[SO-Sunberth] Birds of a Feather

[Edreina]

4th of Winter, 513 AV
Midday
En Route to Sunberth Upon the Calypso

"No no!" Edreina laughed, helping the girl up for the thousandth time. "You don't just tromp around like... like a horse!" Her student today was a little Denvali girl in her midteens who had somehow managed to retain her land-legs, still. She was also subject to sea-sickness, Edreina had learned earlier in the day. At the older woman's comparison, the younger flushed faintly, looking down and away. "Hey... Don't look so upset." A querulous, green eyed glance met Edreina's glittering blue, if only for a moment. "Y'see Razkar, over there?" She motioned, smiling and lowering her voice in a conspiratorial manner. "He couldn't walk quite right til the day we landed in Syliras... You're already doing better than he."

"Yeah, right." Those same green eyes rolled, but Edreina saw a faint measure of hope in them, now. Squinting, the young Denvali looked up into the light of Syna. The intensity of her gaze caused Edreina to turn, wondering what it was that she saw. When questioned, the girl responded in a mumble, "I thought I saw... I don't know." A sigh punctuated her words and a shake of the head indicated a change in subject. Without Edreina's urging, she decided to take the Svefra's lesson into account as she tried walking across the swaying deck once again.

"More ankle, less knee," Edreina commented, walking beside her. The people of the docks will never believe that those arriving were all Svefra if they noticed half stumbling on their way to the gangplank. "What's your name?"

As expected, the girl stumbled slightly when her mind was diverted to speech. "Aneryi N-" Edreina lurched forward, causing the girl to lose her balance and stumble again, glaring this time.

"Your name," she said quietly, "is Aneryi of the Greenrise pod, for now. When you enter Sunberth, you can take your own name. But not the Denvali name... It can be tracked back to Zeltiva too easily by others. The girl you were before is gone, and must stay that way. This voyage was launched-" she stopped, helping the girl up off of the deck once again, "-so that you and those around you would be able to find a new, safe life free of the enemies of your old." Though why they chose to sail to Sunberth, of all places, I'll never really know. It maybe could have made sense had they all been hardened soldiers or possessed the funds to make a life and a living in Sunberth. But, most had lost nearly all they had in their failed coup.

The girl's delicate features became stony as she continued trying to walk across the deck without falling over. Resentment was as clear in her features as the freckles that adorned Edreina's. Finally, the stone gave way to an expression Edreina was unaccustomed to seeing on faces so young. "I don't understand..." she grumbled quietly, "why we are always having to pick up and leave somewhere... I had nothing to do with the coup..." There was accusation in her emerald eyes, then, as they turned to the older men traversing the ship.

"You can't see going to a new place as being inherently bad..." Edreina offered, turning and climbing up onto the railing of the ship. It was precarious, but allowed her to be challenged in the same way that the girl was. A wave hit the ship and they both stumbled, Edreina's arms windmilling for a moment before she righted herself. That, luckily, got a small smile out of the girl.

"I just... I had finally made friends there. And things finally felt normal, again. Zeltiva was becoming home."

"Home isn't a place," the willowy redhead said simply, taking another step along the railing, mouth pressing into a thin line as she squatted slightly, trying to lower her center of... whatever it was Razkar called it. "Home is being with your pod, your family."

"That's rot," the girl said sharply, stopping with the Svefra-practice to glare intently at the older woman. "Home is a warm bed and a roof without holes. Home is in a town where you know every street and the people that live on it."

Those that walked the land would never cease to surprise Edreina. They attached so much value to the things that occupied their space, not the people. Despite her desire to argue her own opinion, Edreina knew that certain things had to be learned. She settled for a shrug and continued to walk along the railing. After a moment, the girl started to lope along the deck again, more sure-footed than a few chimes ago. A few more days practicing how to do it the right way and Edreina was sure that she would be a natural in no time; but she remained silent. No reason to give the girl a case of bloated ego.

Across the deck, Edreina heard Razkar's harsh tutelage in action as he taught others how to defend themselves. The melody was a voice like iron and the repeated impact of bare flesh upon bare flesh or upon the dull wooden deck.

The girl started to hum as she walked and Edreina noticed, with a proud little smile, that the tune was a song belonging to the Svefra.
OOCOne post each to set the scene before I introduce the drama?

[Razkar]

"Gods, and to think I cursed the instructors of Taloba, when they had such fine clay and I have... mud!"

The moaning pile of limbs at Razkar's feet didn't understand a word of it, but the tone was fairly universal. His teacher was not happy with his progress, and unlike his scholarly instructors of the past, this one wasn't afraid to show his displeasure physically.

"Well, get up, boy! We're not finished!"

"I... I... am...!"

