4208/Skull and Crossbones

Skull and Crossbones
Date of Scene:	11 June 2016
Location:	Alfheim Online <ALO>
Synopsis:	Preparation and planning for a fight against the ghost ship.
Cast of Characters:	Kirito, Tomoe, 162, 215, 675, 707, Yuuki Konno, 960
Tinyplot:	CCO

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Yuuki Konno has posed:
    The skies of the virtual Carribean-like seas of Cutlasses and Cannons Online are grey, the wind high and blowing hard. The Windstar skips along the sea, riding the waves in a way that might have made players queasy in the past. Having become veterans of a sort, the swaying of the ship should be a comfortable welcome to most now.

    The group now knows what the rogue encounter is, but not exactly why or how. They know the Skull is some kind of trigger, only not where to find one. They've had time to gear up, to prepare to face undead revenants, and should now be among the deadliest of characters in the game. Whether that's enough or not remains to be seen.

    For now though, they have to get their hands on one of those Skulls. To take it from a player, to loot it from an island, or to bargain and investigate. Either way requires entering the deadliest of waters; the homes of the elite, and perhaps even the halls of the watery dead themselves. Grey prospects, and a grey day to match... sometimes it seems only rum can truly help a pirate cope.

Iria (215) has posed:
New equipment, all shiny and new, and a bit of extra practice under her belt means that Iria has been looking forward to doing a new quest for awhile now. She's still trying to master talking like a pirate, but she's getting the hang of it from how she's talking nowadays in-game. Of course, in or out of game, her sixth senses never fail to work. And today, she's definitely got her sixth sense going off for some reason.

    As Iria puts her new cutlass into its sheath and checks her pistol carefully, she runs a hand through her hair before looking to the others, her eyes slightly narrowed. She looks ahead and scowls a little bit. "Something about this doesn't seem right, but I suppose I should be used to things like this. Maybe it'll be fun!" She smirks a little at that, although it's kind of an evil grin.

Zephyr Windstar (162) has posed:
    The Windstar is almost a whole new ship now. Reinforced hull, better sail material, even better cannon. She's a bit bigger too, more cargo space, and an extra deck... but she's still just a modified cargo ship.

    Auralia stands at the helm, keeping steady as plans are talleied up and strategies are thought of. She remains largely quiet on the matter though, oddly so even. Something is preying on her thoughts, pulling her from the 'now' into the 'then'.

Kain (960) has posed:
    The overcast sky, the wave on the ocean, and the grilled food of the most recent catch. What more can a pirate ask for? Kain was belowdeck, as usual, with any of the other cookers cooking up some delicious food for the PCs and NPCs alike. Along with the others, Kain did get quite a bit of new gear, as well as materials to make some gear and level his crafting skills some more. He wasn't epic tier, but he was at least able to repair high level items so that they didn't break on the journey. As well as, he was learning so many new recipes from the meat drops from some of those larger animals they've slain. And it's all been pretty awesome!

    Kain, while below, is still in his gear. His armor is basically body-hugging Chainmail. He wore a new Rapier at his side, intricately carved patters on the side of the blade and well-crafted to boot. He also had some tattoos on his body this time. All along his left arm only, though. His Rapier was sheathed on his left side for his right hand to draw forth, and he also found a pretty neat Pistol that he used to close any distances with foes. So while he was a chef aboard the ship, he was no slouch in combat.

    As the food was just finishing up and he was plating it out to be served to the crew, he called up from belowdeck: "FOOD'S UP!" and stood back to allow the onrush of hungry PCs and NPCs to swarm the mess.

Kirito has posed:
"If it was just me... I'd go and hunt in the high-level areas and see what happens. But we're on a time crunch. Tracking down someone we know has a Skull's the quickest way to at least find out how they got it, if not bargain for it." Or fight them for it...

    Kirito muses from his perch on the deck, overlooking the waves....

Cirra Constantine (675) has posed:
Cirra Cosntantine, AKA, Palmira climbs the rigging of the Windstar, performing her maintence duties. Her shipboard skills have caught up to her combat skills. Once done she slides back down to the deck and dons her long coat.

    Most of her gear has much improved over time, though she habitually sticks to the long-coat and trousers with long boots fashion. Her Estoc has guilding now and the throwing knives look as if they've been much more carefully crafted then the old ones and a silver cross (probably crafted by Sunshower) sits on a chain around her neck with a red gem set in the center. Getting that one done took work, finding a priest to bless it in this godless sea was a side mission unto itself.

    "So, is their an island that fits both a crew raid, and has a place where we can ask questions?"

