Seaside 5: Kinda like One Piece without the anime

[5a Violista]

[Coast Crawling]

Greg sighs in relief: "Oh, good. I was worried he would have been kidnapped or wandered off," he says.
As they go farther through the city and reach the edge of this Quarter, most of them start to split off. Greg is still obviously going with Anchor, since he has to get back to the bottom of the waterfall. One other, as well, is going with them - more out of obligation for being saved: he figures he has to escort her as thanks for being saved, especially since it's so late at night and probably dangerous. Speaking of being late, if Anchor goes at a normal pace she'd get back in time for midnight but carrying the mermaid by herself would probably delay her just enough to be a little late. It's probably okay, though, because she'll be on the trail and Zophiel and her will run into each other there, around the waterfall most likely. Or she could tell Greg or the white knight guy to help out one way or another.

Greg nods, and says, "Yes, that might be a better way to describe it. A blank feeling."

The not-quite-invisible mermaid shakes her head: she was at the fort this whole time except when out on patrols, but she says, "Um, not quite, but it sort-of sounds like some stories I've heard from our scriptures."


[Lost Beach]

"Key looks broken," she says, stating the obvious.

June looks down at her glowing hand.
She opens her hand so that Selekhael could see it better. "It was down here and so I grabbed it. That way, I could still see what was in front of me even without your sword."

[Recaiden]

"No, he listened and stayed put." And it would have been very easy to wander off. But not doing so probably saved him from the mystery creature.

As the rescued folks split off to go home, Anchor bids them "Stay safe."

And then, as they're walking further, she asks "Could one of you help carry, um, what's your name, miss?" She started off asking the two guys, but that last bit's for the mermaid, of course.
"And would you tell me those stories it reminds you of, while we go?"

[bc56]

Lost Beach

"Maybe we can fix it?" Selekhael looks closely at it. "It looks like it was cast here. Maybe we could make a new one?" They have a lot of equipment for metal casting here, but they'd need to find the right mold and start the forge up again.

[5a Violista]

[Lost Beach]

"Yeah! Maybe," June says. "That'd be really lucky."

She looks around trying to decide what to do. "Hey, you know a bunch about forges, right? You can go upstairs and see if you can get it started, and find any molds. I'll check downstairs to see what's there." She holds the glowing green light to demonstrate that she'll use it to see. "And if I need help, I'll just shout! And vice-versa."


[Coast Crawling]

Greg is relieved that he listened when it was actually something important.

The other guy says "Yes, of course!" he can carry her! and he tries to take the mermaid from Anchor. She's a bit heavier than he was expecting, but he can handle it. Just gotta adjust.

"Amatheia," the mermaid says.
She agrees to tell some of the stories while they walk. There's nothing particularly concrete, between the scriptural accounts and the folklore but they seem recognizably similar enough to the blank thing that attacked. The general gist of the stories is that there's a scorned lover (a folklore story), or a god of wrath who was sealed away (scriptural account) who threatens to return every year (scriptural account) and get revenge for various reasons and is especially dangerous to men (various sources).

And...that's about it. Nothing really concrete.

[Recaiden]

"Thanks."
"And don't worry." Anchor tells Amatheia.

And then she listens as they walk.
Hmm. It could be the spirit a scorned lover who lived in this village, perhaps. Although being a god of wrath would explain it showing up after a battle.
And if the mermaids' ritual was interrupted not so long ago, that could explain why it's here now.
Different conflicting accounts about what it wants revenge for, so that's not really helpful.
"How is it supposed to be sealed away, according to the scriptures?"
She'll also be keeping an eye out for Zophiel. Will he have gotten back first, or be coming up behind them at the last minute?

[Vahnavoi]

[Forgotten Pirate Cove]

The ghost's scream seems to work - it distracts the swordsman's spirit for long enough for her to slip through his grasp and reach for his empty body...

... but then the swordsman's body moves on its own and embraces the ghost.

There's something in there. A third presence. It is lulling the ghost into sleep, beckoning her to leave the waking world behind and inviting her into a dreamscape where snow covers the ground and fjelds loom in the distance...

[5a Violista]

When they get closer, Greg starts to speed up to leave them behind, so that he can go get Gregson.


The mermaid explains that it was sealed away a long time ago by five heroes after a widespread battle where a lot of people were killed and justice was wrought, and...that's how it was sealed away, according to the scriptures.

