oceans O'felon, part two

[rubyrubyruby]

Boaz brushes sand off himself spitting and hacking up more sand from his mouth. The rest of his crew, that remains alive and unhurt, comes around the far end of the ship and then slows to a halt. Boaz grins toothily at them and motions to the downed men about them. "Ay! Gets rope and tie dese up tight, eh? Make sure they all good for travel back with his royalness here. " He says poking a thumb towards Ashby. "Secure da beach and stoof. Maybe even pick up dese weapons and gloves too." He looks over to Ruby and Ashby briefly and then blows a sigh dejectedly. "And no hid'n any of dem in our ship. No playin wit dem unless ya want yer head blown off."

"They lucky they didn't blow oof their 'eads just usin tha bloody things. They from an armoury tha ain't supposed tah be dipped intah. I don't know 'ow they broke in, but..." She wrinkles her nose and looks from the mess towards that-a-way. "I don't know where they think ~they~ gonna run tah. They should 'ave stood with tha rest an took their licks. I mean, they ran tah Sukho...with their ships. Maybe they gots a fence in tha territory? They knew there'd be a chase for sure, what with tha amount 'o noise they made with their 'eist..." Ruby's brows furrow heavily and she roughly tongues the back of her teeth.
Ruby turns to regard Ashby and Boaz, for the latter she adds a layer of compassion, saying, "Sorry for your losses. I don't think all your crew made it through tha foightin if tha smell on tha beach is any indi-cation. But are you two up for a bit more? We need tah catch tha rest 'o those buggers. Grab somethin from tha crates if you need arms. If you on tryin tha 'elp out tha Navy's weeeee problem, maybe one or two can get temporarily ~missin~."



Royalness? Is there a Prince about?! Ashby spins at this, following the direction of the jerked thumb to take a gander behind him where he finds only realization. Alas, there is no time to discuss this promotion of social rank he has suddenly undergone as more important topics take center stage. A nod of approval at the order for mop up is directed toward Boaz before he is pulling a notebook from inside his coat to scribble away. "They seem to have a rather purposeful pace, that is for sure!" His scribbling completed, he slides the book away, beaming at Boaz, "Too true! Heroes the lot of them! Their glory will be forever remembered in the songs and tales of this day! I, for one, will certainly stay to see too it they did not die for just this beachhead!" The cavalier hoists his finger up hight at this point while dipping a toe under one of these pilfered weapons to kick it on up for a closer inspection. And to keep. Surely just for now and not permanantly! Surely! "I signaled the Son to swing around the far side of the island, just in case."

Boaz rubs at the top of his head and sighs. "I always promise share of loot ta family if saliors fall. Tis best way to conduct a ship for raid'n here. Gives the family a chance ta make it through da year and tough times. Find a new mate or whatevah." He blows out a breath and looks back at what's left of his crew. "I'd rathah send'm 'ome wit supplies and such den money. Maybe some tools and weapons too. More useful da rest of da year." He shrugs and grumbles about figuring it out after. "Aye! Lets go get da silly lubbahs dat think a volcano is a safe place ta run too." He then rubs at his face and peers back at Ashby and Ruby. "They was all messy in their steal'n? Ya sure they ain't drawin' you inta a trap of some sort?"

The assortment of discarded, dropped and discharged weapons runs the gamut of the familiar, albeit with the important distinction of being stormtech. Pistols and rifles having been previously nestled within comfy straw-lined caskets. The defeated rearguard has their own easy-to-hand weapons such as knives, hatchets and short-swords. Curious flasks and oblongo grenados are around as well, and they hum like evil little beehives, giving off potentially unstable kind of aura.

Ruby holsters her pistol but keeps her axe at the ready. "I don't think there was any way 'o doin it clean an sneaky, but, it don't matter tah me, Truth. Trap or not, can't sit back an rub me chin an contemplate. Thinkin 'ard ain't gonna solve this." She starts off at a trot towards the trail that wouldn't need a Ranger to follow.