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Fortunately, Sunshower the Brewmaster brought some of her finest to help lubricate the group's progress on their sometimes-grisly quest. And not always by drinking it.

In between forays into the wild blue yonder (meaning the ocean, not the sky), Sunshower's been working on her Brewmaster skills - finding new ingredients and boning up on her crafting skillset. Of course the Windstar tends to get first dibs on her product, but she's been turning out enough casks and kegs to sell some off through the in-game auction house, and still to hang onto some choice brews for offer in direct trade. Most of them have at least a modest buff associated with their consumption, but she's gotten outlandishly lucky on a few occasions and is keeping those results stocked for very special occasions indeed.

She's been turning enough of a profit to keep her personal adventuring gear up to her needs as well. She's not exactly bustling around in full plate, mind you - anyone who boards a ship in plate armor is asking to have a sign saying 'Anchor' secured to their backs - but she's wearing a full leather vest that can be fastened in front, now, plus bracers to protect her forearms; her boots are pretty well armor-grade too. Plus she's gotten a stash of better-quality knives, some of them larger and better-suited for melee - although she can still throw them if necessary, and she's been polishing up THAT skill too.

"Heard a rumor that there's a pub off Blackwater with a monster problem in their wine cellar," she suggests in reply to Palmira's question. "Could be just foam and froth, doubt it's worth much of our time, but the brightest treasure shines sometimes under the ugliest rock."

Yuuki Konno has posed:
    Yuuki's own armor is looking pretty good. Not a whole lot different from her original style of blouse, trousers and buttcape. The difference is it's a whole lot more ornamental, less ragged, better accessories, and she's got awesome black boots and a rakish floppy tricorne. Her rapier is a work of art as well, long and deadly, like her obsidian blade from Alfheim Online.

    "I hope we don't have to kill giant rats." she grumbles. "Or bats. Bats are soooo annoying!" she claims. "I don't think we'll find any really gleaming treasure in a bar unless it's like, sparkling ale or something like that..." she grins playfully. She's never really gotten into speaking piratey, but she's well into the game's style of dynamic combat and of boozing it up.

    At the call for food, Yuuki ZOOMS. You'd think she was hungry or something. She does like to eat though, if it's a social sort of feast. "So we're going to try to find some good loot, right? Either a Skull or something we can trade for one?" Yuuki asks, as people file in for food, booze, and various feast buffs. Best part of raiding, except for the whole killing monsters for loot thing.

Iria (215) has posed:
Iria has already eaten, so she ignores the call for food. Instead, she simply stands by idly, watching and waiting for the time being. She looks to Yuuki before she goes by and says, "I've dealt with a lot worse than those, so don't get too uneasy yet." She sighs and looks out across the virtual ocean. "I wouldn't mind seeing some good action for a change. These past few days of grinding have been BO-RING!"

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe is here chipper as ever in the form of her avatar for this game though those who know Tomoe/Eisen out of the game? She's been more and more sober as of late oddly but there's none of that here as once again the dread pirate Eisen was here and seemingly in good spirits. She's bouncing on her feet a bit on her feet today in her standard pirate outfit and she's looking over at Palmira as she clumbs up into the rigging, before going back to her own work.

"Hummm I wonder what we're going to get into this time?:"

Kain (960) has posed:
    Once the food had been finished set up and everyone was getting their buffs and such, Kain took the time to get his own buff before going topside to meet with the others just as Tomoe was speaking. "Whatever we get into, let's do so awesomely!" Stretching a bit, he looked around at the ocean before them. "I don't know why... I know it's a game, but for some reason I feel so cramped in the Mess..." He shrugged a bit and just gave his left leg a bit of a squeeze... a normal thing for him, seemingly. Or at least, it was a constant thing for him. Whether it was normal was up for debate.

    Looking around at the others on deck, he chose a spot out of the way of everyone else and began shadow-fencing with his Rapier, getting some more practice with it. His stancing was much better now... and his speed... it was even faster than when he was in ALO! All that work and training was doing some real good for him! But, every now and again while he was training, he did stumble over his left leg and crumple to the ground before picking himself back up and getting right back at it. More of the same. He kept his ears open for the plan, however. He wasn't very good at coming up with plans like this. He was a fighter, not a thinker.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
For her part, Sunshower's been munching already - and serving drinks to go with everyone else's grub. She doesn't seem to mind if her rumor gets ignored - you get so MANY rumors in a game like this, and some of them aren't worth following up on ... while some are just hooks for content that isn't quite in the game yet. Honestly, though, an instance linked off of a pub probably isn't going to be that much of a challenge.

