Sypherkhode822

In Dark Seas We Sail

"Aye Captain. Tonight I'll see if the Salt will come to meet Uban. I don't know much about the ladies around here, but this is still a friendly ocean. If he's to be a Priest, he best meet the mermaids while they'll tease and blow kisses." Pieter grinned, and adjusted the pipe in his mouth. Nothing too untoward would happen tonight, but life as a Priest was...Heh. Pieter flung the grappling hook and watched it arc gracefully until it struck its mark.
"You know about the Lady, which is good of yeh. But Priests need to know all of the sea. From mermaids and selkies to the darker things that live in the deep. Things that can't hear prayers because they don't care what the pleas of men are." The forest beyond them was quiet, and the faintest reminders of the morning fog were dissipating within it's branches. The sea below them was cold, bracing in the way that made the heart pump and raised the will of all who weathered it. At this point, they switched what they had been doing. They took turns flinging the grappling hook, and the other took a cutlass or a hatchet and hacked away the rope that held it. Repelling boarders was an important thing when you had such a small crew.

At this point the conversation had left such important matters, and friendly conversation lifted into the air like fog breaking before the rising sun.

---
Wheel sat on his stool, and listened. And waited for the boy to decide what to do. He spat. Stood up, and strode to where the child sullenly sat. "So you think that you're better than learning how to hunt like a man? You think that because you can turn into a coyote and bite the head off a rabbit you're above the bow?" Wheel's tone slowly lost it's friendliness, revealing an angry edge.

"Because, last I checked, it was men with bows who hunt animals, not the other way around. And you're going to be hunted, boy. Shifters aren't very popular, and they get killed by men with bows. What happens if you get shot with iron, and can't take it out? Then you'll be defenseless and weaker than any man. Because a man can use a bow and you can't." As he spoke, Wheel picked up the bow that had been tossed to the side, strung it, and took one of the arrows from the quiver that lay next to it. Staring into the forest, Wheel effortlessly drew back the string until it touched his cheek, squinted for a moment, and let it fly. It arced cleanly into the air, and struck one of the trees, causing birds to erupt from its branches, squawking as they took flight.

"If you can't fight and kill with every weapon you meet, you'll one day be taken by surprise, and they're be one less Shifter in the world."

Without looking at the boy, he tossed the bow at his feet and left.

---

Hana took the meat and bit roughly into it. Life on the road meant you took good meat when it was offered to you. Hana chewed on the toughened meat and raised her eyes when she saw the crackling dagger. Without the need for complex spellwork, Uban called the lightning and it came. It was like the lightening and the man were the same. Unbidden, Hana began to consider the grammars she'd need to bend the attributes of the lightning, the symbols appearing before her. With her free hand, she scooped some mud into hand, and rubbed it onto her cheeks and her forehead. Tracing an obtuse triangle, what could only be described as a jagged 'L', and an achingly perfect rhombus, soil dripping from her face. Popping the remaining meat into her mouth, Hana covered her mouth and said, "Please do not be alarmed."

With a flicking gesture, Hana hissed under her breath and drew a curtain of crackling lightning into her hands from the dagger. Sparks ran up and down her body as she closely examined the streaking arcs of lightning as it drew bright lines across her umber skin. Laughing, Hana grinned maniacally at Uban. Her magic had worked. She knew she would never feel the pain of lightning so long as she kept the symbols on her body. The harmony of the spheres had been improvised, and she was the glorious result. Lifting her hands above her head in triumph, she faced Uban, saying, "I can't summon a storm, but we can figure out what exactly you can do. Go ahead and hit me with your best shot."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Wheel roared with delight as he fought the shifter. He saw Rohaan start to kick up the sand, and he had tucked his head against his chest and leapt backwards. When the hummingbird had become a man again, Wheel had pivoted from the leap and was read to fling himself against his opponent, springing forwards with the dagger to strike at the wild eyed shifter. And while there was determination in the fight, Wheel was deliberate in his lethality. A blunt dagger into the sternum would hardly have been useful in training the boy. Better to just knock him off balance with a palm to the chest after he had overextended himself and left his guard wide open. The addition of the dagger had yet to significantly improve Rohaan's fighting. While he was able to swiftly move the blade now that he could hold it with ease, he was still clumsy with it. Still, Wheel wondered, as he dodged the knife swung in a vicious downstroke by a gorilla, how the boy would find ways to incorporate weapons into his ability to transform. The curse had only given him the gift of excellency in battle, he was limited by the human frame and the feats it was able to accomplish. Rohaan, with the beasts of the world at his beck and call, would find new ways to fight.

