Arrika tossed her two bags on the bed. With a sigh she flopped backwards, gazing up at the wooden ceiling, feeling the ship rock to and fro among the waves.

She took a quick inventory of her bag, then the one Seth handed to her back at the Parapa docks. To her surprise, it contained her heavy cloak, a mirror small enough to fit snugly in her palm, a compact tin of cream to save her from the sun, dried strips of beef, and a rolled-up piece of parchment.

So he had known all along that he wouldn't be accompanying her... the thought made a wry smile appear on her face. No matter how distant and cold he tried to appear, on some level, it seems he did care for her, at least a little.

Just as she reached for the drawstring of the bag, something glinted in its depths. She froze, not daring to believe her eyes, but it's there: A familiar silver wolf's head ring. She fished it out of the bag, a chilling feeling coming over her.

"Kobas..." she whispered, her hand enclosing the heavy ring. With an anguished cry she hurled the ring across the room. It struck the opposite wall with a dull thunk and rolled across the floor, stopping at her feet. "Why?! Why can't you just leave me alone?!"

The Sheikah then remembered the note. Seth better have a damn good explanation for this, or she'd...

Arrika-

Bury it, (try to) burn it, toss it into the sea. Or bear it, no matter how heavy it may seem. This ring, whether you like it or not, belongs to you. You've felled the tyrant, and this is his crown. You may hate me right now, but one day, you'll see what I See.

-Seth

She crumbled the note, tossed it into the bag, and hesitantly picked up the ring. With shaking fingers she slid it on the fourth finger of her left hand. The ring was designed so that her finger ran through the back of the wolf's head and through its jaws.

Suddenly, the wolf's jaws snapped shut, the fangs embedding into her finger. With a yelp she tried to pry it off, but it didn't budge. Blood ran down her hand, and mutely she watched the crimson drops fall to the floor.

Okay...so it's a treasure hunt. I can deal with that. Sounds exciting without being all that dangerous. What could be better?

"So...I suppose we should try and find whoever is stranded on that island."

Caught up in his conversation, the mercenary hadn't noticed Taint dismiss the idea, but he did feel a certain obligation to go after this man...woman...perhaps both. Who knew. It was less of a "IT IS OUR DUTY" feeling and more of a "I'll feel like a pretty crappy person if I don't" sort of deal, but who was to say those feelings weren't valid?

He glanced at Dogura once more before turning to scan the rest of the ship. Why did it have to be so hard to have an actual conversation? Time always seemed to speed up when he was around those he felt a pull towards, and then drag on once they were gone. He had gotten to talk to Maverick before he left, at least. That had been ages, though...

OOC: THANK YOU SABER. I'M MOVING THIS ALONG NOW! EVERYONE: BED. FORGIVE ME FOR SKIPPING AHEAD A BIT.
IC:

The night was quiet. A cold ocean breeze carried the boat along, as it sailed ever silently towards it's destination. Taint stood behind the wheel, vigilant as could be for any signs of danger. He desperately wanted this trip to be a success, and he wasn't about to let anything mess that up. He wanted his crew there in one piece, and if he had to lay his life down for them, he would. He was tired, and his shift was nearly over. His head would tilt forward now and again as he felt like dozing off, but he'd always catch himself, and focus harder than before. It was so quiet... So peaceful... When suddenly, something caught Taint's ears. It was a strange sound- almost like... People.

An Eerie Feeling Creeps Over The Zora

Taint left the wheel and walked towards the edge of the boat. He sighed heavily, and shook his head. I've gone and fallen asleep. Dammit, I was trying so hard too. A battered looking ship sailed on the horizon under a tattered black flag. He watched as the ghostly vessel sailed nearer and nearer. He felt a chill run down his spine, and decided that this nightmare was a little too real for him. He slapped both his cheeks with his hands and opened his eyes. He stared at the ship for a few more seconds before slapping himself again. Nothing changed, and it drew closer still.

"It's no illusion."

Taint jumped at this sudden voice in his head. Dogura slowly melded up out of the deck as he eyed the ship carefully. Taint was unsure of what exactly he was to do with himself. He looked at Dogura, then to the ship. Back at Dogura, and then back to the horror of the seas that advanced toward them. "I'm not going to scream. I'm not going to panic. This is only a dream." Taint spoke softly to himself. He punched himself in the face and hit the deck. Dogura sighed and yanked him up to his feet. "Then go wake up your dream crew." The nomad's eyes remained fixed on the samurai's eye. "Do you think the ship has spotted us?" Dogura closed his eye and sighed. "I'm near certain. I doubt Alpha could sleep through the hideous aura that that boat is kicking off. Same could be said for any magic user on board. Now get!"

