>>41242147 >>41241829 >Listening in from the underbrush, Jessica heard everything that went on between the pirate and the elf. So he was a stowaway huh. Someone who, by all rights, had nothing to do with her or her enemies. Reason would have her slip out the back before they ever knew she was there but doing that would mean abandoning the elf to his gruesome fate. Was that why she had become a pirate, to become a callous killer of men who cared for nothing but her own gains and loses? Was she so dispassionate with lives that she could easily overlook the loss of even one she had the power to save? Was that the kind of person her men had died to serve?
>With flashes of gold and heroic triumph running through her mind, Jessica came to a decision that would mark her stance as to the kind of person she would be. Adjusting her rifle's configurations, Jessica fine-tuned the details of her weapon before ultimately pulling the trigger, unleashing a concentrated blast of blue-white light that raced towards Stryke with the intent to save someone's life.
Amonharoth “Cassie” Cassius-Illexus 1 Feb 2016 11:19:53 AM No.41242373>>41246991
>>41242147 >Cassie took one, two steps back, pale eyes wide. This guy was really going to shoot him? Was his sob story not enough? Would he get in serious trouble for fighting a human? What did he care, he was already exiled for life after stealing the journal!
>>41242238 >>41242352 >A shot rang out from somewhere in the thicket. All the elf saw was a flash of lightning before thousands of years of instinct kicked in, and he turned tail, and ran.
>Despite not engaging in anything more strenuous than daily stretches for at least two decades, running for his life came surprisingly easy to him. Lithe legs carried him through the underbrush, over a fallen trunk, under the low branches and vines. The heavy tome and meager supplies in his rucksack didn't even weigh him down.
>It was all fine and dandy, of course, except for the fact that he was hauling ass in the exact direction of his savior and had a high possibility of running into a) her b) her gun or c) a tree.
>>41242238 >>41242352 >The burly man didn't even have time to react.
>The blast of lightning whistled through the brush, Stryke only barely having the speed to notice it's unerring flight towards him before he's struck. The lightning courses through his body, the pain unimaginable, magnified by his state of absolute surprise.
>He stands there and flops like a fish for a few seconds before completely crumpling to the floor, out like a light.
>>41242373 >>41243281 >With the main antagonist out for the count, Jessica turned her attention back towards the elf only to see him run straight for her. Acting mostly on reflex, the former pirate captain threw herself to the side and rolled back to her feet in a single motion. Given that he had charged at her without so much as a moment's hesitation, Jessica could only assume that the elf had chosen to side with the enemy and so tracked his progress into the woods with her raised gun. If the man showed so much as a raised weapon then she would shoot him down.
Amonharoth “Cassie” Cassius-Illexus 6 Feb 2016 1:48:48 PM No.41247026>>41247111
>>41246991 >>41246995 >Wait, who was that? In his blind dash away from the scene, he nearly ran into some woman. Cassie threw a glance over his shoulder. Some woman with a gun and dirt (ash?) all over. His savior? Was she from the crash, too? Wait, why was he falling?
Ah--!
>His foot caught a half-buried tree root. It refused to move forward with the rest of his body, which caused him to go wildly off-balance and fall flat on his face. He even skidded a little in the dirt from the speed he was running at. The rucksack jerked forward, causing the contents to spill out. A particularly thick spellbook bound in fancy animal hides slid out and bonked the back of his head, followed by a couple rations, a sheathed dagger, a quill, and a small crownpurse.
>>41246995 >>41247026 >Whilst more than a little concerned for the fact that elf's dash attack might yet be the single most pathetic thing Jessica had ever seen, the pirate nonetheless kept her weapon leveled at the elf even as her eyes scanned over the dropped content of the effeminate man's bag.
Keep your hands where I can see them knife-ears.
I'm trying to help you out here but if you're looking for a fight, I'll be sure to leave you where your unconscious friend can find you.
Amonharoth “Cassie” Cassius-Illexus 6 Feb 2016 3:32:37 PM No.41247151>>41248150
>>41247111 >Knife ears? Cassie winced at the name, but nonetheless kept his hands stretched in front of him, palms against the ground. His voice was muffled only slightly by the dirt his face was stuffed in.
I-I was running away from that guy! Would a friend point a gun at another friend like that? ... the answer's no, by the way.
>The elf shifted uncomfortably.
... if you don't shoot me, I can help you! Off the island, I mean. You do want to get back to civilization, right? Because I kind of need to get to civilization, too, for... reasons.
>>41247151 >Watching the elf shift uncomfortably along the jungle floor, Jessica's withering gaze scanned over his lithe body, looking for any kind of weapon he might use to turn on her. From what she'd overheard, the elf was a stowaway that had snuck on-board one of the enemy ships and was now looking to find his way out of a mess that looked to be about to kill him. All of that was fine and dandy, mind you, since she simply couldn't be made to care about whatever parasites might have been hiding in the enemy's underbelly - what kept Jessica's gun trained on the witless elf was the fact that stoways would only look after themselves in any given situation and would likely sell her out to the other pirates if it looked to benefit him.
Right, and how do you plan to do that exactly hmm?
Your wind magic was fancy and all but I doubt you've got the power to fly us out of here on a magic cloud.
>Turning the tip of her gun away from the elf, Jessica bent low and retrieved the sheathed dagger that had fallen out of the elf's sack.
