Adrift Amongst Silver Waves

[Sinsystems]

The old man let out a deep breath sigh and turned around opening a small filing cabinet. He shuffles around a small ground papers before eventually handing a single piece to you. The contract is actually fairly simple it goes over some basic rules like not attacking other contestants out side of the pit, no drugs or nuclear devices in the pit, and no chemical weapons there was also several smaller pieces that seemed to be for indiviual species like vampires, ghouls, and werewolves mostly involving infection or something along those lines.

And at the bottom of the page you see a small clause: Payment will depend upon the fight. More difficulty equals more payment.

You look down and the old man is once again holding out his hand. Palm up as if asking for your hand.

Click to shrink...

I scanned the contract double checking that there wasn't anything fishy going on, before with a smile I extended my hand "Alright then, sign me up." I said with a smile on my face, the anticipation of the upcoming battle being shared by my team "Let's have some fun, my team of 5 against anyone you choose."

 

[Lazy Coyote]

He'd seen things. Done things, things that would have broken or changed any other bat.

He'd stood in front of Cama Zotz and laughed, spat in the face of the vampire bat king, and engaged in the most damning act for bat kind, eating the flesh of another bat.

He'd been through a lot. Still, he shivered despite himself at the sense of wrongwrongwrong that his brain screamed at him for shaking this thing's hand.

But hey, he hadn't gotten this far by following his bat instincts, why would he start now? So he put on a smile and forcefully relaxed his muscles.

First impressions were everything after all.

"I prefer the term Fuzzy."

 

[Estro]

The Earthbreaker eventually looks up at Karen, She smiles and for the first time since you've met her, her smile is one of genuine joy. " I accept your terms Karen Mellisar," she grips the token until she causes it to break the skin spilling her blood upon it. "And thus the terms are made." You feel...something seemingly connect to your navel and you feel something you can't identifty it seems similair to a devils kiss but as she drops you and tucks the token into the front of the red sash at her waist you are able to see on the back of you right hand is a small red tattoo in the same shape as the sun on the token. "Now Go Little One. You have much do to and Far to grow if you ever wish to defeat me." She turns and in a single step disappears.

Click to shrink...

Karen stayed on the sand, catching her breath, for a while after the failure left. Her breath regained, she spent a good ten minutes using the surface of one of the obsidian pillars to straighten her dress, until she once again deemed herself fit for public viewing With a bounding stride, she jumped back into the seating, faint scorch marks marking her landing as the eternal flame within her bubbled up.

Crossing back into the town, she wandered up and down the street a few times, considering her next move. She would need leave this place soon - for one, she lacked the token that supposedly allowed her residence here - but Karen also needed to find new people. New tests. New philosophies, although the latter was good only for breaking. But the current duties of the ship were busysome and would leave her little time to train and hone herself.

Satisfied with her own logic, she found a likely looking shop for the practice of diablarie - the masking and naming of devils - and went inside the cottege, her feet still as bare as ever.

 

[AlphaD]

Francis Drake
On a FLYING BOTE
OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO

---

"My name is Setzer Gabbiani, airship extraordinaire and master gambler, currently lacking in the air portion of that title though. I'm glad to see my assessment wasn't incorrect from so far away," I say with a smile. "The only problem, that I know of, if that my flight engines aren't working. The sea engines should be fine, if luck is on my side."

Click to shrink...

Drake laughs heartily at the man's predicament. It was not a mean-spirited laugh of course but rather, a friendly laugh just because the situation demanded it somehow.

"Aye, so you're stuck sailing the waters for now ain'tcha?" She smiled at the man, Setzer, and glanced around to inspect the condition of the ship. All in all, it seemed fine to her untrained eye. The balloon was inflated, the ship itself seemed unharmed... Definitely a technical problem with the flight engines then.

"Hmm... Well, I don't want to burst your bubble or anything but I've no knowledge of how to repair a zeppelin..." She shrugged helplessly as she walked beside him and put a hand on the railing of the ship and smirked at Setzer "... let alone an engine for a beauty like yours."

As Francis makes the jump from her ship to the next she gets a better look at the sea in between the two ships. What had first appears to be one large serpent was now more easily seen to be several large serpents moving over and coilng around each other.

Click to shrink...

"... But, ah.. maybe we should wait until we're in safer waters before attempting to repair your flight engine...?" Drake offered as she turned to eye the gathering serpents beneath the water. "It seems like our friend... friends?... are getting agitated."

She had never seen such a phantasmal beast before, and the Grail was providing her with no knowledge of this particular one. Then again, there had been plenty of weird occurrences and outliers today.

"... Mmm... I wonder... if we tame one, do we tame the whole collective...?" She mused idly to herself, a grin growing on her face.

"Sorry to drag you all the way over here for that...what do you go by?"

Click to shrink...

She was shaken out of her musings by the man's question. Her name...?

Giving out her name could potentially be dangerous. To a Servant, names were power after all. One could easily use a Servant's name to discover their legend and subsequently, more information about them and their possible Noble Phantasms. It was even more dangerous for Servants with particular weaknesses.

Even the mightiest can be laid low. Achilles certainly proved that.

But... Was this even a Grail War? This land that she had been summoned to was... strange. The water was red, the Golden Hind was now a physical object although she sensed that it still retained some of its magical properties. She felt weakened somehow and despite the fact that she obviously had no Master and thus, no anchor to the world, she could clearly sense that her mana wasn't being drained as fast as it should be.

