The Daily Beasts

[The Rookie]

Its probably something he's been wanting to do for years, anyway.
Zha-Zha makes as if she is going to bolt past him, and his elbow blasts into her forehead. Even with all the padding of his coat and what is under it, the Countess is stunned. Then, inspired by recent events, he wraps a hand around the base of her tail and hauls the stunned Tigress out as he follows Sylvi out the door. He uses his free hand to fend off anyone that might block Sylvi.
Zha-Zha is still on her feet when you all get outside, starting to yeowl by the time Raimius lets go of her and hooks that arm around Sylvi again.

As always, there's a rather descent part of Sylvi that took pleasure in seeing Zha getting smacked around a bit. Maybe some day someone will knock some sense and decency into that head of hers.

Raimius pitches his voice so that Zha-Zha can't hear it, but Sylvi can; "Flying money, eh?"

Sylvi just rolls her eyes and makes a dismissive grunt of irritation. Now was not the time to be making dumb jokes.

He walks over to Sylvi and hands her the enchanted bead. "I believe you requested this. I would have stabilized it for you, but, well..." he gestures to the flaming building. "It just means that you'll need to sort of break it in to get full use, but it should work just fine right now."

"Thank you, Tycho." Sylvi says as she shifts Rita's weight around to free up one of her arms to take the bead and place it in a pocket. "Could you define 'Break'?" Sylvi ask puzzled unsure if the entire bead was in jeopardy. "What sort of limitations should I expect if I use it? Can I use a normal spell with out tapping into the link enchantments, or is the enchantment active, but I can't manipulate the mana for any other purpose? What's safe to do?"

From up ahead, at the cross-street, there comes a piercing whistle. That's one of the few noises Pete can make, and it is nearly drowned out by Raimius's harsh guffaw. "Wait here if you must, but we are leaving!"

He draws his sword and holds it high overhead as he leads the way to the street, turning it for some strange reason, he's trying to catch the firelight so that Pete can see the flash and see it over the heads of all the people that are coming out of the Inn.

Meanwhile, Katija has grabbed Zha-Zha's arms, both of them, and pulled them over one shoulder like someone carrying a sack. She hauls the shocked and mumbling Countess after her, quickly.

//Since Sven hasn't been dispelled and was last hanging around in the stables, would it be possible that he's still wondering around out here?//

[2561642]

He then quietly tells Raimius, "I don't have any magic left right now, so I'm basically defenseless for the next few hours. Just thought you should be aware. If I'd known something like this was going to happen, I wouldn't have rushed into the enchantment."

"Helpless? For [censored] sake, your a man aren't you? Armed too.... oh balls, can you carry Rita?"
Yes, he is being harsh, but this really isn't time to stop and chat much.
Its time to GO.

"Oh, this thing?" He looks down at his katana. "You've clearly never seen me try to use it. I can carry Rita if need be, but I think Sylvi has that under control at the moment."

. "If only smoke didn't look so much like cloud. Luckily, smoke tends to be more reflective, so if we can use the light of those flames and look for a line of slightly brighter patches in the sky, we might just be able to find a smoke trail and figure out where these fireballs are coming from. Or we could just wait for the next one."

From up ahead, at the cross-street, there comes a piercing whistle. That's one of the few noises Pete can make, and it is nearly drowned out by Raimius's harsh guffaw. "Wait here if you must, but we are leaving!"

"Right, sorry - I was overanalyzing. I'll follow you to the boat, let's just hope we're not running into the firing line." Tycho runs after the glinting light of Raimius' sword, as it seems to pierce the smoke rather well. He thinks to himself, "I hope these... attackers can't see that."

[Phaing]

]Sylvi just rolls her eyes and makes a dismissive grunt of irritation. Now was not the time to be making dumb jokes.

That wasn't really such a joke, but we'll get back to that later.

//Since Sven hasn't been dispelled and was last hanging around in the stables, would it be possible that he's still wondering around out here?//

Oh, I think he's had his fill of oats for now, thanks for the reminder.

The doors open and that fellow that bought Raimius's riding horse comes out mounted, and Sven comes out right after him. He shies away from Raimius, of course, and the man himself grunts. "I have to go on ahead anyway, to keep track of Pete. How did he already know where our ship was?"
He moves ahead, sword still held aloft, this time for you to see.

"Oh, this thing?" He looks down at his katana. "You've clearly never seen me try to use it. I can carry Rita if need be, but I think Sylvi has that under control at the moment."

"If you show up without my girls, you'll wish you hadn't!" The last word over his shoulder is; "Unless you can tell me where to find them."
And he plunges ahead, making a path and showing you the way to the right docks. Even with everything going on, the smell of the sea begins to become more noticeable.

