Tales of Faerun

[Flipout6]

"If this is that festering-crotch, codless son-of-a-prostitute again..." Arland grumbled as the storm picked up, drawing a single blade once it occurred to him that the spell was decidedly unnatural in nature. "Unless you just screwed up your spell." He added, looking at Amendale.

 

Amendale's gaze flicked to the sky, watching the rapidly-forming clouds with some level of confusion, even having to catch himself when the ship tilted towards the water as he was leaning on the railing. Eyes flashing as something occurred to him, he cast his usual flight spell and drifted up to high above the crow's nest, watching the skies, but he didn't find the airborne black figure he was expecting. He cast a scrying spell and saw something just at the edge of his vision. And then suddenly the gargantuan creature was there all at once, and he almost let out a strangled gasp of surprise.

 

"KRAKEN!" He warned, just as the crew was beginning to clue in themselves.

 

Several things happened in a few brief seconds. The biggest of which was Argyros diving into the water immediately prior to his transformation into a silver. Abby ensured that Marie managed to get belowdecks despite the Ordain's insistence on drawing one of her knives and fighting. Arland looked a combination of thrilled and irritated (somehow) as he drew his second blade. Weyland and Dri appeared on deck, Weyland clenching his blade and shield and Dri holding a pair of daggers. Amendale covered the entirety of his friends and Shalena's companions with a water breathing spell that granted them an hours' worth of water-breathing each, more than enough to last them through the battle.

 

Then, Argyros appeared, trying in vain to escape the Kraken's grasp, and Amendale went to action.

 

Instead of pulling out the most advanced spells in his repertoire, he started simple. He took a few seconds to cast a hypnosis spell and wrestled (mentally-speaking) with the creature for dominance. Oscillating lights danced in the open air between him and the water, coloured every hue from blues and purples to reds and yellows to greens and everything in-between. For a moment, just a brief moment, the Kraken's grip loosened on Argyros's tail and despite himself Amendale felt eyes on him, watching even from the restricted visibility below the water. A tentacle reached up as if to touch them...but then he felt it break free of his hypnosis almost effortlessly and that tentacle snapped and smacked him out of the air instead. He only had time for a strangled shout before he disappeared over the side of the ship with a splash barely audible over the waves and wind.

 

"Should've zapped it!" Arland yelled.

 

"Someone help him!" Weyland cried.

 

Amendale hit the water at an odd angle that sent him careening just out of the path of one of the beast's tentacles as it went to grab and (presumably) eat him. He lay limp for a moment, dazed and sinking, the Kraken an indeterminable black mass below him that was suddenly being met with ballistae projectiles and various stings to its tentacles as they wrapped up around the deck only to be stabbed or slashed at by those still on the boat. He gasped, winded, and was grateful for the water-breathing spell he'd cast.

 

He was not, however, grateful for the tentacle looping through the water for him, trying to get a hold on him.

 

Above, Arland was nearly engulfed by a puckered aquatic limb. Startled, he slammed both of his incendiary blades into it before it could coil around him, sinking them into the flesh and then crudely chopping again and again until the limb was actually severed in two a few feet past the tip. Annette stepped right up to the side of the ship and hurled a round flask right into the water with a shout. The flask shattered and the liquid within snap-froze into solid ice, coating one of the Kraken's tentacles with liquid so cold it burned while Dri hit one of the tentacles with a rock that flashed blue with electricity and let out a bang upon impact. A bolt of electricity arced down a tentacle towards the water, the circuit extending to another tentacle and conducting through the entire Kraken's body when it hit the water. It paused for a half a second as its gargantuan mass with wracked with muscle spasms from the (comparatively small) electrical charge, which was enough time for Argyros to gather momentum again, flying around the ship and coming back around, turning the entire surface of the water above the Kraken to solid ice as he passed, keeping its tentacles locked in one place.

 

This was enough time for Amendale to finish casting his spell. A Grasping Hand slammed into the tentacle trying to attack him and kept it as immobile as possible and well away from Amendale, who kicked furiously up to the surface of the water and struggled out, using his Overland Flight to propel himself back up to the deck where he landed awkwardly against a wall and fell to the ground.

 

From the water, thunderous cracks shook the very ship as the Kraken pulled apart the melting ice from Argyros's strafing run. Enraged, it rocked the ship with its tentacles, aggressively combing the deck, looking for prey. One landed on Weyland's shoulder and coiled, squeezing him. The older Grey roared and sank his blade into it wherever he could, stabbing and hacking, the electric enchantment of the blade putting his hair on end. It tore itself off of him, but the puckers stripped his flesh from his body and sending him spinning to the deck, already bleeding profusely and staining his white shirt.

