• Graded • The Wolf, The Dog, And The Pup

[Darius Baer]

The man in the crow's nest was the first sailor aboard the Libertalia to catch sight of Breachfang. The brig was taller than the sloops and longboats, and with the young Scalvorian having such a strong vantage point over the surrounding waters, he was able to spot the dark shape beneath the surface as it moved and appeared to grow larger.

But the sea wolf's approach took it beneath the hull of the ship and out of sight until it leaped out and snatched away a chum bucket of bait in the process. One of its flippers loudly slapped the side of the brig, and the noise reverberated across the deck.

"U'frek's piss, that was close!" Darius yelled as water from the sea wolf's wake splashed over the side.

The blond mariner watched the beast come back down into the water, almost colliding with Jundland's longboat.

"That man is a maniac," he growled under his breath at the sight of Jundland swinging his blade at Breachfang. "He's going to get himself killed!"

And Jundland very almost did just that, as their quarry landed on the man's longboat and almost swamped it.

Fortunately, the crew were able to keep it upright, and Breachfang was soon back in the water. The surface of the ocean was churning in the fierce creature's wake, and as the longboat rocked with the swell and its sailors regained their composure, Darius soon had his attention pulled towards the stern of his ship, from where he could see Rorom's sloop.

The sea wolf had breached once more, scraping along the hull of the sloop and almost claiming Rorom's spear.

Darius cursed at the sight, and Astra caught his gaze.

"We need to get over there and distract the beast," she urged him.

"Aye," he said, before he yelled out to the crew. "Get ready to tack!"

Again, Astra pointed towards their intended heading as the other crew members scrambled to ready themselves. There was only one safe direction to turn: starboard. Jundland's longboat was immediately on their port side, and if they were to collide, the Libertalia would make short work of the smaller vessel.

"Tack ho!" came the call, and the brig swung to starboard, its bow passing through the wind and the waves until they were moving towards Rorom's sloop. "Ready the bargepoles!"

Darius pointed to a pair of sailors who grabbed a bargepole each. If the beast leaped upwards, they were to swing wildly at it, for any distraction would surely help. But they were under strict instructions to not lean over the side, and that if the sea wolf bit at the barge poles in the way that it had grabbed for Rorom's spear, they were to let go immediately. Barge poles were much easier to replace than sailors.

Breachfang was unquestionably angry. But it was not anger that had brought it to the surface. Hunger was what had lured it into the bay, and the Libertalia still carried chum buckets to entice it and distract it from its fight. And with that thought in mind, Darius and his crew approached Rorom's sloop and where the sea wolf had last been seen.

It was time to hunt the hunter.

[Rorom]

Show me your teeth...

Rorom narrowed his eyes as he saw the Libertalia turn on its prow to cut off Breachfang's passage, or... Well Rorom wasn't sure exactly what Darius' plan was. But he trusted the man had an idea what he was about. Rorom was swift to call to his men and tell them to adjust their path so they wouldn't collide with Darius' vessel.

They'd make serpentine motions through the water, trying to keep some space between themselves and the Libertalia, without leaving the general area that Breachfang was haunting at the moment. Rorom held out his hand, "Harpoons! My harpoons. I trust you've got the cables tied securely?"

"Aye captain." Said the Harvardeen lad, and Rorom nodded to him as the harpoon's shaft was slipped into his hand. He leaned over the banister, looking into the waters and tracking the motions of the great beast beneath. He tried to listen to the elements in this instance, but they were relatively silent on the passage of anything other than a school of fish. They wouldn't be any help here, and he'd have to rely on his fishing skill.

As the Libertalia turned in the water, Rorom saw Breachfang before he broke through the surface, trailing perpendicular in the path to the brig. It nearly collided with the hull of the boat, but at the last moment, breached from the other side, shaking the water with ripples and splashing.

The movement of the beast was too swift that time for Rorom to react with his harpoon, but its pattern of movement was noted. Rorom would be ready next it showed its face.

Jundland, meanwhile, glory hound that he was was pedaling with his men to catch up with the appearance of Breachfang. "Go forward you lazy dogs! Glory awaits!"

