BountyOfTheSeas/Session O01
<onine> The room is littered with prone figures, lit by a large shaft of light eminating from the door that a crew of mortal ruffians with a ram had battered down mere minutes ago. Dust motes float through the air, providing a strange substance to the only light to grace the broken, shadowy hall and its sleeping occupants
<onine> The torches had gone out long ago, strings of lanterns lay upon upturned tables, shaken free of their mountings by the powerful ground-shaking strikes of the Celestial Exalted's previous battle with the Slave God Augustine.
<onine> Or perhaps it was the being of shadow, into which all light seemed drawn in and abolished? Even in the throws of his final fall into oblivion the Deathknight still glared with strong defiance, an anathema to all light.
<onine> The slave-den is bathed in a flickering eldritch glow from the darkly burning anima of the faltering deathknight as he struggles to keep his footing amongst an ever widening pool of corrupt, dark blood gathering at his feet.
<onine> "Curse you, shaped one..." He growls, his fingers working around the soulsteel dagger's hilt. "How dare you defy the Silver Prince's favoured servant so!"
* Sarasvati smirks. "I started by stabbing you repeatedly, I seem to recall."
<onine> He reverses the dagger in his hand and launches himself swiftly at Sarasvati, his many gaping wounds spraying ribons of ichor and defiled blood which spatter on the floorboards amongs the toppled wine and bodies.
<onine> "And such a fate is in store for you, wyld-slave!" He roars, carving the dagger through the air, trailing a shimmer of purple and a tortured wail like a sick old man.
* Sarasvati dodges the feeble blow easily, readying her spear to deliver the death-blow. "Not by you."
<onine> The Abyssal slips forward onto his knees before the fae servant, sliding with the momentum of the blow on a trail of his own lifes-blood. He looks upwards at the coral decorated spear, raised to finish him with wide eyes, showing not fear, but gleeful anticipation.
<Sarasvati> "I regret your own limited nature means we shall not fight again." She stabs cleanly.
<onine> The Abyssal is silent as the blade pierces his chest. The Fae holds it within his heart for a few fleeting moments before withdrawing it and stepping back.
<onine> The deathknight tilts his head back, he is smiling... "It will never be over... Death is the only eternity, an inevitable eternity." There is a strange wailing sound, it is not his own voice, but appears to be coming from his own fading anima as it compresses in on him.
<onine> His clothes begin to shred off floating and leaving trails of soot as if they were burning without flames upon them. As his flesh bares, it begins to sag and smoke, peeling and dripping from his pale, skeletal flame in rivers of stinking black and red.
<onine> Smoke rises up about him, obscuring him in a grave-smelling fog. From his castemark a purple light emerges, ethereal and small. It hisses at you then fades, shooting away out the door before its vision is lost to the daylight.
* Sarasvati retrieves her weapon, looking around at the survivors, checking on Sunset particularly.
<onine> All that is left is blood-drenched smoking skeleton resting on its knees, arms outstretched as if calling out to a deity. The flesh on his face is all that remains intact, its expression one of profound peace.
<onine> Finally the man has the rest he should have been granted once before.
<onine> The few mortal bystanders and ruffians gag a moment, then run, shouting out words of horror. A few trip into alleys to vomit. For the moment you are largely left alone.
* Zeleny lies collapsed against a pillar, surrounded by a puddle of his own blood. His wounds had opened up again. His eyes open into slits. "Saravasti," he rasps. "Verdant."
<Sarasvati> Sunset waves off the attentions of his servant. "Go, check on Zeleny. I'll be fine..."
* Sarasvati does so. "May I examine your wounds?"
* Verdant slowly stands up, gulping for air...or perhaps more accurately Essence.
<Verdant> "So...what did I miss?"