Taint took off towards the crew's sleeping quarters. Dogura couldn't help but shiver at the feeling that was crawling under his skin. He'd never seen the spectacle himself... But he'd heard of boats being ransacked and pillaged by malevolent sea spirits.

This isn't good.



* * *


*SLAM*
Taint busted into room after room. "Wake up! All hands on deck! Steel yourself for war!" He cried out as he ran room to room waking everyone from their slumber. "Everyone up! Everyone out of bed, let's move, let's go! We're under attack!" Taint ran back up to the deck, some of his crew already behind him. When he emerged back into the night air, his face was drained of color. Dogura stood on the wooden railing of the boat, his sword drawn and shimmering in the moonlight. He looked almost mystical standing there, the massive ghostly boat only about a quarter mile away. Stalfos lined the edge of the boat as they prepared to board the ship. Taint ran to the edge of the boat next to Dogura. "How many are there? Can you tell?" The samurai shook his head. "No. But I'm getting at least more than fifty spiritual readings from the boat. Is everyone up?" Taint nodded. "Then all we do now is wait, pray, and prepare."

"Huzyawhu?" People were yelling and running about. Denkou lazily sat up straight from his sleeping spot on the floor. One man kicked at him "Get up!" He screamed, running past.

Denkou got lazily to his feet and threw back on his jacket - which he was using as a coat - and began making his way to the deck. "What's going on, now?" He asked, but the roar of the sea, and the ominous presence he felt, were more than enough of an answer. It was a familiar feeling, one he got whenever he looked his friend, Kasei, in the eye.

It was the feeling of the dead.

"Are they going to attack?" He asked, gripping at his dagger. If it was a battle on the high seas, he was at a sad disadvantage. Maybe I can give 'em a nice jolt.

OoC: FINALLY! WHERE HAVE YOU ALL BEEN DAMMIT

IC:

Arrika jolted awake, and in the process, slammed her ring-embedded finger into the cabin wall. She stifled her cry of pain and cradled her hand into her stomach.

Taint busted into room after room. "Wake up! All hands on deck! Steel yourself for war!" He cried out as he ran room to room waking everyone from their slumber. "Everyone up! Everyone out of bed, let's move, let's go! We're under attack!"

"Never a dull moment, it seems," the thief muttered darkly to herself. Now she could easily hide down here until whatever crisis there was passed... or run up there like the rest of the brash, bold adventurer-type crew and risk her neck. "...I don't suppose it would hurt to take a peek."

In a flash, she Shadowmelded under the door and up onto the deck.

"What's going on, Captain?" she asked, still in an amorphous, phantom-like form. The sight of the ghostly vessel sent chills down her spine, and she visibly recoiled with a hiss.

Arrika wrote:"What's going on, Captain?"

Taint looked to Dogura who was standing stoically on the edge of the boat awaiting combat. He sat in silence for a few moments before he remembered that he was the captain, not Dogura. He just wasn't used to this sort of thing, and in all seriousness, the vagabond that stood before him was more fit to lead than he.

He turned towards the source of the voice, and jumped a bit. He still wasn't used to seeing a Sheikah shadowmeld. He sighed, and tried to hide all the fear that was devouring his being. After all, he was the one who was supposed to be most familiar with the sea. He had to know what he was doing here, or at the very least pretend he did for the sake of his crew's faith in him.

"Well, I'm not quite sure. This is the strangest dream I've ever had..."

"You're not dreaming, Zora. Otherwise, I'd have no mind of my own." Dogura stated, never taking his eyes off of the enemy ship. It was too close for comfort now. The boat began to turn parallel to the ship, so as to set boarding planks in place.

"Alright, so let's pretend I'm not dreaming." Taint proposed, turning to Arrika. "I was steering the boat, when I heard a strange chanting. It sounded like people singing an eerie song." He glanced back at the ghost ship. "Turns out it was an undead sea-shanty. Sung by none-other than the undead. I don't know what they want; probably just to kill us, actually." He stifled a shiver, and drew his sword from his sheath. "Believe in me. I won't let any of you fall in combat- I promise." He smiled at her warmly, almost convincing.

OOC:

1. Alright guys, we can do this RP style, or with stats. Stats are always more fun, because they make things more realistic (to me), but this is strictly for fun, so it's up to you guys. You can just leave me your vote in an OOC at the end of your "getting to the deck for battle" post. Kasei, if you want you can just edit in an OOC to your previous post, I'll check it for your opinion.