 

Amendale, Rhaine, somebody! Dri "shouted" as she watched in horror. Annette was Weyland's savior, scampering across the soaking-wet deck with a powerful healing potion in hand which she forced him to drink. Beneath his shirt, the broken flesh began to knit itself back together, though it wasn't visible through the bloodstains, even with his shirt torn as badly as it was. A warm golden glow circled the warrior and supplemented Annette's potion, announcing Amendale's presence as he got back to his feet. The Moon Elf's expression was severe and smouldering. He hissed another incantation under his breath and unstable electricity crackled blue between his hands. He unleashed it with a grunt and a fiery gaze of gold and the bolts of lightning arced between several of the Kraken's limbs. Its "flinch" of pain was enough to snap the front mast right in half, and it crashed onto the deck in a shower of splinters, part of the tip and sails landing in the water.

 

"Tluining fish!" Arland complained loudly.

Edited July 22, 2015 by Flipout6

[FreemasonGamer]

Rameses was almost enjoying his rest that fateful dawn before he had been tossed out of his hammock onto the unforgiving floor below when the Sea Compass's hull was struck powerfully from below, which had resulted in the entire ship rocking to and fro as an unnatural storm soon gathered outside. The genasi remained drowsily dazed upon the floor of his cabin until the sudden howling of wind, shouting of voices, and the ringing of a bell reached his ears and startled him fully awake; surely he hadn't dreamed all of it. He struggled to quickly equip his gear before staggering out the cabin door, unbalanced from the ship's lurching and unnerved by the commotion he heard above deck. When he saw his companions also streaming from their rooms towards the stairways leading up above, Rameses knew that something was amiss, if not terribly so.

 

But why? The genasi thought, both concerned and confused as he followed the others such as Weyland and Dri, who were also awakened or otherwise disturbed by the ensuing chaos. As soon as Rameses caught sight of the situation outside, his crimson eyes widened, his heart all but stopping and his szuldar all but igniting out of fear. Cast in a dreadful red haze of morning light scattered by blackening storm clouds, the deck of the Sea Compass was torn at by vicious gales of wind while being sprayed with splashes of salt water, sea foam, icy frost, and blood of both humanoid and monstrous varieties.

 

He stood halfway up the stairwell, frozen by the sight of soon-furious surges crashing against the ship, the crew fighting against the multitude of inky black, treelike tentacles that lashed out towards anything and everything within their seemingly limitless reach. Rameses always thought of himself as overly cautious in regards to sailing on the sea; he had always feared the old wives' tales of sea monsters, pirates, ghost ships, and the like ever since he was a child. Although, his fearful speculations of the sea—by the nine hells, some of his most harrowing fears of the sea and its holdings—were laid out before him in a seemingly perfect storm. Biting his lip until a sour, metallic taste washed over his tongue, Rameses began to breathe shallowly before racing back down the stairs in a cowardly manner, away from the horrific sight. Terror ebbing his thoughts, the genasi did little once he was back below deck except shake violently before leaning against a nearby beam for support, the roar of battle dulled in his ears.

 

Trembling, Rameses shut his eyes as he struggled to resist against the fear that overwhelmed him. Shameful. He snarked to himself silently in thought, left in disbelief of his actions a mere moment ago. Humiliating, dishonorable, traitorous, blasphemous. What kind of pathetic coward are you, Rameses Galeran.

 

Tortured by his own thoughts, Rameses's quivering hand eventually found the hilt of his iron longsword, which provided the faintest reassurance. While Rameses had only ever used his mother's blade in a handful of true fights and had lost more than a few of them, that blade and it teachings had kept him alive and whole throughout most of his life. His knuckles soon pale white as he gripped the hilt, Rameses gritted his teeth and eventually shouted in a trembling voice, "Tempus, damn it all!"

 

With that fearful outburst, Rameses pushed himself off the beam and took a moment to shake off what fear he could, like collected rainwater off a cloak. Finally, he regained some sense of courage and huffed an angry breath before stomping towards the stairwell and upward. As soon as he was back above deck, Rameses was greeted with a thunderous, electric crackle followed by an ear-splitting snap before the entire frigate trembled when a broken mast slammed down onto the deck, sending Rameses to his knees from the force of mast falling. Cursing violently in Ignan, the genasi struggled to his feet—pain burning from the array of cuts, gashes, and splinters he had received on his arms and torso from the broken mast—just seconds before a slender, thorny tentacle lashed out at him from the starboard side to his right. Steeling himself, Rameses shakily took his stance before slashing a wide horizontal arc at the tentacle of the leviathan.

 

Luckily, Rameses's blade rang true when blood that was not his own peppered his clothes; recoiling from the cut, the tentacle only withdrew from attacking for a moment before lashing outward at Rameses like a furious whip. Faster than the genasi's scattered mind could keep track of, the tentacle struck his right thigh and immediately began to coil around his leg, its barbs digging into his flesh like hooks. Crying out in both agony and terror, Rameses swung wildly, slashing at the kraken's limb as if it was tall grass that needed cutting. Suddenly, the world flipped when Rameses's feet were pulled out from beneath him, sending the man flat onto his back. With only a moment to recover, Rameses then felt himself being pulled across the deck towards its edge. Once again, fear returned to him as he struggled fearfully to strike the tentacle with his longsword, to little effect.