* Zeleny raises a hand to weakly grasp her shoulder. �Blue�, he thinks, �like fine porcelain�. Bemused, he struggles to keep his thoughts on track. Her face fades in and out of his vision. "It ...doesn't matter..." he struggles to get out, and then chokes suddenly, as blood clogs his lungs. He spits out blood. "Saravasti, the prisoners...have to get them free. I can't...need to comfort them.."
<onine> The entire auction hall is in ruins about you. There are numerous pillars of oak, that were likely supports for this den of inequity for decades or even centuries that were now cracked and bent from people being punched into them by solars. The stage upon whioch slaves were sold has been crushed under the weight of Augustine's sinful bulk.
<onine> Tables are upturned, bottles of wine smashed, sleeping merchants - and of course the still steaming, bloodsoaked skeleton of the Abyssal.
<Sarasvati> "You will be able to do a better job of freeing them if you aren't half-dead."
<onine> Truthfully told. Though you are left well enough alone, and likely have time to get out - there is the fact that numerous enforcers - possibly alligned with the guild are making their way through the city, screaming words such as 'demons', 'monsters' and "lets get a big beatin' crew together!"
<onine> It is only a matter of time...
* Sarasvati gives Zeleny the once-over, applying what first-aid she can, binding his wounds with what rags are at hand.
* Zeleny fetches a grimace for her. "It'll take... too long..." As she finishes, he struggles to stand up again, and collapses at once, cursing. "Need to stop them-"
<Verdant> "Zeleny...I don't know about you, but I'm tapped out. I tell you I like this about as much as you do, but we can either help them later...or not at all."
* Sarasvati looks at Sunset for guidance. Sunset looks at Zeleny.
<Zeleny> "We can't let them be put in chains again. At least need to get them out..."
<Sarasvati> "Perhaps some kind of major distraction that does not require us to go cell-to-cell?"
<Zeleny> "Whatever it takes."
<Sarasvati> "Destruction of this scale is not my speciality. I was hoping the sorceror had something in mind."
<Verdant> "What part of 'tapped out' don't you understand? At this rate it'll be an hour or more before I can so much as call the obsidian butterflies. I have just enough for another stormwind Rider if you want to get back to the ship in a hurry. Beyond that..."
* Verdant shakes his head.
* Sarasvati nods. "Then, I suspect, we must retreat. We have dealt a serious blow today; it should be a simple matter to deliver a finishing strike later."
<onine> "Captain!" Neihan bursts in, looking a little worse for wear. By his appearance, clothes crumpled, sword drawn and sweat thick on his brow he hasn't been having a relaxed time.
* Zeleny grits is teeth. "We did �nothing�. Our effort is wasted if those who are free are just ..chained up again. What about Pyhrra?" He glares at them, wishing he could stand.
<onine> "Mobs a-brewin sir! We ain't got a lot of..." He notices Zeleny's condition. "Captain!"
<Sarasvati> "What about her?"
<onine> The man dodges around the Abyssal's corpse, giving it a look of curious horror - like a child looking at a particularly loathsome insect before kneeling at the inert Zeleny's side.
<onine> "Captain! Gods can you move?" He queries, as frantic as you've ever heard the hardened sailor.
<Zeleny> "We can't leave her," Zeleny bites out. He puts his hand on Niehan's shoulder, and struggles into kneeling position. "The men...where are they?"
<Zeleny> A ghost of a smile. "Almost."
<onine> "Daric and Keln are still at the landing boat at the docks Cap'n. The rest are still on the Brilliance as you ordered." He looks at Zeleny's extensive wounds, more than enough to kill an ordinary man.
<Zeleny> "Good..." Zeleny whispers, and slowly falls forward, lapsing into unconsciousness.
<onine> Neihan swears. And looks to Verdant, whom he generally views as in command of the exalts when Zeleny isn't present. "He's out. Now what?"
* Sarasvati watches Zeleny pass out, and looks over to Verdant. "So now we?"
<onine> Verdant thinks, and thinks. Weighing up the options. Every one.
<onine> "We dont have time for this!" Neihan remarks urgently.
