Volume 2, Part XV: Outnumbered
The only warning Sand received was a sharp cry from the decks followed by the loud boom of cannons before he was ripped violently from sleep. The iron canon ball crashed through the wooden wall of the Captain's room, sending a shower of splinters on them before utterly destroying the small table. There was a moment of confused disorientation before he heard additional shouts from above deck, the screams of injured or dying men and the return fire of their own canons.
"Torio, wake up!" Adrenalin shot through him as he scrambled to his pack for his components pouch even as the ship gave another creaking shudder from incoming fire. He ducked, crawled back to the bed, rummaging through each pouch until he found the small diamond and some pinkish granite. Quickly he cast Stoneskin on Torio, following it up with a Greater Invisibility.
Torio's eyes snapped open blearily; her ears were full of a cacophony of sound; the ship shuddered and shook as echoes of cannon fire boomed through the air. She heard the heavy thuds of running feet and shouting voices as the crew moved outside the door. Before she could wriggle off the bed and plant her feet on the deck, Sand was casting, and she felt a strange stiffening along her entire body before once again she winked invisible. "Wha..." She staggered forward, staring at the hole in the cabin wall; splinters littered the floor, and the table was completely destroyed, shredded bits of map and parchment buried under piles of broken wood.
She glanced at Sand, knowing he couldn't see her, and moved to where she had discarded most of her things; her belt was back around her waist, the daggers sheathed securely in them. Her mouth felt dry as she said, "I suppose they caught up with us." She slipped to the door, saying in a quiet parody of the day that all of this madness began, "Ladies first," before running out the door and up onto the main deck of the ship.
It was utter chaos. They were flanked starboard and aft by at least four ships that were as big, if not bigger, than the Lusty Luskan. Sailors were swarming the deck, many of them dropping into the hull of the ship to work the Luskan's own cannons, while others were tugging on lines, drawing sails, or staking a stand at the rails with crossbows. She could hear Abelor shouting somewhere, but couldn't catch sight of him; her eyes were momentarily fixated on a brightly uniformed figure standing on the bow of the aft-most ship.
Drakken.
Torio was up and out the door before Sand could even tell her to stop, wait or even stay behind. "You foolish girl!" he hissed between his teeth even as he was pulling out components for his own Stoneskin and Greater Invisibility protections. Once the spells were in place, taking a lot longer it seemed as he listened to the madness above him, he bolted up to the deck...and nearly had half a mind to run back down and hide.
Four ships. They had sent four ships.
Torio was nowhere to be seen, thankfully and Sand practically crawled hands and knees to where Abelor was, tripping over sailors and trying to not look at the bodies on deck. "Captain! I'm here but invisible! How did they surprise us?"
Abelor spun around, trying to locate the wizard by his voice, "Sand! Some kind of magic - they were all cloaked, invisible. Didn't appear until they attacked! You have to take out the ships nearest to us before they climb aboard! Go, handsomely!"
Sand scrambled away from Abelor, towards the rail. A huge looming warship was pulling along side the Lusty Luskan, her canons aimed at the ship. He had no idea what constituted good naval warfare but figured now was a good a time as any for a Fireball. He rubbed a small handful of yellow sulfur powder in his hands and cast towards the deck of the nearest ship just as their canons fired again. There was a satisfying burst of orange light and then Sand was knocked from his feet when the cannon balls struck his own ship.
Torio fell to the deck as the second round of cannon fire slammed into their hull. She could hear bodies hitting the deck around her, cursing and scrambling feet as sailors struggled upright again. "Third broadside, me lads!" shouted a voice close to her ear; she saw Davey scramble down into the hatch that led into the hull, and a small group respond to his command by pulling on the sails. Robbie was at the tiller, but he was soon replaced by a grim looking Abelor who took a hold of the wheel and spun it madly. The ship groaned and lurched, and began turning, so that the four ships at their back were suddenly facing them at an angle.
Torio saw that one of the ships was burning, the sails catching fire like dry kindling and sending the flames rushing down towards the deck. Men were scrambling, hauling buckets of seawater up and attempting to control the blaze, but it was moving hungrily over the vessel. Drakken's ship was now moving closer to theirs, the crew pulling ropes from below deck and obviously preparing to board them.
She kept to the rails, feeling somewhat helpless; she could only watch as another round of cannon fire was sent their way, and the small iron rounds tore into their wooden hull; a few indeterminate screams from below decks announced that some of the rounds found their mark, and then quite suddenly, the skies rumbled above them...
