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

[Darius Baer]

Arc 720, 38th of Vhalar

The wooden planks of the Havardr docks clattered noisily as Darius landed upon them. The leather boots that he wore were scuffed and tired, having carried his footsteps across many locales. The cold that greeted him in Havardr was not unknown to him. Although he had not visited the village before, he was a proud Scalvorian, and so it carried a sense of familiarity that wasn't too distant from what he felt when he landed at Scalvoris Town.

The stark cold of the settlement did not affect the captain of the Libertalia in the same way that it did his crew. He was a FireForged, and neither the heat nor the cold held him in their grips quite so tightly any more. He caught the glimpses of a few locals and the gambeson he wore in the Zi'da cold, but he paid them no heed. Although the crew of the Libertalia had pulled their thick coats tightly around themselves, their captain had not.

As Darius stepped onto land and began to survey the collection of yurts that made up Havardr, the shrill cry of an airborne hawk - unheard by anyone else - reached his ears. Dark grey eyes turned skyward, and he saw Katara circling overhead, her flaming feathers leaving a trail of smoke in their wake. She let out another cry, and the human nodded, feeling a little safer with an extra set of protective eyes watching over him.

He looked over the settlement once more. The had come to Havardr in the hope of helping the recovery effort, but the yurts did not lend themselves to his most familiar of skills: woodworking. It mattered little, for he was already there, and his oath to Faldrass - and his commitment to Isonomia - compelled him to make himself useful in some other way.

He paused for a few trills, contemplating which yurt to approach first, before he heard a clamor of voices. Turning, he saw one such building with an overflow of people, and decided to approach. As he neared the group, the indistinguishable hubbub became clearer, and individual voices began to distinguish themselves.

Darius slowed his approach, then asked a man near the entrance what was going on.

"Breachfang is back, 'e is, and 'e's 'ungry," said a man who looked as though he had more eyes than teeth. "Ate a couple fellas some trials back. People is upset. There's talk of a 'unting expedition."

Darius nodded quietly at the information, though he didn't know what the man was talking about. There was still plenty of discussion coming from inside the yurt. The toothless man craned his neck in an attempt to peer inside.

"Who is 'Breachfang'?" the blond mariner asked somebody else who stood nearby.

[Rorom]

"Fill the waters with chum bait, and when the Breach shows its fangy maw, we make it eat charges of plastique!" Jundland suggested, sharpening his knife as the others listened intently to his plans.

For all his reputation, 'Jungle Jim' or Gaul Jundland was a bit all over the place with his suggested approaches to the problem of hunting Breachfang. While Rorom could appreciate his enthusiasm for what he called 'explosives' Rorom didn't know a stick of plastique from a shard of brick. "Stick ter whatcher know Jundland." Rorom suggested, interrupting the man. "I hired yer on because yer a hunter, a fighter, a survivor. And I was told yer were the best an' most daring on the Island."

Jundland shrugged, leaning back in the wicker chair as he worked his blade over with a strap of leather, having ground it to a razor sharpness. He smiled broadly at Rorom, "That's right... An..."

"An I need yer to stick ter whatcher know as well. I don't think either one of us is intimately acquainted with an alchemist, or bomber man. So, back to basics..."

There were a few murmurs from the overcrowded hut. They'd gahered around to hear Rorom's story about how he'd saved the men from the old Sea Wolf, swimming in the waters just to pull one of them right out of the water. There was mingling doubt and awe among the throng of listeners. But now... "Story time is over lads. If'n yer not here to risk yer neck against Breachfang's teeth, I'd ask ye step out now."

Grumbling and murmurs from the crowd that filled Jundland's Yurt to bursting. Eventually most of the crowd cleared out, leaving about a dozen or so men seated by the coal fire in the middle of the structure, where they warmed their hands. The ones left were all native sons to Havardr, and had a stake in this. "So much fer the glory hounds, eh?" Rorom muttered at the ones who showed their back to Jundland and himself.