<Sarasvati> "You." She points to the crewman. "You pick up the captain. I have Sunset to attend to."
<onine> "Yeah." Neihan narrows his colourless eyes at the Fae but does not object, letting the disrespect for his rank in the crew slide. He hefts the unconcious form of Zeleny onto his shoulders.
<onine> "Damn... the weight of command eh Captain?" He says to the unconcious superior, laughing at his own joke. Neihan is of course immensely glad the Captain is not weighed down with Orichalcum.
* Sarasvati lifts her master to one side. Sunset isn't quite as badly off as Zeleny, but barely standing with assistance.
<onine> "Okay..." Neihan huffs. "Taking the main streets is out, but I know a few of the side ones now."
<Sarasvati> "Let's get them out of here."
<Verdant> "Great. Lead the way."
<onine> The fae and the mortal heft their heavy cargo and climb down the steps with Verdant in tow. The main street is strangely deserted, the occupants fleeing a the thought of demons living in the Slave Den
<onine> In the distance you can hear comotion, the shouts of crowds whipped into a frenzy.
<onine> "Damn... they're right where we need to go..." Neihan curses. "This way!"
* Sarasvati follows.
<onine> The mortal sailor jogs to the west towards smaller side-streets the lead through the slums of the towns on Black Flag island. Crowds needed large spaces to move, so the smaller streets and alleys are the way to go.
* Verdant stops to say something in Old Realm to the windhound. It nods and runs off in a different direction before Verdant chases after Niehan.
<onine> Far away, in the northern quarter of the port city, three figures stand on a walled off embankment, watching the scene play out before them in the streets below. With enhanced predatory senses they watch two figures carrying heavy burdens followed by a third make their way out of the Den and into the sidestreets, trying to avoid the mobs gathering blocks away.
<onine> "At last..." The first figure murmers, his voice deep base, echoed and muffled by an intricate soulsteel mask, inlaid with pale ivory and white jade. The tall man is covered head-to-toe in gleaming black armour, upon its surface play the moving, ghostly shapes of wailing faces.
<onine> Two other figures watch from each side.
<onine> To his left, an unkempt youth with white hair, youthful face contorted in a strangely sadistic grin. His clothing is simple, an open vest and fine loose pants blowing in the breeze. His feet are shod up to the knees in steel plated boots.
<onine> He jumps lightly from foot to foot with barely restrained anticipation.
<onine> His eyes dart from the fleeing Solars and their allies to the armoured Deathknight and back again.
<onine> "Heart of Verse Sanguine is dead then?" He chuckles. It isn't funny to the other two, but he cannot help but find the whole situation deeply personally amusing.
<onine> "It is so." The armoured Deathknight, Shroud of Darkness Passing answers him. His exile had drained the remains of his compassion - even for fellow Deathknights on the path to unifying Creation in glorious death.
<onine> "May the next to bear his power be a more worthy a warrior than he - and a worthier servant to our Master..." He breaths deeply, the air hissing between moaning metal plates.
<onine> The third figure, a raven-cloak clad woman observes also from Shroud's right. Caress of Skeletal Tenderness did not find the situation quite as amusing or acceptable as the other two of her companions.
<onine> "Look there!" Laughter points with a black-gloved hand. "They are marching almost directly into the mob! They'll be torn to shreds!" He rocks back and forth and laughs with delight.
<onine> "See to it that they reach their ship alive." Shroud orders. "Carefully now Laughter... we do not want to get carried away now... do we?"
<onine> Laughter spits on the ground, at last his youthful face no longer smiles. "So I can't kill anyone then? Killjoy..."
<onine> Shroud raises a gauntletted finger. "Kill yes... but remember finesse. We...were...never...here." He wiggles the finger back and forth.
<onine> "Heh! I'll try to keep that in mind." Laughter walks foward and somorsaults over the edge and disappears into the streets below.
