796/Ship Wrecked

Ship Wrecked
Date of Scene:	13 October 2014
Location:	Great Ocean - Northern Loop
Synopsis:	Some of the Maelstrom crew has gone missing and its up to the "Adventurers" to find out why and get them back home.
Cast of Characters:	522, 530, 560, 573, 589

---

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Hydaelyn's own waters have merged seamlessly with that of the Great Northern Loop, this sadly means many of the problems that were Hydaelyn's own slowly has become the troubles of things just slightly out of her seas.

Including some things that are also not of hers.. finding their way into her own waters...

Yet the Maelstrom was in a bit of a bind, you see. They had a great deal of issues on the mainland and then with some pirate problems, issues closer to home. This means when one of their larger scout flag ships suddenly goes missing and doesn't report in-- there is problems.

That is where all of you come in, be it by mission board, word of mouth, or direct request from the Maelstrom itself-- all have been sent by a fishing ship to investigate the last area that the Maelstrom's ship could be and sure enough-- there she was.

The beautiful several mast vessel, with her deep wood and black steel. Anyone who remember the ships of old or even had a child's love for such things may find some beauty in her. Sadly however, she has been run ashore and the crew-- the crew is no where to be found.

Yet the island itself is not all that large, a few rock cropping here and there. The sky plagued by a possible incoming storm, and a few small mountains that run along the edge of parts of the island with caves within them.

The only sign that life may be here is by the fact there is a campfire not far from this location, a campfire that was recently used and also signs of a Maelstrom jacket that had been left behind, torn slightly it is.

As for that small fishing ship, the Lalafell-- a short man with white hair and a slightly goatee-- who brought you here remains. Though he seems rather determined to not even step /foot/ on the sand. Very content to stay right there on his fishing boat of one mast and a few other members of crew that are also Lalafell and female seekers of the sun Miqo'te alike. Maybe one of them also be willing to go along?

Either way, you as a group must find what has happened to the Maelstrom crew and hopefully bring them back to collect your reward.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Having contacts in various places, or at least making your efforts known to your allies, allowed Garen, AKA Cipher Nine, to hear about this mission and to go along with it. He definately stood out amongst the crew, with his red eyes and blue skin. But he quietly waited for the group to reach their destination. If allowed, he would be pouring over any and all documents pertaining to the area they were going to.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk is here, standing at the furthest forward of the ship, peering out at the island as it comes into view. Glasses adjust on her nose, then her hand dips to the tome on her belt.

    She's likely been getting some side-long glances from the Eorzean crew, especially when she's pawing through her tome, ears flickering and tail twitching to and fro. No matter to her, though.

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
What is she doing here, Miko Fujimoto wonders. She is supposed to be in school right now. She is going to have hell to pay when she gets home. She is even here in her normal human form, rather than that of her magical girl identity. Miko is not a combatant. As far as most in the Confederacy know, she is someone who is able to summon the magical girl Princess Paladin when necessary, but not herself a combatant. She is visiting this island in a warm white sweater, with a big thick scarf wrapped around her neck and half of her face. A white skirt with black music note print, along with black tights and shiny black shoes adorn her lower body. Her outfit is warm, stylish, but not necessarilly suited to dangerous missions.

She has never been in an environment like this before, or even on a boat. The fishing vessel is wobbly and makes her kind of ill to her stomach, but the thought of going onto some potentially dangerous island makes her feel even more sick. And yet Miko is here with other Confederates, right? So maybe they'll keep her safe. And if not, she can always transform into-err, 'summon' Princess Paladin. Assuming she can get somewhere out of sight of the others.

Even so, she feels terribly vulnerable and weak. Yet, without a clear objective, something she can choose as a mission and devote herself to one-hundred percent, she can not use her magic. It has its own peculiar way of working.

For now, the teenaged Japanese girl, medium-length in disarray from the winds upon the sea, stands off to the side awkwardly. She is not sure what she should be doing, she just knows they are here on a rescue mission or an investigation of some kind. So... She should probably stay out of the way of the professionals, right?

Right.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Oddly enough, a redhead's joined the attempt. He's definitely not a local, either. Emiya Shirou's determined to save whoever can be saved, and a ship with a mysteriously missing crew is something he can devote time to. Sure, he should be looking for his home Fuyuki... but he just can't ignore this. Ignoring this many people in trouble would be against everything he's for.

    There's something wrong with this guy, in other words.

    No smile, no frown, he just has an intense look to show for the island when he trudges ashore with the others. He's dressed in somewhat local attire, at least...