Katija bumps into Tycho, and in a very different tone of voice than what she used before on you, she asks; "Mind if we tag along?"
I think I can imagine the look he'd give her, so she adds; "I'll do anything you like, later, just please get us out of here!"
She's actually more attractive when she is not acting like a total wench, and is still hauling Zha-Zha around as if the Countess had turned into a half-blind Zombie.

"Right, sorry - I was overanalyzing. I'll follow you to the boat, let's just hope we're not running into the firing line." Tycho runs after the glinting light of Raimius' sword, as it seems to pierce the smoke rather well. He thinks to himself, "I hope these... attackers can't see that."

Maybe they did ...

Halfway to the Docks, the sword comes down once, twice, and is not a much more red color.
Shadows within shadows move among the crowd, and then the crowd melts away, leaving you with a good look at Raimius from half a block away. You can also see what he is surrounded by....


I am now going to introduce a new species of Kiedran.

This is only for the purpose of this RPG.

Please welcome the Sea Otter, the Giant sort. Ahem.... not the sort you are probably thining of. Otters, everyone likes Otters, so cuddly, so adorable...


Well, that's not what we have here.
Not by a long shot-




I did say Giant, these are more like the kind you would find in the Amazon river, the sort that like to gang up on Crocodiles and beat them stupid... for the fun of it. I t will be hard to tell now, but they are generally about 6-7 feet tall, or about 8 feet or longer if stretched out.
They are dressed briefly, by all rights they should be freezing to death, mist is even rising from their fur as if they are steaming themselves dry somehow.
These will certainly have more fur than what you see here, but the general attitude and expression are about the same -




These guys are very slippery and quick. Only 3 of them have Raimius surrounded, but he can't land a hit on any of them as they dart in and out, jabbing at him with short swords and slender spears. Their chittering laughter isn't making Raimius mad or anything, he's starting to realize that his huge sword could be exactly the wrong weapon for a fight like this.
He does not glance your way, but he does shout in your general direction;
"Go... 'round .... this!"

((I will be in every other day this week, so no rush responding to this. You might even want to conspire a little ))

[The Rookie]

The doors open and that fellow that bought Raimius's riding horse comes out mounted, and Sven comes out right after him. He shies away from Raimius, of course, and the man himself grunts.

"Come here, boy! Come on Sven!" Sylvi calls out to her ghostly pet, trying to beckon him over in all the chaos.

"I have to go on ahead anyway, to keep track of Pete. How did he already know where our ship was?"
He moves ahead, sword still held aloft, this time for you to see.

"We'll follow as soon as we can, don't worry about us." Sylvi says trying to sound reassuring.

As soon as Raimius takes off into the crowd, Sven finally gains the courage to join them.

"Alright, Rita, remember how we talked about riding a horse bareback?" Syvli ask as she lowers Rita to the ground, spins around and hoist her up onto Sven's back. "Just spread your weight out evenly, and never ever let go of his neck. He'll do the rest of the work."

Katija bumps into Tycho, and in a very different tone of voice than what she used before on you, she asks; "Mind if we tag along?"
I think I can imagine the look he'd give her, so she adds; "I'll do anything you like, later, just please get us out of here!"
She's actually more attractive when she is not acting like a total wench, and is still hauling Zha-Zha around as if the Countess had turned into a half-blind Zombie.

Sylvi doesn't hesitate to agree on Tycho's behalf, but leaves the talking to him. Instead, she helps to take Zha's limp body off of Katija's shoulders. "Tycho, help me lift this thing onto Sven."

She aims to toss her over Sven's back like a large bag of grain. "If there's any truth to a felines' sense of balance, now would be the time to use it, cat."

Halfway to the Docks, the sword comes down once, twice, and is not a much more red color.
Shadows within shadows move among the crowd, and then the crowd melts away, leaving you with a good look at Raimius from half a block away. You can also see what he is surrounded by.... Otters!

These guys are very slippery and quick. Only 3 of them have Raimius surrounded, but he can't land a hit on any of them as they dart in and out, jabbing at him with short swords and slender spears. Their chittering laughter isn't making Raimius mad or anything, he's starting to realize that his huge sword could be exactly the wrong weapon for a fight like this.

//Reminder, he still has Sylvi's spear.//

He does not glance your way, but he does shout in your general direction;
"Go... 'round .... this!"

Assuming that Rita and Zha are now safely on Sven. "Rita, close your eyes. Don't open them until you're below deck, ok?" Sylvi begs, cupping Rita's cheeks in her hand and placing a Kiss on her forehead.

"Tycho! The Proteus, red rails, Oceanside quay. Get them there and keep them safe." and with that she takes a final glance at Rita before spiriting headlong into the fight, without a single weapon on her person.

[Phaing]

]//Reminder, he still has Sylvi's spear.//

((( Whoa, whoa .... what?

I don't see how, amI getting cornered by a glitch here?

