Gravestones and Smokestacks RP thread

[Thorinis]

All the stories that Luther had heard about Captains of ships seemed either over inflated or this man was something else of which he again knew nothing about. He could see the scar that crossed the face of the captain and thought it only a minor one compared to the three claw marks gashed across his fathers chest from an Ice Bear. Some of it was even still pink the last he had seen it. One of the men further down the bar caught his attention as his eyes narrowed and climbed from his seat toward Master Aven. He saw the knife slide down the wrist out into the palm of his hand as he closed in keeping it concealed as much as possible as he approached. When the purse was placed back in Aven's pouch he sliced the bottom so the coins fell into his hand. As he tried to pass them headed for the door, Luther grabbed him by the front of the shirt and hoisted him into the air.

"I don't know who you are but you will return Master Aven's coins to him. Or I am going to make you consider otherwise."

The thin man hung in the air trying to kick Luther hard enough to put him down. Luther grunted but did not drop him. Instead he shook the little man like a rag doll then reached in where he had placed the purse. As the man tried to shake his head back to normal he cried out, "That's my property."

Tossing the purse back to Aven he reached back in and hefted out three more purses from the hidden pocket. When three men saw their coins pulled out they started yelling to toss him over so they could settle the payment. Luther not knowing what was meant but figuring it was not good shook his head. " No I don't think so. Mr Kemp, what do you think I should do with him?

"Well, if you don't want a fight the smart thing to do would be to hand him over to the others. If you wanted to do the right thing it would be to hand him over to one of the patrols. However you caught the man you can do what ever you please."

"Well I won't let them kill him, and I did not see a patrol when we came in. He deserves to be dealt with..." the man not liking any of the options presented whipped out the small blade and tried to stab Luther's arm. Never focusing that quickly before he tried to blend the blade before it could do any damage. It still sank in over an inch before he focused on the metal enough that it crumbled in the man's hand. Reacting as he had been partially trained Luther made a fist and punched the guy across the jaw hard enough everyone in the bar heard the bones break.

With it eerily quiet Luther set the man down on the floor making sure he did not completely drop damaging him more. With the blood running down his arm, he did the only think he could think of and wrapped his hand around the wound trying to keep the bleeding to a minimum as his master had trained him while fighting. Something about the philosophy of learning to heal in order to make a better strike. The wound looking tiny compared to his arm.

"Um. I think it missed everything vital, but it hurts like hell. Even the marsh wasps didn't burn this bad," remembering the time when he was wandering alone away from the house when he was not supposed to. He had accidentally stumbled on a rotting log and disturbed the nest. He spent two weeks swollen black where he had been stung, and feverish for almost all of it. He remembered his father looking at him when he finally was strong enough to stand up again, "Either your soul is a lot stronger then your body or your too dumb to know better that you should be dead." It was the first time his father smiled at him and clapped him on the shoulder though, realizing his son was indeed strong.

[Stella Gaslight]

Phobos did not like the closeness of this place and hid half way under Nina's collar.  Demos was weary too and stayed close head never still, always looking for new threats and he caught the thief in his gaze quickly. Nina was formulating a plan as Luther handled the problem.  Well there was still something she could do.  "Luther let me see that please.  I have often had to patch Demos up after he tried to bully the wrong cat.  I don't know how much translates from birds to people but I can at least stop the blood."  Nina gently cleaned the wound and used some clear fiery liquid from a flask dabbed on with a handkerchief and then bound the wound as best she could with wrappings meant for small birds.  "I am not a true medic but at least I can help a little bit.  You may want to still see someone else tho."

[Nigel Wetherby]

"I appreciate you handling the matter, mister Luther. I was glad I had not been given the chance to burst a glass cell of flame-humours across anyone's head. That's one of the only few multipurpous chemichals I have, most are more specialised towards beasts of a more monsterous disposition."
He slid his coins into his pocket and rubbed his temples, contemplating the ugliness of what had transpired.

"Well, now once the good lady is done cleaning up our friend, I would suggest we make all haste, as knowledge on revenant psychology and acess to such horrid beasts as this extremitie's owner," He held out the severed arm of one of the beasts. "Could prove dangerous."

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

"Phwa" grumbled Kemp. "Mind putting that away? That damn arm smells like a rotted kraken."

"Nice work with the coins." he said to Luther. "But good protocol in the future is to wait and follow so's you can "take it outside". You nearly spilled some fine ale with that man doing the whole sliding across the bar thing. Nasty cut though. I figure a big lad like yourself can handle it. They'll probably have something more for it on ship."

