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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 7, 2010 14:13:09 GMT -8
Dexter seems to pay no attention to Max's dialog though he carefully stores each word as he's arraying his tools. However, when the ensemble from the tribe speak, he visibly jumps, scattering several rows of tools on top of their neighbors. When he looks up and sees the big warrior, he jumps again, and starts nervously packing his gadgets back into their respective kits and into his bag like a kid with an illicit magazine.
When everything is stowed he stands, noticing large brown patches on his pants from the dirt floor. He bends over to dust them off and his bag falls forward off his back to hit him in the head. He utters a mild oath, rubbing his head and glancing around nervously, then continues trying in vain to make himself look mildly presentable. Giving up, he stands, edging his way toward the relative safety of Kenneth's girth while staring interestedly at Mara-Ke's markings.
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Post by e on Sept 7, 2010 18:05:17 GMT -8
Claire stands up, dusting sand off herself with a quick swipe. She surveys the newcomers, noting the names as Max mentions them. She listens intently to Kima-Ek and when it is quiet she holds out her hands again, toward the villagers in the same gesture she used earlier in the day toward Kima. Her head turns toward Max for a moment and she asks, "You will translate for me as needed, please?"
Without waiting for an answer, she turns back to the people of the tribe and begins speaking, looking at Kima-Ek, Mara-Ke, Ki-Rav, Jura-Vi mainly, but also occasionally seeking to meet the eyes of some of the rest of the villagers.
"Hello. I am Captain Claire and this is my family, my crew."
She gestures at her companions.
"I am the head of my family, and it is my honor and my duty to protect them. I wish my family to join yours so that I can protect the lives of my people with the big ship in the volcano. If we join your family we can use this ship to protect Maximillian and your people too. I believe Emillianna will be coming back to your island to try to hurt my people again and to take the ship that could hurt many many people and I want to stop her from hurting more of my people and yours."
Claire pauses for a short breath, looking over the faces in front of her.
"Thank you for listening to our appeal to join you. I hope that we can help one another."
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Post by brendur on Sept 7, 2010 18:19:56 GMT -8
"The man with th' staff is Ki-Rav, th' Chief. Th' big fella next ta him is Jura-Vi. He's their head warrior. ...As if ye couldn't tell."
Tom smirks eying Jura-Vi for a moment.
"N'a right happy fellow he looks too, hope I ain't goin to have to arm-wrestle him fer the ship..."
He shuts up when the Captain starts talking though, when he's motioned to with the others he nods to the villagers with his thumbs thrust into his belt. He's ready to take on the world today, it's a small world after all.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 7, 2010 20:17:49 GMT -8
Kima closes her eyes as Claire begins talking, and is silent for a long moment after she finishes. The wheels of her mind spin freely as she remembers and translates what was said. The takes a breath and raises her head, turning back to face the villagers. She speaks slowly and deliberately in her native tongue, seemingly mostly to Ki-Rav and Mara-Ke. The older woman looks on shrewdly, her lips thrust out in a slight pout as she listens. When Kima finishes, she makes an abrupt clicking noise with her tongue, tossing her head before launching into a low tirade of sharp-sounding words.
Ki-Rav breaks in, thumping his staff once into the sand. He looks sternly at Mara-Ke for the space of two heartbeats, then says a few soft words, only barely audible from the intervening distance. Mara looks ready to protest for a moment, then her face subsides into it's usual passiveness and she inclines her head to the chief. Ki-Rav mirrors the gesture in return, then turns to speak to Kima for a long moment.
Kima nods deferentially at the end of his speech, then turns back to the outlanders.
"Mara-Ke say..." A rare expression of uncertainty blooms on her face as she thinks of how best to translate. "Mara-Ke say there is no way know you do what say you do. Mara-Ke think all Moon people trick. Ki-Rav say need time to prove yes or no. Ki-Rav say if pass tests, prove yes and can trust. Prove help tribe, Prove strong." She closes her mouth, her speech done, then with a slightly furtive look on her face adds one more thing; "Not have to be now, or future. Can be past. If already done."
