A Little Payback, If You Please

[Amunet]

The noise of the arguing and tangled words edged into the blackness that had consumed her. The warmth of the blackness had comforted her for an unknown time. Her eyes slit open as she took stock of her immediate self. There was the familiar pain which oddly was also comforting. Her breath came in a little fuller as her burning lungs let her know she was still alive. Those little fingers curled into the dirt and sand as she moved to test her limbs and push up to continue the trudge.

The words that had woken her up came to her ear again as those sky blues snapped open. “No. Never again.” In her mind she thought the pirates had somehow found her again. The red head jerked herself up as her hand gripped the leather of the quiver and swung it wildly out screaming “NO!!!” It would be in perfect Pavi.

The nearest person who tried to subdue her who may still be in thralls of ownership would find the girl turning on him in a quicker than expected way as her other hand found a broken piece of ship and swung that too just as wildly. She isn’t even sure if she hit anyone. She was acutely aware of anything that touched her or got near her. The eyesight was a wavering tunnel that she peered at. The shadow in that visage was not focused. In the wavering visage she saw that face. The scene of Captain Mack’s condescending smile and crocked teeth that had haunted her nightmares and kept her running and moving. That was before her. That was what she fought against.

Those damaged feet lurched forward as the flailing items would swing in random bursts of energy as she lurched forward on damaged feet, damaged legs and a variety of scrapes, tears and bruises both old and new. Those bloodshot dusts of golden bursts in those starved sky blues glimmered as one brilliant male made a move. Starvation comes in many forms. Her form was one who hadn’t seen much food in three weeks if not four as she didn’t eat that well on the ship.

There was a heavy jerk to the left as she tried to hit him with the wooden whatever in her hand. She was oblivious to the amount of splinters that it put in her hand. The broken would broke more as she launched herself on the man knocking him to the ground. The red head would roll with the quiver still in her other hand as she came up swinging and screamed again. “NO!!!!”

The scrawny form stood up straight and proud as any crazed Drykas fighting for her very freedom to be what they are, she fought for that right. She would not be taken, not this day will her freedom be compromised. Her hair lifted and away from her face as the winged serpent sigil on the right side of her face shimmered. It did little good in her weakened state but the sheer amount of will she used gave it enough strength to give her an edge. “You will not have me!!! “ The red head screamed at the gathered. Amunet was unable to determine friend or foe.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

It was chaos. The black ships that had taken so much from them already were returning. Rumors spread like wildfire. This time would be different. This time, they were ready. And they were. The Watch fought valiantly. Others fought desperately. All wanted revenge for what had been taken from them. The pirates didn't stand a chance. But they did not die alone.

Now that it was over, there was silence. From time to time, a cry would shatter the silence, but only for a time. People moved among the dead, searching for loved ones. Seirei was no different. Somewhere, Naiya was out searching for Shahar. Seirei knew this as surely as she knew her own name. She searched for him, too. Some of the people who had been taken had returned. Surely Shahar had been one of them. He had to be.

Seirei searched for Snow. For where she was, Shahar was sure to be as well. But there were no traces of the giant white wolf. Or of Shahar. Seirei asked the people she saw if they had seen any sign of them. None of them had. In return, people stopped her to ask if she had seen their loved ones. Children looking for parents. Parents looking for children. Men looking for their wives. Women looking for their husbands.

On a few occasions, she was able to give good news to those who asked. Their descriptions matched people she had seen during her own search. The grateful smiles and words of thanks she was given when she was able to point someone in the direction she had last seen the person they were looking for made her feel warm inside. But at the same time, they left her feeling sick, and cold. Where was Shahar?

As she searched, Seirei heard a low cry of pain, and despair. She paused her own search to seek the source of the cry. An old woman was tugging frantically on the edge of a wagon. One wheel had collapsed, sending the whole thing crashing to the ground. Seirei could see a bit of cloth pinned beneath the wagon, telling the tale of someone trapped under it.

