Side One, Ep.1 "Holey Ship!"

[Reaver]

As if breathing underwater weren't amazing enough, the lovely mermaid Daphne opened her hands and a quickly expanding bubble soon encapsulated Shan Mai and me and began carrying us to the surface. Before releasing the bubble, she spoke to my mind and mentioned a female warrior who worshiped The Voice and that she would be joining us soon.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The bubbles begin to expand. Reaver and Shan Mai are taken in one bubble. Vincent, Diana and PJ in another. And whether Fenella wishes to hold out for breakfast or not, she is swallowed by the bubble with Mariya seated on her shoulder. The three bubbles fly through the air, until all three are near the skiff. Daphne's voice can be heard in all three:

"I serve The Voice, goddess of the sea. She will not permit the servant of a demonlord to terrorize a young lady who is very dear to Her. Some of you have chosen to battle this threat, while others of you serve the Voice. In either case, you have Her assistance getting aboard the pirate ship."

The bubbles enter through the smoldering bow, or what's left of it, through a thick black cloud. The bubbles hover in place once everyone enters a room with breathable air. The heroes see a frogman and a toadman conversing. The creatures don't react to the bubbles, and after a brief exchange, they move to the other side of the room.

((Note: only half of the room is displayed. You can progress to the left.))

Daphne speaks once more:

"I cannot move the bubbles any further. You may speak freely while inside the bubbles. All of you will be able to hear each other, but you cannot be heard by those outside. To free yourself, simply pop the bubble with the tip of a sword or other sharp object. Know that you are in my prayers…"

Her voice fades, leaving the seven heroes hovering silently in enemy territory.

---

Diana ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (enemy damage reduced)
Fenella ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Mariya ♥♥♥♥
Pale Jackal ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Reaver ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (damage increased)
Shan Mai ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (grappling power increased)
Vincent ♥♥♥♥♥♥ (offense increased)

 

[Noma Galway]

I look at the other people in bubbles. "Hello?" I'm nervous about being around more humans than just Fenella; I'm not around others usually. My voice quavers a little, and I add, "Should we attack them?"

 

[Reaver]

I'm quite pleasantly surprised to see a muse. It's been over two decades since I last encountered one. I smile at the tiny fae: "I think that it would be best if we kept the element of surprise for as long as possible. I say this because although our enemies are not overly intelligent or even particularly skilled in combat, they are relentless in their ferocity and have absolutely no fear."

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

Reaver takes the words out of my mouth. "Reaver's right, we shouldn't attack them just because they're there. They can't see us, so they pose no threat." How my firework-fueled explosion managed to escape the eyes and ears of anyone else aboard this ship is a mystery to me, but I'll count it as a blessing.

 

[SeverinR]

"I think waiting to see what they do, might be best. We might learn more about thier plans."

 

[Philip Overby]

I stare straight ahead, seemingly in a long stasis. "I will stand in the One-Winged Crane Pose and wait, although I really, really, really want to pop this bubble."

I bite my lower lip. "Don't. Pop. The. Bubble."

Images of myself as a child dance in my head as I skipped along the beach popping bubbles in the surf. With my fists.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

After a moment I look to the blonde woman and her muse again. "I suppose this is as good a time as any for introductions. My name is Vincent; with me are my wife Diana and our comrade the Pale Jackal. In the other bubble are Shan Mai and Reaver."

 

[SeverinR]

With introductions Shan Mai gives a humble bow.
"It is an honor to meet you."

"Before we pop the bubbles, we need to ensure everyone is ready to react. We don't want them sounding an alarm, bring reinforcements on us. They must be silenced one way or another."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Diana ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (enemy damage reduced)
Fenella ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Mariya ♥♥♥♥
Pale Jackal ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Reaver ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (damage increased)
Shan Mai ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ (grappling power increased)
Vincent ♥♥♥♥♥♥ (offense increased)

---

The heroes contemplate their next move from within the safety of the bubbles. Soon, the samurai are able to make out two approaching figures through the smoke. Seconds later, the entire group sees them: two toadmen with buckets.

One says, "I dunno why Bully has us waste our time. Fire's out already."

The other says, "He's just pissed 'cause he can't kill the guys who fried his cousin."

"Ya mean they drowned?"

"Yup. Stupid humans and their steel."

"Don't let Captain Laughing Boy hear ya."

"Why? He pissed too?"

"More like delusional. He insists that his target is aboard, even though his boss' ain't."

"His boss? What kind of a captain follows a lieutenant?"

"A captain that sucks."

A voice calls out, "You're the one who sucks! Stop saying stuff that can get our heads removed!"

The two toads clam up. They just stand there, holding their buckets.

 

[Reaver]

I look at all of my companions. "The time has come for us to choose a course of action."

My gaze meets the muse's tiny countenance and once again I can't help smiling. "Any ideas?"

 

[Noma Galway]

I nod slowly. "I could try to hit both the toadmen with lightning, I think." I look at Fenella. "What do you think we should do?"

 

[SeverinR]

"You take out these two, I'll watch for anyone approaching and kill them."
[I'm assuming there is a door or stairs to enter this area, if more then one, then someone else will have to guard that portal.]

[If I can't get by these two, then I guess I will have to attack one of them. but my goal is to get to the door asap.]

 

[Noma Galway]

I begin to sing, altering my pitch as needed, but I don't get a high enough pitch to hit both. I decide to let the spell go anyway.

((If this pops the bubble, Fenella can run and attack the other one, yes?))

 

[Ruby]

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((The lightning bolt penetrated all 3 bubbles. Everyone is free. If too far to strike, you can roll for stealth, unless you have pink hair or a clunky shield. Oh... And Vincent only has crappy amazon-grade stealth now that silence is broken. His 3-star stealth mode is like a Jedi Mind Trick, letting him hide in plain sight when the enemy is not alerted to hostility. Trickery won't work now, but Vincent can hide in the dark like a normal stealthy person.))

 

[SeverinR]

Shan Mai attemps to move with stealth:

[I'm pretty sure he failed.]

 

[Reaver]

I move as quickly and quietly as I can to a spot behind the stack of barrels furthest from me. ((Top left.))

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

((I updated the Class Acts thread to give high stealth ratings a simpler and more practical definition. Basically, if you have 3 or 4 starts, you don't need a hiding place. Only the mentalist has a stealth mode that works differently in non-hostile situations.

Also, we're not on a new turn yet, but here's a mid-turn screenshot:

Still waiting for Ireth and Phil to post…))

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

Lightning arcs through the room, bursting our bubbles and, by the smell of things, charring one of the frogmen. I move to hide behind the stack of barrels I stand in front of, urging Diana to follow.

Diana

Vincent moves to hide, and I follow, praying to the Father that I won't attract our enemies' attention.