Ashby's finger wags over in Boaz' direction at his final question, which the Duke is nodding in agreement to as he looks over Ruby's way. "Too true! There wasn't anything in that armory that they could have stolen that would react poorly with that volcano?" Well, either way, they may have it and standing about won't do them any favors! Ashby snatches up one of the grenade looking items and follows right along behind the Princess with it and some manner of rifle in tow. "We'll have to double-time it to catch up! And a bit of thought will certainly help us in our final approach once we find them! We don't know what manner of fire they may be playing with!"

Boaz reaches down and first takes up a couple of the railing spindles from the wreckage of his fall from above, moving them about in clearly practiced ways. These he tucks into his sash and then picks up some of the humming greanados giving them a thoughtful look. "Aye.. Lets be off den. I needs ta get bodies home and you all want yer guns and stoof. Lubbahs need to learn ta steal more quietleh." He blinks then and looks to Ashby and then Ruby. "Was anything in that stoof that would cause da volcano ta blow? Or..worse?"

Ruby is off at a run, so she's having a jogging convo back over her shoulder. The mandatory thunking seems to agitate her, or its all the sand. Boaz's question has her screw up her face in consternation. "Whut?" She making grimacing grunting noises at such a possibility. "Well...I mean...I dunno! If you overcharge a cannon it sure as 'ell makes a big bloody 'ole wherever it used tah be." She frowns and peers up at the caldera. "Can you make a volcano blow its top on purpose?" She gets a sinking feeling.

Leaving behind the beach for the floopy thick palm trees of the Sukhoti island, those that have gotten a head start with the sacrifice of the rear guard have left a reasonably easy trail to follow. It looks like the foe veered towards an old riverbed, now dry, that heads in-land. And this soon terminates as the terrain becomes more steep. It seems they are indeed heading for high ground. Things have been discarded, perhaps to lighten the load of non-essentials by those running ahead.

RPG: Ashby declares that he has the Danger Sense (SKL-DS) gift.
RPG: Ashby declares that he has the Observation (SKL-OB) gift.

Ashby's eyes go wide as Ruby asks the question and he leaves it to hang in the air for a moment while he looks over to Boaz and stares meaningfully. "Now, I'm no man of science and if they did cover that in war college then it is still lost in the fog of amnesia, but I am fairly certain they can and will!" If ever there was a time to go faster, now is it and the retired cavalier puts everything he has into it! A touch of the jovial tone in his voice has dropped off now, replaced with that of a general as he calls out, "Double-time! I won't stand for any sandbaggers on this run! Forward! Like your lives depend on it! Because they probably do! What the--! Cut left! Boobytrap!" One hand reaches to the side to push Ruby off course and the other flails to try and pull Boaz with them as Ashby works to redirect his momentum away from the discarded canteen in the path. Sneaky bastards!

Boaz veers away from the thing laying in the middle of the path and picks up the pace at Ashby's call. He starts to run with and then fall back from the faster Ashby and along side Ruby for a time before he mutters over to the woman. "'Ey mum. What the heck is a sandbagger?" He asks curiously while he still has breath to do so. "I mean I see a pictyah in me 'ead of people baggin' oop sand and it just don't make no sense. Sand be ev-er-ry where. Why would ya need to bag it up to take wit cha?"

Ruby goes stumbling into thicker underbrush and she stampedes through it like a trailblazer herself. Native fauna, hunkering down due to the storm overhead, goes screeching and snarling deeper into the thick humid flora. Behind the trio, a now familiar implosion and snap-bloom of lightning makes a mini-Akira, failing to catch them in the deadly energies. The after-phenomena having been released back to nature, draws the greedy attention of the agitated storm system overhead, and it sends down a couple of bolts of lightning to nearby treetops. The trees are super-cooked from within and explode bark outwards into sliver flechettes. "Bog's balls!" Ruby half ducks while she runs along. "Whut?! Chock it oop tah fools in shadoo. I seen 'em doo whatcha saaaay...but only tah protect their pointy 'eads from flyin metal. I suppose it a game 'o rock, sand, water, sabers...or somethin. Sand beats...Uh..."