And, of course, they have a yearly celebration of it as part of a holiday where priestess go and do a reenactment, she says. But Amatheia didn't meet the qualifications to become a priestess so she became a soldier instead, so she doesn't really know how it's done and actually hasn't been to that pilgrimage outpost yet.


And so, Zophiel actually got back a little early. After all, there wasn't really all that much to go on where he was. Sure, he found a couple things but nothing concrete, and then the place started to close up for the night. Without anything to do, he came back.
He's currently sitting at the dock, speaking to the mermaid there - the one who's missing a sister and was missing a shadow (but it came back pretty recently).

[Recaiden]

Just as Greg ought to be doing.

When they get down to the dock at last, Anchor takes the mermaid back from the helpful rescuee, and says "Thanks so much." and places on him a blessing of good fortune through the end of the next season.

Then she comes up to Zophiel and the other mermaid.
"So it sounds like, someone, probably humans who came to the town from far away, interrupted the holiday reenactment, and started this conflict between humans and mermaids, and also since the ritual got interrupted, that released the sealed god of wrath who's now taking their revenge on everyone here?"
"I mean, maybe?"

"Zophiel, this is Amatheia. Amatheia, Zophiel."
"And the dog is Briar, don't worry about them."
"I do have a lead on rescuing the mermaids, but I mean, it's not as sure as I'd like."

[bc56]

Lost Beach

Selekhael agrees. She goes back up while June goes down. The bottom floor of the tower appears to be an engine room or similar location, coupled with a storage for a large amount of tinned food. Pipes lead to and from sealed metal barrels, and an impressive distillation apparatus takes up an entire wall of the structure. There are valves and levers aplenty, along with more coal and parts for additional machines.

[5a Violista]

[Coast Crawling]

After she gets here, the guy mumbles a no problem and starts to head back. Likewise, Greg is busy hugging Gregson in that shack.

Zophiel listens.
"That story...it could make sense," he says. "I mean, it sounds complex, but it doesn't contradict anything I've heard so far."
He says hi to Amatheia and Briar. The other mermaid does, too. The two mermaids haven't really met because one is a soldier and the other is not.
"All I found out was that lots of places that had tanks for transporting large marine wildlife were recently sold out. Some makers offered to make more over the next few days, but the offers were turned down. It seemed relevant, so I tried to track down the buyers but I just kept on hitting dead ends."

But!
"What was your lead?" he asks, hoping her lead is better.


[Lost Beach]

June holds the dim light in front of her, like a torch or flashlight.

Food! Likely really old and gone bad, but a bunch of it is canned. June imagines that she will get pretty hungry and thirsty in the next couple hours, so she picks out a couple of them that look like they wouldn't go bad, and puts them in her apron.

She wants to shout up what she found, but decides against it because she said shouting was reserved for emergencies. Whatever is in those barrels is likely already bad and the distillation machine probably needs repairs, but...she could always just go for more coconuts and maybe some inland water, or something. Maybe if it rains, she can forgo coconuts.

Once she feels like she has a decent amount of old food, she turns to the engine and looks around to see if there might be a sign for how to start it running. If it powers the lights in this place, then doing things will be a lot easier, she thinks.

[Recaiden]

It would be rude to assume all mermaids know each other.
But this mermaid at the docks never told them her name, just the name of her sister. So Anchor can't introduce them.

"People in the extra-black-market are smuggling things out to Skyside tonight. At 2 from the north gate."
"They're short on guards, so I was able to get a 'job' with the caravan. Allegedly, I mean, they're obviously completely untrustworthy too."
There's also dog-fighting rings and at least one secret society, but those are more okay and less relevant.
"So if the marine tanks were bought up and five days of delay was too long, that's more likely to include the mermaids we're looking for. I mean, don't you think so?"

[5a Violista]

That mermaid was very rude for not introducing herself, then.

"So we have under two hours, then," Zophiel says. "I think so, too, that they are likely there. I was thinking we had only a day or two to rescue them, but it sounds like we have only one chance at it."
Also, he is kinda hungry, too. He did promise to treat her to dinner, but they still have not eaten for...most the day, even. Likely too late right now for an actual dinner. . .but if they put off eating for too long then that might leave them less effective. Since they are short on time...well, he still saw one food stand still out. "Should eat first if we are going to fight."

"So I guess it comes down to, do you go with them as sabotage and I ambush them on the road? Or do we try to find and stop them before all their guards show up? Those are the two ideas he is thinking of, but it is entirely likely that there are better ways to go about this.