2. I couldn't decide what song to link to for the ghost ship- then I remembered how chilling the original Fire Temple music was (before the Arabs got offended). It fits eerily well, no?

3. I hope everyone is using "The Rift" south of North Castle to link to Parapa Village. It's a lot quicker, and I never really posted a link from the old topic to this one.

4. Good to see you all back! I wasn't worried that you'd all let this die or anything
Well, let's get the ball rolling shall we!

"Everyone up! Everyone out of bed, let's move, let's go! We're under attack!"

Screw you guys, I'm in a real bed.

Of course, if he didn't rise to the occasion and do something, he wouldn't really be a neutral person.

...

Wait--

Alright, waking up...waking up...

Removing his sword from its sheath and the wax from his ears, Sabertache threw the sheets back gallantly, plodding heroically out of his bed and onto the deck in true studly dejection.

Hey look, a ghost ship. Fabulous. I just love enemies I can't use bombs on.

"So...are we going to attack them first, or wait for them to strike?"

OOC: I'm sorry I disappeared. I wasn't really in the mood for RPing, I was kind of mourning. It sounds emo, but eh.

Also, STATS.

OoC: Stats never go well for thieves... But I haven't done stats in a while, so I'll go for it.

IC:

"The undead?" Arrika said, her body becoming solid once more and her eyes narrowing. Rhyss had often dabbled in necromancy, but they'd never had to deal with more than a handful of phantoms at a time...

She turned on her heel, with the full of intention of returning to cabin. Instinctively, her hand brushed the handle of her dagger, although she wasn't sure what kind of undead these were and how effect steel would be. In the process, her injured finger knocked into the handle and she winced.

She sighed, glanced at the ghostly vessle, and back at the captain. She clenched her hand into a fist, grimacing as she felt a trickle of blood collect between her palm and glove. She killed Kobas, and he had a been a true demon. No, he had been the devil itself... By now, the Sheikah should be able to deal with a few ghosts.

"I'm in, Captain, but we need a plan," she said, striding back towards the Zora with forced confidence, planting both feet firmly on the deck.

Alpha's eyes shot open in the darkness of his chosen room, the one on the very end of the hallway, last on the right (the one across from a cat's room, apparently. He still didn't understand why some animal got its own room). He was on his feet in an instant, wrapping his black cape around his form even as his other hand grabbed the staff from where it lay by his bedside. He was striding down the hallway and towards the upper deck even as Taint's cry rang out.

"Wake up! All hands on deck! Steel yourself for war!"

'Well,' the Sheikah thought, 'isn't someone being dramatic tonight . . .'

"Everyone up! Everyone out of bed, let's move, let's go! We're under attack!"

Alpha picked up the pace, his concerns confirmed by that little pronouncement. He'd figured the owners of those disturbing auras was no ally, but he'd hoped they would simply pass their ship by. Perhaps if he had gotten on deck sooner, he could have used his magic to divert their attention . . . well, too late for such strategies now. He rushed up top.

The Sheikah's eyes fell at once on the ghastly vessel approaching them, his eyes narrowing at the sight. He glanced to Dogura off to one side, nodding to the man - their earlier squabble needed to be forgotten in a situation like this. Then he turned to the other members of the crew as they appeared on deck - that annoying thief, Saber, and Arrika being the first ones to join them.

Yukie stumbled out from the doorway a few seconds after the Tantari mercenary, muttering something about never 'gettin' 'nuff sleep when around you youngstas!' He held his gaze on the Deku for a few moments to make sure his ally was actually alert and awake; the narrowing of eyes at the sight of the ghost ship seemed to indicate that was the case.

"I'm in, Captain, but we need a plan."

He nodded at Arrika's words; they were quite outnumbered, after all. Strategy and tactics would see them through this, rather than trying to use sheer power to overcome all these specters. "Agreed," he said simply, letting the Captain of this voyage decide exactly how they'd proceed.

OOC: Geez . . . I just sent a PM to ZV this morning saying that I probably wouldn't have time to post any time soon here . . . Well, I'm not going to complain about sudden free time landing in my lap. Anywho, I don't have much preference between Stats or RP, but it seems everyone else wants Stats, so let's go with that.

Taint looked around at his crew. They were expecting a plan. He desperately searched his mind for answers, but came up empty handed. As the silence grew longer, and ship grew closer, his palms began to sweat. The Stalfos tossed boarding planks over the side of the ship, and connected the two boats. They roared an inhuman battle cry from the boat as they began to get in line. The Zora finally had some idea of what they were to do. "Alright, listen up! We've for less than a minute before we're face to face with the enemy, so I'm only gonna say this once!" The Stalfos began to cross the bridge they'd created.