The laws were completely different here... and... well...

She kinda liked this man. He was friendly which was always a bonus, and he seemed interesting. Not to mention the fact that zeppelins... weren't exactly what she was standing on right now. Oh sure, it might have similarities to a zeppelin but it was painfully clear that this was more of a traditional airship... like from fantasy books or something.

How utterly bizarre... and interesting! This situation practically smelled like an adventure.

"... It's Drake. Francis Drake." Drake finally responded and she bowed with a flourish.

"English sea captain. Privateer and according to a few, pirate, scumbag and scourge of the seas!" She laughed heartily, straightening up and fixing Setzer with a grin.

"Pleasure to meet ya, Setzer!"

 

[See my smile]

I scanned the double contract checking that there wasn't anything fishy going on, before with a smile I extended my hand "Alright then, sign me up." I said with a smile on my face, the anticipation of the upcoming battle being shared by my team "Let's have some fun, my team of 5 against anyone you choose."

Click to shrink...

The second you hand touches his you feel a light pinch and instinctively pull your hand back. You look down and see the man taking the contract and dropping a small red drop of something on it. In an instant, your name in your handwriting fades into view. Once it completes, the man looks at it for a moment and then points to a dark wooden door on the right side of his desk and then goes back to typing away on his small computer.

Avriel leaned back in his seat, giving a thoughtful "huh". He'd never been much for gambling of course, but he supposed that, given the circumstances, there was minimal harm in indulging the vice just this once. He tapped his leg and looked over the available drink. Not being particularly thirsty, he decided to wait until a fight began. Should the Trainer enter the field, he'd bet everything on the victory of the man's Pokemon. Seemed only fair to support the away team when he was the away team since he was new and such.

Click to shrink...

As you look over the drinks, you see a number of other menus along the top of the page. Most of them are related to Food or alcohol in some way but, the last one in the line is a different color and says "Tonights Entertainment."

"Well then... Not very friendly huh..." He set his ship on a collision course with the other boat; the only problem is it's a houseboat... does not travel that fast. "I'm gonna stretch my wings a bit, maybe its a ghost ship with loot or something, or an old dude with no radio..." Henry stepped outside and took in the salty air. Jumping about three feet into the air Henry floated for a bit stretching all his limbs at once. "Hehehe, I hope it's pirates. Pirates are fun to shoot." He shot forward flying at a leisurely pace of 30 Mph enjoying himself greatly. Wasn't every day you get to fly around open air without getting shot at, stupid government.... always ruining the fun. He made his way over to the other ship and noticed a slight tiring. "Even this is affected... Imma punch whoever threw me in here," he grumbled as he landed on the deck of the other ship out of breath. "Yo, Huff, Anyone alive? Maybe a zombie, or some ghosts huff." Henry paused and looked up.

Click to shrink...

There was someone there judging by the two men standing around a genuinely massive bell. One of them in long ornate robes carrying a large staff and chanting in a language you can't understand while the other one was larger and dressed in a pair of long dark coveralls and staring at you a large harpoon gun held loosely in his hands.

At the last sentence, Michael's face screwed up in evident confusion. The phrase seemed almost familiar, something about some incredibly stupid anti-chem commercials from the late 50's? He shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to switch from 'enigmatic' to 'English'?" The man asked, by his tone now clearly irritated.

Click to shrink...

The smile didn't disappear but, it lost whatever strange fondness that it initially had. "Oh, well then let me Clear the air so to speak." he holds his hand out, and a small mechanical calculator dropped into it. "This is a calculator...It's also a mental construct of your ability to do math." he holds it up for a second and then smashes it on the ground an-...You don't know math. You know the words but, they have no connection between them! Numbers are still there but, you can't count! He stands there that same smile on his face.

He'd seen things. Done things, things that would have broken or changed any other bat.

He'd stood in front of Cama Zotz and laughed, spat in the face of the vampire bat king, and engaged in the most damning act for bat kind, eating the flesh of another bat.

He'd been through a lot. Still, he shivered despite himself at the sense of wrongwrongwrong that his brain screamed at him for shaking this thing's hand.

But hey, he hadn't gotten this far by following his bat instincts, why would he start now? So he put on a smile and forcefully relaxed his muscles.

First impressions were everything after all.

"I prefer the term Fuzzy."

Click to shrink...

"Hehe, Oh, I am going to enjoy this." Mr. Chalks smile grows wider and then disappears into a faintly irritated looking line. "Well, that's my Que to leave. Remeber Fuzzy, I'm not the bad guy today." his smile is broad and disturbing, and then he's gone, and the world slowly darkens as Coyote see's true horror for a split second before he awakens. He awakens to the feeling of something small and hard bouncing off his left wing membrane.

Karen stayed on the sand, catching her breath, for a while after the failure left. Her breath regained, she spent a good ten minutes using the surface of one of the obsidian pillars to straighten her dress, until she once again deemed herself fit for public viewing With a bounding stride, she jumped back into the seating, faint scorch marks marking her landing as the eternal flame within her bubbled up.

Crossing back into the town, she wandered up and down the street a few times, considering her next move. She would need leave this place soon - for one, she lacked the token that supposedly allowed her residence here - but Karen also needed to find new people. New tests. New philosophies, although the latter was good only for breaking. But the current duties of the ship were busysome and would leave her little time to train and hone herself.

