Out into the Sea [26th early MT]

[Gavin Tylvan]

Looking towards their still unseen destination, Gavin grinned when Syrawenn missed her elbow jab, finding the fact that he could predict her reactions at least at times, strangely soothing. He cast a glance at the girl when she mentioned another dream, arching a brow questioningly, but did not ask for further clarification. Dreams. It has been days since I dreamed. Too busy. Too tense. Gavin liked dreams, especially ones that contained recurring visits from people that he suspected were real and not just figments of his imaginations. People like Ashtalion, Langredoc and Draydis. “I am not sure I will wear the armor even when we reach solid ground. Sword maybe. Maybe not even that. I am not sure fighting this guy would be wise. He is a God after all. This battle will be won with words and smarts.” He shrugged and frowned for a flicker. “Might be better not to appear hostile or spoiling for a fight if you know what I mean?”

That storm up front did not look like good news, but its presence gave Gavin an idea what might be Stormlord’s motivation for everything that was happening. “Perhaps he is trying to scare people? Mother took the island over, but do we really know what happened? Maybe it is only part of the truth.” He paused, chewing his lower lip in thought. “What if people who lived in Dort worshipped Stormlord in ages past. And then followers of Mother came and grew in numbers, pushing Stormloard’s people out. He grew angry, but Mother made a deal to protect her people. And now…..” Another frown followed, eyes focusing on the storm. “Now he is trying to show how powerful he is. To make people fear him. To make them come begging to him. And then he can ask to be their God.”

Here he grinned and nudged Syra’s ribs. “Funny how even his fate does not quite give Stormlad what he wants. Gods and us two.” Chuckle. “And you are right. Feeling life. But more. It is also courage. Not courage as people think. Courage to actually move. To risk stuff for something you care for. You know. I care about Dort. And people there. Even those I don’t know. There’s bound to be some nice people out there. Some bad too, but…. Meh, I don’t care about bad. But good people deserve to live. And…..” He paused and sighed. “Well, someone has to do it, and why not us? This is too important to wait and see if anyone else tries. Taking action and showing initiative. Probably the reason we end up in trouble so often. We stick out of the masses by acting and not accepting.”

[Gaelena]

Gaelena turned her head towards Milkhaire as he spoke to her. Keeping her thoughts internal, she sighed. I fear that I am afraid of the future. I have always trusted the Mother to guide me where I need to be, to do what she wishes of me. But what Old Mab showed me... Her thoughts trailed off as she looked back over the gathering storm.

No, only their servants. And I always do their bidding. Does that make me weak?

[Syrawenn]

"I know, I know..." Syrawenn had to agree with his observations. Her eyes reflected the changing colours of the sky as she watched the cloudformations grow. "But come on, he knows we ain't comin to compliment him on his choice of storm, eh? He knows we're out to get what Dort wants, not what he wants. An since we dunno what he wants, that could be one huge miscommunication we got goin."

The wind blew her hair back into her face. The girl turned her back to the sea. "So I agree on the armour thing. Let's go in there askin him stuff instead of tellin him stuff. Let's find out from the source instead of a lot of people who spend their lives talkin in circles around the clue." It still irked her that of the many venues they had chosen most had seemed more intent of making it into saga's as 'the wise man or woman who spoke in riddles' than actually doing anything useful.

"Courage?" Her stomach churned. "If ya say so." Syra mumbled. "Personally I'm just fed up with bein toyed with. That ain't courage. In fact I think I been called impetuous on more than one occasion. But I guess you could call it courage to stick out yer neck over the crowd. To stand out."

She eyed Gavin. "Yeah, someone has to do it." She hardly felt the nudge. Somewhere she felt strangely distantiated from the whole. "Wonder if that weird dwarf an those adhiel knew we'd end up here. Prolly did, seein how they played with time. Wonder if we'll end up doin exactly what we were supposed to do or if things can still change in the future. Wonder if..."

If we'll manage anything at all.

She wasn't going to say that out loud. They needed optimism and good plans, not the rantings of a scared girl.