Rorom muttered beneath his breath. Glory wasn't to be found at the bottom of Chrien's Vault. He shook his head but nonetheless was born closer to the Libertalia by the motion of his own sloop. Another few moments passed, Rorom was feeling the motion of the great sea wolf beneath the waves. Instinctive awareness, more than any arcane influence or clue, an awareness that only came with a lifetime spent fishing fish great and small, and knowing their motions.

It breached again, same pattern across the lower side of the Libertalia's hull. Rorom let loose with his harpoon in time and found purchase in the beast's hide.

The cable tied to the harpoon tied them to it, while the hook of the harpoon's blade kept it dug into the beast's hide. Rorom waved his hand, "Another! We'll have this beast pinned down for the count before long!"

So he waited, and watched, and held his harpoon. It wouldn't be long before Breachfang showed the fisherman his teeth...

[Darius Baer]

The Libertalia creaked as it lurched around to face Rorom's sloop. The deck of the brig normally felt as steady as dry land when it took to the sea, but these were not calm waters. The combination of the other ships, the weight of the chum buckets, and Breachfang living up to the first part of his name, had caused a swell that crashed against the hull as they turned to starboard.

It wasn't long before Breachfang made himself known again, lunging for the chum buckets as he grazed against the hull. The impact was harmless to the ship, but it sent a scraping sound into the ears of every sailor aboard, before breaching close to the longboat.

Darius leant against the taffrail as the Libertalia righted itself. He looked out to where he had last seen Jundland's ship, for he hadn't seen just how close a call they had had. The crew of the smaller vessel were scrambling, and the game hunter was cursing at someone.

"Treid's bile, you fool!" Jundland's voice carried over the waves. "You can't catch the beast from there!"

Darius watched as the man leapt overboard and into the Hollow Sea. It was only then that the blond mariner saw the head of another sailor bobbing in the water. Jundland wasted no time in reaching the man, and then began to haul him back to the longboat, where another member of his crew was holding out a barge pole to help him out of the water.

"Hold course!" Darius yelled to his crew.

There was a temptation to stop for Jundland and offer him some assistance, but the man appeared to be a strong swimmer. And by continuing on, the chum buckets might be enough to draw Breachfang away from the vulnerable men in the water.

Darius watched as Rorom adjusted his heading to avoid a collision, but the brig did not shift. Its sails, freshly filled with wind, pulled it indirectly towards the sloop.

As the two ships neared each other the seanwolf breached once more, and a harpoon was launched. The sharp tip penetrated the beast's flesh, causing it to roar and thrash about, before dipping back just beneath the surface.

"Stay close to him!" Darius yelled. "Keep him hemmed in!"

The beast had been hit, but with the rope from the harpoon preventing it from swimming free, the hull of the Libertalia could serve as a barrier. With Jundland's fate temporarily forgotten, the brig turned slightly, pressing itself against the sea wolf. The rope of the harpoon shook as Breachfang attempted in vain to wriggle free from its piercing grip.

Clearly frustrated at its inability to escape, the sea wolf then attempted to turn on its attacker, and it spun around to face the sloop. It breached, its mouth wide and baring sharp teeth, just as Rorom had expected.

Darius watched as the sea wolf launched itself out of the water, and all he could do in that moment was hold his breath in anticipation.

[Rorom]

The Soup of Carnage...

Between the thrashing of Jundland to get back to the longboat, the churning of the chum buckets, and passage of two large ships in the water, this was an arena of carnage. Breachfang surely felt it, and Rorom could scarcely track the movements in the water as the elements whispered their suggestions of motion underneath the surface. It was little enough, not nearly enough to know for a certainty when the wolf would breach.

Yet his instincts as a hunter, fisherman, and his aim with the javelin at just a dozen meters from the mark were good enough. Good enough to get a bead on the creature’s brainbox. He hefted the steel harpoon, while holding onto his long spear which was propped up to keep his own balance. A thundering rumble coalesced in the clouds overhead, and a flash of lightning illuminated his spear just a moment before the beast made itself seen again.

This time, directly breaching toward the sloop, it’s sharp teeth showing for all the crew to see. Rorom almost shivered, but managed to toss the harpoon in time to make its arc through the roof of the creature’s mouth, and into its brain.