======================
UPKEEP
((Added with previous unrecorded upkeep from last thursday or whenever.))
Dexter: +4 CP
Tom: +4 CP
Claire: +4 CP
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Post by brendur on Sept 8, 2010 6:16:10 GMT -8
Tom sighs a bit as Kima speaks, hadn't they already been over this? They showed up, jumped through whatever hoops the tribal elders wanted them to, and got the other half of the damn key. This didn't have to be complicated, in Tom's experience: the more complicated a deal got, the more likely someone was apt to break it. He does blink when Kima tacks on the addendum. He glances over at Max for clarification.
"What ... brag about somat we did in the past n'that'll count?"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 8, 2010 8:40:39 GMT -8
Max nods surreptitiously, speaking lowly. "Yeh... But it'd have to be proveable, and better yet involve th' tribe somehow."
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Post by brendur on Sept 8, 2010 9:01:15 GMT -8
Tom thinks on this for a moment, gears turn, if you look just right you'd think you saw smoke coming out his ears, and then the tiny light in that head flicks on.
"Did I mention I got stabbed all the way through with a sword?"
Smirking he pulls his shirt aside showing the bandage across his chest.
"S'pretty damn impressive ain't it? Went all the way damn through it did. Could have poked an olive on the other side n'I've looked like one oh those fancy drinks naval officers have when they're at the bar gettin away from their wives and commentin on the weather."
He wrinkles his nose for a moment thinking.
"Course that didn't have much to do with the tribe, but hey, the man what gets stabbed by my enemy tis the one who's getttin stabbed stead oh me eh?"
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 8, 2010 9:27:03 GMT -8
Maximillian pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers.
"Well yeh might to want ta call attention ta th' fact ye didn' actually win 'th fight, but ye might be on ta somethin'... Emi 'an Co. did leave on account of ye lot. Now Ye weren't doin it fer th' tribe really, but it did wind up benefitin' them.. Short term, at least. 'an it does prove ye got th' will ta fight... Though again ye might want ta gloss over the' part where ye'n the' Cap'n almost got killed."
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Post by e on Sept 8, 2010 10:19:25 GMT -8
Claire listens to Tom and Max chattin' and thinks. She'd like to move things quick by not havin' to set out on several new tasks, but she wants to earn their standin' fair and square.
She turns to her companions, taking a step closer to Tom and Dexter.
"What do the lot of you want to do here? I think we could make a fair sparkling case of bein' strong and helpful to the tribe on account of Emillianna leavin' and stoppin' her from blowin' holes in the island for the time being. But I don't want to look eager to get on by the laws of these folks neither and I'd be more'n happy to set out to do whatever hair-raisin' tasks they set us. Might even be amusin'."
She looks around at the expressions of her crew.
"If nobody's leanin' one way or 'nother, I'll go ahead and tell 'em a tale about a fight with Emi that ended up her explosives gone and her takin' off. So... anyone want to weigh in?"
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Post by brendur on Sept 8, 2010 10:36:42 GMT -8
Tom chewed on the corner of his lip for a few moments, eying the tribals from the crew's little powwow circle. He just wanted off the island, but if the Captain was right and the tribals smelled them trying to worm out of this, they could be looking at a long time of sniffing the sand. What could they do to appease the lot of chest beaters?
Chest beaters...
The tattooed pirate smirked and looked back to the crew.
"This is jest like toein the sand with one what's called ye out, we've got to puff up, look tough n'show em we mean to play rough. Lets step up to whatever they can throw at us then, hell tell em to raise the bar. We're the one's what drove their demon from the island, so tell em to make sure they give us a task worthy oh our time. Iffin they're to judge us on how we accomplish it, tell em we judge them on what they choose fer us to do."
