Son of a Beach

[Mulan]

  It hadn't taken long for the chaos of war to begin.

  Up until now, Mulan had fallen into instinct. Quick to move between the cannons of the Argentum 2, her motions were with almost a mechanical efficiency, which seemed to suit the nature of the vessel. However, a harsh shriek cut through the atmosphere, and the soldier was violently jerked from her routine just in time to see the great golden eagle struck by a powerful, otherworldly attack.

  "Marahute!" Mulan called. She felt her chest tighten, rushing to the side of the ship and watching Marahute take the brunt of the electrical blast. She cursed under her breath, feeling helpless in her inability to reach her. Focus, stay on the task at hand. Do what you can from here. Mulan's eyebrows furrowed, and she spun on her heel, marching up to Silver with renewed intent. The ursid was quick to snarl orders into his radio, which was something she could appreciate. Remain strong under pressure.

  And a pressure it certainly was. The storm that had rolled in on Therru's wings seemed to be spiraling out of control. Mulan worried for the Argentum 2, already feeling the heavy winds pushing against her hull. In truth, she was astounded that she hadn't been blown off deck already. Remain strong under pressure, she thought again.

  "Captain!" Mulan began, having to shout over the torrential onslaught. She was only within arm's reach of Silver, but the growing storm was all but deafening. "What orders do you have for me, sir?"

[John Silver]

"Captain!"

Silver turns sharply at Mulan’s call gears whirling sharply an almost lulling sound if they weren’t in the middle of a battle.

"What orders do you have for me, sir?" Silver’s wheel turns on the side of his head as he quickly runs a plan through his head.

“Once we get closer you and yer group are gonna board the ship and start taking them lot out” Silver smiled, glancing up to the roaring sky “t’ink you can handle that?” Two-toned eyes scanning for the massive eagle, hoping her injuries weren’t to bad.

Tagging:Mulan

[Perthmail]

The hit collided with a flash of bright light, as though the lightning had cracked across the sky instead of hitting the bird. Perthmail felt himself grow a bit more confident in his rusty abilities once more but the emotion was fleeting as the bird swung back towards him at a racing pace. He had not had the time to regather his magical aura to shield his body and as a result, he was cast across his deck, hitting the other end of his ship as talons dug across his flesh. She was gone in an instant and left bloody black ribbons on his darkened skin. His teeth were bared in agony but he did not focus on it.

He scrambled back to his feet as the sound of the guns firing on his own vessel became more scattered. Some of his men were firing at Marahute, the others at Therru and then at Silver's ship. There were many enemies around and Perthmail was a little overwhelmed but he did not falter.

Well, until the skies bubbled and changed. His attention was snatched away, something inside of him felt completely uneasy, unnerved almost. His eyes widened as the wind howled and buckled even his strong ship. He staggered as the wind pushed against him before digging his claws into the railing to steady himself. "What the hell is going on?!" He hissed harshly to himself before attempting to focus on Silver and his crew.

With whatever might he could he shot his arm upward and the sea underneath bubbled and churned underneath the vessel. It seemed to groan with effort before it roared and shot upwards towards the vessel and suddenly turned into a frozen spike, stabbing through the wood a few levels and ripping through the hull violently. "Get fucking wrecked, you damn ursid." He snarled in annoyance before he flicked his attention to the thing clinging to his crow's nest that he only noticed when he was thrown on his back. "Are you just going to hang there like a damn bat or do something?!" Higher up or not Perthmail did not care for the hierarchy chain now they were out on the field. Everyone needed to put their back into it to win this fight, or Maleficent would have all heads.

[Jenn]

Jenn found it increasingly more difficult to fly as the wind picked up, clouds swirling in the sky and the smell of rain on the imminent horizon. She noticed both a dragon and large bird had flown by, both going for a ship that was in the waters below. At this point, the angel couldn't keep track of what was going on, everything had quickly been thrown into chaos.

She let out a small hiss as the air pressure dropped, bringing something else with it. The air felt heavy, and hard to breath, almost difficult to think, and it became clear that staying in the sky probably wasn't a good idea, at least not over the open waves.
Turning, she started flying closer to the shore, closer to the Rogues that were stationed on the shore in case she needed to jump in and help. Right now, she was trying to divvy her attention between the troops on the shore, and those out on the waves, but a heavy feeling of dread and the pressure in the air was making it hard to even think straight at this point.

[Deleted]

A cannonball flew past the tip of Tehanu's tail, tore through the rigging of another ship, and disappeared. Another hit its forecastle. Tehanu flew higher to evade the barrage of cannonballs, but the flames kept coming. It seemed the dragon would not stop until the entire fleet was at the bottom of the ocean. 

But all of the sudden, the dragon's confidence flickered out as though it had been doused by a choppy wave. In a flutter of wings, the dragon inexplicably flew off toward the beach - away from the churning sea and fleet.

What would scare a dragon?

[Keto]

Something stirs beneath the waves, a massive silhouette swaying slowly beneath frantic tides. There's a part in the water alongside Perthmail's ship, and something crests towards the sky. A massive fin, stretching far past the main mast before it slides back into the tumultuous waters.