Satisfied with her own logic, she found a likely looking shop for the practice of diablerie - the masking and naming of devils - and went inside the cottage, her feet still as bare as ever.

Click to shrink...

As Karin opened the door to the shop, she finds a small room with several comfortable looking chairs and a small low counter with an equally small man. He was sitting on a little stool smoking a long ebony pipe and reading a large, seemingly patchwork, book. He glanced up Karin and then returned to his book. "What do you wént?" his tone is bored, and his accent is strange.

 

[Henryboy003]

There was someone there judging by the two men standing around a genuinely massive bell. One of them in long ornate robes carrying a large staff and chanting in a language you can't understand while the other one was larger and dressed in a pair of long dark coveralls and staring at you a large h

Click to shrink...

"Woah Woah woah! Friendly, I think. Put the harpoon gun down or imma have to pull my piece." Henry rotated around to show the pistol on his lower back and the sword on his right hip. He strengthened his aura just in case. "Now, can you explain to me where I actually am? And why these bells keep ringing?" He asked without waiting for an action.

 

[Lazy Coyote]

That was... not as bad as he feared, though admittedly he would be more on guard around the being if he encountered them again, they had flat out admitted that they might become enemies.

Though honestly, he probably wouldn't have told him if-Okay what the fuck is poking his wing!?

Coyote shifts his wing so he can glare over (under? Not really sure) at whatever is bouncing against his wing.

 

[Jhin Lemon]

Setzer Gabbiani
The Blackjack
Too many snakes

---

Francis Drake
On a FLYING BOTE
OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO

---

Drake laughs heartily at the man's predicament. It was not a mean-spirited laugh of course but rather, a friendly laugh just because the situation demanded it somehow.

"Aye, so you're stuck sailing the waters for now ain'tcha?" She smiled at the man, Setzer, and glanced around to inspect the condition of the ship. All in all, it seemed fine to her untrained eye. The balloon was inflated, the ship itself seemed unharmed... Definitely a technical problem with the flight engines then.

"Hmm... Well, I don't want to burst your bubble or anything but I've no knowledge of how to repair a zeppelin..." She shrugged helplessly as she walked beside him and put a hand on the railing of the ship and smirked at Setzer "... let alone an engine for a beauty like yours."



"... But, ah.. maybe we should wait until we're in safer waters before attempting to repair your flight engine...?" Drake offered as she turned to eye the gathering serpents beneath the water. "It seems like our friend... friends?... are getting agitated."

She had never seen such a phantasmal beast before, and the Grail was providing her with no knowledge of this particular one. Then again, there had been plenty of weird occurrences and outliers today.

"... Mmm... I wonder... if we tame one, do we tame the whole collective...?" She mused idly to herself, a grin growing on her face.



She was shaken out of her musings by the man's question. Her name...?

Giving out her name could potentially be dangerous. To a Servant, names were power after all. One could easily use a Servant's name to discover their legend and subsequently, more information about them and their possible Noble Phantasms. It was even more dangerous for Servants with particular weaknesses.

Even the mightiest can be laid low. Achilles certainly proved that.

But... Was this even a Grail War? This land that she had been summoned to was... strange. The water was red, the Golden Hind was now a physical object although she sensed that it still retained some of its magical properties. She felt weakened somehow and despite the fact that she obviously had no Master and thus, no anchor to the world, she could clearly sense that her mana wasn't being drained as fast as it should be.

The laws were completely different here... and... well...

She kinda liked this man. He was friendly which was always a bonus, and he seemed interesting. Not to mention the fact that zeppelins... weren't exactly what she was standing on right now. Oh sure, it might have similarities to a zeppelin but it was painfully clear that this was more of a traditional airship... like from fantasy books or something.

How utterly bizarre... and interesting! This situation practically smelled like an adventure.

"... It's Drake. Francis Drake." Drake finally responded and she bowed with a flourish.

"English sea captain. Privateer and according to a few, pirate, scumbag and scourge of the seas!" She laughed heartily, straightening up and fixing Setzer with a grin.

"Pleasure to meet ya, Setzer!"

Click to shrink...

"A pleasure to meet you too Francis," I reply, smiling at the compliment to my ship. I prepare to shoot one back when I remember something she said a few seconds before the introduction, "Wait, friends, plural?"

I look down into the water over the railing...that's definitely more than one snake monster thing, it is hard to tell from this angle, but there's no doubt about it. While I figure my odds against one of them is pretty good, especially with my new friend's help, I don't exactly favour our odds against this many. And one can only rely on Lady Luck so much before she gets annoyed.

"Much as I've enjoyed the time you've spent here, we should probably get a move on, before they decide to be more friendly than they already are," I say. Then I remember that Francis' ship is a sailing ship. "Can your ship move without the winds? If she can't I'm sure we could find some rope and tie our ships together."

@AlphaD

 

[Estro]

As Karin opened the door to the shop, she finds a small room with several comfortable looking chairs and a small low counter with an equally small man. He was sitting on a little stool smoking a long ebony pipe and reading a large, seemingly patchwork, book. He glanced up Karin and then returned to his book. "What do you wént?" his tone is bored, and his accent is strange.

Click to shrink...

