Son of a Beach

[Crow]

  Damn it all, this is why he didn't fly out to the ocean. Too many unknowns. Too many unforeseen variables. He was meant for the sky, not the sea. It was his irritation that kept his head on straight, as the heavy shift in magical pressure could have otherwise been enough to squash the little bird outright.  Everything was... fuzzy.  Hurt to breathe.  Hurt to think. The culprit for such a dramatic change was clear. Peering through the maelstrom, the corvid felt uncomfortably dwarfed by the titanic fin as it eclipsed Perthmail's ship. Perhaps Frollo had been right after all. Perhaps the dragon really was the least of their worries. Diablo's talons dug into the wood grain, bracing himself as the wind howled and the ship teetered against the waves.


  Along the cliffside, the remaining murder cawed and cried, doing all they could to remain in position. The gusts blew several birds into the air, which circled and guided their way back down, following the wild currents with an unnatural familiarity when it should have been tearing them apart. There was no other way to look at it: this was all going to hell, and it was going there fast.

[John Silver]

The Argentum 2 groans as the icicle rips into it's hull like a wounded animal in pain the helmsmen desperately tries to steers the ship from the spear of ice as faint screams of the crew below could heard as the ship glides lower, water enters the large gash. "Get the damn engine at full power" The ursid hissed to his helmsman gripping the man's shoulders roughly with a metal hand giving it a rough shake. The engine sparks and sputters much like the RLS Legacy's had done when it's power source was damaged. Silver's cybernetic eye catches sight of the massive fin and the captain watches the creature as it vanished beneath the waves.

"The long boat bay still intact?" Silver shouts to a nearby crew member who had scrambled up from below decks. "Last i check it was captain!" the man sputters soaked from the mix of rain and sea water. "Good lad, then release what boats are usable if any at all" Silver peered though the rain before ordering the helmsman to just drive the bowsprit into the enemy ship which was slow going to say the least as the engine sputters the wooden rod slams into the side of the other ship's stern a second later the ursid called the order to fire the harpoon gun.

"Prepare to board the enemy ship!" he barks out, his arm hums before switching his hand to his chopper function all to ready to leap/hover over to the other ship

[Perthmail]

Had Perthmail heard Turbo's comment he most likely would have had a retort back along the lines of get the others to do something then but that retort never came. He could not hear the glitched bug over the torrent of the increasing storm, and he was much more focused on keeping his grasp latched onto the railing as much as possible. His blue hues were narrowed at the churning sea as lightning cracked across the sky and the shadow of a beast caught his eye. Bigger than his ship Lady Basilisk, and she was a mighty sized ship. He felt himself grow sick and the impending shadow of Turbo did not cease his worries.

“Non-expendables climb aboard!”

He shoved himself away from the railing, stumbling to gain his footing. "Leave your stations let's go, now!" He bellowed as loud as he could above the dropping air pressure and downpour. His crew abandoned their stations and attempted to go to Turbo, some struggled to even get to their feet due to the lack of air but Perthmail would not have it. He was quick to assist them onto the other, he would not let his crew plummet into the sea where that massive shadow laid. Whatever it was, he knew it would not be good.

It was when the last of his crew was rushing to get on the back of Turbo did the fin rip out of the water. It rivaled the size of Lady Basilisk by what felt like ten fold, and fear gripped Perthmail like a vice. Blue hues stared in muted horror as the beast ripped the ice spike he created back into the sea and he felt the water lurch underneath his boat. Whatever had been keeping him grounded was no longer there, he could feel his calmness in the storm evaporate. Dark memories being brought forth and he no longer hesitated. He tore away from Turbo's side, darting to where his first mate clung to the wheel of the ship in a weak attempt to keep her balanced to no avail.

"Brook!" Perthmail bellowed out as he clung to the railing again. "Let go of the wheel, come on we've got to go!"

The fox like anthro looked towards his Captain continuing to cling to the wheel like a lifeline. "But she'll go over Captain!" He cried back in reply over the rage of the downpour as best as he could.