Her thoughts were confirmed as the old woman begged for her aid, saying her grandchildren had taken shelter under the wagon during the fighting. They were all she had left, and although she had been able to hear their cries a short time ago, those cries were silent now. Children. Seirei couldn't ignore a plea to help children in need. She didn't know if the children were alive or not, but she still had to try. What if it had been her own children trapped under the wagon?

Seirei took one end of the wagon while the old woman took the other. As one, they put all of their strength into trying to lift the fallen wagon. The strain sent a sharp pain running through Seirei's belly, making her gasp at its intensity. But still she tried. A member of the Watch saw their struggles, and hurried over to assist them. Between the three of them, they managed to lift the wagon. The man's partner pulled two children out from beneath the wagon. One was unconscious, and battered, but still breathing. The other...was not.

The old woman's cries of grief filled the air as she clutched her still living grandchild close. Seirei felt numb. The dead were all around them, but somehow, seeing a dead child was worse. Far worse. She wanted her own children. Needed to see them desperately. But she also needed to continue her search for Shahar. How could she face Naiya if she didn't try her best to find him?

The Watch man, and his partner took the old woman in hand, gently guiding her to the River Flower where her granddaughter could be treated. Seirei watched them until they were out of sight before continuing the search. A bell passed. Then two. Then three. Seirei found a man collapsed face down on the ground. He was the same height as Shahar, and his hair looked the same. But it was impossible to tell for certain without seeing his face.

Seirei's heart lurched as she struggled to turn the man over. It wasn't Shahar, but it was one of the Drykas. One of the people who had been taken? His tattered clothes suggested that he might be. Seirei continued the search.

She kept looking long after exhaustion stole her strength, and will. Numbly, she placed one foot in front of the other. Just one more step. Then another. And another. She would find Shahar behind the remains of the pavilion a few feet in front of her. Or helping the women clustered around a group of the dead not far beyond that. Or...

Seirei tripped over a body. In her numb state, she didn't even see it before her feet found it, and sent her sprawling. Seirei lay where she fell for a few chimes, exhaustion, and despair stealing her strength. But she was stubborn. She had children who needed her. So with sheer will alone, she found she strength to get to her knees, and check the body. She had to. What if it was Shahar?

It wasn't. He wasn't even a Drykas. Seirei couldn't help but feel relief that the pirate was dead. She wanted to be glad that he was. He wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else ever again. But all she could feel was a dull relief. She was too numb to feel anything else. She was about to get up and continue her search, when her attention was drawn to a bag near where he had fallen. The broken strap was still clutched in his cold, stiff hand.

When Seirei reached the bag, she saw the corner of a book spilling out of the now useless bag. Curious, she opened the book, and flipped through the pages. It was an herbalist's journal. Filled with pictures of herbs. Reading a few of the descriptions told her that the book held more than just images. Locations of where the herbs could be found. Uses for the herbs pictured within the pages of the book. Even recipes for teas and salves that could be made with some of the herbs.

Seirei clutched the book close to her chest as she stood. She could use this book. She was useless as a hunter. She couldn't provide food, or hides for clothing. And she couldn't defend anyone. That would change. But in the mean time, she could use the book to help teach herself about herbs. If the book listed local herbs, she could learn where, and how to find them. And she could learn how to use them properly. The book was a gift. It would allow her to be useful while she was learning how to hunt, and use a weapon. With it, she would be less of a burden to her family.

It was getting dark. Seirei wanted to continue the search for Shahar, but what good would it do when she could see to search? Her children needed her. She had been gone longer than she'd expected. They would be hungry, by now. And if Naiya returned home before she did, she would worry. So Seirei looked around one final time before starting the long walk back home.

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[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

The sun seemed to sink far faster than it should, stealing the light out of the sky as it descended. Seirei's pace was slow, and faltering, made so by exhaustion, and defeat. So much death, and destruction. And silence. The pirates had been defeated. Revenge had been taken. So where was the sense of triumph? Of victory over the enemy? Of satisfaction knowing that the pirates were no more? Seirei felt none of these things. All she felt was weary, and numb. There was also a keen sense of failure for having failed to find Shahar among the few that had returned.