As it was now, Wheel could match how Rohaan had fought. There were more licks on him than there had been when he had just fought a boy, but that was expected. Once the fighter had become a boy, panting and worn, Wheel tossed his knife onto the raked up soil. Their sparring match could be tracked from start to finish by the scrapes they had made in the soft earth. Rolling his neck, he grinned at the lad. It wasn't a warm smile, however. Those who saw it were apt to think of the hunting Mantyger.

"It's a good start. You'd be killed by any half decent country militiaman, but a start. Go and hunt game for us in the forest. Take a bow- you know how to use a bow? Take a bow and bring me something as a boy."

Wheel turned away and strode off, going to check on Hana and Pieter.

---

When he approached, he saw Hana striking deliberately with her staff, keeping her legs in line with her shoulder, crouching her knees, head forward. Lifting the staff above her head, she swung it across, digging the end into her ribs. Pieter squarely blocked the strike with his staff, the veins in his arms bulging as he held the staff steady. There was a sheen of sweat on both of them, and Wheel saw the weary shake in Hana's arms as she forced herself to follow through the motions of each strike. Life on the road had left her fit, but she wasn't hardened like a fighter. If she could master battle magic, she'd never need to.
"Alright. Good work, you two. Pieter, go to the Cap'n. I want you two to practice with the grappling hooks. I've the hooks there, and I've lashed that sapling down for you to practice with there." Wheel lit a cigarette, puffing intently as he eyed Hana.
"Uban's figuring out how to use that lightening of his. I want you to find a way to let him strike at a distance."

Wheel found a stool next to the campfire, and sat down. He had a moment to rest, and he was determined to take it.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Wheel grinned as slapped away Ro's blade, stepping into his guard to tap his scrawny chest with his hand. The boy was a natural fighter, and it was good to see him try and fight like a man. A deep affection for the boy grew as he corrected the boys mistakes, rapping his limbs with the flat of the dulled blade. While it didn't leave any serious injury, his skin reddened under the impact, and Wheel knew there'd be yellowing bruises. There weren't many. Despite the occasional slip up- which Wheel reprimanded with a whack- Rohaan proved that he could fight like a human. And he could do it remarkably well. He was a quick learner, which meant Wheel started getting creative with whacking him. The curse was humming to Wheel. His arms were strong, his step light. When it came to knife fighting, Wheel was faster than the boy. It would have been impossible for it to have been otherwise. Despite a life of constant exertion, he still didn't have the strength to perfectly use the blade. If he had been able to transform, it might have been a different story. But a scrawny ten year old couldn't beat a seasoned fighter. Which is what Barizian's were. If he were struck with iron, he'd die. It was worthless to train him when he was as strong as an ox and deadlier than a mantyger. He needed to be able to kill at his weakest. Finally, when the first sweat appeared on Wheel's brow, he called out, "Let's see how you fight with a knife when you can shift!"

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana watched Wheel demonstrate how to fire a musket, the process of tearing the paper pouch that held the powder, tamping in the ball. She shouldered the heavy gun, keeping it steady as she pulled the trigger. The sparks and thunderous racket it made weren't very shocking for her. After all, sparks and loud sounds were a mages bread and butter. She was a surprisingly quick study, and got the hang of firing and reloading without too much difficulty. She hit the target once or twice, which wasn't bad either. The pistol was easier for her to hold, and she smiled when she struck the target her second try. Wheel stopped her once, adjusting her stance with a nudge of a knee. He seemed pleased watching them, and would occasionally pack and fire a musket with deadly precision. He outshot Pieter, whose skill he recognized with something approaching deference, Hana noticed. It didn't seem that he ever struggled with anything- if he could do it, he'd do it with a slouching excellence. He had a small smile on his face, and cracked a few dirty jokes with Uban which made her flush when she heard them. The sun was rather pretty off the sea, a dark blue that glinted and foamed white.
Then the target became Rio, and she struggled to swing the musket around to track the Cyradan. She hissed when the already quick moving dragon became a sparrow, and shrank even further in size. At that point, she was firing blindly into the air. Still, she kept at it, since it was rather fun. The dragon landed, claws tearing up the turf.

"Alright, Master Wheel. What next?"

