Furrae Chronicles: Webs of Destiny (IC) [M] {3}

[Stygian]

Just barely listening to Gareeku at first, Ignatz crouched down and lifted the hatch to the cargo room, peering down into the darkness. A sharp, musty smell of chemical treatments and hard chill, and other things that cargo spaces mostly smell of, hit him, making his nostrils flare. 'I will. You just make sure that you don't fuck up instead when I'm not around,' the bat responded to the wolf's statement, not looking back up. There we go. This will be nice...
   James' response though, drew more attention, even if initially only from his high-strung tone. 'Yeah, like we didn't know your wish already. We're all quaking with anticipation,' Ignatz added sarcastically. 'Talk less, think more. Angels are usually so full of themselves...' And you have such a bloody way of making it sound as if it were important when you speak... he thought.
   Finally seeing it fit to withdraw from the conversation, the bat kicked up the hatch, swung himself down, and tugged it shut after him with his free hand before letting go and dropping down, finding a place to rest in the dark.

[James StarRunner]

"Oh... You heard that?" said James sheepishly. Wait... Was she blushing? He looked away for a moment. Please don't do this to me... I already had to suffer through seeing my fiancee die. Please don't grow too attached to me... "N-no thanks needed. I'm just glad to help. If you want to try swords though, I suggest a rapier. It should be light enough for you to wield and relies less on brute strength and more on swift reflexes."

James quirked an eyebrow in Stygian's direction, but said nothing. Heh... as if he knows what my wishes are. What would he know about me anyways?

He drew his attention back on Gabi. "So, would you like to try it out? I have a rapier with your name on it."

[Tapewolf]

Jakob watched as the bat descended into the cargo space.  His body language seemed to indicate relief, but why?  Was he just seeing a nutter at work, or was there some deeper reason?  Now that he thought back to it, the bat was noticeably less comfortable outside.  Agoraphobia?  He wondered, but turned away as the hatch closed.

Gabi and James were duelling, and while he was better with a crossbow than a sword, it would still be interesting to watch.  He might well learn something, and in any case he'd offered to teach some of the basic martial arts that he'd learned from Destania.

[Cogidubnus]

 Despite the overwhelmingly depressing and oppressive thought of having to endure another three-month-long floating hotel stay, possibly, the wolf could not help but hear the blue squirrel speaking to Gabi about swordplay - specifically, offering to teach her a rapier style.

Cogidubnus turned away from watching the ocean, and leaning on the railing instead began to watch the ensuing swordplay. In general, the wolf had found rapier-style fencing...ineffective. The weapon was great at thrusting-style swordplay, but if you could get inside the guard, the weapon was largely defeated. It wasn't really very effective against armor either, and in general, he'd found them to be less than effective against weapons other than other rapiers.

The wolf narrowed an eye beneath shaded lenses, and watched.

[Aisha deCabre]

As the ferry gently lurched away from the dock, Aisha held onto the railing until she gained her footing on the deck.  Leaning against it with her back, she watched as that portion of land slowly floated from view...and that chapter of the adventure was left behind them in favor of what lay ahead.  A wide, azure sea with silver linings upon the waves filled her view, and she could barely keep her eyes from it...as soon as the panther was sure that she had gotten her balance back.

After that, she turned and decided to listen to the various conversations going around.  She was near to the bow where Gareeku was, first joined by Keaton.  So the succubus was to be a part of their group after all...there were no qualms there, a powerful ally indeed.  Then he was joined by James, and then Ignatz, who put in a rather snide comment before trying to find a place to himself.  By now, Aisha had accepted the presence of the bounty hunters in the group...nearly.  But she felt it wise to not place a word in.

One ear swiveled to listen to James and Gabi speak of the squirrel teaching her to fight.  That's pretty wise, she thought.  It was hard to know if something would come up that would require the whole of the party's power.  Still the panther felt rather confident in their abilities.  Am I really that much an optimist?  Aisha laughed silently.  But most of the same members of the party had seen adversity and survived.

Thinking about the previous adventure made Aisha grin somewhat, reminiscing.  It was hard to find more trustworthy adventurers.  Glancing at Gareeku, she certainly agreed with James.  No matter what the cost...the missing ones would be found.  "I hope they have a good view as well, those who are lost." she said to him, turning her gaze to the water.