"I can buy us a moment or two." Dogura cut in, as he inhaled deeply before spouting flames in the face of the enemy. A few of the Stalfos fell off of the boarding planks, and into the water where they were instantly attacked by Gyorgs. The enemy fell back to their boat- but it wouldn't be long before they found a way to deal with the samurai. Taint put his fist in his hand. "We're going to need to destroy all of their boarding planks. I'm sure they have plenty, but they'll run out eventually. Not the best of plans, but it's all we've got for now!" Dogura's flames died down in time for him to notice a couple of re-dead archers line the side of the boat. They pulled back their bow strings, and promptly fired off five arrows. "INCOMING!" He shouted as he dodged two arrows, swiftly slicing the other three in half before they hit him. "We're out of time! They're here!" Taint shouted as Stalfos began pouring onto the boat.

Stalfos Pirate x 10
Stats: STR - 6; DEF - 4; AGI - 9; INT - 1; SPI - 1; SPL - 15; HP - 30
Weapons
Rusted Cutlass: 4 dmg // 15% chance of breaking upon impact
Abilities
Soul Siphon: May feed on fallen allies' souls to restore heath.

Re-dead Archer x 5
Stats: STR - 6; DEF - 4; AGI - 2; INT - 3; SPI - 4; SPL - 0; HP - 25
Weapons
Rusted Bow: 2 dmg // 15% chance of breaking upon use
Abilities
Sluggish: May only attack every other turn
Footnote: Re-dead Archers may only be hit by projectiles

Boarding Planks x 2
HP - 50
Abilities
Flammable: Takes double damage from fire based attacks

Dogura greeted the first wave with a quick attack, but the Stalfos barely manages to deflect the blade in time to emerge unscathed(AGI:6+ROLL:5=11 VS DEF:4+AGI:9=13). The samurai backed away from the mob, but the Stalfos was eager for revenge. (AGI:9+ROLL:1= 10 VS DEF:18+AGI:6=24) The reanimated pirate lunged towards the samurai, but Dogura rather easily stopped the creature's attack with a simply movement of his sword. A second Stalfos attempted to back its ally up, but Taint quickly leaped into action, blocking the skeleton's path. "Nuh-uh! I'm right here, pal!" He cried with a mighty swing of his sword(AGI:4+ROLL:18=22 VS DEF:4+AGI:9=13), and easily cuts through the Stalfos' meager defense. -18 Stalfos #2
The creature struck back with equal force(AGI:9+ROLL:6=15 VS DEF:20+AGI:4=24), but Taint's sea-legs are quite faster, as he easily dodges the rusty blade. "Ha! Is that all you got, bones?" The Zora taunted, as he prepared for another strike.

TAINT
Strength- 3(base+Goron StrengthLv3[=6])=................................................. 6
Defense- 3(base[3]+human defense Lv2[=5]+L1 Jerkin[=18]+Deku Shield[2])=....... 20
Agility- 2(base+Deku Agility Lv2[=4])=....................................................... 4
Intelligence- 1(base)=........................................................................... 1
Spirit-1(base+Racial bonus[=2]+Zora Spirit Lv3[=3])=..................................... 5
Spell- 10(base+Spirit[5]=...................................................................... 15
Will Power- 9...................................................................................... 9
Health Points- 40(base+Spirit[44]+Exceptional Health Lv2[74])=....................... 74

Physical attack: (STR[6] + Weapon Base[12]) 18 dmg
Magical attack: (Level[12] + base class[1] + INT[1]) 14 dmg

DOGURA SHADOWCLAW
STR-2(base) + (Goron STR Lv2)=...................................... 4 (strength)
DEF-1(base) +(Lv2 Jerkin) +(Deku Shield)+(Human DEF L2)=....18 (defense)
AGI-3(base) + (Deku AGI Lv3)= ........................................6 (agility)
INT- 3(base) + (Race)3 + (Hylian IntelegenceLv3)= ...............9 (intelligence)
SPI-1(base)+(Zora SPI L2)= ...........................................3 (spirit)
SPL- 24 + (SPI[3])= ..........................................................27 (spell)
WIL-9 (maxed out)=......................................................9 (will power)
HP-30 (base) + (SPI)33 + (Exceptional HealthLv3)= ...............83 (HP)