Razkar cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms, but oddly enough, seemed less surprised that the others were expecting. Then again, Ocvarion was one he'd been expecting problems with. The son of a noble, apparently. A short and pampered life without strain nor hardship, and now he was being hurled across an ocean with all he owned in a smelly saddlebag. No more servants or private tutors or tittering females batting their eyelids at him.

Just a non-plussed Myrian and his flame-haired wench, alternately scolding and beating him. The other Svefra-to-be paused in their pairs, no longer trading or avoiding blows as Razkar had been instructing, paused for a moment-

-but they only got that far before his hooded glare swung to them.

"Did I tell you to stop?!"

A whirl of movement again, from all sides, and Razkar sighed internally yet again. Hardly the cream of the crop, that lot... but they would do. They'd at least convince anyone watching that they weren't all tradesmen or scholars or disgraced politicians. They didn't know how to fight dirty, which is exactly what Razkar taught them.

"And you? We go again, until you get it right."

"Do not command me!" Gods, the boy nearly squeaked with indignation. Had his balls even dropped yet? "I am not your woman nor your slave, I am Ocvarion Sunm-!"

He didn't get to finish, and after Razkar's arm was no longer a blur, it became apparent why that was. The youth went down to one knee, clutching at the hollow just below his throat, choking down air and forgetting entirely the name of his family. Which was partly Razkar's point.

"Three lessons for you there, boy," Razkar said amiably, "Firstly, striking when your enemy is in the middle of his big, intimidating, self-important speech is always a good idea. He's focused on that, not you. Secondly, throat and groin. Two things that most-every creature you will come across has, and they both hurt like petch when you slam your knuckles into them. What I gave you was to make a point. If we were actually brawling, I'd have crushed your windpipe into your spine. Thirdly..."

The Myrian knelt down so the choking boy didn't have to crane his neck so much, and reflected that now he was the one giving the all-important speech. Hmm. Well, if the boy seized on that, so be it. It would show he was learning something.

"... whoever you were in Zeltiva, is dead. You don't speak of the dead, especially if you don't know them... and you don't. You are Ocvarion of Surfstrider Pod. Now who were your parents?"

More choking. Gasping. Glaring. Razkar made a fist and was about to press his point when-

"R-Rama and... and... G... Glameri..."

The Myrian nodded slowly and clapped him on the shoulder, wry smile on his face. "Good. You're thinking even when in pain. Very good. Now..." He straightened back up and stepped back. "Get up do to me what I just did to you..."

Ah, what simple joy one could craft and bring to life, simply by offering the abused the chance to be the abuser. Razkar had seen it many times, when he and his fellow battered recruits got the chance to do unto others as had been done to them. Ocvarion settled into a crouch and-

"No. Remember: do not let your enemy see the punch coming." He tapped his shoulders. "This is where the punch comes from. Don't let them drop or tense before the blow and-"

Strike in mid-sentence. The boy was learning.

The swift, violent blur was enough of a signal for him, though. The Myrian jerked his upper body back just in time for Ocvarion's knuckles to miss him, hands flying up to grab his wrist-

-but the boy snapped them back and lashed out with a leg instead, forcing Razkar to twist away, swinging out with a right hook-

-that Ocvarion barely ducked under, aiming a solid punch at Razkar's groin-

-but hammering into his knee instead as Razkar swung his leg in its path. He tottered back a few steps and the watching Svefra sailors muttered to themselves... and exchanged a few coins.

"Told you the boy would pull it off."

"Bloody lucky you were, that's all."

"Bollocks, I just know how t'pick 'em."

"Very good, lad," Razkar managed to say without wincing, giving a slight bow of respect at the nigh-delirious young male, "You're paying attention and using what you've learned."

"You're a good t-teacher."

The Myrian caught the unsaid "for a savage" at the end of that sentence, but decided to let it go. He'd become used to it after all. Gulls cawed overhead and he looked up at their floating shadows, seeming to burn up under Syna's unblinking stare. The Winter winds drove hard across the water, but her rays were more than enough to make this sweaty work.

"Alright... half-a-bell for food and water," he said sternly, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the fresh water barrels, "Then we're switching up."

Grateful as they were for the respite, Razkar caught the unmistakable unease in some of the older faces. They were fine with learning how to defend themselves, but... their women? Surely that was what they were for? The Myrian had explained to them all, however, that in Sunberth, being a woman was not some shield against abuse. Quite the opposite, in many cases.

He wiped down his face with a towel and cast his eyes over to Edreina's class, his future one. No, Sunberth would show no quarter if you lacked a cock between your legs. Everyone was a potential target, and fresh meat right off the boat was at the top of the list. Edreina spent days pouring her knowledge into often-unwilling heads; still they resisted her, clinging to their pasts.