...the skies? It had been a clear night only a few hours earlier, but now thick, heavy clouds were roiling over the sails; there was a flash, and a deafening crack of lightning, and then suddenly a deluge opened above them and the rain came pouring down. She heard curses, fearful shouting...the ship that had been blazing merrily moments before began hissing and spitting steam as the flames were doused, the blackened, fire-weakened hull of the ship creaking noisily under the sudden added weight of driving water. A look towards the third ship revealed a hooded figure gesturing languidly on the bow of a ship.
Bodaes, She reached out with her thoughts. They've a spell caster...watch yourself.
Sand looked up as the rain came pouring down, matting his hair down onto his face. He had to make a split second decision of who was the greater danger - Drakken or the spell caster. He grabbed what bits of railing were left and hauled himself to his feet; Drakken's ship was now dangerously close - so close he could make out the details of each and every sailor getting ready to board them...shiny buttons on uniforms, polished boots, the grinning faces of men knowing they are about to win a battle...
Helkaer... He glanced wildly about. Still invisible. He had no illusions about what would happen to her if they were captured, being the only woman aboard the ship. He had heard the tales on the Docks, heard the sailors who often frequented the Sunken Flagon bragging… Stay by Abelor. He will protect you.
It seemed it was up to him to handle the spell caster. He would have to trust that the sailors would be able to handle the raiding party and Sand really didn't feel like taking another sword through the torso anyway. He ran along the railing of the ship, bumping into sailors firing their crossbows haphazardly at the men preparing to board, trying to get closer to the third ship and the hooded figure. The air was full of sheer noise; the deck was wet and slippery.
The mage suddenly turned her head towards Sand and with a flick of her wrists, she dispelled his invisibility. Their own ship returned fire again, the loud cannonade blocking out all other sounds for a second. Sand could smell the gunpowder mixed in with sea salt and blood; wholly unpleasant as he continued to stumble closer to the other ship.
Sea spray washed over the deck as the ship keeled slightly, the ropes from Drakken's boat being tossed across. Men began sliding over the short span of water, all manner of weapons clenched in their teeth. A few of the sailors began instantly sawing at the ropes attached to the grapnels hooked against the railing, and quite a number of them snapped; but it was nearly impossible to stop the incoming tide of enemies, and Torio found herself sprinting and stumbling across the deck, leaping up onto the helm where Abelor wrestled with the tiller. "Abelor!"
"'Ere, lass!" He groped wildly at her invisible form, and grabbed her by the back of her collar and yanked her up in front of him, shoving her fingers around the pegs of the wheel. "It's all yers! Try not te get yourself...or all of us...killed!" With a maniacal roar, Abelor leapt down onto the deck and drew his weapons, hollering at his men as they charged the first wave of boarders from Drakken's ship.
No time for holding back now. Sand raised his hand and cast Meteor Swarm onto the deck of the third ship. The mage on the boat across from them stood balanced precariously on the pointed tip of the bowspirit, and yet the cloaked figure seemed to stand stolidly even as the ship rocked and swayed with the rising storm and the pull of the ropes that bound it to the Lusty Luskan. The wooden planks of the mage's ship before him buckled as the magical meteors slammed into them, lighting them on fire; there was an eerie creaking and the ship began tilting to one side as water started rushing inside. A shout from the sailors and they began clambering over the rail, either trying to throw their grappling hooks onto the Lusty Luskan or jumping into the waters. Drakken's flagship was still standing intact however and the sights and sounds of the other sinking ship seemed to spur them faster onto the deck of the Lusty Luskan. The Luskan mage raised her arms, gesturing; as sailors screamed and fell behind the cloaked figure, she casted Phantasmal Killer, her fingers pointing ominously at Sand.
Suddenly Sand has a prickling sensation at the base of his skull. He whirled around and gaped a moment. Standing before him was Garius, in all his resplendent black robes, his skin pale, his eyes dark - flanked by two Shadow Reavers. An icy horror descended down his spine and he found himself unable to move or speak, his heart hammering so loudly that the sound was pulsating in his ears. The battle raging on around him faded from his consciousness, the sounds became dampened and soon Sand could only see Garius and the Reavers before him.
Garius stared at Sand in his cool calculating manner and then sneered, "Sand. You may have thwarted me once, you may have stolen the Ambassador from me, but you will not leave this ship alive and Torio will return to service under me. You will die now, elf!" Sand could see Garius casting a spell, building the magical energies between his hands and yet he was rooted, frozen to the spot. The Shadow Reavers were coming forward, their dead, skeletal arms outstretched towards him...
