Duty Session 285: Still Coast Pirates

After many raids by capable Adventurers, the Bandit camps along the shoreline around the Isle of Beginnings have all but been wiped out. However, the source of the Bandits still remains. A pirate ship has often been spotted along the waterways, taking advantage of the increased trade between the Kingdoms following the Apocalypse.

After a recent plunder of intoxicating beverages, the pirates are in high spirits. It is the perfect time for the Adventurers to sneak onboard and investigate the source of the pirate threat. The Hunter's Guild is offering a reward for such intel.

Note: This is a lighthearted investigation duty.

Difficulty:    Moderate
Rec. Party:    5+
Rewards:       3
World Rewards: Improve efficiency of trade by waterways.

Michio
Plot Room 1

Nice day for fishin', innit?

Well, it would be, if it wasn't for the bandits and pirates all over this coastline!

The Hunter's Guild guides have been out waylaying adventurers, convincing them to help with the disruption to ocean commerce in the area, courtesy of a particularly nasty band of bandits. The representatives have brought the party to this location in ones and twos, and now that everyone is gathered, they make 'shooing' motions and suggest the party deal with the things.

Looking about, Michio nods to familiar faces. He places a palm over his heart and offers a simple, "Michio." by way of introduction to anyone he doesn't know (which at this point looks to be just Schneider).
Shiruba
Plot Room 1

"Pirates again, hmm?" Which is about all Shiruba really needs to go on. She ticks fingers over the fletchs of various arrows in her belt quiver, taking stock. "Hopefully I can be better prepared this time. Not that it matters, pirates need to be dealt with promptly." With how much Shibuya still relies on trade with the other Kingdoms it's little surprised the NWA would take interest in dealing with this matter, and she's happy to see several fellow Alliance members here to assist.
Ayame
Plot Room 1

"Ayame" The softly curvaceous sylph offered, her shield slung to her back and using it as a rest as she leans back against the wall and her arms folding carefully. She gives Kuroyuri a small smile, and Michio a nod. Sprites gets a gloved thumbs up! "I'll take point, if we need" She's not terribly armored, but looks comfortable enough.
Schneider
Plot Room 1

Doesn't everyone know Dark Schneider, the Exploder Wizard? But he smiles insouciantly and says, "Dark Schneider," with an attempt at a cool-sounding menacing voice. It's not as menacing as all that, but he tries. The problem is, though he joined up with the intent of being something like a roleplayer, the game got all too real, and he couldn't stay in character full time. But he tries when he can. He smiles to Ayame, nods about her taking point. His job's in the back, lobbing fire.
Kuroyuri
Plot Room 1

Kuroyuri is there with their sibling, the tall, dark and baroque Imp currently adjusting a silvery ring on one of their horns, violet gaze distracted. Today's wardrobe is in dark gossamer, wispy strands of fabric that coat them and hint at the pale skin beneath, whispering as they move, with highlights in crimson. One'd be forgiven for thinking they saw a ballet outfit sans the tutu and added more layers of translucent lace and silk. Heeled boots completing - and contrasting - the ensemble, and in the hand not currently tweaking their jewelery, they're absent-mindedly twirling a bone-white conductor's rod with a dark gem in the handle and a myriad of notes inscribed in various colours along the very thin wand.

"Again?" They ask of Shiruba. "Hi, by the way. This is my sibling, Shitsuyona-" And then Ayame ruins everything with an introduction. "I'm Kuroyuri," They offer. Since apparently we're doing INFORMAL introductions today. "I'm a Symphonist." A slight upnod to Schneider. "And Ayame is good at taking lead. Lots and lots of shields and stuff."
SpritesHero
Plot Room 1

SpritesHero is not here to fish, regardless of how nice a day it may be, and regardless of how fantastic bandit and pirate company could be.

