[Cricket] Yes, stay with him. At least for a little while.
[Plan] Have Cricket teach you the local language.
[Plan] Talk with Cricket, get to know your new… landlord? House-mate?
[Plan] Illona said that mages can get Mana from the land. Try to do that.
Cricket's House, Some Island
Day 2
In the end, it isn't much of a choice. True, you were ready to try and rough it up until you could find somewhere with streets and walls, but if the man is offering…
Plus, it ain't as if you couldn't throw lightning at him again if you really needed to.
So before he could come to regret his choice, you accept his invitation with a nod. Together, you enter his house. You pay careful attention to his reaction to how you left it, with half the food gone and your nest of old garments on a corner.
He glares at you, and mutters something that felt insulting, but doesn't try to attack so you let it go. To pay for his hospitality, you help him drag his matters back in and tidy the place up. Very pointedly, you do not put the food you stole back in its place, just in case, and Cricket gives you a look but doesn't push it.
He's kind of a good guy, huh?
When the house is back in order except for the busted lock, you and Cricket take a seat on the floor in the middle of the house and proceed to… try and speak.
Mostly, it's just Cricket pointing at things and saying their name on his tongue, and you repeating after. It's annoying, but at least his language seems rather similar to Common to your ears. You may not understand what the words mean exactly, but pronouncing them comes easy and you can catch the gist of what Cricket tries to say if he goes slow and simple enough.
"Jack is very smart," Cricket says slowly, for your benefit, after the sun falls and you've both eaten a meal of fish. "Impressive."
You shrug, taking a sip from a glass of water. "This be easy," you tell him, and it is. Maybe you're smarter than you thought.
Cricket smiles at you and you shrug again. His hand rises, reaching for you, and your arm moves on its own. Before you realize it, there are sparks dancing on your fingers and Cricket is rising both his hands, keeping them in full view.
You take a deep breath, calming your racing heart, and remind yourself that Cricket is not a corpse full of maggots trying to eat your brain. "Sorry," you say, and force the Red back inside.
Cricket gives you a sad look but chooses not to say anything. Instead, he begins to put the dishes and glasses away for cleaning. After a moment, you decide just to watch him do it. He uses the water from the sink and some strange liquid to make bubbles and uses that bubbly water to clean stuff. It's rather fascinating.
"What is that?" you ask, using what are coming to be your favorite words, as you point t the bottle full of weird liquid.
Cricket looks at the bottle, then back to you. "Detergent," he says, followed by a jumble of words you half understand. Something bout killing stuff on the dishes?
"Poison?" You ask, a little worried now.
"Only if drunk," he answers, either meaning that it reacts bad to alcohol or that it isn't dangerous if you don't drink it.
After more questions and answers, Cricket lets out a yawn and you join him soon after. Both of you are tired, and the world outside is dark. Night, it's called. The time when people sleep.
Cricket tries to give you his bed, but you ignore him and bury yourself in your nest until he gives up.
You keep an eye on him until you can be sure he fell asleep, and only then allow yourself to relax. You are out like a light soon after.
Cricket's House, Some Island
Day 3
The next day, after waking up with the sun and gorging on more of Cricket's food, you and the man are sitting on his floor again, a piece of paper in front of both of you.
"Jaya Island," Cricket pronounces carefully, pointing at the words at the top of the paper. A map, you think, a map of Jaya Island apparently.
"Jaya?" You ask.
"Island's name," Cricket answers with a shrug.
"Island… water all around?" You ask.
"Yes," he says, and you nod. You suspected, but it's now confirmed. You are on an island, surrounded everywhere by water.
"Only island?" You ask, worried for a second that there's nothing else but ocean in this plane, that you are trapped here for the rest of your life.
Cricket laughs, loud and boisterous, slapping the ground so hard it makes you jump. "No," he laughs, "there are many more in the Grand Line!"
"Grand Line?" you ask again, feeling rather ignorant all of the sudden.
"Later," he says, "first, the island!" Then, he proceeds to point at the important places on the island and tell you what they are called. The X at the top right is his house, the green thing is a forest he calls South Grave, filled with murderous insects controlled by a population of hostile birds.
The moment you hear Cricket describing those insects as giants you vow to never set foot on that place, no matter what, and to thank the Forgotten for not landing there. You would've died.
Then there's Mouth Bay, which Cricket tells you are controlled by Shoujo's Pirates.
"Dangerous?" you ask, not really getting what a pirate is other than ocean-only thugs. Figures, even a different plane of existence isn't devoid of scum like that.
"Not for us," he tells you, "Shoujo is a good kid."
You rather doubt that, if he goes around calling himself a water-thug, but you keep your opinions to yourself.
Last of all is Mock Town, the only city on the island and a lawless nest of thugs, slavers, and worse. "Dangerous," Cricket tells you seriously, "more for you."
"Why?" You ask, a little offended. You can take care of yourself.
"Fish man," he says, "rare, valuable. Savers like that."
You pause at that. Shit, you forgot, you didn't realize— Suddenly, your eyes narrow and you look pointedly at Cricket. He doesn't say anything, just waiting, staring at you with—
[Sense Motive: 16+3=19 - Pass!]
Worry, and a bit of pity. The second burns at your pride, but… Yeah, right, Cricket is a good man. He wouldn't sell you into slavery. He even warned you!
But this is a problem. Your form is causing problems. Of course, it would, there is no Simic Combine here, no protections for people that look like you do—
Should you… change faces? It would avoid problems but— You look at Cricket— if you do that, you'll either have to leave him before that or tell him the truth of what you are. And he just admitted that slavery is a thing here, and you are pretty sure that whatever you're is much rarer than merfolk.
Do you trust him enough for that? No, but you still need him, at least to learn the language. He proved trustworthy enough for that.
You'll wait, you decide, you'll wait until you can speak like a normal person, and then you'll decide. At the pace, you're going it shouldn't take you more than a week.
Cricket breaks the silence, clearing his throat, and continues telling you about the island. There is another band of pirates around, headed by a man called Masira, that seem to specialize in salvage operations. You perk up at that, but maybe that's a euphemism for killing people and looting their corpses, so you restrain your interest. For now.
The rest of the morning passes like that, with Cricket telling you bout the island, or teaching you new words you absorb like a sponge. Then, after lunch, you follow Cricket outside.
The man stands on the edge of the cliff, looking down at the waters below with a determined face.
"What are you doing?" You ask him.
"Preparing to dive," he tells you. You look down at the waters, so deep you can't see the bottom. They could be hiding anything, monsters or jagged rocks or—
"Why?"
"Gold," he says simply, and then jumps. You understand that answer, understand it perfectly. One can never have enough gold.
You stay on that cliff for a long moment, looking down at the ocean, but when it fills to tint with Cricket's blood you shrug and walk away. You don't know how to swim.