 

Then, Rameses was shocked even further when the tentacle effortlessly swung him upward nearly ten feet above the deck, and the genasi regretfully lost grip of his sword before it disappeared from his hand. Ushering rampant, slurred curses in the strange Ignan tongue of his extraplanar kin, Rameses reached for his dagger and yanked it from its sheath, beginning to wildly stab at the air around him in some frantic effort of freeing himself. After the iron of his dagger accidentally sank into the tentacle a few times, Rameses felt the creature finally release his leg before he fixated on the odd sensation of falling; when the deck reappeared beneath him, Rameses less than enjoyed the impact.

 

Upon landing, the genasi felt a bizarre, agonizing accumulation of sensations; the foremost feeling that racked Rameses's body was the wind being knocked clear out of his lungs from the force of landing on his back from ten feet up. Before he could refill his rattled, empty lungs with air, Rameses then acknowledged the sickening pop echoing in his ears that heralded an almost paralyzing agony of his left arm, which laid twisted beneath him. Rolling onto his right ride, Rameses gasped for breath, fresh pain racing up to his left shoulder, and he slammed the tip of his dagger into the wood of the deck to help steady himself from the fall, the ensuing pain, and the swaying of the ship itself. Heaving heavy yet unsatisfying breathes, Rameses's vision began to distort from the pain and cloud with tears. Gritting his teeth painfully, the genasi's strained voice cried out, "Someone...! Help!"

[AurianaValoria1]

Shalena's shriek of indignation was as piercing as a whistle over the din of the battle. "THAT'S MY SHIP!" she cried, transforming into a furious whirlwind of terror as she danced across the blood-soaked deck with Throatcutter in hand. The half-elven pirate captain hacked at a tentacle as it lunged for her, slicing great gashes in the limb, the cutlass's blade only stopped by the massive bone barbs that were hidden in the beast's suction cups. The rain that now fell in copious amounts plastered her red hair to her forehead and made her grip on her weapon perilous, but she cared not - her beloved Sea Compass had been wounded, and she would see vengeance that day.

 

While the crew desperately launched bolts from the ballistae at any tentacle within reach, Nawen dodged and slid between the scampering men, swapping her bow for her own sword; the activity was so chaotic that she could not get a clear shot at any of the sleek limbs that groped across the slippery deck for prey. Anything that came her way, she gave a stinging blow, slashing into tentacle tips and hacking blubbery flesh. The kraken, of course, objected to such wounds and retaliated rather swiftly with an intelligent flick of its limb, smacking right into the drow's chest with such force that it sent her sailing into the outer wall of the captain's cabin. The pain that emanated from her back caused her to completely miss her foot slipping into a rope coil as she sank to the deck, which suddenly tightened around her ankle as another of the kraken's tentacles wrapped in the rigging. It jerked the pile of rope taught and instantly began to drag her across the ship. She could not even get a grip on the wood of the deck as she was forcefully dragged along and slammed into the main mast...

 

...and then the swift sound of a striking blade not two inches from her foot caused her to yelp in surprise. The rope was abruptly severed, and the blade in question belonged to a furious Conall. The unarmored paladin wasted no words as he jerked her to her wobbly feet and steadied her on the rocking deck. Aodh hissed his indignation and lighted on the drow's shoulder even as the werewolf stood back-to-back with the drow, stopping any of the kraken's limbs from taking her from behind. His shirt was soaked, his scars from his recent ordeal clearly visible through the drenched fabric, and yet he paid no heed, ignoring his own safety for the protection of his comrades. The only pieces he had managed to don at such sudden notice were his gauntlets and boots, the silver steel glimmering in the brilliant flashes of lightning that lit up the sky, magical and otherwise.

 

Meanwhile, Zorica scrambled across the deck with both her blades drawn, her amber eyes glowing in the midst of the storm. She slid in her boots to Amendale's side and grasped him firmly by the shoulders, Laying on Hands to seal any damage the kraken might have done to him thus far. The half-drow paladin then yelled a battle cry as one of the kraken's tentacles aimed to sideswipe the moon elf beside her; she lunged and stabbed both adamantine swords deep into the limb and hauled backwards, shredding the tip of the tentacle into three bloody prongs. Another tentacle answered with a blow that came sailing straight for her head, but she ducked just in time, simultaneously knocking Amendale down to keep the kraken from hitting him too.

 

"You're going to have to be a little quicker!" she yelled at him over the roar of the wind.

 

Abby, once certain that Marie would stay belowdecks, scampered back to the scene of the battle as quickly as her legs could carry her. The half-dragon's senses were at once assaulted by blinding flashes of light, deafening roars and screeches, the stinging spray of seawater, and the smell of blood. Her teeth bared, she dashed across the deck with unnatural speed and grace, leaping into the air above Shalena to kick away a tentacle that loomed ominously over the half-elf's head. The monk landed with a practiced maneuver and resumed her assault against the kraken in the only way she knew how: with swift punches and kicks, she began to slowly pulverize one of its limbs, the enchantments in her gloves and boots leaving smoldering burns wherever they hit. Anytime the kraken managed to recoil away from her, she merely slid to the other side of it and attacked it that way, dodging swipes of retaliation and avoiding the suckers and barbs with astonishing ease.

