Storm [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOG_qD1xqWHy31-06TvokALg2i1zVwBb2wbdCRXg8sJqboWCsY-XJniyDELf9-OzBnwy9EY5fxbS85ZtCNGiSWuPbnH_51y1oQukM1C9FjrPhgninAfpUzGNF0WIhrCYMVRB-o9DhDnuBP6HTiEk0bG=w661-h992-s-no-gm?authuser=0]
Lukas Lumeris was shivering in his cabin just one level below the deck of the ship he had managed to reach after fleeing Tulimeir. After the Maniac had warned him not to be late, he had used his incredible Emerald Caste Agility to run as fast as he could through the secret passage he knew connected to a small cove along the coast west of the capital. It was heavily warded with Song and Illusion enchantments —not as much as the Scarlet Banquet’s building in the city had been, but it wasn’t like they had a ton of complete gemite skeletons lying around to empower such strong enchantments.
There were a few smaller vessels there, along with one larger one, which he had ignored since he was alone. Taking one of the smaller boats, he made his way to a small island where he would meet with certain foreigners. Pretty much anytime one of the Disciples of Destroyer minions had traveled there and wanted to discuss terms before buying their slaves, he had met them here at this unremarkable island rather than risk being seen in the city.
It was also where the more important members of his cult knew to meet should things take an unfavorable turn and their headquarters be exposed. It was only a day later when his wife and daughter met him there. Another three days passed, and only one other family had managed to escape to meet them. They informed him of how the Pyre Executioner incinerated the others before apparently resting from an Obsidian Evolution and that their mole in the AOA, Ramir Mirimel, had been divinely avenged by none other than the gemite he had been meant to take to his High Priestess, Valtessa Vanderill.
Dazien Wayland had practically fallen into his lap by sheer coincidence, it seemed like, yet now he was cooped up in a much larger ship and awaiting a sign to recapture the man who had escaped his grasp.
His Mad God had commanded it.
“Blood moon’s end brings bounty beyond the beach,” the Maniac had told him. “Seek your sister by ship at sea. Treasure tidings the tides will treat.”
It had been weeks of waiting now. The blood moon finally finished, and yet, still, he waited. If he was to find treasure at open sea, it had better fall into his lap like it had the first time.
Lukas was just contemplating about finding some lunch in the galley when the familiar feel of a divine aura suffused the room and he hoped it signaled the end of his wait.
“Purple prince of puny progeny passes through the plentiful pond of pirates,” the Maniac said, lounging in what had been an empty hammock across from him. The god was dressed as he had been before in only blood-red leather pants, but now he wore an odd feathered hat he had only ever seen in picture books of pirates.
Lukas did his utmost not to sigh at the insane deity and instead asked, “I’m assuming the ‘purple prince’ is referring to the Heir of House Wayland, but despite us being on a ship, we are not pirates.’
“Plethora of pirates pursue plunder in this pond. Late Lukas Lumeris will lose Luxury’s loot,” the redheaded god said with a wide grin as though he hadn’t just delivered terrible news.
“Are you saying pirates are going to beat us to capture the gemite?” he clarified, hoping he had misinterpreted. He sometimes swore the only reason he was given his own branch of the cult to lead was because he could translate the Mad God’s riddles better than most… that or it was because his name matched the deity’s penchant for alliteration. It did speak to the god’s madness, though. Anyone who liked alliterating to that level must be mad.
“Salty sister seeks her sacrifice; she shall search for shiny soul from sibling or stormy slavers. Lost Lukas Lumeris left to lay with lilies lest lavender lad lay before your Lady Priestess.”
“You’re saying High Priestess Valtessa will murder me if I don’t manage to bring the shiny gemite to her in time for her ritual?” He always hated when the god mentioned ‘lying in lilies’ as those were a symbol of the Undertaker and, therefore, usually meant someone’s death.
Maniac’s smile widened even further, and he simply nodded in answer.
“Can you at least give us a heading in order to cut them off and reach them before the pirates do?”