To pass the time, you sit cross-legged beside Cricket's house, your eyes closed. You remember Illona telling you bout how mages work, how they gather power from the land to fuel their spells. You… don't need to do that, at least for now, but your soul is not as deep as the ocean, and you don't want to run out if you can.
So… You close your eyes and focus. But instead of focusing inwards, you focus outwards, and below. On the grass, you're sitting on, on the endless churning of the ocean, on the weird house and the gold figurines, on the earth and the stones and—
[Roll: 7 - Fail!]
And there's something there, something you can almost see, almost taste. But— it's far, you stretch and stretch but you lack something, some… insight on this land. You don't know enough to understand it, and you can't bond with something you don't understand.
When you open your eyes the sun is setting and Cricket is back home, wet and tired and empty-handed. You eat a serving of rice and fish, learn a few more words, and then go to sleep.
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 5
Two days later, you find a book on the second floor. You can't read the language yet, so you wait until Cricket comes back and you ask him to help you read it.
His face when you show him the book is… weird. Pained, even.
Immediately, you know that there's something wrong.
"What's wrong?" You ask, your words halting but understandable, even after only three days worth of practice.
Cricket looks old, now. Old and tired, he slumps atop his bed with none of the grace you're used to seeing on him. "That book," he says slowly, pointing at the book, "it ruined my life."
You tilt your head. "What?"
Cricket snorts. "Liar Noland, that's what is called." He meets your eyes. "It's a story about the biggest liar in history, of how it got him killed. My ancestor, Mont Blanc Noland."
"Oh," you say, looking down at the book. "Is that why you live alone?"
Cricket hums. "Partly." He sighs, "I suppose you won't get it until you read it. You know how to read?"
You shake your head. "Not this tongue."
"Then pay attention," Cricket says, unsurprised, and begins to tell a story. You follow along with the book, tracing the shape of the words and intuiting their meaning according to what Cricket says, and the pictures in the book.
The story goes like this.
"A story over four hundred years ago...
"In a certain country in the northern seas,
there was a man named Mont Blanc Noland.
Noland the Explorer's stories were always grand adventures that sounded like lies.
But the people of the village could never tell if they were true or not.
"One time, Noland went on an expedition,
and came back to report to the king. "I saw a mountain of gold on an island across the great seas."
To see for himself, the brave king took two thousand warriors
and crossed the great seas in his ship.
He fought powerful storms and huge sea monsters.
"Finally, the king, Noland, and one hundred soldiers landed on the island.
But what they found there was nothing but jungle.
Noland was sentenced to death for his lies.
These were his last words. "That's it! The mountain of gold sank into the ocean!!!" The king and the others were shocked.
"Nobody believed Noland anymore, but he never stopped lying until he was dead."
You stay silent for a while.
"You get it now?" Mount Blanc Cricket asks.
"The diving… you search for Noland's gold? To prove him… innocent?" you ask.
Cricket snorts. "No. I'm old now, and the past is past. I don't care if he was a liar or not."
"Then why…?"
"I want to know. To settle the matter. Either I find it, or I die, and either way, it will be solved." He says.
You stay silent for a long moment. "I don't think he lied," you say at last.
"Oh?" Cricket raises an eyebrow, "how so?"
"He would have run away," you say, "if he was lying, he would've run away."
"Maybe he was an idiot," Cricket says.
"Maybe," you allow, "he got himself killed. Maybe it runs in the blood." You say with a smile.
"Are you calling me stupid, brat?" Cricket says, smiling back, and a part of you can't help but hear the Old Man in his voice. Your smile dies, and you shake your head.
"Diving is for young people," you say instead of bantering back, "you'll die sooner."
Cricket snorts. "Is my life to waste," he says, and the conversation dies.
But… you think you understand Cricket better, now.
[Cricket SL 1/?]
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 7
Your seventh day on this plane starts like any other. You wake up, eat, practice your words and letters, and try to connect to the land.
[Roll: 11+2=13 - Pass!]
You reach, deeper and deeper, your memories of this place serving as fuel for your effort. Cricket, diving tirelessly in search of hold. The half-a-house, with its strange back wall and mysterious pass. The story of Liar Noland, the uncovered truth of the matter…
With a last effort of will, you forge a bond between you and this place, and you can feel a current of Blue energy, foreign but also familiar, begin to trickle into your soul.
[New Land Gained!
Cricket's House (U): Tap to gain water-breathing for 1 hour.]
You are interrupted by Cricket kicking the door open. You immediately raise to your feet, one hand on your knife and the other crackling with half-formed power.
Cricket sees you, tensed and about to lash out, and immediately his wide smile wilts a little. "Right," he mutters to himself. Then, louder, "Brat, we're having company."
You tense in a completely different way.
"What?" You ask.
"My sons are coming to visit," he says with cheer, "and we'll be drinking through the night and telling stories!"
"You have sons?" you ask, even more confused.
"Didn't I mention them?" He asks, and you shake your head, "Masira and Shoujou, I would swear that I—"
"The water-thugs?!" Cricket's sons are the two pirate bands?
Cricket snorts. "Ha! Oh, what I would pay to see them hear that. Yeah brat, the pirates. Ah… I was planning to introduce you, but— " He looks at you, and whatever he reads on your posture makes him reconsider. "— I can just take them to the city, anyway. Will you be good on your own?"
Father to pirates or not, Cricket really is a good man.
Cricket is, in a roundabout manner, asking you if you want to meet his sons or if you would prefer not to. What do you say?
[] [Sons] I'll be fine. You don't want to meet those pirates, especially looking like you do. Cricket is a good man, but his sons probably aren't.
[] [Sons] I want to meet them. Pirates or not, they are Cricket's sons, and you doubt they'll do anything to you with him round. And you can defend yourself if they try.
Also, the week is over and you have a choice. Having now realized that your current form could be problematic, what do you do?
[] [Form] Keep being Jack. You'll deal with whatever problems being a Fish-Man cause later, and you like living with Cricket.
[] [Form] Choose a new form, something more ordinary.
-[] Say goodbye to Cricket and go to Mock Town.
-[] Show Cricket what you really are and keep living with him.
No matter what you choose on the second vote, it'll happen either while Cricket is away with his sons or after the party if you choose to meet them.
[X] [Sons] I want to meet them. Pirates or not, they are Cricket's sons, and you doubt they'll do anything to you with him round. And you can defend yourself if they try.
You choose to meet the sons, but there was a tie in the form question. I will take that as Jin themselves being indecisive about the matter, and write accordingly.
I'm currently in a bus so the moment I get home and shed my watersoaked shell (had to walk back from classes in the rain) I'll get to write.
Sorry for the delay! The weekend was very busy on my end.
[Sons] I want to meet them. Pirates or not, they are Cricket's sons, and you doubt they'll do anything to you with him round. And you can defend yourself if they try.
[Form] A tie!
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 7, Afternoon
"I want to meet them," you speak out, vanishing what hesitation you may feel. Which is none, because you don't hesitate. Ever. "They sound… neat."