    "Man... where could a whole crew have GONE? If they ran aground here and had time to camp, they must've had time to plan, right? ... So, they either wanted a way off the island or signal for help... they only wouldn't do that if..."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The beach is very quiet, beyond the sound of the crew on the fishing boat and the sound of he crashing waves upon the shore itself. Not even a sound of a bird flies in the air. The Lalafell looks at the group and shakes his head. "Best of luck to all of you. We will remain anchored here long as we can, but if the storms get to bad. You are on your own."

He then goes back to check on things grumbling something about not getting paid enough to tow around adventurers and a primal lover -- whatever that is suppose to mean.

It really does seem this group is on their own...

The trail leads to that small campfire with the torn Maelstrom jacket, at least two caves, though hard to say how deep they go, and looks like much further ahead past the slowly moving in fog, a path the cuts in a V like shape around the rocky, sandy bends...

What will you do?

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    CLAP. Tome closes and mismatched eyes glare subtly at the Lalafel. Mihk says nothing however, choosing the high road as she simply disembarks with the others. She glances at her companions, before looking over the options presented. "Perhaps they left some clues at the camp site. We should check there first, then investigate the caves." she offers as her suggestion.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen departs from the ship and gives the Lalafell a nod. "Nothing new there..." He says to himself. He takes a long look at the paths and nods. "I agree. If we're lucky, we'll find a trail of footprints, or at the least see how far behind the crew we are."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Miko originally did a double-take when Shirou boarded, recognizing him from a previous encounter - though she had a different face then, so he has no reason to recognize HER. Even so, she has done her best to try to appear inconspicuous and not look his direction the entire trip. Which has probably just made her more noticeable in her avoidance.

Suddenly: Oh snap, action is happening! Miko hurries to disembark when she realizes others are doing so, stops to bow to the Lalafell captain and thank him for taking them this far, and then gets onto the island. She does not want to be left behind, after all! At the suggestion from the catgirl or whoever she is, and then the agreement from the blue-skinned guy, Miko offers, "Ah, yes! Definitely!" Only it comes out quietly, rather than loudly, and they probably do not really care what her opinion is anyway. So she just awkwardly follows after them, because she knows not the first thing about any of this.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's not too worried. If he really needs help he can call for Union aid, or just wait out the storm. it would suck, but he could do it. But there are these others here... he's especialyl worried about the girl who's said so little and keeps not looking at him. Is there something on his face?

    He finally spots the torn jacket... "... They were attacked? Or tore it up for some reason."

    So he points over at the cave entrances... "I don't like this. They had a camp out here, why would ALL of them go somewhere?"

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Campsite itself has a few log, looks like a kettle of some kind that was being cooked out of, but it looks long cold. Some kind of stew maybe? The campfire was burning maybe about twenty four hours ago-- if anyone has any way of figuring that out.

The Jacket itself is torn, but hard to tell /what/ did it. Looks almost like claw marks-- or swords. There is also a Maelstrom flintlock that has been tossed off to the side-- still loaded if anyone checks.

Tracks in the sand seem like a skirmish maybe, there is a ton of shuffling, skidding, and they seem to go down the path. Though its hard to say if they go into the cave or not, because the further it gets from the camp-- the harder it is to read the sand thanks to rocks.

The fog continues to creep in and the small bell at the camp site rings a few times-- even though with a lack of wind.. it really shouldn't. Those for the nose of aetheric energy may pick up something of its current that played with the bell itself-- but as quickly has it came, it also slipped away.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garens eyes narrow as he looks over the jacket. He then checks the pistol and shakes his head. "Didn't fire a shot..Seems like an ambush." He says. He then looks over and motions to the tracks. "We may have something here...can't tell where it goes, though.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    "Careful... something is using the Aether nearby." warns the Miqo'te, ears perking up and tail fluffing out in agitation. "Though I am unable to place where they are. I do not like the look of this fog either, but we should follow the tracks." she then pulls her book from her belt, flipping it open and holding it to the side as she moves to follow the tracks. An odd weapon, if indeed it is one.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's going over the campsite. he's no investigator, but he's not a moron. He can tell something's wrong here. "It doesn't look like they struggled... it's like everyone just up and walked off." Buh? What the heck could that be?

    Some part of him is primally screaming danger. He unshoulders the ornate onyx blade he's been carrying. It's not one of his traced weapons, and he's pretty clumsy at carrying it. But he pauses at the bell ringing, glancing at it. "Huh?" WHY is it ringing?

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
As Mihk moves into the fog, it becomes harder to see in it. The tracks also become harder to follow, if anything there is some strange sounds within the fog. Like whispers, voices, but yet-- nothing is there that can be seen.