The ground becomes much more steep and really tries to murderize the calfs and thighs of all this running uphill stuff. The green stuff is starting to thin and the inhabitable rock of the volcano's funnel is more apparent. The trail of the pursued is gone, but it doesn't matter, because they can be seen at the top of the caldera, just at the rim. A dozen sailors are standing guard over a figure kneeling at the edge of the volcano's top, and who looks deep in fervent prayer. Two boxes of pilfered navy arms bracket her, and the guards bracket them. They look wounded and tired, and are turned to face any pursuers. The volcano simmers like a slumbering elemental while the sky is a tempest of unhappy feels. The wind has really picked up and whips at all the hair and whatnot, the rumbles from above being either a dramatic backdrop or a real annoying interrupting cow of a thing.

"A sandbagger is a---" Now we'll never know! Just like how to use the three seashells! Ashby can't help but duck a bit as he hears the implosion and following lightning strikes from above. "Sweet Unicorn! That storm is getting angrier!" Only as the remaining shadow sailers come into view does the old soldier's pace finally begin to slow up. That leg energy shifts into his noggin as he sets to studying them, the terrain, and their own capabilities for a winning solution. "Wide open between us and them. Don't think I have it in me to hide all of us on our approach. Clock's ticking, but there's no tellin' what they got up their sleeves or when they can pull it off..." He looks up to the sky, taking his hat off for a moment to wipe his brow before replacing it and clapping his gloved hands together. "Right. Keep their focus and keep 'em busy? Gimme a... 30 second head start then bring in the noise." Looking up again, he waits for a dark looking cloud to roll up and grabs the shadow trailing beneath it to shade it darker. Moving alongside, he slides sideways on into it and then disappears from view, shrouding himself within its cold embrace.

RPG: Ashby declares that he has the Cloak of Shadows (TEN-CL) gift.
RPG: Ashby declares that he has the Shadow Adept (TEN-SA) gift.

"Waaarrgg!" is Boaz's elegant reply to the explosion and the explanation given to him from his mum. The mum is wise.. the mum is good. He all but plows into Ashby as the man slows down and takes the chance he has to gather his breath. "Whut?" he asks Ashby as the man's form is hazed out by shadows and slinks off. "WhUUT?!" He looks over to Ruby for clarification and then up at the sailors above. "An exact-o-ly 'ow are we gonna keep them biz-ah, eh?" He looks down at the buzzing grenados he carries and motions with one. "Tink dis will work?"

Ruby gives an encouraging nod after pulling a face at Ashby's sorcerous powers. "Try not tah think aboot whatever...~tha~ was...'E moight not be ~natural~. Not loike us." She sniffs. "You need tah get a good runnin start before you pitch it maybe...looks loike a real good distance from 'ere tah there. Go for it an I'll lay down a few shots tah try an keep 'em clustered." she enunciates hard on the r's. Whipping the pistol free of her holster, she releases the safety to allow the charge to build in the barrel.

If only Ashby could have seen or heard the suggestion of grenades before slinking off into his artificial night! He might have had things to say about blobs of electricity being flung unknowingly toward him! In the end, it is best he never know what peril lies ahead. Never tell him the odds! His bit of shadow on the ground grows a touch larger as he presses forward, throwing everything he's got into these thirty seconds to close as much of the gap as possible. Breathing heavy, pounding the rocky surface, he chugs along with wild-eyed determination, all while keeping that countdown in the back of his head...

RPG: Boaz's try: Boaz chooses Force and the gift BLD-OB. Boaz earns 5 successes.

There is much nodding to Ruby as he listens to her advice. Mum /always/ has sound advice after all. Except for that one time in the basement of Amber Castle. He looks over the only two he brought with him and finds the activating thingie. At least he's pretty sure that thingie activates them. Then a quick check for heft of the things before a last nod. A check for a bit of a running path and he runs up hill arming the two mini bombs and then rears back to throw them both at the same time. The throw is indeed a long one and he puts as much force as he can muster into the throw, counting down after the pull. "One.. two... five!" And LAUNCH! The pair of weapons flies fast and true towards the group above.