Courage, heh. Just doin it cause there's precious little choice, big guy. Very little choice indeed. Sure, I could walk away. An then I'd prove m'dad right. An I won't do that. I'll prove him wrong. I'll show him an Sean I can do this. I can make a difference. I ain't all bad luck.

"Yer a good guy." She looked up in his eyes from under her dark lashes. "Ya really are. An that means yer supposed to be the hero of the story. An that means yer gonna get out victoriously. Cause that's what people wanna hear. An if it were different, if we were to mess this up, then them idiot adhiel woulda seen to it we never met. They sure managed to make us meet, after all. So yea. We're alive. We're together. So we'll do it right. An that's just that." There was determination behind her vague logics.

[Gavin Tylvan]

“Hmmmm, what does Dort want? Do we know that?” There was a moment of doubt, as Gavin pondered the reasons behind their journey, and if truly they could represent an entire island of people and make a deal that would truly be the best. It was just a moment, as a single glance showed that the four of them were the only ones actually doing something, and those that sat could hardly complain when a decision was made for them. “Meh, you know what, I don’t really care if what we do is truly the best. It is going to be the best we can and if someone does not agree, he can explain where he was while it was being done.” That sounded just about right, and Gavin grinned and winked at the green-eyed girl at his side.

“Heck, it really might not be courage. Maybe we just like being a pest and a pain in the butt.” Then she managed to confuse him, causing the tall warrior to wrinkle his nose as he did not quite agree with being called a hero, seeing himself as too much of a mercenary to be a hero. “Not a hero. Just a bit crazy and eager to help. But, winning is good. I would like it if this went well.” Then, he could not keep the question in anymore. “Uhm, who is this dwarf and adhiel you keep mentioning? And how did they play with time? And arranged we met?”

[Syrawenn]

The girl shook her head. "No clue what Dort wants, but if I'm to make a guess, survival would be number one?"

Gavin more or less proceeded to answer that pickle for himself and the wink got her grin up. "Heh, so we'll be a pain in the butt. Trust me, wars have been won an lives have been changed cause people decided not to march after the long line of gees but dance around it instead. Okay so I don't do dancin, but ya know what I mean."

"An I just said yer takin up the hero's role of the story! Don't worry. Not askin ya to go do stupid heroic stuff. Just stayin alive will do it fer me." She disputed his view on her words. Part of her was rather proud, actually, for thinking up the story analogy and she was not going to have this bearded fellow take it away!

Right that moment the man chose to change the subject into something she might not have wanted to mention.

Woops.
Sorry guys.

Syra sent a silent apology up with the winds. Ya know, it's all good an well to keep this stuff to myself, but it don't do much good either. I know Gavin will take it seriously. I know cause I told him before. Yeah, an now I'll tell him again, only this time fer real an not in a dream. An besides...

She shot up a dark look. YOU guys made us meet! You planned this whole blimmin thing! So don't go blamin me if I actually wanna put the pieces together!

Only then did Syrawenn turn to face Gavin. Looking up at his face she shrugged apologetically. "Remember first time? Remember how ya were sleepin on that log an people snuck up an pretended to be dragons? Remember how we got to talk then?"

Stupid start.
Very stupid start.

"Okay so maybe ya don't. Was a dream. Maybe it was just my dream. But point is, there's people keepin track of time an stuff. An those people threw me around in time a bit to try an solve a certain situation involvin a boat an a plague? Ring a bell yet?"

[Gavin Tylvan]

This was one of those moments that stories told about. A bunch of heroes sitting together, sharing a quiet moment of relaxation before a big battle, the tension pushed aside, just like the knowledge that this could be the last time they spent time like this together, some of them possible dying in the fight to come. The fact that the coming battle would probably be fought with words and faith and will, did not change the fact that this was a stuff of legends they were living through. “So, if the Duke throws us a ball when we return we ain’t going?” Gavin grinned and added quickly, before she could poke him or kick him. “And I am better at being pain in the butt than a hero. Or sacrificin’ myself or something. Fighting yes. Getting in trouble, definitely. But, that dying thing really ain’t that great.” He winked and sighed happily.