The fog soon also rolls over the campsite and soon also hits the very ship that was anchored-- well-- on the upside. They are also NOT going anywhere now. Though as the fog moves in, the bell once more rings a bit, it is actually a very pleasant chime this time.

Soon there was the sound of laughter in the fog, before that too faded. It moved in and out of the two caves. Something seem to move around Mihk, she may feel her garbs move once more. Though soon after the area falls into silence once more.

Then the sound in the distance can be heard something moving, the rocky ground ahead being disturbed and shuffling of sand. A small glow in the fog, like a lantern, also starts to become visible.

Shirou and Garen both may hear a gentle whisper to them saying softly something that is intangible by the others...

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen heard that whisper, taken back by it for a moment. He shook his head, trying to clear it from his head. "It's nothing....force mind tricks don't work on me..." He says, mainly to himself. He looks over to Mihk and ponders his words. "Hmm....There is definately something in this fog. Any ideas?"

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "Si..." Something has shaken Shirou. He backs up a few steps, getting away from the bell. "Trace, on." It might do him no good. His magic resistance is pathetic and he knows it. But he activates his Magic Circuits and starts circulating prana through his system. It should help force away an invading spell before it can take hold - provided it works on the kinds of principles he was taught about.

    Which it might not.

    "...Siren... there's a siren here...!"

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk spins on her heel when something tugs at her, ears flatten down at the noises... this isn't natural, something is definitely controlling the fog and making those sounds. As Garen addresses her, she gives a faint shrug. "All I know is there is something using the local Aetheric Current. For what ends, I cannot say, nor can..." that's when Shirou starts shouting. "Siren?" her ears go up in alarm then, turning to her tome she flips through the pages. "There must be something..."

Princess Paladin (589) has posed:
Miko is completely out of her element here. And without the power of Princess Paladin, she is terrified of what she is hearing. Some kind of mind controlling monster? People going missing? And she's here with only a choice between staying as she is and risking death or mind control or trying to sneak away somewhere out of sight where she could be killed while no one is looking in order to transform? She should not be here. "I am very sorry," Miko apologizes tensely to the others. "I do not feel I am suited to this mission. I am going to return to the boat. Please take care of yourselves." She bows to them all, one by one, and then flees back to the ship.

Where she stays. Because scared school girl is scared.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
As Garen pulls his wits about him and Shirou calls out that there is a siren here-- including as Mihk flips through her pages, the light gets ever closer, before at last a figure can be seen holding a lantern. It looks like a tall Roegadyn man, missing a jacket, a sword at his hip-- but his holster was empty. He had light blue skin and a black beard, along with black hair pulled back into a pony tail.

By the pants though and undershirt, he was one of the Maelstrom crew. His eyes had a silver-like color to them. He stares at Mihk, before he looks across at the other two almost hidden by the fog itself. His silver eyes then watch the school girl run back to the ship.

Was this one of the crew members who went missing?

He shifts the lantern slightly. "Ye should not have come." He says remarkably calmly. "But now 'at ye here. Ye'all need ta come wit' me. If ye refuse.. I will have ta let 'em have 'eir way wit' ye. Consider 'is a piece offer'in."

Garen (530) has posed:
    "Exactly who are you representing?" Garen asks. He does, of course, move to follow the man. He seemed to be the person who lost the jacket and pistol at the camp they had passed not long ago. "Judging by your lack of gear, your part of the crew that went missing."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's expression turns quickly worried - first for the girl who just withdrew. Who was she supposed to be, and why was she even out here, come to think of it?

    "... I can't, without more explanation." He exlains to the one who wandered up. He's hlding onto his sword, but isn't brandishing it or anything, thankfully. "Let who...? And where are you going?"

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk mirrors her companions sentiments. "Unless you explain what you mean, I will be going nowhere with you or anyone else." she brings her free hand to rest on the open page of her tome, subtly pulling Aether into the geometry inscribed upon the page.

    "If you are of the Maelstrom crew we have been sent to find, where are your fellows and why are they not at the campsite?"

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Garen ask and the beastial man just looks at him. He doesn't say anything, just a very cold stare. His gaze then moves over to Shirou as he tries to get answers from him. "Not a patient one-- now come on be'fur minds be change'in."

The Maelstrom crewmen starts to turn away, even as he address to Mihk. "If 'at is wha' ye want ta do. I am not go'in ta stop ye or ye friends. But if ye really here ta /help/, ye take my advice 'n follow." He really, oddly stresses the help part.

Then the Maelstrom crewmate looks over his shoulder very calmly, "..'N bring me my gun if ye could. I'd be must obliged."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou blinks. This guy is acting weird. But he does bend down to get the gun, assuming Garen doesn't already have it. "... Okay. I'll come with you. But I hope you can say more than just this..." Seems Shirou's week to requests for help!