<onine> Shroud turns to Caress and regards her. "Now now my sister... Heart's death was a neccessary and unavoidable event."
<onine> "I *know* that, Shroud. I merely regret the choice he made." She explains.
<onine> "Regret his cowardice no longer. He chose to take upon this task for our Master rather than seek penitence for his failure in the Labyrinth. What is done is done, and all is as it should be..."
<onine> Shroud turns away and looks once more upon the Slave Den with hungry eyes. "Now then... as I recall you have a task that you must get about to completing Caress. I do not relish the thought of being disturbed whilst down there, least of all by our misguided Solar *friends*"
<onine> "It is as good as done..." Caress purrs, and disappears, enveloped by shadow.
<onine> Shroud of Darkness Passing rubs his masked chin in thought. "Now, let us see what secrets you will tell us, sin of a forgotten past."
<onine> "Dammit dammit dammit!" Neihan swears backing up after checking around a corner. "There's more of them down there!"
<Sarasvati> "How many other paths do we HAVE?"
<onine> The street has many almost abandoned stalls and hay-stacked wagons, but many of the alleyways have been choked off with lean-to shelters and improvised homes of the disenfranchised.
<onine> Neihan hunkers down and hides behind a wagon, leaning out to watch the mob turn the corner towards the unfortunate group. Suddenly there is a roar of combat elsewhere in the city and the mob turns as one yells from the rear: "They're this way! C'mon!"
<onine> Likely the Windhound has found one of the groups and is... distracting them.
<onine> "That was close..." Neihan whispers harshly. "But these streets have a lot of stragglers.
<onine> "
<Sarasvati> "Then we will have to take care of them, if necessary. In the meantime..." She looks around, picking a likely spot. "Let's go THIS way."
<onine> It is true, there are small gangs of stragglers running about all over the place. Some have turned to looting in the confusion. A group of five split off from the main group further down the road and together they heave a small cart through a shopfront and climb in.
<onine> You run down the smaller side street, when a voice pipes up from behind. "No, no, don't go that way, that way isn't safe! This way is *much* better!" There is a supressed chuckle.
* Sarasvati looks over in the direction of the voice.
<onine> Behind you is an alleyway that you barely noticed previously, barred off by make-shift buildings. From the door, all you can see is a gloved hand beckoning with one finger, almost seductively.
<onine> "Come on, come on." More laughter. "Not much time, and there's another group coming up that way from the temple!"
<onine> Sure enough the wind changes and you hear the shouts of another mob.
<onine> The hand waves and disappears inside the small hovel.
<Sarasvati> "I do not trust you, but I fail to see how the situation could worsen, so..." Sarasvati shrugs and heads that way, motioning the mortal to follow.
<onine> Neihan shrugs and looks over his shoulder, deciding to brave the strange helper than the mob.
<onine> The hovel is exactly what you'd expect, an old mat, jar in the corner for... the call of nature, since knocked over. A few meager posessions and other rubish. The difference is that the back wall has been knocked down, clearing the alleyway beyond.
<onine> "Come come, dont take all day!" The voice hisses from around the corner thirty yards down, the hand gesturing with a laugh.
* Verdant squints at the hand.
* Sarasvati hurries along.
<onine> The finger wiggle about, and then contort. On the other wall its shadow makes the shape of a toothy dragon.
<onine> *fingers
<onine> The alleyway turns then leads out through a similarly destroyed shack into a narrow sidestreet littered with garbage... and bodies.
* Verdant looks about, somewhere between panicked and thoughtful.
<onine> A group of seven armed men lay in various states of death and dismemberment. One is slumped against a wall. Three meters above the wall is shattered and cracked - and marred with a generous helping of crimson, as if he has been hurled into the wall with incredible force.
<onine> The force only an exalt of Pyhrra's power usually exerts.
<Sarasvati> "This is so obviously a trap, is it not?"