Having discovered the significance and value of dreams only recently, remembering details of his nightly visions was still not something Gavin did easily, but Syrawenn words brought fractured images to his mind, along with an uncertain nod. “I don’t remember dreams fully. Just images and parts, but I remember that one.” He tried to remember who else was there, but her other words kept tugging at the warrior’s attention. “And I remember the plague. And the ship. I was there. Got a stone that brought us to that blasted plane of sand from the dead people on the ship. And Abner was there. Got wounded.” He smiled and sighed at the memory of the gnome. “I wonder what Abner is doing now. I miss him. He would have surely come along if he knew.” Though his mind wandered a bit, Gavin still remembered what brought Abner into conversation. “You mentioned something, but I am not sure. About you seeking the cure for the plague. With some other people.”

[Maeve]

There are many ways to the bidding of the gods, Milkhaire replied It does not make you weak, as long as you keep thinking about alternatives.

They were nearing Jerrhyn's Point, the little island to the south of Dort that Gaelana had learned might be the hiding place of the Storm Lord, and suddenly the dark clouds released their rain, without any warning droplets that might have urged them to seek shelter. A flash. A roaring thunder quickly thereafter. More rain.

[Gaelena]

Find an alternative. That seemed to be what everyone wanted her to do, but still, her mind couldn't. All it saw was the dagger, slipping into her chest, pouring out her life blood while the spirit of the Mother slid in.

Gaelena's eyes made out the island as her borrowed memories named it, but then was blinded as a torrental downpour. She gasped loudly, her hair blinding her as it covered her eyes. "I...think...we...found...him," she called through the rain.

[Syrawenn]

"Heh, Abner..." She had only met the little man shortly, but his mind had made an impression. The sharpness of her tongue was nothing compared to that of his observations.

Syrawenn settled against the railing. "Well yea, I was lookin fer some cure fer that plague an I saw ya. Saw ya an Abner. Heh. Remember thinkin ya were doin some really stupid things." She took a step back to avoid another poke. "But well, it kinda didn't work out, eh? Got shoved from one place to another, one time to another. All I got was a lot of riddlin people an one really pissed off avatar."

She grinned and rubbed her knuckles at that favourite memory.

Right that moment the storm broke loose.

"CRAP!" The girl yelled and dove for cover -which was quite uneffective. Thunder expploded, making her acutely aware of their precarious position. Immediately her eyes started searching out barrels or other possible floatables in case the worst came to happen.

"Ya SURE ya can swim?" She demanded to know.

[Gavin Tylvan]

Gavin laughed at Syra’s honesty, no poke coming from his direction, seeing how he agreed with that particular observation. “Yeah, well, I knew a lot less then. Did not quite have a chance to meet demons and walking dead and talking trees and what not before. I bet I would do much better now. We would do much better.” He grinned and the grin froze on his face as the rain started suddenly, the flash causing him to blink, not even flinching at the thunder.

“Yeah, I can swim.” He yelled over the increasing noise of the rain, glancing towards the spot where lightning struck. “And if we do have to swim we should go that way. There is an island there.” Moving towards the emerald eyed lightning dodger, he added in a lower voice. “I’m going to see what needs to be done. You mind fetching my sword and belt?” Once she assured him she would be fine, Gavin moved to where Gaelena and Milkhaire stood. “We should get ready. Gather what you want to carry and I’ll meet you near the door. If storm pick up we’ll have to land roughly so we best be ready to do what needs to be done.” He moved to the front, peering through the rain and then moved to where they would gather, moving into the cabin to get the armor too, though he left it upon the deck, and planned to leave t on the shore, and only take the sword.