Razkar wished he had her patience and good nature... but only rarely. Sunberth was alien to him, but its attitude was not. It was merciless and treacherous and if you couldn't at least plant your knee into a man's balls without crumbling into a terrified ball, you wouldn't last.

They hadn't been hired to let that happen. At least not initially. Some would survive there... most, he hoped. But still...

The Myrian shook is head fiercely and chased the doubts from his mind. He wasn't all-knowing nor infallible. The future would unfold as Lhex designed and men chose. All he could do was prepare them.

His mood was broken by Edreina's class apparently doing the same thing as his own, gliding away from her with... quite a different gait than they'd arrived. Razkar struck a pose comical as he cocked his head to one side and mouthed to himself:

"I never knew she could teach that..."

[Edreina]

"It's not nice to gape, Razkar," Edreina said with a smile, hopping off of the railing nearer to Razkar. Her smile was gentle and thoughtful as she moved to stand at his side, knuckles brushing against his. "Mine are coming along decently... Some enjoying the life more than others... How are your lessons going?" Walking and talking like a Svefra was one thing; the Myrian lifestyle was another matter entirely.

The redhead's stomach rumbled, then, bringing a sheepish smile to her face. The morning meal had been at dawn and that was some bells past. Obviously, her body had decided that it was time for more food and she could not agree more. Being back at sea agreed with Edreina. She had grown fat and lazy - in her opinion - while on land. The heavy red meat of four-legged prey was horrid in comparison with the light, salty, tang of the sea's fruits. She swam daily, letting herself be cleansed by the ocean water and laughed at jokes in Fratava, again. Going back to bathing every few days and trying to understand the context of the jokes told by landstriders would be far from a pleasure. But, she had Razkar and that had to be enough...

Though her people may not have understood, it was. She had been propositioned by one of the crew, as had he. Their answers had been the same and so had the reactions of those proposing. It was odd, to the Svefra, to see a pair so singular in their affections. Passions were as freely shared as the sea that her people swam in; she and Razkar had been called a pond, once before.

The funniest part was that Razkar seemed to be receiving more attention than she. Even as they strode over to get a serving of boiled shrimp together, the redhead noticed a pair of blue eyes following Razkar from their perch upon the steering deck of the Calypso. She was taller than Edreina with the nut-brown skin she would never quite achieve no matter how many years she spent in constant sunlight. Her hair was a wave of deep brown that contrasted and framed her bright blue eyes. In many ways, she was exactly what Edreina was not. This woman was older, slimmer, and could even be considered prettier with her heart-shaped face, narrow nose, and thin, expressive lips. But, she was not Edreina, and that kept Razkar's partner from doing anything more than rolling her eyes at the other woman's attention.

They reached the short line before the cook's blackened pot and Edreina found her mind wandering until a voice from behind snapped her from her reverie.

"What's that, out there?" She heard someone ask, and could not help but turn her head to see what it was that the Denvali was asking about. On the horizon was a quartet of albatrosses, wheeling and dancing through the sky, carried by the air as it moved, utterly unimpeded, across the glassy water. Some found beauty in the way that such birds were able to move but, to Edreina they still had nothing on the finned creatures of the water. Perhaps, she considered, they were but distant relatives taking wing in different elements.

The birds grew closer and closer, riding the thermals. They grew larger, surprisingly larger, until some cold, cruel knot twisted in Edreina's stomach. These birds were not... normal. Their wings beat out a frantic tattoo as they attempted to hold aloft large, misshapen bodies. It could have been nothing... But, Edreina knew that this world was always more dangerous than it seemed and one was most likely to survive if they erred on the side of caution.

Without waiting to confer with Razkar, Edreina turned sharply, grabbing the arm of the nearest Svefra as he passed. "Get everyone below deck," she whispered quickly, eyes returning to the sky, "There is something not quite right about those birds." His eyes followed her nod, then returned warily, brows wrinkling curiously.

"You're sure?

"Better safe than dead... Get a few others on deck with their weapons." Generations of female sovereignty kicked into place and the man nodded, hurrying to begin gaining the attention of others. Some were quick to respond, mainly parents and the children attached to them.

Others... not so much. A few tried to object, saying that they could help if they were given the chance. Some blew off the warnings, having to me shoved by her kin as they moved to ready themselves. Once everything was in motion, she turned to Razkar, unease apparent in her blue eyes. "It... It could be nothing," she explained, "but I want for us to be safe." Her hand rose, pointing towards the birds as they fumbled closer, lack of grace even more apparent as they neared. "Those birds... something is not right with them. They might be harmless but I don't want to take a chance." With that, she turned and sprinted towards the hatch, darting towards her bag and drawing from it her whip. The gladius she left there, deciding to only use the weapon she knew best.