Cricket rubs the back of his head, looking kind of awkward. "Look, Jack, you don't have to—"
"Are they assholes?" You ask, and Cricket's eyes boggle. This is the first time he heard you curse, you think.
"They are nothing but perfect gentlemen—" he begins to puff himself up, probably starting a rant. Parents are always like that, even if their sons are pirates.
"Then what's the problem?" You cut him off again. Cricket glares at you, muttering something you don't catch under his breath, but he finally surrenders.
"Well, you little shit—" you give him a cheeky grin, finally getting some use of those sharpened teeth your form has, "—I'll give them a call so they know about you, and then we'll party."
"A call?" You ask. Now that you think about it, how the fuck did he receive word about his sons? You assumed it was a planned event, but— And then Cricket takes out a giant snail from his pockets, and it's your turn to boggle.
It's a somewhat disturbing creature, with giant human eyeballs at the top of its eyestalks and a wide mouth— why the fuck does a snail have a mouth?! And there's a metal thingy on its shell, almost like a button. No, no fucking almost, because Cricket presses, and the fucking mutant snail begins to emit a series of high-pitched sounds from its weird mouth that has fucking human teeth—
"OI!" The snail shouts, making you jump. What the fuck. "This is Masura speaking, what do you want?"
"Masura!" Cricket shouts into the snail. What the fuck. "It's me, you still coming tonight!?"
"Pops!" Masura-snail shouts back, full of joy. What the fuck. "Ukikiki! Of course, of course! What, did ya drink all the beer?"
"You brat!" Cricket shouts. They are shouting so much. Why are they shouting?! "No, I'm not an alcoholic like you!" Cricket laughs, and the snail laughs.
What the fuck.
"No," Cricket says after calming down, a little bit quieter, "I'm just telling ya, we'll have a fourth joining us."
"WHAAAAA?" The snail shouts, fucking hells. "Pops, did ya manage to shag a—"
"NO!" Cricket snaps, sending you a pained grimace. You answer in kind, mostly because your ears are fucking ringing. "No, I'm taking care of a kid I found. Come here kid, say hello to my shitty son."
You approach, eying the snail wearily even as you ignore the complaints of who you assume is Masura talking through the snail. What the fuck? "He ain't taking care of nobody," you tell the snail (what the fuck) with your best though guy accent, "Old man here fell and broke his hip so I'm his nurse now."
"Oi!" Cricket snaps as Murasa laughs, and you duck under a slap of his meaty hands. "Am not bloody old!"
"Ukikikiki!" Snail-Murasa laughs (you think?). "I like him already! Kid, did ya have enough diapers for the old man? I can bring some if—" Suddenly, the connection cuts as Cricket presses a button.
He glares at you, and you meet his eyes with a cheeky grin. After a long moment of silence, he starts to chuckle, and you giggle, and then he laughs, and then both of you are laughing. It's pretty nice.
"What the fuck is that thing?" You ask after both of you calm down, pointing at the weird mutant snail.
"Transponder snail," Cricket answers easily, already used to your ignorance on basic stuff. "Snails that can speak between themselves over large distances, the best method of communication in the entire Grand Line!"
"They look freaky," you say. Immediately, the snail in Cricket's hand slumps down, and you wonder if they can actually understand you.
"They're cute," Cricket insists, "and useful. Aren't you?" And then he wastes a good ten minutes cooing at the snail as if it were a small child. It's very disturbing to watch.
The second call is, thankfully, much quieter. "Hello? This is the great Sonar King Shoujo speaking. State your business!" Comes a small, reedy voice from the snail.
"Shoujo, cut it out, it's me." Cricket greets with some resignation, "you still coming tonight?"
"Yes, yes!" Shoujo says, sounding enthusiastic, "What, did you finish all the beer by—"
"Murasa already did that joke," you inform the snail/Shoujo.
"That bastard!" Shoujo shouts, making you snort. "Oi, wait, who's this? Is that a kid? Old man, did you kidnap a kid?"
"Yes," you say at the same time that Cricket shouts, "No!"
"Old man!" Shoujo exclaims dramatically, sounding both hurt and tremendously disappointed. Cricket glares at you, and you show him your tongue.
"Shoujo, I didn't kidnap him. I found a lost kid and I took him in." Cricket explains calmly.
"Ah," Shoujo says, "that explains it all." He seems very gullible. Or maybe that's because Cricket is the one speaking? "Will he be joining us at the party?"
"Yes," you confirm, "I'm Jack, by the way."
"And I'm Shoujo!" the snail says, "once, I won a singing competition because every other contestant got sick that same day! Impressive, innit?"
You turn to Cricket, who very slowly shakes his head. "Anyway," the man says, "that's all. See you tonight, brat." And then he disconnects the… uh… snail? You are still confused bout the mechanics of it all.
"Well?" Cricket asks you.
"Well?" you repeat.
"What did you think?" he says.
"About what?" you ask.
"Brat," Cricket says, "don't be difficult."
You shrug. "They seem nice."
Cricket nods. "They do, don't they?"
"Are you sure they are yours?" you ask cheekily.
Cricket snorts. "They ain't my sons by blood," he says, "but they're still good kids." He looks very proud about it. "Don't tell them I said that, they'll get big heads."
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 7, Evening
You spend the whole afternoon helping Cricket prepare for the party. Caskets of ale and other alcoholic drinks are brought from a basement you didn't even know existed. Pieces of wood are lowered from the attic and assembled outside into a pretty big table.
"Are we expecting many people?" You ask as you help Cricket put the last board in.
"The boys will leave their crews behind, so no," Cricket says.
"Then why is the table so big?" You ask.
Cricket sends you a smug smile. "My boys are big men!" He says and refuses to explain further.
It's only when the full decorations are done, the table set, and the bonfire ready to light that you notice something amiss. "And the food?" you ask.
"Here it comes," Cricket says, looking at the distance. You follow his gaze and can't help the dumb look of surprise that covers your face.
In a small rowboat, two humanoid monkeys approach from the sea. One is big and muscular, with spiky red hair and a dumb grin on his face. The other is big and fat, with long locks of green hair falling in the wind like a banner behind him. In fact, both of them are big, and it's only more obvious the closer they come. What the fuck.
Oh, and they are dragging a giant dead shark behind them. As in, bigger than the boat itself.
The monkey brothers, Masira and Shoujou, wave at both of you, their laughter audible even from that far away. You can't help but wave back.
The brothers are even bigger in person. They drag the giant carcass up the cliff with ease, and as they greet their adoptive father you can't help but feel short. Very, very short.
Cricket is already a big man, probably had some giant blood in him. Almost eight feet tall by your reckoning, he's very, very tall.
His sons make him look like a midget. Both of them are well over eleven feet tall, but it's not only that. They are wide, too, not only because Shoujou is kind of fat but also because Masira has muscles on his fucking muscles.
