towards the back of the room. Sure enough there was a screen set up for the purpose. "...don't worry I won't peak..."

Elizabeth had brought Mikaela what had essentially been a white undershirt and a pair of breeches, along with a coat for the cold.

The captain proceeded to take a seat on a nearby Chaise lounge in the room, leaning back and laying across it with his hands folded behind his had.

As much as the situation could of suggested otherwise, Zufar kept to his word and his honor. When Mika finally came out, she would spot the Captain with his eyes closed, as if he was taking a nap.

"Done?" The man said, opening his eyes casually, maintaining a slight grin as he did. If she was done changing, the captain would push himself off the furnishing. Bringing his legs about to a sitting position, he now looked at her from a sitting position.

"I suppose I can't say I'm overly surprised that you've never heard of Elbion...though it's one of the larger trading ports this side of the ocean..." The captain started, his expression had become thoughtful, yet it continued to remain rather cheery. "...But, it's easy for the world to be so small when all you can travel is a few meters from you live...come..."

Abruptly the captain pushed himself up, indicating for her to follow. Where was he going? Perhaps that map on the wall was a good indication. Somewhere along the way from his seat to the map, Zufar had produced a knife from his coat, and was now smoothing a finger over it. His concentration, however, was still on the map.

"See that island on the right side corner?" Zufar said, tilting his head forward, his eyes on the continent of the tundra...before using the knife to point to a dot marked Nordenfiir. "We've shoved off from Nordenfir not too long ago...In fact, we're still sailing near the cost of Eretejva...Elbion on the other hand..."

Taking a step back and retracting the blade tip, Zufar's eyes began drifiting left of the map, lowering it's attitude just slightly. When he was sure of what he was looking at, the captain slowly tossed the blade forward, allowing it to fly out of his hand and soar through the air. The knife would soon impal itself upon a spot on the larger continent. Underneath the blade, was a marker that said "Elbion".

"...there...that be our destination...quite a fair distance away, isn't it?" Zufar chuckled, as he glanced to Mikaela to see her reaction. 'Now...judging from what you wore when we dragged you out of the ocean, you probably live around these parts...don't ye?"

Zufar paused a moment, listening for a moment at the girl's response, hands finding their way back behind himself. Things like these happened, people get thrown to the goddess of the seas for whatever reason, it was only common for air-dwellers to help each other out...

"In any case...we can drop you off at the next port we come across..." Zufar beamed, his words sounded genuine enough. But as he mentioned dropping her off, Zufar looked back to the map, bringing a hand up to rub his chin...a look of concern had suddenly washed over his face as he examined the map closer.

"Though...it may have to be quick drop-off...we're in a bit of a hurry you see...and while we're more then happy to pick up anyone lost at see...we've lost quite a lot of time picking you up..."

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

The scent of washed clothes was welcomed, even though it was still slightly mixed with the human’s who had given them to her. She would get used to it fast. Especially with so many others surrounding her. Quickly changing behind the screens Zufar had pointed at she took a moment to enjoy the newfound warmth. Now that the fabric wasn’t clinging to her skin, everything felt a bit more pleasant. She let herself enjoy it for a couple of more seconds before stepping back into the actual room. Her own stuff was added to the chair where the jacket was placed before. She made a neat pile, but knew another spot had to be found for them to properly dry.

Curious about Elbion she let that matter rest for now and headed toward the enormous map. When his knife flew she arched an eyebrow. He had the skills of a hunter, but she felt bad for the map. Something so precious, in her eyes, shouldn’t be handled the way it was. But that wasn’t the main problem here. From the distance shown on the map it was no wonder she had no idea about Elbion. It was thousands and thousands of miles away from home. The idea shook her.