Karen looked around the place, her nose wrinkling slightly at the smoke from the pipe.

"Do you have the materials for diablerie? Preferably by the Sallerin method, although I think I could use most other forms."

 

[EternalStruggle]

As you look over the drinks, you see a number of other menus along the top of the page. Most of them are related to Food or alcohol in some way but, the last one in the line is a different color and says "Tonights Entertainment."

Click to shrink...

Rubbing his hands in anticipation, the man presses the menu and gives it a good look-over, also trying to see if he could place bets from here. He should be able to, right? Either way, this would be a... good a start as any to this strange new world, he supposed.

 

[Sinsystems]

The second you hand touches his you feel a light pinch and instinctively pull your hand back. You look down and see the man taking the contract and dropping a small red drop of something on it. In an instant, your name in your handwriting fades into view. Once it completes, the man looks at it for a moment and then points to a dark wooden door on the right side of his desk and then goes back to typing away on his small computer.

Click to shrink...

I smile to the man "Pleasure doing business with you." I said before turning and walking towards the door, the excitement barely contained within me as my mind ran mile a minute concocting one battle strategy after another. "Here we go."

And with that I stepped through the doors.

 

[CCBubba]

Iwo Jima

The man, and it is a man now that you can see him more clearly, pushes of the edge of the shop and puts away a small knife and a vaguely person shaped block of wood and takes your hand in his. He is thin and fairly lanky, wearing a long dark blue cotton longcoat over a white undershirt, his hand is rough and covered in calluses. "
Well, M'am welcome aboawd the Monet." He gives your hand a shake and turns while saying. "well, chows in five so, we should get going if we want a good seat." His voice is a high lilting thing with an accent you can't quiet place.

Click to shrink...

I bow my head slightly as I speak to him. "Thank you for allowing me to eat with you. I'll follow you since I don't know the way." Realizing I don't know his name I decide to ask him. "I don't think I know your name?"

 

[CaesriusPolybius]

The smile didn't disappear but, it lost whatever strange fondness that it initially had. "Oh, well then let me Clear the air so to speak." he holds his hand out, and a small mechanical calculator dropped into it. "This is a calculator...It's also a mental construct of your ability to do math." he holds it up for a second and then smashes it on the ground an-...You don't know math. You know the words but, they have no connection between them! Numbers are still there but, you can't count! He stands there that same smile on his face.

Click to shrink...

As part of his mind snapped, a niggling feeling in Michael's mind erupted into full-blown panic. No, this wasn't a dream, maybe play nice with the man with a vice-grip on your cognitive functions?

His eyes as wide as they could go, Michael said, "Oh. I apologize. Please put that back?" his voice slightly quivering with some combination of unease and fear.

A moment later, a burst of clarity managed to breach his panic. His mind, his Domain. Hopefully. He began to focus, attempting to put the construct back together.

At the same time, another part of him began to call out to that odd insanity which came upon him from time to time - he had no idea how !SCIENCE! would react here, and honestly doubted that it would(would it even work without the ability to do simple math?!), but whatever synesthetic Carroll-esque Wonderland its assumption created could hardly be a worse scenario.

 

[AlphaD]

Francis Drake
Still on a non-functioning flying bote
'I want to ride one of them, damn it.'

---

"Much as I've enjoyed the time you've spent here, we should probably get a move on, before they decide to be more friendly than they already are,"

Click to shrink...

"Normally, I'd argue that we could probably take 'em but..." Drake knew the cannons on her Golden Hind, once properly invoked, were classified as an anti-army attack. However, that required the proper invocation of her Noble Phantasm. As they were now, they were just regular cannons... and she knew that it was probably overkill to use the Golden Wild Hunt on these overgrown snakes. Probably.

She was Francis Drake, she didn't do things by half measures!

... And she wasn't exactly sure she had the mana necessary to even survive using her Noble Phantasm. Safety concerns.

Drake eyed the serpents thrashing in the water thoughtfully "... Aye, I agree. For once, I'd say it's a good idea to turn tail and run."

Then I remember that Francis' ship is a sailing ship. "Can your ship move without the winds? If she can't I'm sure we could find some rope and tie our ships together."

Click to shrink...

"While she is a sailing ship, the Golden Hind isn't limited by the lack of wind. She can move whenever she damn pleases!" Drake boasted with a grin, planting her hands on her hips and looking somewhat smug at her ship's capabilities.

While the Golden Hind was now a physical object instead of just being her Noble Phantasm which was some kind of magical magicy thing she was unaware of, she knew instinctively that it had retained some of those mystical abilities.

But... ah...

"... She's not exactly as fast as your baby though." Drake admitted after a moment of self-indulgence. "Your rope idea has some merit but ah, we'd probably need to find something heavier."

She turned to face the railing, towards her own ship and sucked in a deep breath...

"OI! YE LAZY SCALLYWAGS, GET YOUR SORRY REARS UP TOP!" Drake bellowed towards the Golden Hind.

Silence reigned for a moment, punctuated by the sound of the waves and the slight breeze upon the sea. The moment passed, however, when a shimmery figure walked up from below deck on the Golden Hind. The figure was... a human, dressed like an ordinary sailor from the 16th century complete with a cutlass and a flintlock pistol. They would've passed for any ordinary human were it not for the slight shimmery effect surrounding the sailor.