When they come to greet you, you have to crane your neck all the way back to meet their eyes. You are tense, you can't help that, and it shows in your posture. Your right hand grips the handle of your knife tightly, for all the good it will do against these fucking monsters.
Your left hand wants to crackle with red sparks, but you stop yourself. Not yet, not yet.
"He's tiny!" Masira shouts, leaning so far down he's basically lying on the ground. "Too tiny! Old man, have you been starving the kid?!"
"He's a Fishman," Shoujou says, voice quieter than his brother's. "You didn't say anything about him being a Fishman, old man!"
You can't help but dart a look at Cricket, but the man is only standing there, arms crossed, watching quietly. He gives you an encouraging nod but doesn't say anything to his sons. No help coming from him.
[Diplomacy: 13+2=15 - Pass!]
First, you turn to Shoujo. "You are a monkey," you inform him, and he looks struck, "don't come complaining about my appearance looking like that, monkey man."
"Ah!" Shoujo wails, "I'm not a monkey, take that back! I am handsome, handsome I tell you!"
"Ujijijiji!" Masira laughs, "He got you there, brother!"
"And you," you turn to Masira, stopping his laugh short, "who are you calling tiny? I'm perfectly proportionate, you fucking monster. What do you eat, pure fucking protein? Have you tried fruit?"
"Ujiji!" Masira laughs, "I do love bananas!"
"Yeah," you drawl, "you really look like you do."
That brings him up short. He stops laughing and gives you a half-offended, half-confused look as if he didn't know if you were saying what he thought you were saying.
"Ajajajaja!" Shoujou laughs at his brother, "He got you there, Masira!"
Masira snorts, and that makes you chuckle, and then everyone is laughing like a bunch of lunatics. It feels… good, to laugh. You've laughed more today than… ever, almost. Even when the Old Man was alive, he wasn't one for jokes, and—
"Hey, kid," Masira lays a giant fucking hand on your head, "help me cut this thing, okay? I'm starving!" He points at the giant carcass.
"Sure," you say, taking out your knife and doing a twirl with it—
[One-Handed: 3+4=7 - Fail!]
Or, at least, you try. It ends up falling to the ground, barely missing cutting your finger by an inch. Masira and Shoujou both look at you as if you were a new and fascinating specimen, and you can feel your face flushing blue.
Quickly, you grab the knife and walk to the carcass, the sound of laughs behind you.
You take every good thought you had about them back, they are nothing but a bunch of fucking assholes and you'll poison their food and steal their shit, you swear it!
The party is about to start and the food is being prepared! Now, choose:
Who do you find yourself expending more time with?
[] Mont Blanc Cricket, the old man.
[] Masira, the Salvage King.
[] Shoujou, the Sonar King.
During the party, there is more alcohol than juice. Do you take a sip?
[] No, you are a responsible kid.
[] Yes, you get absolutely fucking smashed.
When the party is done you still have to make a choice. Do you reveal your shape-shifting to Cricket?
[] Reveal it, you trust the man.
-[] His sons too, they are good men.
[] Keep it hidden, better he remains ignorant.
[X] Mont Blanc Cricket, the old man.
[X] No, you are a responsible kid.
[X] Reveal it, you trust the man.
-[X] His sons too, they are good men.
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 7, Evening
The fire roars, the smell of roasting fish caressing your nostrils. The sun is almost finished setting, leaving behind the flickering illumination of the fire to fight the encroaching darkness of night. Above, a full moon looks down on you all.
You and Cricket are sitting at the table in companionable silence, neither of you saying much but enjoying each other's company. Near the fire, Masira and Shoujou are too busy wrestling and shouting at each other to ruin the moment.
The fish is roasting, and Cricket is keeping an eye on it, ready to shout his sons back into work the moment it's needed.
"Brat," Cricket says, a cigarette in his mouth, "what do you think?"
You scrunch up your nose, the smell of smoke disgusting, and move to take the cigarette away from Cricket—
[Sleight of Hand: 2+3=5 - Fail!]
But the old man is fast, and with an amused huff, he grabs your wrists and refuses to let go. You try with your other arm, and it fails too, so you stand on your chair and try kicking at Cricket's face. The fucker dodges it.
"I think," you say, trying to kick gin and missing, "that the thing in your mouth—"
"—cigarette, brat."
"—that the cigarette is ruining the smell, you asshole." You go for another kick but miss and lose your balance. Cricket catches you, holding you by your arms like some kind of small animal. He looks amused, a smile on his face.
"It's my birthday," he says simply, "let an old man have his vices, brat."
You widen your eyes, struggling to get free. A part of you wants to shock this motherfucker and force his hands away, but the rest reminds it that you're only playing, no need to go that far yet. "You're getting even older, Cricket? How much, seventy? Eighty?"
Cricket releases you suddenly, and you end up falling ass-first on the ground. The grass is soft, and the smoke is too far up to reach you, so you stay there, looking up at Cricket with your best 'hurt little child' look.
[Bluff: 16+3=19 - Pass!]
Cricket looks a little guilty, enough that he throws the cigarette away, but he quickly hides it behind an offended mask. "I'm not that old, brat!"
"Yeah!" Shoujou shouts, having been dragged by Masira, "little Jack never had a birthday before?!"
"That…" Cricket says darkly, head bowed. He raises his head, meeting your eyes, and you notice he's suddenly crying, "THAT IS VERY SAD!"
"It is, it is!" Masira cries with him.
"We can't let it stand!" Shoujou joins in.
"Hey," you say, having no idea what the fuck is going on, "don't worry. It's just a birthday, right? I'm just glad I got to twelve at all, you know?"
That was exactly the wrong thing to say because now they are crying even harder. What the fuck.
"Jack," Cricket says, his face carved from stone even as tears still flow, "I will share this birthday with you." It is a very dramatic statement, and it only makes the monkey brothers cry harder and shout about how cool he is.
You feel extremely fucking overwhelmed, all of the sudden. "Sure?" You say, "just, stop crying, please? It's very weird."
"Crying is a perfectly natural way to express one's emotions," Cricket tells you, sniffing a little.
"Yeah!" Masira shouts, still crying, "A true monkey is never afraid to cry!"
"Yes, yes!" Shoujou joins him, also sobbing, "Once, I cried so hard I filled a bucket! Impressive isn't it!?"
You have no idea what is going on, and so simply choose to nod along.
In the end, they didn't stop until you pointed out the food was burning. To be honest, you really don't know how to feel about such... Blatant display of emotion. The Old Man was never an emotional person, and crying in the Dwellings was just… not done, at least not out loud. Too much risk of attracting attention, too much of a sign of weakness.
It's weird. Not bad weird, but… weird.
The food is very good, a nicely roasted shark with some sour aftertaste and a side of… veggies? Plants? Something colorful that isn't meat or mushrooms.