I see now, I got in a hurry and didn't post a hand-back. Well, since it is physically impossible for him to be doing what he has been doing with a spear in his hand as well as a two-handed sword, I will properly chastise the player of that Char and remind him that these Gotchas can't be allowed to ruin a good story.

I will now have to figure out some way to make that guy look like a doofus later on, just to make sure he gets the lesson.

Sylvi had one or both hands free as Rita was smart enough to hook her heels into Sylvi's belt, that's about the only way it could be possible to carry her anyway.

I am clearly moving ahead too fast, again. I'll slow this down to a blow-by-blow sort of thing. My bad, sorry.)))

[2561642]

"Thank you, Tycho." Sylvi says as she shifts Rita's weight around to free up one of her arms to take the bead and place it in a pocket. "Could you define 'Break'?" Sylvi ask puzzled unsure if the entire bead was in jeopardy. "What sort of limitations should I expect if I use it? Can I use a normal spell with out tapping into the link enchantments, or is the enchantment active, but I can't manipulate the mana for any other purpose? What's safe to do?"

"The connection may be unstable, or it may draw slightly more energy than it should, or it may release magical energy in a rapid catastrophic cascade failure - essentially a pure magic explosion."

[[Assuming Sylvi reacts surprised]]
"Don't look at me like that! The explosion would just be a bright flash of harmless light with how low-power that enchantment is. All of those problems will disappear within a week on their own, anyway. I can speed up that process to a couple of hours once we get on the boat, but I'd hold off on using the enchantment for now. The spear's spells would be unaffected."

[[Missed this the first time, sorry. Assume it happens before Raimius gets surrounded]]

"Oh, this thing?" He looks down at his katana. "You've clearly never seen me try to use it. I can carry Rita if need be, but I think Sylvi has that under control at the moment."

"If you show up without my girls, you'll wish you hadn't!" The last word over his shoulder is; "Unless you can tell me where to find them."
And he plunges ahead, making a path and showing you the way to the right docks. Even with everything going on, the smell of the sea begins to become more noticeable.

Katija bumps into Tycho, and in a very different tone of voice than what she used before on you, she asks; "Mind if we tag along?"
I think I can imagine the look he'd give her, so she adds; "I'll do anything you like, later, just please get us out of here!"
She's actually more attractive when she is not acting like a total wench, and is still hauling Zha-Zha around as if the Countess had turned into a half-blind Zombie.

Because of his mask and eye guard, Tycho's face is completely hidden. He sighs, and says, "Look, if you want to tag along, that's fine - but don't blame me if Marko or Sylvi decide to throw your..." his head turns towards Zha-Zha, "...luggage overboard. I highly doubt that it's worth as much as you seem to be willing to risk for it. "

"Tycho, help me lift this thing onto Sven."

He sighs again. "Sure." He does what he can to keep her balanced on Sven's back.

Assuming that Rita and Zha are now safely on Sven. "Rita, close your eyes. Don't open them until you're below deck, ok?" Sylvi begs, cupping Rita's cheeks in her hand and placing a Kiss on her forehead.

"Tycho! The Proteus, red rails, Oceanside quay. Get them there and keep them safe." and with that she takes a final glance at Rita before spiriting headlong into the fight, without a single weapon on her person.

"Alright, I'll-...." he looks back to see Sylvi running headlong into the fighting, unarmed. "Well then. Katija, you heard her. Run. In the other direction. I'll be right behind you."

He puts one arm around Rita's back and the other on Sven's chest as he slowly walks Sven towards the docks trying to avoid the fight that has Raimius preoccupied. Once Sven has enough momentum, he starts speeding up. Soon, Tycho and Sven are both running side by side towards the Proteus. He stays close to keep Zha-Zha and Rita from falling off. [[Unless Sven just refuses to move,in which case Tycho will try to figure something else out.]]

After slowing Sven down near the Proteus, he looks around to see if Katija made it ahead of him.

[Phaing]

((I have to go dark for about 48 hours, have to go into the mountains at exactly the time when the weather is turning to crap, woudn't you just know it?
I'll be back Friday!))

[Phaing]

...
"Tycho! The Proteus, red rails, Oceanside quay. Get them there and keep them safe." and with that she takes a final glance at Rita before spiriting headlong into the fight, without a single weapon on her person.

(Okay, a storyteller is nothing if not adaptable, right? )

Raimius has lost his hold on your spear, probably as soon as the fight started, Sylvi can see it there laying at the edge of the fighting, at the end that you are approaching. There are a couple of other Otters approaching, but they are about 100 feet away.