A scream ripped through the air and Edreina ran to return above deck, pushing through the stream of people that suddenly decided that they should have listened to their Svefra hosts. It was then that she realized she should begin carrying her weapons at all time as Razkar did. The last two women to fumble down into the hatch were covered with bright red gouges across their shoulders and forearms; such wounds came from warding off blows, Edreina knew. Sometimes, being right brought less comfort than being wrong. As they passed, Edreina noticed that a part of the girl's scalp hung free from her skull, baring bright red flesh.

Her stomach rolled, but she was needed and continued up onto the deck.

"What happened?" Her feet thundered across the wood as she raced over to Razkar. As if to answer her, there was a screeching, high and ragged enough to curdle the blood that was spattered on the deck as well as that in Edreina's veins. She whirled to face the danger, whip tensed.

The albatrosses were broken, crooked beings; abominations twisted by some unnatural force. The one that rushed at Edriena had a long, hooked beak with little nubs all across the surface like barnacles on the bottom of a ship. It's wings were uneven and it's body oddly elongated. She could not even see its feet as it raced towards her, maw spreading wide to loose another chilling scream.

The Svefra brought her whip up and around, slicing through the air in front of the bird, making it swerve to the side abruptly. Across the deck, there were battle cries and grunts as people thrust harpoons into the air after the creatures, only to be divebombed by one of their kin from behind. The did not stop and land when attacking, only hovered for an instant to peck at one of the Svefra on deck. One seemed to be able to draw flesh into its maw in quick passing and, after it darted by her, Edreina noticed that it's mouth seemed to be diagonal and scooping upwards. Myri, guide my hands. Yahal, give me the strength.

OOCLet me know if I need to change/adjust anything

[Razkar]

"It's not nice to gape, Razkar."

"It is when you see something like that..."

Her gaze was sharp as an arrow but it seemed to bounce off his smiling eyes, grinning at her from above the rim of the wooden mug as he sipped water he'd had to batter with a hammer first. The frost wasn't nearly as bad as it was by the coast, but after a long, cold night, the fresh water barrels were heavy as boulders and just as hard.

Probably better that way. Keeps the bugs out.

But then he heard her next question and his face contorted as if he were passing an awkward stool or trying to divine the future... and both were accurate, in their own way.

"Not bad, not bad..." Her look said everything: she'd known him too long for him to 'skanna-shkye her. "... it's long, and hard and some of them just aren't fit for it." He rested his sore arms against the railing and let the icy, bracing wind lash his face and wake him up. "But they'll learn what they'll need to learn. I wouldn't throw any of 'em in the Cage at the Spinning Coin, or the Knuckle Club, but they'll be able to handle themselves if some tough comes for their purse."

Razkar chuckled around his drink, eyes idly focused on the swooping black dots on the jade sky. Albatrosses. That was what Edri had called them. Massive but largely peaceful birds who could fly for incredible distances without rest.

"Cross the Suvan with three beats of their wings... and two of those just to take off!" He smiled as he remembered her words, he flair and her love for storytelling. The Myrian's gaze wandered so easily from black dots to blue orbs, and his grin grew mischevious again.

"The females take it much better, though. I think they just love a chance to rough up some hulking male, hmm? Most of them never had the inclincation for it, but more than the males, once they get knocked down and realize they're not dead or dying... they always come back for mo-"

A cow died on the deck, and Razkar was about to look for it... then his eyes slowly dropped to Edreina's stomach. "Looking flatter and... much more..." his grin slid towards lust and he enjoyed her brief coloring "... but you need to eat, my wave..."

He loved using her language, especially for her pet name. He loved her smile and the way his compliments brought them to life like water over a rose. He loved... her. The Myrian locked eyes with the bow-swain up the top dock... and she didn't look away, but nor did she smile or wink. Once had been enough, apparently, and now Otarfi was keeping her mind on business, which was-

"What's that, out there?"

"... Edri, do they usually grow that big?"

Now the albatross grew closer and larger, he could see they were indeed magnitudes greater than the ones he'd seen before. If they had been simply larger, these strange things were leviathans of their species, easily eight feet from wing tip to wing tip...

And they were strange. Razkar squinted up with a hand over his eyes, and it was like looking at them through the bottom of a bottle. Ridges and bumps and tumors of muscle and bone poked and bulged and heaved from their bodies. Their keenings were more of madness than avian melody, and more importantly-

-Edreina was spooked. She was snapping off instructions, taking command, and Razkar did not question her. This was her domain, after all: part of her job was to cite such strange and uniquely nautical events... but he did not expect the shard of fear in her eyes, bright and raw.

"Those birds... something is not right with them. They might be harmless but I don't want to take a chance."

"You were right to send them downstairs." He said abruptly, spying his own bow by the railing. He'd had the idea to try and fish with it later; tie a chord to it. Goddess knew he was better with a bow than a rod, but he liked having it close, anyway. "We're meant to get mangled; not them. Get your steel, female."