You eat for a while in silence, the monkey brothers eat very fast and talk very loud, and Cricket just savors the food and the atmosphere both. It's… nice.
Then, Masira takes out a giant keg of alcohol and proceeds to fill three giant mugs with it. You get juice instead, which you accept easily.
"For Mount Blanc Cricket, Ujijiji!" Masira shouts, raising up his mug to the air, "Kampai!"
"Kampai!" Shoujou repeats, and you mimic them a second later. Cricket chuckles.
"And for Jack!" He says, raising his own mug, "Kampai!"
""Kampai!!"" Masira and Shoujou repeat just as loud, and you give them an awkward smile.
Then you all down your drinks, and the real party starts.
Masira is jumping up and down atop the table, making the wood creak ominously.
"I saw it, I saw it!" He keeps shouting, "I swear I saw it, a giant flying fish!"
"Liar!" Shoujou shouts, throwing fruit at his brother and constantly missing.
"What are they going on about?" You ask Cricket. The man is sitting on the floor, nursing his third mug of alcohol. You are sitting beside him, eating some fruit.
"The legendary sky island," Cricket drawls, a bit drunk but still functional, "legend has it it's somewhere… somewhere around here."
"Sky island? Like," you look up, at the slightly cloudy sky, "like up there?"
"A sea of clouds, they say," Cricket says, "as real s Noland's gold, I say."
"So you don't know," you conclude, "is there anything you do know?"
"Brat!" Cricket grumbles, "I was once a great pirate of the Grand Line, I've seen many a thing, and know many a secret!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! Why I once saw a fight between Devil Fruit users! One with… with wind and storms, and the other one was a giant flying whale!"
"You're not making any sense, old man," you say, grinning at him.
"Brat!" he complains.
Shoujou manages to hit Masira in the face, and the brothers devolve into wrestling.
Shoujou is standing atop the table this time. You, a bruised Masira, and Cricket are sitting on the ground, looking up at him.
"I will now show you my awesome singing!" Shoujou declares, "Prepare your lowly hearts, for the Sonar King will blow your minds and steal your souls!"
"If you try to steal my soul I'll shave your hair!" You heckle, not drunk like the rest but swept by the general mood. You're having a lot of fun, to be honest, more than you expected to have.
"I'll sing!" Shoujou shouts, and then he starts… Wailing? It doesn't have words, and it's very fucking loud, but it's not as painful as you thought.
Mostly it's just weird.
"Booo!" You shout and throw an apple at his face.
""BOOOO!"" Cricket and Masira join you, throwing shit at Shoujou.
"YOU PHILISTINES!" Shoujou shouts, taking cover under the table, "I'LL TAKE MY REVENGE, MY REVENGEEEE—" he is interrupted by a banana nailing him straight in the mouth and making him gag.
You and Masira laugh at that, while Cricket rushes to help him not choke to death.
It's… waaaaay too late in the night when the party slows down.
Everyone but you is pretty drunk, but they are still awake enough for this.
"Hey," you call, "hey, assholes!"
"What?" Masira mumbles. "Huh?" Shoujou looks at you with glassy eyes. "Don't curse," Cricket slurs.
"Hey guys," you say, "I had a lot of fun!"
The brothers cheer tiredly, and Cricket smiles.
"So," you continue, "I wanna show you something, now that I know I can trust you." Everyone's attention is roused, and they focus as best they can on you. "This is a secret," you tell them, "so it stays with us, right?"
"I'll keep it to my grave," Masira says seriously.
"Not a pep from me!" Shoujou swears.
"I know how to keep my mouth shut," Cricket nods.
You take a deep breath. You barely know Cricket for a week, and the brothers you just met today. They are pirates, all of them, and that denotes a kind of person you generally shouldn't trust. But… But Cricket took care of you even after you almost killed him, and his sons are good people, and funny, and—
You really, really want to trust them. So you'll do so. And— And if you chose wrong, and they freak out and try to attack you or something if this goes wrong and— They are drunk, ll of them. Drunk and tired and in bad shape. It'll slow them down, and make them easy to handle. You have enough juice for three Lightning bolts, you have it all planned. If it goes wrong, you'll handle it.
Always keep a knife ready, just in case. That's what Old Man Clerk taught you. Always keep a knife ready.
So you square your shoulders and meet everyone's eyes, and then you just… let go. Muscles unclench for the first time in a week, your flesh flows and your bones crack into shape, your skin turns bone-white and so does your hair. Your gills disappear, your hands become spindly and long-fingered, and your eyes are bleached of any color.
You show them your true form. "So," you say to the silence that follows, "I'm not actually a fish person, and my name ain't Jack. You can call me Jin," you wave at them with your left hand, showing the tattoo on the inside of that wrist, the one that reads J-I-N, "Hi there!"
[Diplomacy: 6+2=8]
Masira and Shoujou widen their eyes, and immediately they jump to their feet. There's something… dangerous, in their posture, a sudden wariness. Shoujou goes for his microphone and Masira raises his hands, both their eyes trained on you, and you ignore the hurt you feel as you raise your hand, Lightning cracking—
Bang! Something whizzes past both Masira and Shoujou, making them both them and you freeze. Your eyes snap to Cricket and find the old man aiming a strange contraption, a pistol you think it's called, at his own sons.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" He roars, sounding legitimately angry for the first time… ever.
[Cricket Interrupt! Pass!]
""Sorry!"" both brothers shout at once. "I just got startled!" Masira says. "His eyes are super freaky!" Shoujou says.
"I don't care!" Cricket bellows at them, pistol still raised. "Ja-Jin is a guest and I won't let you attack him! Now, apologize!"
The brothers look at each other.
"Now!" Cricket shouts, and they both jump to follow his commands.
"I'm so sorry!" Masira throws himself at your feet, head down, "I was just drunk, promise!"
"Yeah!" Shoujou does the same, "Yeah, we're idiots when we're drunk, we sorry!"
"Uh…" your hand is still raised, but the lightning is gone. You're still a bit hurt, but… uh… seeing them prostrate themselves like that takes the sting out, just a bit.
"I apologize for their behavior," Cricket says, sounding way too lucid for someone who drank that much.
You take a deep breath and forcibly relax your muscles. "Yeah, okay. I… accept your apology."
Both brothers stand back up immediately. "Ujijiji!" Masira laughs, as if nothing happened, "you scared us half to death, old man!"
"Mount Blanc Cricket is very cool!" Shoujou says, "and very scary!"
"Jin," Cricket says, meeting your eyes, "I… is that your Devil Fruit power, then? Is it related to the lightning?"
"Nah, this is my… true form, I guess. I've always been able to just… change shapes." You say.
"Right," Cricket nods, "You are not a fish-man, then?"
"No," you shake your head, "I'm just Jin."
"I see," Cricket says, and then goes silent.
"What's a Devil Fruit?" you ask after a moment.
"A mysterious magical fruit!" Masira says. "It gives you powers if you eat it, but then you can't swim at all," Shoujou says, his brother nodding along.