Physical attack: (STR[4] + Weapon base[12])= 16 DMG
Magical attack: (Level[12] + base class[2] + INT[9]) 23 DMG

Stalfos #1 - 30 HP
Stalfos #2 - 12 HP
Stalfos #3 - 30 HP
Stalfos #4 - 30 HP
Stalfos #5 - 30 HP
Stalfos #6 - 30 HP
Stalfos #7 - 30 HP
Stalfos #8 - 30 HP
Stalfos #9 - 30 HP
Stalfos #10 - 30 HP

Re-Dead Archer #1 - 25 HP
Re-Dead Archer #2 - 25 HP
Re-Dead Archer #3 - 25 HP
Re-Dead Archer #4 - 25 HP
Re-Dead Archer #5 - 25 HP

Boarding Plank #1 - 50 HP
Boarding Plank #2 - 50 HP

OOC: Let the battle begin. And glad you could post anyway, Alpha.
I think this is gonna be a close fight. Someone destroy a lot of them quickly, so I don't have to do statwork for every last one of them XD

Also, I'm not gonna be "super-realistic, feel free to use a bomb. Just be sure to let me know where you're throwing it (the stalfos or archers). Throwing a bomb at the archers will also include the boarding planks in the AOE blast.

The thief bounds away after the wooden planks in a shadowy form the second they're mentioned. The presence of the Stalfos sends chills down her spine, but there's no time to let her fears get in the way of defending the ship.

Her dagger is already drawn and her impulse is to chip away at the wooden boards.

Wooden...

She knows the spell for fire; it's a simple one, and it would be probably cause a lot more damage than if she used her weapons. She glances at the rest of the crew- to her relief, Alpha's awoken- then at the massing Stalfos.

There's not enough time... I have to...

She'd sworn off magic long ago. She simply didn't trust it the abilities of that strange, intangible power. Really, look where magic got her. But it's life or death right now, and she was wasting far too much time.

She raises her left palm, the throbbing and bloody hand, and makes her decision.

"Din's Fire!" [Fire]

OoC: Boarding Plank #1!

Arrika

HP: 41
STR:2 (+2 Lv 2 Goron Strength) = 4
DEF:1 (+1 Lv 1 Human Defense) = 2 (+12 L1 tunic) =14 (+2 Deku shield) = 16
AGI:3 (+3 for Sheikah) = 6
INT:3
SPI:1
SPL: 29

Talents/Skills:
Shadowmeld
Stealth
Garrote
Choke
Exceptional Spell Lv 1
Exceptional Health Lv 1
Goron Strength Lv 1 and 2
Human Defense Lv 1
Train: Boomerang Lv 1
Elemental Burst

'Dang, they're coming in fast.'

Alpha leapt back a few feet as the first of the undead pirates crossed over to their ship, his eyes narrowing as he examined his options. Archers on the ghost ship, boarders on their own, and two planks connecting the vessels together. He could take the time needed to destroy the planks . . . but there were likely more where those two came from. Taint's plan was not bad, by any means - but if everyone did as Arrika, and focused on the planks, then the boarding party would run them over. 'Guess I'll take on a few Stalfos, then. Give Arrika and the others a chance to destroy the boards.'

He smirked.

Magic swirled about him, his best spell springing to life within him. His entire body pulsing with its energy, he raised both arms above his head and summoned forth the destructive elements. 'Not Shadow . . . please don't be Shadow . . .' He didn't have much time to worry about it, though - it was a risk he had to take. When the energy in his grasp had grown to a sizable amount, he hauled back and hurled it with all his might straight at the Stalfos that had boarded their ship.

"ELEMENTAL EXPLOSION!" [[EE L1 on Boarding Stalfos]]

Alpha: 56 HP, 34 SPL

* * *

While Alpha was focusin' on the boarding party, Yukie was finishing the task o' wakin' up and gearin' up fer battle. The Deku didn't like getting woken up so suddenly, 'n he weren't about ta let those responsible get away without due payment.

Grabbin' his twin Deku Swords from their sheaths, the elder charged right smack dab inta the fray - but not the same fray as Alpha'd been gunnin' for. No, Yukie set his sights at once on them there Re-dead Archers. As he was seein' it, they could take out the boardin' party and the planks, but that right there wouldn't do no good whatsoeva unless the entire crew of the ghost ship were slain. Not only would it stop these dark souls from tryin' again later, but it would also keep 'em from ever preyin' on any other vessels. 'Think I'll be burnin' yer entire ship ta the sea now!'

