Session 33 - Deal With The Demon

Ahem.
Previously, Across the Horizon...
The Kings of Pain have been defeated.
The Starfall's first mission out hunting bounties can only be considered a success, as Ravikula Hall and Shaul Shotlocke are imprisoned within our brave heroes' ship, and The Last Ship drifts along behind them, members of the Starfall's own crew aboard to ensure nothing risky or heroic happens aboard.
While in the neighborhood, some members of the council reasoned, a trip to the Three Sisters would not be too ill advised, in case a particular demon was out attempting to sink any particular ships. A flight through the night would see them there well before any other aspiring bounty hunters, and give Linnet some time to heal.
After all, returning with two bounties, now, that shows a level of bravery and intrepid go-gettedness that other, lazier, brass-ring-allergic bounty hunters don't have.
The sun is just now rising, pinks and yellows streaking across the pre-dawn sky, as the Starfall and The Last Ship sail along. In mere minutes, the ships will reach the Three Sisters, and perhaps find this 'Diabolos' that is such a danger to trade ships.
We join our heroes as this next moment of truth approaches...
**
"...and the other ship is perfectly skyworthy, still, but don't expect them to be much help in a fight because no one over there has any sort of backbone or stage presence at all," Rahel finishes, reading from a piece of paper. "But they'll move along our signals and do as well as Apoc can inspire them, he assures us. Do we, like, salute you now, or...?" she finishes, screwing up her forehead as she looks down at Bast.
Yves, who has finally gotten all of his fur and hair to lie flat again--one might suspect from the sheen in places that a certain amount of hair gel was involved--looks rather distracted as this briefing goes on. Possibly he is contemplating what stage presence does in ship combat.
"Bast, have you had any luck with the prisoners?" Orrey asks thoughtfully, sketching the mountainous islands he can see out the windows.
"Shaul looked like he's got a lot on his mind. Don't think he'll talk around the others, though."
(The smell of brownies and slightly over-caramelized sugar wafts up to the command deck.)
"We could see if he'd like some fresh air up on the deck?" Orrey says. "Or a brownie."
Isa is on deck, near the bow railing. Her eyes haven't left the islands since the moment they came into view.
"Let's start with the air and see where that goes." Bast looks around for Isa, then decides not to disturb her and goes off to bring up Shaul on his own.
The moogle offers no resistance, and is easily led.
Orrey tags along with his note- and sketchbooks.
Yves skulks over to a railing where he can surreptitiously check his hair in a small hand mirror and adjust as needed while /looking/ like he's doing some dramatic staring into the distance like all the cool kids do.
Bast leans against a railing, looking relaxed. "Something bothering you, Shaul? Ravi doesn't seem like a good listener."
Shaul waits a moment before answering, and then does so by raising his shackled wrists, one eyebrow, and the amount of sarcasm in his voice. "We can start with the hospitality, kupo," he says, some defensiveness still in his spine.
Some of those fascinating seagulls fly by, yet another lookout aboard your ship enraptured by their mere presence.
"You come to our ship, you get the kind of hospitality you earn. Haven't heard a reason to do otherwise yet." Bast gestures with an open hand for Shaul to continue.
He nods, making the universal 'fair' facial expression. "You said we could face this wild errand standing up. I know I've done things that I shouldn't have, and I'm not turning my back on that. But if I'm going to die today, I'd like to have a chance to scream into that hurricane versus just let it throw my body to the rocks below."
"Can we trust him, Cap?" Orrey looks at Bast, then back at Shaul. "He did a number on Linnet last time. On all of us."
"Well, I can throw him pretty far from here, that establishes a certain baseline." Bast flashes a grin at Orrey, then turns back to Shaul. "Thought you might. Anyone else interested?"
"Hard to say," Shaul says. "Maybe this apology will be the one that sticks, you know? It's hard to say."
(Linnet yells up from the galley, "Brownies are ready! Don't all rush down here at once!")
Yves stops trying to look cool, and rushes down to the galley while other people do important negotiating.