[Gareeku]

Hearing Ignatz's comments, Gareeku rolled his eyes, before turning back to watch the horizon.
"Oh yes, oh mighty hero. I will be such a good boy while you're away." the wolf responded, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Faintly, he could hear James, Gabi and Jakob discuss her training, subtley swivelling one ear to face their direction so he could listen better.

It was then, however, that the wolf heard another voice; Aisha's. Hearing what she said, Gareeku glanced at her for a moment.
"That's if they have a view at all." he replied.

[Tapewolf]

He has a point, Jakob thought grimly to himself.  What... what would I do... if we get there - wherever there is - and find that my father's dead?

He shivered.  The last time that had happened, Johan Cross had been born.  He prayed that it would not happen again.

[Gabi]

Gabi worried for a moment as James looked away and spoke nervously. She wondered if she had said or done something wrong. As the lesson began, however, the discomfort seem to have passed and she was able to focus on the task at hand. She felt a bit embarrassed when others turned to watch. She was almost certain that everyone else had more fighting experience than she did. But that was what she was trying to fix, wasn't it? She tried to focus on that and did her best to remember the feel of the right movements so that she could repeat them when needed.

[James StarRunner]

"The rapier I gave you is a dulled training one." said James. "You won't cause serious injury to me even if you do hit me with it, so don't hold back. I'll give you a proper one once we're done." James glanced around him. They had quite the audience. It's just a basic swordplay training... If they want to see something epic, they should see me and Gar spar.

James proceeded to show Gabi how to properly hold the sword as well as how to thrust and parry, often having to make adjustments by moving her limbs slightly so she could execute the moves correctly. Once it seemed she was able to perform the moves without aid, James pulled off his backpack and set it on the ground in front of him.

"Ok, let's spar for a bit, but we'll do things in slow motion to begin with." he said as he drew out a training sword from the bag for himself. Of course there was no way a real sword could have fit. To those who were unaware of the magic the backpack possessed, the sight would have looked quite strange.

James and Gabi proceeded to slowly fence, letting her get accustomed to the blade. "There is something you should keep in mind with rapiers..." said James as they performed their slow motion battle. "It is a light sword and can easily be pushed aside by larger weapons. This is where you need to count on your reflexes. Heavier weapons generally take a little more time to ready after a swing. You need to back away from such attacks and go right back in to finish it."

They used the rapiers a little while longer before James began switching his weapons to demonstrate. "That's right... Good dodge, now thrust and you've got me."

As James wrapped up the training session he pulled out an elegant rapier with a strange hue and presented it to Gabi. "It's adamantine. Given special heat treatment in it's crafting to make the already super hard metal even harder. It should make you pierce through about any kind of armor as well as make the critics envious. I want you to practice a lot more though. Also try to use another light weapon in your off-hand, like a dagger in case someone slips though your guard. You should find that instinct will kick in and your foe should get a startling surprise."

[Gabi]

Gabi listened to what James had to say and replayed the words in her mind to make sure she understood.

"You're giving it to me?"

This was much more than she had expected. She reckoned James had a lot of powerful weapons hidden in his bag, if he could spare something like that.

"Thanks... I will practice," she promised. Then, she thought of his final advice. "I've used both hands to fight before. Not with a sword, but... I'll do my best to find a way to make that work."

She looked around. Some watchers had left but others were still around. Why had they been watching her? They'd only made things harder. Wasn't there anything more interesting to do than watch a vixen walk her first steps with a rapier? At least it was over for the moment. She thought of all this as she held the new sword, turning it this way and that to get a better look at it and get used to holding it. She decided she'd look for a more private place to practice as soon as she could.

[Tapewolf]

"James, I believe you mentioned that you know some unarmed combat," Jakob put in as Gabi and James finished sparring.
"I'd be interested to compare notes, if that's all right with you.  It's not something I went in for in a big way, but I have found that some of the defensive stuff can be very handy in the right situation."

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha glanced back up, hearing the wolf reply to her statement.  Her ears flattened slightly, thinking about it.  Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to spend the whole trip worried about her comrades' closest friends and relatives.  Though nobody personal to herself was kidnapped, she still held as much reverence to the situation.

"True," the panther nodded.  "But, at least here's hoping that they are being treated decently.  I haven't gotten much of a chance to hear about the letters all of you were sent, but I doubt they have said anything about them being harmed, ser claro."  Her eyes narrowed, and her mouth into a slight grin.  "And if they were, I'd certainly help you take down whoever the hell is responsible."