Those standing sentry at the rim of the volcano spot the rather conspicuous form of Boaz with a head full of steam and a hand full of bottled lightning. They shout a warning and don't hesitate to send crossbow quarrels and cartwheeling hatchets his way. The dialect they use is colourful and vibrant and full of expletives. Two of them crouch down between the crates and the praying Sukhoti, hastily jabbering something. The prayer woman gives the slightest nod.

Ruby swings up her pistol and is depressing the trigger before it is even sighted on the top of the volcano. A tongue of bright-white energy is a whip-like tendril that slarps up the incline towards the foes. It's as inaccurate as can be expected, but helps create confusion and trouble. Ruby expels a long loud howl of ~rawwwwwwr~ as she uses her strength to try and keep the bucking weapon as straight as possible.

Boaz's long-bomb is on target and the two of them detonate with great ~woofs~ and are followed up by ~cracka-kow's~. Half of the enemy are connected briefly by links of blinding electrical energy, like a chain-gang. Hair is sent standing straight up before catching fire and eye sockets eject their inhabitants. If there's anything to cook off on them, it goes brilliantly as energy is both sympathetic and not. Secondary flashes go off like strobe and bring down the wrath of the storm in new random stabbings of the mountain by sky-borne daggers. The Sukhoti is miraculously protected, as are her two sentries, though not completely from the fear of what they witness. One of the crates starts to ignite its wooden case and the things within ~bzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZHHH~ in a growing rattling hum.

What manner of instanty has he gone running into this time? The question strikes Ashby partway up as grenades and shots are whizzing on my in either direction and it's all he can do to stop himself from laughing like a loon. His course takes him up a bit to the one flank of the group and he begins his final approach as Boaz' grenade detonates in the midst of them all. With legs pumping, he blinks rapidly to draw on the Mandrake sense of life energy, working fast to see who in the group is going to make it and who will need some special attention. Leaping forward with a shadow sword in one hand and his saber in the other, the cloak of darkness releases him as it parts like thick smoke. In a surprise assault from their flank in the midst of all that shock and awe, Ashby's first strike is a silent one through a man's throat. He wastes no time in moving on to make the most of this new element of surprise. Trying to make eye contact with the Sukhoti, he points back down the slope and yells, "Run! Now!"

Boaz's eyes get as wide as them little plates the fancy folk put tea cups on as he watches what happens to the sailors that happen to be too near to the electrical charges he sent their way. He takes a few more staggered steps, turns to the left and promptly vomits out what lunch he had earlier in a noisy wretched kind of way. He wipes at his face with the back of a mitt and croaks out. "Ye gods! Dat be nasty as a bilge left fer years before cleaned oop!" He gives Ruby a backwards look and hesitates as he can clearly hear the whine of strange weapons about to have too much fun near Ashby. "Fook."

Ruby lowers the smoking and sparking barrel of her stormpistol to avoid friendly fire while Ashby emerges from elsewhere and does terminal things to the bad guys. Too hot to holster, she keeps it down and away, signalling with the other hand to Boaz to charge on up the hill pronto. "Probably some devil deal with Begma or Alchemy...Aye, tha sound ain't good. It sounds loike an overload 'o bad about tah goo critical ass." She starts to run on up the steep slope.

Those at the top spared getting flash roasted and blown apart meet Ashby's blades in what looks like quick succession. Weapons are raised against him but they aren't proof against the shadow blade passing through, or the rapid movements of the other. All try to fight to the death, exclaiming death oaths until they become gurgles. Just the Sukhoti is left, and she's ignored or refused Ashby's order. She does flinch at the spatter that gets onto her though. Miraculously, she's unscathed by electricity or concussive force, kneeling on a small multi-coloured matt, beads interlinking her wrists and ankles together. After catching Ashby's eye, she's turning her sole focus over the lip into the sullen volcano whose dark depths are semi-obscured by small plumes of ashy smoke.

Ashby's chest is heaving as he fights to catch his breath. He looks all about, again sizing up the situation as he stands close to a few boxes that look like they are about to go, a volcano that looks like it is about to go, beneath a storm that looks like it is about to go... And an eerily calm and unaffected woman in prayer. For a split second, his eyes narrow, and he begins his approach her way at a purposeful pace. "Miss, I hope you might forgive me, but we're going back down this slope one way or another. Right now!" Again he points, and while he is affording a second to head down on her own, his pace and body language indicate it will be only that span of time before he makes the decision for her.