He followed the ship's captain out, strutting down the docks, coming to the Ironclad that the weathered captain hopped onto. Kemp peered, looking it over. It appeared to be all in good shape. Nothing was rusting off, at any rate and the crew weren't yellow looking and seemed to have a good number of teeth in their heads.

"Alright then." he said. "What's her name, what's her fame and how soon can we get pushed off?"

[Stella Gaslight]

Phobos crept out along Nina's shoulder glad for the open air.  Colors crept in to Nina's shared vision as she scanned the sailors and released pleased caws.  Phobos loved the warm colors that the living put off and was a rather heat loving creature.  Demos could care less what the temperature was like as long as no one came near his hens that he did not approve of.  He was uneasy on the water unlike Phobos he had always been a city bird and the vast openness of the sea was dizzying and disorienting.  Nina herself was forced to grab a rail as he became the closest a raven ever got to sea sick.  She shook her head and fed him a tiny piece of ginger that Nana Lafayette had sworn could cure such things in humans.  Nina was grateful she had not needed the birds on her first crossing.  Slowly the transmitted dizziness faded and she was able to fully take things in. "I believe the ship is called The Nebakanezer and those men below are pushing us off now.  Or at least that is what I think they are doing I don't have much experience in these matters."  The thing in her shadow snickered this was setting up to be just perfect. Has soon as  they were on the water his host could not run and then the real fun would begin.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Very good, The Nebuchadnezzar is a very well known middle-eastern ship. I beleive she most popular in Cairo, due to her exploits in disposing of a djinni which kept the entirety of the town under its influence. I have a feeling the crew will be of much use, should we find ourselves encountering any more creatures of this nature."
Aven camly stuffed the arm in his satchel.
"Perhaps we might fit good lady Nina with some manner of defense, as it is likely our enemies will come in far greater numbers and will not excersize restraint due to her femeninity."

Aven very calmly swiped up a revolver from his jacket's black hole of an interior and placed it, along with a few small, differently colored boxes.
"Within each of these boxes is a specialized ammunition, within the yellow is a shell containing a special acid which, when interacts with the iron in the blood of its targets, turns the body of your enemy into a living tesla-coil. The blue box holds within a highly potent neurotoxin, the bullets do not penetrate or kill, but paralyze. Ideal for incapacitations. The third box, the black one, contains a single bullet which you are to only use in the direst circumstance. aim for whatever is behind your target, and for the love of god, grab something solid."

[Stella Gaslight]

She held the revolver and sighted a spot far away pulling the trigger and checking the magazine.  It was a smooth sturdy piece and far heavier than the small ornate lemon squeezer her mother had given her before she sailed away but still she wished she had her father's worn old single shot she had spent many happy afternoons with. "Thank you.  I used to hunt all the time before I got the birds.  Not monsters mind you, but ducks and geese.  Mainly rifle shoots with my father and some with the brothers of my school friends.   I was a good shot but with them I don't feel I have the right to do that any longer.  But perhaps I am being too soft." She smiled sadly and wondered how they were all doing. She still wrote them but letters took a long time to cross the world.  They did not know about the birds and there were times she thought she would never tell them.  Her mama had never approved of her Nana's witchy ways and she had wanted her daughter married off to a man that would take care of her but Nina found the idea of living sightless terrifying.  So she had traveled all the way to Geneva looking for a cure and she found it, but not the cure she was expecting.  Still anything was better than that world of darkness.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"I trust aiming will not be much of a problem? I trust that the crows will guide your hand? They seem well trained enough to tell you where to point that thing. I'll just do my best not to anger them then."
He chuckled at his half-joke and offered the birds sone hard biscuits, which Phobos gladly chewed on. Aven wiped away the white crumbs which gathered incessantly on his sleeve.
After wiping away the last annoying crumb he headed for the door, nodding to the rest of the party, turning his gaze to the distant image of the Nebudchadnezzer, its sharp, black bow bobbing like a floating blade upon the greenish black surface of the evening sea.

[Thorinis]

Glad for the healing and interested in the ship, Luther clambered aboard and began exploring the ship. HE tried staying out of the way of anyone that looked like they belonged to the ship. He had read the papers of the Nebuchadnezzer and what they had done with the Djinn. Not long after they set off the speed enough to blow his hair back he began to smile. They left the bay the seas a bit higher and bouncing the ships bow causing Luther to turn green. He managed to make it to the side of the ship before his stomach lurched any whatever was in it spewed over the side. Gripping the rail he shook his head trying to regain some form of composure. The crew from the ship laughed at him before one came over and handed him something like looked like a piece of candy. "Here boy, this will settle the stomach until you get your sea legs." The horrid taste made him grimace but he nodded his thanks to the man.