[Morg]

Through the sheeting rain the island of Jerrhyn's Point was becoming visible. No more than a mile across, it was a forbidding sight. The "point" to which the island's name referred was a stark headland of bare rock at the south end of the small island. The cliffs at this side of the island were sheer and slick with spray, with no obvious place to land. The north side of the island, facing the Dort mainland, was little better. Although it sloped down towards the sea, no gentle beach met them there. Instead, black rock rose jaggedly out of the waves. There was vegetation on the island - straggly, sturdy clumps of bushes, and grass growing on thin soil - but it was sparse and only to be found higher up.

The shape of a ship could be made out at the north end of the island. A schooner a little smaller than their brigantine, it lay broken upon an outcrop, a massive tear in its side. They were still too far away to see whether it was a new wreck or an old one. Regardless, the sight seemed to worry the vessel's skeleton crew, who scrabbled to secure the sails against the wind that was rising to buffet them. A massive wave sent the ship lurching dangerously towards the fierce coastline.

Looking for floatables, Syrawenn could easily spot a barrel. Lashed to the foremast, it held only a couple of mops for scrubbing the deck. Then of course there were two rowing boats, one on each side of the vessel. Each was big enough to hold six to eight people at a pinch, although it would be crowded.

The captain of the ship that the steward had provided came to join Gavin as he made his way to where they were gathering. Withers was a compact, toothy man and clearly a competent sailor, but even he looked dismayed at the turn the weather had taken. "Heave to!" he called to his men, turning to address the much taller Gavin. "We can't get much closer to the island without running 'er aground," he apologised. He couldn't make out the status of his passengers, but he was running on orders from the steward herself, and had decided that politeness was the best option. "Another bad gust like that one and we'd be marooned. You'll have to take one of the gigs if you want to make land. Can you row it yourselves, or will you need a couple of my men?"

[Gaelena]

Gaelena merely nodded at Gavin as he spoke of talking to the captain, moving as quickly as possible below deck to get her things, changing into the white gown as swiftly as possible, then donned a long jacket to cover it, using bandages to attach the dagger to her forearm, next to her wounded skin.

Moving back out, she staggered as they were hit by another wave, nearly losing her balance.

[Syrawenn]

Syrawenn raised an eyebrow. "Fetchin yer sword an belt? Wha, yer legs suddenly gave way to the waves? I'll have ya know I will drop em at the first sign of goin under!"

It wasn't exactly that she was afraid of the ship sinking, but perhaps one could call it an extended version of feeling nervous. As such the girl did not feel like groping around for unfamiliar equipment at all!

"I'll grab her blimmin stuff, but ya better be ready to take it once I see ya!" She warned him and darted off, trying to keep her balance through the rough motions of the ship. This hardly was the time to start arguing, after all.

While grabbing their belongings she kept the position of the barrel in mind, just in case they wouldn't make it to the lifeboats.

[Gavin Tylvan]

Gavin laughed at Syrawenn’s words, grinning at the suddenly talkative girl, yelling as he moved away. “You do that. I can get me another sword. You…. You are one of a kind.” With a wink, Gavin focused on his steps, and once he reached Withers, focused on the shore, seeking a tree and then keeping his gaze on the wrecked ship. “Get us near the wreck and get me some rope and we may not need to row.” He grinned with a bit of madness in his eyes. “I don’t want your men to risk it if they don’t want. If someone volunteers fine. If not…. We’ll manage.” He shrugged and moved down to the deck, waiting for the rope to be brought.

“Alright. Here’s the plan as I see it, and if you got a better one then yay we go with it.” The tall warrior pointed towards the ship-wreck and waited for the all to notice it. “I’ll take the crossbow and try to stick a few bolts to that thing over there with rope attached to each bolt. We’ll use the ropes to pull ourselves closer if things get rough.” He turned to the auburn haired menace and smiled. “And you can tie a rope around your waist and pull yourself to shore if you by some slim chance fall out of the boat.” He paused and looked at them all with an arched brow. “Sound good?”