Jundland's enthuasiasm curbed by the sudden emptying of willing ears, became more serious. "So, what is it you think I can do here? I know my business... swimming, climbing, and I'm the fittest man this side o' the island. I can hunt, and trap, and live out of the wildest places in Scalvoris. But I ain't no fisherman."

Rorom nodded to him, "Trapping will come in useful, so will yer fitness. We're going to..." Just then, Rorom noticed a figure lingering by the door, a blonde-haired salt that looked fresh off a boat. He had the look of one who'd just made landfall, as Rorom had seen many a time in his day.

"Come on in son, or if'n yer here to listen to us yammer on about Breachfang, storytime was over breaks ago. We're only taking men willin' to pull their weight in the hunting of the beast..." Rorom straightened his back, and looked at the young mariner, "So come in and make yerself useful and known ter the rest of us..."

Jundland cut in after Rorom, "Or fetch me some mead."

Rorom turned to quirk a brow at Jundland.

The survivor shrugged back at the fisherman, and smiled, "Can always use a gopher, or an understudy."

[Darius Baer]

Like a rock that held its ground in a river, Darius lingered at the back of the yurt as the tide of visitors retreated and passed by either side of him.

He stepped forward, his dark grey eyes met by a dozen pairs in response, and took a seat on one of the benches. He didn't need to warm his hands by the fire, like the others were doing, and his choice of clothing suggested that the chill of Zi'da were ineffective against him.

As best as the seafarer could tell, the two men at the front were organising some kind of hunting expedition. It was clear from the gravity of the conversation that the Breachfang that had been mentioned was an intimidating opponent.

Rorom and Jundland made for a curious pair, but judging by their interaction, he decided that the former had hired the latter; that told him who boasted authority, and who brought experience to the table.

"I'm Darius Baer, captain of the Libertalia," he offered by way of greeting.

There were a dozen or so men looking at him, but he had his attention fixed on Rorom.

"I've come from Scalv-Town to offer what aid I can to the people of Havardr," he continued in his gravelly voice, "and if that means helping you to catch this beast, then so be it."

He looked around at the others present. They looked like tough people; hardy folk from a hard land. But he saw fear in their eyes, also. Havardr was reliant on its supply of fish. If something was threatening their livelihood, it only made sense that they were showing some nerves. There was much at stake.

"How many ships do you have?" he asked. "I can offer up mine, and the crew who sail her."

Darius said nothing of the nature of the Libertalia, and it was possible that those in the yurt were unaware that he was not talking about a mere fishing boat, but that mattered little. He wagered that the expedition was in need of as many willing hands as possible.

[Rorom]

"Well met Cap'n." Rorom nodded to Darius. Captain of the Libertalia... It wasn't a name he was aware of, but then he was a relative newcomer to the Island. There'd be time to make the rounds later, at the moment, the only thing he had expertise in was running a ship and chasing fish. That was his best claim to even be holding this meeting. People who knew what it meant to live off the ocean could tell he was about his business. That was the only reason they'd listen to him. If they knew he had very little in the way of martial acumen or in actual hunting of beasts... Well they might change their tune. However, what else he had, was fortune enough to fund an operation that at least had a chance of downing the beast. And of course Rorom wasn't going to turn away any man, much less a man willing to lend a ship to the cause.

"Ahh good. They heard tell of our problem here then? The beast has been stalking our waters, killed a lad, and would've killed more." Rorom sighed, lowering his head.

Jundland chewed on some straw, and looked Darius up and down, "Aye but for Rorom's good timing and seafaring skills, two more might've been lost."

Rorom turned to Jundland, a disapproving look on his face, "Ain't nothin ter boast over. We need this dealt with now." Then turning to face Darius once more, he waved him into the yurt that the dozen who'd face Breachfang were occupying.