No. He's here for wanton slaughter. His lips are set into a grim expression, and he is dressed for the part. "Robert," he introduces himself, tones clipped. For a moment his gaze goes distant, and his exhale is less of a whoosh of breath, and more of a 'pfft'. Conceivably there's the barest flicker of a wink in Ayame's direction. Yeah, the grimness is gone. He offers a high-five to 'Dark Schneider'. Mercifully, he doesn't say anything like 'Hey there, li'l buddy!'. Though really, his body language just screams such sentiments.
Michio
Plot Room 1

Michio nods greetings to Schneider before turning to look at the rest. "I'm a Ki Master. Lots of utility, heals, and pretty good damage." He offers, since others are speaking of their roles.

Gesturing towards one of the boats, Michio says, "Shall we?" He frowns, "Anyone actually know how to drive one of these things?"
Shiruba
Plot Room 1

Shiruba grabs a map from one of the Hunters Guild reps, and hops in the boat provided. "No, but I know how to guide us to the location we'll find the anchored ships at," replies the wolfgirl as she walks up to the front of the boat and unfurls the map. With it in one hand she picks up a spyglass with the other and gives it a little shake to extend the device. "Let's get this sailing!"
Schneider
Plot Room 1

Schneider looks at Michio, looks at the boat, offers a shrug. "I can set it on fire?" he offers helpfully. But he'll get into the boat, check some of the maps, and think about fishing while someone else steers and navigates and farts around with the sail. There's not room for him to recline with his feet up, so he'll get no nap, either. Life is so hard.
Kuroyuri
Plot Room 1

"You need wind, right? I have some affinity with air." Kuroyuri gives a smile and a nod of greeting to Robert. "Hey, did you enjoy the cube steak from the spherical cows?" They ask. Moving to find the lander crew of the ship, they begin tapping their conductor stick and - lead them in a rousing, maybe slightly lewd (or at least filled with double-entendres) sea shanty, which somehow makes the wind pick up and fill their sail.
Ayame
Plot Room 1

Ayame sighs as she settles into the boat. She has decided to be unhelpful, today, tugging down the knee-length skirt demurely and letting the others with vastly more experience in navel gazing manager their affairs.

She does, though, finish her hellos and chatter away as she shifts to look out of the side "I think" She tells the Black Lily "I am going to hate sailing. Remember when we took a boat out that winter and I was sick over the side? I wonder if that carried over?"
SpritesHero
Plot Room 1

SpritesHero is not much of a boat-man. Or a navigator. Was he historically giving people "professional" directions in spite of being utter crap with directions? Yes, yes he was.

As such, he just sort of stands there with his hands behind his back, surveying the horizon. Maybe pirates will find him so he doesn't have to find them. Or maybe Shiruba will know what to do. He does what he does best, under the circumstances, and...steps into the boat. Tada!

"The cube steak was delicious," he replies to Kuroyuri, attempting to make himself get comfortable. "Well exercised. One might almost think just exercised. How was yours?"
Michio
Plot Room 1

After boarding the boat, Michio waits until things get set up. He nods in response to Shiruba, "Good, knowing where we're going will definitely be helpful." Then observes for a time.

As Ayame settles in, looking green around the metaphorical gills (gotta be specific, people might ACTUALLY have them in this world after all), and Robert starts talking food, Kuro fires up their conductor's wand and the sailors shanty.

Michio observes for a while, and then begins a soft chant. He begins running back and forth across the deck in front of the pilot's wheel, leaving behind him small pops of sound. A small whirlwind causes the sails to billow and the boat propels forward a little faster.
Ayame
Plot Room 1

Ayame looks at the pirates. And she looks at a little suitcase at the bottom of the boat. Then she looks at Kuroyuri "One word" She warns her, wagging a gloved finger, as she opens the suitcase and draws out ... piratical chic. Very chic. Such piratical. She dons a curled pirate hat in white and slings a matching jacket over her shoulders, buttoning it up as far as it can go.

Her wand points at the others in turn as she makes a slightly irritably sylphy face "One word!" She says, before clambering up and swanning on in.