Seirei's feet met with an obstacle, causing her to stumble. She was unable to recover her balance, so she went sprawling. Her entire body ached as she struggled to her hands and knees. But the worst was a sharp pain spearing through her abdomen, leaving her feeling sick, and weak. She counted the ticks, frantic with fear for her unborn child. She had already fallen once today. What if she had hurt her child? What if this fall had? Would she lose the child?

After a few terrifying chimes, the pain eased. Seirei nearly sobbed in relief. She reached for the book she had taken from the dead pirate, then looked to see what she had tripped over. It was a body. Her heart twinged with sorrow at seeing yet another life lost.

Only this one was still alive. In the dim light remaining, Seirei saw the fallen woman's chest rise and fall almost hesitantly. She was bleeding sluggishly from several gaping wounds. A pool of blood had formed around the woman, and Seirei felt the warm liquid seeping into her own clothes. Through the haze filling Seirei's mind, she realized that the woman was familiar. A friend.

It was Teisaia. A blood soaked dagger was clutched firmly in her hand, and the body of a pirate laying nearby told Seirei what must have happened. Rytira had died when the pirates first came. Rytira, who was Teisaia's cousin, and best friend. They had been as close as any sisters, and Teisaia had never recovered from losing her. She must have craved revenge when the pirates returned. And judging by the body of the fallen pirate, she must have gotten the revenge she sought. But the cost was high. Too high.

Seirei didn't dare leave her friend's side. She couldn't be certain that she would find Teisaia again in the growing dark if she did. As Seirei frantically searched for help, Teisaia's eyes fluttered open. But she didn't seem to recognize her. Instead, she called for Rytira, softly before her eyes drifted shut once more.

Tears ran down Seirei's cheeks unheeded as she called for help. She tore scraps of cloth from Teisaia's clothes, and pressed them against the wounds gently. That was supposed to stop the bleeding, wasn't it? But it didn't. And even unconscious as she was, her efforts seemed to hurt her friend, so Seirei stopped out of fear for making things worse. She knew nothing of healing. Nothing that would help her now. All she could do was call for help, and pray to any god that would listen that someone heard. Her cries were answered by a battered looking woman who had clearly seen some fighting. But her injuries didn't seem to hinder her as she knelt beside Seirei, signing that she was a member of the Watch before examining Teisaia. After a few ticks, she looked at Seirei, and shook her head.

Seirei wanted to plead with the Watchwoman to help her friend. Bring Teisaia to the River Flower so the healers could save her. Something. But even in the dim light, the sad, knowing look in the other woman's eyes couldn't be hidden. There was nothing to do done. Even as Seirei watched helplessly, Teisaia's chest fell, and with a quiet sigh, did not rise again.

"I'm sorry. She was too far gone. There was nothing anyone could do."

Seirei nodded. She wanted to rail at the woman for not helping her friend, but what good would that do? Teisaia's injuries had been too severe. Seirei couldn't even be certain that her friend had wanted to survive. Losing Rytira had changed her. Something had died within Teisaia that day, and nothing she or Terrin had tried had been able to console her. Perhaps now, she was at peace.

"Are you injured?"

Seirei shook her head. She was bruised, and sore from her earlier falls, but that was nothing compared to what others had suffered.

"But I'm looking for someone. Shahar Dawnwhisper. Have you seen him? He was taken in the last attack, but I've heard that some people have returned, and..."

Seirei gave the Watchwoman a careful description of Shahar, and waited with painful hope as the woman considered her words. But hope died when the woman shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen him. His description doesn't match any of the ones I've been given of survivors that have been found. I'll pass his description along to the other Watch members, but..."

"I understand." Seirei said dully.

"You should go home. There's nothing you can do for this woman now, and you're in no condition to be out wandering in all of this. I'll take the body to where the others are being taken. Did you know her? Are you family?"