The berserker lit his cigarette, shaking the match out and tossing it behind his back. Smoke trickled out of his mouth as he smiled. He had an easy conversational tone. He expected to be listened to, and was pleased when he was. "Berlin, Uban. Hana, Pieter. Ro and me." He pointed to each as he rattled off the pairs. "Berlin, Uban. Work with cutlasses Don't kill someone again, but see if you can light up that sword, Uban. Pieter, teach Hana how to kill with that stave of hers. And the little shit is going to learn how to fight even with a hunk of iron in his ass. Training armor is over there. It's a waste not to use it." He watched as the crew took their dulled training weapons and put on the heavy leather aprons and smithy gloves that passed as armor. He made sure each group started their training with proper focus. Berlin and Uban would fight, and when a safe distance from Berlin, would try to send lightning up the blade. Pieter was showing Hana how to strike with a staff, and defend from sword strokes. Finally, he turned to Rohaan.

"Alright. If you're going to do this, you can't transform. Not to get bigger muscles, not to turn into a bear. You need to fight right, and I'll teach you how." He held up his own dulled dagger. "Now watch how I stab, and repeat what I do. After that I'll show you a parry, and we'll work on those together."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Wheel smiled and stood, his hands swinging freely at his sides. He was relaxed. A dancer would have envied his movements. He was stiff from suppressed rage so often that one would be forgiven for forgetting with the slightly entrancing grace he moved with. He wore his (slightly splintered) boots, canvas trousers, and a wide belt that was stuffed with pistols and daggers. He picked his teeth with a stiletto as he spoke, tiny speckles of red dashed it's way across his teeth, only for him to occasionally spit on the dew damp turf to clear his mouth. The pine forest watched behind him, a curious spectator. Songbirds Hana couldn't identify warbled in the trees.

"Alright. To start, we'll work on marksmanship. There are muskets and pistols in those chests there," he nodded, "Take a rifle and a pistol, along with shot and powder, and come with me." He waited with barely constrained patience, and strode off to the firing range. Bullseyes made of painted canvas and woodscraps were spaced evenly. "Begin."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Even though the habit of drinking and talking late into the night with Berlin had reached the point of tradition between the two of them, Pieter still marveled as he drifted off in his cot at how he'd made it this far. It was the same childlike disbelief he'd felt when he saw his first miracle.

---

Hanabaptiste breathed as Uban removed the gentle pressure from the back of her head. She hadn't realized she had been holding it in. She stilled again as he reapplied the razor, and Hana could almost feel the ghostly touch of the missing finger. "So you aren't fully trained? Didn't finish school or something?" Hana stiffened, and pressed her hands against her legs. Despite the change, his hands never wavered. He had never denied his past, or hid who he was. A breeze rippled across the sails, leaving behind a trail of snapping. The murderer's hands were steady, and despite the frequent passes made with the blade, it hadn't drawn blood.

"Ha! Well, you see, that's a bit of a story. My family are merchants- taking the wine and enchantments from Elbar and shipping them down the Long Sea, until they looped past Ulraks Claw, the fortress of the headless men, the Anthropophage..."

She talked. She talked mostly about the tall tales and captain biographies her father told her, how the empirical truth of modern reports often seemed more outlandish than the tales of Siljhak the Captain, who once anchored on a island, which turned out to be the egg of a giant sea monster, which hatched while they were ashore. Their voices were hushed, and she sat long after he had finished shaving.

--

Wheel waded through the waves to reach shore. The island was deserted- peat covered the remains of long collapsed buildings that lined the cliffs looking out on the sea. Beyond the bluffs, a pine forest overtook the island. It was surprisingly dense- beyond a span or two the trees grew thick and gnarled.

They were setting up camp before the forest, and Wheel put down a heavy crate, setting it next to another. Pieter was setting up the tents the crew would be sleeping in. One for Berlin and Pieter, one for Wheel and Uban, one for Hanabaptiste, and a pup tent fashioned out of old sailcloth for Rohaan. Wheel's training regimen wouldn't be done in a day, and he didn't want to waste time rowing back to the ship, though he thought the exercise wouldn't hurt some of them. The boy had dashed off into the forest, happy to hunt. Wheel whistled, a simple ditty that he'd heard the oyster girls whistle when he was a boy. The pulse beneath his eyes was slight, only palpable enough for him to appreciate it's presence. They were making good headway, it was only mid morning.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana nodded, saying, "Yes, I have razor and powder in my pocket. Can we sit over there? The bowl is getting to be a little heavy."

Setting the bowl onto a barrel, Hana took the supplies from her pocket and laid them out as she spoke, "All adepts- those who haven't mastered magic- are meant to keep their head shorn. It's meant to be a sign of humility- that by giving up on worldly appearances, they can more honestly pursue knowledge. It's another way to tell mages apart, since masters can grow their hair long and wear it however they like." She paused. The bowl, the mug with soap and brush, and the razor with the horn handle were laid out.