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk looks at the others, and frowns a little. However it seems she's out voted on this one and just follows along in step. She keeps her Aether channeled though, the page and her hand faintly glowing with white light.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen nods. He spins the gun in his hand, much like a practiced gunslinger, before offering it handle first to it's owner. "I hope your not leading us into a trap." He says simply.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Maelstrom crewmate takes the flintlock from Garen, given the man a /very/ firm nod. Is that him saying 'yes this a trap' silently or was that just a nod of 'thanks'? Yeah. This guy was acting funny.

As they start to follow him, they may hear movement behind them, coming out from the caves, but whatever it is-- is hard to see thanks to the fog, yes as they go down the left direction-- not the right-- the fog is slowly lifting and the rocky ledge is also moving away.

Pieces of rowboats can be seen laying on the once again sandy beach. There are many foot prints here, some that were being dragged-- and some-- some that looked like skeleton feet. As the fog continues to clear, the are presented to an area where the waters roll up and a new campfire burns-- but the flames are almost gone.

A few more Maelstrom members be seen here, but they seem even more /out/ of it then the one who came to get them. One of them is-- actually chewing on a bone. They range from Hyruls (humans), elezen, and some more sea wolf Roegadyn.

The Maelstrom that brought them here though, is checking the chamber of the Flintlock, he is giving the others of his crew a very stern look, as he snaps it back closed. Which causes a few of them to look up-- but they soon go back to what they were doing.

Then a woman's voice could be heard. It was soft, gentle-- majestic-- and even highly enchanting. Perhaps more so to men then that of women, "Join us.. stay.. so alone here.. wont you stay?"

When she does speak, the male Roegadyn who is with them winces a little, and goes to take something out of his pocket. He makes a small gesture, very faint gesture to them as he tries to make himself look like he is stretching, while attempting to as his hands go back down, use something place into his ears as he 'scratches' them.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk is ever watchful, eyes glancing from one set of things to another, drinking in information. Undead inhabit this place. The other Maelstrom are enthralled by something, then that voice. She almost recoils from the sheer brute force of the Aether channeled through it. She murmurs softly into her radio piece. "Plug your ears. Do it quickly. Aether flows from that voice." keeping her own voice at the barest minimum to be heard, before she seeks out something to plug her own ears with.

    Finding old wrapped up lengths of cloth, she closes her book, stretches and fakes a yawn, scratching at her ears as she pushes the wads into them. Uncomfortable, but servicable.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen's senses, and the fact he was always taught to expect an ambush, had him drop to a knee. He was adept at hiding his true actions, so what looked like him tying his boot was instead him covertly sliding his vibro-knife from his boot into his sleeve. At Mihk's call, he slipped small earplugs into his ears as well. Once done, he finished tying his boot and followed into the large room.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "A Mystic Voice?" Shirou's figured it out too. He got the gist thhe moment the idea of 'Siren' entered his mind. And that's why he's furiously pumping prana through his system. The idea is that any foreign effect entering will be washed away before it can take hold, and this seems to be working. The 'Siren' isn't gaining influence. Yet. Phew.

    "Come out.. I know you're there." He shoulders his weapon again though, a sign of peace. He wants to speak with whatever creature is behind this. Perhaps she has a reason, and can be negotited with, after all.

    Provided his prana can hold out long enough, for if he runs out then he'll have no protection against the voice.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The other two protect themselves and perhaps the one Maelstrom out of the whole group seems to be the /only/ one who is keeping his distance slightly when all the others go to stand. When Shirou asks for her to show herself, soon a woman seems to walk across the waters with elegance and grace that is beyond all compare.

The majestic wings of her body drape along the waters like a beautiful cloak and her body is all but saying 'come hither'. There was a harp she held in one hand and her other hand ran along its edge, before she extended her hand out toward the group, "Join us.. wont you...? Come and stay..?"

(( OOC Image: ))

The others who are under her spell, go to wade into the water, reaching out to her, a few even pushing the others into the water to try and get closer. They are so entrapped in her spell, they may actually start to kill one another here soon!

Garen (530) has posed:
    The siren definately.....got a look from the agent. He had charmed many people, but this was something else entirely. Still, he had a job to do. Garen watched silently, his red eyes scanning over the men and the water. His mind was already at work, and his allies could read in his face he was already creating plans of action.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's eyes go wide. he's having trouble tearing his eyes away, body heating up and -- aaaargh, darned monster girls.