Bast shrugs. "Sure is. Looks like you might be serious about earning the chance, though." A smile. "How long do you figure before Ravi would try to brain me if we let him loose?"
A call goes up from the lookout tower, one that Isa didn't need to hear to confirm what she already knew: "Islands straight ahead!"
The Three Sisters are a trio of dormant volcanoes that break up the mountainous terrain between Cardia and Machanon by engaging in the downright fanciful idea of putting mountains in the water instead of on land. They are not traditionally a difficult hazard to navigate, with currents between them helping ships speed along on the eastward trek. As of late, though, that has changed, and a few passes with a spyglass reveal the results of those dangers; wrecked, abandoned ships between the islands.
There is a fog settling in between the islands as the two ships approach, and no other ships in the immediate area besides yourselves.
"Are we doing a flythrough, Captain?" Marina asks neutrally.
"Circle them and see what we can see, first."
"Aye-aye."
Orrey munches on a double handful of brownies that he's brought up on deck to help with the lookout duty.
After a long look at Shaul, Bast pulls out a key and unlocks his manacles. "What can you do, ship-wise and in a fight?"
The two ships loop around the perimeter of the islands, The Last Ship seeming antsy in how it wavers from side to side behind the Starfall.
Shaul rubs his wrists, as is contractually obligated when one's shackles are removed. "On a ship, push experimental buttons until something explodes, here or there. In a fight, much the same, as you saw."
Yves, who has just returned with his own brownies, has some expressions related to that response. Behind Shaul's back, though.
Linnet wafts herself up to join the fray, carrying a plate of +2 Morale-Boosting snacks. "Oh good, you talked him around. Hi, Shaul. Brownie?"
"We have a resident button-pusher already, stay away from any you see around ship. Something comes on uninvited or starts shooting at us, I'm sure you can figure it out. Try not to get in Isa's way." Bast points with his thumb over his shoulder, then goes back to the improvised brig to stash the manacles. On the way back on deck, he pulls Clayton aside. "I'll need you to watch the prisoners while Shaul's out; if you see him trying to get into the brig, yell for us."
"Uh, okay," says the Red Moogle Mage, accepting a brownie and wondering if, or how, he should apologize.
Marina finishes the lap around the islands. "What's the word? Closer look?"
"Bring us in closer, see if something bites."
"Aye-aye."
"Hopefully not literally." Orrey bites into another brownie.
The Starfall drifts toward the islands, followed by The Last Ship. Shaul finds a brooding spot of his own on the deck, though a healthy distance away from the dragoon that didn't so much as bat an eye at the Lithium Sunset.
The fog is thin, and then the fog is very rapidly very thick.
The pinks and yellows of the sky give way to soft gray, all around both ships, and then there is a flash of some small light in the distance, drawing closer.
And then, for an instant:
A shape moves through the fog, long and thin, slithering through the air as it winds around the port side of the Starfall.
Marina curses from behind the ship's wheel. "Altitude's dropping -- slowly -- not dire, but I'm not descending on purpose, I promise you that!"
"Can we pull out of the fog?"
Linnet points off the side of the ship. "...someone else saw that snake thing, right? I don't trust my lookout skills."
Marina pulls to the right on the wheel, her head naturally looking in that direction, just in time to see a bat-winged demon look through the window at her and hiss. And then you see a great deal more of them.
Clouds of black and red bat-winged demons drain out of the fog around the Starfall, soaring down onto the deck, whipping through the air with a mad cackle that seems to come from everywhere and everywhere.
"Huh," says Yves, in a tone of suppressed panic.
They form up into three groups of four each, as Marina struggles to keep the Starfall under control:
A quartet of demons with shining, bladed wings coated with ice, filed as "Group A" as Isa calls out assignments. A quartet of demons with wings covered in crackling quills, lightning bolts sliding along the barbs, Group B. A quartet of demons with wings of fire, circling higher above, ripples of magical energy following them, Group C.