"We *could* bait some hooks, see if any other ships have one of those Skulls and don't know what to do with it. Worst-case scenario is we wind up telling them what they want to know and come away empty-handed, but a little clever conniving should save us *that* little trouble."

Kirito has posed:
"About as good a plan as we'll get." Kirito affirms with a nod to Yuuki. Totally in agreement with this idea. Also looking forward to some food to be sure... but he's TRYING to keep from looking too eager.

    For seemingly no reason he ambles over to Kain. "Game or no game... what you're feeling is real enough, isn't it?" The black swordsman, dressed like a swanky swashbuckler in black captainish attire, asks of Kain.

Cirra Constantine (675) has posed:
    Palmira takes some of the food, but is carefully choosing which ones give the most benefecial buffs to her. It's this behaviour that has allowed her to keep up and progress in CCO and ALO.

    Looking at Kain, she tilts her head as he practices with his rapier. "Lock your left knee, with a weapon like a rapier your balance and your ability to lunge is going to be key."

Kain (960) has posed:
    As Kirito approaches, Kain gives him a look of silent contemplation. "If I slam my head against a tree, I feel it... this..." He smacks his leg. "I shouldn't be ABLE to feel it. But I do..." He let the implication of what he was saying take hold there. He then looked to Palmira and shook his head. "Pretty sure that won't help in my case... besides, I do that anyway. And it's the dominant leg you lock your knee on, not the off. A couple years of fencing lessons taught me quite a bit..." He glanced to Kirito when he said that, the couple of years spent in there being his meaning...

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe looks over to Kain for a moment as she's working on the deck her self.

"So long as no one actually gets hurt."

That sense of caution she gained in SAO, will likely never go away, shge however gives Kain a big grin.

"You got a heck of a lot better from when we first met, you know."

She seems to be just at home here s she is in any other game.

Kain (960) has posed:
    Kain gives Tomoe a smile and a nod. "Thanks. I'm still nowhere on the level Kirito here is... but I think if I face any Dire Crocs again, I won't get put flat on my ass anymore." He chuckled a bit, going back to his shadow-fencing some more, keeping a mind to steer clear of any NPCs or other players on the ship.

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
Sunshower cocks an eyebrow at Kain, "So you'd be more worried about the Dire Clocks, huh? The ones that tick at you before they rear up outta the mire to take your arm?"

Kirito has posed:
"This isn't never-neverland!" Kirito snorts Sunshine's way, amused... but it's an amused mod that doesn't last, as he considers Kain's words. The swordsman's gaze sharpens when he looks at Kain. No doubt his mind's on FIRE analyzing into that explanation and it settles in a concerned, brief-lived stare. Then he looks away, but nods.

    "Asuna's fighting style's something else, right? Rapiers are too light for my style, but they're awesome weapons."

Kain (960) has posed:
    Kain rolled his eyes at that. "First off, Crocs. As in Crocodiles, not Clocks. Second, that was just his hand, not his whole arm." He smirked a small bit at the reference nonetheless.

    Kain takes a small note of the concerned stare, but then just smiles, nodding to Kirito's words. "Yeah! She's the reason I stopped using a Sword and picked up a Rapier instead! She was awesome against those A.L.F. bullies!" More shadow-fencing, going so far now as to practice a new sword skill, striking out several hits in rapid succession. He wasn't anywhere near 11 hits... but he was getting faster and faster. A succession of 7 hits now... he was frozen from the Sword Skill, though... but after a few seconds, he could move again. "Ugh... hate being stuck like that... but I suppose that's what powerful skills do for you."

Tomoe has posed:
Tomoe Says "Lets be honest few people are on his level of beyond him though Zeeken sure damn well is, she can bend any clearer into a pretzel in a fight and it's liberating to not be the biggest fish to b e honest."

She looks ove to Kirito for a momet grinning.

"It's one of the European martial schools that surived to the modern day honestly, Kirito. My anceswtors had a bad case of throwing out the old and forgetting about it. IT's a shame so few of the fighting styles surived."

Xiaomu (707) has posed:
"Slightly different breed of mob," Sunshower says to Kain, grinning widely. "Ah well, enjoy your delusion while it lasts, but when you hear them ticking you'll wish you'd taken me more seriously."

She finishes eating. "So, who wants something to drink? Got a few cordials I cooked up earlier, plus that keg of coffee should be just about ready ..." She pauses, checking a clock. "Hold that thought, let me go and check on it."

And out the door she goes.