And with that, the Deku did something that must've appeared posatively insane ta his crewmates: he hopped onto their ship's railing and leapt straight over to the Ghost Ship.

"Hello boys!" He shouted as he landed on the opposing rail, grinnin' like a maniac. It was time to use one of his favorite skills - and one that very few enemies ever expected him to have. He was a Deku, after all - what plant in their right mind would ever attempt this?! But it weren't somethin' he'd ever questioned - he just had a natural skill in this here area.

So with that smile still on his face, Yukie drew back and took in a large breath. He aimed for this here ship - but rather than risk wasting an attack (how the heck could he know if it would affect a Ghost Ship?) he also made sure to target one of them archers.

And when he exhaled, he spat out a verifiable storm of Fire from his mouth. [[Fire L2 on Re-dead Archer #1]]

Yukie: 71 HP, 20 SPL

OOC: Glad I worked these stats out back at the beginning of this topic.

Yukie
L14 Deku Vassal
STR – 6; DEF – 17; AGI – 8; INT – 2; SPI – 1; SPL – 25; HP – 71
Base Attack (Physical) – 22 DMG
Base Attack (Magical) – 17 DMG

Items: Deku 1H Sword x2, L1 Chainmail, Bomb Bag, Scroll of Fire

Stat Boosters: Exceptional Health L2, Exceptional Spell L1, Deku Agility L3, Goron Strength L3, Hylian Intelligence L1

Talents: Spit a Deku Nut, Dual Wield L3, Fire L2 [+3 DMG], Disarm L2 [+3 to Check], Royal Spirit L2 [Restores to 30%], Honorable Kill, Jump L1

OOC: This gives people not yet in ZV's topic the chance to join in while still having a secure continuity. Just board after Orpheous makes his speech near the end of this post.

IC: The RHS Antros was one of the fastest vessels ever constructed by the unfamous Aquatic Design Committee of the Grand Royal Navy of Hyrule. The name itself was a misnomer. Though the Royal Family once commanded one of the greatest navies in the world, time, war, and peace have taken their tolls on the Hyrulean military wings, the Navy being no exception.

With the advancement of time comes the advancement of technology. Hyrule, being a growing nation with many monetary concerns could not fund the research required to figure out how to metal plate their ocean-faring warships, and even once that knowledge was found, Hyrule had neither the money or the resources to fund a massive military conversion.

Though its peaceful years, the Hyruleans put down their weapons of war, and became farmers, inventors, artisans, poets, musicians, politicians, or ironically enough commercial sailors. Hyrule's military now consisted of a battalion of Hylian Knights, the Royal Guard Corp, a small group of rangers and adventures who called themselves the Hylian Militia, and lastly the navy, the smallest of all the branches.

Yet, even with barely having the men to staff their ships, and arm them, Hyrule managed to have a thriving ship making industry do to Mido's proximity with the ocean, and Saria's closeness to a river which lead out to sea. The forest around Rauru and even logging in North Forest went to fund this industry, until the contact with the south was lost. Now, the Hyrule was lucky to produce a ship every five years.

But the Antros was one of Hyrule's crowning achievements. She was smooth and sleek, and acted as an interception vessel, for swashbucklers to board the opposing ships. Now, even in this dark weather, the Antros' sleek form could be seen trailing the pirate vessel being boarded by an un-dead enemy ship. It outlined itself against the sky, in an almost eerie way.

--

"How close are we?" asked Orpheous to the captain and helmsman, Cecile.

"Nearly in range to board," replied Cecile, barely being heard over the crashing waves. Suddenly a huge eruption of energy occurred on the pirate ship in front of them, apparently an elemental explosion being cast by a mage of all things. Why would a mage be on a pirate ship? And why was the pirate ship being boarded?

At least the light allowed Orpheous to better see their target. They were deceptively close. Orpheous thanked his captain, giving him a pat on the back. This was the second time Orpheous had went to high seas with this sea-legged friend, and Cecile knew more about the oceans of Hyrule than anyone else Orpheous knew. That's why he trusted Cecile to get this ship right next to the pirates' ship, on the other side of the enigmatic boarding ship, so that Orpheous and the others might board.

He turned to his allies. All of these rag-tag sailors were too hard to identified individually in the dark. Maybe some of Orpheous' best friends were amongst him, right here, and now. An alarm had be sounded in Papapa's Village Gerudo that a team of pirates were seen causing a disturbance. Orpheous got up with the other minutemen who wanted to investigate or defend Hyrule, Orpheous wasn't sure if the two were synonymous anymore, and began to track the pirate group. They made it to the shore just in time to see the boat leaving on the horizon. Running back to village, Orpheous contacted Cecile, who was quick to aid the team of people now wanting to follow the pirate vessel. They got on the RHS Antros, and were soon off. Too bad Orpheous still didn't get a chance to see many of the other faces, and now it was so dark outside her could barely tell.