The god laughed and simply pointed to the south before vanishing as suddenly as he had arrived.
Lukas sighed for only a moment before rushing to find the captain and give the new heading. The only place he wanted to lie was a proper bed once they reached Serenydi with their ‘loot’ of new slaves and sacrifices.
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“Are you sure about this, Captain Stormbeard?” his first mate asked for the hundredth time. “I don’t think bringing on that necromancer was the best idea in the first place, but that ship is Emerald Caste.”
“I’m Emerald Caste, Ablin,” he pointed out. “After our home failed their assault on Tulim’s capital months ago, everything has gone downhill for all of us Berg Sirens. Bringing on a powerful summoner, even one that wields Corruption, was to help ensure we can claim our bounty.”
Cainen Stormbeard looked down at his first mate, noticing once more how Ablin’s matching icy armor almost blended into his lighter blue complexion better than his did. It was a minor annoyance but he didn’t keep the siren around for his looks, he kept him around because the man was too cowardly to cause a mutiny.
However, his cowardice also helped steer them away from risks that were too great and led to better investigations into their targets, which they were actually lacking this time around. But that was usually the case in this type of target, and he added, “When the Raider gives me a target to plunder, we usually don’t need to question it. So, why are you?”
Ablin glanced up at the clear blue sky and nervously tapped his foot, a telling habit that usually helped Cainen win at cards. After another moment, his first mate answered, “The Victor’s Tribute is known on these seas as a target we normally leave alone. If the god of plundering thinks whatever is on that ship is worth taking this time, I’m not so sure the risks are going to be low.”
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“We have the necromancer now to help. Also, their ship will be at a disadvantage with my winds. I’ll be calling up the storm soon.”
“That lowers our visibility too, though,” Ablin pointed out, still tapping that blasted foot. “What if they got better guards for whatever treasure they’re transporting this time? We won’t be able to see them ahead of time.”
“Raider said that the treasure aboard that ship is worth more than an entire kingdom, and the greatest protector they have is their singular Emerald. We both know that Captain Clisson is a Utility Caster built around her vessel, not a combat specialist. They will be easy pickings.”
“Pretty sure that vessel could destroy ours,” Ablin grumbled under his breath.
He glared at the first mate, who was smart enough to shrink away and add, “Or the necromancer’s summons will hopefully destroy it before it gets in range.”
Cainen rolled his eyes. “I doubt that a Sapphire summon would be able to accomplish that feat alone, but I don’t believe our odds are as dire as you make it sound.”
“I just don’t like not knowing the details!” Ablin retorted. Looking back toward the horizon, he added, “We don’t even know what this so-called treasure actually is. Did Raider give you some other kind of clue?”
“Just that there’s three in particular we’ll want to snatch. Two are divinely blessed, so we should be able to easily identify those items right away, and the third is a rare gem.”
“I swear, if I die for some bloody jewelry, I will haunt this ship for the rest of its days,” Ablin grumbled.
Cainen ignored him and gave the rest of his crew the signal that he would begin casting his storm magic. He would claim this treasure and retire on a luxurious island whether it killed his first mate or not.
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Dazien helplessly watched as Uriel and Saiya were both leaning over the edge of the ship, somehow puking despite not having stomachs as the motion of the storming water made both of them ill. Rain was falling like a steady sheet of water and lightning flashed in the distance. The waves were rough despite them actually being on the outskirts of the storm and trying their best to sail out of it.
They had already been at sea for a week now, mostly focused on training during the day. He had been hoping to spend today beginning a different type of training for everyone that would involve a crash-course in the culture of Serenydi, and how their dress, values, and etiquette vastly differed from Tulim’s. However, it looked like the weather would ruin his plans.
The storm had arrived unnaturally sudden, and the ship’s Captain had told everyone it was either a magically induced phenomenon or to keep their eyes peeled for unfriendly Casters.
“I’m Sapphire Caste… why is this affecting me so badly?” the Tranquil Healer asked as sweat beaded on her brow.