She bolted for the hatch and before her feet were pounding on the stairs Razkar was lunging for his bow, pulling the quiver over his shoulder and an arrow from it-

-just as a shadow vast as an eclipse swept over them accompanied by a roar that clamped Razkar's teeth together like a vice-

-and a scream, from lower, a female-

-and Razkar's arm jerked out, pulling back the bow and aiming at-

One of the Svefra, staggering and toppling to her knees, clutching a bloody hunk of what had once been attached to her head. Hair and dripping flesh stained her hand and her eyes... couldn't fathom it. Could grasp the cold and grisly reality that left her with half her head-

"GET DOWN!"

Instinct drove her to her belly and Razkar let fly at the beast that had maimed her, swooping in for another talon or two of fresh meat. Mismatched, turgid eyes rolled around and bulged from sockets that wept blood. Feet that should have been webbed and amusing were now twisted and warped inwards, long claws bursting from orange, decayed flesh.

Wings that were falling apart. Muscles that ripped through feathers. A beak like the gaping, drooling maw of the Balicani they had slaughtered.

Djed has done this to them. Warped them. Corrupted them. These are not the amiable creatures I saw before-

The arrow slammed into one huge wing and the albatross screeched at him before swooping away with one great flaps of its wings, so hard and gusty that it knocked Razkar back from his crouch. More swooping, screaming things blotted Syna, slashing and yammering and-

-Razkar rolled with his bow held above his head, twisting closer to his weapon harness-

"Get below deck!" He yelled to the mutilated female at he notched another arrow. "Now, gods damnit!"

She fled and the Myrian's eyes grew wide as another diving creature tucked its wings and hurled itself towards him, talons out and grasping evilly-

-and he threw himself to the side, grasping for his gladius-

"Shyke!"

-but his hands found his kukri instead, drawing the curved dagger and quickly stuffing it between his teeth, concentrating on his ranged weapon for now. He jerked his aim up, but...

Fast. So fast, so manic, unknowable and impossible to predict in their madness. Then he heard a familiar crack and his head snapped around to see his female whipping away one of the crashing monsters, face set in a determined snarl. An albatross twice her size wheeled away from the sight of it, screeching its hatred as it soared upward, readying itself for another attempt-

-as another swooped low, aiming at the bow-swain, gripping a harpoon and flexing her legs, waiting for the moment to spear it... as Razkar waited for-

There! When they attack they must slow, if only for a tick! That's when your best chance it!

The Myrian breathed in and exhaled slowly as he aimed down the arrow, tracking the vast bird, trying to block out the thought of the other three flapping and cackling around him... not to mention other thoughts.

Poor, twisted things. They must be released from this pain.

Razakr shoved the thought away and a cold, merciless iron hardened in his gaze. He was there to protect his clients, from men and beasts. Now they were under attack and he was equipped to defeat their enemy. So he would, and as fast as possible.

"Myri guide my hands," he murmured around his kukri as the albatross's wings flapped harder, slowing it as it came close to the stabbing bow-swain, "... and Dira my blades-"

He fired just as darkness covered him and hard-won battle senses drove him down and to his side, claws that would have slashed his skull instead tearing a stripe from his shoulder-

-and the arrow flew off course and speared his target through the wing.

OOCJust one, as far as I can tell. You have to have 30XP in a weapon before you can Dual Wield, and you only have that much in Whip. So... the gladius?

[Edreina]

"Down!" Edreina cried to one of the pod, just as one of the white, warped beasts pivoted upon a wingtip and decided to come back around for another attack. Her arm shot back, readying the toothed whip, eyes narrowing as she blocked out the glare of the sun on the water, trying to track the shape. She blinked hard and fast, fighting the urge to bring her hand up to shield her eyes. Another harsh crawing split the air and, unable to see, Edreina dropped to the deck, following her own advice. Slim arms came up to cover her head. A shadow eclipsed her and she prepared the feel the sting of a beak of the breath of wings.

Instead, there was a strange, gurgling screech and then a thump on the deck. When her eyes opened, she saw the bird laying in a graceless tumble a short distance away, crimson blooming from its diseased flesh. Over her stood a tall Greenrise with dark, dreadlocked hair that hung down to his lower back and was adorned with pale shells. Their calloused palms met as he helped her to his feet, shifting his grip on a narrow spear in his other hand. "You lost it in the sun..." He commented, shaking his head so that the shells tinkled. Had the situation not been so dangerous, he may even have smiled. It touched his blue eyes, though they were on the sky, ever moving. "Don't those on the Suvan kohl their eyes to lessen the water's glare?"

