To the Southern Continent

[Graybeard]

The ships were about half way from the south end of Farrel to the Southern Continent when Keyes realized they weren't alone.

Mr. Stagpoole's "special" ship had many notable features indeed, including the ability to submerge (and come back up), but no ship travels as fast under water as on it. Keyes had been gradually falling behind the Clark, to the point where he could barely see the top of its masts through the periscope. Even though he was pretty sure where it was going, he had his orders to keep it in sight. He decided to risk a brief surface speed run to get back in visual range ... and as the boat rose up on its foils, he saw that there was another vessel out there, on the same course and apparently closing on the Clark.

Uh, oh, he thought, his thoughts clearer than his speech. I'd better report that. The boat settled back into the water as he went below to make a crystal-ball call.

[OOC: Which of about three possible ships is that? I have no idea, you work it out. And welcome to the Village Idiot; which ship do you want to be on?]

[Jack Rothwell]

Tamina had followed 'Jay-me' briefly to their cabin but the lack of fresh air, made even more scarce by Nera's latest contribution, drove her back outside again quickly enough. She meandered round the deck humming the tune that had gotten stuck in her head and staring at the fish riding the backtrail of the vessel with a kind of hungry longing.

"Go hunting when I'm home." She said to herself.

"You wanting to go fishing, missy?"

Tamina's oversized ears pricked up and turned her to the owner of the voice. It was Wedge, the young sailor who'd taught her the 'Pirate song'. He sat with his legs hanging off the edge of the stern. Tamina smiled at him and nodded vigorously.

"Yeah-yeah."

"Well at the speed we're going your best bet is to use a harpoon, aim carefully and pray like hell." He got up and walked over to a pair of crates where a good dozen of the lethal-looking things lay. He hoisted a small one, took a moment to stare at the kobold's muscle tone (maybe a little TOO long an observer might've thought) and picked out a larger model with a hefty rope tied to a hole at it's handle end. Tamina took the weapon, fumbling it slightly at first as her fingers figured out how to grip it correctly. After a moment she looked up and nodded.

"K, k. Ready."

OOC More coming. But I'll tack it on at a later post. Welcome Swift!OOC

[Swift]

[OOC I'm sorry I didn't know there were three boat. Now to know where, I guess it would be on the one who is more suitable for traveller. Can someone fill me whit who's one what boat?]

[Graybeard]

OOC:

[OOC I'm sorry I didn't know there were three boat. Now to know where, I guess it would be on the one who is more suitable for traveller. Can someone fill me whit who's one what boat?]

The boat that Keyes is skippering (he's also the crew and the passengers...) would not have Rick on it. The one that Jamie and Tamina sailed on could. So, if you preferred, could the other one that's just joining the party, although we don't yet know what it's doing there or who else is on it. Your choice, and if you want to know more about that other boat, PM me.

[Jack Rothwell]

Alec put the comm-orb back in his pocket with a smug smile of satisfaction draped across his face. That idiot Robin was resting in a watery grave and the way had been cleared for a real professional to recover what was rightfully his. That wonderful Mr Averis! The man had been a Godsend, taking him on was the best business decision he'd made in ten years.

'Of course' He thought to himself, as he reclined in the plush leather chair in his office at The Red Rose and rummaged in a desk drawer for a cigar. 'Even if those unreliable fools at the Eisenfaust manage to put two and two together they wouldn't dare raise their guns against me, I own half of Eastside! The place would collapse without my leadership! Their revenue would collapse without me to deal with!'

He lit his smoke, inhaled deeply and lifted his head to blow a smoke ring. Outside the door, music played and people hollered, just another good day at his favourite place of business. Although the regulars at Lorrel's favourite place of ill-repute would've noticed more of Alec's meatheads perched in corners and standing in doorways than was usual for a weekday. Alec might've been self-assured, but that didn't stop an occasional whisper of paranoia creeping into his head sometimes.

"Soon the little darling will be back in the bosom of my empire." He whispered to himself; eyes glazing over at the visualisation.

But of course, in the meantime...

"BILL!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, not wanting to take the effort to leave his quiet little corner. A moment later the flustered barman opened the door, his expression halfway between a cringe and a wince.

"Yes, Mr Fredriel?"

"Send Lucy in." He said. Lucy was one of Alec's favourites; a kobold he'd acquired years ago and had long since 're-educated'. "Tell her Daddy wants a word."

The barman repressed a shudder and did as he was told.

[Graybeard]

"Who did this?" Elke asked tightly as she examined the body of Robin Loklier. "And while we're at it, how did we find him?"

"We don't know who did it for sure," Annabelle replied, "but the guess is that it was one of Fredriel's goons. As for the how, it was pure luck. Remember that tracking potion we gave Jamie? We'd tested it on Loklier before giving it to her. Nobody gave a rat's ass what happened to him, just as long as it didn't kill him, so we never followed it. But when he died, there was a signal, and dredging up the body was easy from there."

"Easy, maybe, but the damn thing stinks, in more ways than one," Elke said, scrunching up her nose. "Get this over to Rabbitfoot for some thaumato-forensics. And then we're gonna have to hit the bastard that did it. I never particularly liked Loklier, but we can't have this kind of thing going on. Hit the trigger man, and one other of Fredriel's people."