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 8, 2010 10:37:55 GMT -8
Dexter grumbles. "The whole 'it could be in the past' thing gives me a headache. While I'm not going to say that we shouldn't take credit where credit is due for getting the key and running Emiliana off the island, it seems like a cop-out to take credit for that, now, with these people." He looks to his sister. "It's like the difference between a short con and a long con. Sure, you can get cash from a short con, and get out of there quick, but the long con is about more than just taking the money. It's about elegance and sophistication and skill. Or, to put it another way, it's like duct-taping the ship together versus taking the time to weld the pieces together."
He shuffles his feet. "I'm not saying I don't think what Emiliana did to these people doesn't warrant her as a 'demon' in their book, and I'm not saying we didn't run her off...or I didn't...or whatever. It's just, if we want to prove we're real, that we're trustworthy, that...that whatever...then we shouldn't be taking shortcuts. Unless we're just trying to take the key and run and never look back and screw all these folk once we've got the Lucifer. Which also doesn't really sit right with me. Anyway, I'll shutup now and let more intelligent people talk. Whatever you decide, sis, I'll get behind."
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Post by e on Sept 8, 2010 11:34:43 GMT -8
Claire nods as Tom speaks and then again as Dexter speaks.
"Arrite. Let's hold up a finger an' see which way the wind's blowin' today. Whichever way of gettin' hold of a ship that can keep Emi off our backs and the like is just fine by me."
Claire turns again to face the villagers, taking a few steps apart from her crew.
"My family fought against Emillianna a few days back, for our lives and our honor. She left in her ship and gave us the half of the key to Lucifer she was clutching after we destroyed her explosives for bustin' up your volcano rock. I saw my family fight bravely and well and I think it will serve your village well to have Emillianna gone."
She seeks out Mara-Ke's shrewd eyes.
"However, we wish you all to know firsthand our strength and our steadfast intent to help your people, so there's no doubt left to molder. We would be happy to set ourselves to whatever tasks you'd give us, in order to further prove our merit."
Done with her little speech, Claire waits to see if the tribe wants to see new heroics or if they're satisfied by talk of the Stormchild's departure.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 8, 2010 15:04:44 GMT -8
Kima-Ek translates Claire's speech to the islander leadership. The three confer amongst themselves for nearly a minute before turning back to Kima-Ek and giving her a message in response. The Seer bows her head and turns back to the outlanders.
"Jura-Vi say fight to make Emi-Lana leave mean strong. Ki-Rav say not sure. Mara-Ke say she want test." She pauses a moment. "If Cap-Tan want test, Jura-Vi say he know something to do."
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Post by e on Sept 8, 2010 17:09:07 GMT -8
"If Cap-Tan want test, Jura-Vi say he know something to do."
Claire considers for a short minute.
"We accept. We are ready."
Claire contents herself to wait calmly for instructions and maintains an appearance of confidence, though she's anxious for the trials to get underway. She hopes there will be food afterward or during. She's a bit less round the middle than she was before several days of doing nothin' much but breathin'.
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 8, 2010 20:58:13 GMT -8
Kima-Ek nods.
"Jura-Vi say need four-" She holds up the appropriate number of fingers. "And he come with, to see."
Sensing the subject of conversation, Jura-Vi steps apart from the rest of the leadership and inclines his head, a wry but not unfriendly grin on his deeply tanned face. He rumbles a few words in a deep but melodic tone.
"Jura-Vi say hello. He say will travel up mountain.." She points to the cindercone that presides over the island. "For hunt."
"I go." These words issue unexpectedly from Mara-Ke as she steps forward. "Watch." She eyes each of the outlanders critically, then points two fingers at Max. "Magzi-Milan stay."
Max looks confused, then vents a small sigh and walks down onto the beach and stands with the rest of the tribe. "Should have seen that one comin'." He chuckles, a little ruefully. "But ye can handle yerselves, I'm sure. Best of luck to ye, and eh, I left ye a present." He winks and tilts his head to where his rifle ((Imperial R-14)) still rests against the root he was sitting on earlier. "Take good care of it, yeh?"
