"Y' don' talk much, do ya?"
The Lalafell cast his gaze on the Hyur sprawled out lazily on a nearby crate. He was able to just barely make out his face in the dim lighting of the ship's bowels. A touch of stubble covered his jaw and chin, though, most of the deckhands didn't exactly have the time, or luxury of shaving while at sea. The only real oddity was how clean and well-kept his hair was. The sides of his head were almost clean shaven, and the top was neatly pulled back into a simple knot at the back of his head. Not wild, or unkempt, like the majority of the crew.
"Not when i'm trying to catch a few winks of-" The Hyur mumbled out, slowly slumping forward to rest his elbows upon his knees. He let out a large yawn and brought a hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes, only to pull his hand away and focus in on the blank, almost lifeless stare of the Lalafell. "-Sleep."
"Well, how's 'bout y' get off yer rump n' head on up to tha foredeck?" The Lalafell inquired, gesturing over his shoulder with a thumb towards the stairs. " Cap'n says there's a bit o' a gale comin' in, n' we need ya t' help with tha riggin' on tha foremast. Don' want her to snap off like a wee twig, now, do ya? "
Rain heaved himself to his feet and dusted off his pants before taking a moment to stretch his arms out far behind his head.
"Oh, n' Rain!"
He stopped, glancing back towards the Lalafell.
"Yer gonna need this, lad." He winked and tossed Rain his scabbard.
Rain caught the cutlass, unsheathing it for a moment to stare at the blade before glancing back up to the Lalafell, who simply cocked back the hammer on his flintlock. "It was in tha job description, lad! But, looks like ye already know tha'."
Rain brought a hand up to the base of the scar over his eye for a moment before giving the Lalafell a large, toothy grin. "Let's give 'em a run for their money." He secured his sheath to one of the belts slung around his hips before racing up the stairs, his Lalafell companion hot on his trail.
"Aye, at first we thought it was tha' Cudas. It's one o' tha' bloody ships-o'-tha'-line, n' it was wavin' Limsa-lominsa's colours up 'til about three minutes ago. Now we got tha' damned crossbones flappin' in our face!" The sailor brought the spyglass down from his eye, shaking his head. "Prolly one o' tha' bloody ships they managed to commandeer out from under tha' Cudas nose tha' other week! Tha' wankers!"
The Captain leaned over the rail of the stern deck, staring down at the crew below. "We were travelin' at abou' 6 knots when they first came o'er tha' horizon. No way in 'ell we're gonna gain any speed n' distance on 'em now, as tha' 'Cuda's Ships-o'-tha'-line are decievin'. Fast lil' bastards they are, given their size. But, they sure as hell won't blast us into oblivion wit' all tha' firepower n' risk losin' our load to tha' seas! ...N' they said I was a madman for wastin' so much space with tha' cannons on a freighter! HAH! Cannoneers to yer stations! Tha' rest of you, prepare fer battle! I'm not losin' this ship without a fight! T' hell with tha' idea o' surrenderin' to these sea dogs!"
It was only a matter of minutes until the ship was nearing their stern, and began to slow down as it drifted up the starboard side of their vessel. It seemed like an eternity, though. As it always did. Soon, the ships were side-by-side, and the captain of the pirates made his way down to the main weatherdeck of the commandeered ship.
"Throw down yer arms n' surrender n' tha ship n' maybe we'll let ye live to see another sun!"
The captain of the freighter glanced down towards his men, nodding and grinning. "Perhaps we ought t' do wha' tha' pirate says, eh?" The men all glanced up, faces full of confusion.
"....Or maybe not. Fire tha' starboard cannons!" The smell of gunpowder filled the air as the cannons situated under the main weatherdeck began to thunder, shattering through the port-side of the pirate's ship. Soon after, the cannons on the maindeck began to roar, tearing through both pirates and mangling rigging with the devastating bar & chain that had been loaded. In a matter of seconds the structural integrity of their mainmast was already starting to give in, bowing to the side from the now lack of rigging, and damage done to the spar itself.
Then came the pirates. Swinging and climbing on board, roaring out their bloodthirsty cries of battle. Several began to fasten ropes to the belaying pins of the freighter, securing the two ships together as planks began to slide over to provide easier access to the ship, as the others engaged the crew of the freighter in combat.