The words she spoke were sincere, but were also spawned of her bravado.  Whatever Gareeku knew about Aisha, the huntress hadn't lost any certainty that they would come out of their situation...perhaps it was foolish bravado, but bravado nonetheless...it was her way of sharing courage.  Her face turned serious again, however.  He won't die with the regret that they weren't saved, she vowed anew.

Turning from the water, she set her gaze then upon Gabi and James as they sparred, a bit of a distance away but still visible enough.  The hunter remembered when she was taught how to swordfight in her younger days.  "Heh...I'm suddenly reminded of my mentor, Rynkura.  You want to learn to fight and have a very healthy respect for the blade, she's quite good for that."

[Gareeku]

As Aisha spoke again, Gareeku stayed silent as he listened to her. The pantheress' bravado was something to be admired in a way. Maybe he was being too pessimistic. But with each passing day, coupled with the fact that he did not have long left in this world, the wolf's hope was diminishing bit by bit.

It was then that Aisha turned to watch James and Gabi spar, commenting on how she was reminded of Rynkura, her mentor.
"I would have liked to meet this Rynkura that I've been hearing so much about..." Gareeku commented. His ear was still facing James' and Gabi's direction, listening to them speak of teaching her both armed and unarmed combat. In a way, the wolf was surprised that Jakob apparently knew as much about martial arts as he said he did, having not seemed like the sort of person who would know so much about something like fighting arts. He had considered helping with Gabi's teachings, but due to the fact that it seemed that James and Jakob had taken it upon themselves, the wolf concluded that he would most likely just be getting in the way.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel's lazy circuit of the deck brought her back around to where the lessons were taking place. She stopped  and spent a few moments watching the training and all the onlookers. Finally she spoke to Cog, who was closest, "While learning to defend herself is of great value I have to wonder if this will be too little too late for Miss Gabi's immediate purpose. A lesson or two with a weapon that takes time to learn before throwing her against trained fighters seems rather misguided on her friend's part. Perhaps a nice heavy bat coupled with her healer's knowledge of body parts most vulnerable to crush damage would keep her safer." She slowly swung her parasol in demonstration before returning the sun shade to rest against her shoulder.

[Gareeku]

No sooner had Gareeku finished pondering Gabi's training with James and Jakob had he heard another voice. Looking round, he saw that Mel had decided to give her thoughts on the training. Listening to what she said, the wolf knew that she had a very good point. Gabi's knowledge of body parts thanks to her healing abilities would be and extremely useful asset in a battle, something which Gareeku had never really thought of before, and was secretly kicking himself for not even realising something like that.

Turning back to watch the waves, Gareeku thought that he had better ask Mel where they should head to after they had arrived in Gaelia. He hadn't asked Mel before due to the fact that Gaelia was the nearest location in a northernly direction, and he still felt a bit sore about the events that had occured in the last couple of days. Thinking about it, however, even though he thought she had been rather stuck up and acting like she was far superior to the others at times, she may have even been...well...quite nice. After all, thinking about it, Gareeku knew that she and Ignatz had just been doing their jobs, though he didn't like Ignatz one bit.

"Hey." the wolf said to Mel, who wasn't too far away and so would be able to hear him as he turned to face her. "I'd like to know where we are supposed to head after Gaelia."

[Cogidubnus]

 The wolf watched Gabi and James move through a routine, with a little bit of light sparring. He noted James's suggestions to the vixen, and his various techniques to compensate and increase the weapon's effectiveness. The wolf was unmoving, listening to the squirrel just as much as the vixen was. Swordplay had been his passion for almost two hundred years - and although James was teaching basic strategy, he found himself interested in the blue squirrel's take.

As the lesson ended, however, and James presented Gabi with a adamantine rapier, the vixen seemed to look around at the group with a little resentment - the wolf paused for a moment, puzzled, and then realized that the vixen had probably never practiced in front of anyone before. The way he trained, early on, you trained among dozens of others - stage fright was quickly eliminated.

He pushed himself off the rail and approached the vixen, bowing slightly.
"That was very good. Especially for your first time." he said, his voice sincere. "Don't feel intimated by the watching eyes. They don't matter - we all start in the same place."
He made another bow to the vixen, and smiled again. "There isn't anything ten-thousand iterations won't fix." he said, moving back to the railing along the ship.