Drake didn't hesitate, instead continuing to shout at the man on the Golden Hind's deck. "GO WAKE THE REST OF THE CREW. I KNOW YOU SORRY DOGS ARE SLEEPING IN BUT NOW'S THE TIME FOR ACTION! GO FIND ME SOMETHING LIKE... I DON'T KNOW... A CHAIN, LONG ENOUGH TO CONNECT OUR SHIPS."

The man didn't audibly respond but instead vanished below deck. Drake nodded with satisfaction.

"Hopefully, the crew will find something... if not, maybe your ship might have something onboard." She turned to face Setzer again, the usual laid-back grin upon her face once more.

"Ahhh... This is going to be the start of something great, I can feel it in my bones. If only we had some sort of rum to seal the deal." Drake laughed and clapped a hand on Setzer's shoulder.

 

[See my smile]

"Woah Woah woah! Friendly, I think. Put the harpoon gun down or imma have to pull my piece." Henry rotated around to show the pistol on his lower back and the sword on his right hip. He strengthened his aura just in case. "Now, can you explain to me where I actually am? And why these bells keep ringing?" He asked without waiting for an action.

Click to shrink...

The man's skin goes white and you see him start to motion frantically for you to stop. the man in the robs is chanting louder and louder, as the bell slowly starts to hover off of the ground in parallel with the chanting man's arms.

That was... not as bad as he feared, though admittedly he would be more on guard around the being if he encountered them again, they had flat out admitted that they might become enemies.

Though honestly, he probably wouldn't have told him if-Okay what the fuck is poking his wing!?

Coyote shifts his wing so he can glare over (under? Not really sure) at whatever is bouncing against his wing.

Click to shrink...

As Coyote looked down to see what had hit his wing he managed to catch sight of a small pebble just as it lightly struck him in the snout. Recovering from the blow he looked down to see a figure standing at the base of the tree looking up at Coyote. The figure was fairly tall and was wearing a set of long dark robes and a looking out of the hood as a dark cat-like face.

Spoiler

His face breaks into a friendly grin when he sees that you are awake. "Ah, This one is overjoyed that you have graced the land of the conscious again." His accent is one that you can't quite place.

Karen looked around the place, her nose wrinkling slightly at the smoke from the pipe.

"Do you have the materials for diablerie? Preferably by the Sallerin method, although I think I could use most other forms."

Click to shrink...

"Ai don't 'ave anytheng fair ze Sallairin method et évén if ai did ai wouldn't just let you wairk wiv eet." The small man turned a page in his book. "But, ai can summon et bind zum, fair a price of curse, only restrictions are no Pit Fiénds, Arch Devils, Ebon Devils, or Demonic entitees." He turns the page again, puts a bookmark in it, and turns to lean against the conter.

Rubbing his hands in anticipation, the man presses the menu and gives it a good look-over, also trying to see if he could place bets from here. He should be able to, right? Either way, this would be a... good a start as any to this strange new world, he supposed.

Click to shrink...

Pressing the menu "Tonights Entertainment." the screen flashes for a second and then two list's of names appear or, rather on one side of the page there is a long list of names and on the other, there is a single name: Hitch Barlow. Above it in red and gold letters is the title: "Champion of the Pit." On the other side there is a mix of names and titles, and at the top of the list there is the name of your companion.

I smile to the man "Pleasure doing business with you." I said before turning and walking towards the door, the excitement barely contained within me as my mind ran mile a minute concocting one battle strategy after another. "Here we go."

And with that I stepped through the doors.

Click to shrink...

And into a room that had around 15 people spread around in it. They're sitting around and making small talk or prepping weapons as occasionally glancing at a large clock on the wall a few of them look up as you walk in and two of them wave and then return to what they were doing. The clock reads, 6:52 pm

Iwo Jima
I bow my head slightly as I speak to him. "Thank you for allowing me to eat with you. I'll follow you since I don't know the way." Realizing I don't know his name I decided to ask him. "I don't think I know your name?"

Click to shrink...

"My names Ceat Ó Fionngan." He ducks into a hatch and walks down into the ship. You follow him into the bowels of the destroyer occasionally you pass by another sailor working on something or walking in the same direction as you are. You arrive at the what looks to be the mess hall and are greeted with a mass of sailors and a near wall of sound. Ceat turns to you and gestures to a table that has three people, two men, and one woman, sitting at it. "If you would take a seat, I'll get you a plate of food and Captain Farrow will be down in a moment to eat with you." Mr. Ó Fionngan gives you a slight bow as he says this.

As part of his mind snapped, a niggling feeling in Michael's mind erupted into full-blown panic. No, this wasn't a dream, maybe play nice with the man with a vice-grip on your cognitive functions?

His eyes as wide as they could go, Michael said, "Oh. I apologize. Please put that back?" his voice slightly quivering with some combination of unease and fear.

A moment later, a burst of clarity managed to breach his panic. His mind, his Domain. Hopefully. He began to focus, attempting to put the construct back together.

At the same time, another part of him began to call out to that odd insanity which came upon him from time to time - he had no idea how !SCIENCE! would react here, and honestly doubted that it would(would it even work without the ability to do simple math?!), but whatever synesthetic Carroll-esque Wonderland its assumption created could hardly be a worse scenario.

Click to shrink...

