Difference between revisions of "Part 15: Returning Home"

Revision as of 07:25, 29 June 2016

They made it to the boat. Still chased by the beastman, Arcandar turns the boat southward on the river. As the only one who can captain the boat, he is in charge of leading them to safety. The beastmen pursue the party for the next hour, following them along the river, finally they drift away from the group the river leading them to safely.

Mahin stands with Arcandur learning the ways of the river. Alena collapses on the deck after bandaging her wounds and begins her restorative trance. Ezra rests his weary head on the deck and falls instantly into a deep sleep. Mahin and Arcandur discuss the possibility of sailing through the night, and decide stopping for the night to keep the boat and the crew safe.

Alena awakens to tell the rest of the crew to take the time to recover while she takes the first watch. The boat slowly rocks back and forth, all is quiet on the river. Resting the boat on the west side of the river to avoid the beastmen. Alena hears the noise of a large creature throughout the night on the banks. Using her elf ears she notes that the creature is probably 30 metres from her and the party. Later in the night, a breeze picks up during the night, Alena hopes it stays for the next day and the travel.

Arcandur turns to Mahin and says "Weigh the anchor!", Mahin struggles but makes it work.

Arcandur turns to Mahin and says "Pull the sails!", Mahin looks at him with violence in her eyes.

She wrenches at the sail, and somehow manages to fly through the air and land heavily on her backside. Ezra runs to her aid and pulls the sail up and hauls the sail into the air, it fills with wind.

Arcandur gestures to Mahin "To the tiller thief", Mahin rises and races to the tiller to control the boat rather well. Mahin crosses her fingers secretly not wanting to disappoint her teacher. Arcandur pulls out a book and begins the read.

The morning progresses and the party continues down the river. Suddenly the boat snags on something and the boat lurches vertically. Straight away Alena looks to the sky and a see a silvery substance crossing above the boat and knocking against the mast. The substance appears to be silvery strands that is wrapped around a moving figure. Mahin climbs the mask to dislodge the silvery strands attached to the boat, trying to free the party. Showing her strengths she leaps and bounds to the top and sees that the strand is thick and dense, appearing to be a spider web but on a much greater scale.

The wriggling creature continues to move and Mahin yells down "I'm going to cut the web".

Alena looks at the creature, weighing up the chance of survival versus her mission. Mahin's internal conflict flashes in her. Ezra knows that this isn't anything to do with his mission and dismisses saving the humanoid.

Mahin isn't sure if she will be able to dismantle the web with her rapier. She begins trying to hack at the web but to no avail. Alena continues to search for a cause of the web but cannot see a culprit. Mahin places her hand against the web and removes it, noticing the sticky residue left behind. The current from the river begins to turn the boat.

Alena yells at Mahin "Get to the tiller".

And she begins to climb, cumbersome with her swords. Getting to the top she slices at the web, it breaks away. The anchor stops them as the river starts to move them on. Mahin tries to tie the strand to the mast to create line to the wiggling creature, alone it would be impossible for her but Ezra jumps in to help.

Mahin begins to walk along the rope, moving slowly the sticky substance holding her normal acrobatics to a stop. She tries to lift her foot and stumbles, almost falling into the water, at the last moment she saves herself. Mahin lowers herself down and moves much slower towards to bulk of the web. Ezra secures the line on the mast and watches as the thief climbs closer to the wiggling shape.

She edges ever closer to the wriggling creature, approaching it cautiously. The web gets stickier and stickier as she approaches the shape, her hand gets stuck. "Shit" she mutters.

Alena and Ezra exchange a glance, both on their own path they are unsure that this is the wisest course of action. Ezra goes to Arcandur, who is still reading his book, and grabs the crossbow and bolts from beside him "Thanks for the help."

Arcandur glances up "Hmmmmm" he mutters and continues to read.

Mahin arrives at the creature and hears the sounds of a muffled voice. Mahin slices at the web and cuts loose a chunk that is hiding the face. Unveiling a dark skin human gazing at her with wonder and with a tortured cry "Help me".

Ezra yells out to Mahin "What is the matter?"

Mahin yells back "There is a human trapped!"

Erza turns to Alena and looks back at Mahin "Hurry! This does not bode well for us".

Mahin continues to hack at the web surrounding the human body. A slow and tortuous process. Suddenly the trapped human moves out of her grip as she falls into the water. She tries to swim back to the boat but is pushes downstream with the tide. She turns and drags herself to the bank.

Ezra rushes to Arcandur and demands flammable items to send a crossbow into the web and save both the trapped human and Mahin. Arcandur tells him he has nothing and Ezra grabs him and turns him towards Mahin. "You will help us" Ezra demands.

Arcandur raises slowly and looks out at the water "Who will pull up the anchor?"

Ezra races to the anchor and Arcandur begins to the slow process to get them closer to save Mahin from her noble cause. Mahin tries to hide amongst the scrub as she awaits her rescue. Using all her skills she melds into the shadows.

The boat comes around as the trapped man continues to scream for help. Arcandur's bored look infuriates Alena as she grabs what Ezra needs from him. The move towards Mahin and Alena yells at them to stop. Ezra unties the web from the mast and throws it into the water. Alena tries to throw the rope and fails, it takes two times for her to reach the bank.

Mahin leaps for it. Grabbing it in her hand breathing in a sigh of relief. Ezra prepares to fire as Mahin looks on ready to try to grab the trapped man as he falls. Erza misses once, twice and three times. The crossbow is not his instrument, yet the next bolt flies true and beds itself into the tree at the base of the web, the fire licking the web. Slowly is begins to burn. Faster and faster, collapsing the web as it crawls along towards the screaming man.

Mahin races into the water as he falls 15ft and begins to drown. Mahin tries to move towards him but this is not her skill. Ezra puts down his crossbow and readies him self to pull them in. Mahin continues to search and finally sees him. Moving towards him she finally reaches the trapped human. Dragging him to the surface, Mahin wraps the rope around him.

Alena and Ezra begin pulling the pair towards the boat, and finally the pair are on board. The trapped man lies prone on the deck. Alena pulls the anchor up and yells at Arcandur "Let's move wizard!"

Arcandur looks at Mahin "On the tiller you lazy sailor" and goes back to his book.

Mahin, tired and worn, wanders to the tiller and begins to guide them out of the danger. Ezra unties the trapped man and he thanks them for saving him. Jothrer tells them how he came to be trapped by the creature as he was upon the mast of his sailing adventure the night before. He tells them of this journey to Traders Landing, and they tell him of the beastmen overrunning the town. He shakes his head and offers to help them through sailing.

He continues to advise them on sailing and removes Arcandur from his position of Captain. Mahin sits beside him and offers him cheese, his face splits into a grin.