He was surprised when the snow leapordess approached him, sun parasol in hand, and he grinned at her words. She used the parasol to great effect, kneecapping some imaginary foe.
"Oh, I don't know." the wolf said, looking nowhere in particular. "It takes a long time to get good, true. The great teacher was fond of saying that real training doesn't come from the training floor, though..." he mused, looking up for a moment. "She's survived this long without dying and without a rapier. She'll probably be alright."
He turned and smiled at the feline. "Although that isn't a bad idea at all."

[James StarRunner]

James gave a nod to Jakob. "Ya, I did mention I know some unarmed combat. I tend to use it if I want to subdue foes rather than killing them outright by the sword. I'm not legendary by any means, but it would be misleading if I said I wasn't any good. I've captured many bounties and survived many assassination attempts with my martial arts after all... But seeing the many different styles out there, it would be interesting to see what you know. I know Gareeku gave me a pleasant surprise a couple years ago when I fought him." James grinned and looked over at Gareeku, remembering how he bested the wolf before. "You put up an awesome fight, but I got a handsome bounty from ya then, didn't I Gar? You fed a lot of kids that day."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel nodded in agreement to Cog, "As long as she does not come to rely on questionable skills when she has more reliable ones to hand she will be fine."

When Gareeku questioned what she had found out from the papers in the desk Mel answered without hesitation. It wasn't like that shifty Jakob character could abandon them in the middle of a sea voyage. "About a day's walk beyond Gaelia is a town called Kielemin. The Black Claw have recently taken a big interest in it. I will bet diamonds to daisies that the ram's boss is there, expanding their territory."

[Stygian]

No sooner had Mel said those last words, before there was a tapping sound heard from right below between where she and Gareeku stood. And although they might not have gotten it at first, the best guess as to the origin and point to this tapping, was that Stygian was not too keen on having her reveal all the secrets and points that made sure the rest of the adventurers didn't just take what they wanted from them, and leave them in the dust. It was also a sign that the bat was a prying douche.

[Gareeku]

Listening to what Mel said, Gareeku nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"So the Black Claw have their dirty little paws on Kielemin..." the wolf muttered as he pondered the news. He had heard of Kielemin before, but had never been there himself. Regardless, they may be in for a difficult time, so sooner of later they may have had to do a little preparing.

It was then, however, that a tapping sound made itself apparent between Gareeku's and Mel's feet. Wondering what the hell it was for a minute, Gareeku then rolled his eyes when he realised what, or who, it was; Ignatz. From the tappings, the wolf guessed that he wasn't too keen on Mel giving away too much information.

Gareeku would cease from pondering this any more when he heard James speak. Looking up, the wolf listened as the squirrel spoke of the day when they first met; by fighting each other. Listening to what James said, Gareeku scowled.
"You got lucky. Nothing more. And besides, if I remember correctly, you didn't win the fight fairly. You shot me with a tranquilizer dart." the wolf growled, his arms folded and clearly not impressed.

[James StarRunner]

Is that the bat tapping down there? Geez... Even when he's away, he's still a nuisance.

James looked back at Gareeku and shrugged. "Ok, ok... so I did end up tranquilizing ya in the end. Can you blame me though? I had to transport you somehow... You were my bounty then. You've got to admit though, we were pretty evenly matched till then."

[Tapewolf]

"I don't know much about these 'Black Claw' people," Jakob said, surreptitiously sliding the hatch's bolt home with his foot, "But if they're behind this, what do they want?  What motive would they have for kidnapping 'Cubi?"

[Gareeku]

"That is something that I would like to find out." Gareeku replied to Jakob's questions. "And I am determined that I will."

Listening to James reply to his comments, the wolf looked at the squirrel for a few moments with a serious look on his face, before a small smirk made itself apparent.
"That we were." Gareeku replied before taking another swig of his ale. "It isn't often that I meet another with such a liking for martial arts. I would have enjoyed the battle much more were it not for the circumstances that we battled under."

[Aisha deCabre]

Hearing Gareeku's comment about Rynkura, Aisha chuckled and opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it again.  She was about to say that someday she may show him and the others the monastery (those who can be trusted, anyway....), but somehow it was easy to forget about his condition for just a minute.  And so, trying to not look forlorn, she smirked.  "You might've liked her.  She's a tough old teacher."

Then she watched as Gareeku grabbed Mel's attention, asking where they were to be headed next.  The panther's ears quirked, interested in this information.  It was nice to not have been kept in the dark...and between the kidnappers, Aisha had to agree that Mel seemed easier to get along with.  Her eyes narrowed.  "Black Claw...I think I've heard of them somewhere before..." Aisha muttered.  "Nice to know who we're dealing with."