Mara-Ke turns to point at Kima.
"Kima-Ek stay."
Kima blinks and shifts her eyes to Ki-Rav, but the chief remains silent. The side of her mouth twitches slightly, but she bows her head and moves to stand closer to the villagers.
"I stay. Cap-Tan, choose three to go with."
==================================== LE UPKEEP:
Tom: +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
Dexter: +2 CP
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Post by e on Sept 9, 2010 15:05:17 GMT -8
Claire grins at Max as he indicates his rifle.
"Thank you kindly. For this and.... more."
She watches the exchange between Kima and the elder wise woman carefully, but keeps a neutral expression. She takes a moment to wonder if Kima is closing in on Mara's place or if there's other mistrust between the two.
She turns to survey her companions. She points at three of them in succession.
"Tick Tock, Dexter, Heloise, you're comin' on a hunt up the mountain. Come stand here by me so they can see which ones you are. The rest of you-- stay close by Max while we're gone. Oh, and Dex-- take the rifle on my back so I can look after Max's."
She hands over the rifle she's been wearin' as well as the extra clip and then carefully picks up Max's Imperial R -14.
Suddenly something occurs to her and she turns back toward Max and Kima.
"Do either of the two coming with us know English at all? I suppose we can get along even so, just am wonderin'."
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Post by brendur on Sept 9, 2010 15:49:51 GMT -8
Tom smirks as the captain finishes her little speech.
"Coor, that was right pretty there what ye said. Think that big guy tis about to cry..."
He grins at Jura-Vi and nods to him as if he just said his son was top of the class. When Max is told to stay back, he winks to the old codger.
"Don't ye worry now grandpa, we'll bring ye back a coconut so long as ye promise not to make another one oh those god awful dolls out oh it."
Finally when his name is called he steps forward, still grinning like a mad man and clapping Dexter on the back.
"Hear that boyo? We're gonna wrangle us a jungle beastie! Hoy! Kima-Ek! Tell em to burn those fires hot, cause we're gonna come back with plenty oh meat!"
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 9, 2010 19:44:08 GMT -8
Dexter takes the rifle awkwardly from Claire and stows the extra clip in his leather bag. He rolls his eyes and flinches slightly as Tick Tock slaps him on the back but can't help a sideways smile at the pirate despite himself. He straps the rifle to his back and takes a deep breath. He closes his eyes meditatively and holds the breath in as long as he can, until his chest begins to tighten from the lack of oxygen, then lets it out in three explosive bursts. Without making eye contact with anyone he positions himself to the left of his sister. Though he hasn't spoken, his body language communicates his message as clearly as if he had: okay, let's go.
((spending 15 on +3 Com Tac))
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 9, 2010 22:20:41 GMT -8
"Do either of the two coming with us know English at all? I suppose we can get along even so, just am wonderin'."
"I speak." Mara-Ke says, looking Claire up and down. Her accent is thicker, and the words tend to get chopped into individual syllables, but by and large she is fairly understandable. "Kima-Ek teach."
Heloise perks up a little as she learns she is part of the party. "Well all right!" She says, dusting herself off and standing next to Claire. "I was afraid I'd be stuck making moo-eyes at the village people here." She draws her gun and gives is a quick check-over, spinning the cylinder against her palm before declaring it fit for duty and slipping it back into her holster.
Jura-Vi grins back at Tom and gives him a friendly bump with an elbow, saying something in his own language. The big warrior balances his spear against his shoulder and points off the distant cindercone, continuing to pontificate happily in his deep voice as he sets off without any further delay, following the trail back into the jungle and taking an off-branch that heads in the direction of the mountain.