[Morg]

As he followed Gavin, Withers furrowed his brow at the plan for a flicker, then finally nodded. "Spike! Bring them as much painter rope as you can find," he called to another sailor. "Mayfield, ready the starboard gig." The two men moved into action, and Withers bit his lip thoughtfully. "We'll give it a try, but don't lose the oars. I'll steer the ship myself. Once you're afloat, I'll bring her about and wait further offshore. When you want to come back, signal us." If there's anyone left to signal. Without further words, the captain turned and made for the bridge.

If there were any trees on the island, they were hidden by the driving rain and dark clouds, although a sudden flash of sheet lightning revealed the silhouette of a tall structure further in. The shipwreck, however, was an easier target as the ship turned to the north and neared the rocky coast. It hadn't been wrecked for long, because the hull was still clear, visible and mostly intact. The foremast lay broken on the shore; of the mainmast there was nothing to be seen. At its prow was a gryphon rampant figurehead, and the ship's name was carved into a plaque just below it on both sides: STORMBRINGER.

Milkhaire stayed near Gaelena, grasping hold of her arm when the wave hit and both struggled to stay upright. Only she could hear his strange voice when he spoke this time. Look above you.

Flitting over the ship was an indistinct birdlike shape, perhaps a couple of paces across, appearing as a blur against the dark clouds. The rain seemed to pass straight through it without being deflected from its broad wings. It made no sound, and a few flickers later it was lost from view.

The lanky sailor named Spike, meanwhile, had been hauling coils of rope to where Gavin stood near the lifeboat. The rope was of the kind used to secure ships to piers, and was light but strong. Six coils were brought and deposited at the tall man's feet.

[Syrawenn]

There are those moments that can't be predicted nor prevented. Some are as precious as the first blossom after winter -and equally fragile. Others stand out because they are so out of place they become an item all by themselves.

Right now Syrawenn was having a little trouble deciding which moment this was -well, together with trying to figure out what was up or down. She blinked her grey-green eyes at the big man.

Did he just say what I think he said?

Yet time sped up again and the girl was left cursing her wobbly legs and Gavin's timing as she tried to swallow that utterly swoonish remark.

"I'll get him." She muttered. "One of a kind. Pff. I'll get my chance when he least expects it." But in the meantime her heart was pounding for more reasons than the bad storm and she wasn't even entirely sure why she was complaining.

Syra made sure to get back to the appointed place as fast as she could. This proved to be an interesting task, seeing how the storm made it difficult to see anything further than two paces away! Yet she managed, waiting for Gaelena, Milkhaire and Gavin to join her.

"Don't tell me how we're gonna get to the other side." She yelled, trying to get heard over the chaotic weather. "Just point me to it!"

If Gavin was there, she'd hand his things over and steadied herself with a free hand.

[Gavin Tylvan]

Gavin was there alright and with practiced ease slung the sword over his shoulder, tightening the belt to compensate for the lack of armor. Next came the task of fastening the rope to the bolts and again the dagger he used to carve the small figurine was drawn, this time boring holes in the crossbow bolts through which he looped the rope and, not quite trusting his skill handed each bolt to Spiky to tie as secure a knot as he could manage. Paying attention to what the man was doing, all six bolts were prepared, Gavin tying the last pair of knots himself.

Then came the hard part. With the wind and rain and especially the weight of the rope trailing after the bolt hitting anything would be an almost impossible task. Luckily I have a target that is bigger than the side of a barn. I can't possibly miss a whole bloody ship. Almost as an afterthought he wound the crossbow and placed a spare bolt into it, pausing the gauge the wind before taking aim and sending the missile across the water and towards Stormbringer. It mattered not if it struck or missed, the bolt was to be used to see how much the tall Dortman would need to adjust his aim. He wanted to do this right because their lives could literally depend on it, and in a way lives of many others.

Winding the crossbow once more, Gavin placed another bolt in, leaving the rope free to trail after it. Moving the coil of rope to the railing he made sure it was not tangled and then lowered himself down upon a knee. As he took aim, a soft prayer left his lips, though eyes never strayed from the ship that waited for a blot to be shot into its hull. "You watching, Warrior? Good, here goes nothing once more. Hope you enjoy the show." Then with a thin, sarcastic smile he squeezed the trigger sending the bolt away. He aimed a bit higher this time to let the bolt fly father and not be carried to low by the weight of the rope. The rest followed, and he tried to group the bolts as best as he could, placing three and three together so they could steer a boat to an extent with the ropes.

