We Were So Close {Legit Violet}

[Kalak8538]

"CAPTAIN! LAND AHEAD!"

Aboard the trading vessel "Reynard", a middle-aged Sionhai exited his quarters. Wearing only his loose-fitting tunic and breeches, he leisurely made his way to the forward bow. Showing their respect for their captain, the attending crew moved aside to let him pass. The fox man looked on to the horizon, taking a moment's pause to feel the cool breeze flowing through his red fur. He raised his spyglass to verify what the lookout had reported. Sure enough, he too spied the green coast of Serendipity. The journey was now half over.

With the same relaxed pace as before, the Sionhai made his way to his helmsman's side. There too did he see his second in command, awaiting the next order to come from his captain's lips.

"Helmsman... Once the land comes into view, turn to port. We will run with the land until we find the mouth of the Ora."

"Aye, Captain Backbaw." replied the helmsman.

The Sionhai looked to the white pennant that flew above the crimson sails on the main mast. He bit his lip, realizing they would be fighting the wind once the turn was made. This trip made him nervous, but he made sure to hide it from his crew. Only his chief officer was able to realize.

"Sir... Is there something wrong?" he asked quietly.

The Sionhai exhaled a deep sigh in response. He raised the spyglass yet again, looking out to sea in all different directions. Not a ship could be seen anywhere, friendly or not. There was no one to deter or assist against an attack, but neither was there an enemy to target them. The whole situation made the fox captain feel very uneasy.

"These are dangerous waters..." he began.

"...And we are alone on it. I want you to keep the men at the ready. There is still yet a ways to go before we make it to the river, and I want to be prepared in case we have to defend ourselves."

The second-in-command left with a nod, off to round up the other officers that would enforce the captain's order. The Reynard began its wide and steady turn, and the captain retired back to his quarters. Hopefully, his caution was unfounded, as usual.

[Codex]

Silence... Utter Silence... Nothing could be heard on the still waves as the fog crept over the vast ocean of water... Then a sound. The sound of distant waves parting as the large shadow of a ship drew closer. Its hull creaked and groaned as the ship slowly cut its path though the thick fog. It was a rather large ship to say the least. Galleon class, it housed a grey hull, and dark grey sails. The top held a tattered and torn flag, depicting a skeletal music note... This was the Seraph's Requiem. And the fog only meant one thing... Its captain was on the hunt.

The captain's quarters were dimly lit, and intricately decorated. Across the double doors lied a huge desk, and a chair almost as big behind it. Strewn across the cabin were old pieces of parchment. books, gold coins and any other objects the captain deemed worthy enough to keep. Most of the light came from the large windows situated at the back of the cabin, although the dim fog outside obscured most of the natural light. In the giant chair sat a rather young looking girl with her feet propped up against desk. She bore long white hair, and wore a blue trench coat with a rose feathered hat of the same color. Her eyes were a deep violet, but had the expression of boredom.

She silently sat there, looking over a random piece of paper before her solitude was interrupted. "Cap'n Soulscar! Their here." Mythica raised an eyebrow, and a sly smirk formed on her lips. With that in mind, she dropped the paper onto one of the candles as she stood up.

"Aye then, best not keep our prize waiting." She responded gleefully before adjusting her cutlass. Soulscar stepped onto the large expansive deck of her ship and looked ahead. She couldn't see anything in the surrounding waters but fog. However, the telescope fixed to the railing of her ship could pierce through it. One of the many magical artifacts the captain liked to stea- collect. She liked to collect from others.  She walked up to it as a much taller man side stepped his captain's presence and peered through. "Aye, that ship has the markings of the one that's supposedly carrying what we seek." She smiled. For three days, the Seraph's Requiem had waited along the coast of Serendipity.

Knowing the direction they were heading in... They would have no choice but to sail through the thick fog Mythica had created to conceal her ship. "Battle positions... We got an ancient temple to pen mates." sh said, staring off the deck of her ship as her crew rallied together, loading the cannons, getting their weapons.

[Kalak8538]

Some time had passed now. One of the officers hastily made his way to his captain's chamber. Something had happened, and required his attention immediately. The officer pushed through the doors to let himself in.