    Blushing, he turns his head away from her... "e-Er... sorry, I can't. And these people can't either. They have a place to be and people are missing them!"

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk narrows her eyes as the Siren reveals herself. Subtle shift of hands to her Tome and a twitch of her tail are the only tells she's ready to fight. "We cannot stay. And these men have people that miss them." she replies, gesturing to the mass of people all clamouring to touch the creature.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Siren tilts her head ever so faintly, she takes another step forward, but not any closer. Her hand gently draws back in, moving to rest just slightly above her chest, as her head then slowly moves downward. "You... reject me..?" She seems to ask Shirou directly. "...how..? ...why..?"

As the Siren asks this, the Maelstrom that are trying to get to her suddenly stop and they suddenly turn to look at the group. The Siren's hand slowly slides down and she runs her nimble fingers across the cords of the harps, which in itself is ever as majestic as her voice. "..am I.. beautiful?"

She moves her gaze to Garen and then to Mihk, as she strings a few more cords, then speaks directly to Mihk, "..You want... what is mine..?"

The Maelstrom who went to meet them, starts to slowly walk along the beach side. The Flintlock was in his hand, his finger resting against the trigger housing, but not on the trigger itself. Those cold silver eyes seeming to be looking for /something/. Maybe an opening to take the shot to maybe end this or maybe a needed distraction shot if things were to go wrong.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen moves and holds his hand over his pistol, as if asking for a reason. "Here's how this works. Your going to let these people go, then your going to dissapear." His tone was like ice, and his eyes showed he was serious. Of course, he also kept his gate on the Maelstrom who met them, not fully trusting anyone but his allies, and his guns.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou picks up on the meaning of Garen's coldness and a chill runs down his back. What the heck! Gulp.

    The redhead focuses on the Siren again, struggling hard to not look any lower than her face. Of course this is impossible, but he can TRY at least.

    "...Yeah... but you can't keep these people entranced. They don't have anything. They don't even have their senses." he's struggling to keep his own. "Will you let them go? They shouldn't be out here." He'll try again.

    He has to try.

    He doesn't even want to hurt this Siren if he can avoid it.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk pulls her book from her belt, flipping it open. "These men are not yours." she retorts. "And by my calculations, you are far outnumbered, even if you send them at us. Release these men, and we will leave you in peace. Resist us, and there is a 100% probability you will be injured in a fight with us."

    As she speaks, the Arcanist draws in Aether, tugging a small red and blue gemstone from a pouch, into which she pours the energy making sure to pour enough Wind-aspect to form the creature. She then tosses the gem forward, a turqoise fox-like being manifesting around it with a ZAMNF of mystical power.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Siren's gaze falls on Garen as he speaks to her coldly, she actually looks hurt by his words. Then her gaze falls on Shirou, as she extends out her hand to him, as if trying to will him to come her. As men who are under her trance start to move out of the water, she herself moves closer to the shore, but she still stays in rather deep water.

The Siren then goes to place her hand back over her chest, her eyes staring into Shirou's. They are soft, gentle, hypnotic really. Almost pleading, "No.. they need me.. don't you need me...?"

Then when Mihk says her peace, the Siren looks to her and then plays a few cords on her harp. "No. Mine." Her eyes then suddenly narrow, "You can not have what is mine.. mine.. all mine.. their hearts.. their souls.. you can not have them..!" That is when the last cord is plucked and as it does the men who were there suddenly charge at the group.

No weapons in their hands, but they did not care. They charged at them with all aggression and seem willing to use their own hands and teeth if they had too.

As for the other Maelstrom who met the group, he raises up his Flintlock and takes aim for the Siren, "Back ta 'e sea wi' ye!" He then fires off a shot at her, aiming to strike her hand. "Ye not have any more souls 'is day!" He then takes another shot at her.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen smirked a little towards the Maelstrom. He understood now what was going on. So, he draw his pistol and in one fluid motion fired at the harp hand of the siren as well. As for the charging men, they would find out what Imperial hand-to-hand felt like.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    This is the exact opposite of how Shirou hoped this would go. But the moment a shot's fired... all bets are really off. His thoughts and feelings instantly shift to full serious mode. It's kill or be killed, and emotion is no excuse for hesitation. His blade's held out in a hurry, but he's backing up to beat away the men coming at him. Thwacking them with the flat should be enough, he hopes... "Stop the Siren, and the others should be free of the spell!" he chokes out at Garen.

    Apparently, this monster doesn't have any concept of human values and cannot be reasoned with. It's unfortunate. Really unfortunate.

    But what can he do about it? "Trace, on."