Tracing the sea between her home and Elbion she wondered where the next port would be. Surely they wouldn’t head south now. Taking the northern route would bring them to their destination faster. He had mentioned them being in a hurry. So her landing would be somewhere in the Blightlands it would seem. That’s assuming they wouldn’t mind docking near the Orcs. From rumors she knew that Molthal wasn’t a welcoming place. Perhaps those rumors were untrue, but still, depending on what the crew and the captain believed, Gulf of Ryt might be a bad option. That would bring her even further from home. Maybe to Bhathairk, a place she had only vaguely heard of before.

“Are there smaller ports between these two?” She wanted to know, showing him the spots she had been thinking about. Hopefully some smaller port villages hadn’t been mentioned. Hopefully he knew of them.

“Before the Spine would be splendid. If possible, of course.”

She was glad to be alive. Finding her way home would be a journey, but she would make it because there was no way to demand from a kind hearted stranger to bring her back. Should they drop her somewhere near the Blighted plateau, well, she would investigate the Bightlands and see where that road would lead her.

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"Hmhm, plenty of potential ports between here and our destination that we can quickly dock at." The captain nodded, leaning against the wall next to the map. "We might be away from Eretejva, but we've yet to travel that far along the Blightlands...if your willing to bear with us, that is...we may able to find a bigger port with a ship sailing back to Eret..."*FWOMP*

The door to the cabin was suddenly flown open, as shouting noise soon flooded in from the outside. A simple glance to the door would reveal a massive orc standing at the door. Behind him, people were rushing back and forth.

"Kap'n!" His rough cockny accent piereced through the commotion, as his good eye was focused on his captain. "...you'z wantz ta see diz, we'z gotz companiez!"

Zufar glanced back to Mikaela, before breaking into a brisk jog towards the door, as the orc allowed the two to exit. Upon leaving the cabin, both the Captain and the girl would realize a good deal of the crew were looking towards the starboard.

The captain wasted not a breath, taking to the nearby stairwell to the helm, pausing as he brought his hands up to shield his eyes from the sun. A moment later, his hand fell into his coat pocket...retrieving what looked to be a cylinder looking object....a sailor's spyglass! To which Zufar unfolded and brought up to eye level, all the while maintaining a calm yet serious demeanor.

"That seems about right..." Zufar muttered, even as his crew around him were hollering and shouting...just as he lowered his spyglass...but continued to gaze in the direction that the had previously been looking towards. It may have been clear whom it was, but this much was certain for anyone looking in the same direction: There was another ship bobbing along the waves.

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

Being glad with the news of there being multiple ports would be an understatement. The further away from home she sailed the longer it would take her to get back. His words gave her hope that her people wouldn’t assume her to be dead. To make sure she knew where they were heading and what lay between those spots on the map, she carefully studied it. A part of her was ready to ask him whether she would be allowed to draw it, the map, for future use, but then her train of thoughts got abruptly disturbed by someone barging into the room.

Mere moments later the two were outside. Zufar was already on the look out. Mika, a bit lost and somewhat wobbly on the deck, tried to peer through the northern sun and see what was on the horizon. Something small, but it was getting bigger. So that’s what they meant by company.

“Foe or friend?” she wanted to know, appearing next to Zufar. “I need a blade,” was the next thing she said, eyes still trying to get a good look on the ship coming closer by the second. It grew on the horizon, but she knew nothing about flags, sails, or any other markings ships used as signs to communicate.

“A sword would be best, unless you have a spear. That will do as well.”

Because she really didn’t want to be unprepared should things get rough. One thing was fight in a hand-to-hand combat with one opponent, but right now she doubted a fight would be any sorts of fair. If those were another type of pirates, a ship full of sailors ready to robb, or simply out to kill others.. In the end it was all the same. They had to defend against the strangers. Unless they were to die by blade or through drowning. Neither seemed appealing. Especially not when she had just been saved after lingering on the brink of death in the cold water.

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"Hmhm...I suppose it depends on your perspective..." Zufar quietly chuckled to himself, a smile was reaffirming itself onto the Captain's face, even given the alarmedness of all those around him. "Pirate hunters from Cerak At'Thul...an island of pirates, in case you didn't know...and yes, the irony isn't lost on me either."

