Xing Lei stood on the bow of the ship, his feet clutching the rail as his fist held a line. His reptilian eyes watched the two ships knifing towards theirs through the water. The trailing ship was alot like their own with a single mast, though the hull was painted a bloody crimson and the rails an inky black. Orcish sailors bustled about waving their weapons towards the distant target, the surface of the deck was choked with orcish warriors jostling each other eager to be part of a boarding party. The lead ship was painted jet black with crimson sails and bone white rails, unlike the crimson ship this deck was more orderly.
A finely dressed orc stood on the distant aftcastle turning the wheel and shouting orders, inhuman crew members killed around the second deck with most manning the black powder cannon, a team of six was adjusting its angle and position rearming it with powder and shot. A great gout of flame erupted from the metal tube and another whine as the second shot screamed over head tearing a ragged hole in their ships sails. The captain screamed for people to lift the damaged sail while the first mate directed the defenders to fire back with crossbows, while the distance was still far fetched to be best it never hurt to try and Lady luck seemed to be smiling at one sailor whose barbed bolt tore into the throat of a goblin hanging in the pirate ships rigging, dropping to the deck the sailors could tell imagine the mess the goblin had made when it struck the planks so far below.
Xing Lei marvelled at the skilled captains calling out orders, as much as the sailors were prepared for a fight some still ran the lines to control the ships movements, the three ships skimming close enough to see the looks on each person's face. Of course as their ship passed the crimson pirate ship Xing Lei launched himself from his seat much to the shock of the sailors behind him, and the orcs on the ship he was boarding alone. Calissa really wanted to kill him. The kobold, all three feet of scaly fighting power had just jumped onto the opposing ship with some twenty odd orcs bearing down on him, this of course meant the first mate couldn't thin the numbers with a friendly thrust into the throng.
Still as Xing Lei landed his spear appeared and swept the deck around him clearing his landing zone, as quick as he landed and attacked he leapt away from that position, deftly avoiding the quarrel of a crossbow toting orc on the aftcastle. Out numbered, the press of the orcs didn't bother him as much as Calissa's worries might entail. With rank eight body tempering this mad melee was almost slow motion for him. Ducking billy clubs, deftly side stepping a boarding axe. A familiar dance and weave settled into Xing Lei's steps, his Spear twirled and thrust, blowing away each enemy he targeted, often taking a companion along for the targets ride as the vicious spear swung around tossing bodies into bodies.
Xing Lei really was enjoying these bouts of exercise, while the opponents were in no way, shape or form his equal, the pressure of fightning a gang of opponents forced his spearmanship to advance, to use a few light weight techniques that didn't rely on spiritual energy but the motions in themselves were enough to handle mortal foes of this nature, had he infused his initial sweep with spirit energy he could have well cleared the ships deck of opponents. The good thing about orcs were they were straight up strength fighters. Fients and complex routines were about as foreign to these louts as apparently a bar of soap was, they simply charged in and put everything into an attack, each time he bothered blocking, Xing Lei felt the weight of the strike slightly push him.
Still, such pushes were still 'slight'. Body tempering had insane reinforced his strength, against orcs it was like fighting a toddler, unless they got a lucky strike on a sensitive area their blows, even unblocked, really would barely be felt. He could only sigh as his next series of movements bowled over another pair clearing the way to the stairs, racing up to seek out the captain. His spear was raised high as he ascended catching the predictable over head strike from above, the pitted cutlass clanked heavily against his spear sending a ripple of discomfort into the rock's arm, Xing Lei barely felt the impact. Pushing the captain away he swept behind him, the glowing tip drawing a vicious blue-white arc behind him, scattering the pirates that wanted to backstab him as he focused the captain.
Suddenly arcane words raised in a high pitch voice, snapping his head to the side he saw a singular female orc next to the wheel, unlike the pirates who were dressed in loose shirts and breeches this old orc was covered in strings of bones and bits of bodies, a gnarled staff jangled as bird skulls flailed wildly against each other with every shake. Her wild eyes were on him and Xing Lei cursed, a shaman, he hated the things. As her voice reached a crescendo the kobold back flipped off the stair, flipping over the press of orcs putting a couple of the brutes between himself and the crazed looking witch. He breathed a heavy breath when the orcs he just used as a meat shield suddenly were engulfed in a swarm of pecking, clawing ravens. Where the birds came from he couldn't guess but the vicious things tore into the two orcs before him like a school of piranha.
Side stepping back into the throng he cast a glance back as the two pirates slumped to the deck, their faces were simply gone, the flesh and muscle shredded by talons, their eyes plucked out by the vicious birds that scattered as soon as the magic passed. Still he wasn't out of the woods yet, diving into the regrouping pirates, they screamed. Some tried to slow his progress, others just wanted to get away, for like Xing Lei they still heard the crazy witch doctor chanting her magic, her shrill voice a scream as she unleashed death at friend and foe alike.
Blobs of acid, arrows of flame, clouds of darkness and other spells came hurtling down from where the witch stood, the captain beside her snarling demanding she kill the kobold now. All around him the pirates were thinning out. Some he had slain, but the majority had fallen victim to the witch's spellcraft. Most of the survivors were opting for a swim, preferring taking their chances with the roiling waves over the spells laying them low from their captain's pet. Darting back up the stairs the captain once again intercepted the kobold, a flurry of cutlass strikes lashed out at his adversary, not with the intent to kill, but rather to hold this devious little invader at bay so the crone could finish casting.