<onine> The rest have been stomped into the ground or beaten with such force that their bodies havent held together.
<onine> An eighth dangles ten yards above, a clothes-line wrapped around his throat with the force of a garrot, a blood drop lands on Neihan's shaved head that leads to the grizzly discovery.
<onine> "Oh..." Neihan grumbles, entirely unhappy with things.
<Sarasvati> "Even so..." She continues for lack of options.
<onine> "Hurry uuuuup..." The voice coos from further down, this time two hands are appearing, palm down gesturing gently up and down like waves in a harbour.
<Sarasvati> "If you want us to move faster, YOU carry the bodies."
* Verdant suddenly turns white. "Trap...indeed," he whispers.
<onine> "Tsk!" The voice snaps and disappears around the next corner. As you yourselves round it you see a slight obstacle before you. A relatively rope-bridge spans the eight yard street that travels below perpendicular to yours, below are the voices of another mob deciding where to go.
<onine> They're a good ten to fifteen yards down, but with so many of them you'll need to be careful to avoid detection.
<onine> Further along their street is a ramp that leads up and will give them access to yours, but they'll be some distance behind and have to navigate the same bridge. Between a few buildings, mere blocks distant you can see the harbour.
<onine> Its waters gleam, pure and inviting - freedom!
* Verdant grits his teeth in frustration.
<Sarasvati> "Should we continue?"
* Verdant grumbles out his response. Every word speaking to this fae creature felt like sandpaper against his heart. "I don't like it...but what choice do we have? For what little it's worth...be wary."
<onine> "I think we're stuck here if we dont... the only other way is down that sloped street - and they'll see us for sure then!" Neihan grunts, adjusting Zeleny's weight on his shoulders
* Sarasvati sneaks across the bridge as quietly as she can.
<onine> "Mind your balance... goooood." The voice remarks too loud for comfort from a building rooftop to the right.
* Sarasvati sets Sunset down, and crosses back to deliver Zeleny.
<onine> "Oh my, you are *very* skillful." The voice coos from a building on the *other* side of the street, somewhere between mockery and genuine appreciation of Sarasvati's skill.
* Verdant crosses, half expecting to be ambushed at any moment.
<onine> Verdant crosses quickly, followed by Neihan who runs a little too fast over the worn planks. Dust filters down on the heaving crowd's collective heads and many look up, giving out shouts of surprise and alarm. The ex-pirate makes it to the other side under a pelting rain of rocks, fruit and other improvise projectiles including shoes and hats.
<onine> He dives to the ground with a gash on his forhead and heaves Zeleny up onto his shoulders. "Sorry!"
<Verdant> "Run for it!"
<onine> "Six there were and five there are - best of fortune but it is time for me to go and have some fun! Fear not we will meet again!" The voice cackles from the rooftops above, but you cannot tell where.
* Sarasvati does not need to be told twice, picking up Sunset and, to put it mildly, "hauling ass".
<onine> In the street you just crossed you can hear the sound of a fire-dust grenade go off, along with the ripping and tearing of bone-shrapnel - and the screams of the victims packed too closely together.
<onine> The three-plus-two of you make it down to the docks which are strangely low on people. You are given a few strange looks, and a few shout out, but before they have a chance to organize any kind of capture/kill attempt you are all in the landing boat with Daric and Keln rowing for their lives.
<onine> In minutes you are distant, amongst the countless anchored pirate vessels in the bay. Far off at the docks you can see people gathering, shouting their hatred for you amongst other less pleasant curses.
<onine> "That was *close!*" Neihan pants, dabbing his bleeding brow with a cloth.
<onine> It is late afternoon by now, and the sky above is beginning to bear the tint of gold and orange. Also, dotting the sky and growing fatter and heavier are many rainclouds.
<Verdant> "Too close."
<Sarasvati> The closeness or not of the situation seems utterly beyond the notice of the spear-maiden, pleased enough that she has proven her worthiness.