A thundering crash sounded against the sloop’s hull as the sea wolf lost all control of its path with that strike. Its teeth ground against the hull, and the sloop rocked through the turbulence. Rorom stumbled, trying to maintain his balance with the butt of his longspear, but was thrown from the sloop as the sea wolf’s teeth relinquished the hull, leaving a mess of splinters in its wake.

He fell into the water, now among the elements. And though the water showed him deference, he knew the sea wolf not be similarly gentle. He held his breath, grasping for his longspear while his eyes squinted, searching through the bloodied water.

A whispering call to power rang through his mind, and he felt knowledge yet to be realized from the arcane parasite taking residence in his soul. He felt the water caressing the blade of his spear, and its shaft. With a deft motion, he found it easy enough to wield it within water, moving through it as if through air. He caught it in his hands, and with a bracing motion, as Breachfang swam through the fog of blood and chum and salty water, he pierced him fully in the brain, getting pulled along for the force of the beast’s watery charge.

Above the surface of the water, before Rorom could swim up, bubbles of red blood and salty water came up from where he’d fallen. For a moment there was silence, until the sea wolf was floated to the top, caught by the cables that the harpoons had been connected to. Next, Rorom splashed to the surface, his eyes wild with adrenaline and fear, and a bit of surprise.

He swam for the Libertalia, calling out to the people aboard, ”Man overboard! I need a rope!”

[Darius Baer]

When Darius had been a young boy, his father Josef had amazed him with tales of adventure on the high seas. Some were fanciful stories that were later revealed to be made up, and others were interesting anecdotes the elder Baer had heard in taverns during his travels. But there were also genuine experiences that Josef had had, which had kept Darius entertained for arcs.

The most famous of these, (within the family, at least), was when Darius' father had made a Pirate Lord laugh. He told the tale in such an evocative manner that his young lad was enraptured, able to imagine himself being on the ship in that very moment.

But no story could compare to what Darius was now seeing with his own eyes. The Hollow Sea, its currents churned up into foam as Breachfang thrashed about, while the ships danced their ballet across the waves. The sea wolf breached, launching itself at Rorom's sloop as the biqaj returned a spear in kind.

It might have been a graceful leap, had Rorom not lost his balance and stumbled clumsily into the ocean. In the immediate aftermath, with splintered chunks of wood becoming flotsam as they were bitten away from the smaller ship's hull, it was unclear if the hunt was over.

"Furl the sails!" Darius yelled so that the ship would slow down. "Eyes open! Ropes at the ready! If he surfaces, help him!"

A handful of sailors rushed to the taffrail and began tie ropes to the taffrail, and then turned to watch what had become of both their prey and their ally.

Within a few trills, it became clear that the spearhead found its mark, and Breachfang's thrashing shifted first to spasmodic movements, and then to stillness. Its massive form, spilling blood into the Hollow Sea, floated to the surface. It was the first time Darius had seen just how large their prey was, and even in death, it was an intimidating sight.

The next few trills passed by slowly. Several sets of eyes scanned the water for Rorom amidst the foam, the flotsam, and the fish. After an agonising wait, someone finally cried out.

"Over there!" the sailor yelled.

"Ropes over the side! Darius ordered. "Haul him in!"

The biqaj had surfaced, emerging through the blood-tainted sea water near Breachfang. He called out for a rope, and he received half a dozen down the side of the Libertalia's hull. Each one was knotted so that he could get a firm grip and climb. At the same time, the sailors hauled on the rope that he grabbed, and pulled him up the side of the ship. When he reached the taffrail, Darius was on hand to help haul him onto the deck, and the biqaj's arrival was met with a cheer from the crew.

"Welcome aboard," the blond captain grinned with visible relief. "And well hunted. They will tell tales in the taverns about this adventure, I bet!"

[Rorom]

Rorom grabbed for the rope absently, and somehow his hand found the braided cable without really trying. His eyes were directed backward, toward the floating carcass of Breachfang, the terror that had tormented Harvardr since Faldrass's eruption. The fishing would likely resume now, and become more profitable for the predator's loss. But Rorom couldn't help but feel a strange sense of ennui.