    His free hand's fingers open then clasp about golden light as it solidifies into an ancient longsword. Wind gathers around Kusanagi, and he unleashes it with a single swing. A blunt gale that should sweep the men off their feet and spray all kinds of sand and debris their way. probably catching the harpy in it too!

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    "So be it. Carbuncle!" she commands, as she gathers Aether into her book again. "Strike to disable if you can. Strike at the Siren if you cannot. Mind yourselves and keep each other covered. I can provide minor healing if you should need it." The Miqo'te is used to commanding a situation, so her voice is firm and authorative.

    The blue creature gathers up into a ball as it gathers its own Aether current, forming Wind-aspected spells within its body. It blasts at the approaching men with strong gusts to disrupt and disorient them, while Mihk herself 'throws' another spell out, turning a vast swath of the beach between her and the oncoming Thralls into a choking morass of poisonous Miasma.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Siren is shot at her and the shots from both the Maelstrom and Garen impact true, causing her to cry out in pain. It wasn't a shrill-- or scream, but the sound of an actual woman in pain. Garen will soon however have three men right on him at different heights, some at six foot, and two others nearly seven if not seven and half. All three wanting to strike fury upon him.

Two come right after Mihk, until she releases her spell toward them, causing them to quickly reel back. Coughing and choking on the aetheric poison flung at them.

Shirou knocks some of the way with the flat of the blade. Each time he strikes with the blade, the runes on it glow a touch. When he pulls out the wind commanding blade and whirl winds several of the Maelstrom back. The Siren uses her elegant wings to try and shield herself.

She then watches as another bullet comes in from the one Maelstrom who has his senses, "Please... don't... don't take.. away from me.. my..."

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen looks over the men quickly. He hits a device on his wrist, which fired a dart at one man. It contained a sedative that could knock out a gammorian. The other two would find the agent no slouch, as he was able to display basic CQC skills, such as a few good grabs and counters.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    "Strike her down! She seems intelligent but this is simply another Monster." she cries over the sound of battle. Garen would find his enemies becoming more sluggish, as she points her book in his direction, streams of sickly green energy lashing out to strike at the three accosting him.

    "Carbuncle, Operation Windfall." she commands, the little blue fox scampering over to help Garen also, leaping in front of the Chiss assassin and BLASTING out with a brute-force wind burst. It then scampers away to buffet and harrass other targets at random, sowing chaos in the attacking Maelstrom.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    These noises are not at all good for Shirou's peace of mind. There's a women screaming. He shouldn't ever have to be on the side that's causing such an awful sound! But he is. It's getting him to grit his teeth. But really, this isn't a woman. mihk's right. "Surrender, there's no other way out of this!" He yells desperately at the Siren.

    He's not rushing in to deliver a blow himself...

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Maelstrom are quickly dispatched by the combinations of all three and the one sane one continues to open fire, until his Flintlock runs out of bullets to fire. The Siren loses a feather from the shot and starts to sink down back into the water.

"You.. why...? ...alone..? ..forever..? ...monster..." The Siren seems to almost shed a single tear which becomes a pearl as she then flips over and dives into the water. As she dives in, the men who /may/ be standing seem to come to their senses and look around in confusion.

Then at last their is some peace.. at least.. until the island itself starts to rumble and gushers of water suddenly irrupt from the very sand itself.

The one who has been sane this whole time, nearly gets blasted by one. "Twelve have mercy!" He barks out before tossing his flintlock aside and then racing toward the group. "'E island be sink'in. We need ta get out of 'ere n' 'em lads before we all be say'in 'ello ta Levi."

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen looks over and nods. "Agreed. Grab up any wounded and get moving." He says. He grabs for the guy whom he might have hit with his sedative, and starts leading the way out.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk flats her ears. "Blast... She's escaped, but securing our own lives come first. Gather the Maelstrom and make way back to the ship! Carbuncle, return!" she calls, the blue fox leaping back towards the Miqo'te, vanishing back into the gemstone which she quickly pockets. "Our blue friend is correct, gather the wounded and move. I can administer healing once we are back aboard the ship!"

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "...W-wuah?!" The WHOLE ISLAND is sinking! It really is. Shirou's flabbergasted, but he does hurry with the others! "C'mon, to the ship you came in on! You're not gonna all fit on the one we did!"

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
"'lue Friend?" The Maelstrom snaps a look at her as he picks up one of the Hyrul and throws him over his shoulder and gives another one a hand back up. "Ye lass need ta be watchin' who ye call Yer friends.. 'n 'at one who summons beasts from 'e Aether."

Though he knows better then to squabble on this right now. It was more a soft warning perhaps, after all-- if he had his ship and full crew-- he may even arrest her! But that was a subject for when they did not need to run for their lives.