Clasping his spyglass and putting away, the Captin would then turn to the rest of his crew, many of whom were also trying to see what was upon the horizon.

"I'm probably a bit late to the party on this, but...if you all will please...battlestations everyone." The Captain calmly to those whom had crowded alongside the ship's railing. Those who took the order sprung into action, pushing themselves off to their assignments...just as the captain looked to the horizon once more.

It was clear from the movement on deck that everyone was preparing for combat; catapults were being cocked into position while on-deck ballistas were being loaded with bolts. Up above, crew members were working the sails, calling out to each other about move this or loading that.

"We're going to try to out run them, if we can...wind's to a back and we still have some distance between ourselves...worse comes to worse, we'll slug it out...but I'd rather we not, least not this early into our voyage." Zufar began rubbing his chin, as if contemplating a course of action. In a moment, he turned to look at Mikaela, a calm grin still on his face. "Weapon's rack's next to the cabin door...take whatever weapon suits you...just make sure to tell TwoAxe about it when you see him. The dwarf's our quatermaster, and he gets real stickly when weapons seemingly go missing..."

With that, Zufar once more turned to contemplation at their current situation. If Mikaela were to look, she'd easily spot said weapons rack; it was held cutlasses and boarding pikes, but it also held more traditional weapons, such as an axe or shield. Any common weapon she could think of...she most likely could have requisitioned from these stores...

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

The name only rung a bell because she’s just seen it on the map in the Captain’s quarters. Apart from the newly gained information regarding it being an island of pirates.. well, she knew nothing about the place or its inhabitants. What she did know, however, was that things were about to turn dire. Zufar’s words only underlined the incoming trouble. A bitter grimace crossed the Nordenfiir’s pale face. Her muscles had barely managed to recover from the cold water and she would be pushing them to their limits already. At least she was allowed to have a weapon or two. That much was appreciated. It also caused her to feel more of a guest than a potential prisoner of sorts.

Finding the rack wasn’t a huge of a task. She picked two blades, a standard and a shorter one. Being used to fighting with a dagger that one felt quite familiar. The other one was a weapon she had worked less with but still knew how to use properly. No sight of the dwarf, so he would have to hear about it a bit later. Right now it was time to get ready for the worst case scenario.

“No shield, don’t think it’ll help if a rock is about to hit you from that far.” she laughed, a bit nervous perhaps, but still fairly excited. A fight was something her people didn’t turn down. They were taught how to survive from the moment they were just tiny cubs. The swinging of blades and cracking bones ran through their veins.

“Tell me a bit more about them, while we have time.”

Sticking to Zufar’s side she felt tempted to ask for his spyglass to get a better look on the other ship. Perhaps even get a glimpse of the crew. Of course she wondered whether they would be a mixture of various races as well or a homogeneous crew of Cerak At’ Thul inhabitants.

“What’s their fighting style? And is there magic involved?”

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"You'd be surprise...if you survive the rock, it might come in handy when all the arrows and harpoons come flying..." Zufar said, not skipping a beat, not blinking for a moment. It was clear to him the battle order, and as the ships advanced along the waves, it was starting to become clear what they were facing. "...As for our enemies...hard to tell exactly what their ships are armed with, especially those from Cerak At'Thul...though there are patterns among ship classes...where they're from...who's crewing the vessels...seems this time we've got two frigates...and a Brig..."

Zufar paused after that thought, his face was still as thoughtful as every.

"...looks to be Alleria origin, but they're flying the Cerak flag...crewed by humans, mostly...which means the biggest problem where gonna have is their ballestias and numbers...might have mages...though couldn't tell you what kind until they start flinging their fun stuff...Damn...it seems they really want my head this time...least to follow me all the way here..."

