Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Oceans on Fire (TM2: FINISHED)

The journey thus far had been tolerable aside from Hiro's constant blabbering and Rro's blitheful way of going about matters. This made the days stretch for Iveth, however it did extend her line of tolerance. Having to deal with them was good progress on her behalf though her opinion of everyone on the ship remained constant. Hiro was still aggravating, Rro was an imbecile, Griffon was nothing than a burden,and Ortho? Well, she didn't think anything of the doctor really. He was simply there.

Though usually she would be occupying the crow's nest they were approaching an island that she wasn't too familiar with. Seems Rro wasn't either which made her a bit wary. The last time she landed on an unfamiliar island it happened to be inhabited by raptors and a Rex who was eager for a meal. If this place was anywhere the same she'd be staying in the ship and leave without them if she must with not even a smudge of guilt. Of course she had a plan for herself if everything turned out for the worst. It consisted of one less Pirate Lord, but unbeknownst to her that would probably be the outcome of this journey. That is if Thatch was quick enough to catch onto them. If they were being followed for any means she would assume that Rro had another bounty.

Iveth rooted her eyes on the island, examining the dark outline of the town as she leaned over the siding of the ship. Briefly she grimaced merely at the sound of their voices.

"I KILLED CLOVE, GHOST OF THE SEA!!!" Henery Sharp was a pirate with a nine and a half million bounty. It was his dream to be a pirate lord, but he could never hold such a great title for the simple fact that he was a liar and a coward. "I CAPTAIN SHARP KILLED THE PIRATE LORD OF THE NORTH!!!" His crew began to howl in agreement, shouting off their mouths and firing their pistols into the air.

The villagers, who were either hookers or drunks, began to gather around. Hook Harbor wasn't even a sliver of the town it once was, it was vile. The scent of vomit and abandoned distilleries soaked up any nose in the area. People actually wore close pins on their noses to try and keep the scent out. "Hear that?" A villager said to another as they passed Rro's ship. "Captain Sharp killed a Pirate Lord, the navy will have to give him the title now."

Back in the square Sharp was still boasting of his sudo-assassination, "Clove was a coward he was, steering his vessel towards escape, but my cannons rained domey on him they did!" The drunks cheered lazily along with the crew, "I swung to his ship and met his blade with my hook, snapping the sword in half and firing my pistol into his head!" A navy spy stood not to far away, dressed as a drunken scalawag would have, "then I beheaded the bastard!" Cheers roared and a Telecan spread its wings taking to the sky. It was about to be an interesting day.

"Hai, sensei!" Best behavior. Those were words he didn't understand for the longest time, even after he had left the bladelands. Perhaps it was his own hot-blooded nature that made such translations take time to sink in. Regardless, he would follow his orders and continue to train and practice.

First, however, he stopped by and get another checkup from the ship's doctor. He had learned the hard way that pushing one's self when the doctor told you not to was sometimes a bad idea, which made recovering from their trip to the dinosaur island a lot more difficult than it should have been.

"Senei--ano--d-doctor?" he called. "I here for checkup. You do that, ne?"

No one answered his question about the Scrauser who used to be a member of the crew, and already he had a patient. Ortho went over to Hiro to confront him for a checkup.

"Yes, what seems to be the problem?" Ortho asked Hiro. "It's alright to feel a bit... fidgety, but you can feel at ease knowing I will not be required to lay claws... *cough* hands on you unless I need to." Ortho looked all around Hiro to see if there were any broken ligaments or bruised skin. It was hard to tell for Ortho, but eventually Ortho decided to ask about the Scrauser again.

"So, as I've been trying to ask for a while, I wanted to know more about a supposed Scrauser who used to be a member of this ship," Ortho said. "I am... actually quite fascinated with Scrauser, which is why I ask."

Rogers looked around the island, and decided that the group should probably not stay long. Though it may be a while before Black Beard catches up, because the navy will most likely attack him after his giant massacre at Fireball Island. But even still, There were other dangerous pirates sailing these seas. "Skyra was his name," Rogers popped his head down bellow the deck into the doctors quarters, "he was an odd one, and almost became the ships captain after a slight mutany, but I respected the creature very much." Rogers sighed and turned his attention to Hiro, "Hiro, I'm heading ashore, so most the crew is staying aboard."