 

And then, a bright flash of light engulfed all those on the deck of the ship, sealing all their wounds and washing over them with a warm, soothing sensation. Those who glanced in that direction would be able to see a winged figure hovering a foot or so off the deck itself as another burst of golden energy emanated from them, strengthening the limbs of the defenders and emboldening their hearts with a Blessing.

 

Rhaine had arrived.

 

Fury in her heart, her emerald eyes alight behind the helm that she had just managed to don, the Doomguide began to dash towards Rameses as soon as her power gave her her feet again. Without a word, she seized his simple iron sword and immediately imbued it with divine power, a white rune flashing from her fingertips and blazing upon the blade itself, its edge temporarily enhanced and becoming a Greater Magic Weapon at her command. She then quickly bestowed a Heal spell upon the genasi to ensure that whatever injury he had suffered would not inhibit his combat abilities and then whirled around to battle the kraken herself, rainwater pouring from her feathered wings in rivulets. As her comrades distracted the numerous tentacles of the sea monster, she answered the beast's wrath with the wrath of the heavens, bringing down a Hammer of the Gods upon the head of the foe. The honey-colored blast of energy plummeted from above a dark cloud, leaving a bright hole of blue where it punched through the thunderhead, and then slammed into the kraken with all the force of Rhaine's power, searing the beast's flesh with raw divine light. This attack seemed to disorient the kraken somewhat, as its limbs abruptly went slack and an unearthly howl could be heard below the waterline...

 

...and Argyros did not waste the opportunity. Having gained a good bit of altitude since his first attack, the dragon had felt his breath weapon build in his breast again, but this time, he would surprise the monster with a different sort of tactic. As the silver skimmed over the pink frothing waves, wings spread wide, he unleashed both a challenging roar and his pent-up breath in the form of a toxic, paralyzing gas. It would buy his companions only a few seconds of time, but perhaps it would turn the tides of battle in their favor.

[josh900]

The tilting and the crashing of the ship caught Leif's attention who moments before the attack, had fixed himself a warm cup of tea. With cup in hand, he made his way up to the deck of the ship, fighting against the tilting of the ship, and adjusting his cup with the ship's movement as he walked to avoid spilling it.

 

"Alright now, what's with all the rack-" He spoke before witnessing the chaos around him, tentacles flailing about with members of the crew desperately battling them back. To this sight, Leif reacted in a rather odd manner, by letting out a laugh and calling out. "Ah alright, yeah you kids have fun." as though he were watching a bunch of rambunctious children playing outside.

 

As he turned back down the steps, Lucas nearly crashed into him as he tried making it up to the deck to aid in the fight.

 

"Little above your pay-grade don't ya think?" Leif asked when he saw that Lucas was armed with his mace and shield.

 

"At least I can try to help!" Lucas retorted, noticing Leif's lack of care for the current situation. "And that's better than standing around.... sipping tea." He said as he pushed his way past Leif, and moved out onto the deck to help fend off the Kraken's tentacles.

 

With a groan Leif let him move by. "Alright alright, I'll be up in a sec." He growled before slamming back his tea while he walked back down the steps, heading to where his weapons lay.

----------

 

The wreckage and carnage above deck nearly stunned Lucas as he looked around, desperate to find somewhere he could help, that desperation was quickly evaporated as the warm glow of Rhaine's Blessing washed over him. With his resolve strengthened he spotted Abby fending on a tentacle all on her own and rushed over to give her what little aid he could.

---------

 

Leif descended the stairs all the while speaking in a mocking tone. "No Leif, You're crazy! There's no curse put on you by a vengeful god of the sea, it's all just bad luck! Ignore crashing on an island full of werewolves, ignore the vampires infested ship, the Githyanki sinking your escape boat, IGNORE BECOMING A WALKING APOCALYPSES FOR THE STINKY FISH MEN! IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD LEIF!!" His train of thought was interrupted however by a rather odd sound coming from the area that Azuris was being kept, poking his head into the room, he let out a laugh as he watched Hexol roll around the room with the rocking of the ship, while rolling inside a barrel as Azuris languished about in his own vomit, begging for an end to it all.

 

"Azuris!" Hexol's muffled voice came from inside the barrel. "You gotta try this! I shoulda done this a long time ago! Everything's spinning even more than it normally is! Wooooo!!!"

 

Unfortunately, Azuris was in no condition to respond in any way other than with a dry heave.

--------------

 

With the Steam of Anguish in hand, Leif walked back up to the deck, all the while muttering about his hated of squid. "Too damn slimy, never goes down right, like a big, chunky booger or something, maybe I just didn't have it cooked right or something." He spoke as he sliced his hand on his sword's not yet steaming blade and then wiped the blood up his forehead and to the back of his scalp, sticking his blood smeared hair up on end.

