Side One, Ep.1 "Holey Ship!"

[Ireth]

Vincent

I shake my head, remembering the Hyena's words. "He intended to chance swimming if he prevailed against the Jackal. If we mean to bring him along with us, we should tie him up before we wake him. I'm not sure I completely trust him."

 

[Noma Galway]

I hop down off Fenella's shoulders. "Someone needs to be restrain him then," I say loud enough for the others to hear. "I can revive him once this is done."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Fenella stands by the hole in the wall as Mariya hops down. The Pale Jackal sits on top of his defeated opponent, his gesture suggesting that the pirate won't get past him even if he's revived.

 

[Ruby]

Fenella

I follow Mariya and stay close to her. She may need my help as I carry the enormous, sharp and trusty sword!

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Lightning flashes. Fenella notices in her reflected image on the window, the rune on her sword is discolored from the blood running down the glass.

 

[Noma Galway]

I sing softly to wake him up, out of his reach should the spell be more powerful than I anticipated.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Spoiler: the water song and how much the pirate could have moved just now

Water Song / Revival: This^ is all Mayira needs to do, should a player fall in battle. She can only revive the fallen, as opposed to healing anytime. But still, it's healing that only takes one turn to cast and there's no roll to make failure possible.

The revived cannot act until the next turn, so whenever Mariya revives someone, her singing the water song is her turn, and her ally's turn is just getting up. You'll have 1 red heart when you revive, meaning that you might be able to take a weak hit and remain standing.


Act First, Then Move: If you perform an action from where you were at the beginning of the turn, I think it makes sense to allow movement after the action. It will be a half move, like I permitted Ireth to do with her characters so they could avoid cannon fire.

In other words, if you are revived, your action is getting up. You can't attack because you acted in that turn. But you can move back three squares if you mean to let a healthier ally take over on the front line.


One More Thing: Episode One is almost over now, so plot and the chance to purchase skills is part of that whole between-battles thing.

Water gushes from the muse's hands. After a few seconds, the Hyena sits up. Water sprays from his mouth. "Pvvvvvvvvv!" He looks at the tiny muse, up at the princess' blade, then back at the muse. Fenella keeps the blade in a protective position, and the captain gets a good look at the weapon. He notices that the rune on the blade matches the marking over Mariya's left eye.

He says to the muse, "That felt a lot better than the wind and lightning you hit me with." He looks up at PJ, only to find his neck is stiff. Looking up hurts. "After the bullet I buried in your back, I'm surprised you fought with the blades off. You can let go of me now. I have no reason to run."

Vincent senses a fallacy, but the pirate is quick to correct himself.

"I mean I won't run." He looks at Vincent. "And you'd be wise to drop this silly notion of taking me prisoner. Grey won't let me be taken alive, so ask your questions now and let me go down with my ship."

He looks back at his sword, for his gun, his hat. He decides to reach for his hat. Only his hat. The warrior princess won't chop off his hands over a hat, he figures.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

My eyes narrow. The Hyena's thoughts don't quite match his words, but close enough. I kick the hat toward his hand, and ask the first question. "Why does your employer want the Jackal dead?"

 

[Reaver]

I draw my katana natana and point it at the defeated Captain. "Answer our questions and I will end your life with honor, sparing you the pain and fear that comes with drowning."

 

[Noma Galway]

I hop back onto Fenella's shoulder.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

"No sea captain fears death by drowning. If it's the same to you, I prefer it."

The Captain turns to Vincent.

"The Jackal has information. He's never told a soul, so maybe Grey worked his mind trick enough. But he knows The Maiden he took from us is no ordinary coin."

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

My eyes remain narrowed, fixed on the Hyena. Disjointed, incomplete thoughts flicker through his mind. I can guess the answer to the last at least. Money is no object... and one coin in particular seems incredibly important. I just wish I knew why. So much for being a brainiac, the smartest person in the room.

"What do you have against the Jackal?" I wonder aloud. I think back to the vision, and hold back a shiver. It seems more lives are entangled than I thought. I just hope no innocents are harmed as I try to ravel the threads.

 

[Reaver]

"You sir, are no sea captain. Your grasp on honor is tenuous at best. If your honor were true, you wouldn't have had your minions aim cannons at us when we came aboard. You would have ordered them to engage us in mortal combat."