"Sir! Sorry to intrude, but there's-"

The officer was cut short, stopped by his own observation. Inside, Captain Fabian Backbaw was suiting himself up. He had already donned a hardleather cuirass and saber, and was in the process of putting his arms through the sleeves of his long coat jacket. The officer took the fox by surprise, and the scene in turn took the officer by surprise. The captain, usually more casual and relaxed when not in port, seemed to be preparing for a fight. Composing himself again, the man continued.

"Th-There's a fog bank rolling in... You really should see this."

Captain Backbaw took his hat off the peg and followed his officer out to the forward bow. The winds were carrying the fog out to sea from the land. It was very thick, completely obscuring everything within.

"I don't like this..." said the captain. The chief officer joined the two now.

"Can we not go around?" he asked, looking out at the bank with the same worried expression as his captain.

"No... The wind is moving too fast. By the time we reach the fog, it will be at least a mile out to sea. We have no choice but to go through it."

The Sionhai looked to his lesser officer, whom he had followed out.

"Tell the helmsman to keep his distance from the shore. We don't know what's waiting in there, and I do not want to get caught on any rocks. Tell him to keep his eyes peeled."

With that, the human officer was off. The next order was directed to the second in command.

"Get these sails furled, all but the mains. We have to take this slowly..."

The officer nodded and was off, using his trusty whistle to command the crew. The Sionhai captain continued looking out. There was something very unsettling about this fog. It had seemingly come out of nowhere, fanning out just for them. The ship peeled away from the shore, but not too significantly. Captain Backbaw subconsciously kept a hand rested on the pommel of his saber. He had some gut feeling that this would not be as easy as the other times...

[Codex]

Mythica stood silently at the the wheel of her ship. Along with her crew who didn't make a sound. They all waited at their battle stations as the the Seraph's Requiem creaked and groaned. The sails shook in the silent breeze, and Mythica boar a sly grin the entire time. Soon, her quartermaster informed her.

"Cap'n, their ship's taking the path." She turned in his direction. "You identify their captain yet?" He continued to stare through the glass for a few more seconds before answering. "I think so... My god, this must be our lucky day! Not only does this ship have the item we're looking for, but it's captain Backbaw's vessel as well!" He said through smiling yellow teeth. Mythica could have figured a merchant with his reputation must've found an artifact liek this befor her. No one else on these waters was as good as treasure hunting. Sadly she had to butcher half the port at Kunata to get the information, and they didn't even have the decency to tell her the captain's name.

"Oh, the fox man is it? He's bound to carry more goods on his ship then the artifact isin't he?" She replied smiling. He had evaded the Seraph for many years, but now Captain Soulscar got the merchant vessel right where she wanted it.

"Y'know the drill! Fire a chainshot to keep them from escaping. This is a boarding raid! Kill anyone who gets in your way, but keep from damaging the ship!" She yelled to her crew. They smiled and applauded in response...

A few minutes later... A distant blast could be heard through the fog from Backbaw's ship. A faint glow of an explosion would follow, then two round shapes. Suddenly, two cannonballs attached together by a thick chain slammed themselves into the mast of the Reynard. Splinters would fly from it's cracked surface... Then, out of the fog came into view a galleon... It's colors were raised, and it's crew were ready to board...

[Kalak8538]

Fire from the fog confirmed the Sionhai Captain's fears. Whether by pure luck, or unheard of precision, the chain shot had embedded itself in and done significant damage to the main mast. Another direct hit, and it was sure to topple, completely destroying the rigging and crippling the Reynard.

"God save us... Pirates! All men to stations!"

What rolled in was a sight of terror: A medium-sized galleon class. Suddenly, the odds were stacked against Captain Backbaw and his crew. The enemy had a larger, faster, and more maneuverable ship. The only advantage left, distance, was taken away almost immediately.

The Sionhai drew his blade, taking solace at least in the fact that he had armed himself before. Although he wished his intuition was not so spot on, he had no time to waste on shock. His mind was carefully calculating and scheming, carefully contemplating how to overcome the odds cruelly stacked against him.