A crossbow thudded into the wheel inches from Torio's face. She yelped, and spun it hard in the opposite direction it was trying to turn, the water churning between the five ships; one of the enemy vessels was rapidly sinking, its hull weakened and battered by fire, and the shouts of drowning and desperate men were almost louder than the thundering of the battle on the deck below her.
She felt a flickering, panicked non-thought from Sand's mind, and her eyes found him; he was seemingly oblivious to the very life-threatening chaos around him, staring in muted, frozen horror at...
...no...
Garius, as she remembered him. His face pale, almost sickly, his eyes burning with a feverish intensity. She could see it as illusion, could almost follow the spellweaving around it with her eyes, but through Sand's mind it was real and solid and dangerous...
She tried to reach out to him, "Bodaes! Sand – no!"
Sand blinked when he heard Torio's thoughts pierce his brain, loud and clear like a bell despite the strange fog that had settled around him and time seemed frozen for the briefest of a second.
It didn't make sense.
Garius had been killed and then turned into a Shadow Reaver. Sand had been there - he had seen it. This couldn't be real. Sand snapped his head up, his blue eyes searching for the mage on the sinking ship even as the illusions before him faded into a mist. The mage gazed back calmly at Sand before casting a spell; an electrical looking blue door suddenly appeared and the mage stepped through it and disappeared as the ship began sinking in earnest beneath the waves.
The first of the sailors rushed towards Abelor and there was a loud clash of steel upon steel. The other two ships had now stopped firing their cannons and were drawing up along side the Lusty Luskan to attempt to board her from the other side. Crossbowmen were firing into their ship; Sand saw Abelor take a bolt to upper leg, yank it out and continue hacking and slashing with his blade. One of the sailors from the first wave of attackers was pointing at the tiller, where unbeknownst to him, an invisible Torio was wrestling with the helm. "The ship be free! Lads, take control!" Two sailors broke free from the fighting and dashed up the small set of stairs.
Torio breathed, relieved, when Sand seemed suddenly spurred into action as the illusion of Garius vanished; and then a sailor was launching himself at her...at her? but she was still invisible... She kicked out her foot as his hands reached for the wheel, and he stumbled back, a look of confused surprise washing over his face. His partner shouted, "Stop foolin' around, ye swine!" and reached out, knocking Torio forward into the wheel. He cursed, stumbled; his hands, briefly, rested on her shoulders to steady himself, and she heard him mutter, "What in the hells..." before the ship swung precariously sideways, the wheel slipping from her grip.
She swung her small, tightly bound fist into the man's startled face, gasping in pain as her knuckles connected with his nose in a spectacular spray of blood. Her hand smarted fiercely before going unpleasantly numb, and she turned back, latching on to the wheel and throwing her entire body into getting it back under control. She heard a shout; "Hark, lad, there's somethin' there!" and "No shite, ye daft bastard, look at me nose!" And then a brief scuffle as one of Abelor's men...Robbie...slipped up to the helm and barreled into them, swinging a sword in one hand and what looked like a broken piece of shipwood in another.
Crossbow bolts whizzed overhead once again, and Torio had the presence of mind to duck as one clipped neatly past her ear. A moment later she heard a loud thunk! and her left hand suddenly and without warning exploded in pain. She cried out in agony, and then cursed fluently, losing her grip on the wheel...which proved to be disastrous, as she was effectively pinned to it and nearly landed face first onto the deck. A small bolt was neatly embedded through the palm of her hand, pinning her to the tiller of the ship. In a strange, suspended moment, she hooked her elbow around the pegs and pulled the wheel back into place, watching blood spill out against the splintered wood from seemingly nowhere at all.
By the hells, the pain was almost unbearable; every little nudge of the tiller sent agonizing shocks up her arm. Oh shite, how do these louts do this every day, I'll never know...She heard a gurgling scream behind her, and prayed to the gods that it wasn't Robbie.
There was a pale flash of blue directly in front of her...on the other side of the wheel, poised precariously on the railing that separated the helm from the main deck, stood a cloaked, hooded figure. A pair of dainty, pale hands reached up, pulling the hood back from a finely sculpted, hawk-like face; the woman's short, blonde hair was cropped close to her head in a riot of waves, and her eyes were a pale green, staring hard directly into Torio's face. She could see her...
"Hello, Ambassador," she said evenly.