As he was hoisted above and onto the Libertalia, he landed on it with a thud, his clothes soaking and rippling light shining on him from the water and sunlight shining down through the clouds. He nodded absently at Darius, at something that sounded like congratulations. He smiled, but said nothing yet, only turning to face his kill in the water where it lay.

It was a sobering moment. Up to that time, the largest prey that Rorom had dragged out of the oceans had been barracuda perhaps, or even a shark with help. This, this was something else entirely, on the scale of a small killer whale, but more deadly and ferocious, and cunning. Its hide would make for a sea king's cloak, and he had every intention of claiming the rights to it, for the bounty that he'd already paid for the creature's carcass.

Speaking of which, as Rorom was staring back at the beast, he noticed Jundland and his lads rowing furiously for the shore, no doubt rushing to claim their share of the bounty. A fortune in several onyx nels worth of gold. Rorom turned then to Darius, and said, "A bounty awaits you in Linca's Yurt. I suggest you get there before Jundland spins a tale for the man that makes him seem like the hero of this endeavor. You've done Scalvoris and Havardr a great service, crew of the Libertalia! Enjoy the reward!"

This was the last that he had to say about it, as he had a carcass to dress and harvest. "Time to get to work!" He said, patting Darius on the shoulder. "I hope we meet again under less perilous circumstances."

!	Message from: Rorom
	Note for the Reviewer: Rorom is giving Darius 14 wp for services rendered/bounty returned. I'm deducting it from my ledger.

[Balthazar Black]

Review Rewards

Name: Darius
Points Awarded: 15
Magic Experience: None- muggle.
Knowledge: Hunting: Using chum as bait for a large catch.
Hunting: Large prey can capsize smaller boats.
Hunting: Wounded prey may try to fight back.
Investigation: What's all this then?
Leadership: Motivate your followers with a rousing speech.
Socialization: Offering your services to those in need.
Seafaring: How to gybe.
Seafaring: How to tack.
Seafaring: When someone falls overboard, alert the crew.
Seafaring: When someone falls overboard, stop the ship if possible.
Storytelling: Finding new material in real life experiences.
Tactics: Luring the enemy into a trap.
Tactics: Adapting to an ever-changing situation.
Renown: +10 for helping in a battle with a sea monster
Loot: None. Rorom took the body.
Injuries/Overstepping: None
Wealth Points: +14 as payment from Rorom.
Skill Review: All Skills used appropriate to level

______________________________________________________

Name: Rorom
Points Awarded: 15
Magic Experience: 5 may be used for Defiance
Knowledge:
Combat: Polearms: Using a javelin to toss at a distance.
Combat: Polearms: Driving a spear into a sea wolf's brain.
Defiance: Caress: Caressing a weapon with water helps it move through the water with all the ease of gliding through air.
Hunting: Setting up chum buckets to attract large aquatic predators.
Hunting: A large whale-like predator has its brainbox behind the melon.
Hunting: Harpoons catch onto a large animal and take effort to remove.
Hunting: Cables attach to harpoons ensure that the quarry is kept on a leash.
Hunting: Sea Wolf: A large aquatic predator that is cunning and vicious when cornered.
Hunting: Natural disasters can disrupt an aquatic animal's natural behavior.
Hunting: Sea wolves are usually found in groups.
Hunting: Sea wolves have a rich hide that is a prize to hunters and fishermen.
Leadership: Arranging a hunting party.
Leadership: Leading a hunt.
Renown: +15 for winning a battle with a sea monster
Loot Carcass of a Sea Wolf
Injuries/Overstepping: A few bruises from falling overboard and the battle in the water, but nothing that won't heal.
Wealth Points: -14 WP to pay for Darius
Skill Review: All Skills used appropriate to level


Notes: I love a good sea monster fight and I really enjoyed the opening too. It was nice to follow the team assembling and going out on their hunt in one thread. I really enjoy the way Rorom talks and the tone you two set for the thread from the very first post. Darius's pride in his ship when Rorom first saw it was a great moment and the planning for the hunt did a good job of making me, as the reader, excited about the story to come. It's also always nice to see how other people write defiance so Rorom using the magic was a plus. Great job on this collab, it was a fun read!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this review, feel free to PM. Enjoy your rewards!