A thought occurred to him now. The only shot fired was the chains. The pirates fired nothing else. They did not mean to sink, but rather to board, something that the Sionhai had encountered many times before. Nothing about this situation was good, but that was preferable over battling the might of the superior galleon.

"They mean to board, men! Ready a volley!" he cried.

As the men scrambled around, he went over to a nearby officer. This one was in charge of the battery.

"Get below and ready the special shot. We will handle this the same as the others."

On the top deck, sailors had armed themselves with arbalests. They loaded them and lined up, waiting for their officer to give the order. The officer himself was waiting for the perfect moment, like the countless times this had happened before, when the enemy exposed themselves enough for a volley of bolts to inflict maximum damage.

Captain Backbaw awaited with baited breath for the battle to truly begin.

[Codex]

With a sudden burst of speed, the Seraph ripped through the fog straight towards the Reynard, Mythica at the wheel, a wide white grin across her face. "Aye! Brace for impact boys!" She yelled, before yanking her ship's wheel to the left, abruptly altering it's apparent course. And with a sudden slam, the large galleon's starboard side clashed with the Reynard's. No time was wasted from the pirate crew as they yelled their war cries and hopped over the Seraph's side onto the Carrack below. Multiple men however had been caught in the volley of gunfire that had been waiting for them, but many survived and the battle began.

With the sudden outburst of sword and flintlock, Mythica let go of the wheel and sprinted over the platform from which it was situated on. She rolled to the mast of her ship, and grabbed hold of a rope. With quick aim, shot the bottom pulley of the rope, and with a sudden tug, it lifted her up to the top of the mast, where she elegantly landed above the sail, watching the battle far below. However she wasn't the only one. Situated on the crows nest and on the sail beside here were multiple members of her crew holding rifles aimed downwards. She raised a hand and with a smile, yelled: "Fire!" They let out their own volley onto the unsuspecting crew members below, aiding the pirates. She had a hand n her cutlass, but didn't feel a need to enter the fray just yet...

[Kalak8538]

(OOC: lol, Arbalests are like crossbows actually, not guns)

The pirates were upon them now, and savage combat raged on the deck of the Reynard. This was hardly the first time this had happened. Captain Backbaw's crew was very well trained and experienced, but then again, so were these pirates. The two crews, for the most part seemed evenly matched.

The Sionhai looked up at the enemy's position on top of their mast. That is where he saw her. Highly decorated and very well dressed, it could only be the enemy captain. It disgusted the him how confident and arrogant pirate captains were. She was posing up there, practically taunting him as she watched the violence she caused below.

"Marksmen! Take them down!" he cried out, raising his saber to point at the enemy sharpshooters. A few clear crew members who had wound up their arbalests aimed them skywards, firing a barrage of steel-tipped bolts towards the enemy captain and her men.

[Codex]

Mythica continued to watch the battle with a sinister grin, that was until the crew of the Reynard started to aim at her. It quickly disappeared as the captain unsheathed her blade. Multiple men were punctured and fell from the mast from the volley of arrows that sang at Mythica and her rifleman, however, the captain managed to somewhat acrobatically manged to barely miss the few aimed at her, combining a roll, and then a block with her sword. She wasted no time sprinting to the end of the sail, where she quickly grabbed hold of a rope and swung her downwards.

Letting go at the precise moment, Mythica's boot quickly caved a crew member's head and he fell to the ground as the pirate captain entered the fray aboard the Reynard. Duck, roll, flip, parry, it was a dance she was all too familiar with. Her smaller stature often caused her enemies to underestimate her, which always left them with crucial openings that were easy for the girl to spot.

By this point, her blade dripped with red blood as the girl showed no signs of slowing down, however she was somewhat outnumbered in this particular part of the ship. Most of her crew were situated in the middle, but the captain found herself somewhat near the bow, where a group of angry merchants were pounding down on Soulscar with their steel. With a small grunt, Mythica lifted a hand with it's palm exposed, and a sudden burst of powerful air current was felt among the group, sending one of the them flying backwards as Mythica held steady, smiling...