 

A Water Breathing and a ​Fire Resistance spell and a few punches to the wall to get himself prepped later, Leif stepped out onto the deck and ignored the mass of tentacles that coiled around the ship, instead he marched right over to the railing and sat down on it with his back facing the water. "Any of you folks ever had calamari? You'll be having some tonight!" He yelled out before tipping himself back to fall into the water head first.

 

Years of swimming in the giant tubs of Candlekeep were finally paying off as he looked down below, embracing the pain of the stinging of his eyes and hand, letting it grow from a minor announce, to outright angering. With the size of the great Kraken, spotting it wasn't at all difficult, even in the dark waters, and so spotting his prey, Leif sprung into action but even as he kicked off the boat and began his speedy swim over to the creature, he still had not yet thought of how exactly he was going to deal with it.

 

With it still stunned by Argoyros's breath, Leif's approach went unnoticed, giving him the chance to get as close as he needed. By now the blade had heated up to it's top temperature and boiled the water around him yet didn't cause him any sort of discomfort due to his choice of protective spell earlier. With both the sword's enchanted strength to it's user, and his own rage induced strength, Leif rammed the blade straight into the Kraken's hide with enough force to even puncture dragon hide were he not forcing past water resistance. With an opening made, Leif withdrew his blade from it and used it as a grip to keep himself from floating away, he repeated the process again, using the punctures to climb across the Kraken's body, hoping to reach it's giant eye and deal a decisive blow.

Edited July 23, 2015 by josh900

[GrueMaster]

We'tak was exploring the lower parts of the ship, intent on learning more on every single nook and cranny of the "bot," when it started rocking violently and he heard crashing and screaming from above. *Nrak'tck!* Holding his gythka close, the young thri-kreen sprinted upwards... and couldn't understand what he saw as he froze at the sight of giant limbs flailing this way and that. "What... by the spirits... is that?" His hesitation disappeared quickly, only to be replaced with burning anger when one of the appendages left the fireskin Rameses prone on the deck and wounded.

 

Mother Moon, no! We'tak moved to help Rameses, then paused when he felt a great warmth wash over him, and he paused once more as he saw Winged Pointy-ear come out and heal his wounded clutchmate miraculously of all injury. What spirit blesses you? he thought, stunned by such power. When she called down what seemed to be the very judgement of Mother Moon herself, We'tak finally snapped out of it, realizing his foolish gawking would help his clutch none.

 

"For Mother Moon!" He shrieked, then leaped at the tentacle that was still twisting in the air by Rameses, slicing a chunk of flesh out of the creature, but to little effect, as shown when it slammed down at the hatchling in response. Leaping away barely in the nick of time, We'tak cleared some distance between himself and the tentacle, and needing more maneuverability if he were to survive, called upon the spirits to strengthen his legs. Feeling the blessing taking effect, he leaped much farther this time, clearing nearly twenty strides in one jump, and brought his full weight down with his gythka into another tentacle, removing a few barbs from it this time, but still not enough to keep it at bay, as he was forced yet again to retreat to a safer position.

This is not working..., the thri-kreen cursed, trying to figure out what to do. Mother Moon, he prayed silently, please grant me strength to defend my clutch...

 

Unexpectedly, he saw his father's medallion begin to glow, and felt a warm strength course through his body, and what seemed to be lightning beginning to dance along his staff (which felt lighter, somehow). Though awed by this, the blessing of the Moon herself set a fire in his soul, and We'tak without hesitation leaped once more, and brought his weapon down on an appendage reaching forward yet again, this time towards Annette.

 

"STAY AWAY FROM MY CLUTCH!!" He shrieked uncontrollably, and sliced off nearly five feet of the tentacle, forcing the rest to recoil in pain. Looking down at his gythka, then at his clutchmate, We'tak glanced upwards. "Thank you, Mother Moon," the young thri-kreen said quietly, then jumped towards the next flailing tentacle....

[Flipout6]

Amendale was casting spells as fast as he could, given some breathing room by Weyland as the warrior appeared beside his friend and hacked at any piece of Kraken that came near them, as well as Zorica, who saved his life at least twice in rapid succession. Once he cast Blade Barrier, however, he bid Weyland head off to help somebody else. Amendale never stopped moving as he cast: A Chain Lightning where he arced the bolt between several of the tentacles and then further up the creature's body, a simple Harm spell to one of the tentacles that inflicted a deep, wide slash that severed muscles and split flesh like a blade. Between spells, he would move towards a creeping tentacle and let his blade barrier cut the flesh to oozing ribbons.

 

Finally, after casting spells left and right, Amendale targeted one of the longer tentacles that was giving them the most trouble. He hissed an incantation under his breath and thrust his hand towards the tentacle. An amber rune blazed briefly on his palm before twenty solid feet of tentacle exploded outwards into a chunky, rubbery pink mist, which soaked right through his clothing and drenched him to the bone in Kraken blood. He spat a glob of it out of his mouth and wiped his eyes, before glancing at Zorica.