Very piratical. She's even swaying like one - no, that's heels on a shipdeck.
Schneider
Plot Room 1

Schneider joins in the party on the Ledo deck, grabbing a mug of rum and quaffing, dancing and singing and partying his way through the crowd. Dancing poorly and singing off-key is his forte, but apparently he's doing it in a way that's not suspicious, because none of the pirates stop him as he wanders across the deck. But when he comes to a ladder down, he zips down out of sight, forgotten by those above.
Kuroyuri
Plot Room 1

Kuroyuri does not say one word. They watch Ayame in amusement, and note. "I'm glad you didn't puke your guts out. Though it'd be interesting to see how that works." They tap their lip, as their sibling changes. Holding up their hands in protest. "I said NOTHING!" They declare. And then, as they go, well, it's time for another bawdy tune, as the darkling Imp sings about ghost ladies, sirens and mermaids luring sailors to sea, and other such things, following their sibling as though she were, in fact, one of such creatures. Dancing along, also weaving the heels thing. Why, they even get the pirates singing along!
SpritesHero
Plot Room 1

No, Sprites does NOT continue talking food when he's sneaking past pirates. He knows his strengths. Mixing with crowds ain't one of 'em. That's for other sorts. Social sorts. And for a moment, perhaps, his dark-eyed gaze is a bit wistful as he observes those who appear to have taken the 'fun' route. No matter. He uses them all as a distraction, and effortly slides on past. Doesn't even bother to keep to the shadows, really. Just makes sure that those who have him in line of sight have their attentions...ahh...otherwise preoccupied. Shall we say. But at least he has the good grace to not just sod off on his own. Once he's to the far side, he halts and takes up a position in the shadows. Just, you know, in case some pirates get overly frisky and need a dark magic spike shot up their butts.
Shiruba
Plot Room 1

"Pirating must be good as of late," Shiruba notes of the celebrations occuring on deck. She tries to sneak by while others are doing their thing to distract the pirates. Unfortunately she gets grabbed by a couple... but then just tossed around in the chaotic dancing as most of the pirates are too drunk to notice she's not actually one of the crew. It takes several minutes for her to untangle herself from the carousing and rejoin the rest of the group.
Michio
Plot Room 1

Watching Ayame as she fiddles with her suitcase, Michio watches with vague curiosity. Seeing her withdraw the outfit he grunts, "Wait... did you pack pirate garb?" He scratches his head watching for a moment until he realizes she's about to change. He then quickly turns around, blushing softly. He clears his throat and looks down at his clothes, "These are certainly ratty enough." Then approaches the ship with a swagger, "Ah.. ahoy.. and stuff! Whar be tha grog?"

After a moment of mingling Michio signals the party to join him at a locked door. He frowns and looks around. "Okay, who wants to take a crack at this lock?" speaking in a hushed tone.
Kuroyuri
Plot Room 1

Having gotten the pirates started on a rousing round of the Captain's Wife's Lament, Kuroyuri slips on over to Michio, quirking their lips at his question to Ayame but leaving it for their sibling to answer. "I'd say something about racial stereotypes but... Yeah. Racial bonus to lockpicking." They sigh, as they swirl their conductor stick, a tense sort of eight-bit music softly heard in the background as... The conductor stick sprouts shadowy teeth, looking nothing so much as an over-sized key. Now that they're not busy distracting pirates, they note to Robert. "I did like the cube steak - I had it with herbed butter, was quite nice."
Ayame
Plot Room 1

"No. That dratted case seems to know what I'll need whenever I open it" Ayame sighs, adjusting the piratical hat to a more rakish angle "Useful sometimes, a nuisance most of the time" She chuckles slightly and sighs , tugging her wand from her sleeve and twirling it lightly as she goes off hunting for things; finally coming on the switch. And then shooting a look at Kuroyuri "Oh, please. At least you chose your racial bonus" She grins, tapping the switch and wandering back
Shiruba
Plot Room 1

Shiruba shakes her head a couple of times to clear it from all the twirling around, and then looks up at the locked door. Squints one eye. "Hold on..." She takes a step back, and holds up her left arm. The Relic device strapped to the back of her wrist lights up, a light sweeping over the door. The flash ends, and several small pointer lights follow, highlighting key points in both the locking mechanism and the hinges. Glances over, but Ayame already found the hidden switch. "Ooh, good job. I didn't have the angle to catch that in the scan."
Schneider
Plot Room 1