[Kalak8538]

The telltale sound of sliding wood meant one thing: The Reynard's gun ports had opened. This meant that the special shot was ready to be fired into the enemy ship. This could be the thing that turned the tide of the battle. The captain cursed under his breath, hoping the enemy captain would be on board their vessel for this. He had watched her descent onto his ship, and took a mental log of her abilities. She was definitely a great fighter, and offered very little weakness in her form. The Sionhai's concentration on her was broken once some of the renegades had found themselves onto the top deck with him and his officers.

Fighting quickly erupted around Captain Backbaw, who was ready to show off his own form. True to his species, he was naturally quick and agile. Along with training and experience, he was a force to be reckoned with. His style was not so aggressive. He parried and blocked against the onslaught, carefully picking apart his enemies' forms. With perfect timing and precision, one swift motion easily dispatched two enemies, with a third taking down another. The rogues by the helm were nearly defeated when the captain heard the order below.

"FIRE!"

In response, the Reynard's guns rang out. Their shots pounding instantly into the galleon, positioned at point-blank range. This was usually what ended such encounters. Angled downwards, these special rounds were meant to penetrate the lower decks of enemy ships. That was not it, however. There was one more thing. After a few seconds, the fuses on the shots burned through and ignited the powder contained within. Larger blasts echoed from within the galleon, accompanied by the cries of the enemy crew inside.

Captain Backbaw started down the wooden steps, trying with some difficulty to make his way into his quarters. There was something there he may have needed to further turn the fight to his favor.

[Codex]

Mythica continued to keep her ground, picking off her enemies one by one as they rose to challenge her. Things were going well, until she heard one of the officers yell. With a sudden explosion, the whole ship vibrated as her galleon erupted with explosions  from the inside. Mythica stopped fighting, only for a moment to witness the destruction. Her face darkened, and she gripped her blade tighter. Her ship had sustained substantial damage, but it wasn't enough to sink the Seraph. However, one more blast at that range would surly end the fight. She wouldn't underestimate the Carrack again, and the captain knew exactly what needed to be done.

"My ship!" She yelled as the explosions erupted, then she stabbed her sword directly into one of her foes' stomach, using her strength to keep his body upright. She then released a powerful kick combined with wind magic, sending him flying across the deck, hitting several others. That's when she spotted an opening. She elegantly avoided the conflict as she sprinted straight for one of the openings into the lower decks. Mythica dove inside, upon impact released another torrent of powerful wind magic, blowing everyone on the cannon deck off their feet. "You bastards!" She wasted no time targeting, and killing the gunnery officers, before moving her attention to the gunners themselves. The wind magic swirled around her, creating somewhat barrier that slowed her enemies when they tried to get near her. At this point, Mythica usually would ignite the powder kegs in the ship to bring its demise, and heavens beware she wanted to. But her objective didn't involve sinking the Reynard. For now all she could do was incapacitate the carrack from anymore devastating blows to her ship.

With another sudden blast of wind energy, the large hatch to the lower deck of the Reynard bursted open, wood and splinters flew as two crew men were accompanied by the shock wave. Then Mythica came jumping out of it, her sword dripping with blood, her eyes filled with fury. She landed elegantly in front of the double doors leading to the captain's quarters where her eyes fell upon her enemy. She had her weapon extended towards him as she silently stood there watching the fox man, waiting for his move... If he decided to order another blow to the Seraph, he would find that there would be no response on the cannon deck.

[Kalak8538]

Suddenly, someone had intercepted the Sionhai on his way to his quarters. It was the pirate's captain, standing between him and the double doors he meant to enter. There was no use in wondering how she had gotten here so quickly. It was clear that she had ripped through the battery, rendering it out of commission. At least they had gotten a successful hit, right?

Looking back to the galleon, yet remaining cautious against attack, Captain Backbaw saw that it was neither sinking nor listing from the blast. He had underestimated the enemy's vessel, a mistake he did not normally make. He turned back to his adversary, looking her straight in the eye. They had a certain feral look to them, obviously enraged for good reason. Raising his own bloodied saber, the Sionhai began to speak.