"Good on ye." Rorom smiled on the lad, as he spoke his commitment to the cause. When the issue of how many ships they had came up, Rorom didn't need to think long before answering, "Three. One sloop, my sloop, one of the fastest turner on the western coast of this island, and two dinghies with rowers. I gots fifteen steel javelins from my own armory, and enough rope to keep them moored to my ship, so we keep the beast in place. Two large trident spears, and a barbed fishing spear... that one is mine... Not much ter look at, but she'll skewer fish scale readily enough."

Rorom sized Darius up, and drew close to the younger lad, "So, Darius Baer. How well armed are yer crew, and how trained? We might need all the javelins and spears we can get our hands on, but I have my ways and my tricks when it comes to trappin big fish like this here spawn of chrien." He crossed himself briefly at the mention of the monsrous Immortal. Then he turned his gaze back to Baer's eyes, "Well, there's little time ter waste. Let's look at yer ship and see what we can do wif her? But first, if'n yer got questions, we can hear em now, as we walk to look at the ships we got."

Having said that, Rorom walked past Baer, followed by Jundland who hopped to his feet, giving Darius a quick wink as he stuffed his blade into his belt sheath. "Time's a wastin' boys, let's see what we got!" Thus roused, the dozen men that had volunteered themselves rose to their feet. Some of them stopped to thank Darius for his help, while others merely walked by him, to follow Rorom.

[Darius Baer]

Darius' grim smile of greeting Rorom became more grim and less of a smile as the man assumed that news of their plight had reached Scalvoris Town. The bearded blond felt a pang of guilt as he awkwardly shook his head.

"Actually, no," he admitted. "I didn't hear of this beast back in Scalv-Town. I only came here to check on the town after the eruption…"

He hoped that such a revelation wouldn't be received too poorly. It meant that Darius and his crew had arrived there by chance, and there should be no expectation that any other reinforcements might be on their way.

Darius nodded when Jundland spoke of Rorom's intervention having saved lives. There was so much destruction in the world that the Scalvorian always felt glad to meet someone who was doing all they could to turn the tide.

The blond mariner nodded when Rorom explained how many ships were available. He was still mulling over the numbers when the group began to move outside. He nodded in acknowledgement at those who thanked him, but all he had done was drop anchor. Gratitude could wait until they had actually stopped Breachfang.

As he followed Rorom outside, he began to answer the question of crew numbers and training.

"My crew are seasoned sailors who do not fear the seas or the hard work required to sail upon them, but they are not battle-hardened fighters," he told the older man. "They do not spend their trials hunting large game, and as such we are not equipped for such an endeavour. But we have room to fit those who are."

Catching up with Rorom, Darius pointed to the Libertalia, though the brig was easy to see amidst the smaller vessels that floated nearby.

"That's her there," he added. "I'm no master hunter, but I can put her to good use, however you think she can assist."

[Rorom]

"I suppose there's enough troubles to go around, without worryin' over this here village." Rorom conceded, as the younger seafarer denied knowing anything about the village's plight. They walked along, and immediately something would strike Darius' senses. The smell of old whale and fish flesh, ichor and blood, dripping from several buckets.

Rorom gestured toward the chum buckets, and nodded, "This is how we'll get 'is attention. We think it's a male anyway, it's been stalking the waters alone, thank the gods." Rorom pointed toward some of the men he'd hired to work on the mission. In truth, they did so more out of a sense of honor and duty than whatever coin Rorom was offering. All the same, their faces screwed up as they had to handle the rotting meat and carry it over toward the docks.

The old sea dog nodded along as Darius explained the skills and experience of his crew. It was good to have hands. Rorom for his part mostly sailed alone these days, but was somewhat capable of managing a group of old salts at need. He whistled audibly as Darius showed him the Libertalia. The ship was big, bigger than Rorom expected to find.

"Aye she's beautiful. We'll tie the bait to her hull, if'n ye don't mind? I'd offer my own sloop, but the wolf is liable to knock mine over and capsize it. Ship as big as yours won't so much as jump if the wolf tries her, and then from the Sloop's lower vantage point, we can skewer the bastard." The old fisherman picked up his barbed spear, while Jundland wasn't far behind. "Course, we'll need yer permission to tie those bait buckets to yer hull. I wouldn't presume."