Schneider gets up to the locked door, with Michio directing traffic. "You want me to what?" he wonders. "Oh ...." That seems easy enough. He puts his shoulder to the door, and he waits for his cue. When the cue comes, he shoves hard to get it open. He's no beefy warrior type, but he's lanky in a bishonen way, and not /in/capable. And the door pops open when the complicated unlocking mechanism is triggered.
SpritesHero
Plot Room 1

SpritesHero is okay with chatting, now that he's not trying to sneak past pirates. Let's just ignore the pair of broken lockpicks on the floor, which somehow look like a great white shark tore them apart. For he is not at all the type of spriggan who would sneak ahead of the group and try lockpicking everything in sight.

"Kept mine simple," he replies to Kuroyuri, inhaling just in time to prevent drool from dribbling. "Bit of salt, bit of pepper. Grilled. Not, mercifully, by me. I can't do more than fireball things and hope for the best."
Michio
Plot Room 1

Letting the team do what they're good at, Michio waits for a moment. Then he tries to do a sala-man-ly thing and force the door, but just shoulders it to no effect. Then Ayame walks up, opens the door, and just COMPLETELY shows him up.

Serves him right.

As the team files into the galley, Michio coughs and whispers under his breath, "Anyone got any poison?"
Shiruba
Plot Room 1

Shiruba doesn't know cooking. But she does know hunting, and cleaning game. So she picks up one of the knifes and sets about skinning and carving various samples of meat, removing entrails, and all the while working her way down the table to get to the opposite end of the galley in doing so. There's a sizable amount of usable meat left in her wake, keeping the actual galley crew occupied while the group can move on.
Ayame
Plot Room 1

Ayame throws herself into the cooking with Kuroyuri. Well, more she acts as an Efficient and helpful Line Cook, bustling, grabbing ingredients as the elder sibling calls them out and prepping them for the Spriggen! Bustle bustle bustle.

She's a Helpful Pirate. "Sorry, no poison. I'm not good at cooking at all, I'm afraid" As she skins and peels and HELPS. "I mean, I've got no idea what to do" idly and absently dripping water from her wand, and then air to dry things after washing them "I wouldn't know well done from rare"
Schneider
Plot Room 1

Schneider hunts around for poison since Michio has asked, but he can't find anything. The cooks grab him by the collar and tell him to make himself useful. This is a bit of a challenge for Schneider, who's just left home and has never cooked for himself in his life. Now handed a knife and told to field strip a cluckcluck, he ... chops at it haphazardly, managing to get -no- meat drops from it. He smiles weakly.
Kuroyuri
Plot Room 1

"DO I!" Kuroyuri exclaims, thrilled. "Ayame, start stirring the pot. Someone prep some of that game. And figure out what spices and herbs they have available." No longer Angsty Teen Imp, Kuroyuri is rapidly transforming into Head Chef Kuroyuri, yapping out orders to Pirates and crewmembers alike. They are settling for, at least, mostly yelling at the Pirates and actually offering helpful instructions for the rest of the crew, accepting Shiruba's meat from Ayame, and... Well. They're not angry at Schneider, just disappointed.

Add some herbs, a little stir, a BAMF of... Was that spices or magic? Either way, the succulent stew is now wafting out a visible, delicious scent!
SpritesHero
Plot Room 1

Speaking of cooking, Robert looks around. Robert identifies a pot of something that could eventually become food. It has slop in it that vaguely looks like it could be raw. He invokes his system command. He fireballs the daylights out of said pot. Some of the contents turn into steam. Some turn into charcoal. Some just sort of....glow. Ominously. Eh, no worries. It'll be fine. Especially since he won't be taste-testing it. See, Ayame? This is how you make something well-done. He sets about making himself look productive while doing absolutely nothing productive whatsoever.
Michio
Plot Room 1

Michio just works the table across from Shiruba, helping the woof wolf chop through the task. Carcasses are cleaned and cleared, fish are beheaded, and guts are gone.