Two things happen at the same time-

1; one of the trio of Otters attacking Raimius leaves the fight. Sylvi may not have even known she was spotted, but he leaps over just as she nears the spear, and steps on it. Sneering, he starts to say; "What do you think you -" And then he squints at you. <"A Doggie, what in the nine Hells are you doing here?!">

2; He has his back turned to this- one of the Otters scores a hit on the back of Raimius's thigh, and he lets out a yell so it must have been a bad one. In response, he turns and tosses his sword to the Otter that did that. The Otter stupidly drops his own weapons and catches the finely wrought old relic. The other Otter still fighting yips angrily at the young fool... until Raimius throws a weighted garrote that wraps around his throat.
Raimius then draws daggers and attacks the Otter with his sword, but he is hobbled by his leg injury and the young Otter/Pirate manages to fend off the first rush. He backs away, looking a little desperate, and the sword starts to ripple with a blue-green energy...

He puts one arm around Rita's back and the other on Sven's chest as he slowly walks Sven towards the docks trying to avoid the fight that has Raimius preoccupied. Once Sven has enough momentum, he starts speeding up. Soon, Tycho and Sven are both running side by side towards the Proteus. He stays close to keep Zha-Zha and Rita from falling off. [[Unless Sven just refuses to move,in which case Tycho will try to figure something else out.]]

After slowing Sven down near the Proteus, he looks around to see if Katija made it ahead of him.

I don't think you will have much problem getting Sven to move, holding him back might be more of an issue (Rookie?).

Now, when you get there, the ship is not hard to find, but there is a problem;
Katija even says "No... this isn't right!"
Your ship is half tied to the dock, and half swinging away into the water. One sail has been raised, another is on fire, and there are a dozen Otters on board that are doing all they can to interfear with the crew struggling to make a hasty exit.
The ship might have left already, had it not been for the Otters attacking it.

now, Tycho being the kind of fellow that he is, I need to provide another option. No insult intended, but he seems to be the sort that would look around for another option.
Not sure how you would deal with it, but here it is;

That big Church collapses in on itself, shedding more light on the situation as it's flaming interior is revealed.
There is a long wooden pier nearby, not flimsy but far less substantial that the ones that the ships are moored to. Otters are there, starting to carry some large coffin-like boxes. These must be important, the Otters passed right by you without bothering with you at all.
Now, that flash of light illuminates the pier, and something else that makes the Otters hesitate.
Out of the mists comes a warship, a very big one. It has banks of oars as well as a full spread of sails, and it is coming at the pier head-on.

(the ship- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleass# ... _voile.jpg)


First, it strikes something in the water, something you could barely see and would not have even noticed otherwise; it was mostly submerged. There is a great, hollow booming sound, the ship is lifted a little out of the water, and you can see something dark and about the size of a whale being crunched and rolled fully under the waves. It probably wasn't an actual whale, what little you saw of it made it seem too rigid, somehow.

That deadly ship does not stop, The oars just keep churning, and now the ship careens straight into the end of the pier, and down it. The thing folds up like an accordion and a few Otters are crunched up with it. The remainder flee, dropping those boxes as they go. One breaks open nearby, and golden icons and silverware come spilling out.
Zha-Zha has started to recover, she raises her head, sees this and starts to laugh a little hysterically.
"<All this... for a heist?>"
She starts to wriggle on Svens's back, reaching for the loot.

There is fire coming from that ship now, and the shouts and orders to fire sound like the Human tongue. For some reason, they have tied something flammable to the yard-long shafts that their Ballistae are firing at the Otters. They make a weird burring sound as they pass by, and they appear to be firing at anyone or anything trying to get away from them.
Meaning, you and the Proteus are the only things they are not targeting, yet.
The prow of that ship is now so close that you have to look up at it, but it has slowed down a great deal and can't threaten the stone pavement you are standing on ATM.

A fleeing Otter blows a whistle, which is answered by others from other parts of town.


(( well.... that went on for a bit, didn't it? I wanted to make up for a slow week, but this took on a life of it's own. You don't have to respond right away, but I will be back to look in on this every day))

[The Rookie]

1; one of the trio of Otters attacking Raimius leaves the fight. Sylvi may not have even known she was spotted, but he leaps over just as she nears the spear, and steps on it. Sneering, he starts to say; "What do you think you -" And then he squints at you. <"A Doggie, what in the nine Hells are you doing here?!">

"<Reclaiming what's mine!>" Sylvi barks out as she draws a crystal from her pouch and goes to cast cone of cold, similar to what she'd done when fighting the ferals.

However, that's when she hears Raimius scream in pain and she can smell blood in the air. Raimius' blood.

There's a frightening change that comes over the she wolf, at first she seems afraid, looking over to were the wounded Raimius continued to struggle against his attackers with a sense of helplessness; then came the anger.

The hand that was held out stretched to cast the spell balls into a mighty fist, crushing the mana stone into a dozen shards with ease. Then comes the snarling... The sound that echoed from her soul was cruel, savage and bestial. It's hard to imagine the creature uttering them had ever formed a gentle word in her life.