[bc56]

Lost Beach

June examines the engine. It's a steam engine, with a place underneath for coal to be burned, and a number of pipes leading in and out of it. Turning it back on should be a simple measure of putting in coal and water and then lighting it.

Selekhael calls down from upstairs, "Can you find the main water valve and turn it on? None of the pipes up here have any water!"

[5a Violista]

[Lost Beach]

June goes to the ladder, to shout up: "Yeah, sure! I'll just have to find a way to light the engine first, to get the pump running!" she calls back.

Okay. So...
she looks around again, first at the pipes that go up. That way, she can trace back what else needs to be done, and find out if the pump will automatically turn on after lighting the engine or if she has to do it herself.

Tracing back, she gets to the engine (presumably). So, first step then is to get the coal in there. She assumes there's a shovel over by the coal itself, so she walks over there to get a closer look, because she'd rather not just use her hands to grab and throw enough coal.

[Recaiden]

But suggestions tend to make you consider them.
"I think it would be better to get them out of the city first. I mean, they're probably in that big warehouse behind the souvenir shop, but who knows what else is in there? So I show up for guard duty on time, and you're waiting up ahead with some kinda sign or signal so I know when."
"Since if it is people selling mermaids, there's going to be a fight."

[bc56]

Lost Beach

Tracing back between the pump and the engine, June finds a valve that will need to be opened to let water to the pump, and a switch on the pump itself, along with a little handwritten warning that says not to start the pump while water is flowing through it.
As for the coal, there is a shovel June can use, but firestarting tools seem absent. She'll probably have to find one elsewhere in the tower or improvise.

[5a Violista]

[Coast Crawling]

Zophiel thinks about a sign he could use.
"After they leave the town, it should be easy to tell what path they're taking. I could look ahead for a good ambush spot and leave..." a sword? A pile of rocks? No, how about "a fallen tree blocking the road, forcing them to delay. They'll be most on guard while delayed there, so I'll wait until the tree is cleared away and they start moving. And if the mermaids are actually there, you could give some other signal to confirm that."

"That sound okay, or do you see any flaws in it?" Tactically speaking.


[Lost Beach]

Oh! Good thing that warning was there. June would have assumed the opposite, so she could have messed it up and broken it.
Okay, so it looks like she was otherwise right, though, that she has to start the engine first.

June holds the glowing stone between her thumb and palm, and starts shoveling coal.
She hopes she will find firestarting tools as she carries the coal, but...doesn't.

Setting down the shovel, June walks back to the ladder and calls up, "Hey! How good is your sword at starting fires? I need to start one down here."

[bc56]

Lost Beach

"I'll be down there! One sec!" A few seconds later, Selekhael climbs down the ladder. "What do you, uh, need me to light?" Her sword is very much on fire. It'll probably be great for this. Once June shows her the engine, she sticks her sword in the pile of coal. After a few seconds it bursts into flame and the water in the engine is soon at a boil. "That's a steam engine? Wow, I, uh, never thought I'd get to see one."

[5a Violista]

[Lost Beach]

June stands there with her hands on her hips, looking proud as if Selekhael just complimented her baby. "Yup!" she says. "Pretty magnificent, isn't it?"

C'mon, June. Literally the only thing you did was shovel coal into it.

Oh!
Right. The pump and then the valve.
June runs over to the pump, to turn it on, and then goes after the valve afterwards. "Okay, as you go back up there be on the lookout for signs of leaks or other things," she says. "Don't want to accidentally flood ourselves in here."

[Recaiden]

"No, I mean, it sounds like a good plan. If it is the mermaids, I'll call out that I can move the tree out of the road myself, and if we've got the wrong caravan, I'll call that we should go around." Anchor suggests.

"You won't be hiding at the tree itself, right? But somewhere further back, behind where we stop when we run across it?"

[Earl of Purple]

Forgotten Pirate Cove

The ghost screams again as she's hugged and weakened, the entity or force within the swordsman's body drawing her power away and sending it to her destined afterlife. She turns to look at the sun, fades, and disappears.

The tumi has disappeared. It's not amongst the bones, and didn't materialise when the ghost dissipated.

Frigate is slowly approaching, dragging the cannon.

[bc56]

Lost Beach

Selekhael climbs back up, and a few minutes later, everything starts rumbling. The forge must have started. But the lights are still off. Maybe June can search through this room to find out how to turn them off?

[5a Violista]

[Coast Crawling]

Zophiel nods: "I won't be right there, but I'll definitely be nearby. I'll make sure to be close enough to see or hear."