Amonharoth “Cassie” Cassius-Illexus 7 Feb 2016 5:58:42 PM No.41248480>>41248703
>>41248150 >Cassie didn't have to wrench his face out of the ground to know she was sizing him up. He looked like the standard elf; short, lean, pointy ears, and delicate features, all in addition to the pale skin and white hair of the subspecies of elves far removed from their ancestral forests.
Well, I... I can't make a cloud, no, because they're made out of water, not wind, but I could try pushing us along with wind? Or if we find a regular ship or a semifunctional airship, I can help direct it. I've read a few books about airship mechanics.
>His sharp ears picked up the sound of his captor shifting and grabbing something. He relaxed significantly when she didn't touch the spellbook.
No, yeah, that's fine, I'm not very good with knives, anyway. Or daggers or really anything sharp, for that matter, but, um, I don't think my weapon is the biggest concern right now. I'm kinda worried about the big guy waking up and shooting you and/or me. So.
>He drummed his fingers on the soil.
... my given name is Cassius, by the way. I'd give a formal introduction, but I can't really shake your hand when I'm on the ground. Can I get up, please?
>>41248480 >Frowning down at the effeminate elf's prostate state, Jessica was hard pressed to accept that anyone could sound so condescending whilst lying face first in the ground, yet, there Cassie was, talking down to an armed pirate who'd taken out a fearsome warrior with a single shot.
. . .
>Soundlessly turning away from the elf, Jessica set out towards the fallen enemy, leaving behind the elf in his sad state of affairs. If the elf wanted to be a contemptible and ungracious snob then he could do so on his own. Honestly, she had always imagined that the stories told on the way elves behaved were exaggerated but, as it turned out, they were right on the money. Reaching the unconscious beast, the pirate captain set about inspecting the man's tremendous weapon and found it to be far too heavy to carry about anywhere. So be it, if she couldn't take the man's gun then she would at least take the gun's crystal pack.
Amonharoth “Cassie” Cassius-Illexus 9 Feb 2016 3:52:11 AM No.41250114>>41252843
>>41248703 >Cassie continued to lay on the ground. Even as she said nothing to him, even as she walked away, and even as she started tinkering with something else, he stayed right there, mostly out of fear of getting shot.
...
......
...........
>He cleared his throat.
Can I get up now? Whatever you're doing, I might be able to help you.
>>41250114 >With a tremendous sigh of resignation, Jessica pulled away from the incredibly large hand-cannon that the enemy had been wielding with a defeated expression. She had wanted to pull out its crystal core to impede the man when he woke up and maybe even bolster her own gun but it turned out to be a lot more complex of a system then what she'd expected. None of the gages or releases where in the same places as her own rifle and the the sheer bulk of it meant that she couldn't easily turn it around to look for a new way to approach the problem. All in all, she was screwed in that department unless someone was kind enough to show her how its done. Or she could try again tomorrow with a fresh mindset.
>Turning her attention to the mewling elf that found himself quite at home on the ground, Jessica wondered what she'd managed to stumble into this time. From the looks of her... him... it? Why was it always so damned hard to know what to call someone with elves? The person didn't look to have anything an idea how to fend for themselves so to leave them now would be a death sentence. Killing enemy pirates was one thing but to leave someone to die in this pit wasn't necessarily something that sat quite right with Jessica.
You can get up now, not too eager to hold you as a prisoner when I don't have anyone but me to keep an eye on you.
>Turning her attention back to the big unconscious man on the ground, Jessica frowned even as she turned her rifle to lean on her shoulder.
By the way you guys were talking, guess you didn't know each other too well, huh.
>>41252843 >The moment he was given permission, Cassie sprung to his feet and wiped the mud off his boot covers. Thank whatever god was listening that he was still alive. He heaved a heavy sigh and leaned forward with his hands on his knees. A quick recap of the situation reminded him that he was still in the middle of a war-torn jungle with a scary pirate lady who zapped a man unconscious. What a great situation to be in.
Thanks...
>He didn't sound especially grateful. The elf knelt back on the ground and went about returning his goods to the hide rucksack.
I have no clue. He kinda just came up to me and pointed the blunderbuss at me and said he'd shoot me after I answered. He must've been on one of the other ships.
>He pulled and tied the sack shut before glancing over his shoulder. For a pirate, she wasn't too scary. Except for the rifle, really. He pushed himself to his feet, wiped off the boot covers once more, and stepped softly towards her.
>He stopped a few feet from the woman, and raised his hands, palms out.
>If the elf had no idea where he was and no reason to hang around a murderous pirate then they had best get a move on as soon as they could. Abandoning the elf to these pirate infested woods would be tantamount to murder and that... wasn't the person she was supposed to be. So, shaking her head in exasperation, the woman stood up to turn towards the harmless elf, hoisting her rifle to stand on her shoulders.
If you've no business I suggest we get a move on before the unconscious pullock or his friends come after us.
>Raising a single blue eyebrow at the elf.
That is, unless you'd rather stay here and wait for him to wake up...?
>>41266461 >We? Oh, thank goodness, she wasn't going to abandon him! Cassie felt a huge relief wash over him, like the burden of a thousand packmules was lifted off his shoulders. Okay, closer to half a thousand, because they still weren't out of the woods yet. Jungle. Whatever.
Um...
>He looked over the unconscious ruffian. Gun or no gun, he didn't look like someone Cassie wanted to spend extended amounts of time around.
... no thanks.
>He shifted the bag onto his shoulders, and looked to the friendly(ish) pirate.
I don't think I got your name, by the way, and if we're going to be stuck in all this together, I don't want to just call you "Girl".