The otter only has a moment to realise what's happened as Sylvi charges towards him on all fours, covering the distance in a heart beat. Should he fail to stop her from closing the gap, Sylvi grips a hold of the arm holding the Otter's weapon and with all her might pulls the creature off his feet and attempts to throw him down against the cold hard ground.

I don't think you will have much problem getting Sven to move, holding him back might be more of an issue (Rookie?).

((None what so ever. He'll try and stay close to Tycho, but if anything endangers Rita or Zha he may bolt off in order to keep them safe.))

[2561642]

Now, when you get there, the ship is not hard to find, but there is a problem;
Katija even says "No... this isn't right!"
Your ship is half tied to the dock, and half swinging away into the water. One sail has been raised, another is on fire, and there are a dozen Otters on board that are doing all they can to interfear with the crew struggling to make a hasty exit.
The ship might have left already, had it not been for the Otters attacking it.

Tycho stares speechless at the scene for a second. "Huh. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, if they're attacking the whole town, why wouldn't they attack the docks as well. It looks like the Proteus is out of the question - they'll either leave without us or sink trying."

now, Tycho being the kind of fellow that he is, I need to provide another option. No insult intended, but he seems to be the sort that would look around for another option.
Not sure how you would deal with it, but here it is;

That big Church collapses in on itself, shedding more light on the situation as it's flaming interior is revealed.
There is a long wooden pier nearby, not flimsy but far less substantial that the ones that the ships are moored to. Otters are there, starting to carry some large coffin-like boxes. These must be important, the Otters passed right by you without bothering with you at all.

"Whoa!" Groups of Otters passing so close startles Tycho. They seem to be ignoring him, however, which he does not mind in the slightest. "Okay, they seem to not care about our presence, so I think we're out of immediate danger. We still need to find a way out of this-...."

Now, that flash of light illuminates the pier, and something else that makes the Otters hesitate.
Out of the mists comes a warship, a very big one. It has banks of oars as well as a full spread of sails, and it is coming at the pier head-on.

(the ship- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galleass# ... _voile.jpg)

"Well, would you look at that. Another boat! And it's just about the only thing here that's not on fire. I hope they're on our side...." Tycho is very much doubting that Rita's eyes have been closed this whole time, but he doesn't check.

First, it strikes something in the water, something you could barely see and would not have even noticed otherwise; it was mostly submerged. There is a great, hollow booming sound, the ship is lifted a little out of the water, and you can see something dark and about the size of a whale being crunched and rolled fully under the waves. It probably wasn't an actual whale, what little you saw of it made it seem too rigid, somehow.

"Is that a...? What the [CENSORED] is that!?" He starts thinking out loud. "It definitely wasn't a sandbar... I wonder if it has something to do with how these Otters planned to escape with their... whatever they've put in those boxes."

Zha-Zha has started to recover, she raises her head, sees this and starts to laugh a little hysterically.
"<All this... for a heist?>"
She starts to wriggle on Svens's back, reaching for the loot.

Tycho sees this, and says, "I wouldn't advise that, you don't know if they'll come back, or you could get hit by those flaming...." He trails of, and you can hear the muffled sound of metal hitting metal as he buries his face in his palms. "You know what? Do it. Katija might care enough to try and stop you. I don't."

There is fire coming from that ship now, and the shouts and orders to fire sound like the Human tongue. For some reason, they have tied something flammable to the yard-long shafts that their Ballistae are firing at the Otters. They make a weird burring sound as they pass by, and they appear to be firing at anyone or anything trying to get away from them.
Meaning, you and the Proteus are the only things they are not targeting, yet.
The prow of that ship is now so close that you have to look up at it, but it has slowed down a great deal and can't threaten the stone pavement you are standing on ATM.

A fleeing Otter blows a whistle, which is answered by others from other parts of town.

"We need to get out of here now. HEY! DOWN HERE!" Tycho yells up towards the Proteus, trying to get the crew's attention. "We either keep the Proteus here until Sylvi and Marko get back, or we can try to get on board this warship. I don't like the second option, because I doubt the crew of the warship will be too welcoming, and I don't want to be conscripted. So, let's get to the Proteus." He then starts to guide Sven in the direction to board the Proteus, whether Zha-Zha is still on board or not.

[Phaing]

The otter only has a moment to realise what's happened as Sylvi charges towards him on all fours, covering the distance in a heart beat. Should he fail to stop her from closing the gap, Sylvi grips a hold of the arm holding the Otter's weapon and with all her might pulls the creature off his feet and attempts to throw him down against the cold hard ground.

The Pirate/Otter sees his doom coming down on him, and attempts to side-step it... but this time the Otter isn't nearly quick enough. This actually helps Sylvi; all she has to do is grab hold and use her own momentum to swing him around and dash him to the pavement. He lays there like, well.... just like a
No way to tell if he's dead or not, and likely we will never know.