<onine> The three crewmen only have eyes for their captain. A very light rain begins to fall from the few scattered clouds, misting the port in sunset orange, the low-hanging sun unobscured by the growing population clouds.
* Verdant looks at the setting sun. Perhaps he looks for wisdom, or strength, or simple calm. Either way, he seems lost in thought.
* Zeleny struggles to regain consciousness, laying flat on his back on the ship. A dim gray sky meets his eyes...and the white sails of the ships, still reflecting brilliance in the dying light of the day.
<Zeleny> Every part of his body hurts.
<Zeleny> "What happened?" he asks, his speech slurred and thick.
<Verdant> "A disaster." Verdant replies mirthlessly.
<onine> "Captain!" The three crew say in unison, relief in their voice.
<onine> *voices
<Zeleny> "The prisoners...did they get out?" Zeleny asks, the first thought leaping straight from thought to lips. "Pyhrra?"
<onine> Neihan looks to the others.
<Sarasvati> Now that all are safely back on the boat, Sarasvati plays the part of dutiful servant, tending to Glorious Sunset's injuries.
<onine> "We... barely got out ourselves sir." Neihan reports.
<Verdant> "As I said," Verdant says softly, "A disaster."
<Sarasvati> "We survive, surely, that is something."
* Zeleny closes his eyes briefly, the faint lines around his mouth and eyes deepening. "Something," Zeleny echoes, and clenches a fist. "�Dammit�" he curses softly, banging it against the wood. "How did this happen?"
<onine> "On the upside sir," Neihan says. "Salas told me he'd raise anchor and get out of the docks if trouble started. The Brilliance will be waiting for us just outside the cove."
<onine> "That'll give us a headstart getting out of here." Keln nods with relief, working an oar.
* Zeleny can't see Black Flag, positioned as he is, but he can feel it behind him, a malign smeer of a city brooding on an island. A gigantic, squatting toad bubbling with disease. Something had gone very wrong there. And hidden beneath...the slaves. �Pyhrra.�
<Zeleny> "They'll be waiting for us when we come back," Zeleny says in the same thick, weak voice. "It doesn't matter. So will we." He closes his eyes.
<onine> "Come back, sir?" Neihan murmers, in a state of shock.
<Zeleny> "No one gets left in the dark," he murmurs, already drifting off. "...not forever..."
<onine> Neihan nods and turns to Daric and Keln. "Get us back to the Brilliance, boys. Quick as you can."
<onine> "Sir!" They both respond in unison and redouble their rowing efforts.
<onine> For nearly five days the Brilliance is hounded by strangely well coordinated patrols of the pirate groups. Crews that previously were at eachother's throats at every opportunity patrol together, seeking the Brilliance and its demon crew.
<onine> In the time of Zeleny's recovery, Salas has taken the role of acting-captain and kept Zeleny's prized ship out of the grasp of the semi-unified pirate navy, although there have been calls too close for comfort.
<onine> In Zeleny's quarters Falling Leaf removes the last of the clean bandages from Zeleny's countless wounds, revealing strong, unbroken healed skin beneath. Monk and Salas Toad look on.
<onine> Monk chuckles. "It never ceases to amaze me how you can put our captain through a barrel of knives and in three days time he's fine and smiling."
<onine> "How are you feeling Captain?" Toad inquires.
* Zeleny glances at Monk. He doesn't look in a particularly smiling mood. "Well enough." He stands and stretches, and then falls into a crouch to mock punch some invisible foe. His mood is dark enough he doesn't look a bit playful. "Everything seems to be in order."
<onine> "Order or not, it would be better regardless if you rested for a few more days, captain...sir." Falling Leaf tries to order.
<Verdant> It is equally likely that no one in the room wants to breach the subject of Verdant's recent behavior.
<onine> "We can handle things if you need the time, sir." Salas Toad assures him...
<Zeleny> "I don't need it, and there's no time. There's a reason these pirates are chasing us. Something happened back there. We need to find out what."