Boaz winces as mum essentially says 'Hey. Let's charge towards that stuff that basically melted those poor lubbers into paste. Just before it's about to explode' he sighs and starts running towards the top muttering and cursing under his breath. When he and his mum finally get at the top he blinks at the woman and speaks to her in the native talkie-talkie. "'Ey. Ya wanna gets out of 'ere wit us. Dis here stoof gonna blow oop and fast." He pants and sighs before continuing, "You bound by dem things? I'll break ya free. Carry ya down if I 'ave ta."

The Sukhoti priestess, who Boaz might recognize from a tribe somewhere in the seemingly limitless archipelago, is dressed in ceremonial attire as one might when dispensing their duties to their clan. Not the strongest or biggest of those that follow the seasons, but with a history and tradition like the others. The mat she kneels upon is threaded with iconography of their story through the centuries, though her presence obviously obscures quite a bit of that from glances. With gravitas she raises her wrists, fist-bumping the air down towards the smoky pit. Her voice stays in Sukhoti, so some nuances may be lost on those not native to the region. "I am bound. Bound to the future of Sukhoti. The sky is angry that this one slumbers so deeply, no?" Danger doesn't emanate from the Priestess, but a kind of focus does. The odd spatter of blood upon her from those that used to bracket her (and grisly remains) doesn't bother her too much, nor the storm above. The humming that grows in a nearby crate sets her teeth on edge though. "Would you try to run from a better future?" She turns her head to take in Ashby, and then levels quite a leaden gaze at Boaz. "You. Would you show your faith in the future of your home, son of the seasons Or do you scamper and flail against the greater good? Are you a dog of others?

Ruby is the last to catch up, and is sparing a few seconds to stare at the bodies strewn across the current tableau. Then she's hastening over to the crate to try and peer inside, jerking fingers back now and then as if it was full of bity snek-sneks. She winces, her hands feeling the difference in air pressure between what's inside and outside. "I don't know 'ow tah stop this." Her faces twitches, alternating between fear and fury. "It be loike if you gots too many toddlers all in one place an one starts cryin and sets 'em all oof."

With Boaz having reached the top and the woman spouting... well, it sounds like nonsense to Ashby, he is rapidly looking between the two while paused there, trying to catch some cues on how the conversation is going. With a furrowed brow, he gives Boaz a nod to pass this trouble his way and then looks to Ruby and the crate full of zappy stuff. "Now, I'm no man of science, but I have to agree with you." He sneaks a quick look on down in to get a rough count of the contents and then begins to roll his shoulders to loosen them up. "So. Here's my thought. Big boom all in one place is bad. Maybe we can pry one side open and... disperse them a bit? Lots of smaller booms maybe won't be so bad? Push comes to shove, I can slide this whole thing on down. Think you can handle a few? I can move a few hot ones safely once we open this thing up." Already he's dropped his shadow blade to nothingness and is ready to put the saber to use on that box, testing of one seam can come loose, opting for one facing up the slope so they don't all go rolling out.

Boaz's face contorts into something akin to a mule. Jaw working side to side and eyes narrowing down as the woman asks if he's a dog. He holds up a hand to the others to signal he needs a moment and snorts at the priestess. "Da sky likes whut be in dem boxes, a lot. An I /always/ oop for better'n me home, woman! But say'n dat doesn't mean I wants ta die right 'ere and now. Speak what cha mean an' fast or dem tings gonna blow and kill us all anyway." ,he says to the priestess. To the others he says quickly. "She rantin' on aboot this volcano be sleepin' too deep. She 'ere fur a reason."

A little leverage and the casket can be opened either by its latch or prying off a plank to get at the straw-lined goodness within. That straw is actually starting to catch fire because they're getting so darn hot-hot-hot. The bundle of tech isn't quite uniform, but they've all tried to shew to a kind of template one would expect: Musket-long, pistol-smol, the firearms range between. In sympathy or greed, the storm lashes down with another grab at the top of the volcano, but through atmosphere differences or plain luck, slams down on bare rock instead of anyone's pointy head.

