Starring:
Sakuryu, Fulgur (emitter)
Date: June 9, 2013
Summary:
The Shirayuki treasure is out there and Sakuryu is determined to find it. So, she sets sail, the only words she has to rely on being those of an old tale shared among the clan to seek it out. Along the way, they're attacked by pirates that prove more of a challenge to themselves than to Sakuryu and her traveling on the merchant ship. This is only the beginning of this adventure and a taste of what's to come.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Journey of the Unproven Princess - Mine Infested Waters"
Unknown location
It's mid-day and the foggy waters of the morning have given way to…clouds. Yep, clouds. It's drizzling today and cool, so most of the people on board the merchant ship have clothes on fit for this kind of weather, save for one in particular who is used to the cold. Whether or not she makes that apparent is her call. So far, life carries on as normal on this ship as it bobs back and forth in the calm waters headed towards a designated destination.
Then again, it's not as if she needs to truly disguise herself. Those going into these waters know exactly what to expect out of it. There are pirates in these parts and they are wary of their presence around here. So far, there aren't any sign of them and all is calm. Hopefully, it'll stay that way.
Saku sighs before looking at the drizzling sky above. "Man….this explodes." She pulls her clothes tighter around her as she watches the merchants and other crew scramble about the deck to secure everything, wrapped up in their seal skin and thick fur to keep out the cold and rain.
The young girl is wearing clothes to match the merchants…albeit their summer attire made for Kiri to blend in. She shivers and looks about, the only gear she has on her is her headband and that was hidden away. "How much longer till we reach a port? I wanna get off!" Saku chatters to the nearest crew member as she huffs. The rumors of the legendary Shirayuki weapon were an old one in the clan, along with other tales of long lost treasures. Fortunately this one had some more recent rumors though the idea of others claining to be of their blood and terrorizing the seas would be bad for the now noble clan. Saku had volunteered and had been accepted because few actually believed the rumors and while Saku was coming into her own as a spiritually powerful Shirayuki the clan didn't truly accept her as one of need for the village and let her out on her secret mission.
"About an hour at most," one of the crew members mentioned to Sakuryu. "So, best to sit back and take it all in. It'll be over before you know it. There are some bunks you can sleep in. That's a good way to pass the time," he offers in his gravelly voice before walking off. The trip for the next 30 minutes is uneventful, just continual bobbing with an occassional shower of rain every so often. Before long, the drizzle clears and gives way to humidity and wind gusts.
"Land's been spotted! Half an hour 'til we reach it!" is shouted and the word travels around on the ship. Yet, it isn't that easy. In the water, there are charges waiting for the ship and as soon as one is touched, it explodes, though it doesn't cause any immediate damage to the ship. "Water mines!" Is shouted. Now it's time to bring the ship to a halt as this water is probably packed full of them. A couple pirate ships slip through the water in order to attack the merchant ship. Problem is, they're not allies. Looks like this is going to be the beginning of a three way battle.
Saku sighs and walks around the deck in a very annoyed fashion, days at sea had her on a razors edge. When she hears about the mines she flies from below deck getting ready for battle. "Finally something to do that isn't filthy!" She rolls her eyes, she HATED working the boats at least at first, it was getting easier but the grime, salt, brine, oil, powder, merchant items….it was all so annoying to take in. She wasn't entirely sure if the captain wanted her to reveal her identity yet since the first sign of a real shirayuki might scare the brutes off but Saku was desperate at this point.
The captain won't want Sakuryu to reveal herself just yet. If she does, she might get mixed up with the pirates that are approaching them now. Although, from the way they're approaching, it looks like they're not going to be fighting on the decks anyway. This isn't a battle to take over the merchant ship, it's a battle to take it down or…so it seems. The reality is that each ship wants that ship, but neither ship can have it together. So the options are to destroy the merchant ship and prevent both of them from taking it or to destroy one another and take the ship for themselves.
They opt to destroy one another to take the ship, so attacks begin flying over the merchant ship and every so often through it. They may have trouble making it to shore.
Saku sees the Captains stern glare and knows he reports directly to the Snow Prince. She sighs and rolls her eyes before carefully lowering her energies and setting her gear away. "Fine I'll go civilian." She carefully ties her hair back under her hat to stow below deck fearfully. The Shirayuki weren't known for their white hair, but every few generations a white haired person is said to have strong Ice chakra, and on these seas it could mean that the fiersome clan that ruled the north had returned.
The pirates begin to take on the merchant ship, causing the waters to shift and the mines to explode as they bumb into one another. This threatens the merchant ship which is still in the midst of the minefield, but does so even more to the pirate ships who have begun fighting one another. It would appear that these particular pirates are not ones that appear to be all that skilled as no tactics are employed other than 'kill the other first'. So, it's a game of chicken to see who will give up or ultimately be taken down in the end. The merchant ship has limited capabilities for battle, but it does what it can to attack the two ships by firing off harpoons and other weapons toward the hulls of the ships fighting over them.
Sakuryu can't stand not doing anything so for a little sneakiness she would try to fire a few Ice needles out through the holes that sprung up below deck to try and explode the mines near the other ships. She carefully moves around the deck rapidly before starting to freeze over the holes the best she could without making her presence obvious
The mines are nicked and moved to the point where they begin to explode around the ships as they connect with the hulls. Seems like Sakuryu chipped in where she could and it's helped out to a degree. The ships keep going at it, but as time goes on, it becomes clear that neither are going to win. Effort placed into retreating with one ship caused it to run into more mines. The other ship, though it manages to safely navigate the field, ends up with too many holes to successfully move anywhere. So, it's bound to sink as it moves about in the water. The merchant ship sustained some damage, but not enough to the point that it couldn't safely make it to shore for repairs. Their trip out of the minefield and towards shore goes relatively smoothly.
Sakuryu peeks from below deck. "Captain, are we bound by the rules of the sea that if we see a sinking vessel we're to rescue those in danger?" She asks as she adjusts her disguise a little. She was obviously flushed and tired from running around, quite winded due to her weak stamina and body system.
"Bomb no! We leave 'em to die. Not regroup so they can come back to attack us," the Captain huffed as he continued his way through the water. "They knew what they were getting into when they decided to be pirates. Ain't no code we have to follow as good and decent citizens," he paused and chortled at what he just said. Not like he's good and decent considering how salty he is. "I want to keep my ship together. I do run this thing, after all. This is a good vessel and ought not suffer at the hands of scoundrels."
Sakuryu just blinks a little bit at his attitude. "I guess that makes sense…." She trails off and just shakes her head as she heads below deck. Her mind runs with the idea that her entire family used to be pirates and the thoughts of what if drift through her mind slowly as they dock at the shore.