Sand ducked as he heard the familiar whizzing of bolts coming his way and exhaled in relief as the incoming projectiles thudded into barrels and masts around him. The mage then lost his balance as the ship swung crazily from side to side; he slipped and fell hard on the deck, landing on his just healed shoulder. He inhaled audibly in pain; glancing up at the helm to see who was the madman steering he was surprised to see no one at the tiller. He rolled himself against the sides of the ship and pressed himself to the deck, catching his breath. Nobody seemed to be attacking him yet. Most of the boarded sailors were busy fighting Abelor and his crew. The bolts were still being fired with alarming frequency and every time Sand tried to stand up, another volley would send him back into cover.
Suddenly an excruciating pain ripped through his mind, blinding him in a white hot agony. Sand gasped and then looked up. He caught the blue flash from the corner of his eyes and suddenly the Luskan mage was standing in front of the wheel. The elf knew, without a doubt, that Torio was there, the invisible pilot to this ship.
There would be no way for him to get to her in time; he would have to fight through the crowds fighting Abelor at the base of the stairs; they were all moving and clashing swords...
Sometimes the best solutions were the simplest. Sand stuck his fingers into his components pouch and pulled out a very fine thread of webbing and cast Web into the mass of fighting sailors, causing the whole fray to become stuck in a mass of sticky white strands, before screaming to Abelor, "Help her! Help her!" Keep low, he ran closer to the mage and cast Greater Dispel Magic on her as the second ship pulled up alongside the Lusty Luskan and the sailors began throwing ropes over to board.
The mage was chanting in front of her as she struggled to hang on to the wheel, and then just as she felt a shimmering, shifting along her body, a string of webbing shot from the far end of the writing battle on the deck, and sailors were suddenly struggling to stab each other and cut through sticky webbing simultaneously. She heard Sand screaming, and simultaneously felt a small jab of terror echo through her mind...
She could suddenly see herself again; the mage smiled down at her, the spells on Torio's body suddenly gone. The sight of the bolt driven through the back of her hand, the brilliant scarlet blood and the way the fine, slender muscles and tendons beneath her skin tightened in pain every time the tiller moved made her stomach lurch queasily, and she realized her breath was coming hard and fast, little white spots beginning to dot her vision.
The mage in front of her lifted her hands, her fingers outstretched so that they were almost touching Torio's face; behind her, Abelor was running crookedly towards them, his shape a mere blur. The mage paused for a moment, a fleeting expression of confusion crossing her face. She half turned, her green eyes searching the deck behind her; she seemed to slump slightly, her imposing figure wilting a fraction, and small threads of light seemed to fall away from her as magic buzzed in the air around her.
Sand!
The mage was spitting incantations, her eyes still fixed on a point on the deck. Oh hells! Torio gripped the wheel with her right hand and threw her body to the right, letting out a frustrated, painful, smothered cry as the wheel spun violently under her grasp, points of fire shooting through her hand and up her arm. The ship lurched drunkenly, ropes snapping and grapnels from the boarding vessels tearing through the rail and flying backwards, their sharply pointed hooks coming back down again with vicious speed. She heard a grunt behind her as she moved; a blade thrust where her body had just been, its metallic edge grating against the spokes of the wheel before catching there and flying across the deck wildly, the sailor that had lunged at her cursing as he was thrown to the deck.
There was a crunching, screaming noise of tearing wood as the aft end of the Lusty Luskan ground against Drakken's ship, the screams of falling sailors sharply cut off between the two smashing hulls. Bodies swayed and fell into each other, sailors flying overboard. The mage was tossed in the middle of her spell casting, tumbling to the deck below the helm, and then Abelor was scrambling up onto the helm. "Still alive, lass?"
"No!" She screamed, twisting the wheel back upright. "Godsdamnit, get me off of this thing!" The muscles in her hand were beginning to spasm uncontrollably, and the sailor behind her began struggling to his feet, drawing a curved kukri from his sash.
The mage struggled to her feet, rage in her pale green eyes as she thrust a hand outwards, no longer seeming to care who she caught in her spells as long as Sand was caught, as well. She pulled a small crystal sphere from her robe, incanting hurriedly, and gestured; the sphere flew forward, expanding into an explosion of frost as the mage cast Otiluke's Freezing Sphere...the sea spray flying over the deck froze instantly and fell into the fighting sailors beneath, slicing into the writhing mass on top of the blast of frigid, icy air propelling into Sand.