I press the tip of my katana against Hyena's throat, a trickle of blood oozes down his scrawny neck, staining the fancy cravat diligently wrapped around it. "Now quit dancing around our questions and give us a direct answer."

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

The Hyena

"Get that damn thing off—!"

The Hyena reconsiders his aggressive tone.

"No one's dancing! The question is what I have against PJ, right?"

He turns to Vincent.

"We were part of a team. Bounty hunters. The Smell Hounds—best in the game! Then came the Egg Hunt."

He looks at PJ, bewildered.

"An egg and a coin. The whole team fell apart over it. Helen Dalmation, freckled bitch, skewered 'Wiener' Doug Dachshund on her spear. When she came to Grey to have words with him… I don't want to know. Grey never did know how to treat a lady. JJ disappeared shortly after.

"The rest of us stuck with Grey, including the Jackal here—until he decided to betray us."

 

[Philip Overby]

I stare at the Hyena. "Shut up. That was a long time ago." I wipe blood from my mouth. "I need to take a nap. A long nap. He's yours to question, beat up further, whatever."

 

[Ireth]

Diana

I read the Jackal's lips and tilt my head. What is this Egg Hunt all about? And why is there a coin involved? I wish I had my satchel with me, so I could ask the questions (well, write them) myself without having to rely on Vincent to translate.

Vincent

Questions rise in Diana's mind, and I echo them aloud for the Hyena to answer.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Hyena

"No. I won't shut up."

He stands, ignoring Reaver's katana as it draws more blood from his neck.

"I'm a dead man anyway, Jackal. You and I are the same to Grey. He set us both up. It doesn't matter which of us wins to him."

He faces Vincent.

"You asked about The Maiden.

"It all started when Pug found the egg. The Smell Hounds—PJ, like it or don't, you were one of us then—we were hired to find the egg. We didn't know it would hatch. Not all of us, I mean. Grey knew. He always knew.

"I thought a bird was too ordinary, a dragon too unbelievable... but I couldn't imagine what a maiden was doing in the egg. Just an ordinary coin, but her eyes. They were ice blue.

"There was a ceremony. The Sinner sang a preachy tune, and the Wolf and Jackal readied their blades, and I mine. It was meant to be a sacrifice to Death's daughter. What a blade could do to a silver coin that would impress a goddess' kid, I'll never know. The Jackal slashed my side—got the Wolf, too—and Pug stood there looking big and stupid…" He laughs and turns to PJ, adding, "while you snatched the coin from the Sinner!"

He faces Vincent again.

"Grey barked orders which is all he's good for, and I fired a shot. I was sure I missed, but I found a trail of blood later on. Someone dragged him, and Grey and The Sinner were sure The Maiden was taken by whoever took him."

The Hyena shrugs. "But if they were thieves, why would they bother saving, you PJ?"

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

New images from the Hyena's mind blend with those gleaned from the Jackal's. Those ice-blue eyes, two sets of them, stay with me even when the vision fades. A coin and a baby... and the song twines its way through my memory again. Oh, Death...

The Jackal had taken the child... where? And why? What was she worth to him? I don't speak those questions aloud, but say only, "Lady Death has a daughter? Then is it also the Warrior's child, or did She take a human lover?"

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

A Voice

A distorted voice similar to the Hyena's is heard:

"You seem to enjoy spilling your guts. I think I will enjoy it as well."

The Hyena's own reflection emerges from the glass. He takes the sword's reflection with him, then as he impales the pirate from behind, the doppelgänger drowns the Hyena's screams in laughter.

A sudden tilt from the ship sends our heroes down the slippery sloped deck. All manage to keep their footing, but can only watch through the hole in the wall as the Hyena's intestines spill from his wound.

More reflections emerge, though their form is unclear at the moment.

 

[Ireth]

Vincent

Any answer the Hyena could have given is cut off as a sword -- or the reflection of a sword, held by the reflection of the Hyena -- stabs the real Hyena in the back. The ship rocks dangerously in the water, but I manage to keep my footing. More reflections emerge, and I stare in mounting horror. Are they ours? Will they harm us?

Diana

I manage to keep my feet on the tilting deck, and raise my sword as shadowy figures appear. I show no fear, standing my ground and trying to discern what they are. They certainly don't seem inclined to act peacefully.