Mr. Chalk leaned against nothing, opened up a pocket watch, and almost conversationally said. "Well, would you look at the time. Have a Nice Day." He disappeared and your vision slowly went dark and you awaken lying on your bed with Mia shaking you looking extremely worried. You take moment and concentrate and one plus one equals two. You can do math again.

 

[EternalStruggle]

Pressing the menu "Tonights Entertainment." the screen flashes for a second and then two list's of names appear or, rather on one side of the page there is a long list of names and on the other, there is a single name: Hitch Barlow. Above it in red and gold letters is the title: "Champion of the Pit." On the other side there is a mix of names and titles, and at the top of the list there is the name of your companion.

Click to shrink...

Grinning and rubbing his hands yet further, Avriel immediately searches for the way to place bets on said companion with his apparent 500 complementary tokens or whatnot. If he was here he needed cash, and he saw no better way to get cash then bet on the Pokemon of the man who had a god damn Kyogre. And it should also be an entertaining fight, that was a plus too.

 

[Sinsystems]

And into a room that had around 15 people spread around in it. They're sitting around and making small talk or prepping weapons as occasionally glancing at a large clock on the wall a few of them look up as you walk in and two of them wave and then return to what they were doing. The clock reads, 6:52 pm

Click to shrink...

Glancing at the clock I figured that I had arrived just before the main event, which was fine by me as I would not want to spend over an hour in here waiting for the match to start. Still deciding that I might as well get to know my fellow contestants, after all just because we will be rivals in this doesn't mean we need to be enemies. Picking the largest contestant I could see to approach I walked up to him and said "So looking forward to the match?" all the while tossing Sharpedo's pokeball up and down in my offhand, a confident smile on my face.

 

[CCBubba]

"My names Ceat Ó Fionngan." He ducks into a hatch and walks down into the ship. You follow him into the bowels of the destroyer occasionally you pass by another sailor working on something or walking in the same direction as you are. You arrive at the what looks to be the mess hall and are greeted with a mass of sailors and a near wall of sound.

Click to shrink...

I find myself feeling very nervous at getting all these people. So I find myself fidgeting slightly as I get everyone at once. "Hello, my name is Iwo Jima. But you can just call me Iwo. Thanks for inviting me to eat with you." The thought of food makes my stomach growl, and I blush slightly in embarrassment. Reminding me that I need to refill my depleted munitions. Taking a seat next to the people I nervously turn to them to speak. "Hello, what are your names?" I feel like I'm fumbling over my words. I'm definitely not used to speaking with people.

 

[Lazy Coyote]

Coyote blinked, jumping off so that he could land in front of the cat.

"Uh... hi."

Cats were new. Then again it wasn't like he'd been everywhere, he still didn't even know where he was, still, it was nice to see someone normal for a change.

Well, normal-ish.

 

[Estro]

"Ai don't 'ave anytheng fair ze Sallairin method et évén if ai did ai wouldn't just let you wairk wiv eet." The small man turned a page in his book. "But, ai can summon et bind zum, fair a price of curse, only restrictions are no Pit Fiénds, Arch Devils, Ebon Devils, or Demonic entitees." He turns the page again, puts a bookmark in it, and turns to lean against the conter.

Click to shrink...

Karen looked at him, as her mind tried to process what exactly his accent was and from there what exactly he'd said.

"That is fair. I wish you to bind two blue devils and one red devil to my service."

She smiled slightly at the man, and moved to take a seat in one of the comfortable chairs.

 

[CaesriusPolybius]

Mr. Chalk leaned against nothing, opened up a pocket watch, and almost conversationally said. "Well, would you look at the time. Have a Nice Day." He disappeared and your vision slowly went dark and you awaken lying on your bed with Mia shaking you looking extremely worried. You take moment and concentrate and one plus one equals two. You can do math again.

Click to shrink...

Sitting up quickly, Michael waved Mia off and focused for a seco-yup, math was working again. At least, basic mathematics; probably should run through more advanced stuff later. He pulled up the notes application on his PIP-Boy, and quickly left a note in the '!SCIENCE! Schedule' file (not that he made much use of it when his moments came and went, but still, occasionally) about some sort of mental repair/recovery system. Then, he sighed and noticeably relaxed, leaning back on his arms with his head facing the ceiling. Then, he spoke to his guest.

"Good morning Ms. Locke; thank you for waking me up. I take it I slept in a bit?"

 

[Henryboy003]

The man's skin goes white and you see him start to motion frantically for you to stop. the man in the robs is chanting louder and louder, as the bell slowly starts to hover off of the ground in parallel with the chanting man's arms.

Click to shrink...

'Apparently it doesn't like any other sound except it's own... what an asshole...' Henry backed up a bit and pointed to the bell and then made the mouth closed motion with his right hand and gave a thumbs up. 'Let's see... do I know sign language, nope... um... oh!' Henry tapped the side of his earpiece and a blue panel opened up in front of his face. He navigated to what was basically a text message format. Henry typed "I hope you can read, What's going on? Does that bell not like other sound? And do you need help." With one motion Henry flipped the display and rotated the keyboard to the sailor.

On top of that he attempted to listen in the the chanting to try and figure out what was being said and what the function of the spell was.

 

[Jhin Lemon]

Setzer Gabbiani
The Blackjack
Snake taming will have to wait

---

Francis Drake
Still on a non-functioning flying bote
'I want to ride one of them, damn it.'