Each of the demons is somewhere between Orrey and Bast in size, wings three times as wide as the demons are high.
"Well, that can't be good. Wolf the last of those brownies, all, and let's open a flask of whoopass on these things!" Linnet cries.
Bast narrows his eyes and pulls somethings out of his pocket - not his usual grenades, more of a cylinder with buttons on either end - one red, one black. He flips it over a couple of times, then thumbs the black button. "Let's see if this works."
There is a sound like glass cracking from the cylinder - Bast looks momentarily displeased, but the faint blue pulse that follows, spreading across the ship, appears to be more to his taste.
Four of the demons hiss in symphony, and then fire their crackling quills out at Isa, Bast, Yves, and Linnet. The quills ping off of circular shields, pinging and crackling harmlessly across the deck.
Isa throws up an arm reflexively, then watches the quills scatter off the shield. She tilts her head with a grateful "hm!" and charges forward. She twists her spear out to full extension as she moves towards the demons who fired on her, planting one foot as she reaches them. Pivoting around that fixed point, her momentum pulls her into a spin, the broad blade of her spear lashing out to catch as many of the demons as possible.
Isa performs a skillful demonstration of rotational inertia, drawing the spear close to her body to speed up and letting it lash out for maximum impact. Two full rotations and she comes to a stop with her grip near the head of the spear, point-down and the shaft rising up behind her back. None of the quill-demons are left standing.
Indignant squeaks and sizzles are cut off by the pitter-patter of little demon bodies on the deck.
Orrey sees all of the enemies dropping like flies and changes his mind, falling back on the usual Battle of Hastings routine. Isa's face is underlit by the purple light of the clock. "This seems too easy to have taken down so many ships!" Orrey looks around worriedly for something else behind the little swarms. "I hope we're not making the momma demon angry..."
Yves swivels about, and seeing Isa and Linnet engaging groups, points at the ice demons at last. "Okay," he says, "no, that's Linnet's thing, you don't get to have any." A vast and terrible bolt of lighting blasts forth. It's perhaps... /overly/ precise. But that one demon he pointed at? It was very white-hot for an instant, and now it's just... not there. One hopes that vaporized ice-demon isn't, like, toxic when inhaled or anything.
The three ice demons, fresh off watching one of their own explode really quite dramatically, spiral through the air, bladed ice wings slashing at Orrey, Linnet, and Yves. The shards of ice crack harmlessly against the Shells. That shape appears again... and this time solidifies. The creature is a black serpent, its head huge and horned, a crown of flaming spikes ringing the top of its head, golden jewels dangling in chains around its horns. Its tail ends in four spikes, the tips gleaming red. Its sinewy, scaled body is at least two hundred feet long, with pairs of wings evenly distributed along its length, the wings less angelic or batlike and more like lengthy fingerlike tendrils melded together into flippers, bleached white bones visible through the membranes.
"...it's so /pretty/," Yves murmurs, frozen for a moment in pure admiration.
Descend, it writes upon the canvas of reality. To Hell. Dark Messenger.
Bast is less concerned about the aesthetics of the thing. "Cannons! Aim!"
An incredible wave of pure gravitational force and power slams into the Starfall, The Last Ship, and any aboard, dipping both ships towards the water for an increasingly frightening moment before the pilots manage to force the noses back up.
"Cannons! Fire when ready! Shaul, get off your ass! Focus on this thing!" Bast leads by example with a handful of grenades thrown at its wings.
Isa was slammed down to her knees by the gravity attack, but levers herself back up. "LINNET!" she yells out as she starts running to the rails. "Take care of the others!" The purple light around her feet sparkles as she pulls a flask from her jacket, slamming down the contents before she plants a boot on the ship's rail and launches herself into the air.
Linnet peels herself off the mast and shakes herself like an indignant puppy. Levitating in sheer defiance of stupid gravity, she finger-guns at Diabolos with one hand while sweeping an elegant hand gesture around her at her crew. (Except Isa.) The snowball fizzles well before it hits Diabolos, but everyone is looking a little less like roadkill. (The slight boost you all feel is accompanied by the smell of fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls.)