It seems I have misjudged your vessel, miss. Let me guess... Mahogany? Teak? Or perhaps metal plating?"

All around, the two crews had ceased their fighting. They looked on to what would most likely be a legendary battle. Captain Backbaw paid them no mind as he continued.

"You know, I have heard the legends of a certain ship... A cursed ship, that stalks its prey from within a cloud of fog. Legends claim that its captain controls the winds themselves..."

The Sionhai had seen exactly what he was dealing with. Without help from the trinket in his quarters, he was completely vulnerable to her magic. He could still salvage this situation, but this had to be done tactfully. There was no way he would submit to this pirate... Not after he had successfully dealt with every threat that had come before this.

"Tell me, to what do I owe the honor of being visited by a legend such as yourself? Am I to believe this is just a random raid?"

[Codex]

Mythica stood silent, watching her foe closely as he began to speak to her instead of the usual fight. The pirate also paid no attention to the cease fire between the two crews... Her mind was focused on one person. She gripped her cutlass tighter when he mentioned the 'legend' that had been speculating around the Seraph. And apparently the girl herself.

"I'm sure we both know the answer to that, fox man." She said with a small smirk. "You have a special trinket aboard this ship that I need..." Her sly grin only expanded. "I must admit, it was no easy task tracking you down. Your accomplices in Kunata weren't very cooperative. Too bad, they seemed like nice people."

[Kalak8538]

The Sionhai had gotten his opponent talking. This was good.

"A real shame..." he replied solemnly, taking from the context that his Thanati allies had met their fate. The grim grinning only confirmed this.

He thought on what trnket she spoke of. There were many aboard the Reynard. Although none really that the captain would part with, even at the tip of a sword. It suddenly struck him when he made the connection with Kunata.

"Ah. The orb..." he said quietly. Suddenly, his voice grew more and more intense.

"That is all? All THIS, for a measly ornament?!" He shouted angrily, gripping his saber tightly and throwing his off hand into the sky. He knew now how to rid himself of this pesky pirate. a clever, albeit simple, plan formed in his head. One that would not fail.

He gave a flat "Fine." in response. "If you want it so badly, it is yours."

Both crews seemed disappointed at the lack of combat between the two. The Sionhai's men were left utterly bewildered, not knowing their captain to yield to any such threat so easily. Some were even repulsed by this act of cowardice.

"It is in my quarters. I will go fetch it. If you don't mind..." He pointed to the doors, using word and body language to indirectly ask his rogue counterpart to clear the way for him to pass.

[Codex]

Mythica eyed her enemy carefully as he spoke to her. And was somewhat taken by surprise when he suddenly offered the treasure she had come for without resistance. Her violet eyes locked into his as her cutlass was gripped tightly in her hand, slowly dripping blood off the edge. However, she silently took note of the crew's reaction to this sudden submission... And noted this wasn't a normal thing he would usually do.

The air fell silent as both parties waited for Mythica's response. She glared at him with her saber pointed, but then it dropped slightly. She smiled and lowered her feathered hat over her head, and started to giggle. In a somewhat childish, and unsettling manner. "Hehehe... Do you honestly think me that naive fox man? You don't actually expect me to buy this bullshit do you?" She gave him a sly grin. She then outstretched her hands to the crew around her. "I mean honestly. You've encountered many people like me before and fended them off every time. Now a very special piece of treasure falls on your ship and you just drop your weapons?" She pointed her cutlass towards him, and grinned. "Sorry, it just seems... What's the phrase? Out of character." And within an instant, a large flurry of wind magic launched itself off the edge of her blade straight for Backbaw's chest...

[Kalak8538]

The crew of the Reynard gasped as their captain was thrown backwards by the strong gust of wind. The impact with the rail behind him forced a brief yelp from his throat. For a moment, it almost seemed as if the fight was back on between the two crews. Captain Backbaw stood himself back up, still clutching his saber tightly. He was helpless against magic. This was a fight that he simply could not win.

"No... If you wanted to buy it... you would have followed me to port..." he retorted with a sly grin. Some quiet chuckles sounded from some sailors, only to die again just as quickly. The Sionhai gripped his shoulder, gave his swordarm a few rolls.