Looking at the deck of the ship, caught sight of everyone's shadow even with the heavy overcast. While most where just enough to show form, Nina's seemed to have a bit more solidity to it. He was about to mention it when the ship lurched just a bit causing him to blink. When he looked back her shadow was no different then anyone else's so he chocked it up to his being slightly ill.

[Stella Gaslight]

Nina was grateful that she did not suffer sour stomach the way Luther did.  In fact after Demos had gotten over this own ills she felt rather at home on the business like ship, surprisingly more than she had felt on the rather luxurious steamer she had made her first journey on. Demos himself was strutting around like he owned the place while timid as ever Phobos had darted above them to a place she could watch and not be touched.  The sun was dropping in to the waves and making the world flushed and rosy.  It seemed the farther south they sailed from Geneva the warmer it became.  Nina smiled as they all went down to eat an evening meal.  She hoped it would get as warm as Louisiana as much as she loved the culture of Geneva the cold winters had taken a lot to get used to.  Hmm She would have to go shopping when they hit port all of her clothes that were meant for the true heat of summer were long gone.  She yawned deeply suddenly bone weary.  "If you will excuse me gentlemen I must retire for the evening before I fall asleep in my soup.  If you need me don't hesitate to call the birds."  The thing in her shadow nearly shrieked with joy the moment she slept the fun would begin.  Nina was out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow. She was silent and still until almost and hour later when the ship was wreathed in darkness.  She twitched then rose like the dead. the birds fluttered and panicked the thing creeping along the hall was not their mistress.

[Nigel Wetherby]

The crew had taken to avoiding the quarters of the Alchemia adept, the thick chemichak stench pervaded the hallways and threatened to peel the varnish from the wood. On occaison there would be a loud explosion from behind the door, followed by Aven declaring "A minor setback! Nothing to worry over!" as smoke creeped up through the cracks in the door.

Demos fluttered to the door perching himself atop the knob and pecked the door, which swung open, letting loose a blast of ebony smoke, veiling an odd pale yellow glow.
Demos circumvented the chemist and the residual smoke, landing on the coat rack beside the door and let out an urgent caw.

"Ah, Demos was it? You're just in time to witness my newest formula! Behold! Phosperoum seltzer!" He held out a spherical glass container, its container giving of a bright yellow glow which filled the otherwise dark room. Demos cawed urgently, flapping and flying out the door. Aven shrugged and followed the bird, wondering just what the winged creature wanted him to do.

[Stella Gaslight]

Phobos was flying around on deck darting wildly around the rigging. When she saw Demos riding on the shoulder of what looked like a fearsome beast she cawed loudly and sounded almost frantic.  Demos cawed back low and bubbling as if to calm her, then he pulled Aven's vapor mask down.  That seemed to calm her to the point she was trailing behind them like a feathered shadow.  Then Demos tugged on his ear causing him to turn around and head back inside just as the lights flickered out and the engine stopped.

Nina's body blended in to the shadows as she stalked her way to the engine room. It was easy to cut the lights and extend it influence to the engine and everyone in the room. They were frozen still as the dead and with the color draining away.  The shadow creature deiced to leave them for now, while they were strong the girl was touched with a power delicious as candy.  He was going to enjoy slowly devouring her.  The generator room was next. it possessed more of a threat, such nasty light filling it.  Using Nina's voice and her partly undressed for sleep body he got the lone engineer to turn off the lights and then the generator was disabled and the engineer wrapped in a cocoon of shadows that was slowly sapping his life until all that would be left was his shadow.  Without the light to worry about the creature in Nina's skin walked the halls with a fearless stagger cocooning any that he happened to spot and geting stronger by the moment.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Kemp was standing outside on the deck, enjoying the evening air. He'd always enjoyed looking out on the sea, especially this straight. To think there was at one time land under here. He idly wondered what treasures could be sunk below. The light from the portholes stuck along the side of the ironclad shone out onto the black water.

He then noticed that the lights were slowly going out. At first he found it merely curious. He watched and started to note a pattern. It looked to be going off one after another. It wasn't really that late. Did sailors on this ship really have a curfew? That was strange. He idly went to the next porthole. The light flicked off there, but for a moment he swore he had seen Nina. He descended from the rear entrance. At this end of the hallway he couldn't see far enough down - for some reason the lights were also off in there. He saw the lights were even off behind him - though that was the engine room. That didn't seem quite right.