He pauses.
He thinks.
"But maybe I shouldn't tell you exactly where I'll be, in case they have someone who's really good at reading people." Or does mind-reading, maybe.

He stands up and moves away from the river.

"So, I think we should go find something to eat now, and then prepare." Zophiel needs to scout out a decent ambush location, after all. And they can discuss their plans more on the walk there.


[Lost Beach]

Oh! Great. Sounds like it's working.

Might take a while, though, she thinks. So...that gives June time to explore!
Light switches are, like 95% of the time, near the entrances. So the obvious place to look is around the ladder and on the walls near there.
Using the eerie glowing stone as the light, June carefully looks along the walls near the ladder, for a switch or button.

[Vahnavoi]

[Forgotten Pirate Cove]

If Frigate has any ability to see the otherworldly, the construct gets to see the swordsman's spirit floating outside his body. His spirit looks confused by what just happened and looks around for the tumi, before stepping back into his body.

His body stands straight from a hugging position. The swordsman blinks a few times, then kneels and picks the sword he dropped, sheathing it. He looks... dirty. The hem of his hakama looks like its been dragged in mud, he's covered in soot and, if Frigate has a sense of smell, he reeks of smoke and old bones.

He turns towards Frigate and nods in greeting. "Nice seeing you again. Say, do you see a silver knife here somewhere? It has this rounded blade..." He gestures at the bones and the ground around them.

[Recaiden]

"I don't think they have a mind-reader, I mean, surely they would use that before hiring people, right? but it's probably best that I can't accidentally give away your hiding place, yeah."
Anchor considers. Are they likely to need food later on?
"There's sure to be somewhere to buy food on the way to the gate, even at this hour."

However, she has at least one question for Amatheia before they go.
"Are you gonna be in trouble. I mean, since all those humans got away on your watch, while you were distracted by a cute prisoner." Emphasis on how in a way, it's the mermaid who's the cute prisoner now. "Or will they just be glad for you to come back?"

[Earl of Purple]

Forgotten Pirate Cove

"Nay, I haven't seen such a thing. Seems quite useless. How would a blade that shape be used to cut, save by thrusting down?" Which is mostly what it was used for, as it happens. Not always used by South American priests on poor individuals the gods like (or dislike), it's been a popular design for knives in South America.

"Found a cannon, though. If we had enough black powder, a match, and a ball, we could fire it." He slaps the metal tube, which rings like a bell.

[Vahnavoi]

[Forgotten Pirate Cove]

The swordsman scratches his head, shrugs and sighs when the tumi can no longer be found. Hopefully, the spirits within it found peace along with the woman, instead of the blade just getting trampled in the mud, waiting for some hapless explorer to stumble upon it.

He turns to look at the cannon, nodding in approval. "Where do you think we could get some powder? I'd like to shoot that untill it collapses." He points at the jasper archway.

"Oh, and I could use some wood too. For a small funeral pyre." He looks at the scattered bones again. "Just a little formality. Any dry ship parts around?"

[Earl of Purple]

Forgotten Pirate Cove

"That barrel's watertight, and full of the stuff. Why I rescued it from the briny depths. Afraid there's no dry wood; got a rusty shovel, if ye want to do it traditionally. Or I can say the words for a ship's burial." Frigate points over his shoulder at a barrel he'd pulled from the sea earlier, before turning to fetch it. "We need a cannonball or three to blow that there gate. I'll fetch some." Frigate heads back into the sea, sloshing through the waves to the buried shipwreck.

[Vahnavoi]

[Forgotten Pirate Cove]

"... I'll take the shovel." The swordsman goes and finds a soft spot of ground to bury the bones in while Frigate dives to fetch ammo. He's done by the time Frigate gets back, leaning on the shovel.

[Earl of Purple]

Forgotten Pirate Cove

Well, the bones are buried. They're normal bones. Nothing weird happens. The shovel is in decent condition; Frigate pulled it from the wreck and used it as leverage and it didn't break like he was expecting.

Frigate's gone for a while; cannon balls are heavy, and they weren't stored in a specific container, so he has to dig and rummage and dig some more and mostly hope. And hope the ones he finds are the right size. Although they could just use the barrel of gunpowder to blow the tunnel, which would probably be easier. Less fun, though. He returns from the water with all the requisite things- gunpowder, wadding, ball, and a match to set it off, and will prep it to fire the first time, taking his time so the swordsman can watch and learn. "Do you have a light? I can't set it off. It's a matchlock, not a flintlock." Frigate doesn't carry any method of making fire, it seems.