<onine> "Aye sir." Monk replies. "Doesn't seem to be a sensible explanation for it, not one that Toad, Neihan and I can come up with - even with Neihan's knowledge of the groups and the area... and Verdant Waves hasn't been a lot of help there either."
* Zeleny just shakes his head, the frowning line still present between his brows. He claps Salas on the shoulder. "We need to get back, but these pirates...." He fixes his darkling gaze on Verdant. "The Ruler is still following us beneath, isn't he?"
<onine> "I assume so Cap'n." Toad replies. "Course without an *active* exalt we cant really check."
<onine> Monk clears his throat. Its a bad moment for it, but he cant help it.
<Zeleny> "...where is Verdant?" Zeleny asks softly. "He wasn't wounded."
<onine> "Ah..." Toad says gruffly. "Master Sorcerer Verdant Waves has been involved in deep er... Lore er..." Monk helps him with the word Ocult and Sorcerous. "Occult studies of a sorcerous nature and has requested that he is not disturbed."
<onine> When Zeleny raises a brow and looks at Monk the man stammers. "That's right."
* Zeleny narrows his eyes.
<Zeleny> "I'm sure he won't mind seeing me."
<onine> "Oh you two men are such kittens sometimes." Falling Leaf scolds them like a nanny. "We all know that at varying periods of the day Master Verdant has spent his time in his quarters or hanging over the rails of the Brilliance emptying the poison."
<onine> "He drank it all sir..." Toad remarks in dispair.
<onine> "We hid some..." Monk offers.
* Zeleny curses softly and at great length, referring to parts of anatomy and the various obscene things that can done with them. Toad blinks, Monk blushes, and Leaf unsucessfully attempts to hide a smile. "By all means, keep it hidden."
<onine> "He took that bottle of finest Realm twelve-heaven brandy vintage RY 652 that Irisa gave you when we freed Port Velence..." Toad breaks the news.
<onine> "True." Falling Leaf adds. "And I don't think he took a glass."
<onine> Monk clears his throat again.
<onine> "In any case sir," Toad remaks gruffly. "The 'Strider is likely floatin' below as always."
* Zeleny looks sour. He flexes his hands and rolls his shoulders, as if marveling, briefly, at the �wholeness� to him now. "Another thing we'll need to discuss, then." He looks at Monk. "Something else?"
<onine> "No sir, except..." He exchanges a grin with Toad. "It's good to have you back, Captain."
* Zeleny smiles at him, then, and claps them both on the shoulders. "It's good to be back."
<Zeleny> Moments later, however, minions scatter before him like leaves thrown up by a thunderstorm, as he marches to Verdant's door. He doesn't bother with knocking. He bangs once, as a courtesy, than pushes the door open impatiently. "Verdant-"
<onine> The few sailors you see cheer as you pass, alone and in small groups as word is spread of the Zenith's full recovery.
* Verdant lies sprawled on the bed. Bottles lie strewn across the floor. Bleary, teary eyes only half look in the direction of the door. "<Go away.>" Verdant says weakly, in Old Realm.
* Zeleny leans down, and picks up a bottle that rolls back and forth across the floor with the roll of the ship Realm Twelve-Heaven, RY 652, he notes. He contemplates it for a moment expressionlessly, tossing it up and down. He walks to stand over the Twilight, considering him thoughtfully.
<Zeleny> "Verdant, what is this about?"
<Verdant> "<Leave me be,>" Verdant says, tears in his eyes.
<Zeleny> "Speak properly," Zeleny orders, in the tone reserved for drunks and small children.
* Verdant chuckles without mirth. "Properly? Just...fine..." Verdant closes his eyes.
<Zeleny> "Verdant," Zeleny says again, in that level, disappointed tone. His grip tightens on the bottle he holds, and he smashes it full against the headboard. It shatters, shards of glass flying from the force of the blow.