Jundland stood ready to order the chum-bearers to begin their work of attaching the stink-bait traps to the hull of the Libertalia, but wouldn't do so without Darius' go ahead.

"I've every confidence in yer crew, and about as much in this lot that I hired to help with the hunting." Rorom lowered his voice, and leaned into Darius' ear, "This lot is probably less than capable, though, in truth, but every spear and harpoon point above the water is useful."

"So what're yer say? Can we use yer ship that way? Or do you have better ideas? I figure we could set up a few rafts on the perimeter too, to give the Wolf a path to swim along, so we don't have to throw our spears at yer hull the entire time."

[Darius Baer]

Darius was surprised by how much pride he felt when he witnessed Rorom's reaction to seeing the Libertalia for the first time. She was a fine ship - that much was clear - but the Scalvorian realised that he probably took her for granted more often than he should. He supposed that having received it was a prize, rather than necessarily earning it via a more conventional means, there was always a risk that he would forget how fortunate he was.

He looked across at Rorom. The other mariner was clearly older than he was, and presumably more experienced at sea. Darius wished he could have claimed that he had worked his way up through the ranks until the crew of the brig had voted him in as their new captain. Or that he had won from its previous owner in a high stakes game of cards. Or even that he had captured it as the result of a boarding action. But winning it as a prize for a scavenger hunt? All of a sudden, the ship's origins didn't seem worth mentioning.

Darius listened to Rorom's plan and he nodded. In truth, he had never encountered a sea wolf before, so he had to rely on the man's expertise regarding its size. But a quick glance at the vessels that sat on the water was all it took to confirm that if any ship would be able to withstand a sea wolf, it would be the Libertalia.

"Aye, you can use us as bait," he replied with more confidence than he felt. "Do you need us to sail in a particular direction? Do you need us to tack or gybe to make the bait seem more attractive to the beast?"

The bearded blond could be sure, but he guessed that bait that was moving in the water would seem more like living prey than if he dropped anchor.

Darius could see that Jundland was eager to get the process started, so he waved at the sailor who was standing on the bow of the Libertalia. It was a simple communication, but the crewman would know that it meant that whatever was about to happen with the ship was something their captain had agreed to.

When Rorom leant in closely and told him of his doubts as to the suitability of his hirelings, Darius nodded. He was grateful for the man's honesty, but the revelation hardly filled him with confidence.

That said, it was a given that he would play his part. People had been killed by Breachfang. Lives were at stake, and Darius Baer would do his best to bring the sea wolf's feeding frenzy to an end.

"Aye," he spoke, his voice resolute. "Let's get it done."

[Rorom]

We're gonna need a bigger boat...

When the agreement was had about how they’d set the bait, thronging it behind the rear of the Libertalia, there was little else for it. Rorom surmised that he’d done enough tale-telling about the deadliness of their quarry that he would’ve scared away anyone who’d have second thoughts. ”Yer a solid lad. There’s nothing else for it then but ter throng that bait up.”

As for a particular direction, Rorom gave it some serious thought. Tack moved the front of the boat, and thus sailed with the wind along the front, while Gybe turned the boat through the wind on the stern of the boat. Rorom considered the mechanics of it only a moment before he nodded, ”Gybe. While I doubt the Wolf will need help catching the scent of its bait, having the arse end of the ship squirm with the bait lashed to those cables will spread its scent, making a juicy target…” Rorom considered the prospect, but then nodded. He did think that was best. ”Aye, Gybe. We’ll be close at hands then.”

There was of course a risk that they’d lose some mariners in this venture, and some Harvardr villagers that’d signed on to hunt the wolf. But they all knew the risks. They’d seen firsthand what the beast could do to their whaling boats.