 

"That worth my being a little slow?" He challenged, as the Kraken's ungodly howl of pain reverbrated violently throughout the ship.

 

Arland spun and swiped and slashed at every bit of tentacle he could get his blades on, inflicting horrible gashes and puncturing deep, but given the sheer size of the creature he wasn't doing any truly great damage. His flaming blades whirled to and fro as he continued his deadly dance...or at least, a series of complicated ripostes he dearly wished were deadly.

 

"Tluining fish!" He insulted again.

 

Sybille was busy crushing any tentacle he could find with mighty blows from her maul, but a creature without bones that was this size was simply being bruised by her hits. That was, until Amendale cast a Cone of Cold that snap-froze three solid feet of tentacle solid. Seeing her chance, she brought her maul over her shoulder and slammed it into the tentacle, shattering the frozen flesh, which scattered all over the deck as crystalline shards. She cheered loudly, exhilarated at the progress they were making destroying the creature. Annette threw another snap-freeze vial towards the thicker end of one of the Kraken's limbs on the deck, restricting its mobility. She was about to suggest Sybille hit that too when suddenly a shadow loomed over her. She leaped out of the way pre-emptively, crashing down a small flight of stairs, but she was saved by We'Tak, who severed a considerable chunk of its limb. Staring intently at his jumping path, she determined where he would next attack and aided him in return. A sickly jet of green light rocketed towards the tentacle which We'Tak hurtled towards and, while her magic was nowhere near powerful enough for the Disintegrate to act against such a creature on its full potential, she warped almost ten feet of the tentacle with the spell before the rubbery flesh disappeared into dust that was quickly carried away on the stormy winds.

 

"Thank you!" She shouted, hoping the Thri'Kreen could hear her over the din of the pitched battle.

[FreemasonGamer]

Rameses was pleasantly surprised—honestly, he was amazed—when a comforting warmth washed over his battered form, healing the shredded cuts on his torso left by earlier splinters and mending his broken left arm as quickly as he had sustained the mentioned injuries; the agonizing pain simply vanished within the matter of moments, dispelled from Rameses's revitalized body. The genasi then sat upright and immediately took a deep breath to refresh his neglected lungs, and the act seemingly rekindled his strength. Retrieving his dagger from the waterlogged wooden deck, he then rose onto one knee just in time to witness Rhaine grab his longsword and instill some sort of magic into the blade; as soon as the rune was cast, a shimmering white aura danced across the length of the otherwise mundane iron weapon. Not only was Rameses's main weapon endued with empowering arcane properties, but a sensation of bravery and boldness from the Doomguide's Blessing bolstered his confidence. So, Rameses quickly switched his dagger into his left hand before using his right hand to swiftly retrieve his cherished sword from Rhaine before she turned her attention towards the kraken. Firmly gripping the hilts of his two blades, Rameses glanced around the deck of the Sea Compass and focused on one tentacle that was attempting to dismantle the starboard row of ballistae as their operators flailed desperately with spears and swords to defend from the attack.

 

Rushing towards the line of ballista turrets, Rameses was shaken slightly by the violent number of spells cast by his companions; their efforts combined left the leviathan in a painful daze, and the tentacle Rameses had honed his attention towards steadily began to move more sluggishly, weakly even. His szuldar markings flaring angrily, Rameses shouted incoherently as he charged sword-tip first into the tentacle; shockingly, his iron sword lanced cleanly through the rubbery muscles and sinews of the tentacle and out through the opposite side, and the white arcane light drifting off of his blade seemed to glimpse outward from the open wound. In response, the tentacle quickly abandoned assault on the ballistae, tearing itself off of Rameses's longsword and rearing back to slam into Rameses and with whatever might it could spare.

 

Watching the gargantuan, limb swing towards him, the genasi quickly ducked and almost instantly felt the wind of the tentacle sailing just inches over his head. He then stood tall and turned to face the tentacle, quickly advancing as it began to coil back for another swing. He then lashed outward out in a quick diagonal swing, and Rameses sliced deeply into the flesh of the kraken's limb, ushering a violent spray of blood from the wound. Grinning wildly at the invigorating, victorious sensation of that successful cut, Rameses swiftly drew back to thrust the tip of his longsword into the creature's flesh. However, his attack was narrowly avoided as his blade only slightly grazed the limb before it slipped back into the frothing seas below the crushed railing.

 

As more of the tentacles began to retreat to the depths, those aboard the Sea Compass heard one last deathly groan from the seafloor below; it raked at their eardrums like a harrowing blend between a pained wail and a furious roar. Then, an uneasy silence apart from the howling winds, crashing surges, and booming thunder settled over the Sea Compass before the waves crashing onto its deck began to paint everything they touched with a thick, inky substance that was a sickly blackish purple hue. A similar substance began to permeate all throughout the violently storming waters surrounding the ship as the kraken continued to discharge its inky shroud.

 

"... Did we kill it...?" Rameses finally called out between heavy breaths, glancing to the others with a peculiar, cautious look while still retaining as firm a grip as possible on his two weapons.