"Your life is more important, come on Brook!" Perthmail snarled and outstretched his arm toward his old friend. The fox seemed hesitant to obey but did so quickly after a second, lunging for Perthmail's hand. Perthmail grasped his friend's hand before quickly assisting Brook onto the back of Turbo. It was then he felt that stir of the water again, he went to bark an order at Turbo, yell to get his crew to the shore but the slamming force of the Argentum 2 made the entirety of her hull tremble. Some of his men were cast into the sea when they could not get a grip on Turbo and Perthmail was flung against the railing a painful 'crack' being heard.

[Mulan]

  "Aye-aye, s--"

  Mulan had slammed into the deck first, and that was perhaps what had saved her life. The impact of the ice spike had tossed her hard, the ship reeling as Silver fought to keep it under control and... pulling. It felt like something pulled at the ship, hard, and suddenly the ice jutting into the boat was wrenched free. Mulan was thrown as the ship rocked, her body catching the edge of the Argentum 2. Somewhere in her reeling, she knew that if she'd been standing, it would have thrown her over for a long drop and a short stop. The thought made her stomach sink. No. No time. Focus.

"Prepare to board the enemy ship!"

  "A-Aye, sir--" For the second time, the confirmation was stolen from Mulan's throat. As she forced her eyes open, she found herself staring over the side and down towards the ocean below. The water was twisting and churning, but that wasn't what made the color drain from her face. Something enormous slipped through the water, dancing underneath the surface with an efficient, deadly grace. Even though Silver's ship loomed above the sea at a respectable height, this... thing was horrifyingly massive, and it left Mulan with one cold realization: they were all its prey.

  "Captain..? Captain!" Mulan had to cling to the boat, lest the wind take another shot at throwing her off, but she had to warn him. She had to warn someone.

[Shanty]

Where the little bird had been made of metal, Shanty's construct had something over the flock of crows she'd roosted with. But it didn't matter much. Silver wings flap and struggle against maelstom gales, machinery whirring and clicking as the little shape tried to right iteslf.



It's here she catches sight of the massive form beneath the waves.



"Holy.... Get to safety!" Wings flap wildly at the flock of crows, attempting to shoo them from the cliff as she takes off, "Get out of here, you stupid birds! Jenn!"



Whether the crows leave or not, the little silver creature turns and darts into the storm, chasing down the purple wings of an angel.



"Jenn! We need to retreat, now! We're not alone out here!"

[Deleted]

Chaos was something Khan was used too back home madness is what he lived but when it came to this battle nothing could prepare the old cat for it. It tore through whatever enemy forces he could, making them tremble in the wake of his destruction. Bodies laid spewed in the path he left but as the downpour cascaded down to the shore he was left huffing and puffing. It felt almost impossible to breathe. Shanty's bird was mere meters above and he still could not hear her over the roar of the waves and growl of the rain. As the waves kicked up and slammed into the sand the old king darted back into the safety of the trees. He did not flee, however, merely found a place to get proper footing while he assessed the situation.

The Rogues needed to retreat and quickly. The roar of the sea warranted his attention and his golden hue widened as he saw the large fin in the surf before it disappeared and immediately, he knew there was no winning this battle. Whatever madness he had sought after was quick to dissipate more concerned about getting the hell out of there. "Shanty!" he called to no avail. "SHANTY WE NEED TO GO!"

[Jenn]

The pressure in the air was causing a piercing ringing in Jenn's ears, making it already difficult to hear over the roaring storm and sounds of battle. She finally managed to get herself above the shoreline, so there was less risk of falling into the waters if the pressure became too much and she passed out.
The last thing she wanted was to become a snack for whatever it was that had crested over the riptide of the ocean, towering over the masts of the ships.

The tiny metal bird that was Shanty's little eye in the sky had flown up to her, telling her they needed to retreat. Nodding as she scooped the little bird into her hand, she turned to where the Rogues were fighting below. She heard Khan's yell over the fray, and knew that if the tiger was saying they needed out, they definitely needed to leave.
"ROGUES! RETREAT!" She yelled over the wind and rain, flying over their heads, "LET THE STORM AND WHATEVER BEAST IS UNDER THE WAVES DEAL WITH OUR ENEMIES, WE WILL LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY!"