"Like your lightning," Cricket says.
"Oh," you look to the side, "I never ate any fruits before now, Cricket. I just… know some magic." You could've lied to him, but… at this point, why would you? You trust him, for real. "It's what bought me here in the first place, I think."
""Magic!?"" the brothers shout in unison, wonder in their eyes.
"Stop," Cricket says, "we'll talk more in the morning, it's… way too late for this. Masira, Shoujou, I'll bring the sleeping bags out."
And then everyone just… goes to sleep, as if nothing really happened. Sleeping in your true form is… comfortable, but also weird, and relaxing. It's the best sleep you've gotten since arriving here.
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 8, Morning
Come morning you and Cricket are sitting down on the floor of his house. His sons are still sleeping outside, and he doesn't wake them up. "I thought we should talk first, just us," he explains. You nod along. "First," he says, "I just wanted to say… I'm not mad for hiding what you are, or anything like that. I get it, I would've done the same in your position."
You nod. Honestly, you didn't even consider the fact he could've been mad about it. It just… didn't occur to you.
"Second…" he hesitates, "magic? I… Jin, you don't need to lie to me—"
"It's magic," you say, a little annoyed. "How do you think I managed to break in? I used magic to rust the lock to nothing, magic to throw lightning at your chest, and magic to heal you."
Cricket scratches the still visible scar on his chest. "Are you sure—"
"Is not a fruit thing," you tell him, "it's— There's energy coming from the land, and from inside me, and I can just… control it to do stuff."
"Stuff?"
"Any stuff," you say. You raise both hands, and channel Mana into both. Your right crackles with Red lightning and your left is engulfed in the miasma of Black. Cricket stars at your hands, and you can tell the moment he feels the pressure of Mana, the moment he decides to believe you.
"Magic…" he whispers, "is that how you changed shape?"
"No," you shake your head, dragging back the Mana, "I just… do that. I always did that, since I can remember. Just.. Flex my body and—" your flesh flows and bones crackle, and now you are Jack gain, "change what I look like."
Cricket nods. "I believe I should've asked this before, brat," you relax a bit at the familiar nickname, "but… where are you from?"
You trust Cricket, and you're telling him the truth. The question is, how much of the truth?
[] The basics. You lived in the slums of a giant city, got attacked, almost died, and then you just woke up here.
[] Go into some detail. You got attacked by a worm monster that took the shape of someone you knew and while it was busy trying to eat you, you just "slipped" and woke up here.
[] Recount your last day in Ravnica. Just explain everything, give all the details. Just… unload it all on Cricket, and maybe cry a little. It still feels raw.
"Right," Cricket says after all is said and done. "Well, now what?"
"Now what?" you ask.
"I understand if you would like to go, what with my son's behavior, but you're still welcome here. I can go with you to Mock Town if you want, as long as you appear… human. I have a friend there, he runs a bar and complains a lot about the lack of employees. You could work there if you want."
"Just like that?" You say.
"Just like that," Cricket nods.
First, do you move to the city or stay with Cricket (and his sons)?
[] Go to Mock Town.
-[] And work in the bar.
-[] And search for some other work. (Write-in)
[] Stay with Cricket.
And then, what are your plans for the rest of the month? Choose three.
[] Learn about the world with Cricket. (Gains Knowledge (One Piece))
[] Try to bond with more lands.
-[] Mouth Bay (Island)
-[] South Grave (Forest)
-[] Mock Town (City) (Only if you choose to move there)
[] Train a Skill or Stat.
-[] Choose which one and how many times.
[] Try to make a new spell or blueprint.
-[] Choose the color and effect.
[] Try to build a Thopter.
[] Go salvaging with Majira or Shoujou.
-[] Choose which one, and how many times.
[] Learn to swim with Cricket and accompany him on his dives.
[] Work at the bar. (Only if you decided to work there, and it becomes obligatory if you did, but you can choose it multiple times for extra rewards.)
-[] How many times?
[] Explore the island.
Adhoc vote count started by RedLegend on Aug 12, 2022 at 1:15 PM, finished with 8 posts and 6 votes.
[X] Recount your last day in Ravnica. Just explain everything, give all the details. Just… unload it all on Cricket, and maybe cry a little. It still feels raw.
[X] Recount your last day in Ravnica. Just explain everything, give all the details. Just… unload it all on Cricket, and maybe cry a little. It still feels raw.
[X] Stay with Cricket.
[X] Learn about the world with Cricket. (Gains Knowledge (One Piece))
[X] Learn to swim with Cricket and accompany him on his dives.
[X] Train a Skill or Stat.
-[X] CHA
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 8, Afternoon
It takes a couple of hours, to recount everything to your satisfaction. In truth, you could've summarized everything in a couple of sentences but... But you wanted Cricket to understand it, to understand who you are and where you come from.
So you spoke to him of Ravnica, of a city that is a world, of the layers and layers of concrete and steel, of the Guilds and their dominion and prevalence over every part of daily life. You told him about the Dwellings, about the ruins you lived above, and how you survived by scavenging through them. You spoke about the Old Man Clerk, about how he found you in a pile of trash and took you in. You spoke of the gangs, how they dragged everyone down even as the Orzhov squeezed every last copper coin they could.
And then, when Cricket had all the general knowledge he needed and you couldn't make more excuses, you told him about your last day on Ravnica.
"It was a normal day," you begin, noticing Masira and Shoujou watching you from the window but wilfully ignoring them. "Wake up, banter with the Old Man, eat some roasted rat, and drink some tea. I went outside, to start scavenging when I stumbled into a mugging."
"The gangs you mentioned?" Cricket asks, face neutral.
"Nah," you say, "just a couple of urchins like me, meaner tho. They were kicking the shit outta some girl, so I jumped in and stabbed them in the kidneys," the old joke brings a smile to your lips, "don't worry, me and the girl dragged them to a healer before they died, cost me a pretty silver too."
Cricket nods.
"So... The girl, Illona, she was some rich girl on some errand, a mage apprentice, and she had a package to deliver that she paid me to help with." You take a deep breath. "The package, I still have it, it was for my Old Man." You take out the small, wooden box from deep within your pockets, looking at it with emotions, not even you can decipher. To be honest, a part of you forgot all about it until now, perhaps willingly. It brought bad memories, even now. "Turns out, he was some big shot mage who got exiled for something."
Cricket nods. From the background, you can hear Masira and Shoujou gasp in exaggerated surprise at the revelation. Your lips twitch in a smile that dies almost immediately after.
"So I go back to the Hovel, ready to confront him about it and..."
"And?" Cricket asks kindly, making you take a deep breath and continue.