He held his hand against the wall, slowly making his way down the hallway. Ahead he could hear something.

[Stella Gaslight]

"Oh oh. A monster man I must have him."  Cackled the creature riding Nina's body.  Inside the true Nina dreamed a calming dream about siting in a garden with a lovey woman who was embroidering as she hummed a lullaby.  There were words in the song she tried to make since of until her skin crawled and she felt weak and scared for a moment.  The lady soothed her by brushing her hair and so Nina was pulled deeper in to the forced sleep.  Shadows hardened around her hands making wicked claws.  That lovely creature would have to be softened up before he could be fed off of but what a feast that would be. Oh yes how his powers would grow.  Gibbering softly it crept up on Kemp claws ready and body taunt and hungry looking.

[Nigel Wetherby]

The beast's hunt had been cut short as a searing blast of yellow pale light arose from the floor, searing the shadow's around the mysterious beast and dissolving its slowly hardening shell.
"Miss Nina!" Aven exclaimed, hefting another glowing glass orb as the oily pale liquid gave off its strong white light. Pain seized the parasite as light began to cut through the sheet of coagulated darkness.

"Compose yourself miss Nina! You are currently under the influence of a neurological parasitical organism! Attempt to compose yourself! Mister Kemp, would you be so kind as to do what you can to get the brightest light you can on the ship? I will seal off the blighter's escape!"
He hurled another orb, letting the glass tinkle musically as it hit the ground, bathing Nina's feet  and the floor around it in the luminous oils, a circle of light surrounded her, forcing the shadow-beast to remain in its nucleus.

[Stella Gaslight]

The light hurt so bad the thing inside Nina burst in to an unholy wail.  It called those in tombed inside it to come to it's aid and the drained crewmen did slowly, shambling like the dead.   Inside of her dream Nina could suddenly hear exactly what the lovely back haired lady was singing.  She needed to wake up because the day was dawning, and Nina tried depratley hard to do just that but the shadow tightened under her clothes trying to get her to move away from the light.

[Thorinis]

The unearthly scream that echoed through the ship sent a chill through him. Pushing open his door he heard the slow shuffling of the crew coming down the hall. Their eyes were glazed over and only half open and they did not even seem to notice him until he got in their way. All they did was move around him.  As half the crew was always on duty, that left only a few below deck with most being asleep. Following the scream down the corridor he made way to the brightly lit hallway where Miss Nina was surrounded by an extremely bright light as he easily passed up the crew members. "Um not sure what is going on but some of the crew which should be sleeping are coming this way. Not fast but enough that they will be here in a few minutes. What do you want me to do?"

The shambling crew moved faster then he thought as the first came around the corner toward them. Whatever it was in Miss Nina screamed again this time with an urgent tone to it. The crew member lurched forward reaching toward Mr. Aven whom seamed to be the cause of the creatures pain. It completely ignored Luther which was not a smart thing to do. As it reached past him he caught the man across the temple bouncing his head off the thick wooded passage causing him to slump to the floor. Seeing a storage room door, Luther grabbed the man's collar and tossed him inside hoping he had not killed him, but that he was beyond what ever had called it. He just completed this when two more came around the corner. "Something tells me sir this is going to be a bit more difficult then I thought." Still they ignored him and tried reaching past him. He knocked their heads together and as both slumped to the ground he repeated the process of tossing them into the storage room.

[Nigel Wetherby]

"Mister thormane, so glad you could join in on the festivities!" Aven declared, ducking the wild haymaker of a posessed midshipman, who was sent stumbling back by an open-palmed foreward strike to the chest, and brought to the floor by a left haymaker as the hissing parasite writhed in luminous pain.

"Please do me a bit of a favor and turn on any lights you can!" As Aven frantically searched for something stronger to bring more light, the captain charged at him, sword drawn as his massive form barelled towards him like an enraged bull. His sabre gleamed in the slight moonlight before the moon itself was swallowed up by clouds. Thinking fast, Aven hurled a glass vial of reddish fluid at the captain's blade, causing it to rust almost instantaniously and crumble as it struck his side, knocking Aven to the floor.

[Stella Gaslight]

Close to her skin, under her skirts, the agony lessened but it could not cross the luminous line But perhaps it would not have to.   It screamed once more and fell to the floor as if it had passed out. Then it accessed Nina's memories to spring a trap.  As soon as it was sure it had everyone's attention it pretended to wake up lost and confused.  "Aven  I can't see, my birds are gone and I can't see."  She tripped and started to fall in such a way that someone would have to step in to the ring of light to help her up and as soon as they were they would be infected and remove this blasted ring that pinned it there.