"Some do; those that live on the open ocean. I used to wonder about it when they docked with the Anchorage. Thought it was just to be pretty." Her snort barely contained a hint of humor. She trembled faintly, turning her own eyes to the sky. Two of the abominations were circling high above, beady black eyes fixed on those left on the Calypso's deck. The other - Edreina squinted, bringing one hand u over her eyes - was diving, now, right at Razkar.

The redhead's heart lurched and she tensed, fearing for Razkar but too smart to try to step in on his plan. That would only put them both in danger, she knew. So, she simply stood and watched as the bow twanged and a Myrian's blood adorned a monster's claw. Though it did not kill, the arrow found a home in the bird's wing, bringing it to the deck with a cry like stone on metal. Her kin moved in and dispatched the fluttering, flapping creature in a blink, leaving the path to Razkar safe enough for Edreina to sprint.

"Raz!" She fell to her knees beside him, fingers dancing over the gash for an instant as she assured herself that he would not bleed out.

There was silence on the deck, now. Somehow, that was more disconcerting than the wild terror that had swept the deck. All was eerie as eyes roamed the sky, following the other two creatures as they weighed their options. "What should we do?" Edreina asked Razkar in a whisper. "They are horrid and mangled... They should not live..." Few on the ships used bows and harpoons would be no use to these creatures that flew upon their fins. As high as they were, she doubted that a bow could even reach them.

[Razkar]

"Use... your wyrd-"

The last word was bitten off sharply as her soft fingers caressed his wound, attempts at concern translating instead to pain... but she was not to know, and it was nothing he hadn't shrugged off before. The Myrian's eyes were focused instead on the monsters above them, looking vast and forbidding even a hundred feet in the air, screeching to each other with vocal chords fit to burst from their throats, waiting... watching.

"We can't get to them from here," he said as he turned to her puzzled face, one of the other Svefra already wrapping strips of cloth around the grisly slash, "And if they follow us - which they will - they'll keep doing it until they see an opening. A child alone, a sailor doing repairs... anything."

Razkar glared at those malformed and daemonic beasts, hating but understanding a similarity of feeling there. Predators were often fierce and strong and could overwhelm their enemies... but when strength would not do? They used patience. That's what he would do, and where else would they go?

"They will strike. So, we must bring them down here and end them. Best way?" Now he locked eyes with those blue eyes, resting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently, trying to make his black eyes and his growling voice as steady as his faith in her was. "Use your wyrd on them. Not need much, just... idea for them to attack. We can be... here."

Razkar pointed to the middle of the deck, between the aft-castle and the main sail, not far from where they stood. "Open ground, and... the crew can use their harpoons and bows from the crow's nest... and the aftcastle-"

He pointed again to the raised rear of the ship, where the navigation wheel sat, skipper still at his post with his usual grizzled determination. Razkar grinned briefly at his improving vocabulary: a season before, without Edreina, he'd have just called it the "back hump thing on a ship... where the wheel is".

"Me and you? We stay. We're the bait. They get into position."

The crew grumbled and muttered to each other until the Captain finally stepped forward, voice dripping sarcasm as he asked: "Excuse me, but won't that mean hitting you, as well?"

"Let me worry about that." Razkar said sharply, wanting to get the dirty business over with sharply. Slaughtering agonized, twisted monsters who felt more pain than wind on their feathers was not his idea of glory... but it was necessary. "You wait for my word, all of you. The second you hear it, rain your blows on them."

As the crew of the Calypso scuttled fore and aft to obey his orders, the Myrian and the Svefra were left in their own calm little world. Razkar tried to raise his bow again but his battered shoulder roughly denied him that, trembling even as he raised it... so he tossed it to one side and hefted his kukri instead.

A wry, fatalistic smirk crossed his face as he did, bordered between amused and resigned.

"Not my best weapon, but... I suppose it helps me learn. Lets finish this, Reina." He nodded sharply to her, confidence shining from his eyes. "Lets put them to rest."

[Edreina]

"Use your wyrd on them. Not need much, just... idea for them to attack. We can be... here."

The Svefra stood flabbergasted; any other day, she would have rubbed the fact that Hypnotism was finally coming to be of use in his pierced face. Some insolent, childish sounds would have been added as well, surely. But, in that moment, she felt honored to be of use instead of asked to hide in safety below deck. He had never really asked her to use her paltry power, even for simple things. That did not stop her from doing so most of the time. Edreina would never tell him, but she had honestly forgotten that Hypnotism could be used on beasts as well as humans.

"Open ground, and... the crew can use their harpoons and bows from the crow's nest... and the aftcastle-"

"Not the nest," Edreina interrupted, finger resting on her chin thoughtfully. "It would scare them off..."