Kuroyuri and Ayame double-team their tasks, and Schneider gets schnarky.

Robert, meanwhile, makes a menace of himself, distracting the cook who comes over to look in his pot, sobbing.

While the rotund, and none-too-clealy, sailor is distracted, the team scurries off down a hall. Right into a group of glowering guards.
Shiruba
Plot Room 1

Shiruba sees the guards. Nods. Reachs into her inventory and pulls out a few coins. Winks at Michio. "Watch this." Then strolls right down the passage to the guards. "Hello mates. Fine day at sea ain't it? Don't mind me." She puts her hands over theirs before they can do much to object, leaving several of the coins in each palm. "For your troubles. Keep up the good work." And walks right on past, bribe in their hands.

It should be a nice distraction just long enough for everyone else to stomp the guards before they figure out just what's going on.
Ayame
Plot Room 1

"Oh, blessed game" Ayame smiles at the guards, unslinging her shield from her back "There are times" She tells the group with a growing grin, twirling her wand in her hand and starting to describe a pattern in the air "When I feel this game gets me, you know?" She says, confidently shifting to a punch grip.

Then from the deck of the ship, tiny little hands begin to grab at the pirates, and Ayame charges in

What's follows is a rather gruesome display of irritable sylph violence. Far too gratuitous to be described. How a simple shield performs such acts is a mystery wrapped up in an enigma. Wrapped up in an annoyed Sylph who's tired of sneaking and cooking.
Schneider
Plot Room 1

So, this one looks like a fight we can't get out of. That's OK, Schneider was ready for that. He chants, and unpleasant energy builds quickly. "Kaizard, aruzard, kisk! Hansay Glossik! Unleash total destruction! Sage of Hades use the seven keys to open the gates of Hell!" With a shout, he unleashes, "HALLOWEEN!"

This is a horrible fire spell tinged with dark energy, unleashing torrents of fire and hate and awfulness and it slams into these two hapless guards like a nuclear blast washing over a nice tropical atoll that never did anything to anyone. Their remining HP reflects this slaughter.
SpritesHero
Plot Room 1

SpritesHero says nothing, and simply takes advantage of the distraction posed by Shiruba. There's no hesitance. No chanting. No invoking of system parameters. Just a flicker of movement, a razor-thin needle of dark magic that slides through the back of a peripheral guard's skull, and the rustle of clothing as Robert gently lowers the body to the floor. Subtle. Perhaps even excessively subtle, given the racket, flames, and mayhem from the other adventurers. His guard down, Robert settles for observing how the adventurers deal with the other guards. It's part appreciation, part assessment.
Kuroyuri
Plot Room 1

Kuroyuri comes skidding to a halt. They grin, as Shiruba distracts the guards with shiny. "Ayame, keep them busy!" Is their battle cry, as they start forming a complex pattern with their conducting wand and free hand alike, drawing a purple-black sigil in the air before them before they push their hand through, "popping" the sigil and turning it into a rushing ball of keening, wailing darkness, glinting with that same purple lightning, which wraps entirely around one of the guards, locking up their body and forming a purple-lightning tether between them and Kuroyuri's wand, which they rapidly use to send several smaller bolts of darkness at the pirate. Some people cast magic missile at the darkness. Kuroyuri casts darkness at everything. When all you have is a Dark, all the world's a candle to extinguish.

They pause, watching and wincing, first at the savagery that Ayame unleashes, and then at the sheer Hell(oween) that Schneider tosses out.

"...Whoa," they declare. Robert's spells aren't as visually impressive, but gets a slight smirk from the violet-eyed Imp.
Michio
Plot Room 1

Seeing the coins placed into one guard's hands, the other guard looks and tries to grab. The first guard closes their fists, and says, "Oy! No, mine!" and pulls their hands back. After a moment, the two start tussling.

And then the beatings start.

Horrible.. cruel beatings.

Those pirates probably had FAMILIES you guys. They were someone's children. Maybe.

Okay, poorly raised children, but still, it's a massacre. 5-2, and distracted, they just never stood a chance.