"I figure Iveth is going ashore as I am, just make sure there is no reverse mutany." The Captain smiled remembering the fond times of marroning her and Hiro in a life boat seven, maybe eight months ago. "As my student, you are responsible for the shops care while I am gone." Rogers nodded at the doctor and escaped into the sunlight if the day. Heading into Hook Harbor to sea if there were any crazy shipmates insane enough to join the adventure. He hadn't seen Griffon in a while and assumed the story teller was asleep. For now the crew were safe from any immediate threat, but this shouting bafoon in the middle of the city... He seemed to be the mayor, or tyrant of this small piracy village. The more Rro listened the more he began to wonder, did this Captain Sharp character, really kill Clove? Ghost of the Sea?? Pirate lord of the northern waters???

The island was hardly much to look at and Iveth scoffed upon it, but she planned to garner a few things that she'd need. Her ears tuned in to the brewing conversation behind her and she glanced over her shoulder at the doctor, measuring his sincerity. Rro's description of the Scrauser was rather vague and flimsy. As she recalled the Captain had hardly enough respect for kids in regards to how he tossed Hiro overboard, and having the opportunity, left them both out at sea. So, of course he could be believed when he said he respected Skyra. Anything to keep his crew on his side.

Iveth remembered the Scrauser, his loyalty first and foremost. Surprisingly enough she had more than a few details on Skyra, but she didn't have the luxury of picking up this conversation now. It appeared that they had a limited time here and just as Rro presumed she'd be off the ship for a while. Both because she needed some tools and she didn't want to be under the rule of a child. Perhaps she'd give the doctor input of the Scrauser later.

She followed Rro off the ship, her nose scrunching slightly towards the acclimated odor of the island. Due to past events she kept a close eye on him in case he decided to ditch her. Upon venturing deeper into island she couldn't help but hear her name being shouted over the crowd. Immediately she stilled and her eyes darted to the speaker who boastfully claimed to have killed Clove. A chuckle burst from her lips as she gave the man a skeptical look, her gaze shifting to Rro and back. "I didn't think of you as someone to believe in fairytales," she muttered, folding her arms as she grinned. She wasn't a man, nor was she a swordsman. What did the man look to gain by telling a fable?

Hiro's eyes lowered at the mention of the "Scrouser."

"He was... he was old, but very, very strong, loyal, and... and brave." His face turned ready, but the boy used his blood powers to change it back to normal. "We made joke about him. He looked like pig, so we--it was not good."

Apparently there was nothing wrong with Hiro, so there would be nothing wrong to discover.

"Skyra right with two spear. He was old, but very skilled with spear."

The name Skyra immediately rang a bell. Ortho had a past with Skyra, as he was one of his past patients.

"Ah, I remember him," Ortho said. "I worked on his eyes. He said he lost them to fighting a dragon. ...Or was it a pirate. ... ...In any case, he was... about the size of a leprechaun. Actually quite small compared to most other Scrauser. Scrauser are generally smaller than you humans, but... not that small. ...Hmmm."

He was then thinking about his identity. Would they really mind if he was a Scrauser? Ortho was still thinking about whether he really should say if he was, in fact, one of the odd creatures.

"Hmmmm... What is your opinion on Scrausers in general?" Ortho asked.

Griffon was about. He was mostly below decks telling quiet stories and working on his sword play. After the injuries he had sustained he found it necessary to build his arm back up. It was in fighting shape already, and had been for a while, but he wasn't about to take the chance of him not being at his best when needed.

By the time the Scrauser was mentioned Griffon had returned above deck. He had smiled quietly when the remark about his fighting was made earlier. Now he crept curiously over to where Hiro and the doctor spoke.

"He was a tough pig," he told the doc. "Near bested me for captain but somehow Rro managed to keep control." He was unusually chipper, most likely happy to be in the open air again. Skyra was a loss, indeed, but Griffon had not gotten to know him very well. Besides, it wasn't his job to like or dislike anyone. He was here to collect stories, Rro's story to be precise. That and he paid a hefty sum of money to get here.

At the moment, though, the master swordsman reflected on the bloody duel with the Scrauser. He had been a fine warrior indeed.

Back on shore Rro continued to listen to Captain Sharp preach about how he slayed the Pirate Lord of the North. "To be completely frank with you," Rro smiled but kept his eyes focused on the old scallywag. "It doesn't much matter if it is true or not, after Cloves plus getting and raids with the Navy close on his tail he vanished over a year ago." The group continued to focus on the yellings of Captain Sharp but Rro wasn't listening anymore. He turned to Iveth, "if the Navy already believes Clove is dead then the boastings of this half rate pirate may cause them to show interest."

Rogers didn't know if Iveth was getting the point he was trying to make or not yet, "whether Clove is dead or not, this character will most likely become the next of the four Pirate Lords." Rogers wondered why this was effecting Iveth so much, why did she care if this fool became a pirate lord? He cared a bit. If they make this fool a lord why not make every fisherman and trader who has a sailing vessel a pirate lord as well. It seemed a bit insulting but he would get over it.