Her keen hearing also suddenly heard the tapping under the floor, and she shook her head.  It was information that was vital to the group, there was little business for the newcomers...and it was quite appreciated.  It wasn't like they could stop them following if they wanted anyway.  With a hum, Aisha stood back on the railing and watched the talk between the wolf and squirrel, a smirk on her features, before she decided to head to the bar and get a drink of her own.  Men.  I wonder who'd come out if they sparred right now.  Probably be a tie or something.

[Tapewolf]

"Damn," Jakob said, as he realised that Gareeku didn't know much more than he did.

"Anyway, James - and Gabi, if you're interested... I think you know of my reluctance to fight.  The usual techniques for my kind are somewhat... overt, to say nothing of messy," he shuddered.

"So we're also taught techniques more appropriate for a Being," Jakob added, speaking in a slightly convoluted manner to try and minimise his references to the fact that he wasn't a Being himself. 

"My teacher was highly-trained in numerous unarmed combat techniques, but the one which really took my fancy was a form of what some people call 'Judo'," he said.  'Some people' meant 'Some people on Earth', but he wasn't going to elaborate on that.

"The basic idea is to turn your opponent's strength and inertia back upon them.  You can probably see why I found it more appealing than the more proactive styles..."

[Gabi]

Gabi did her best to ignore Mel's venom and Ignatz's tapping. Of course she could hit someone with a bat, that didn't take much skill at all. But carrying a heavy bat around wasn't very practical, and few enemies would not see the blow coming in time to dodge. She could hit an enemy with whatever was at hand if the need arose, but she wanted to acquire finer skills so that she could be more in control when she had to fight, especially if she ended up in another situation in which using magic was impossible.

When Cog approach her and spoke gently, she seemed to relax a bit. Although she was still intrigued by this mysterious wolf, he was acting kindly towards her, and that gave her emotions a break.

"Thanks," she told him. "I'll keep practising. I didn't have a chance to learn earlier... but I'll do my best to learn fast. I don't want to be a hindrance."

I didn't get a chance to learn earlier... she thought, half bitterly, half nostalgically. My parents weren't keen on those things and since I left home I'd never felt confident enough to ask someone to teach me. Until now... James asked me to teach him something so I felt it was ok if I did the same. But I must toughen up. Shyness will take me nowhere fast. I've managed to survive so far by a combination of wits, luck, the things others have been willing to teach me and the things I've figured out by myself. But things are getting more complicated now. I must stop worrying about being embarrassed. There are far more important things at stake than what others may think about me.

When Jakob spoke about martial arts, she smiled. She felt that at least a part of the tension had left her.

"Yes," she said. "I like that concept too."

[Cogidubnus]

 The wolf's ears flicked.

Judo... he mused, raising both eyebrows and making a strange face, and then turned to face the ocean again, shrugging. An art that espoused redirection and inertia manipulation, but tended to emphasize throwing techniques to exclusion. Ostensibly nonlethal. A lot of variation within the term Judo, though - there were some styles that favored combat, and others there were more of a sport than a martial art. The wolf shrugged.
He wasn't getting paid as it was. Teaching was extra.

He didn't study empty-handed styles anyway. Letting a hand fall across the black-wrapped hilt of his katana, he stared into the ocean, trying not to think about the coming boat ride.
He supposed he would see how well his new companions fought when the time came.

[Paladin Sheppard]

Having spotted the new wolf on his own Eph decided she better learn who he was.

Getting up she left her bag and bow on the deckchair. Stalking over to him she taped the wolf on one shoulder and slid to the other side.

"Heya." She said with a smirk.

[Cogidubnus]

"Good morning." the wolf said amiably, turning and giving a smile to...nothing at all. Raising an eyebrow, the wolf continued to turn until he found himself facing...he wasn't quite sure. Whatever it was, it was smirking at him with quite an amused expression, and was carrying a quiver with her.

Cog smirked back at the girl, his expression turning sardonic, and made a formal bow to the archer.
"Hello yourself. Cogidubnus Mithlome, at your service." he said, his voice tinged with amusement.

[Paladin Sheppard]

"I'm Ephrael."  Eph said, a little surprised that he had bowed to her, blushed a little. "A-are you j-joining us?" She asked stammering a little.