There is no time to think of that, however. The two Otters that were too far away to stop you are shocked by what they just saw, and don't approach any closer. Sylvi's way would be clear, were it not for a blask shadow that suddenly appears between you and Raimius (who is still having trouble with the Otter that has his sword).

This freakish apparition appears to be a flurry of black feathers for a second.... but no, those are rags, bundled together to form a cloak. The last time you saw this cloak it was covered with mud.
Yes, it is your old acquaintance, 'Friend', and this time he looks furious. He is holding a glass dagger in one hand, and would have a clear shot at Raimius's back... but he is aware that you are coming and pulls another weapon with his other hand and tries to block your approach with it. It is another dagger, in part. The nasty part is a full length knuckle-guard with spikes, and a longer forked spike angled straight down.
"You dare not!" He hisses at you, and if it weren't for the way Sylvi's blood is up, it might actually have made her hesitate.
... but, not today.

And Sylvi's foot came down on something in the snow; her spear.

"Whoa!" Groups of Otters passing so close startles Tycho. They seem to be ignoring him, however, which he does not mind in the slightest. "Okay, they seem to not care about our presence, so I think we're out of immediate danger. We still need to find a way out of this-...."

Zha-Zha giggles in her dazed way. "Its as if they don't recognize us... socially, I mean."

"Well, would you look at that. Another boat! And it's just about the only thing here that's not on fire. I hope they're on our side...." Tycho is very much doubting that Rita's eyes have been closed this whole time, but he doesn't check.

Oh, nobody would have been able to keep their eyes closed with all that noise and the exclamations from everyone.
"The Duke?"
She is looking at the warship, specifically the pennants flying from the masts.

Tycho sees this, and says, "I wouldn't advise that, you don't know if they'll come back, or you could get hit by those flaming...." He trails of, and you can hear the muffled sound of metal hitting metal as he buries his face in his palms. "You know what? Do it. Katija might care enough to try and stop you. I don't."

Katija is a little confused, shaking her head and saying "This isn't supposed to be... I can't see this!"
And so Zha-Zha slips away and starts to pick through the discarded treasures. She is moving on all fours and unmistakably Keidran even in the low light, just from the way she moves.

"We need to get out of here now. HEY! DOWN HERE!" Tycho yells up towards the Proteus, trying to get the crew's attention. "We either keep the Proteus here until Sylvi and Marko get back, or we can try to get on board this warship. I don't like the second option, because I doubt the crew of the warship will be too welcoming, and I don't want to be conscripted. So, let's get to the Proteus."

Okay, decision made!

"Then HELP US!" is the answer you get.
They are having a hard time over there; it has gone from plunder to the Otter's best option for escape now. A pair of them come leaping up out of the water, as if they were corks held under the surface and suddenly released. It isn't the ship they are going for, it is the quay you are standing on, near the last line holding the ship in place. That is a very thick rope, it may take them some time to cut it... unless that ax is sharper than it looks!

"Go!"
Rita hinkers down behind Sven's neck, as if she is going to ride in with you. But no, Katija is having none of it and snatches her from the magical animals back and bears her down to the pavement, covering her with her own body.
"Now you can go!"

[The Rookie]

The Pirate/Otter sees his doom coming down on him, and attempts to side-step it... but this time the Otter isn't nearly quick enough. This actually helps Sylvi; all she has to do is grab hold and use her own momentum to swing him around and dash him to the pavement. He lays there like, well.... just like a
No way to tell if he's dead or not, and likely we will never know.

Any chance of survival is extinguished when Sylvi leaps upon the dead of injured creature’s body as soon as it hits the floor. She forces her strong canine jaws around the Otter’s throat, her eyes locked on the remaining pirates as she bites down until the sound of crushing cartridge and gargling blood fills the ears of all those surrounding her; utterly destroying the poor creature’s windpipe.

This version of Sylvi seems to have no qualms with harming others. Frighteningly, she seems to enjoy it.

Sylvi releases the contents of her mouth once she was certain her victim was dead, allowing the otter’s remains to fall to the ground lifelessly. The White fur surrounding her mouth dyed crimson and tattered with spots of blood.

Sylvi rises from her crouched position over the corpse and begins to move in towards the otter caught choking on the garrote wire; a hungry look in her otherwise cruel expressionless eyes.

There is no time to think of that, however. The two Otters that were too far away to stop you are shocked by what they just saw, and don't approach any closer. Sylvi's way would be clear, were it not for a blask shadow that suddenly appears between you and Raimius (who is still having trouble with the Otter that has his sword).