---

"Normally, I'd argue that we could probably take 'em but..." Drake knew the cannons on her Golden Hind, once properly invoked, were classified as an anti-army attack. However, that required the proper invocation of her Noble Phantasm. As they were now, they were just regular cannons... and she knew that it was probably overkill to use the Golden Wild Hunt on these overgrown snakes. Probably.

She was Francis Drake, she didn't do things by half measures!

... And she wasn't exactly sure she had the mana necessary to even survive using her Noble Phantasm. Safety concerns.

Drake eyed the serpents thrashing in the water thoughtfully "... Aye, I agree. For once, I'd say it's a good idea to turn tail and run."



"While she is a sailing ship, the Golden Hind isn't limited by the lack of wind. She can move whenever she damn pleases!" Drake boasted with a grin, planting her hands on her hips and looking somewhat smug at her ship's capabilities.

While the Golden Hind was now a physical object instead of just being her Noble Phantasm which was some kind of magical magicy thing she was unaware of, she knew instinctively that it had retained some of those mystical abilities.

But... ah...

"... She's not exactly as fast as your baby though." Drake admitted after a moment of self-indulgence. "Your rope idea has some merit but ah, we'd probably need to find something heavier."

She turned to face the railing, towards her own ship and sucked in a deep breath...

"OI! YE LAZY SCALLYWAGS, GET YOUR SORRY REARS UP TOP!" Drake bellowed towards the Golden Hind.

Silence reigned for a moment, punctuated by the sound of the waves and the slight breeze upon the sea. The moment passed, however, when a shimmery figure walked up from below deck on the Golden Hind. The figure was... a human, dressed like an ordinary sailor from the 16th century complete with a cutlass and a flintlock pistol. They would've passed for any ordinary human were it not for the slight shimmery effect surrounding the sailor.

Drake didn't hesitate, instead continuing to shout at the man on the Golden Hind's deck. "GO WAKE THE REST OF THE CREW. I KNOW YOU SORRY DOGS ARE SLEEPING IN BUT NOW'S THE TIME FOR ACTION! GO FIND ME SOMETHING LIKE... I DON'T KNOW... A CHAIN, LONG ENOUGH TO CONNECT OUR SHIPS."

The man didn't audibly respond but instead vanished below deck. Drake nodded with satisfaction.

"Hopefully, the crew will find something... if not, maybe your ship might have something onboard." She turned to face Setzer again, the usual laid-back grin upon her face once more.

"Ahhh... This is going to be the start of something great, I can feel it in my bones. If only we had some sort of rum to seal the deal." Drake laughed and clapped a hand on Setzer's shoulder.

Click to shrink...

I chuckle as she addresses her crewman. He looks like the fairly typical pirate I'd heard about in stories of the past. Well, Francis did mention some people called her a pirate. It's too bad I'm the only owner of an airship where I'm from, I'd always thought it'd be fun to try some sky piracy. Francis was certainly a character, but her crew was loyal, and that loyalty wasn't bought through fear or money, always a good thing.

"Well, I doubt I've got chains," I reply, "but there's some heavy duty ropes in the stores somewhere. It should be strong enough, it's made to keep the balloon and ship together if the pillars are damaged, and that ain't an easy job."

I rest an arm on one of the two pillars keeping the balloon attached to the ship, with several of said heavy duty ropes loosely attaching the balloon and ship too. Hopefully we have some left, I can't remember the last time we restocked those. I have to wonder though, is her ship so slow that it's more efficient to sit here and tie it to the Blackjack than to just leave? Wait, did she just say rum? Well, that's something I know I've got aboard.

"Rum though? That I definitely have. There's a shop on the lower deck that sells alcohol, among other things. Best part? It's free," I say, "Though we should probably wait until we're out of here before we work on getting drunk. You sure we're not wasting more time getting these chains than we'd spend just leaving?"

A new land and a new friend, this just smells of an epic adventure in the making. Two friends, brought together through mysterious circumstances, battling sea monsters against the odds! It'd be a good book. The sea monster fighting will have to wait. One day we'll be back though snakes, and on that day, you will be ours.

 

[AlphaD]

Francis Drake
The Blackjack
'Yohoho, and a bottle of rum!'

---

"Well, I doubt I've got chains," I reply, "but there's some heavy duty ropes in the stores somewhere. It should be strong enough, it's made to keep the balloon and ship together if the pillars are damaged, and that ain't an easy job."

Click to shrink...

"Ahahahaha! My crew's probably going to box my ears if they learn I woke them for no reason then." Drake admitted. Her smile, however, showed that she had no remorse whatsoever. Honestly, her crew needed a good stretch now and then.

"Heavy duty, eh? I'll take your word for it. They'd probably work a fair bit better than chains will. Especially if they're designed to make sure your ship doesn't fall back to the cold, unforgiving sea below if Zeus so much as sneezed in your direction." She glanced at the thick ropes that held tethered the balloon to the ship... It did make sense.

"So, I assume your stores are below deck then? You don't mind if I head down below and try to find a few coils of—" Drake straightened up and started to move away from the wailing, headed towards the lower decks when—

"Rum though? That I definitely have. There's a shop on the lower deck that sells alcohol, among other things. Best part? It's free,"

Click to shrink...