Looking up at the helm, Sand saw Torio materialize before him, her face pale but determined. She was wrestling with the steering wheel, even as enemy sailors attacked and Abelor ran up, she stayed at her post. Sand blinked; he never knew she would be so dedicated. He saw her wrenched the wheel hard to the right and Sand was thrown along with all the other sailors back to the deck, sprawling out on his stomach and getting the air knocked from his lungs. There was a very very short moment when no sounds of battle could be heard as the two ships slammed into each other; the Lusty Luskan was lifted up for a second from the water before crashing back down, sending water flying onto the deck.
As Sand glanced up, dazed, he could see the mage and then saw nothing but the scintillating crystal sphere. "Oh sweet Mystra..." He ducked in head into his arms and rolled to the side just as the burst of icy energy blasted into his back. It felt as though the water in his body and the air vapors in his lungs were being frozen from the inside out; the cold was burning and Sand struggled to breathe as the frost sunk into his flesh and moved through his body. He was vaguely aware of thudding footfalls as the sailors clambering aboard the Lusty Luskan who hadn't been knocked into the waters by Torio's maneuvers were jumping onto the deck. Sand scrabbled weakly against the wood and then with a muted horror realized, because both he and the deck had been wet from the splashing ocean - he was now quite effectively frozen to the deck. He tugged but his robes held fast to the wood, the icy crystals meshing him to the deck. Lifting his head, he saw the mage circling him in an almost predatory manner, preparing another spell. Pointing his finger in her general direction, he cast Finger of Death, a desperate, last ditch effort, and not even bother to see if it worked, continued tugging on his frozen robe, slowly ripping the fabric from the wood and freeing himself even as the sounds of battle started up again.
The wizardess flew off of her feet as Sand's spell thudded into her body; with all of her protections gone she flew back a few feet and tumbled into the mast of the ship, sliding to the deck. Blood trickled from her mouth as she gasped in pain, her face contorted with agony and rage. She crawled forward, fumbling with her robes, coughing blood out onto the deck as she fingered a small component pouch, reaching in for something...
The mage suddenly flung a handful of pebbles onto the deck and wrapped her fingers around a discarded long sword; with final word of her incantation, she flung the sword towards Sand, casting Sword of Darkness. It flew straight as an arrow towards the wizard...
...and then Chancey shouted, hurling himself into Sand and knocking him flat onto his back, the now magically blackened and shadowy sword burying itself deep into the young sailor's back. The young man stared down at Sand, his face paling, every small capillary and spiderwebbing network of veins under his skin suddenly visible and darkening from vivid red to smokey grey as the spell drained him. His mouth opened, closed, opened again...and then he fell forward, stiff as a wooden board, thudding motionless against the deck, the sword dissolving into dust as the wizardess howled in rage and frustration. Sand stood shakily, facing off against the Luskan once again, his robes torn into tatters and still white from the frost.
Abelor took a quick step towards Torio but then shouted, "Just a moment, lass! Hold on just a moment!" and swung his cutlass at the advancing sailor wielding the kukri. He used his momentum to shove the man back, and then swung his fist hard into his jaw. The sailor tumbled, tripping over Robbie's body and fell onto his back. Even as Abelor swung his blade down towards the man's neck, the sailor had the curved blade embedded in the Captain's calf. Abelor cursed loudly but sank the cutlass down, sending a bright red splatter onto the deck. He rapidly withdrew and blade and turned back to Torio, when suddenly Drakken leapt from his flagship onto the deck of the smaller mercenary boat. The harbor master hobbled for only a moment and then held out a thin rapier pointed towards the captain's neck.
"Captain. Well met. Call off your crew and we'll let you live. All we want is the wizard and his companion. The rest of you can go. You are clearly outnumbered here."
Abelor's chin jutted up into the air as Drakken's rapier pressed into his flesh. "Ye've got me at a bit of a disadvantage here," he said almost amiably. "Ye see, 'tis hard for a dull sea captain like me to be believin' ye'll keep your word when...beggin' yer pardon, o' course...ye already broke it by followin' us here." Torio was wriggling madly against the wheel, trying to hold the tiller still and steady and pull the bolt from her hand simultaneously, whimpering in pain. Fresh sailors were dropping onto the deck from the remaining ships every second, and it was clear that though Abelor's crew were the more skilled (or more desperate) men, it was also clear that they were tiring; a small group of men leapt onto the boat behind Drakken and surrounded them, steel being drawn with ominous shrriiiiiiiiiks! that seemed to echo louder than the cries of fighting, bleeding, and dying men.