[Keto]

"Oh, so the big, bad Landwalkers want to take the sea as their own, but are afraid of a little storm...?"


The voice, sultry and smooth, sings through the maelstrom as if the storm herself was speaking. There's a laugh here, cold and wicked, and it tears through the rain and wind like a knife through flesh.


"So foolhardy. So greedy. So.... stupid. If you want these waters..."


There's a sharp noise of splintering wood and shredding metal as the ships lurch, and the ice spike reappears. It's been speared through both the Argentum 2 and the Lady Basilisk, port to starboard. A massive hand presses at the spike from the bottom, tilting the it vertical, and taking the ships with it. As both crews spill into the sea, arm follows the hand, and shoulder follows arm, until something massive beyond imagining looms over both turned ships.


"You'll have to go through me."


It-- no. She. She's wider than the Lady Basilisk with some room to spare. And much, much longer. Fins stand as tall as a ship's masts, teeth as tall as any captain. Huge, dark eyes survey the mess of a battlefield, a low laugh ringing again. Pale blue and white form looms against the darkened sky, a massive grin flashing as the clouds finally swallow the sun. There's a moment of lingering, before the leviathan moves again. Weight pitches forward, and she leans to meet the water again, forcing the ships down with her. Maw opens wide, and the massive body arches to slide away into the sea, straight through the crew sprinkled in the waves.


A few bodies return to the surface after the creature and ships disappear, but one notable one is missing. A certain captain, in a blue Hawaiian shirt.

[Mulan]

  The thunder. The voice. The laughter. A roaring of wind and water and crunching metal. Then... silence.  Mulan had been fortunate to not swallow a lungful of saltwater as the Argentum 2 plunged into the sea. Under the surface, the rush of waves dulled the onslaught and muffled the screams. Dazed, Mulan was briefly confused by the sounds that seemed so far away. Fortunately, where reason hesitated, instinct took over. She abruptly held what little air remained and pushed her way to the surface.

  A gigantic coil of muscle cut through the water, narrowly avoiding the soldier, but not without incident. Mulan avoided being smashed against the bulk of the beast, but the currents thrashed and pulled her along, dragging her further and further down.  "No!" The word erupted from Mulan's mouth before she could think, and more air was wasted, spilling as bubbles that were all but obliterated by the waves. She was running out of time, and worse still, out of energy. She fought desperately against the rush of the tide, but the water was pulling her further away from a single breath of air.

[John Silver]

Had Silver noticed Mulan slamming into the railing of the ship he totally would of helped stopped it, unfortunately he was to focused on the enemy ship.

"Captain..? Captain!"

Silver's head snaps to the side to stare at Mulan, a look of pure blood-lust in his emerald colored eye. He finally took noticed of the massive owner of the fin and grips the ropes near he was standing, his metal peg already up on the railing as he was readying himself to leap across. "What's are yer thoughts on this beasty Mulan?" Silver gives a rough laugh, as if the creature almost amused him. Silver's crew members were already swinging across to the ship some making it, others losing there grip on the rope due to the high winds and plummet to the sea below, others still slam back into the side of the slowly dying ship that still sparks and sputters in an attempt to gain air once more now around five feet from the massive water, the waves weren't helping at all as the ship groans out. Silver's attempt at leaping to the other ship would soon be pointless as the creature finally speaks or what Silver thinks is the creature.

"So foolhardy. So greedy. So.... stupid. If you want these waters..."

"Blast it all!" with the ship now at a loss the ursid leaps from the currently breaking ship, His right arm jerks violently as his chopper blades catch air leaving him hanging mid air.

"Mulan?! anyone?!" he bellowed watching both of the ships go down under the waves. His cyberntic eye whirls and scans the sea before he finally makes out the shape of Mulan beneath the waves clearly struggling. "Hang tight luv!" Silver zooms down lowering himself into the water making a grab for the woman's arm pulling her up just as another wave comes over him as he too is dropped under the water for a moment before kicking to the surface the woman tightly in his grasp.

"Ack-Mulan?!" he coughs up some water as he attempts to get his chopper function working once more.