"Something opened the door," you say, voice cold and dead, "but it wasn't him. It spoke with his voice, and had his form, but-- It was like talking to a corpse, almost, or a mask," and as you speak, your voice gets louder and your words faster, "I thought it was an impostor, but I didn't know what happened to the real Old Man, so I... played along, and enter the Hovel, and we had some tea and--"
"Jin," Cricket says, putting a hand on your shoulder, "you don't have to--" but it's too late, and if you don't get it out now you won't get it out ever and you have to get it out, you have to!
"And it discovered us--" you talk over him, louder, "he--it-- it smelled like rot and blood and something slipped out and it discovered that I knew and then-- then-- " Yo take a deep, ragged breath, "it was worms," you spit the word with as much hate and disgust s you can, but fear creeps it, "worms puppeteering his corpse, just-- maggots and worms and fucking-- they crawled out, moved like a fucking-- it pinned me down with the things that crawled and Illona, she tried to fight, she lighted it on fire but I was trapped I couldn't do shit and-- It wanted something it wanted me to speak and I said no and then the fucking worms, they crawled inside my head my mouth it was--" you start to gag, just thinking about it, you can still feel the things moving through your brain biting and-- Cricket is holding you, you notice, just... hugging you while you gag and cry.
It feels embarrassing. You are not a child, you don't need a hug, you've been surviving almost on your own since you can remember.
It also feels safe, and you don't want it to stop.
When you're calm enough, you continue speaking, not moving away from Cricket. "I think I almost died," you say quietly, "I felt myself die, my mind... slipping, my body being... eaten. And then I just...
"It was like a dream or a nightmare. I was everywhere and nowhere, and there were... choices, places I could just... step towards. So I just... chose here, this world, and next thing I knew I was in that jungle, and... you know the rest."
You stop talking, just... waiting, while they process, while they think.
Cricket grabs you by the shoulders, a couple of minutes later, and holds you at arm's length. He looks you in the eyes, serious and grim. "What you said was unbelievable," he says, and your heart breaks a little at that. "But I believe you."
"Indeed!" Masira says, lying a giant, meaty hand on your head, "You can't fake emotion like that!" Behind him, Shoujou nods gravelly.
"I am a great actor and performer, one of the best," Shoujou says, "and not even I could do it."
You snort, and then you laugh, and the laughing becomes crying and soon enough you are receiving more hugs in a day than in your entire life combined. You decide that maybe hugs aren't that bad.
You also decide to stay with Cricket, this time for good, and the rest of the day is spent celebrating this fact.
Cricket's House, Jaya Island
Day 9
The next day, Cricket sits you down outside his house and proceeds to explain to you the world.
It's, uh, much weirder than you expected.
"So the world is just... covered in water?" You ask for the third time.
Cricket nods.
"And everything is under the control of a single Guild?"
"The World Government," Cricket nods, "with the Marines as their armed forces, and the Celestial Dragons at the head."
"And the Celestial Dragons aren't actually dragons?" you ask.
"Not that I know. They're just rich and politically powerful beyond measure."
"Right," you say, "but they don't have magic?"
Cricket makes a so-so gesture. "Some of them come slaves that have eaten Devil Fruits, so maybe."
You nod, disgusted by the idea of slavery. "And those Devil Fruits," you say, "where do they come from?"
Cricket shrugs again. "No idea. Hell, maybe? We just know they give you great power and make the sea hate you."
Right, in a world that basically all ocean that seems like a really fucking bad deal. "And the Marines isn't opposed by anyone?"
"Pirates," Cricket says with some pride, "after Gold Roger died, his last words inspired generations of pirates to sail in search of freedom, money, and power."
"And the One piece," you add, making Cricket nod, "does it... exist?"
"It does," Cricket says with no hesitation.
"Right, and the Marine bosses are like mages?"
"Admirals, each one with the power of a Devil Fruit behind them. They can sink islands singlehandedly, they say."
"Huh," you say, trying to imagine something like that and failing. What would it be like, to have that kind of power?
For the rest of the day, and then sporadically for the whole month, you slowly learn more and more about this world you've found yourself in. Devil Fruits, the Ten Warlords, Gold Roger, the Admirals, the Grand Line... It's a lot, but you think you can defend yourself now.
[Skill Gained: Knowledge (One Piece)]
And then you have lunch together, as you do every day, and he goes to dive in search of gold, as he does every day.
"Hey," to say, unlike every day, "can I join you?"
Cricket stops, his wet suit halfway on. "Do you know how to swim?" He asks.
You shake your head. "I can learn," you say, "and I have magic to breathe underwater."
Cricket raises an eyebrow. "For how long?"
"Uh..." you close your eyes, reaching to the Land around you for answers. "One hour," you say after a second.
Cricket nods. "Grow some fins," he tells you and then walks away.
You do so. Your shifting is mostly esthetic, you told Cricket that yesterday, but even so, some shapes are just... universally helpful, no matter what your internal organs are like.
You meet with Cricket at the edge of the cliff, overlooking the endless ocean.
"You have it on?" he asks, and after a moment of focus--
[Cricket's House Activated, Land Tapped]
--you nod, energy suffusing your lungs.
"Good," Cricket says. Then, he grabs you and throws both himself and you down the cliff. You can't help it, you shout and flail but the sea is not that far down and before you can do anything you land with a splash and--
You take a deep breath, and it's like breathing air. You open your eyes and behold a new world.
There are fishes floating around, swimming through the clear water like birds flying through the sky. Strange plants rise from the ocean floor, undulating with the currents of the sea. Crabs crawl and scuttle through coral formations and rocks, and the sunlight reflects off the shimmering surface to create mesmerizing patterns of light.
It's the most beautiful sight you've ever seen.
Cricket nudges you off your amazement, and you turn to look at his masked face, some kind of device feeding him fresh air from a tank on his back. He makes a gesture, questioning, and you give him a thump up.
He nods to the side, and swims away, deeper into the ocean.
[Swim: 10-2=8 - Fail!]
You try to follow him, but your arms and legs are too short and weak to keep with his relentless pace, and soon Cricket's forced to slow down for you, even dragging you by the arm when you tire too early. It's embarrassing, and you swear to yourself you'll swim as well as Cricket one day, but after minutes of swimming, the only thing you feel is grateful.
Cricket guides you to a great opening in the ocean floor, a wound in the earth itself, so deep that you can't even see when it ends, the bottom shrouded in darkness and shadow. Yet still their life flourishes, corals and plants cling to the edges of the fissure, and strange creatures swim and scuttle up and down.
[Perception: 1 - NATURAL ONE, FAIL!
Perception Training now at 1/2
Wisdom Training now at 3/4]
You don't see it until it's too late.
Cricket grabs you by the arms and throws you away, showing strength you didn't know he had. You flail and tumble through the water, only managing to right yourself at the last moment, just before Cricket grabs you by the ankle and swims back to the cliff so fast your vision blurs.
But your eyes are clear enough to see why. From your position behind Cricket, you can finally see it.