The water was still cold, though. Normally, she'd had to have boiled water previously, and mixed the hot and cold together until she found a temperature that was suitable for her. Instead, she ran a finger along the lip of the bowl, muttering briefly. A chill settled on Hana and Uban's neck, and steam began to rise from the bowl.

Sitting cross legged on the ground so Uban could reach her head, she continued, "I doubt I'll ever become a master, but so long as I call myself a mage, I'll continue to shave."

--

Pieter chuckled low at the mention of Cavastan. "Aw hell, lad. Ain't nothing in Cavastan to steal except pine trees and blubber. And I've no interest in stealing the blubber!" He barked a short laugh, thinking about the awful stench.
The captain scowled thoughtfully, and Pieter sat, letting him find what he wanted to say. Pieter listened to the Borealis instead. She rocked steadily with the waves, and the creaking of her timbers were relaxed sighs, telling him all was well. "To freedom."
Pieter raised his mug, tapping it against Berlins. He drank, and drained his mug.
"I'll celebrate that every night."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Pieter stayed silent as Berlin spoke, nodding at the appropriate times. He'd had a general idea of what his captain had been up to before he'd shown up in disguise in the dingy dock tavern, but he'd never pressed the matter before. Whenever he'd ask about that time, Berlin had given vague answers and changed the subject.

Slapping him on the shoulder, Pieter said, "Awh, hell Burl. Not like you're the first sea dog who tried to settle down b'fore his time. Hell, you stick around on this earth long enough, I imagine you'll try and settle down a few more times b'fore Sweet Tevira finishes with you." A sadness came over Pieter without his awareness, it darkly played over his face, turning down the corners of his mouth before he continued, "I've got kids all over. Sometimes, when I'm in a port that I'd been in before, I try and look for the lads and lasses who would be old enough to be from then. See myself or their mothers in them. I barely remember the mothers, and I've got no clue how I looked when I had piss and vinegar inside me. So I just look at them all like I would my own. And all I see are my kids ending up as broken backed stevedores and harlots."
Gentler than he had been, he placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder, "Master Havaiann. I've seen what kind of future awaits our children. Nothing but toil for a crust of bread. Rohaan. He's free. You're showing him how to live outside of the lords and ladies and mages."
He puffed once, twice at his pipe. He gingerly removed his hand, scratching at his chin as he spoke in a hoarse whisper, "Decency is whatever the courts decide it is. We're free. Free to choose what kind of men we are."

In Dark Seas We Sail

Pieter didn't seem to react much to Berlin's confession, but he sucked deeply on his pipe as he refilled Berlin's mug. Exhaling a plume of smoke, he said, "No, I don't think you have told me. Tell me about it."

---

Hana returned Uban's natural smile with a sheepish one in return, she certainly might have seemed like an ass for yelling all the way across the Borealis. Still, he was here and smiling, "Oh, umm. If you weren't busy, I was going to ask if you could shave my scalp. I can do it by myself, but it's a pain to reach everything. If you don't mind, of course.

--

Wheel had sorted through and organized the materials they needed for the training, dulled blades for training, wire and cloth dummies for targets, and plenty of shot and powder for the marksmanship practice. He also had marked the barrels and weights he intended to saddle everyone with for the obstacle course he designed. He didn't take many things seriously, but he understood the importance of physical readiness to keep the crew in fighting condition. The Barizians would outmatch them, and the only way the Borealis would stand a chance is if they could outfight, outrun, and outfuck all of the slavers. And he'd be damned if he wouldn't make it happen. The curse was singing to him, a satisfied beat that let him focus on the task at hand. It knew what the training was for, and it was eager to help Wheel get ready for the violence that was coming.

--

Wheel stood on the deck watching the eagle descend and throw the pin at him. And while the eagle was fast, his reflexes let him easily catch the speeding pin with one hand behind his back. He knew it would irk the boy, which is why he did it. While he talked to Uban, he waited, tossing the pin easily up into the air and catching it. After the boy had finished and started to descend to the galley to find some grub, he called out, "Good work, boy. Maybe you'll amount to something I can make a passable fighter out of. Get your rest, you'll need it for tomorrow." Smirking, he rolled a cigarette and lit it, looking up at the night sky.