 

~

Out of an instinctual urge to defend itself from the threat looming in the world above, the kraken withdrew its lacerated tentacles from the ship and immediately unleashed its complete supply of ink into the surrounding waters to conceal its severely injured form. Never had the leviathan faced such a threat; a threat, from the surface world of all places. Throughout its entire life, the kraken had never encountered such a dangerous ship; ironically, the kraken had specifically settled its new territory along a warm, placid coast that lacked a native population of large, imposing vessels to avoid this exact worst-case scenario. When the daunting frigate had sailed into its sea of influence, a perceived obligation partially fueled by a sense of arrogance drove the creature to attack; that decision was the worst thing that had happened to the leviathan since it was driven from its home waters by a storm of unnatural strength and proportions, even in the eyes of a kraken.

 

Contemplating, the kraken quickly considered whatever assortment of alternatives it had; as quickly as its contemplation began, the creature came to a grim conclusion. If it continued to fight, it might be killed. If it decided to flee, it may not be able to recover and would die anyway. This finality flustered the leviathan, defying its naturally elusive, manipulative nature. Hardly ever did such a creature of its prowess lack the ability to get exactly what it wanted, and being unable to eat without the threat of another ship it couldn't easily destroy was almost unbearably frustrating.

 

Perhaps it was because of the pain clouding its mind. Yes, it must have been the horrifically abundant pain that hid its salvation, the secret to surviving this predicament. Never had the kraken been dealt such painful wounds by one enemy, and the pain wasn't natural in any regard. Every kraken that has survived to maturity has felt the alien sting of metal and fire at some point, but the sheer burning sensation of this particular ship's defenders and their otherworldly attacks both fascinated and tormented the creature. Fixating on its pain while suspended in its momentary daze, the leviathan soon widened its wide, frigid eyes before it was overwhelmed by the pain.

 

Pain. Pain, hurting. Pain, kill. Kill. Kill!

 

Writhing from the unnatural acuity of its agony, the kraken became angry; no, it became furious. It bellowed with such intensity that it felt the faintest relief from its torment, and the kraken immediately reached forward and latched onto the underside of the frigate, as it had done with the schooner and countless other ships. Fueled by its frustration, agony, fear, and primarily rage, the leviathan began to secure its grip onto the frigate's hull with its tentacles, both whole and mangled alike. It continued to bellow and roar, outraged as it used the majority of its remaining strength to violently pull against the ship in an effort to at least capsize it. In the back of its mind, the kraken also felt a notable stinging sensation crawl up the length of its body, and it quickly spared a tentacle from the ship at hand to catch and strangle whatever pest was digging into its hide.

 

~

Mere seconds after cautiously inquiring if they were victorious, Rameses cringed as an especially loud roar shook the very ship beneath his feet, the agonized call straining his hearing to its limits. Not a moment after the trumpeting bellow began assaulting their ears, the crew of the Sea Compass felt their ship suddenly quake violently before gradually tipping towards the port side. Even through the kraken's enraged bellowing, they could hear the wood of the frigate creak and groan defiantly, almost desperately as the tentacles returned into view, grasping the hull and tugging with all the kraken's merciless might.

[AurianaValoria1]

As the ship began to tilt, the deck's angle gradually increasing, Zorica's eyes widened in fear, and she froze right where she stood, "Oh no...oh no, oh no..."

 

Where Abby had been fighting the one tentacle relentlessly alongside Lucas, she hissed at Rameses's inquiry, "No, we DIDN'T kill the gods-damned thing and now he's gonna have us as a MID-MORNING SNACK!" The monk scrambled to wrap her arms into the ropes that were piled around the main mast in an attempt to keep the kraken from spilling her over the railing. She then tossed a length of rope to Lucas, "Hey knight-person! Catch!"

 

Conall saw the purplish liquid blooming from underneath the waves and yelled, "It's inked with Leif down there!" He then wordlessly took Nawen by her belt and sprang towards the rigging as the Sea Compass was slowly being turned onto its side. Nearby, Shalena's fury became even more violent as her own influence over her crew began to fade; they abandoned their posts at the ballistae and ran - a few belowdecks, a few to her own cabin, and a few over the side to the gods-knew-where.

 

Argyros, upon seeing the kraken's final tactic being put into play, swooped down over the deck and scooped Rhaine up from where she had been about to cast another spell. The Doomguide let out a yelp of surprise as she suddenly found herself soaring above the frigate in the dragon's firm grip...and only then did the gravity of the situation become truly apparent. The sight of the kraken, its massive form clouded by its own ink in the water below and its dark tentacles reaching under the Sea Compass's keel and around the bottom of her hull, was at once jaw-dropping and terrible.