At the word 'bait', she swallowed involuntarily, the sight of chummed water coming to mind with a hunk of meat in the center; sadly, she and Raz would be the hunk of meat, her hypnotism the blood luring in the sharks above. Rubbing the whip between her hands, Edreina nodded, her breathing slowing from the shallow, tentative pace her earlier fear had set. While her kin took their places, she paced. Slowly, a faint limp came into her stride. She remembered what it felt like when her knee had been twisted years earlier, how she had walked and the expression that had been on her face. A plan was forming. For it to work, she needed to focus and to build up to it so that she used as little Djed as possible.

"Not my best weapon, but... I suppose it helps me learn. Lets finish this, Reina."

Blue eyes turned up sharply and she was surprised to see the little curved blade in his hand instead of the bow. But, she worried not for him; no matter the metal in his hand, death would surely follow. What was strange, though, was the way that he managed to inspire courage and confidence in his mate without the use of Djed. A single fanged smile from the Myrian brushed away the remainders of her worries.

Back and forth she strode across the deck, a hiccuping drag throwing off the naturally graceful sound of her stride. Some found peace in a motionlessness; Edreina was a Svefra. After a few passes, she found her center, the point at which her mind was still and silent. Through it, she could reach into her soul and the Djed that connected it to her body. She felt warm tendrils bloom and spark across her body, waiting to be called upon.

Ever so slowly, she pulled as much of the power as she dared towards her eyes, the focal point she had decided upon. Without Djed, her body could do massive amounts of work in tempting the addled creatures above. It was simply up to her magics now, to finish the job. Glancing up, she started to get a feel for the two remaining birds, noting how they moved as they continued to circle the ship. They were coming lower already, she noticed. One of the creatures, the larger one by far, seemed to be leading the hesitant descent. One of their prey was wounded, and that was all that mattered to their bloodlust.

The leg she had been dragging caught on the deck as the ship rolled on a wave, fumbling her balance and sending her crashing to the deck. The noise brought a curious caw from the creatures, and Edreina seized her chance. Her red hair danced and flickered through the air as she whipped her head up and around, focusing up on the lead bird. For a single instant, blue eyes bright with fear met beady black ones without the faintest hint of a soul hidden beneath. Utter helplessness hit the bird, weak due to the distance between them but substantially there as she allowed a burst of Djed to fly forth.

Immediately the flow of power was stemmed and she sagged with very real weakness against the deck. It was all up to Razkar, now.

[Razkar]

There was no time to plan, or prepare, but the stratagem was so simple it didn't require it. Edreina would reel them in, Razkar would do what he could close, and the other watching would finish the job.

But Razkar wasn't expecting his female to tumble down to the blood- and sea-slick deck like a newly-born foal.

"Edri?!"

Whatever wyrd she had used, it had taken its toll on her. Razkar remembered how draining and aching a brief burst of djed had felt when he practiced The Flux; Goddess knew how much it would take to actually tap into the mind of a another entity, what damage it could wreak-

"No time for talk now, my love," he muttered under his breath, letting her down gently the rest of the way with his free hand, gripping his kukri tight and standing over her, "Stay. I not be long."

Starving, crazed, wounded, angered, all of them poured out in a duo of cacophonous shrieking that sounded like knives on marble. Demented black eyes bored into cold, steady ones as the larger albatross dived towards him, claws outstretched-

The Myrian felt his gnosis burn, the power of it coursing through him, steeling his thoughts, his limbs as they grew closer, going from circling shadows to dripping, screeching, whooshing monsters-

Now!

-and he twisted to his side when the beast had nearly finished its arc towards him, spinning with a snarl and slamming the kukri down onto the largest part of the beast that he could see.

It's flapping wing, contorted muscles and rancid feathers grimy and-

-spurting black blood-

-as the machete-like blade, designed for hacking and slashing, ripped it in half with one vicious strike, albatross crashing down to the deck and rolling, spasming, challenging shrieks now squeals of pain.

But the second was coming and it was slowing, wings beating harsher, louder, trying to slow its descent... and Razkar could see it would. He'd be too far away... unless...

The Myrian spied the barrels of fresh water near the mast, nearly under the beast. He didn't think; the monster wouldn't, it would just react, and that's all he would have time to do-

-dash for the barrel-

-leap onto it, knees bent even as he hit it-

-teeth gritting as he pushing off and swung his body around in mid-air-

-facing the deformed, hovering bird, all-too-sentinet surprise stark on its face as the creature from below was suddenly at its height, flying without wings-

-and bringing his curved, shining weapon crashing down onto one of its own as it fell, burying it in the thick ropes of pulsing muscles near its base-

Razkar screamed in pain as a barbed bill ripped a hunk from his arm as he got too close, getting one last snap of defiance in-

-falling, tumbling-

-feeling the tremulous pain of impact on the rolling deck, rolling over to Edreina and feeling the scratching, desperate struggles of the two birds, now crippled and on the deck-

-vulnerable-

"NOW, GODS-DAMNIT!"