Ruby shakes her hands like they're wet and then starts helping removing pieces of the casket like a surgeon peeling back flesh for an operation. "Loadin oop with 'ow many I can manage an leave tha rest tah you two. I don't think there be toime for seconds. I 'ope you all still gots legs for this. Bloody bastards...I was 'opin tah recover all 'o it, but better aloive than tha oppo-site."

*The Priestess watches Boaz's facial contortions stonily. "Courage and listen to me." Carefully she gets to her feet, despite the hampering of the beads and necklaces. "I am unable to stop you from stealing back what was stolen. To take food from who needs it most." She is remarkably calm, though a little anger is salted on there. "If I had time I would tell you a story of how Sukho may have greater and greater seasons come. You interrupted great works by running us ashore. I hoped this old one would benefit and at least not waste this...collection of thieved things." She pauses, either stalling or really having a good think about her next words. "Our Gods slumber and Sukho is not what it could be. What it was promised. If you could have seen the visions, seen a young godling dream the great change, told the secret past by our friends, you'd have the courage to put Sukho first. I am relieved that this failure does not doom the others. Even now I wish them good winds to their...other...destinations."

"Here for a reason? It doesn't sound like it's a good reason then! Knock her on the head before she gets us killed and let's roll out! We don't have time for whatever nonsense she's holding onto!" Looking to Ruby, Ashby nods quickly in agreement. After popping the side open, he sheaths his sword, flexes his hands in their gloves, and sets to grabbing as many weapons as he can safely carry. His shadow, not one to be left out of this endeavor, also reaches forward and manages to grab onto a handful of weapons each! As he goes running on behind Ruby, those weapons are sliding along behind him, still held in by his shadow. What's better than two hands working? FOUR hands working!

RPG: Ashby declares that he has the Shadow Hands (TEN-SH) gift.

Boaz finishes listening to the woman and stands up straighter, still panting softly. He gives her the steely eyed look and glances over to see what Ashby and Ruby are doing. With some care, but not a great lot he snags and picks up the priestess by the arms and loops her arms over his head. "'Old on but don't choke me none. I tink we's gonna have some fun running after I feed ..whatevea'." Making sure she's secure with her arms he changes over to Thari as he boots the second crate into the volcano. "Gonna 'ave ta run!" And then another booted shove as he kicks the buzzing crate over into a slow slide as well towards the edge. "Runnin' be good fur yer 'ealth!" he yells as he starts bounding down the way they came.

The Priestesses demeanor cracks. The cool as a cucumber woman's eyes almost cross as she's hoisted, hung on and then witnesses Boaz try to have his cake and eat it too. She's not able to efficiently resist as she dangles from her looped bracelets. Boaz might notice a bit of a popping of the air and eardrums as he invades and dispels whatever invisible sanctuary she may have erected to reduce the chance of getting a dose of 10,000 volts from above. But now she's in motion and turns her head while bounding Boaz takes her downhill. She's never ridden a horse, nevermind an upright one, so her words come out in hoofing huffs. "...You...what...aaah..."

Ruby is running full tilt, nearly spilling herself and the stormgear in the process. She can't see what Boaz has chosen to do, and is concentrating on saving her skin. When she's down a number of meters she selects a copper blunderbuss and gives it a great fling perpendicular to the path they flee. "Hup!" She's not waiting to see what happens, just concentrating on living another day.

The storm above is all sorts of random roiling deep purple blackness and has a tantrum. Lighting is going down, up and side-ways with all the confusion going on. The spot the Priestess used to be is lashed and stabbed like it was on a stop-motion delay. The remains up there are dancing and bouncing with each strike, the blood boiling and popping. Some of the lightning sizzles down into the volcano, perhaps to follow the tumbling gear that remained in that other crate. The storm almost pecks like a neurotic bird after delicious millet. PECK POP PECK PACK PACK PACK Trying to get the seeds from the metal husks, even as it tumbles down down down dooooown.