When other start to move, so does those who can still walk. Though as they make their run, they find themselves in a /new/ predicament, because between them and the two ships was at least ten skeleton warriors.

The Maelstrom crewmate grind his teeth for a moment before he looked over to Mihk. "Oi! Make 'at primal critter of yer useful 'ike ye did wit' 'at banshee! May give us 'e runnin' room we need ta get out of 'ere!"

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen looks over. "She's referring to me. I'd prefer you either call me a Chiss, or by Cipher Nine." He says to Mihk. Then he eye's the 10 skeletons, and simply throws a Thermal Detonator grenade at them. "We don't have time for this."

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk narrows her eyes at the giant. "Carbuncle is not a Primal. And I would rather you focus on staying alive, rather than trying to turn me into a monster that I am not. I just saved your Twelve cursed LIFE." she snarls. To Garen she sighs. "I apologize, I will keep that in mind for the fu--" then Thermal Detonator exploding. Even with the earplugs those big Miqo'te ears pin down at the sudden noise.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "Sk-skeletons?!" Where the heck did skeletons come from? Shirou puts himself at the front of the group. He's still dual wielding his strange onyx sword and Kusanagi, though he hurls the latter at one of the skeletons with all his might. The hurled sword flies with the blessing of the wind, but it will just be a nasty impact. The real threat comes as he brings both hands to the blade of onyx's grip and lunges in, aiming to dice the bones to pieces!

    "Hurry!"

    Or at least, he gets pretty close... then he spots an incoming grenade, and IMMEDIATELY puts power into his legs. Shirou executes a mighty backwards leap that any athlete would be proud of and goes tumbling over the ground away from it!

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
"N' 'at is why I told ye ta sick it on 'em! Ye damn mages be all 'e same, no matter 'e creed." The Maelstrom who has been with them roars out the first part even when the thermal detonator goes off, though he speaks more calmly on the next part. Those steel silver eyes stare right at the area where the smoke now rises.

Where there was ten skeletons, now come at them is four with swords raised high and charging at them quickly. The number probably also got knocked down thanks to Shirou's good timing with his own blade mixed with Garen's explosion.

The Maelstrom crew-mate snorts softly to the side, before he suddenly charges ahead anyways, slipping by one of the skeletons before he could swing the blade, while one of the other Maelstrom's goes to roll right under another, before quickly getting up on their feet just as a sword nicks the back of their jacket.

One of the Skeletons comes right at Shirou, swinging down the sword in a hard cleave. Shirou my hear a familiar voice speak to him, when the Skeleton goes to strike.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen shakes his head and pulls his pistol again. He shoots rapid fire-style at all 4 skeletons. He was careful not to hit any of his allies, but his overall aim was to headshot with speed.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk snorts, then draws Aether through her Book, working more power into one of her basic spells. Four Geometries form in the air around her, before they each unleash a bolt of blinding white light at the skeletons. The Ruinous Blast is packed with Earth and Wind aspected Aether, designed to hit hard and disorient. The brightness is a side effect of the two Aspects working against each other, blinding their targets. "We can't dally. Strike and move, leave them if you must but we need to get back to the ships as soon as possible.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Seeing the scorched ground left in the wake of the thermal detonator, Shirou inwardly curses how that nearly went really bad. But he doesn't have much time to think straight...

    One day he's gonna have to figure out how that guy does this.

    With a yell, Shirou brings up his weapon to parry. It's a crude motion and his footwork is somewhat lackluster, barely enough to manage his weight and the impact, but he then brings it down with all his strength and wrenches it to the side - perhaps the blade will just dice the skeleton to pieces!

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The energy bolts from Garen combined with Mihk's binding magic takes down two of the skeletons. One of them however goes right in for Melee range at Mihk, attempting to dive its sword right into her!

As for the one that Shirou was facing, it tries to put the pressure on, but when Shirou slams the blade inward and then with all of his might goes to cut the Skeleton, the very skeleton is cut right in half. The aetheric energy seems to form out from the Skeleton and then is drawn into the very blade, causing the skeleton itself to vanish from sight, instead of breaking to pieces like the others.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen shakes his head slightly. "Made of tough stuff, aren't you?" He asks. He charges at the Skeleton, firing a bolt to act as a distraction. He aimed to move in close. In a flash, Garen would try to stick his vibro-knife right through the eye socket of the remaining skeleton.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk isn't made for melee. She closes her book and brings the armoured cover in the way of the sword strike, being driven back by the sheer force. She grunts and cries out, before the sword slips, and slices down her arm, drawing blood and slicing clean through the cloth of her robe.