"Fellow Hyruleans," stated the word-mancing Scribe. "This is Orpheous, some of you might know me, or at least of me. I'm good friends with Captain Cecile here, and he's going to pull us up to that pirate ship any moment. I want you all to grab one of the boarding robes, and swing on board onto the pirate vessel. If you are too fearful, there is no shame in that, but I know that at least I intend to board. And I can assure even the Gorons here that these ropes are sturdy enough to support you.

"Now, as some may have noticed, there appears to be a battle on the deck of that pirate ship, from an enemy vessel attempting to board it. I didn't see a Hylian flag on that enemy ship, so odds are they're hostiles. And, if they are hostile enough to be confronting pirates, than they need to be the first priority. Neutralize them, then we shall investigate these 'pirates.' I figure the two forces should be easily enough to determine, even in this poor light. For Hyrule!"

With that, Orpheous grabbed a rope, and swung onto the pirate ship, which they were now upon.

--

What he saw amazed him. Staflos. The pirates were fighting off the undead themselves. Orpheous couldn't tell who the pirates were in this lighting, but he worried not of them immediately. His first reaction was to cast a fire-based elemental burst at the nearest boarding plank [Elemental Burst L2-Fire][Boarding Plank #2][-6 SPL]. He hoped that the spell would destroy the plank and deter the Staflos boarding team, which seemed to be the primary threat.

Ooc: Please excuse my poor posting skills.

Oh, and thank you Orpheus for your AMAZING post. I seriously would NOT have known how to fit into this awesome topic without being a horrible interruption in the flow of it.

IC: She had cursed herself no less than hundred times for boarding the ship, and she felt that it wouldn’t hurt to curse herself yet again. Sakiko hadn’t thought that the sea was this rough, and her assumption couldn’t have landed her in a stickier situation than this. If only she could have just ‘cruised’ along, meeting no troublesome pirate ship as she had anticipated at the beginning of the journey – but no! They weren’t facing just one ship, but two! Her face was as green as the murky depths of the sea…she could definitely pass by a big battle.

Leaning against a supporting pillar-like thing (you couldn’t really expect her to know the anatomy of a ship, could you?) she was about a hurl when no one was looking, when - !

“For Hyrule!”

After several rib-rattling coughs, Sakiko feebly staggered to the ropes. It was a wonder how the once quiet men and women began to throw themselves into danger at the mere words of a man she couldn’t even see. But then again, these were adventurers – heroes – after all. She warily eyed the enthusiastic Hyrulians as they swung unto the ropes with fervent energy (Din only knows from where they got it). She wanted to take control of the steering wheel and just rush back to safe ground, but as it was, she was left with no choice but to follow suit with the now yodeling warriors.

All a blur, the mage swung with all her might and managed to land with a crash onto the ‘enemy’ ship. Great. The monsters were all trying to invade the ship like ants. GREAT!

Not really having faith in her powers, Sakiko squeezed close one eye and pointed her finger at a nearby Stalfos – just to be accurate, if that was even possible. Her pale lips pursed shut – if not from the effort of trying to keep her concentration, then from keeping her lunch where it belonged – Sakiko opened her other eye.

“Elem—“

What she meant to say, of course, was elemental burst. But then, did she really want to stick around trying to get rid of one monster at a time? Besides, she was surrounded by water – and what else was more harmful around water than electricity?

Her chalky green lips curling into a hopeful grimace, she pointed her palm towards the night sky and yelled,

“Thunder!” [Thunder L1 on stalfos]

Ooc: hopefully thunder was a good choice..but I'm not very good, so feel free to tell me if I kinda overlooked something. Maybe I should have just stuck to the slingshot. hah. ^.^

Arrika's flames arced gracefully over the Stalfos' heads, and struck the first boarding plank, instantly igniting it for double the heated damage (-28 HP Boarding Plank #1). One of the archers takes note of this, and readies its bow. Pulling back its bowstring, it shrieks shrilly, throwing one of many battle cries into the night sky. An arrow flies in Arrika's direction, but misses her entirely (DEF:16+AGI:6=22 VS AGI:2+ROLL:5=7). Suddenly, the Stalfos stop cold in their tracks. As magically reanimated beings, they have a sixth sense for magic. Water rose up over the sides of the boat, as if a living hurricane, and knocked the creatures all over the boat. Alpha's elemental explosion of water was perfectly times, so that no allies got caught in the crashing waters. When the magical attack subsided, it was clear that every enemy, excluding the archers safely on the other side, was hit (Stalfos Pirates x 10 -22HP). To Taint's surprise however, only one of the creatures was actually killed in the blast. They all set their sights on Alpha, recognizing him as the primary threat after such a blast.

