Standing on a small dock the young woman sat negotiating with the seedy looking ship captain.   The sounds of the Large Trollkin singing to the beat of the work as he an Ogrun and a brooding human loaded heavy crates and supplies onto the ship for its crew to disperse.  As the laborers worked a smallish young woman sat off to the side appearing to inventory items with an older man.  Sitting back overseeing negotiations was another woman that could not shake the obvious air of military training from her persona.  Try as she might. 

The captain obviously dragging things out enjoying the company of the two, quite beautiful lades, continued in his shifty raspy voice, “look I’m not saying it’s not a fair price, but the waters get more dangerous everyday if you catch my drift… gonna require more if you want this stuff transferred with any, uh, incident.”  Quite unable to refrain from staring at the young woman’s bosom the man seemed to think he was quite smart indeed.  Playing along with him the young woman toyed with him a little putting her hand on his chest, “Surely a man of your station can help us in our time of need…”

As their negotiations went on a motley group of pirates approached as if to board the ship, these men obviously not what they appeared to be.  Moving with the assurance of experienced warriors they gathered at the gangplank blocking further attempts for the laborers to finish loading their wares on the ship. They moved confidently making a display of their strength with a thuggish attitude.  The men outnumbering them easily carried an air of malice about them as one of them spoke up to the female Ogrun, “Got some work to do here, but when were done bring yer little human friend and we’ll show you a good time.  That is, when were done with those two,” he said nodding towards the captain.  As he did so the group of men as one drew various weapons and a few pistols leveling them at the two ladies.  Shrugging apologetically the Captain feigned apology to the woman, “Terribly sorry for the inconvenience but we’ll be taking the load where we please.” Eyeing the young Lealese girls figure again, “methinks you’ll come with us lass, for some, heh, entertainment for our voyage.” 

 

Feigning shock Glacia played her part to the fullest to sell these ruffians of their ruse.  This at the moment seemed to be working.  They needed to draw out the captain’s muscle if they hoped to shut down his operation and fulfill their contract.  Stepping up for the first time Evelyn spoke up in a cool confident voice, “You know captain; you’ve had a pretty good operation running here.  But I’m afraid we’re not counting on you to pay us.” In one swift motion she drew he pistol and leveled it right at the captain of the ship.  Everything seemed to slow down as older man pulled a small device from under his cloak and flipped a switch.  Gregor and Cloe had worked very closely on the crates preparing a combination of Gregor’s Mechanika and Cloe’s alchemy to create a proper diversion… and a way to disable the captain’s sloop.  The alchemical compounds exploded the crates on the ship splintering with alchemical fire quickly consuming the upper deck and midsection of the ship, the blast nearly knocking Gregor from his feet.   Glancing over at Cloe, Gregor raised an eyebrow, “used a little bit extra eh?” Cloe smiling girlishly giggled her excitement as she pulled a smoke grenade from her pouch and rolled it towards the so called pirates.  Runes appeared around Gregor’s hands setting some protective magic over him and Cloe as they ducked to find cover.

The pirates recovered more quickly than expected as they in unison went after their new threats.  Firing shots at the Gregor and Cloe as the two ducked behind crates.  The Large Trollkin Banak rushed the middle of the group with his massive frame, grabbing a piece of wood lying next to him and opening with a soft Battle hymn under his breath.  His rush surprised them as he Cracked one of them on the side of the head with his makeshift club dropping him without a second though, then turning punch another in the face sending teeth flying and flattening the man’s nose.  A few of the thugs responding to the newest threat stabbed him scoring a few blows blood flowing freely down his side.  The Ogrun Sinai was right behind him their fight brutally coordinated as she open hand slapped the closest one of them so hard he was knocked from him feet his head bouncing on the planks of the dock.  As a swordsman slashed at Banak, Sinai simply grabbed the man lifting him high over her head and flinging him like a ragdoll at the burning ship.  As a few of the remaining fighters encircled the two pugilists one of them stabbing straight at Sinai’s side a flash of steel intercepting the blow, sliding in on his knees Cassem proved again why they called him “The Blitz” as his dance of death began.  Intercepting yet another stab at Banak, he twisted gracefully past the attack settling his own blade into the man’s armpit burying it deep enough to puncture the man’s lung.  Dipping and rolling he grabbed the next man by the back of his hair yanking him backwards while slicing the man’s throat. He then reached out to Sinai’s who pulled him around her increasing his speed sending him into the last man unprepared for the speed of Cassem’s approach. Cassum gracefully landing on the man’s chest driving him to the ground with the force of the impact pushed his sword through the man’s chest pinning him to the decking and finishing the last of the thugs near them.

Two of the captain’s thugs approached Glacia though she calmly sidestepped the Captain deftly slashing at the approaching thugs catching the first one across his ribs forcing him to back away off balance.  Feinting high she trusted at the second man forcing him to roll down away from her attack only to find the sharpened heel of her boot meeting his forehead.   Before Glacia could finish the first thug the familiar pop from Evelyn’s magelock sent him out into the water with the augmented force of her enhanced runeshot.  Seeing things unfolding much too quickly the captain slapped Evelyn’s gun away and began to run up the dock motioning to two more of what appeared to be his men that we back and up the dock.  As Evelyn reset herself she quickly summoned her own power and put two quick shots into the captain’s back flinging him forward to lay motionless on the dock.  Looking up at the two newest threats Evelyn saw runes appearing around their hands as blasts of lighting erupted towards her one of them catching her in the chest and bouncing to Glacia sending electrical pulses painfully through them.   The second blast would have hit them as well but it was intercepted by Cassem, somehow seeming to fly over them to land somewhat ungracefully in front of them in a roll hitting hard as his shoulder bounced off the ground, while his stormknight armor wasn’t on to fully protect him from the blast his training still allowed him to absorb that sort of attack better than the rest of the group.  The flying thing was new though, she wondered briefly before realizing both Sinai and Banak must have assisted him in his new skill.

The Sorcerers Bearing down on the group preparing more lighting blasts seemed confused at the sound of thunder being created from their blasts.  As one they turned as a slender blond-haired horseman rode quickly to them, bouncing off his saddle one hand grasping his pommel he bounced his feet off the ground propelling him over his mount slashing precisely cutting the throat of the first sorcerer cleanly.  Swinging wide around his mount holding on to it with his legs he sheathed his weapon cleanly grabbing the second sorcerer by the hair pulling the poor man along until he slowed as he approached Evelyn.  Brashly he unceremoniously dropped the sorcerer hard to the ground at her feet, “Figured you’d want to talk to at least one of them.  I mean, do we really have such a hard time not killing them all.”

 Nodding at his arrival Evelyn couldn’t help the comment, “Decided to finally join the fun eh?” she intoned to Garrett, laughing a little bit.  “I love it when a plan comes together, Stone Blades, let’s go get paid”