Letting out a grimace, the captain quickly began moving up the stairs and to the side of the helmsmen. Setting a hand to the railing, the captain took a deep breath...further sizing up the situation...before letting out it all out...that signature grin making itself known on his face.

He was now looking down to the deck, seeing that the catapult crews were ready, gave a curt nod to Twoaxe standing in-between the crews. The dwarf gave somthing of a devilish smile, turning in the direction of the incoming vessels, he raised a hand into the air...

"Catapults! Readay!" The dwraf's voice echoed, as the crew members confirmed with a yelling cheer. "Fiyraaaa!"

Within the next moment of the command, the three deck-mounted catapults launched their payload. It was a wonder why they did so, as the incoming ships were still very well out of range of any projectile, but it soon became clear...as those projectiles...began trailing smoke. Those were barrels being flung soon landed in the water, bobbing up and forth, yet they continued to release spoke into the air in-between the fleet and the ship they stood on.

Yelling from the top-deck would indicate that the catapults were being reloaded, as men were rolling similar barrels into place. Despite the fact that men were arming the vessel's artillery, they were currently deploying what seemed to be a smokescreen...

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

At first she thought they would try to bomb the other ship. Unsure how far those things would fly, she waited to see whether they would make it. Excitement was rushing through her veins now. There were new things to be discovered here, especially when the barrels landed in the sea without any of the crew members feeling disappointed about it. They were never supposed to hit the target. The captain planned to hide, she noticed with great interest. Quickly assuming they might turn to hit the ship from the side Mika hoped to live long enough to implement some of these tactics at home. Surely the Queen would find it interesting to strengthen their ports and the capital. Not that the latter was vulnerable. Placed on top of a cliff one could only take it from the land. No barrel or canon would be able to fly high enough to hit the city.

“Will we hit them with canons or do we sail closer? I mean..” she paused, figuring it wasn’t a bad thing to share her thoughts now. “If they’re really following you, you’ll have to make sure they sink.”

Here, in the open, they wouldn’t be able to hide. Besides, she doubted Zufar would leave his ship behind to fall into the hands of his enemies. Speaking of… “Why do they want your head so badly?”

Pirates and pirates.. weren’t they supposed to sort of get along? Had he stolen from them? Was there no code of honor amongst them?

The Nordenfiir looked a little bit confused. This ship was the first pirate ship she’s been on. The crew was the first bunch of pirates she’s ever met. Whatever Zufar would say about their way of life she would ‘believe’. Of course, whenever presented with the opportunity to test his words she would certainly try to compare, but right now, his view on pirates was the only thing she had.

“Perhaps..” the longer sword was put back. “I’ll go with this bow.”

This way she would be able to take out mages should there be any, if she was fast enough and they got distracted. It would be a hunt of sorts, before it would become a battle.

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"Hah! I do enjoy coming out of 1-to-3 fight on the winning end..." The captain laughed outloud at her spirit. It was good to have a warrior on-board, least she'd be handy in a fight. Not that Zufar was planning on leading a suicidal charge, least not at that moment. "...but I love it even more when it's on my terms...if we engage right this instance, we give control of our battlefield to our current opponents. They out number us already, and while this vessel is fast, our voyage is still long...I'd rather not risk needless causalities this early on."

Her destination might have pulled up faster on the map, but Zufar was looking at the broader picture. If they were to get all battered up in a reckless charge forward, what would it mean if they came across another such fleet later down the line?

But then...the little one asked of their opponent's intent...which seemed to make the captain go all grim.

"Well for one, I've a bounty on my head that only pirates will honor...for another, I've somthing rather valuable under these decks...so, they're either after one or another..." It was quite a statement to make, espically considering the circumstances, he was putting her life in danger. But it was not somthing he could be helped, Zufar was the "Bane of Chains", so that meant pissing in someone's bowl...an act that he quite enjoyed, but it was circumstances like this that made the Captain wish that these fellows would simply take a hike. "We're going try to avoid a confrontation as long as possible...however, you are correct in your assumptions... if we're too drop you off anywhere safe, we're going need to get them off our backs...sinking them might be our only option at the moment...but that wouldn't change how we do it...Navigator!"