Orrey fires off a Libra at the creature, needing to know more about its capabilities. A massive set of green and grey scales appears to weigh the flying nightmare.
"WE COULD JUST TALK ABOUT IT," Yves shouts at the amazingly gorgeous death serpent that's trying to murder everyone, while flinging more lightning at the remaining smaller demons. "C'MON, WE'RE VERY REASONABLE, ASK THAT DUDE OVER THERE WHO WE FOUGHT LAST TIME."
The deck is beginning to smell a lot like electrocuted-and-vaporized ice demon, though only two have actually suffered that fate. So far.
The remaining ice demons spiral through the air again, this time aiming their attacks at Bast and Yves. Again, ice shatters on shields.
Shaul follows Linnet's lead, with a Medica on the group and a Blizzara at Diabolos.
The Starfall fires its first shot as Diabolos circles the starboard side.
"THANK YOU," Linnet calls over to Shaul. "Cap'n, can we keep him?" (She's not expecting an answer, as everyone is rather busy.)
The shot sails wide, impressively close to the hurtling Isa, not impressively close to Diabolos.
Dark Messenger, comes the call again, this time accompanied by the emergence of another lightning, ice, and fire demon from the fog.
"Breed slower!" snarls Bast, and fires off a crossbow bolt in the general direction of Diabolos' head, scoring a vicious hit to the side of the serpent's snout.
A lightning quill shears the air toward Orrey. It hits, no spherical shield in its way this time.
Orrey twitches violently as the quillbolt smacks into him.
Isa is now on her way down. She has both hands tight around the butt of her spear, and her boot braced behind the head. She is falling so fast, so far, that the compressed air around the point has started to become visible, a cone almost heated to incandescent before she impacts Diabolos.
The impact is impressive, the Dragoon slamming into the demon-snake with the force of a falling mountain. The fog is blown away for a moment with the shock, and before it returns Isa can be seen standing atop the back of the creature, whirling her spear around again. Red light flares along the etchings of the blade as she makes another strike.
"Well, clearly you've got that in hand." Linnet blows a kiss with her sweeping hand motion around the whole crew this time, for luck, and sketches a zigzag in the air at one of the remaining bat things. The smell of cinnamon rolls is very, very faint this time. Might still help somebody, though. Somebody who is not the angry little ice demon smoking slightly from Linnet's thunderbolt. "Well, pooh to you too."
The fire-winged Diabole flicks a fireball at Linnet with its wings, cackling overhead.
A bit of the end of Linnet's braid smokes when she can't whip it out of the way in time.
Orrey shakes his head as the pain from the quill only exacerbates the crushing feeling of the gravity acting on him. "No more, demon, no more of your messages!" The purple aura surrounds Diabolos' head, seeping into its vocal cords and SILENCING them.
"YOU ARE ONLY HURTING YOURSELF," Yves shouts at the giant snake, despite all evidence to the contrary, "BY REFUSING TO NEGOTIATE." And this time, instead of trying to zorch one of those smaller demons that keep popping up, his lighting is flying toward Diabolos himself. Itself? Herself? Themself? It's a little unclear, and with this level of dialogue, it's not going to become so.
The chittering Ice Diaboles spiral and soar through the air, slicing between Orrey, Bast, and Linnet.
A salvo from The Last Ship misses Diabolos's tail, overcompensating for Isa aboard the coiling serpent.
Diabolos circles the ship.
No Dark Messenger heralds the crush of gravity.
Another fire, ice, and lightning demon appear, moving on the ship.
Diabolos slowly circles the Starfall, surrounding it, drawing closer, as Marina prepares for another push that doesn't come.
Yves blinks repeatedly, and puts his hands down from where they were raised for some more casting. "...CAN YOU CLARIFY WHO YOU MEAN BY 'HIM'," he shouts. "WE MAY BE ABLE TO COME TO A REASONABLE AGREEMENT."