Drakken clucked his tongue. "Captain," he said quietly. "I am offering you and your men a chance to live; I would suggest you wisely negotiate for your freedom." The man's face barely even flinched. "Otherwise I shall forgo negotiation altogether." His blade flicked almost imperceptibly, and one of the sailors turned towards the wheel where Torio was cursing and struggling frantically, and without preamble drove his blade into her back, just to the right of her spine, the sword sinking into her flesh and eliciting a shocked, agonized scream from her throat.
Oh gods oh gods oh gods oh gods Sandsandsandsandsand... Brilliant, white hot light flashed through her mind and for a moment she couldn't feel anything...
As the sailor moved to slide it out, Drakken held up a hand. "Hold," he said calmly. "Well, Captain?"
Her pain, her fear, her call for him all hit Sand squarely. Her thoughts seared through his mind and seemed to pierce his very soul, rendering him utterly and completely incapable of doing anything other than helping her at all cost. His heart clenched, his breathing caught and surprisingly, he felt hot tears spring to his eyes. He staggered and then fell to his knees. He could feel the cold blade inside her, staying, twisting - he could almost feel her blood pouring out, dripping in a steady cascade, as if it were his own. His eyes stared up blankly, ignoring the sailors surrounding him, ignoring the mage who was approaching him and casting.
He had to get her away, get her away from all this. Every rational thought that entered his mind was replaced by panicky, fluttering agitation. Get her away. Get her away. It was the only thought running through his mind as he began casting, his back burning from where he could feel the blade embedded in her flesh.
The familiar powerful magic was burning him up. Sand could feel the electricity of it crackle in the air; even the mage had stopped her casting and everyone was backing up. The air around him seemed to rarefy and then compress. He had given her one Wish yesterday; he would give her another today. He focused his eyes and looked up at her standing at the helm. She really was beautiful; it seemed as though her whole body was glowing with a soft, diffused light as she stared down at him.
Goodbye Torio. I love you.
The spell burst from Sand's body, washing the entire area in a white light, shaking the entire ship. Every person on the ship was knocked to the deck and there was a tremendous growing rumble that exploded with a resonating bang. Sand smiled and sighed; then fell forward on the deck, unconscious.
Where once Torio had stood, speared by the blade, and nailed by the bolt, was nothing more than faint wisps of mist.
The ships were completely silent for a long, heavy moment, the only noise the sound of the ships grinding against each other, timbers creaking and the wounded and dying groaning. All eyes shifted between the unconscious elf facedown on the deck, and the bloodstained blade still held in the hands of the nonplussed sailor where Torio had been pinned a moment before.
Drakken was the first to speak. "The wizard," he said, his voice sharp and quiet. "On to my ship." Men moved, sprinting down towards the deck. Sand was hauled upwards, his head lolling limply as they drug him up onto the helm and then past, practically throwing him onto Drakken's ship. Abelor's face was stony, his crew silent as they watched, held hostage by countless blades and impossible odds. The wizardess dragged herself after the sailors, limping painfully.
As the last of his men spilled back onto his ship, Drakken nearly smiled. "I hope you won't take this personally, Captain," he said smoothly. "But you should have negotiated when you had the chance." He backed up onto his ship, his sword still raised, innumerable crossbows trained on Abelor and his crew. As soon as his booted feet struck the deck of his own vessel, he barked out, "Scuttle her!"
As his ship pulled away with a grinding crack! of separating hulls, the cannons fired up once again...
The three attacking ship pulled away as the Lusty Luskan began to tilt and sink below the waters, the multiple holes made by the cannons filling rapidly with the sea. Abelor shouted to his men, "Abandon ship! Abandon ship! Sink or swim, lads, make for shore!"
Drakken eyed the chaos before him briefly, before turning to the nearest sailor. "Secure the elf; tie him up and gag him. I don't need more spell casting like we just saw aboard that ship. Have First Mate Bri'ila examine my ship to see how seaworthy she is; then we make straight for Luskan. Keep the wizard alive and treat him well. I know some will pay handsomely for him."
The churning waters soon swallowed the Lusty Luskan, the waves settling and roiling, white capped against the smooth deep blue of the sea. There were small, fluttering shapes in the water that could have been swimming...or drowning sailors. Three sets of sails disappeared along the horizon, limping back north...back towards Luskan.
FIN Volume 2
To Be Continued in Volume 3 Met and Parted