In Dark Seas We Sail

Hana finished adjusting her shirtsleeves, pulling them into order. After her gaff earlier, she wanted to look more presentable than usual. And that meant it was time to shave. Her nappy hair had already started to grow back, and she wanted to keep the smooth head of a hedge mage. She wasn't entitled to any of the jewelry a school mage could wear, but at the very least she could tell the world that she was a practitioner of finer arts. Well, not as much a practitioner as the crew thought she was. She could make plenty of small magics appear effortless, but she still worried about what would happen if she was pushed to truly change the weather. Either the spell would fail, and nothing would happen, or it'd fail and they wouldn't be alive to see what happened next.
Still, she thought, as she lifted the bronze washbowl into her hands, it was possible that she'd pull it off. The very hubris of that sent her down another rabbit hole of worries, which she firmly chose to ignore.

The early evening was bright after her time in the cabin, and the ruddy light of the sun on her face brought her back into the moment, the concerns she'd agonized over by herself seeming to ease away. She was on a pirate ship, sure, but they certainly weren't villains. The breeze that had been blowing earlier had entered a lull, and she could hear everything with perfect clarity on the ship. Pieter and Berlin talking in low, deep rumbles near the front of the ship. The creaking of the ropes. The shattering of wood as Wheel flung his.. Shoe? At Rio as he sat in the Nest. The boy had transformed and escaped with ease, but the thought of the boot connecting with it's target sent shivers down her spine. Splinters of wood rocked down from the rigging, and a few slivers of timber landed on her shoulders.

Looking to the Captain to see what would happen, Hana was shocked when Berlin just drank from his mug and turned back to his first mate. Crew members flinging footwear at one another at lethal speeds was not something to worry about, apparently. Her arms were starting to ache, and Hana remembered what she had come on deck to do. Hurrying to set the basin next to the barrels of fresh water, Hana took the ladle and scooped the water into the bowl. The water was cool, and she paused to take a sip. Rum was nice, but Hana wasn't ready to give up on clean water completely. She was a land lubber at heart, she guessed.

---

Wheel shook out his arm after the throw. He'd have to go up later to make sure no permanent damage had been done to the Nest, but he felt good about his throw. The boot was tangled up in some ropes, meaning he wouldn't have to take shoes off of somebody. That was nice, he liked these boots. Uban came up to him, sighing and giving him a look, saying,
"You know that only makes it worse....he’s looking to get a reaction out of you. It’s why you’re always his target—you always rise to the occasion. Trust me, I had brothers.”
Wheel nodded absentmindedly, letting the words wash over him without giving it much thought. "Ayyup. Well, he'll stop the first time I actually hit him. That's how I learned when I was his age."

Uban whistled, and Wheel watched the hawk turn on his wing and come soaring down, settling with a flap of wing and arm, until the boy was squatting next to the two men. Wheel rolled himself a cigarette while Uban chewed out Ro, and was fumbling through his pockets for the box of matches when the kid started tugging on his shirt. Cursing, he started to lift his hand to slap the idiot when he started to blather, words tumbling out,
“When we stop, can you teach me how to fight with a knife? Keva’tiiiiiiiiii….? Berlin won’t teach me because he thinks I’ll hurt someone with it, y’know, ‘cause I’m kinda wild and stuff. But, but," Wheel raised an eyebrow, amused to hear the brat begging a favor from him. He hadn't thought the boy was smart enough to realize that he should know how to fight like a man, but realized that there was probably more going on behind those devilish eyes than he thought.
"C’mon whaddya say? Keva’ti?”

Wheel laughed, lighting his cigarette and carefully watching the boys reaction to being laughed at in his face.

"Sure, kid. But you've got no fucking muscle." Wheel wrapped one of his hands completely around the boys forearm, "Sure you can become a fucking dragon, but you're still weak as shit. You'd probably drop a knife on your foot the first time I gave you one." Wheel spoke with bored venom- he wanted to know if the boy had enough resolve to stick through it, and still half thought the kid was trying to pull something. Turning his back on Rohaan, he walked to one of the coils of rope Uban had just finished tending to. There was a heavy wooden belaying pin being kept on top of the rope- in a navy ship they never would have left it out like that, but there wasn't much of a chance of mutiny aboard the Borealis. Picking up the pin, he tossed it to the boy, "Go fly around, but carry this with you. If you can come back without dropping it, I'll start teaching you how to fight like a man. Go, I need to take a piss and you're annoying me." Wheel pulled on his cigarette, blew out and walked away, leaving the shifter and the sailor standing together.

---

Hana nodded to Wheel as he walked down belowdecks, choosing not to comment on the fact he only wore one boot. Looking back, she saw Uban and Rio, and called out, "Uban! Could I ask you to do me a favor?"