There's something here.



That 'something' seems to take an interest in the strange, summoned ice, coiling beneath it once before the spire gets yanked into the deep.



The storm continues to howl as the eye of the storm inches ever smaller. All that's left is a pinpoint of sky, struggling against the darkness swallowing the battlefield.

[Claude Frollo]

As quickly as the the Dragon came, it went. The madness going around however was still apparent. Something was wrong. Very wrong but Frollo had little time to think about what that could be.  '.....they are out there, one's that can satiate my vengeance...' A mysterious voice echoed from the sword in his hand into his mind. Frollo knew what he said earlier mostly were his words but sometimes the words of the blade would replace his... but he dare not get rid of it. He needed it. Without it he would never be of any use to his lady. the sword was powerful, and it needed him as well. 

Frollo finished giving orders to the men and turned to Nasira "There are too many unknowns here. Something has changed. Quite frankly i believe that we probably should attempt a retreat. I'd rather not lose good men not knowing what-" A ringing ran through his head and a voice spoke up in his mind 'wE MuSt CoNtINUe!!!!' Frollo held his head in pain as he shook off the pressure. "W-w-what we are fighting against... but in any case, we need to get to land...we can continue from there..." Frollo composed himself.

[Nasira]

Nasira did not stay optimistic for long. 

The crow did not go unnoticed. Nasira watched the sleek corvid fly to nearest sail to get a better look at the "distraction." A moment later, he turned to glower at Frollo again. She inwardly winced from the secondhand scorn. It was evident he did not like what Frollo said. Apparently, she was not the only one who thought what Frollo said about the dragon was completely absurd. 

The ship creaked forebodingly. Nasira felt a sudden dread.

It began to rain, and it rained hard. The giant eagle and dragon could no longer be seen. The icy drops had long lost the ambient temperature of fall, and they pierced Nasira's skin like needles. It was all the necromancer could do not to reach out to the void and become spectral. Unfortunately, a powerful spell like that had a long cooldown, and Nasira usually reserved it for dodging bullets or to escape an otherwise inescapable location. To use it on precipitation of all things would be a waste. She would have to endure the uncomfortable downpour.

Nasira could hear the wind shrieking. It beat at her, trying to pull her over the taffrail to the black, murky sea blow. The ship lurched. She grabbed hold of the rigging. "Frollo!" She had shouted the overseer's name, but it was almost as if she had mumbled it. Frollo said...something; Nasira had seen his mouth move. But she could not hear him. He might as well have been on another ship. "Damn it!" Again, her voice was lost to the storm. For all the good it did her. Blinking the cold rain from her eyes, Nasira saw Frollo grasp at his head.

Suddenly, Nasira let go of the rigging and fell gracelessly on the waterlogged deck. "Arrrgh!" She slid back up against the taffrail as the ship teetered to the side. The air had inexplicably grown thin, as though they were all at a high altitude as opposed to sea level, and it seemed to have effectively sapped the necromancer of her strength. Nasira's chest heaved. Her lungs burned. Her head began to pound, and her vision blurred. If she blacked out, that was it. There would be no justice then.

Nasira did not get back up, but she made herself take deep breaths, doing all she can to get as much oxygen as possible. The ship neither went forward or back. It just swayed to and fro as the waves relentlessly pounded against it, threatening to tip it over. What was happening?!

"W-w-what we are fighting against...but in any case...we need to get to land...we can continue from there..."

Nasira lifted her head. Frollo was right; they needed to get to land asap. The necromancer shook her head. "We're not moving. None of us will make it if we stay on the ship," she wheezed. "We'll die..."

She weakly raised her left hand. Sparks coruscated at her fingertips. "I can get us off-"

A deafening splash cut her off. Nasira's head whipped around. The rain stung her eyes, but she forced her eyes open. The waves encompassing Perthmail's ship had caved in, and that was when she saw the fin. Nasira's lifeforce was in her throat as she watched the tip go well past the top of the ship's tallest main mast before it slunk back to the black sea. The ice spire followed it, creating a powerful vacuum that would surely suck the whole fleet in. Nasira felt the ship beneath her surrender to its pull.

They were on borrowed time now.

[Marahute]

The sudden change in the atmosphere caused Marahute to turn her attention back to the battle raging on below her as she swooped towards a sturdy looking tree where she could hopefully take a moment to try and assess the damage that Perthmail's attack had caused her. Crimson hues widened as she caught sight of a humongous fin emerge from the near black waters below her, the ice spike that'd struck Silver's vessel soon vanishing beneath the swirling, untamable waves and a startled cry left the giant golden eagle. She was merely glad that she was out of reach of the beast, whatever it was, though she worried for Silver's safety along with the other Freedom Fighters upon his vessel that now suffered a gaping hole.