This freakish apparition appears to be a flurry of black feathers for a second.... but no, those are rags, bundled together to form a cloak. The last time you saw this cloak it was covered with mud.
Yes, it is your old acquaintance, 'Friend', and this time he looks furious. He is holding a glass dagger in one hand, and would have a clear shot at Raimius's back... but he is aware that you are coming and pulls another weapon with his other hand and tries to block your approach with it. It is another dagger, in part. The nasty part is a full length knuckle-guard with spikes, and a longer forked spike angled straight down.
"You dare not!" He hisses at you, and if it weren't for the way Sylvi's blood is up, it might actually have made her hesitate.
... but, not today.

Sylvi leaps back at the sudden introduction of the dark mage, but once she sees he’s just a man she regains her nerve. She lets out a harsh barking sound, as either a threat to the mage or a warning to Raimius; at this point it’s hard to tell which.

And Sylvi's foot came down on something in the snow; her spear.

In her current state, Sylvi ignores her spear entirely, seemly because she doesn’t understand its purpose. Instead she closes the gaps between the mage and herself armed with nothing but her fangs and claws, which are more than lethal in their own right; especially with her boosted strength and agility.

Sylvi doesn’t engadge the cloaked figure head on. Instead she hangs around just outside of his striking range, letting him damn well know the second he tries to harm Raimius she’ll tear him to shreds. Should he try to turn to strike Raimius, Sylvi will attempt to grab which ever arm he attempts to strike with in her jaws in an attempt to cripple him. If he turns around entirely with his back to her she’ll dive on top of him, shove him face first into the ground and try to tear out his throat; her hands pushing down on the back of his arms to try and prevent him from reaching up and stabbing her anywhere vital.

[2561642]

"Well, would you look at that. Another boat! And it's just about the only thing here that's not on fire. I hope they're on our side...." Tycho is very much doubting that Rita's eyes have been closed this whole time, but he doesn't check.

Oh, nobody would have been able to keep their eyes closed with all that noise and the exclamations from everyone.
"The Duke?"
She is looking at the warship, specifically the pennants flying from the masts.

"Duke? What duke?" If he's someone Rita knows, then Tycho reasons that there's a good chance he's someone the Templar know - and that definitely rules out working with him.

Tycho sees this, and says, "I wouldn't advise that, you don't know if they'll come back, or you could get hit by those flaming...." He trails of, and you can hear the muffled sound of metal hitting metal as he buries his face in his palms. "You know what? Do it. Katija might care enough to try and stop you. I don't."

Katija is a little confused, shaking her head and saying "This isn't supposed to be... I can't see this!"
And so Zha-Zha slips away and starts to pick through the discarded treasures. She is moving on all fours and unmistakably Keidran even in the low light, just from the way she moves.

"What do you mean you can't 'see' this? You haven't gone blind in the last thirty seconds, have you?"

He is not paying much attention to what Zha-Zha is doing right now.

"We need to get out of here now. HEY! DOWN HERE!" Tycho yells up towards the Proteus, trying to get the crew's attention. "We either keep the Proteus here until Sylvi and Marko get back, or we can try to get on board this warship. I don't like the second option, because I doubt the crew of the warship will be too welcoming, and I don't want to be conscripted. So, let's get to the Proteus."

Okay, decision made!

"Then HELP US!" is the answer you get.
They are having a hard time over there; it has gone from plunder to the Otter's best option for escape now. A pair of them come leaping up out of the water, as if they were corks held under the surface and suddenly released. It isn't the ship they are going for, it is the quay you are standing on, near the last line holding the ship in place. That is a very thick rope, it may take them some time to cut it... unless that ax is sharper than it looks!

"Go!"
Rita hinkers down behind Sven's neck, as if she is going to ride in with you. But no, Katija is having none of it and snatches her from the magical animals back and bears her down to the pavement, covering her with her own body.
"Now you can go!"

"I'll signal when it's clear," he says, just before drawing his sword and turning towards the Otters targeting the rope. It shakes slightly in his hands as he slowly walks forward.

He yells up to the Proteus deck, "If anyone here has a mana stone handy, I'd be a lot better help to you! If not..." Tycho briefly contemplates the scene of his gruesome death at the hands... at the claws of these things, and his katana starts shaking a bit more.

He stops about halfway there. These must be some sort of keidran... maybe they speak the language. Can he reason with them, or at least slow them down? It's better than running headlong into them and getting ripped to shreds, he figures. If this fails, at least they'll come to him to do it.

He sheathes his trembling sword. It's stalling time. <"Uh... hey there! Are you sure you want to cut that? I mean, how will you get on board once the line breaks? Untying is one thing, but a line under that much tension is going to snap back much faster if cut than even your reflexes can deal with. And what's to stop your friends up on the deck from cutting you lose to get a bigger share of the loot?">

He points at the axe. <"And that thing? For cutting rope? It's not even serrated! You'd have a better time trying to cut a ..."> He wonders what analogies these keidran might understand. <"... a fish with another fish! Look, I have a better idea. Why not just untie it? That way, you can even use it again, and it'll be easier to hold on to, and it won't whip back violently! I could even show you how!"> He can't actually show them how.