Annabelle looked concerned. "What if Fredriel shot him himself?"

We should be so lucky. Any excuse to hit that fat pig... "If so, he made his bed, he can lie in it. Two for one. That's the rule on unprovoked hits. Now get Rabbitfoot on it." She turned to go back to her office, but there was more.

"Wait," Annabelle said. "We learned something interesting about that catgirl that kicked this all off ..."

By the time that part of the conversation was done, Elke's mood had lifted considerably. Maybe we have another Southern Mage candidate. John needs to know about this. She thanked Annabelle, sincerely this time, and went back to her office to make a call on the "special" ball.

[OOC: Rabbitfoot is an NPC created a long time ago for just such eventualities as this one. Start here for his connections, then go here and down the page for an example of what he does (he's done this a couple of times in the game). He's on the Eisenfaust payroll, a lifemage specializing in magical forensics and ... other things. /OOC:]
--------------

What's going on here? Keyes thought as he used the periscope. Now there were three boats chasing the one Jamie and Tamina were on, including his own ... and one of them was closing faster than the others.

[Jack Rothwell]

OOC I'm going on the assumption there's a ship in visual range now... PM me if there's not./OOC

"Na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na, fish-ing! Fish-ing!! FISH-ING!!!"

"Stop singing and throw the bloody harpoon." Wedge hinted.

Tamina chuckled and did as she was bid. She squinted for a silvery shape in the water, leaned backwards, gritted her needle-like teeth and threw. The barbed hook whistled through the air and struck the ocean barely slowing. The kobold missed, but considering the size of her target and her inexperience with the weapon, it was hardly surprising.

"Aww..."

"Don't get disheartened; just keep practising."

Tamina grabbed the rope and reeled the line back in, eager for another shot. In all likelihood she'd be there all day if free food was available, but as she leaned back for a second throw a flash of sunlight dazzled her eyes. She made an annoyed noise and narrowed her vision, staring at its origin.

"What's the matter?"

"There's... ship." She approximated.

"What?"

"Behind." She said. "Getting bigger."

Before the sailor had a chance to confirm the humanoid's observation a yell rang out across The Clark from the Crow's Nest.

"Unidentified vessel off the Stern! Be ready!"

Meanwhile, in his cabin, Captain Rigby groaned and pressed his head against the wooden table his lunch was sitting on.

[Sareth]

Returning from the cabin, Jamie heard the call. She spun about on the deck (swinging Nera around enough to elicit a sequel of glee.) "The stern? Which way is the stern?" The teenage girl seemed excited.

One of the sailors pointed to the rear of the ship. "Thataway."

"Thank you!" Jamie grinned and darted toward the back of the ship. She stepped up next to Tamina and squinted looking back. "Pirates? Do you think it's pirates? I sure hope so. That'd be a blast!"

****

Aboard another ship, Jasmine was perched on the bow, staring intently forward. "FASTER!" she called. "FASTER, YOU PICAROONS! FASTER!"

The crew all froze, sweat forming on their brows. Heads turned to stare at the Captain. The Captain gabbled a moment, then hollered! "Faster! Faster, men!" He turned and stared wistfully over the stern. "Please, I want this one off my ship," he whimpered.
"She scares me..."

****

Standing next to Tamina, Jamie's grin congealed. "Oh... hell."

[Jack Rothwell]

Tamina caught her new friend's mood immediately, moreover, she could smell the stress coming from the young woman. She cast her gaze at the rapidly approaching ship and gripped the harpoon more tightly. She muttered a stream of obcenities in her native tounge then, deciding she wasn't satisfied, tried the new word she'd picked up in Port Lorrel.

"Fa-uck. Don't wanna pirate's life any more."

Captain Rigby came stumbling through the doors of his cabin a second later, wielding what appeared to be a huge blunderbuss that looked even larger next to the short man's stunted frame. His hat sat at a rakish angle as he began bellowing to his crew.

"To arms!" He called. "Get five on the stern, now! Hail them!" He thumbed back the triggers on the weapon and hoisted it skyward with some difficulty. "If they shoot, riddle them with lead!"

Tamina mewled and wished she knew how to blow things up.

................................................................

"I'm on course now, sir."

Alec smiled at nothing in particular and nodded, the glass orb in his hand to seemed to glow.

"Keep me informed of your progress, Mr Averis. I'll look forward to hearing back from you."

"As you will, Mr Fredriel."

The device went dark as Alec's employee broke the connection. The fat man's piggy eyes narrowed in satisfaction. Ever since the events of yesterday his mood had been on a downward spiral. Now, finally, after a morning pick-me-up from one of his favourite 'pets' and things getting done, he found he was himself again. He pushed himself back to his feet with a grunt and made his way out to the main bar of The Rose.

After all, he still had a business to run.

[Sareth]

"It's not pirates," Jamie muttered. She glowered across the water at the approaching ship. "It's far worse than that. Pirates I can deal with. They'd only want to rob me, rape me, and make me a galley slave. No..." she hissed. "It's my MOTHER." The girl spun around. "Can't you make this thing go any faster?"