Both glanced to the side as the shrill scream ended, there was a loud bang and the top of the stairwell exploded. The captain screamed as the fireball engulfed him and the crone cackled madly dancing along the edge of the flames. The remaining pirates seeing the mad woman light fire to their ship jumped the rails while they could. The witch continued her victory dance turning and spinning in rapture that she had slain such a foe!
Until she stopped. Glancing down the shimmer of the mithril spearhead doused in her blood flashed where her cleavage should be. Her dirty head turned, disbelieving eyes widening in horror as out of the flaming sphere that had incinerated the captain, strode a kobold, pushing her forward by the spear piercing through her back and out between her breasts. Words failed her, the light of life was swiftly dimming when fresh pain assaulted her, her vision spun as her freed head tumbled into the air, catching her decapitated body being flung aside as the kobold stalked past with spear and cutlass in hand. Then the mad witch knew only the darkness of death.
Xing Lei strode to the rail of the aftcastle, looking out where his ship and the lead pirate ship were entwined, the two crews were fighting a vicious battle at close quarters, but now with one pirate ship burning in the water the morale of the defenders were at an all time high. Glancing to the cutlass in his hand he was surprised to see its form had changed, in the orc captains hand it had been a brute of a blade, vicious and pitted looking like something a true savage would favor. Yet now in his hand the blade looked like a slender saber, the blade shimmered with a blue-green glow as the hilt took on the shape of a parted clam, the shell was parted to protect his hand and the hilt felt like it was a smooth length of pearl. His eyes glowed as he inspected the strange weapon...
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Name: Inner Sea Saber
Type: Magical saber +4
Damage: 1 to 12
Special: While holding this weapon the weilder is blessed by the sea and need not fear its clutches, gain Waterbreathing, Water Element Affinity
Lore: Formerly the weapon of a sea elf prince it was lost in a battle many ages ago, having been scavenged by sailors years later this weapon has passed through many hands, all claiming to believe it a good luck charm while voyaging the seas. The second last owner did not think so when an orc captain hunted him down for this charm of protection.
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Xing Lei blinked slowly holding the blade up, what was with the powerful items of this world? While he could not understand why a weapon Smith would label it with a numerical increase the fact he could breath underwater would help immensely as long as he traversed an ocean... though this boon really wouldn't help him for long. Spirit cultivators could exist in any environment with an infusion of their will. Still for now, it would be an asset. Looking to the other ships, he stepped on the rail and dived into the orc filled water, the ship continuing to burn in his wake.
The main battle was not going well, while Calissa had used the adrenaline rush of the pirate attack to finally shake off her sea sickness the battle itself was not going well. While the pirates had not used the black powder weapon in close quarters the opposing crew was a judge podge of monstrous pirates. Orcs, hobgoblins, goblins, humans... hell there was even panther folk and yuan-ti hanging back by the enemy captain. Just who had the Heavenly Rose pissed off to sick this kind of force after their little ship. Snarling her acrobatics carried her around the battlefield, sometimes on their ship, other times on the pirate vessel but as bloody as her katars had become there seemed to be no end to the pirates.
Naturally that's when the opposing casters started getting in on things, both the panther folk and snake blood were spell slingers. The panther folk seemed to rely on spells that buffed or rebuffed people, while not directly harmful the cat man seemed quite adept at throwing in a life saving buff when their crew needed a push. As for the yuan-ti, the scaled woman had only cast once, at the start of the battle. Her spell had sent a bolt of brilliant lightning that had blasted the first mate into singed pieces of meat, the man had just exploded in a spray of viscera and gore that had coated both her and the captain.
Since then she had simply stood by the panther folk, ocassionally reaching out to touch his shoulder but belonged the initial spell she had thankfully not shown a similar repertoire since. Panting as she brought another pirate low she glanced around, half their ships crew were dead, the first mate was painted over the aft castle. The captain stood where he had started, merely looking to the opposing captain, this fight would not end well, she felt I'll at ease watching that particular stand off as neither side had tried to snipe either captain.
When the other ship erupted in flame she sighed, did they also have a spell slinger? Had Xing Lei pressured them so badly that they'd suicide with the kobold? She was about to rush back when an invisible force reached out and grabbed her stout frame. Glancing to the two enemy casters neither seemed to be the cause of her immobility. A hearty laugh erupted behind her, their captain stood arms lifted in a poise of spellcasting, a ring on his hand winked with mystical brilliance, "That will be enough madam Heavenly Rose, the troublesome have been dealt with so there's no more need for your fliting about."
Cursing she tried to yell out but the same force that kept her immobile had frozen her jaw. Only her head seemed free to move. "Captain Blackheart, as promised I stand to ready to deliver one of the Heavenly Rose sect to you."
Striding from between the snake blood and panther folk the enemy captain gave a toothy grin, "And the other?"
Both glanced to the distant burning ship and a host of orcs flailing in the water trying to swim their way. "Looks like whoever you had over there went a little crazy."
The enemy captain sighed, "Mad Maude, if that bitch survives I'll tear out her throat myself. Ah well, at least we have the one. Bring her aboard along with your mates, we'll tow your ship to port and get it painted proper."
As the pair walked off Calissa felt the mystical bindings dragging her along, casting a last look at the distant burning ship she sighed to herself wondering just what was going on...