"CLOVE WAS A COWARD!!!" Sharp yelled, his crew who ran the island with him began to laugh as though they were hyenas. "Begging for his life as if he were a Dukonuu servant!" Sharp jumped down into the crowd as his men began to hum, he had heard Rro's comment, "Henry Sharp, a half rate Pirate? That's funny because I was Black Beards FIRST, first mate!" The pirated began to him louder, "and now I climb the ladder to my title as pirate Lord!" And as odd as it would be to imagine the pirate began to sing. His voice echoed through the streets and the crowd parted for his musical number.

"Once just a wee cabin boy, but there he was yo Ho hoy!
Thatch made me a promise that day, we sail a ship and they would pay!"
The crew drew there swords and began clinking them together to the beat. It was most likely the oddest thing Rro had seen in a fort night.
"So I watched that cabin boy Thatch, kill the whole crew unmatched!
We took that trading ship,
And off into the night we did slip!"

The humming became an eree 'ooo'ing as the hook handed captain continued, "through storms, and snow, and blood and pain! Our cloth turned red and that they stained!
With each he killed his beard did grow and with a demon his fortune he showed!"

The humming came back around as the crew jumped from roof top to rooftop, preparing to finish their musical number. "But with skin of smoke and crew of bulk he, had no more use for singing old me..."
The group fell silent as a small gun show echoed and Henry stood alone, "that is why I found clove in that very dark COOOOVE! And slit his throat yo ho!"

After giving it some brief thought it occurred to Iveth that she had been idle for quite some time, the majority of the time spent on this voyage with Rro and the others. True, the Navy had come close. Far too close. It was necessary for her to disappear for some time, however she still questioned why people continued to believe in the fourth Pirate Lord. They only assumed she was a man. If they didn't even know her gender then how is it possible that they knew of the Pirate Lord at all. It sounded more like a myth now though once this treasure hunt was over she'd have to contradict that. Soon she'd have to build up a more trustworthy crew, one who could keep a secret as well as she could. A crew that wouldn't be so swayed by riches if they were faced with the option. Nonetheless, she couldn't care less if Henry became a Pirate Lord. It was merely a title unless acted upon. For the time being, though, he managed to keep Clove out of the picture and that's what she needed. This still didn't change her mind however. He was still an imbecile.

She merely hummed a response as she listened to man as he carried on on how Clove was a coward.. Begging for his life. He could've at least made it more interesting, like adding in the Rex; that damned thing. Still she was cynical, and her eyes shifted incredulously towards the individuals who began to hum along with the now singing idiot. "I don't have time for this," she uttered under her breath as she left before they met the climax of the song. Hopefully the blacksmith she was hoping to find wasn't caught up in this childsplay as well.

The boy twisted his face a little. "Su-sutu--" Hi stopped and tried speaking again. "Strange creature," he managed to say at last. "Remind me of pig, but I do not know anything about them."

Hiro then looked up at the bard, his face lighting up a little. "You fight Skyra san? He was old, but very skilled, yes?"

Something the bard mentioned did not sit right with Ortho at all. When he was talking, he refered to Skyra as a pig. To call a Scrauser "pig" was a very insulting thing to do. Scrauser were not even related to pigs in any way, heck have you ever seen a pig with a nose that long? Yet because the actual front of their nose has a vague pig-like shape to it, humans have found an excuse to refer to Scrauser as such.

To make matters worse, Hiro also referred to a Scrauser as a pig. At this point, Ortho was getting angry and felt the need to release his qualms. Of course, it would require revealing who he was.

"Okay, first off," Ortho growled right before taking his veil off and revealing his ugly snout. "Scrauser are NOT pigs! Second, we Scrauser do not take kindly to being REFERRED TO as pigs! Third, we are not even related to pigs in any way, shape, or form. Just because the front of our noses slightly kind of looks like a pig's snout even though it's rounded off unlike a pig's nose, that means we are related? No sir it does not!"

Ortho let out a huge sigh. It felt good to release his feelings. "This is why I don't like working on humans. But at the same time, they pay well. Unlike most Scrauser, I actually value currency, and have reasons to use it. It's because I'm a collector, so to say. I like... Oh why do you care?"

Griffon had decided not to venture off the ship this time. He would be able to help if he was here and ready should something happen. With the recent events, the bard's lighthearted spirits had been effected. Adventure was one thing, but he had not been so injured in a long time, nor fought so much. Not since the...Re'ew ol, he thought as his mind wandered when the Scauser growled.