    "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Carbuncle manifests for a moment in the book, and BLASTS the Skeleton away with a wind burst before vanishing again.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    What the-- prana's flowing into Shirou. The blade in his hand feels hotter than before... but the thing that has him momentarily gaping is that the skeleton simply VANISHED.

    What did the maker of that blade DO? This isn't quite what he was expecting...

    "Next one!" The only thing going for him besides that is his own considerable strength. The skeletons are weak, and he's not scared of them. Hecan rush them and overpower them easily! ... So long as it's just one or two at a time.

    Onwards he goes, attempting to cleave through another undead!

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The last remaining undead gets tackled by all three it seems! Garen goes for its eye socket, as then Mihk goes to shove it off balance! It tries to swing at Garen, to only find itself getting blocked by Shirou ho steps right in and then finishes it off!

The island however shakes once more as a reminder that its /still/ sinking and water can be seen starting to move toward them, though slowly it may be-- it was a bad sign.

Then the voice of the Roegadyn who had been with them the entire time yells out over his ship's deck to them, "Hurry ye land-lubbers! 'E be no time left for ye games!" With that said, he and some of his men threw down some ropes for them to quickly snag onto and get themselves up on the ship!

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen withdraws that vibro-knife, wipes it off a bit, and holsters it before turning. He leaps up and catches the rope thrown down. He offered his free hand to grab anyone who needed the help.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk secures her book, then runs for the ship, leaping to catch one of the ropes, though with her injury it's hard to hold on. "H-Help..." she calls, unable to grasp the rope with both hands she begins to slip.

Garen (530) has posed:
    Garen hears Mihk call for help and grabs her hand. He had a surprisingly strong grip, and pulls her up. He makes sure that Mihk could wrap her arms around him, further securing the grip.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Another skeleton comes apart in a display of flowing Aether that gets sucked into the onyx blade. "I'm gonna have some questions for that guy later." The redhead grumbles. Is there gonna be side-effects from taking this stuff in? He's not feeling anything weird yet...

    "You don't need to ask me twice!" Shirou only bothers with half of the rope. He puts power into his legs and jumps a few times the height most people would be able to manage, then climbs up the rope the rest of the way. He then takes up a sentry position in case he needs to cover the others!

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Once they have the lines, the men aid in pulling up the ropes, but carefully so, to not dislodge anyone. Then they will offer them their hand to get them on board fully if so. Around the ship though the island is indeed sinking away and becoming part of the ocean once more.

The crew of the fishing boat is giving a wave to the Maelstrom's proud scout ship and the Maelstrom who are able are quickly getting her ready to head back for Aleport. Those who get on will be offered some water and possibly food as well.

And though Mihk may get a few looks from the crew, they mostly leave her be. After all, bygones be bygones. She helped save their life-- they will excuse her presence for now. One of them may even offer a dodo sandwich or even a fresh orange, mostly as a thank you gesture.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk cries out as she's pulled up onto deck by Garen, the slash along her arm seeping blood into her robe. "Thank you, Cipher Nine." she manages in a semblence of her normal prim self. The Miqo'te then takes her book, draws in Aether and focuses it inwards, casting her Physick spell on herself. It stems the blood flowing from her wound and begins the healing process, but is far from a Cure in restorative power.

    Mihk is far from a grudging woman, and thanks the person that brings her food and water graciously. Once eaten, she moves around to tend to those that might require medical attention, offering her healing spell to those that might accept the aid.

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    Shirou's grateful for the provisions, but the thing that's most bothering him...

    "Was there no other way deal with her? I guess trying to reason her would've just gotten everyone killed..." urgh. This isn't the result he wanted. But it's much better than nothing.

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    Mihk idly responds. "There are many more Monsters in Hydaelyn than just the Coyotes and Coeurls." glancing over as her ears splay. "Some tug at the heart strings by appearing sapient. That thing was nothing more than a mindless beast that wished nothing other than destruction, of body AND soul."

Emiya Shirou (560) has posed:
    "...Scary. Then what was that island supposed to be? it sank. It was there just for her?" This is weird. Hard to believe, really. The redheaded magus clenches a fist tightly and paces somewhat, quite unhappy by this whole matter. Hey, they saved everyone, and that's awesome.

    But the cause of it all is still out there, by the look o it...

Mihk Lihzeh (573) has posed:
    "It was an Aetheric being. It may even have been a Primal. Regardless, that island is a deathtrap. We should be thankful that it is gone for the time being." replies Mihk softly, reaching out to place a hand on the man's shoulder, staying his pacing. "Do you require succor? If you are injured or tired, I can offer some respite."