By the time the group is done, there's nothing in the hallway but a sad pair of copper coins and some pixel dust, which is soon disbursed as though by a soft wind.

Ya'll are just.. ANIMALS.

Which is good, because this first mate is a total BEAST. She's ready for some rumblage. "Cap'n would 'ave me 'ide if I let ye get away. 'Ave at ye, scurvy dogs!"

The first mate pauses, looking Shiruba up and down, "No 'fense meant. Just pirate talk, y'know..." And then, there's fighting!
Shiruba
Plot Room 1

And after everyone else stomped the guards into nothing Shiruba walks back over, picks up the coins, and returns them to her pockets to move on.

To the captain's chambers. Except there's no captain, just the first mate. Who's at least a bit chatty before getting to the actual fight.

An ear flicks. "None taken," she replies. "It's all just business..."

Shiruba draws back on weapon, the elemental gems in Thundersnow's arms lighting up and the channeling magic forming an arrow made out of ice in the longbow. "Ours just happens to be stopping yours." She fires, and upon impact the arrow will start to freeze over the area it hit, making it brittle and more susceptible to damage.
Schneider
Plot Room 1

Schneider /did/ burn his forbidden spell on a ... well, it wasn't a boss, but it was a step up from a trash mob, so he doesn't feel too bad. And he's saved some magic for the ... well, not boss this time, either, but the first mate. He chants, "Slayer, slayer, dark thunder of Balmor! Bal Volt!" Fire surrounds the mate, burning her defenses down to nothing, incinerating her protections, then incinerating her. It's pretty intense, and every hit from the other party members scores much higher damage numbers than they're used to.
SpritesHero
Plot Room 1

The return-gaze that Robert offers Kuroyuri is mistily innocent, coupled with a smile that...oh hell...-dimples-. What on earth did he do to merit that smirk? His hands are cleaaaan. No blood here. No mayhem. For he is courteous. Polite. Sugar wouldn't melt in his mouth.

And then the first mate talks. Robert's expression freezes. There's a tiny sideways slide of his gaze, carrying a silent question to it, and then a deafening bang. That's right, there's no villain soliloquies on Robert's watch. He's off in a burst of horribly un-subtle motion, sending papers and dust whirling everywhere. And hopefully making sure the vice-captain is sufficiently startled and distracted that the rest of the group has an easy time landing their hits.
Ayame
Plot Room 1

Ayame is on something of a high from her horrifically violent explosion of anger against the pirates. And then the first mate shows up! Surely the little faux-pirate-Sylph will calm down now oh no it seems not.

"Chill beyond the detphs of space and sharper than the pricks of a traitor's taunts I condense my vile anger and call forth an ICE RAIN" She practically shrieks, adding her own magical barrage to the rest.

Then she lets out a content sigh and tugs her hat off, holding it to her chest and bowing her head "Alas, poor pirates. Something something that was fun." As she offers a bright, cheerful grin about
Kuroyuri
Plot Room 1

Kuroyuri furrows their brow, studying the Lizard-y First Mate. They begin making sweeping circles with their conductor wand, runes and notes floating in the air around them as their limbs crackle with lightning. Suddenly, they begin zipping around, as Robert does the flashbang. Did you know that getting whipped with a conductor's stick made out of some sort of weird bone and inscribed with runes and stuff hurts? It does. Not much, but then, Kuroyuri is here for the utility, and they're zipping and zapping and shooting around the room like a pinball, or maybe a ping-pong ball. Some sort of ball that bounces around very fast. They finish off their maneuver by a series of bolts of void and darkness launched at the back of the first-mate, to help bring that foe down.

Thankfully, the bounce bounce revolution play also helps them avoid their sibling's ice rain.

"    hus to all.. Uh. Pirates?" They suggest, panting, as they finally slow down.
Michio
Plot Room 1

Michio's Nightmare Sphere debuff adds into Schneider's Bal Volt thingy, and... well let's face it, the guards in the hallway had it easy. The First Mate gets beat down so hard that Second Mates everywhere in Yamato get a notification that there's a job opening.

DUTY COMPLETE