Upon calling forth the title, a sharkman leaped up the stairs, presenting himself with another casual salute, bearing his teeth in a bit of a grin.

"Tell me, Ripper, if I read the charter maps correctly...there should be a set of rock formation not far South-West of our position..." Zufar leaned in, confirming somthing he had already knew in his mind with his trusted specialist.

"That'z 'correct bozz'" The sharkman nodded, as he pointed towards the mainland, away from all the smoke. "My couzin' zaid dat there iz a number of narrow openingz we kan bait them in...it'll also give uz cova'"

"Thank you, Ripper. Tell your cousin to be on standby. We may need him to stall some of those ships." The navigator nodded, presenting the rose of sharp teeth, before hurrying back down the stairs of the helm. "Helmsmen, bring us fifteen degrees South-East. I want the winds to our sail..."

Zufar proceeded to call out a number of commands to his crew, as they scrambled to get the ship into full order...even as the catapults continue to launch the smoking barrels.They were preparing to make a run for it, though what was the captain planning?...

 

[Mikaela Ryurik]

His way of thinking made sense. It was best to make sure that there were as little casualties as was possible. Of course that left Mika with the question of how they would succeed in that. Luckily the man in front of her was a capable captain and seemed to have a plan at hand. Mike, entirely unfamiliar with this type of battle, would follow him. As if there was a lot of choice to be made aside from jumping into the water. And even then, if a coward would do that, chances were real the ship behind them would drag them out of the water. So, in that case, should you not drown you surely would be put if not tortured to death by the others.

Shifting to the side she made room for the shark. His appearance had her curious. The mentioning of a cousin knowing something more about than what met the eye had her questioning whether his cousin was on board or beneath the water. Not that it mattered quite much, for now they had a plan, and an advantage. She wondered if they would be able to maneuver between the rocks without damaging the bottom of the ship. If so, the others might be less lucky. That would certainly solve their problem. Mike made a mental note of the sharkman, and the idea of his people being quite close to her land.

“What if they manage to dodge the rocks?” Came the obvious question. Things had been going quick for Mike, so she wasn’t quite sure if she was posing the right one, but needed to know more regardless. Either he would correct her train of thoughts or he would explain. She didn’t mind either as the wind blew into their sails.

* * *​

 

[Zufar el Hassan]

"That's almost inevitable..." Zufar said, his eyes shifting to and about the shift, making sure that the ship was operating at it's max efficiency...as the crew followed his orders, and the ship begun to swing forward to parrlel the smoke. "...we're not expecting to capsize them on the terrain along...that be great, but if they're crews and captains are worth any salt, then this shouldn't be a problem."

The captain spouted out the information in such a matter-of-fact tone that you wouldn't have guessed he was speaking of approaching enemy ships. But there was some form of tactical logic to it, you could almost see the caculations being made with the information presented.

"Keeping group cohesion, on the other hand, now that would be difficult with such narrow corridors...and there in lies the key to our victory." Zufar turned to Mikaela, another sly grin on his face and a hand now rubbing his chin. "There's a good chance we might get outflanked if we engaged them so head on...but if we can break up their formation, isolate them and close with them individually, we can force a quick victory over each ship while minimizing the risk of our own vessel being outflanked."

"This vessel, Magnificent Liberator, she can outrun and outmaneuver our opponents easy enough...and with fighters like you, we have the advantage in hand-to-hand combat. The key to victory here today is to press home those two advantages whilst preserving our force..." Eyes were now shifting to the smoke, as his expression began to mellow out into one of contemplation. "...afterall, for us on the seas and indeed for us living the joy of life, this is just but one of many battles we must endure. Be a pity to be burnt out so early."