”Nothing for it, than ter get those bait buckets set up.” Rorom murmured, and so they did just that, getting to work. Jundland had already taken the liberty of carrying some of the chum buckets over toward the Libertalia, anticipating that Darius would agree. Once the agreement was had, Rorom would set about directing them how to tie the buckets to the back of the hull, leaving enough of a lead that it wasn’t right behind or on top of the ship, but trailing a few fathoms behind her. ”Ready yer crew, Cap’n. They got their work in seamanship, though I daresay the bulk of danger is with us in the sloop and longboats with our harpoons and spears, as it should be. Fine big ship like yours is sturdy enough a mean old sea wolf won’t jostle her much.”

As Darius did his part, readying his crew and preparing the Libertalia for departure into the deeper waters, Rorom approached the shore. Jundland, after he instructed how they should lash the buckets to the boat, retrieved Rorom’s barbed spear for him. Thus handing it over, Rorom let the point of the steel spear trail across the water. Something in the element called to him, and he felt it resonate as the point pierced the water. He reached out, infusing the point with ether to see what happened. Surprisingly enough to him, he found the point moved through the water much more readily… as if through the air. The elements, his kin, water, would ensure that he could pierce the depths of the water. Surprised at this boon, yet wary of his magic witchery as ever, he took the point of the spear and observed how the water coalesced and wrapped around the barbs of the blade.

Still, there was little else to be done for it, but to get going on the ship.

He trusted Darius to get underway first, sailing out from port. Meanwhile, Jundland took up position on the lead longboat behind the Libertalia. Rorom himself sailed off in his sloop, along the port side of Darius’ ship. The second longboat was filled with the green Harvardrs, who bore chum buckets for lashing to the rafts along the checkpoints.

Thus they got to placing those buckets. Wouldn’t be long before the wolf showed himself, or so Rorom reckoned as the last of the chum buckets were lashed to those small vessels. Meanwhile, the Libertalia trailed her most tempting fragrance for the wolf to catch a whiff of.

Rorom was ready, holding his spear at the prow of his ship as two of the Harvardr salts busied themselves with the Helm and the other with adjusting the sails on his sloop.

[Darius Baer]

Darius nodded at Rorom's compliment, but in truth, there was a part of him that wanted no part of this. There were safer seas and kinder tides just around the nearest headland, and a lesser captain in a lesser ship might have seized the opportunity to let the next friendly wind take them away.

But Darius also felt a sense of duty that he knew he couldn't ignore. Not only would the crew think him a fear-filled leader if he had taken to the seas, but he also would have judged himself harshly for failing to help when he had the chance.

In some ways, he was openly choosing to assist the people of Havardr. In other ways, there was no choice to make.

With the instructions from Rorom, Darius climbed into the Lady Jean and made his way towards the Libertalia. As he hauled himself over the rail of the brig, he called the crew onto the deck for a quick announcement. If they were to potentially risk their lives, they deserved to know why.

"I have volunteered the Libertalia and those who sail her to assist the good people of Havardr," he declared, and those under his command listened intently. "The fisherfolk here have been terrorised by a sea wolf, and they have asked for aid in putting an end to the beast."

This news caused a murmur of discussion to filter through the crew, but Darius soon had their ears once again.

"This creature, who the locals have come to name Breachfang, has already killed some of the locals. It capsizes their small vessels and devours them. In order to fight back, they need a large, sturdy vessel, and this is her!"

The Scalvorian slapped an open palm onto the wooden railing, a gesture which received passionate grunts of agreement from the crew.

"We are to lure Breachfang back to these shores. We will be the bait and the other boats will be the hook. We will spring a trap and the heart of the beast will beat its last!"

A cheer erupted from the crew, but Astra was quick to step in.

"We've nothing to celebrate yet! Haul anchor and let's bring this beast to heel!" she yelled, and the crew were quick to do as they were told.



A break or so later, the Libertalia was travelling downwind, it's sails full. The hull scythed through the water, its stern dragging heavy lines of bait behind it.

"Get ready to gybe!" Darius called out across the deck.