"Is it actually communicating with you?!" Orrey exclaims.
"Yves, maybe not the time to be discussing semantics..." Linnet warns.
"Oh, yeah," Yves says, "wants to trade sparing us for help finding 'him'. It's an opening offer." He raises his voice. "WE ARE AGAINST SLAVERY, YES. IF WE PROMISE TO SEARCH FOR CERBERUS AND FREE HIM, WILL YOU PROMISE TO STOP ATTACKING SHIPS?"
The serpent's coils draw ever closer. One of the inner wings brushes over the construction hiding the spheres on the Starfall, cracking panels.
"...Yves, what are you doing?" Linnet whispers urgently, watching Isa atop Diabolos' back.
"...I'm... um... hm." Yves blinks several times. "OKAY, THAT SOUNDS GREAT, IF YOU CAN DO THAT WITHOUT DESTROYING US. OR OUR SHIP."
"Damned if I know," Yves hisses back.
Diabolos moves with godly speed.
The serpent whips around the ship, dislodging Isa toward the deck, spiraling around the Starfall and drawing the Diaboles back into it.
The serpent's speed turns it into a whirling black mass, breaking apart into thousands of bats that then form up into a winged red and black humanoid, upside-down wings spreading out twenty feet wide as it hovers above the deck, looking down at Yves.
We have entered into a Pact, read the words written in gold script across the fog.
Diabolos breaks apart into bats again, and a blackened mask of a rictus-grin skull clatters to the deck.
Isa lands skillfully on the deck, and looks at Yves. "What. Did. You. Do."
"...you want to tell us what we've agreed to, Yves?" It takes Bast a visible effort to put away the crossbow.
"What or who is a Cerberus?" Orrey asks.
Yves steeples his fingers. "So, uh, it says the Cerberus has been enslaved by mortals for their amusement, and I promised to look for and free him, and now we have... another mask, which is great! Right? We're... for this! Look! We're all being! Very reasonable!" He looks to be on the verge of laughter. Or hysterics. Or both.
"Thunderbun, did you just negotiate our way to an alliance with Diabolos? You? That was amazing!" Linnet zooms over and throws her arms around Yves, wincing slightly because they're both pretty banged up.
Orrey just slumps down in a puddle of pain, not even thinking about sketching anything.
"Put the mask next to Cinnabun's mask and see if they communicate or something! Friends all around!" Linnet winces. "Heals all around, too. Let me get on that." Everyone gets a bit of a whiff of cinnamon sugar. "...I don't think it was going to listen until Isa started stabbing it in the head. Among other things."
Bast still seems to be making sure that everyone's limbs are attached.
"Maybe it shouldn't have led off with attacking the ship if it didn't want to get stabbed in the head," Isa says.
"...wonder if summons eat brownies," Linnet muses. "Right, I assume one of you people is in charge of steering and most of you need to go to sleep. I am getting right back to that restorative baking thing. We're not quite out of flour yet..."
Yves is shivering, and still looks noticeably under the weather. "Yeah, it, uh, it had it coming. But we're. Freeing things. Or helping other things free things. I wonder if I should take the masks down to the power core. Or keep them far away from it. Or... ...I'm still not used to this kind of thing."
"Yves, seriously, fantastic work. You're a miracle. Now come down to the kitchen and get rip-roaringly drunk while I bake." Linnet, still pretty ragged-looking but surprisingly spritely, jogs back to the galley, humming under her breath.
"Then get to sorting it out," Isa says to Yves, and heads for the bridge. "Marina!" she calls ahead of yourself, "course for Caerwyn!"
The fog has cleared. The skies are calm. The course will be straight and true.
"Yves?" Bast walks up and puts his hands on the viera's shoulders. "Well done. We have another mask, it has reasons not to try to kill us, and there might be a lead on another. Get some rest, and don't try to combine it with any other masks or the engine or anything else just yet."
And with that... End session.