Razkar threw himself across Edreina and pulled her head under his chest, his thickest point, both of them pressed against the wall of the aftcastle. Within a tick a plethora of barbed, spiked, sharpened, weighted examples weaponry and maritime tooling would rain down on the newly-flightless birds. He supposed most would miss him, and that gave him some pause.

But he knew none would harm her. Not now. That made the risk acceptable.

[Edreina]

The world was tilting and rocking as Edreina's vision swam. Black orbs whirled and swirled across her sore eyes. She had used a lot, but not too much, it seemed. Whatever overgiving was, she was sure it would be loads worse than exhaustion. Utter and complete exhaustion, though it was, it could surely have been worse.

Something screeched overhead, crunched and crackled, then thundered onto the deck with an outraged cry. Her hearing stilled, as if cotton had been shoved in her ears and everything grew increasingly muted. Blue eyes grew half-lidded as the Svefra's vision dimmed again.

There was a very human scream, and Edreina's blood chilled as she attempted to roll onto her side, to see what was transpiring. In that same instant, the weight of a well-muscled Myrian collapsed upon her, tucking her head against her chest as the air began to whistle and the deck to crunch.

His breathing was hot and harsh in her ear, reminding her of the severity of their situations. It may have been hard for the birds to kill anyone, but maiming was certainly a viable option. If that was not enough, the arrows and harpoons now in the air, rocketing over the vulnerable position she had left them in was rather rotten as well.

"I'm sorry," she whispered up to Razkar, hand sliding across the deck to take his hand gently. At that point, she worried that she had not brought down both birds within range.

The hailing stopped and she heard quick, barking Fratavan, a sign of anxiety and perhaps even one being nervous depending upon the severity of the emotion. The words were lost on the muddle-minded woman, but the intent was clear: the others were to wait while that one checked on the - hopefully - carcasses. Without the arrows flying, Edreina moved to sit up with Razkar, only for blood to drip down onto her hand, stilling her breath and her heart. The world swam before her eyes for an entirely different reason, now.

Weakly, she whispered, as he had yet made no motion to move, "R-Razkar?"

OOCLeft it open for you to extend the new bird-injury or add an arrow one.

[Razkar]

It wasn't the pain. Or the shock. Or even the fleeting, warming sense of victory. He heard the horror and fear in her voice, and he knew just this:

He didn't want to hear it anymore.

"It's alright, my wave," he said, into her ear before she turned to face him, voice stong but... whispered, as if putting more into it was risking much, "It's... It's alright."

A fool could have read his subtext. It may have been alright; she may have been alright.

But Razkar made no mention of himself.

"Gods, get that bloody 'ealer over 'er, now! Move, boy!"

The Myrian let himself roll from atop her and onto his back, feeling the flash of pain as the movement made the deep gash in his side stretch and ooze like some putrid, incontinent maw. The spear that made it wobbled in the deck next to him, shaft wobbling, wide head stuck halfway into the deck and coated in his blood.

The warrior grunted, smile twisting his face even as it paled and scarlet pooled around him.

"Got lucky," he murmured, "Coulda'... skewed me... like a fish. Just... cut me, in... instead."

Clattering on the deck; the steady thump of sandals pounding across the wood. He turned and-

-grabbed for his weapons even as pained lashed him-

-seeing black, beady eyes glare at him from inches away... but not lunge. Just stare. Sightless. Dead. All of them, now.

The Denvali healer - well, assistant nurse, but he had high hopes - skidded to his knees, tools of his trade tumbling from his hands. The quartermaster joined him, rest of the Svefra busy reclaiming weapons and tools, checking on the other wounded, methodically gathering up and decapitating each mutated monster sprawled on the deck.

"Don't want to risk the wrath Laviku by hurling that evil into the waves," he heard one mutter, hearing sharp even as his eyes dimmed, "Better to burn them. Bag them up and hang them from the crow's nest so they don't kill us with their stink. The moment we hit Sunberth, toss them into the nearest trash heap."

Razkar approved, but he had bigger things to worry about, like-

"Ah, gods' fucking BALLS!"

-the already-nervous healer dousing his wound with alcohol; clear, smelly, harmless-looking liquid burning him like a fluid poker across his mangled skin. He bucked against it, trying to escape and going nowhere.

"Edri?!" He managed to gasp out as the Denvali began to bandage the wound, wiping away the blood first, sanitizing and cleaning before binding. The Myrian waited until his lover had caught his eyes, then chose his words carefully. "Check... check on... clients. Make sure... save. What... we were hired... to do..."

Because he was a soldier, as well as a warrior. And soldier's followed their orders, even if they gave them to themselves.