It's a creature like a shark you ate a couple of days before, but bigger. No, bigger doesn't make it justice, it's so fucking big it could swallow Cricket whole and not even need to chew, its entire body radiates menace and death, and endless hunger.
It's a Sea King, the apex predator of the seas, and the only reason you weren't eaten was because of Cricket.
When the man drags you both back to firm land, you can't help but collapse on the grass, your heart beating like a drum and your lungs feeling raw and overworked.
"We almost died," you say, the moment you are once again able to speak.
"Aye," Cricket says, "I'll have to call the boys for help."
"What?" you ask, mind still foggy from fear.
"That's my territory," Cricket says, "and I won't let no baby Sea King take it from me."
"That was a baby?" You ask, faint.
"Aye," Cricket says, "you can tell from the size, a grown one wouldn't fit in these shallow waters."
"And you want to kill it?" you ask.
"Not want," Cricket says, "have to."
Possible Adventure Detected: The Sea Prince, Battle For The Crown!
Adventures had a chance of danger and even death, but they promise various rewards for the daring! Do you want to get involved in this?
[] Offer your help to Cricket, your Lightning would probably do a lot of damage. (Begin Adventure, the month is paused until completed.)
[] Just let Cricket and his sons deal with it, almost dying once is enough for you. (Finishes current month, gain the benefits from training but miss on the Adventure.)
[X] Offer your help to Cricket, your Lightning would probably do a lot of damage. (Begin Adventure, the month is paused until completed.)
The sun is setting from the west, tinting the sky and sea both in various shades of red. You stand atop the bow of the Utan Sonar, Shoujou's personal ship. Your flesh and skin are human, today, so as to not arouse too much suspicion. Even still, you can feel Shoujou's crew giving you odd looks.
You stand beside their captain and their captain's dad, of course, they wonder about you. Still, they are smart enough not to comment and other than a couple of whispered questions, they chose to ignore you. A favor you reciprocate.
You have more important things to do anyway.
"You see it?" Cricket asks, arms crossed and wearing a full diving suit.
"Aye!" Shoujou says, equally serious. "My divers just reported a big shape moving quickly... that way!" He points to your right. You and Cricket follow his finger.
[Perception: 1 - CRITICAL FAILURE!
Perception Training now at 2/2, Rank Gained!
Wisdom Training now at 4/4, Stat Increased!]
You see nothing. You focus on your eyes, strain your senses, focus all you can, but still, you see nothing.
And then Cricket grabs you by the scruff of your neck and throws you back. Just in time for an explosion of water to shower the entire deck, something emerging so fast and hard the ship itself rocks backward, throwing you even further away and, if it weren't for the help of a crewmember, down into the water and your very quick death.
What the fuck.
People shout and scream, you can hear the sound of wood breaking and metal bending. You hear Cricket shout something intelligible, but it sounds angry. What few crewmembers managed to steady their legs are running to and fro, rushing to various tasks you don't know anything about.
When the ship stops rocking, you come to your unsteady feet and run back towards the front. Or, at least, what remained of it. The entire figurehead and part of the bow were just... gone, ripped away by giant teeth and monstrous strength.
Shoujou you find hanging from the broken front, slowly pushing himself back up with his wiry arms. You rush towards him, grabbing him by the forearms and doing your best to drag him back up.
[Strenght: 2-2=0 - Fail!]
But even with Shoujou himself doing most of the work, you can't get him up before the Prince comes back.
It emerges from the water slower, this time. It is a monster of black scales and sheer muscle. Its head is level with the ship, a giant red eye radiating anger and menace, meeting yours. It roars, a sound of anger and pain.
And from inside its mouth, Cricket emerges, roaring back, a trident stuck between the Prince's jaws and prying it open.
"Jack," Cricket screams, loud enough to make your ears rattle, "do it now!"
You shake your head. Right, the plan, Now's time to do your part. Cricket's wearing that weird diving suit specifically for this, the thing's made out of some material, rubber or something, that would insulate him from lightning. He was supposed to distract the thing, weaken it, and then bait it out for you to--
"Jack!"
Right, right. No distractions!
You take a couple of steps back, leaving Shoujou to drag himself back on his own and raise your right hand. Index finger pointing at the Prince, thump up, you focus, sparks of red Lightning dancing over your entire arm.
"Lightning Bolt," you intone, the words coming to your lips by instinct and feel.
[Red: 5+6=11 - Fail!
Mana now at 2/3]
A flash of Red light and a boom like thunder assault your senses, and for a second you're blind and deaf. When the world comes back into focus, you look at the Prince and find...
Nothing. Not a mark on it, other than some light scorching on one of its teeth. The Prince roars back, redoubling its bite and bending the trident in half, freeing its jaws and forcing Cricket to jump way and back onto the ship in an impressive display of athletics.
"It didn't work," Cricket says, sounding slightly winded but not worse for wear.
Shoujou climbs back up, shaking his head. "No worries!" he says, "I, the Sonar King, will save the day!"
You and Cricket share a look. Shoujou is strong and capable when he wants to be, but his preferred method of attack--
Shoujou grabs a microphone from one of his crewmembers, takes a pose, and begins to... sing. It's a long, loud, wail of sound and vibration. The entire ship, already weakened, begins to shake. You and Cricket cover your ears as best you can, and still, the sound makes your teeth rattle.
The Prince roars gin, this time in pain, and for a moment you think it'll be over--
And then the creature dives back down, only to re-emerge moments back, on the other side of the ship, and bite off the giant speaker from that side. There's still one remaining, but at half power, the sonic wail becomes much less threatening.
You take your hands from your ears, even as they still ring, and look at the Sea Prince. It floats there, with the speaker in its jaws, shaking its head and raining metal and other electronics onto the deck. The crew is running in a panic now, scared shitless. Shoujou is trying to compensate for the speaker with sheer volume, but it's barely making a distraction on the Prince.
Cricket rolls his shoulders and takes out another trident, and you know the man is about to throw himself against the Prince again, this time for real.
[Perception: 15+2=17 - Pass!]
And then you notice something. The cables from the speaker remain intact, tangling the Sea Prince and making his movements slower. The beast keeps savaging the device, distracted by its rage, but it could notice at any moment, and then it will only need a moment to disentangle itself.
You have only seconds to act. What do you do?
The Sea Prince is distracted, what is your plan?
[] Hit it harder. You have two Mana left and enough time to focus. Cobble together a new spell on the fly, something strong enough to kill it in one hit! (High risk of injuring yourself if you fail the needed checks.)
-[] Write-in color combination. It will cost 2 Mana to cast, so you can either double on a color or mix two.
[] Use your brain. The cables are still intact, and that means there's a direct connection to the Prince. Go to the generator and overcharge it, frying the monster with the ship's own power. (High risk of damaging the ship if you fail the needed checks)
[] Use the time to empower Cricket. The man is your strongest fighter and your best chance against the Prince. Burn all your Mana to try and empower him! (High risk of injuring Cricket if you fail the needed checks.)