"No. She was my friend. Teisaia Sunweaver. Her family..."

"I'll let them know what happened to her. And I'm sorry for your loss. You should go home. I'd offer to escort you, but..."

The woman eyed Seirei's heavily swollen belly, clearly wondering if she would be okay.

"It's okay. You're busy. I'll go right home, I promise."

Home. Seirei wanted to be home. She wanted...needed to see her children, and make certain that they were all right. The Watchwoman helped her to her feet. Seirei thanked her. Then she resumed her long walk home.

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[Graham Whipmane]

w h i p ma n e

Graham had been amongst the archers as the pirates returned for their second assault, and his own mother had ridden with the watch to defend his people and cut them down. His poor mother, who was still dancing in the hands of the gods, her left arm lost to a pirate’s sword. Even as he searched the beach, pulled planks of wood to the side for collection later on, and checked over boots on dead, cold feet, he continued to pray to Dira, begging the goddess to spare his mother and to let her recover from her wounds. Worry and Stress had plagued his nights, leaving both him and Ife sleepless as they worried over their collective family.

Rubbing his face, Graham paused to take a deep breath, centring himself before he began to move one, now directing his prayers to Kihala. Pebbles slid under Graham’s feet as he paced silently along the shore, eyes scanning for any salvageable equipment, wood, and even the bodies of their own fallen. Anything of use to the city was to be moved away from the wreckage for collection, and their dead was to be set aside for the families and the proper rights to be held later on.

Aside from salvaging what he could, Graham was in search of two items for himself. He had spoken to the Watch members overseeing and guarding the salvage group, and they had given him permission to take the items for himself, assuming he still put effort in to collect all other items he came across for use by the city. His first item was rather easy to seek out, as he was after a simple set of leather armour, which made up the majority of the armour the pirates wore.The difficulty came in finding armour that would fit him appropriately.

It took awhile, and wasn't exactly pleasant, though he secretly found it somewhat satisfying as he kicked over pirate corpses to get a better view of their physique and the armour they wore. It was after about the fifth corpse that he found something somewhat appropriate. The man was tall, as far as he could tell he was close to Graham's height, though he was broader in shoulder and larger in gut. Graham crouched, reaching out to tug at the stiff laces that held the armour onto the pirates body. After a few chimes of tugging and frustrated curses, Graham finally was able to tug the chest plate off the body, the leg coverings following shortly after.

Holding the armour up he studied it carefully. It was slightly big, but he was sure he could find someone to alter it appropriately. Stuffing the armour into his pack, he next went in search of a sword. For the type he wasn't especially fussy, and so he went along the shore, moving wood, salvaging boots, and peering inside broken barrels and crates. He kept his distance from the other Drykas along the beach, not in the mood for chit chat and socializing. He preferred instead to keep his head down and work through this horrid day.

The last item on his list finally presented itself, the pommel and grip of a sword, visible under the body of another dead pirate. Graham stooped the grasp it, using his foot to push away the pirate. The body flopped to the side, revealing the curved blade of a simple Tulwar. Graham studied it carefully, assessing the edge, and testing his hands fit along the grip. satisfied with the find, Graham wrapped it in a thick blanket before storing it carefully next to the armour.

Sighing and setting his shoulders, Graham moved on, ever more work to be done.

[Azmere]

Azmere stayed back long enough to relay some signs to the inbound Watchmen. He was tired and his muscles were growing stiff. After a brief acknowledgement, the scarred man turned just in time to see the woman rise up in a mess of hair and frantic survival instincts that resulted in flailing arms and flying equipment. The recognition was instant. Azmere moved to wraps up the little healer but had to step back and drop down to avoid the flying quiver. Some of the squabbling men heard the Pavi and simply left while other recognized Amunet from her duties at the River flower and tried to help calm her down. A few stubborn fools still seemed to have other things in store seeing that the young woman was hardly in her right mind. Azmere saw one such gaze and took advantage of the chaos to teach the Drykas a lesson in manners.