=================UPKEEP=========== ((Hurrrrgh.. short post tonight, sorry. I'll try to cover the rest of the trip tomorrow, I'm just.. too tired right now. -_- Hopefully I can get some decent rest over the weekend and be in better shape. I really dislike writing tired, because I know I'm not doing a very good job.))
Claire -Clevinger Highwind -C. Highwind Ammo +Imperial R-14 +2 CP
Dexter +Clevinger Highwind +Highwind Ammo + 3 Com Tac (-15 CP) +2 CP
Tom: +2 CP
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Post by brendur on Sept 10, 2010 7:19:25 GMT -8
Tom is pleased as punch to have a conversation with someone who doesn't understand a word of what he's saying. He goes back and forth with Jura-Vi, filling in the gaps of silence with oration at their guide, completely disregarding what he does and doesn't understand. Occasionally picking up what phrases he just likes the sound of, and testing them out among his bouts of sheer inappropriate.
"...and that was the SECOND time I got shot climbin out a girl's window, Ong-GA she could make a fellow find religion she could. Would have gone back, but I know fer a fact her father invested in a higher caliber rifle that day. "
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 10, 2010 11:47:35 GMT -8
The trip to the cindercone passes slowly but not silently, thanks to Tom and Jura-Vi's back and forth chatter. The path they follow is far rougher than the one that took them to the village, overgrown with foliage and low roots that stretch across the trail, ready to hook unsuspecting feet. At one point the trail is blocked entirely by a spiderweb as thick as spun yarn, presided over by a spider the size of a small bird. Jura-Vi halts the party long enough for Mare-Ke to approach the creature, decide it to be benign, say a few short words that have the ring of an apology, and then swat it's web clear of the path with a stick. The ground rises more steeply the closer to the mountain they come, and moving forward quickly becomes a struggle, one made no easier by the appearance of the evening rain. The group fights it's way free of the treeline just as the sun disappears beneath the waves in the distance in the midst of a fantastical sunset. They ascend the steep, obsidian shelled side of the mountain by moonlight, helped a little by a torch that Mara-Ke strikes. The way up is fraught with areas of slick volcanic rock that provide almost no purchase but Jura-Vi guides the party skillfully aroudn these, staying to the porpus sections, or occasional slides of scree. It's difficult to tell what time it is when they reach the top, but everyone the party halts by silent and mutual agreement to rest on the edge of the cone. The lip is rounded and perhaps twenty feet wide, flanked on either side by the steep inner and outer slopes. The barest hind of a wind blows across the top, pleasantly cool after the arduous climb. Heloise immediately drops butt-first into the volcanic gravel and shucks off her boots, groaning as she massages her sore feet. "These things were NOT make for hiking." She mumbles grumpily, then flops back spread-eagled to look up at the stars. "Ugh...Neither was I." Jura-Vi takes a seat on a volcanic bounder, leaning his spear against it before stretching to the accompaniment of a series of soft pops and a pleased grunt. He pulls a long strip of dried fish from a pouch he carries and pops it into his mouth, biting off the remainder with his teeth and offering it around. Mara-Ke shuffles to the edge of the cone and looks over. She doesn't appear tired or much the worse for wear, but she is moving slower than she was earlier. Peering into the inside of the cone at first only reveals a cauldron of blackness, but as the group's eyes adjust, it becomes apparent that the inside is much rougher, strewn with more boulders and sharp-edged ridges; a climb that is at once both safer and more dangerous. Safer because of the abundance of handholds and passable paths, more dangerous because of the deeper darkness, and the abrasive nature of nearly everything. Perhaps a larger surprise it the revelation that the cone seems to be nearly half-full of water. The surface of the pond shines in the moonlight, perhaps fifty yards across, as still as sand and as green as old copper. As Mara-Ke watches, a tiny wake forms on the surface far below, made by some unseen creature. She turns her head to Jura-Vi. "Kan-Echa. Jura-Vi na kev na ere ves ka ne juna tai." The big warrior hops to his feet, grabbing his spear by reflex and pads over to the wise woman. He crouches on the lip and watches, his face lighting up as he spies the wake as well. "Kan-Echa." He agrees, tapping the butt of his spear against the ground in excitement. He looks back to the rest of the group with a grin. "Lucky." He says. "We go." He points downward with his spear, making a jabbing motion at the occluded shape far below. ========================== Also: I've been lazy again. (Actually I keep forgetting to bring the file home with me. >.> ) Anyway, here's the updated island map:
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 10, 2010 12:06:38 GMT -8
Dexter begins to doubt the sanity of the decision to bring him along when they stop at the gigantic spider and Mara-Ke begins whispering sympathetically to it. It's everything Dexter can do to not shriek in convulsive terror, but he bites his lip, closes his eyes, and gets through it through practicing his breathing exercises and pretending the spider isn't actually there.