—She spun around and zoomed back to the railing. Drake was a blur as she zipped back across the deck to stand beside Setzer once again. Her eyes were quite literally sparkling as she leaned towards his face and getting uncomfortably close.

"FREE RUM, YE SAY?" Drake's grin could be described as cheshire. It stretched from ear to ear. "Setzer Gabbiani, you're a man after my own heart!"

"Though we should probably wait until we're out of here before we work on getting drunk. You sure we're not wasting more time getting these chains than we'd spend just leaving?"

Click to shrink...

Drake huffed as she finally gave Setzer his personal space back. "Well, aren't you such a tease right now?"

Though she didn't contest the point. Yes, it was clear that they needed to leave now.

... Although maybe just a teeny, tiny sip—

'Focus, Drake' She chided herself as she considered the serpents and their thrashing about. Setzer had raised a point. Maybe they should leave first before focusing on tying their ships together...?

"... Hm... Those phantasmal beasts worry me. Only a bit though." She added the last part of the sentence after a moment. "But even so, they still worry me. I'd risk tying our ships together now while they're still deciding... how fast can you accelerate anyway? Especially while towing the Golden Hind?"

Drake gestured towards her ship. "As magical as she is, ol' Goldie here is still a sailboat. I'd rather we leave this area as quickly as possible rather than risk staying in it long enough for those serpents to garner any interest in attacking us."

"... Of course, this all depends on whether or not your ship is fast enough and whether it can accelerate fast enough with the Golden Hind slowing her down." She stated, freely admitting that her ship was a burden right now, her face twisting slightly with distaste.

True or not, it wasn't easy admitting that her ship which she had sailed with through thick and thin and always pulled through no matter what was a burden.

"... Whaddya think, Setzer?"

 

[Jhin Lemon]

Setzer Gabbiani
The Blackjack
Be very very quiet, I'm hunting ropes

---

Francis Drake
—She spun around and zoomed back to the railing. Drake was a blur as she zipped back across the deck to stand beside Setzer once again. Her eyes were quite literally sparkling as she leaned towards his face and getting uncomfortably close.

"FREE RUM, YE SAY?" Drake's grin could be described as cheshire. It stretched from ear to ear. "Setzer Gabbiani, you're a man after my own heart!"



Drake huffed as she finally gave Setzer his personal space back. "Well, aren't you such a tease right now?"

Though she didn't contest the point. Yes, it was clear that they needed to leave now.

... Although maybe just a teeny, tiny sip—

'Focus, Drake' She chided herself as she considered the serpents and their thrashing about. Setzer had raised a point. Maybe they should leave first before focusing on tying their ships together...?

Click to shrink...

I give a hearty laugh at her reaction to my comments on the alcohol.

"When you're as devilishly charming as me, you need to be devilish sometimes," I say cheekily, striking a pose.

"... Hm... Those phantasmal beasts worry me. Only a bit though." She added the last part of the sentence after a moment. "But even so, they still worry me. I'd risk tying our ships together now while they're still deciding... how fast can you accelerate anyway? Especially while towing the Golden Hind?"

Drake gestured towards her ship. "As magical as she is, ol' Goldie here is still a sailboat. I'd rather we leave this area as quickly as possible rather than risk staying in it long enough for those serpents to garner any interest in attacking us."

"... Of course, this all depends on whether or not your ship is fast enough and whether it can accelerate fast enough with the Golden Hind slowing her down." She stated, freely admitting that her ship was a burden right now, her face twisting slightly with distaste.

True or not, it wasn't easy admitting that her ship which she had sailed with through thick and thin and always pulled through no matter what was a burden.

"... Whaddya think, Setzer?"

Click to shrink...

"My Blackjack is fast enough to get you around the world in only a few days if I push her. She could outspeed almost every ship where I'm from. Her seagoing engines are only a tad slower. Though your Golden Hind is a fair bit heavier I'd say which'd slow her down. Still, if what you're saying is right I would be better to tie them. Let's get searching then!"

The two of us head down the stairs, down to the casino deck. To say Francis was surprised when she saw it would be like saying water is wet. The deck is filled with slot machines and blackjack tables, enough to fill a full sized casino. The interior is carpeted green to mark a path between the various tables and slot machines.

"Ayup, she's a flying casino. Maybe you'd care for a game or two when we're safer? Still, the stores are further down."

We head down another staircase, a large grey motor rumbles in the middle of the room, while a second sits there, completely silent. Catwalks lead the way around the engines, with railing to prevent someone from falling down. I lead Francis down yet another set of stairs.

"Ah here we go," I say as we enter the lounge room, "over to the side here is where we keep the stores. There's one last deck below us, that's where the shop is. They've got more than just alcohol too, potions to recover health and mana, lotions that cure a bunch of things like poisoning or paralysis, even feathers that can revive the recently deceased. I'm not sure if their stock is as limitless as it was before, but they never seemed to have to stop to restock before."

As I speak I manage to open the door to the stores and tumble in. Said tumble works in may favour actually because it gets me to the back to the stores somehow. And what do you know, there's some rope here. If we get our ships close it should be enough to attach them. I walk out casually with a coil of rope, as if I hadn't fallen in by accident like that.

"Alright, I found some rope, let's get our ships closer together and tie them!"

((OOC: I'll leave that bit to you Alpha ))