[Gaelena]

Gaelena cringed slightly as Milkhaire grabbed her injured arm, though the pain was slight and quickly forgotten as her eyes locked on the spectral being above them. There goes any hope of coming on him unawares, she thought, dropping her eyes from the skies to look at the shaman. Come. Let's help them.

Moving towards Gavin and Syrawenn, she tried to ask above the wind, "Tell me how I can help."

[Morg]

(OOC: Sorry about the delay. Been partying.)

One of his lesser minions, Milkhaire responded to Gaelena. Near-mindless, if we are lucky. We may still have the advantage of surprise.

The hardest part for Gavin was boring the hole through the crossbow bolts. Their shafts were narrow and strong, not designed to be pierced, and it was difficult to bore a wide enough hole to pass a rope through. Three bolts had to be discarded before he had six ready. Spike proved to be entirely adept at tying knots, and within a few burns all the bolts were ready to be fired.

Hitting Stormbringer was indeed equivalent to hitting the broad side of a barn, and despite the adverse weather conditions the first bolt punched into the hull just above the waterline. The other six followed in quick succession - higher, as the power of the crossbow meant that the rope did not drag the shots down too much despite its weight. Withers shouted orders to his men as he struggled to keep the ship in position for the firing. Whether the Red Warrior had decided to take a hand or not, all six bolts ended up in the hull of the ship, in two groups, although one strayed a lot further towards the prow than the others.

But as the third bolt slammed into the hull of Stormbringer, a voice could be heard shouting. It was almost impossible to make out over the howling wind and crashing waves, but it seemed to come from the shipwreck itself: a deep, booming voice, somewhat hoarse.

"...STAY AWAY! KEEP AWAY!"

[Gavin Tylvan]

The bolts were expendable, whereas people were not and Gavin made sure each of the three bolts was able to hold the rope firmly, grunting in approval as the bolts struck true, not caring if one of them was a bit off. Then came the voice and the tall warrior yelled right back over the waves, the atmosphere and tension building up in him, fear pushed away by excitement. “Quit destroying our island and promise not to do it again and we’ll go away. Deal?” With a grin he turned towards the sailors and pointed at the boat. “Alright. Time to go. I doubt he will say yes, but if he does, then woohoo.” He tossed his armor into the boat, feeling better with the bundle close to him even though he did not plan to wear it during the storm. “Come on, wusses.” For some reason Gavin was in a very good mood, his inner voice that kept reminding him everything would be fine and they would do well working and assuring him to simply act and worry about the danger when it came to them. “Into the boat and to the ship. We may not even have to row.” He would be the last one in and would take an oar, pulling to the best of his ability, repeating to himself that they would be fine and that they would reach the shore safely, though likely soaked to their bones.

[Gaelena]

Gaelena nodded at Milkhaire, though a frown started to make a permanent home on her face. Let us hope, she thought, her eyes narrowing against the rain, lifting her hands to quickly bind back the sodden red tresses that threatened to blind her as they covered her eyes.

Gavin's words caused one brow to rise as she paused to wonder if she was going into this battle with a mad-man. Wusses? The man, for all his seeming sanity, was starting to worry her. Instinctively, her hand caressed the dagger hidden up her sleeve, under her bandages. Moving towards the boat, she paused, surveying the water and the ship they were moving towards. Dear Mother, please protect your children as they approach the enemy of your faithful. Guide us and shelter us from danger whenever possible. And please don't let any of them drown.

[Morg]

(OOC: Minor fudge to keep this moving. Oh, and in case you were thinking of going anywhere, this thread is now officially Impassable.)