He stepped forward with his right foot while bringing his right arm up and bent around his head. As his momentum was about to shift, he transferred it into his arm which swung out towards the man’s face. With a conscious effort, Azmere drew his arm back placing his elbow into the man’s nose with a sick crack followed by a gurgled scream. The man collapsed to his knees and clutched at his face while bright red blood flowed between the gaps in his fingers. The watchman who inflicted the injury pivoted on his right foot towards the fallen jerk. His hands reached up to catch the bleeding man by the back of his head and pull it down to meet the rising left knee. The singular motion left a resounding thump which silenced the complaining. The broken man fell backwards into the sand unconscious.

Azmere turned and found himself behind Amunet. He dodged a wild swing of the bow she was using to ward off her ‘attackers’ and wrapped his big arms around her frame. His rough hands found her wrists which gave him enough leverage to pull her body against him. She couldn’t hurt herself or anyone else at this point but he still struggled against her wild attempts to fight back. He pressed his jaw against her head to keep her from bashing him with it and spoke her name repeatedly. He tried to keep his voice soothing though he wasn’t sure exactly how that worked. “Amunet! Amunet! You’re safe! You made it! Amunet!”

ATTN: GRADER!!!!
All items were approved by Mizahar management. Thank you for your time!

Textbox courtesy of Firenze

[Dove Brown]

Your Grades!
Brought to you on the wings of a Dove!

Please remember to edit your grading request. If you have any questions, comments or concerns regarding your grade, please do not hesitate to send me a PM.

Name: Azmere
XP Award:

• Observation 3
• Unarmed Combat 1
• Weapon: Club 1
• Singing 1

Lore:

• Gathering armor and weapons for the Watch
• Teaching a lesson in manners

Loot: a set of replacement arrows, a pair of gauntlets
Notes: Nice work. Enjoy your grades


Name: Kaitanu
XP Award:

• Observation 1
• Unarmed Combat 1

Lore:

• Treat battle like a hunt

Loot: 2 bags of dried food, a bundle of wood, a black cloak with a silver clasp
Notes: Beautifully written, as always. Enjoy your grades


Name: Jasmine Moonstone
XP Award:

• Sailing 1
• Climbing 1

Lore:

• Sailing: tying up a small boat to a larger one

Loot: leather bag, black pants, white shirt, boots
Notes: Nicely done. Enjoy your grades


Name: Naiya Dawnwhisper
XP Award:

• Investigation 1
• Socialisation 2
• Bodybuilding 2

Lore:

• A vision come true
• Searching for Shahar

Loot: spear shaft, green and gold earrings, length of black canvas
Notes: Nicely done. Enjoy your grades


Name: Amunet
XP Award:

• Endurance 2
• Observation 2
• Brawling 1

Lore:

• Endurance: running on determination
• Slavery: never again!

Loot: a quiver, a bow
Notes: Lovely writing. Enjoy your grades.


Name: Merevaika
XP Award:

• Observation 1

Lore:

• Finding what won't rot

Loot: a handful of gold rings, a sword
Notes: Nicely done. Enjoy your grades


Name: Serei Dawnwhisper
XP Award:

• Investigation 1
• Observation 2
• Socialisation 1
• Endurance 1
• Bodybuilding 1

Lore:

• Searching for Shahar
• Watching a friend die

Loot: herbalist's journal
Notes: Very vivid. Please remember to pay your expenses before the end of the season. Enjoy your grades


Name: Graham Whipmane
XP Award:

• Prayer 1
• Negotiation 1
• Observation 1

Lore:

• Finding armor that fits

Loot: set of leather armor, tulwar sword
Notes: Nicely done. Enjoy your grades

Everyone:
Lore: Looting the dead pirates


General Comments: Well, not a long thread, but you all certainly managed to pack in a lot of people, a lot of action, and a lot of story. If I've missed anything, please let me know.