Rain drew his cutlass and ran forward to meet one of the savage pirates who had just swung on board. A highlander, a mass of muscle. He bore a boarding axe across his back, which he quickly swung out and began hacking away at nearby sailors, as well as rigging. Rain slashed his blade up, hooking it under the head of the boarding axe and effectively locking arms with the Highlander, who responded by violently snapping his axe to the side, disarming and throwing Rain to the ground.
"Rain! Heads up!" Rain quickly glanced up to see a flintlock falling down towards him. He caught the pistol, cocked the hammer, and fired point blank into the chest of the Highlander just as he was about to swing his axe down to finish him off. The pirate tumbled backwards and flipped over the rail, falling down into the turbulent sea below.
Rain scrambled to his feet, drawing his blade from the deck and thrusting it out to pierce the back of a nearby pirate. As pirates always fought dirty, he too had thrown the idea of honorable combat out the window. At least on the high seas. A Duskwight leapt down from one of the boarding planks, grabbing ahold of Rain's blade with a parrying knife before lunging forward to stab him with a crude butcher's knife. Rain smirked as he fired off the second barrel and final round of his flintlock into the chest of the pirate, sending him to his watery grave as well.
"Outta tha' way, Lucky! Less ya wish t' be full o' more 'oles than me pants!" Rain dove to the side just in time to see 'Salty', one of the Sea Wolves, and first mate of the freighter, fire two blunderbuss' full of grape shot in the general direction of some of the boarders, peppering about half a dozen with lead.
"Up atop tha' Mizzenmast! Bastard's 'bout ta knife her!"
Rain glanced up to see one of the pirates preparing to attempt a slide down the Mizzenmast to cut the sail, using a bit of rigging as support.
"Quick! Fasten the extra bit a' riggin' to the belayin' pins! " Rain barked out as he made his way up to the stern deck, stopping to grab the boarding axe of the Highlander before climbing the stairs and dashing up to the base of the rigging on the port side. "We got clear skies! I'd rather handle a bit of a problem with the riggin' than the sails!" And with that, Rain heaved the axe up and swung it down on the section of rigging the pirate was using for support, severing the line and sending the pirate flailing to the seas below just as he was about to make his descent.
Just as Rain began to turn around, a massive Roegaydn bore down on him, carrying nothing but his fists. The Sea Wolf swung at Rain, just barely grazing his shoulder, but still causing the Hyur to stumble back against the railing and drop his cutlass. Rain drew one of his own Flintlocks he had yet to use, aimed down the Roegaydn, quickly cocked back the hammer and pulled the trigger, though the gun simply sparked and gave off a bit of smoke. The gunpowder had gotten wet, and it had failed to fire. Just as the pirate was about to pound Rain senseless, the head of a lance speared out through his chest, and he stumbled past Rain and over the side of the boat.
"Thal's balls!"
Rain looked absolutely dumbfounded as he glanced across the boat to see one of the other deckhands doing a little jig.
"Ahahaha! They said I was a looney bastard for bringin' a lance 'board a ship!"
Slowly but surely, the crew of the freighter began to push the pirates back, eventually managing to sever the ties they had to their ship, and successfully pulled out ahead of the now nearly dead-in-the-water ship-of-the-line. Finally having a moment to stop and take a look at the condition of the ship, Rain couldn't help but let out an exhausted laugh. "Wow."
Blood covering the decks, a few bodies here and there, mangled rigging and a crew looking even more dirty and rugged than Rain previously thought possible. But, the load was safe. The ship, while in poor condition, would be able to make it to port. Rain made his way down to the main weatherdeck and sat on the portside railing. "Seems like they're gettin' more an' more cocky. ...Or desperate. Hard to tell, eh?"
Rain's Lalafell friend nodded and scampered up onto the railing next to him. "Aye! But I bet those bastard's did'n expect a full crew o' experienced sailors n' swashbucklers ta' be aboard!"
"Seems that way to me." Rain glanced down as something slid against his feet from the swaying of the ship. "Oh, so that's where I put that." He bent down and picked up the flintlock pistol from the deck, firmly securing it back to his leather vest.
"Well, enough sittin' around. Lets get ta' work."