He doesn't mind the climb at all, even when the land becomes more volcanic and therefore provides less resistance to walk on -- in fact, he actually enjoys that part. However, the long trek gives him plenty of time to think, and as he does, the thought that keeps repeating in his mind is that he is out of his league here; the outdoors is not what he was built for. He was built for the quiet confines of a tiny, ill-lit, underground laboratory to tinker and experiment and invent at his leisure with little-to-no contact with the outside world at all. What good was his hand-crafted Autocrank going to do against some ancient, volcanic sea monster?
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Post by e on Sept 10, 2010 18:57:15 GMT -8
When the elder woman informs Claire that she can speak English, Claire nods once.
"Good."
No sense trying to sweet talk that one, leastways that's her current feeling.
Claire watches Mara-Ke's handling of the spider in their path avidly, making note of technique as well as an apologetic posturing toward the creature.
As they walk she listens to Jura-Vi's voice and tries to learn what she can of his language.
When they stop moving, Claire remains standing and glances around, taking in what she can from her new vantage. She takes the dried fish Jura-Vi is holding out and offers a heartfelt "Thank you," before biting off a goodly sized piece.
Claire follows the warrior to peer into the darkness he and Mara-Ke are looking at.
"Lucky. We go."
She stares back at the tiny disturbance far below, trying to make out what it is they are after.
"Kan-Echa." She points inquiringly toward the claws or fangs he has around his neck. "Are these Kan-Echa?"
She turns back to the others, waving them over to where the warrior is standing.
"Jura-Vi says it's time to hunt."
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 10, 2010 20:22:19 GMT -8
Jura-Vi looks as Claire a moment, then taps his necklace and shakes his head in the universal gesture for negation.
"No Kan-Echa."
He singles out an ivory-colored claw that looks like it came from some sort of jungle cat. "Eva-Nak" He does a very passable imitation of a cat's growl then holds up four fingers, smiling. Looking down again he flicks a jagged, triangular shark's tooth, easily large enough to replace the chunk of obsidian he uses as the tip of his spear. "Nul-Eka." He makes a swimming motion with one arm, then holds up two fingers.
"Kan-Echa." He holds both arms straight out with fingers curled to empulate teeth, then moves them in a biting motion, pantomiming a long, massive set of jaws. He looks to see if his impression took root, then looks down at his necklace before holding up a hand with no fingers extended. He indicates the lake below with his eyes. "First." He smiles.
"Kan-Echa. Water demon." Mara-Ke draws back from the edge, and looks around the group, speaking softly. "Swim from holes in mountain." She extends a hand, pointing to the surface of the lake where tiny dark blotches against the water reveal themselves as caves under closer scrutiny. The water flowing into them would emerge as slow streams elsewhere on the island. "Kill family." The streams of unsalted rainwater would certainly be an essential source of drinking water from the villagers, but apparently they also were channels from which lurking predators could strike the unwary.
Jura-Vi takes a deep breath, looking around the group for a moment. "We go." He says, nodding, and with no further delay slips over the inner edge of the crater and begins his climb down. "Quiet."