"Its just a bit of crystal... Can it possibly be worth all of this?"

He took a few steps forwards, almost retaking his original position.

[Codex]

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She told him with a smile. Seeing him being able to get back up and continue to speak after Mythica had used her magic was rather unusual. Perhaps she had underestimated his abilities. That wasn't going to happen again. However, he had just told her all she wanted to know. She stared at the frozen crew around her, and nodded to her first mate. He gave a grin and yelled "SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!" And with that, her crew began to fight again. The battle had sounded again as the crew tried to defend themselves. Mythica simply gave a sarcastic bow, and kicked open the captain's quarters with her leg, before turning and running inside...

She began looking around the heavily decorated interior. She smiled and began to speak, assuming her rival was coming behind her. "Tell me captain, have you heard of the tidal tomb of Novius?" She said, before giving a kick to the cpatain's desk in front of her. However, it wouldn't move as no magic came after. Mythica gave a confused look before turning her head slightly to the mane hind her... It seemed there was some sort of anti-magic field in this room. No matter. If push came to shove, she was still skilled without it.

[Kalak8538]

The Sionhai expected another strong gust. However, it never came. Instead, there was a quick order, and the deck quickly devolved into chaos once again.

Captain Backbaw was surprised when his enemy disappeared into his quarters. He had not expected her to actually go inside. This proved to be a fortunate turn of events after all. He raced inside, right behind her. It sickened the Sionhai how calm she could be after rekindled such violence.

"Vaguely." he responded.

There was a reason he was so desperate to make in here. Hanging from the outstretched hand of a saintly statue was a necklace. On it, was a special charm. Aptly named "The Mordecai's Amulet", it nullified any magic that happened within its general vicinity. She was not the first magically inclined opponent he faced. Possessing no magic ability himself, he used charm to even the odds against casters.

"Just rumors... tall tales... the like."

He spoke nonchalantly, masking his actions with words. Slight of hand was a skill that he always proficient with. Swiftly and quietly, he snatched the necklace from the saint's likeness. The rogue was too enveloped in her search to notice. Waiting for her back to be completely turned, he just as quickly donned it, and hid it under the collar of his leather armor. Now, he was protected from future spells. At least, when the enemy captain was close by.

"What does it have to do with that relic?" he asked, gripping the saber tightly.

[Codex]

The Pirate turned her head to the various trinkets hanging around the room. All of which looked like they could be valuable, but Mythica was still only after one. Which still seemed to elude the captain. Soon, her rival answered.

Her gaze shifted back to him "I see, well I would of thought you'd piece together what I was getting at... Given the the nature of the magic that surrounds that relic." She told him, before pulling her cutlass out again. "And you're right. It probably isn't worth this much bloodshed, so I ask you captain. How many men are you willing to let get slaughtered over a small, and 'insignifcant' item?" She put somewhat sarcastically. Not expecting an answer, she lunged forward with her cutlass. Attempting to catch him off guard.

[Kalak8538]

What came next was all reaction. The Sionhai both moved and raised his saber, cursing himself for letting his guard drop as much as it did. A successful parry, but only barely. He winced as the cutlass grazed his arm, its sharp blade easily slicing through the coat and leaving a slight cut on his swordarm. The captain stood in his combat stance, waiting to block any other attacks that were to come. Range of movement was limited in the tight quarters, so there were many attacks both of them could not do. He just had to focus on protecting the small area she could strike.

"What do you mean?!" he retorted.

"This is not about the relic! The men and I fight to protect this ship. The ship YOU boarded! Remember, I already tried to end it!"

[Codex]

"Yes, you did!' She laughed before attempting another swing before ducking and aiming a kick to his chest. "By luring me into your quarters, where I can't use my magic! I assure you captain, I don't need my magic to take you down!" Her eyes were filled with determination as she elegantly threw her sword at the fox man. Observing his fighitng style while aiming for places on all sides, hoping he wouldn't be able to keep up with her speed.

The deck was in a frenzy once again as the two captains fought on the wooden boards.