A innocent, fake, smile spread across the bard's face. "No need to be upset, Doctor. A simple 'my race finds it insulting' would have been enough!" He raised a brow after a moment's thought, "a collector, eh? We should talk about that some time." He nods to the karate kid in return, "he was pretty good. The duel ended in a bloody mess, most of it mine." His smile was replaced by a frown as he reflected on that.

Back on shore Rogers had walked off from the strange singing and merriment of a pirate with a nine million silvers bounty. "Quite a disgrace isn't it," he said following behind Iveth, "that sorry bunch will replace a pirate lord whom you and I both respect being of the same black blood piracy." Rro's metal leg creeked as he jogged to catch up to her a bit. "You know we're sailing into a war zone, Black Beard killed an Admiral on Fireball Island, that two out of three down."

Rro sighed and stopped walking, "with the Navy gone, Thatch will play by no rules. Without the Navy only us Pirate Lords stand in his way, and if Clove is indeed dead..." Rogers looked off towards the boat, "I can't say for Athens, but I must get to that island, and we must prepare for war in the mean time, I need a strong partner." Watching the waves rolling in and out helped Rogers block out the rabble in the streets. "No hard feelings for the mutany?" Rogers looked at Iveth, "first mate?" He stuck out his hand and chuckled, "now Iveth... Wanna kill this singing bastard???"

Indeed it would be a disgrace, but even if she was replaced she doubted it would be for long. She would be returning to her title soon and she needn't worry about Henry who hopefully would be known as a fraud. With Thatch on their backs she now had a limited time being Iveth. It wasn't as though she wanted to miss out on this exhilarating opportunity. "He's really onto us then, isn't he?" She commented halfwittedly as she examined from afar what the blacksmith was currently working on and from what she could see he wasn't all that good.

Her attention was split between Rro, the blacksmith, and the vexatious singing she prayed would be over with soon, but she was fairly surprised when his question approached. First mate? For Rro. Mmm.. No. Definitely not, however after giving it a moment or two of thought she concluded that with a war abroad it may be the best idea. "Actually I'll always count that against you, but fine. Only up until this war ends," with that she plucked a pistol from her coat and dropped it in his hand. "You can if you'd like, but he was once Thatch's dog. I think it should be him to put down that stray animal," she grinned apathetically towards Henry before making her way over to the blacksmith who upon closer examination was thoroughly drunk. Sighing she felt around the inside of her coat then abruptly placed a hand on the man's shoulder, or that's what it looked like. "He was miserable anyway," was what she excused her indecency with. It didn't matter. The entire island was indecent.

She furtively slipped the stiletto from his nape and lowered him against the wall. "If you do plan to kill him it should be on our way out. Not many will be happy that you ruined a great story," she wiped the blade against his shirt prior to sauntering right into his shop.

Everyone had their little agendas. Everyone had their missions, but Hiro neither understood nor cared about most of them. He was fit to continue training, and that's all he needed to know.

"Arigato, docta," he said with a bow. He turned to leave and rejoin Rro's side, but stopped short. "Skyra was not pig," he said. "He was warrior."

Having said his piece, he left the Scrouser and the bard to be with his master. He only ever said what was in his heart, but even Hiro knew the advantages of getting along with your doctor.

"If Skyra was really part of your crew, then I'm sure you know by now how much it offends us," Ortho told Griffon and Hiro. "I apologize for my attitude, but it's a bit of a sensitive word for us."

Hiro said something about Skyra: he was a warrior. Deep down, Ortho wondered if he fit in with a band of cuthroats and fighters. Ortho was a doctor with no battle training, no weapons, no cool double-handled sword *cough*, all he had was a frail staff that was more of a decoration than anything else. His staff would probably shatter if he tried to use it as a weapon.

"I know you asked me to join your group," Ortho said to Griffon. "But would a Scrauser shaman such as I really fit in with the group? I... I can't fight. I don't have any combat training, or a way of defending myself. My staff is useless for doing that. ...Do you think I could really belong on a pirate ship?"

Griffon chuckled, "of course there is room for you! I'm a story teller, for goodness sake. Fighting is a survival technique, you are one of the most useful people on this ship. No doctor means no treatment, no treatment means a higher death rate for the crew. A doctor on board does wonders." His fingers drummed on the hilt of his cutlass. "Combat isn't everything. For some it is, but for those like us, we have other abilities that we rely on." He then pulled out the little book that held notes on his adventures from an inner shirt pocket. "If not for these, I wouldn't be here. If not for your gift, I still wouldn't be here."