As Gaelena moved towards the dark water, the rain and wind suddenly lessened in intensity, and the brief respite made it clear that the voice addressing Gavin was either a human one or a very good imitation of it. It gave no sign of having heard the tall man's response, instead continuing to bellow. "THIS GODFORSAKEN ISLAND IS DEATH!"

The small lifeboat was sturdy and well constructed, easily able to hold the select band who were going to meet the Storm Lord. Milkhaire was first into the boat. Despite his advanced age, he moved with steady grace now that the wind had lessened. Once they were all aboard the craft, Spike lowered them into the water and detached the boat from the Count's ship, muttering a subdued "Blessings of the Pantheon to you all". The stolid sailor had clearly been affected by the shouting, although he tried not to show it.

Once they were afloat, the ship behind them immediately began to swing around, heading for clearer waters. Captain Withers was evidently not taking any more chances with the treacherous coast of Jerrhyn's Point. The ropes joining them to Stormbringer held firm for the flicker, although it was difficult to make any headway with the oar by pulling on only one side, and the gig was too broad to reach both sides at once.

The weather was taking a turn for the worse again. A particularly fierce wave burst over the stern of the small boat, sloshing all four with salty water. At the same time lightning flashed once again, and a face was illuminated at a broken porthole near the top of the wreck. It was a stern, well-built male face, with wavy dark brown hair matted wetly around his head. His eyes were wide and frantic, and he was the one doing the shouting.

"STAY AWAY IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIVES!"

[Gavin Tylvan]

Not having expected things to go that easily, Gavin muttered under breath as he gazed over the water, trying to catch a glimpse of this mysterious Stormlord. “Death? Been there, done that. Not fun. Not fun at all. How about we do not do the whole death thing and just make this all better, eh? That sounds nice. And if someone has to die, then the nasty people do and we stay alive and well.” As everyone else climbed into the boat, the Dortman waved goodbye to Spike, grinning at the old sailor like he had not a worry in life, though he felt quite the opposite. “Well, at least the weather is improving. Someone may after all be watching over us.”

He was just about to take a seat and start rowing, when the lightning flashed and illuminated what looked like a human face, the bearded man peering into the dark porthole for a flicker before taking his seat. “Milky, mind taking the other oar? Girls, you keep the ropes tight and help by pulling as much as you dare. It should not take too long to reach the ship.” He sat and prepared the oar as best as he could, ready to row towards the boat, finding the warning a bit tedious. He knew the danger. They all did. They came there of their own accord. They had been warned once. If the guy kept repeating it he would only awaken Gavin’s stubbornness and cause him to desire to make the passage over sooner.

[Syrawenn]

Syrawenn gritted her teeth and took the ropes as Gavin asked. The flash made her blink, afterimages of the man's face lighting up well after he'd disappeared.

"Crap, crap, crap." She mumbled. Of course people would warn them to not come there. To think you stood a chance as mere mortal opposite some kind of ancient god was of course sheer folly. Yet this hardly was the time to argue. This visit was their one and only chance to save Dort!

So go throw yer warnings at someone else. She grumbled inwardly, trying to keep the ropes tight. It's not like I WANNA be here! But somebody's gotta do the dirty work!

"He's prolly right, ya know!" She yelled over the storm to Gavin. "This is gonna cost us bigtime! But I don't think he sees the point! There's a whole FRIGGIN CITY back home which needs to survive! So SUE us fer tryin!" The last words were more or less shouted at the man on shore.

[Gaelena]

Gaelena had no problem helping with the physical work, her hands gripping a rope and pulling, tyring to help pull their boat towards the shore. The water soaked her bandages, but she made no particular note of it, blinking the water out of her eyes. Eyes that narrowed as they took in the human face peering out at them from a porthole.

Of course its dangerous. Do you think us all daft and unaware that we may be walking to our deaths? We're not idiots, she thought as her slow to burn temper suddenly started to come to life. Since you seem trapped, I would think you'd help get us there to save your sorry self, instead of shouting stupidly. She started to put her entire body into pulling the anchor ropes, her arm screaming in pain but the pain was ignored for now. She just wanted to get there and get this over with now.