========================UPKEEP===============
Tom: +2 CP
Dexter: +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
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Post by e on Sept 13, 2010 13:34:01 GMT -8
Claire watches as the tribal warrior pantomimes what could only be referring to some kind of large cat when she asks about his necklace. Then she watches with a tilted head and an expression of concentration as he gestures again, referring to what they hunt now. She smiles at his obvious excitement at the prospect of killing his first Kan-Echa.
"Kan-Echa. Water demon."
Claire nods at Mara-Ke's words.
"Water demon. Alright."
"Kill family."
"Ah. It'll be good prey for our hunt then."
Claire falls in step behind Jura-Vi, Max's rifle still on her back as she wants her hands free for the steep climb. She makes her footfalls as silent as she can on the dark rocky slope and stays just a pace behind the warrior.
She wonders if Tom has any experience with water demons, whatever kind this one is. She's glad of Max's borrowed weapon, with it's blade. It may be far more useful than any kind of bullets tonight. She finds herself thinking of octopi, with their intelligent eyes, their graceful underwater waltz and their lickety-split many-armed fatal caress. She wonders what kind of eyes the Kan-Echa has.
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 13, 2010 14:01:57 GMT -8
Dexter rolls his eyes and shifts the strange weight of the rifle on his back. Water demon. Great. I was kidding about the sea monster thing... His hands stray to his toolkit, pondering the utter uselessness of his tools in a land of rock, sea and scales.
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Post by brendur on Sept 13, 2010 14:14:27 GMT -8
When the reach the top of the cinder cone and rest, Tom doesn't take the moment to sit still, he gives Heloise a nudge with his toe as he looks over the lip of the volcano.
"Yer sittin on a mountain what belched fire once upon a time...n'all ye can think oh is restin on yer arse? Tsk tsk lassie. Coor...lookit that climb right there."
He stares down into the dark, face looking all the more eerie with the green tint of the coppery waters below. He watches the exchange between Mara-Ke and Jara-vi, eyebrows shooting up when the warrior indicates the shark tooth on his necklace. He'd never seen one up close, but he'd heard the tales, and one particular memory came to mind. The two boats had gone low altitude, the higher thermals had threatened to shake them from the skies.
During the decent the Morrigan had managed to perforate the junker, Gammel had ordered cease fire in the hopes that they would see the sense in surrender. No such luck, the boiler had ruptured, or a powder keg had caught, in the next few moments the other boat had become a floating inferno. The crew had decided to take their chances with the water instead of the fire. Thus did they jump from the fire into hell.
The Morrigan's crew had started to scramble, reach for lines, a few wanted to try and set a boat down on the water. They were pirates, but that didn't make them ready to see men drown needlessly. Razorback barked at them to stand down, he'd seen something the rest of them had missed. It started slow, a flash of grey, an explosion of water, and then a man simply wouldn't be there any more.
It reached a boiling point however, when the thick red bubbles reached the surface and clouds of blood laced with flesh and fat spread out and clung to the survivors in the water. The water writhed with grey and white hunger, an evil stew that tugged at the minds of all those still on board. Reminding them that men with all their blades, guns, and knifes were still a meal yet to be had in some waters. Xen gunned the engines with urgency, the job forgotten, the sights would never be.
As they begin their descent he mutters to the others under his breath.
"We've got two oh us at least what's got dried blood on em, so's I suggest we get a plan oh attack afore jumpin down in that water. They'll smell the blood once it hits the water, iffin theres more than one that means a frenzy in a minute or two. We want to be out oh the water afore that happens.
As fer the plan, well...few things come to mind captain. Drop a grenade or somat in there, explosion in the water'll stun them at best, muddle up their senses at worst. Then we hop down in there n'kill at least one oh em. Iffin it's a good few they'll start eatin on the body, then on each other, we kill what's left in there.
Another option, we could chum the water, lure em to the edge n'try to shoot em there. Those oh ye with guns, don't fire till ye see that fin in the air, the water'll take the sting out yer bullets iffin they're too deep in the water. Any thoughts?"