The Lalafell cast his gaze on the Hyur sprawled out lazily on a nearby crate. He was able to just barely make out his face in the dim lighting of the ship's bowels. A touch of stubble covered his jaw and chin, though, most of the deckhands didn't exactly have the time, or luxury of shaving while at sea. The only real oddity was how clean and well-kept his hair was. The sides of his head were almost clean shaven, and the top was neatly pulled back into a simple knot at the back of his head. Not wild, or unkempt, like the majority of the crew.
"Not when i'm trying to catch a few winks of-" The Hyur mumbled out, slowly slumping forward to rest his elbows upon his knees. He let out a large yawn and brought a hand up to rub the sleep from his eyes, only to pull his hand away and focus in on the blank, almost lifeless stare of the Lalafell. "-Sleep."
"Well, how's 'bout y' get off yer rump n' head on up to tha foredeck?" The Lalafell inquired, gesturing over his shoulder with a thumb towards the stairs. " Cap'n says there's a bit o' a gale comin' in, n' we need ya t' help with tha riggin' on tha foremast. Don' want her to snap off like a wee twig, now, do ya? "
Rain heaved himself to his feet and dusted off his pants before taking a moment to stretch his arms out far behind his head.
"Oh, n' Rain!"
He stopped, glancing back towards the Lalafell.
"Yer gonna need this, lad." He winked and tossed Rain his scabbard.
Rain caught the cutlass, unsheathing it for a moment to stare at the blade before glancing back up to the Lalafell, who simply cocked back the hammer on his flintlock. "It was in tha job description, lad! But, looks like ye already know tha'."
Rain brought a hand up to the base of the scar over his eye for a moment before giving the Lalafell a large, toothy grin. "Let's give 'em a run for their money." He secured his sheath to one of the belts slung around his hips before racing up the stairs, his Lalafell companion hot on his trail.
"Aye, at first we thought it was tha' Cudas. It's one o' tha' bloody ships-o'-tha'-line, n' it was wavin' Limsa-lominsa's colours up 'til about three minutes ago. Now we got tha' damned crossbones flappin' in our face!" The sailor brought the spyglass down from his eye, shaking his head. "Prolly one o' tha' bloody ships they managed to commandeer out from under tha' Cudas nose tha' other week! Tha' wankers!"
The Captain leaned over the rail of the stern deck, staring down at the crew below. "We were travelin' at abou' 6 knots when they first came o'er tha' horizon. No way in 'ell we're gonna gain any speed n' distance on 'em now, as tha' 'Cuda's Ships-o'-tha'-line are decievin'. Fast lil' bastards they are, given their size. But, they sure as hell won't blast us into oblivion wit' all tha' firepower n' risk losin' our load to tha' seas! ...N' they said I was a madman for wastin' so much space with tha' cannons on a freighter! HAH! Cannoneers to yer stations! Tha' rest of you, prepare fer battle! I'm not losin' this ship without a fight! T' hell with tha' idea o' surrenderin' to these sea dogs!"
It was only a matter of minutes until the ship was nearing their stern, and began to slow down as it drifted up the starboard side of their vessel. It seemed like an eternity, though. As it always did. Soon, the ships were side-by-side, and the captain of the pirates made his way down to the main weatherdeck of the commandeered ship.
"Throw down yer arms n' surrender n' tha ship n' maybe we'll let ye live to see another sun!"
The captain of the freighter glanced down towards his men, nodding and grinning. "Perhaps we ought t' do wha' tha' pirate says, eh?" The men all glanced up, faces full of confusion.
"....Or maybe not. Fire tha' starboard cannons!" The smell of gunpowder filled the air as the cannons situated under the main weatherdeck began to thunder, shattering through the port-side of the pirate's ship. Soon after, the cannons on the maindeck began to roar, tearing through both pirates and mangling rigging with the devastating bar & chain that had been loaded. In a matter of seconds the structural integrity of their mainmast was already starting to give in, bowing to the side from the now lack of rigging, and damage done to the spar itself.
Then came the pirates. Swinging and climbing on board, roaring out their bloodthirsty cries of battle. Several began to fasten ropes to the belaying pins of the freighter, securing the two ships together as planks began to slide over to provide easier access to the ship, as the others engaged the crew of the freighter in combat.