[Phaing]

He sheathes his trembling sword. It's stalling time. <"Uh... hey there! Are you sure you want to cut that? I mean, how will you get on board once the line breaks? Untying is one thing, but a line under that much tension is going to snap back much faster if cut than even your reflexes can deal with. And what's to stop your friends up on the deck from cutting you lose to get a bigger share of the loot?">

He points at the axe. <"And that thing? For cutting rope? It's not even serrated! You'd have a better time trying to cut a ..."> He wonders what analogies these keidran might understand. <"... a fish with another fish! Look, I have a better idea. Why not just untie it? That way, you can even ---

Well... I will give the people seeing and hearing this the same I would have; blank astonishment, and the rolls tell me it lasts for more than just a brief moment.

I stopped it at the point where one of the Otters lunges at you, holding his spear like its a lance instead of throwing it at Tycho.
His mistake, Sven charges and even the Otter's fluid grace can't dodge this attack.
BAM, and the Otter is launched off the pavement, across the water and into the hull of the ship... and a slow slide into the icy water.

For just a second it looks as if one of the Humans is coming to help you, but this body lands on the pavement with a boneless thud. Following closely is the Otter that killed him, landing on all fours and moving like greased lightning with a dagger in his teeth (single-edged, of course!). He passes under Sven, but instead of gutting the Goat, he keeps coming, straight at Tycho!
He may mean to grapple before going for his knife, but you have only a heartbeat to decide what to do about this guy.

Sven has to choose between this one, or the Otter chopping through the rope.

Sylvi doesn’t engadge the cloaked figure head on. Instead she hangs around just outside of his striking range, letting him damn well know the second he tries to harm Raimius she’ll tear him to shreds. Should he try to turn to strike Raimius, Sylvi will attempt to grab which ever arm he attempts to strike with in her jaws in an attempt to cripple him. If he turns around entirely with his back to her she’ll dive on top of him, shove him face first into the ground and try to tear out his throat; her hands pushing down on the back of his arms to try and prevent him from reaching up and stabbing her anywhere vital.

That is actually a good tact to take here... 'Freind' is not afraid of her.
Odd, not that Sylvi seems to be in a state to give much thought to that, but this guy is willing to go toe-to-toe with an apparently Feral Keidran. Perhaps not totally willing, he is furious about the distraction she represents, he keeps glancing back over his shoulder at Raimius. He can't do that very often, and he misses it when Raimius leaps in and wrests his sword from the surprised Otter's hands.
The Otter may not have known that the first third of the blade isn't sharpened. Raimius bashes him across the head with the handle just before the other two Otters join the fight.
THESE guys are wary of Sylvi, and would rather take on the wounded swordsman.

Raimius does not face them first, he launches a back-hand swipe at the Mage, who does see this coming and parries it while trying to hold Sylvi off at the same time. He actually succeeds at both... he's good, but also a little dumb. he parried it with the glass dagger, which shatters and spills out all the poison that was inside the hollow blade.
Um... oops.
He is twice as mad now, and attempts to finish off Sylvi with a series of punching attacks. (the rolls are not good, but he does manage to get a hit with the busted dagger's pommel, treat it as a hit from Brass knuckles)

Raimius is holding off the other two, they are fresh but they are definitely not part of the "A-team", as far as fighting ability goes.

{whew! Small reply to huge posts, but the best I can do right now. TY for being patient!}

[The Rookie]

THESE guys are wary of Sylvi, and would rather take on the wounded swordsman.

//As they should be //

He is twice as mad now, and attempts to finish off Sylvi with a series of punching attacks. (the rolls are not good, but he does manage to get a hit with the busted dagger's pommel, treat it as a hit from Brass knuckles)

Sylvi takes the various punches in her stride. The softer blows while painful, aren't leaving any lasting damage; the blow from the pommel on the other hand leaves a lasting mark above her eyebrow, splitting the skin and possibly cracking the bone.

Sylvi recoils in pain for a moment, her hand pressed to the wounded area, blood already starting to seep through her fur and run down her eye. Enraged, Sylvi lunges at her attacker, swinging wildly with her claws, truly going berserk. Try all he'd like to fight back, Sylvi attempts to over power her foe through brute strength along. Backing him into a wall or forcing him loose his footing on the terrain would be ideal.

Minor wounds from his defensive posture (Slices to her hands and forearms) will only serve to enraged her further, and the second she can grab a hold of an exposed limb she'll attempt to tear it off, through teeth or strength which ever is more appropriate at the time.

Raimius is holding off the other two, they are fresh but they are definitely not part of the "A-team", as far as fighting ability goes.

Even if she stuggels to kill the mage, she's still keeping him busy for Ramiuis to deal with his own issues. Hopefully, he'll be able to deal with the otters on his own.