The first Stalfos charged directly towards the Sheikah, who unfortunately took the hit directly (DEF:12+AGI:7=19 VS AGI:9+ROLL:18 = Alpha -10HP). The next Stalfos wasn't too far behind its companion, and struck Alpha yet again (19 VS AGI:4+ROLL:19= Alpha -10HP). The third times the charm right? Not for the third Stalfos, because it missed entirely. Alpha was easily dodging each incoming attack, save for the seventh Stalfos who managed to get one lucky blow in (19 VS AGI:4+ROLL:19= Alpha -10HP). The rest of the Stalfos also had too much trouble getting a blade on the mage. It would seem that the first two strikes were only successful because the mage was still recovering from that massive spell. In the mean time, Orpheous took the time to cast a quick fire spell that devastated one of the boarding planks, causing it to crumble away. There was one weak boarding plank left, and Taint took it upon him self to cut it in two, ending the surge of enemies.

The Stalfos weren't done with Alpha. They were going to keep attacking until they hit him it seemed. That was the plan, until the air once again filled with the uncomfortable aura of a magical spell. However this time, it wasn't Alpha. The creatures turned around in time to spot Sakiko, with her hand in the air. The looked up to see thunder and lightning billowing in the clouds above. They all took off in her direction, probably in hopes of killing her before her spell resolved. They were fast, but not faster than lightning striking nine wet targets. They were all struck and killed instantly, sending bone fragments flying in all directions. Taint realized that he hadn't seen her OR Orpheous on the boat before they set sail. He didn't have all the time in the world to think. There was still a battle going on.

One of the Re-dead archers decided that Sakiko was a problem, and readied an arrow to fire at her. Before it could fire though, it was taken by surprise as a figure appeared directly in front of it.

B.A. Deku, Yukie wrote:"Hello boys!"

It almost dropped its bow as a storm of fire rained down upon its undead flesh, and it failed to resist completely (Re-dead archer -17HP). When the flames subsided, it was still right in front of him, only now it was really pissed off. It raised its bow, pointing its arrow directly between Yukie's eyes.

"You only half baked it, there!" A call came out from nowhere as Dogura rose up out of a shadow next to the Deku, spouting a flame of his own and finishing the job (Re-dead archer -23HP). Dogura smiled as it cooked quietly before it slumped to the ground. Four undead bowmen still remained however, and they were more than determined to see these two infiltrators dead. The second archer raised its bow and shot at the Deku, missing entirely (It rolled a 1 nuff said). Dogura couldn't help but laugh at the creature for missing the Deku at point blank range. The third archer decided to catch the samurai in the mouth, as he took aim then promptly took the shot. Dogura sunk back into the shadow as the arrow harmlessly sailed by (DEF:18+AGI:6=24 VS AGI:2+ROLL:6). The last archer knew that it was doomed, and decided to use the last of its life force to shoot at the Deku. It took the shot, but still missed if only by an inch (DEF:17+AGI:8=25 VS AGI:2+ROLL:20). They were the last soldiers left, after they were nearly all magically devastated.

Stalfos #1 - Dead
Stalfos #2 - Dead
Stalfos #3 - Dead
Stalfos #4 - Dead
Stalfos #5 - Dead
Stalfos #6 - Dead
Stalfos #7 -Dead
Stalfos #8 - Dead
Stalfos #9 - Dead
Stalfos #10 - Dead

Re-Dead Archer #1 - Dead
Re-Dead Archer #2 - 25 HP (can't attack next round)
Re-Dead Archer #3 - 25 HP (can't attack next round)
Re-Dead Archer #4 - 25 HP (can't attack next round)
Re-Dead Archer #5 - 25 HP (can't attack next round)

Boarding Plank #1 - DEAD
Boarding Plank #2 - DEAD

OOC: Dios Mio! You guys roasted these guys. I mean I made them to be just a little weaker than the coming battles, but still! I didn't expect a shut-out! Kudos. The "secret factor" of this battle would happen if you could finish them off somehow in less than three turns. You certainly look like you're gonna meet that criteria, so good job!