Rain drew his cutlass and ran forward to meet one of the savage pirates who had just swung on board. A highlander, a mass of muscle. He bore a boarding axe across his back, which he quickly swung out and began hacking away at nearby sailors, as well as rigging. Rain slashed his blade up, hooking it under the head of the boarding axe and effectively locking arms with the Highlander, who responded by violently snapping his axe to the side, disarming and throwing Rain to the ground.
"Rain! Heads up!" Rain quickly glanced up to see a flintlock falling down towards him. He caught the pistol, cocked the hammer, and fired point blank into the chest of the Highlander just as he was about to swing his axe down to finish him off. The pirate tumbled backwards and flipped over the rail, falling down into the turbulent sea below.
Rain scrambled to his feet, drawing his blade from the deck and thrusting it out to pierce the back of a nearby pirate. As pirates always fought dirty, he too had thrown the idea of honorable combat out the window. At least on the high seas. A Duskwight leapt down from one of the boarding planks, grabbing ahold of Rain's blade with a parrying knife before lunging forward to stab him with a crude butcher's knife. Rain smirked as he fired off the second barrel and final round of his flintlock into the chest of the pirate, sending him to his watery grave as well.
"Outta tha' way, Lucky! Less ya wish t' be full o' more 'oles than me pants!" Rain dove to the side just in time to see 'Salty', one of the Sea Wolves, and first mate of the freighter, fire two blunderbuss' full of grape shot in the general direction of some of the boarders, peppering about half a dozen with lead.
"Up atop tha' Mizzenmast! Bastard's 'bout ta knife her!"
Rain glanced up to see one of the pirates preparing to attempt a slide down the Mizzenmast to cut the sail, using a bit of rigging as support.
"Quick! Fasten the extra bit a' riggin' to the belayin' pins! " Rain barked out as he made his way up to the stern deck, stopping to grab the boarding axe of the Highlander before climbing the stairs and dashing up to the base of the rigging on the port side. "We got clear skies! I'd rather handle a bit of a problem with the riggin' than the sails!" And with that, Rain heaved the axe up and swung it down on the section of rigging the pirate was using for support, severing the line and sending the pirate flailing to the seas below just as he was about to make his descent.
Just as Rain began to turn around, a massive Roegaydn bore down on him, carrying nothing but his fists. The Sea Wolf swung at Rain, just barely grazing his shoulder, but still causing the Hyur to stumble back against the railing and drop his cutlass. Rain drew one of his own Flintlocks he had yet to use, aimed down the Roegaydn, quickly cocked back the hammer and pulled the trigger, though the gun simply sparked and gave off a bit of smoke. The gunpowder had gotten wet, and it had failed to fire. Just as the pirate was about to pound Rain senseless, the head of a lance speared out through his chest, and he stumbled past Rain and over the side of the boat.
"Thal's balls!"
Rain looked absolutely dumbfounded as he glanced across the boat to see one of the other deckhands doing a little jig.
"Ahahaha! They said I was a looney bastard for bringin' a lance 'board a ship!"
Slowly but surely, the crew of the freighter began to push the pirates back, eventually managing to sever the ties they had to their ship, and successfully pulled out ahead of the now nearly dead-in-the-water ship-of-the-line. Finally having a moment to stop and take a look at the condition of the ship, Rain couldn't help but let out an exhausted laugh. "Wow."
Blood covering the decks, a few bodies here and there, mangled rigging and a crew looking even more dirty and rugged than Rain previously thought possible. But, the load was safe. The ship, while in poor condition, would be able to make it to port. Rain made his way down to the main weatherdeck and sat on the portside railing. "Seems like they're gettin' more an' more cocky. ...Or desperate. Hard to tell, eh?"
Rain's Lalafell friend nodded and scampered up onto the railing next to him. "Aye! But I bet those bastard's did'n expect a full crew o' experienced sailors n' swashbucklers ta' be aboard!"
"Seems that way to me." Rain glanced down as something slid against his feet from the swaying of the ship. "Oh, so that's where I put that." He bent down and picked up the flintlock pistol from the deck, firmly securing it back to his leather vest.
"Well, enough sittin' around. Lets get ta' work."
![[Image: 7Ho5y7x.png]](http://i.imgur.com/7Ho5y7x.png)