Setting down on the tree, Marahute turned her attention to her wounds and winced slightly at the sight of the scorch wounds marring her beautiful, shining gold feathers and clawed feet. She had high doubts that she would be flying any great lengths again until her wings were properly mended and so turned her attention from the oceanic battle to the thick jungle only a stone's throw away, large eyes peering into the gloom in an attempt to spot any lurking Rogues or Blackbloods but found her vision swimming and almost toppled from the top of the tree she was currently perched upon as her balance faltered with the change in air pressure.

~~~~~~~~~

Long claws dug deep into the wood beneath his paws as the ship lurched in the tumultuous waters. Scar's ears pinned back against his skull, lips pulling back in a hiss. He was sorely regretting his decision to join this battle but there was no turning back now; he would simply have to cling onto the wood beneath him as he felt the ship being sucked towards the whirlpool that'd been created from the creature lurking beneath the vicious and unpredictable waves ripping Perthmail's ice spike beneath the waves.

Emerald green hues flicked over to Nasira and Frollo, eyes widening in shock at the sight of Nasira falling to the ground gasping desperately but the lion couldn't attempt to voice his concern over their current precarious situation as the change in air pressure around them robbed him of his breath as well; Not to mention the fact that if he had been able to speak, the wind would just snatch the words from him and prevent his fellow overseers from hearing his words. Instead, Scar turned his attention to the beach. He was almost tempted to leap from the ship that seemed doomed to be swept into the vortex swirling wildly only a few ship's lengths away and attempt to swim to the shore despite knowing that such an action was ill-advised and would more than likely result in his death, either by drowning or being snatched beneath the turbulent waves by whatever beast lurked beneath them.

If either Nasira or Frollo had some sort of plan he could only pray that they put it into action before it was too late.

[Turbo]

“Tch. It’s not like I’m the only Overseer just standing around,” Turbo scoffed to himself.

A silvery white flash appeared from his back as he spawned in a pair of long, glassy insectoid wings. He spread them out on either side of him, flittering them occasionally in order to keep balanced on the ever more unstable ship. As Turbo was mostly removed from the others, he was allowed the distance to take a look around more or less objectively. For the most part, he just observed. Feats of ridiculous over-the-top obstacles weren’t new to him. He did spend several years after his exile from Sugar Rush travelling and taking over various games. If anything, he was reminded of a few final bosses he took upon himself to challenge. Turbo was almost freakishly composed.

But he wasn’t cocky. Nor did he think it was in his better interests to go renegade at the moment. Initially though, it certainly appeared that he did. Once the large fin broke the surface and proceeded to severely jostle the vessel, talons ripped away from the wood and silvery wings glittered off into the rain. Turbo disappeared behind a billowing mast.

What appeared to be a bolt of lightning illuminated the mast from behind before a large monstrous silhouette appeared within it. Turbo appeared again, having transformed into a white-and-red version of his Cybug form. The giant insect made a wide circle above the ship in order to avoid crashing into it or the water. The creature produced an ominous deep buzz as its wings vibrated. Turbo was having some deal of difficulty fighting against the wind now that he had more weight and more surface area. But he did have a solution to the rain. He spawned in his racing goggles, now scaled to fit his current size, to shield his eyes. At least he could see better now.

Turbo began to lower above the deck almost like a helicopter, his brows furrowed in concentration. He considered gripping at the stern to allow him more footing but was concerned his extra weight might cause the ship to topple faster.  The two glowing red tendrils that were his tails gingerly lowered close to the deck like safety ropes.

“Non-expendables climb aboard!” he yowled simply.

It took a fair amount of skill to avoid colliding with the ship and Turbo wasn’t exactly willing to stick around for long.

~*~

The Gourmand snarled viciously as the majority of his henchman retreated further into the depths. He certainly would have fried each and every one of them if he didn’t have to conserve energy. Though he repaired his pod some time ago, it still needed more work before it reached its old potential. His magic crystals took some time to grow. At this point, even the ocean floor was beginning to sway the merman and his vehicle back-and-forth. Remembering the storm of canonfire overhead, he looked at his control panel musingly. He did have a protective shield he could deploy over his cockpit, but, given he was operating at below maximum, it wouldn’t stay up for long. He thought and then grunted dismissively. That would be best used for emergencies, if at all.

The Gourmand leaned out somewhat, spotting a shadow in the haze. Being a citizen of the sea, leviathans and the like were not a new concept to him. Though, he’d only caught a glimpse of a living one once until now. He was well acquainted with their bones though, valuing them as magical ingredients. He hummed, lifting a brow and putting his palm on the hatch under his dashboard, in tune to his pearl resonating with the magic in the air.

“That’s interesting...”

The pod then shot up toward the surface with surprising speed. The Gourmand swiftly gained the advantage of higher ground, floating near one hundred feet over the ocean. The steering fins folded to avoid damage from the wind. The cockpit’s drone became louder and started to run a little hot. Though he wasn’t usually much for fancy display, he spun the harpoon in one of his tentacles with finesse, eager to use it. Another tentacle lifted to shield his eyes from the wind; it wasn’t particularly effective but it was better than nothing.

The huge merman turned his head and spotted an ally’s ship going down. Oh well. It wasn’t like he could do much to stop it now. Instead, he turned his crimson eyes toward the monstrous fin curiously.