 

Rhaine did not have long to observe the situation, however, as Argyros hovered and bent his head, reaching upwards with her in his claws, "Climb up here!" In no position to argue, she did as instructed, seating herself firmly between two spines of his frill and clinging to his shining horns. She briefly wondered what the silver had planned, but that question was quickly answered as he then swooped towards the stern of the Sea Compass. He landed on its upturned side, punching his paws through the portholes and grabbing hold before hauling backwards, his massive wings beating the air furiously. His muscles strained under his shimmering hide as she tried to counter the kraken's maneuver, using all his weight and strength to at least keep the ship from tilting any further. The planking of the Sea Compass creaked and groaned ominously with the force, and the dragon knew that lasting damage could be done this way, but it was either this or watch his comrades be dumped into the waiting beast's maw...

 

And then Rhaine realized that from her position atop Argyros's head, she had a clear vantage point from which to damage the healthier of the kraken's massive tentacles. Thinking quickly, she gathered her magic in her hands and condensed it into a Searing Light, focusing the beam of divine energy on the tentacle closest to her. It burned a smoldering hole in the beast's limb, and the kraken recoiled in pain, losing its grip with the one tentacle. She then followed up with a Sunbeam, searing the kraken even further and inflicting upon it the selfsame temporary blindness that it had hoped to trap Leif in by clouding the sea with its ink.

[josh900]

Not knowing who Abby was calling "Knight-person" Lucas only realized she meant him when the rope hit his body. He had half a mind to inform her of her mistake, but the extreme tipping of the ship made it more important to brace himself.

--------------

 

 

The frenetic rage and energy of the dying Kraken was making things rather difficult on Leif, the billowing ink only added to the difficulty, though not by much due to his inherited darkvision.

 

While careful planning certainly wasn't his strong point, he knew an opportunity when he saw it, and this one looked like a rogue tentacle spearing right towards him. Kicking off the Kraken's hide, he twisted his body around in a somewhat complex maneuver to dodge the oncoming tentacle, and slice his blade through it's slender tip with ease.

 

As the tentacle reared back in pain, Leif made a grab for the severed tip. "Don't try and start a game of grab-ass with me chief, I play to win." Leif thought with a smirk before he began the incantation. Despite it's complexity and his lack of experience with the spell, years and years of studying dusty tomes and being forced to memorize them by heart, calling up this obscure information from his brain wasn't too difficult.

 

Despite the skill however, it was really only dumb luck that he managed to complete the spells incantation, for as soon as he released the piece of tentacle, it's original host slammed into Leif, knocking him into the depths below.

The spell was cast however, and from the floating piece of tentacle, erupted a blackened mass of much larger ones, each measuring twenty feet in length. They slammed into the Kraken's hide and coiled around it, wrapping around the base of it's own tentacles and twisted around them, doing their best to hold them in place as the mass pummeled the Krakan's body, some even burrowing into the wounds made by Lief, widening the wounds and tearing through the skin. While it certainly wouldn't kill the creature, the hope was that it would force it to release it's hold on the ship completely, and would be defenseless against a truly mortal blow.

[FreemasonGamer]

Rameses widened his eyes as the deck of the Sea Compass suddenly began to tilt to his left, and he quickly staggered towards the nearest bit of rigging, sputtering fearfully in Ignan all the while. When he quickly got a grip on the entangled collection of rope and rigging, the genasi shut his eyes tightly, cursing violently in his extraplanar tongue as the ship continued to tilt towards the raging surges; his hands were soon the color of white ash as he struggled to maintain as good a hold as possible to keep himself from slipping downward. Thankfully, the sounds of more spells being cast rang in Rameses's ears, alerting him that someone was still capable of defending the seemingly doomed Sea Compass from the leviathan.

 

~

 

Similar to the eye of a hurricane, the once treacherously violent thoughts of the leviathan became eerily calm and silent as the monster continued to heave the frigate ever closer to the water's raging surface; the agony resulted from the blinding lights from above and the strangely crushing attack from below—which could have even passed for another kraken—combined with the previous injuries sustained to collectively surpass the creature's comprehension of pain. Now, all that mattered was bringing the ship down to the depths; hunting no longer mattered, vengeance no longer mattered, survival no longer mattered. Lost in its own actions, the kraken simply continued to pull at the vessel's hull with all its shrinking, dwindling might.

 

Suddenly, the kraken's suffering was alleviated as the agonizing pain soothingly melted away into the surging waves crashing all around the creature's form. Tranquility unlike anything the leviathan had ever experienced rivaled the deathly peacefulness of its no longer infuriated mind. With such bliss overtaking it, the kraken felt a gentle fatigue as a weak vortex of water began to pull its massive body away from the ship. All but intoxicated by the wistful urge to rest, the creature of the sea closed its eyes, releasing the frigate from its grasp—the vessel immediately recoiled to its naturally upright position at the surface of the sea—before slipping away into the depths it so longingly called home.

 

However, the kraken never felt the welcoming sea floor below as its mangled body was instead ensnared within the maelstrom of the Implosion spell, which seemingly dispelled the once unstoppable sea creature's existence altogether in one solemnly painless moment. With their master reduced to little more than a massive cloud of blood and ink churning in the tide, the winds and waters of the sea seemed to lose their vigor; the thunder soon became muffled ad distant as the rain weakened to a steady drizzle.