<Zeleny> "Wake the help up," he growls.
* Verdant half opens his eyes. "<I don't want to.> I don't want to."
* Zeleny makes a noise halfway between a bear's roar and a shout. He wraps his hands around Verdant's sodden robe, nose wrinkling at the smell of alchohol and vomit, and lifts him up off the bed, shaking him. "�Verdant�," he hisses.
<Verdant> "WHAT?" Verdant bellows in sullen rage. "Don't you understand? This world is broken. <BROKEN!> Pain flows into lives undeserving...and...and...<and nothing can be done about it!> Nothing!"
<Zeleny> "Not if you lay in bed nursing on booze, " Zeleny answers, white from anger. He shakes the man again, like an errant pupppy, before dropping him again in disgust. "Verdant, what- what is this? What brought this on?"
<Verdant> "Disaster. <We lost Pyhrra.> We left behind those slaves. Fat lot of good we did for them. Or her. <Or her.> I told her I wouldn't abandon her...but she said I would...<and I would give anything to have been right.>"
* Zeleny looks aways, the anger blown away like sunlight before a summer squall. The angry vein pulsing in his temple subsides. He hears the aching guilt in Verdant, and it's like a chain wrapped round his ankle. "We're going back," he says quietly. "We're going to save them.."
<Verdant> "If they haven't killed them already...those...<false Exalts>."
<Zeleny> "We're going to save all of them." He crouches down, to meet Verdant's bleary gaze with his intent one. "We weren't ready. We didn't know what we were going to find there." As Verdant's head collapses back against the pillow he reaches out and pulls him up, forcing his head back up, forcing Verdant to meet his gaze fully. "�LISTEN� to me."
<Zeleny> "We have �solutions�. We can fix it. We �are� the answers to questions. You know we are. And every moment we delay, every moment we waste...indulging ourselves in this manner," Zeleny's nose wrinkles again. "Is a moment they have to time to murder." He pauses to let this sink in, releasing Verdant.
<Zeleny> �If they haven't killed them already�...."Now," he takes a breath. "Tell me. Who are 'they' ?"
<Verdant> "<False Exalts>. The ones that are a dark parody of us. Laughter."
<Zeleny> "Laughter?" It was like pulling teeth. Zeleny resists the urge to begin shaking him again.
* Verdant nods. "He was the one whose voice gave us a way out...I doubt for altruistic reasons..."
<Verdant> "Grave...Caress..."
* Zeleny grits his teeth. "So we go back. We find them. We kill them." He shakes the man again. "We don't lie here in our own mucus," he snarls. He stands up. "How long will it take you to be sober enough to pilot the Ruler?"
<Verdant> "<Let me sleep.>"
* Zeleny looks at him, his mouth in an unsettled grimace. He picks him up by the collar again, and pulls him off the bed. "Can you walk, or am I going to have to drag you?" Zeleny asks in a quiet tone.
<Zeleny> When Verdant just looks at him with that same damned expression of bovine indifference, Zeleny snarls, grabs him, and drags.
<onine> And with that, Zeleny drags the Twilight out the door and onto the sunlit deck, to the combined cheers of the Brilliance's crew...
<onine> -----
<onine> Deep within the catacomb tunnels walks the Shroud of Darkness Passing, clad unholy and darkly resplendant in his armour forged of the screaming souls of the sacrificed. They wail in unison with the shrieks and cries of the now awakened slaves and the hungry ghosts of the maze of catacombs.
<onine> He walks to the salt line and looks down upon it... if the skeletal face behind his mask could have smirked, or if his empty heart could have felt the glee of such an act - he would have. Walking on, he purposfully drags a spurred soulsteel boot across the line of salt, breaking the barrier.
<onine> And without even a word or a glance at the savage ghosts that waited beyond he strides amongst them like a lord and makes his way the the ancient manse deep in the ocean below...
<onine> -----
<onine> END...for now!