Astra, standing by his side, pointed out towards starboard. The ship would soon be facing that direction, and the half-biqaj was making a mental note of what heading the ship should be in when they finished their manouevre.

With the mainsail tightened, the crew was ready for the brig to make the turn.

"Gybe ho!" Darius yelled, a knot of nervous anticipation tightening in his stomach.

The wheel was rotated, the rudder shifted, and the Libertalia began to turn, guiding its stern through the wind. The mainsail shifted so that the wind no longer filled it from the port side, but now pushed from the starboard side. The ship kept turning until the bow was facing in the direction that Astra was pointing, and, as the mainsail was loosened, the crew could see that they were heading along a watery path lined by smaller boats; a marine guard of honour as they dragged their bait behind them through the water.

[Rorom]

Come on in. The water's nice!

The longboats were underway, Rorom stood at the forecastle of his sloop, letting the men behind man the helm for the time being. He needed to be available for dispatching the beast, as that was what he was good for in this instance. The lads behind him couldn’t handle a wheel or set of sails as well as he, but it’d be best that they get in the habit while he might be needed to move about depending on how Breachfang made its approach.

The Faldrass explosion had stirred up all manner of beasties from the deep, and Breachfang, Rorom didn’t doubt, probably wasn’t even the worst among them. Even so, he was bad enough, having killed men that didn’t need to die. Rorom would carve the creature’s hide for giving these folk such trouble and grief.

The call from Darius rang out, ”Gybe Ho!” And Rorom nodded, waving his hand in a signal to the lads behind him. ”Tack to starboard! We’ll circle around and track this bastard!” So it went, and Jundland with his two longboats spread out, one tacking to port, following alongside the Libertalia. That was Jundland’s boat, the one where he and his apprentices were ready to attack the beast with blades and harpoons. The other longboat tacked to starboard, somewhere between where Rorom’s sloop was situated and the bait-filled wake of the Libertalia.

Rorom squinted his eyes, searching the waters, opening his ears to the wind and water. Yet nothing returned, but a scattered school of fish here or there. ”Show yerself, bastard!” He whispered.

Rorom paced from one end of his ship’s bow to the port side, looking over toward where the Libertalia was. He thought he heard a catch of something on the water’s currents. A larger thing. Might’ve been a whale, or… No, this one had teeth which opened, sweeping fresh fish gore from its maw. He had only a second, but it wasn’t long enough to warn Jundland of the breaching Sea Wolf as it leapt up from beneath the Libertalia, where it’d approached from the bow, and snatched up one of the buckets.

Jundland was close enough to take a swipe with his cutlass, and laughed as his blade found purchase along its flank. Yet that only made it angrier. Rorom cursed, and ordered his lads to bring the boat around, and toward the battle.

”Full sails! Watch for his wake lads! White waters will tell the tale!” So saying, Rorom stuck out his spear, ready to pierce the heart of the beast.

Yet, it didn’t trouble Rorom, but took its time circling the longboats. ”Chrien’s saggy teats…”

Breachfang nearly bowled over Jundland’s longboat, but they stablized it after a moment. Yet the moment was all that was needed for Breachfang to leap over the back of the longboat, nearly toppling it and screeching its anger.

”Tack to starboard, cut it off at the pass, lads!” Rorom shouted, and prepared himself to stick the beast… He only hoped their luck would hold, and that another soul need not die to this beast. It was elusive, however, and didn’t breach again for a few moments. Some of the lads looked at the water, and one of them asked, ”Is… is he gone?”

Rorom felt it approaching, at a almost vertical angle, swimming through the waters. The waters whispered to him of its wake through the sea. ”Blast it… Hard to starboard! Hard…” But then, the beast ran right up the hull of Rorom’s sloop, nearly taking his spear in its teeth, but he was quick enough to withdraw its point, and the hull was only scuffed by the sea wolf’s passage. Rorom wasn’t quick enough, however, to stick it in the creature’s black heart. ”Blast… Wait! Wait! Give it time lads… We’ll have it’s hide yet!”