“Because it’s the opposite of Tranquil?” Dazien suggested with a light tease while he gently rubbed both her and Uriel’s backs in support of their plight, which the rest of them were completely unaffected by. She tried to turn and scold him but stopped partway through to dry heave over the ship’s edge again.
“Where are the others?” Uriel managed to ask him.
“Rayna is asking the ship’s medic if there’s anything that can help you two while Phoenix is with Camilla in our quarters attempting to invent a cure,” he answered with an amused smile. “Something about wristbands with some combination of runes engraved on them to help your body adjust.”
“I’ve never wanted one of her plans to succeed so badly before,” his partner muttered before joining Saiya again in staring down into the choppy arctic waters.
“I don’t understand,” Dazien said after they both came up for air again. “I thought you said you’ve been on a ship before when you first came to Tulimeir.”
“Yes, but the weather wasn’t this rough,” Uriel admitted. “I was also unconscious for a portion of it.”
“Here!” Phoenix’s voice came from nearby as she quickly moved towards them and handed a metal bracelet to Saiya. “I think I got it, but I can’t test it myself since I’m not sick.”
Saiya didn’t ask questions as she slipped on the bracelet and leaned over the railing, waiting to see if it worked. A few moments and nausea-inducing sounds later, Phoenix was sitting with her back against the rail, scratching furiously into the metal once more as she tried to adjust the runes on the bracelet, muttering to herself about stupid psychosomatic effects while she worked.
Despite it being just after midday, the sun wasn’t to be seen. As the ship made its way through the wind that howled around them and filled the sails to almost bursting, they were only comforted by the fact that they were making good time apparently.
Camilla slipped slightly as she made her way across the wet deck to sit next to Phoenix and talk quietly about the item they had been brainstorming on together. “W-what if we interlock the stability runes with alternating b-balance and recovery?”
“I don’t think it’s actually physical, though, at least not completely,” Phoenix explained as she continued rubbing in an odd putty that erased some of the runes from the metal.
“What if we add s-some kind of illusion to make it s-seem like we’re not rocking?” the researcher suggested.
Phoenix handed over the bracelet and asked, “Can you show me?”
“Hey, Daze? What is that?” Uriel’s voice interrupted his thoughts as his partner stared out into the murky, wet grayness over the water.
Dazien looked away from the two artificers to focus on what Uriel had spotted and gave a loud groan as he said, “I should have bet money when Phoenix asked me about pirates on that second day.”
“Pirates?” Phoenix repeated as she looked up in surprise and concern. She stood to peer out into the darkness as well, her sight not hindered by the lack of light.
In the distance, they could make out a pair of dark ships, one with normal white sails but a blood-red flag and hull, while the other had torn black sails. Phoenix narrowed her eyes as she muttered, “That black ship looks awfully familiar. I swear I’ve seen a ship like that in a movie from my world.”
“Well, did it have pirates?” he asked her curiously, having become familiar with the fact that those were basically Sense Stone recordings meant purely for entertainment.
“Yes, but they were also cursed undead.”
Dazien’s expression darkened as he replied, “Let us hope that is not the case here. A ship full of Corrupted pirates is one of the worst options it could be.”
She gave him a flat look and asked, “When is it ever not the worst option that comes to meet us?”
He gave her a slight smirk and suggested, “Maybe you should cozy up to the goddess of luck? Perhaps our fortune might change then.”
Phoenix rolled her eyes and grumpily admitted, “I don’t think she likes me very much. I’m probably too risky to bet on.”
Then a wailing shriek could be heard over the crashing waves and a pair of winged creatures rose into the air from the distant ship. Large yet lithe creatures that he had had seen before in one of Uriel’s books on monsters, only these ones were glowing with the eerie light of the undead.
“Oh, shi—” his voice cut off as the ship jerked suddenly with a blast of air. He almost crushed Saiya against the rail when they were all thrown against the side. Then he shouted to the rest of the crew aboard the ship: “Corrupted Bone Drakes! Prepare for battle!”