(( 20 Cp to buy +4 stealth))
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Post by Gravedust on Sept 13, 2010 21:13:00 GMT -8
Helouise grumbles at Tom's prodding, but doesn't move otherwise. Only when the others have gone over the lip one by one does she hastily strap her boots back on and head down after them.
The climb down is cautions and mostly silent, except for a few soft question. There is a tense moment when Mara-Ke takes a false step and slides three feet down the steep, rocky face before she is grabbed and steadied by Jura-Vi. The woman ducks her head in thanks, and only thedarkness of the crater makes it possible to hide her embarassed blush.
Scant minutes later the group arrives silently at the bottom. There is no real beach to be had, the slope runs straight into the water, though a convenient flat topped boulder offer a few square yards of refuge; enough for the whole group to perch upon, though perhaps not as high as could be hoped for. The top of the rock is seperated from the water by only about three feet.
Jura-Vi alights on the rock and immediately goes into a crouch, digging around in his shoulder bag as the rest of the group come down. He comes out with a hunk of meat the size of a loaf of bread. After giving it a sniff he nods in what seems like approval and sets about wrapping the meat in a length of woven cord, also fished up from his bag. After a few tight turns, he ties it off to itself, creating essentially a hugh hunk of bait at the end of thirty feet of rope.
He dangles it like a pendulum for a moment while he looks around the group.
"Throw water." He makes a tossing gesture witht he meat towards the still surface of the lake. "When take, pull hard. When.." He makes a face, lacking the vocabulary to finish the instruction. Quickly he pantomimes a creature bursting from beneath the water, then makes several strong stabbing motions. "Be ready."
With no further ado he hauls back and throws the hunk into the water. The package sails out to the end of it's tether and splashes into the lake.
-----------------------UPKEEP----------------- ((Hey nobody fell off the mountain! good work!))
Tom: +4 Stealth (-20 CP) +2 CP
Dexter +2 CP
Claire: +2 CP
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Post by jazzs3quence on Sept 14, 2010 11:49:59 GMT -8
As Dexter reaches the flat boulder, the thing he notices first is the dark. Blackness seems to be closing in from all sides, and it takes him a few moments before he realizes it's not actually the volcano getting darker. A few seconds later he realizes he isn't breathing, and takes a big, gulping breath and fights back the blackness toward consciousness. Passing out here would probably do well for baiting purposes, but otherwise would be of no help to anyone. Looking at it from that perspective allows him to take a sort of clinical approach. They were essentially exterminating a pest. A very large, dangerous pest, but a pest nonetheless. The pest was an animal, not some kind of mythical beast, not magic, not a monster, just flesh and blood, sinews and tendons, breath and spit. All animals have weaknesses, no matter how strong or clever they are. This animal was grossly outnumbered (assuming he doesn't have friends waiting under the surface). In that sense, Dexter almost pitied the poor, unfortunate, misunderstood creature, but he also recognized the need to eliminate it; this volcanic lake was a renewable source of fresh water on an island where fresh water is scarce. Killing the animal(s) in this lake wouldn't just provide a trophy to mount in the village square -- it would ensure safe drinking water for these people and their descendants. It's not a hunt. It's protection. He seats the butt of his rifle under his arm and stares down the line of the weapon at the hunk of meat swinging perilously above the water.
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Post by brendur on Sept 14, 2010 15:14:02 GMT -8
Tom wrinkles his nose when the bait hits the water, things are moving fast, and he feels a bit uncomfortable taking orders from someone besides his captain. Still if Jura-Vi gets yanked into that water, then they can kiss initiation goodbye, with a look to Claire he grabs hold of the rope trailing behind Jura.
"C'mon then let's see what this overgrown guppy has on us."
He unsheathes his dirk and holds it in his teeth, looping the rope about his wrist and setting his feet.
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