[Thorinis]

"There still coming, Only there coming from up above now too. I am also running out of room in the storage closet," called Luther as he grabbed the collar of the Captain throwing him back to bounce off a wall. He caught sight of Miss Nina falling out of the corner of his eye. He was about to grab her as he fell but Mr. Aven told him to not cross the circle. Even as Miss Nina hit the floor he stopped short just before the circle. Even as Nina woke up from the fall claiming not to be able to see anything she moved toward the edge of the circle. instead of passing threw she hit it like a brick wall. "Whats happening why am I stuck here where are my birds," with high panic in her voice?

"The creature is smart, but not that smart. Luther more light please if you can manage it without the crew getting close." Luther nodded and made his way forward knocking out those that came at him as he made way to another set of quarters.He Made his way inside, there were only the open face lights that were controlled by the light switches. Outside he made his back to the circle where Aven was, " All I am seeing sir is the electric lights from the rooms themselves."

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Kemp had slipped away but was now back. A couple of crew members tried to shamble into his path.

"Pshaw." he muttered. "I ain't no fancy monster killer but I can do just fine against a couple of mangy sea dogs." He delivered a beautiful right hook to the chin of one who flipped backwards onto the floor. A left jab to the stomach of the other followed by a well placed blow with the other hand caused the other one to crumple.

He arrived at where Aven was and with Nina in the circle, listening to them assessing the situation.

"Well, I've been back up to the deck." he said, drawing forth a large lantern that was shuttered. "This is a signal lantern. Damn bright. Course, being blind, I'm sure Ms. Nina wouldn't mind that?"

He watched as what seemed to be a column of shadow rose up, spitting and hissing curses.

"Pff. Trying to scare me? I've seen more terrifying things in people's basements that they'd charge you a few pennies to see." He squatted beside Nina, outside of the ring of light, hoisting the lantern up.

"Should I blast 'im now?" he asked.

[Stella Gaslight]

When it saw the lamp the creature felt fear since the first time since it had been called forth from the center darkness of the world.  Not even the darkness of her clothes could shield it from that light.  It dropped all pretense of being human and tried to claw the walls of it's prison.  It went so wild with fear the grip on the crewmen began to lessen and those stuffed in the storage closet moaned and then shouted as they came to.  The creature screamed as Kemp readied the lamp and bashed itself against the barrier it could not cross.  The dark haired lady was singing a different song now one of release and purification. Nina joined in and felt her mind clear, while her crows looked at the growing pool of shadows on the floor with something like disgust.  Then the lamp was ready and Kemp yelled for everyone to cover their eyes.  With a sharpness like brain freeze Nina broke the hold over her mind and came to just in time to see her captor burn away in the light like it was the surface of the sun.  She moved her skirts as to not get the bubbling ichor on them.  "Goodness what a nasty little thing!" She exclaimed falling backwards out of the ring of light.  Her body felt weak and shaky but her mind was her own again.

[Nigel Wetherby]

Aven took a beaker and a small scoop, sweeping up the dust that was once a horrid parasite and stopping up the beaker with a cork before placing it in his case.

"Well, that was a rather educational experience for the lot of us. I had no idea shadowcrawlers were around this area of Europe, they usually keep to Spain."
He assisted the floored captain to his feet, who nursed a dime-sized bump on the back of his head, though it was nothing too severe.

"Sir, we may need to make port, as it appears this creatures intent was to sabotage your ship. Should we want to minimize casualty, I would suggest we make port in italy. There is a small town by the name of Cicagne which should provide us with the supplies we require, it is a fishing town, so it will have plenty of knowledge in the ways of watercraft."
Aven polished a fleck of glowing residue from his glasses with a patch of soft material, which glowed afterward.

[Vancouver Air Privateer]

Kemp reached down and offered a hand to Nina.

"You alright lass?" he asked. He was glad the situation was over. Had the crewmembers kept fighting him, he may have had to... let the taint do some of the talking, so to speak. God knows what would have happened if he had been possessed by the shadow demon. He hoped that the others weren't too weak-hearted to not kill him as quickly as possible in that terrifying scenario.

"I think Ms. Nina and all of us would rather have left out the educational part if it meant not running into that thing." he retorted to Aven's comment. "But it's good to see what we're fighting. Figure it's our old friend Mr. Book-Stealer?"

[Stella Gaslight]

"Thank you Mr. Kemp.  I feel about as strong as a wet cardboard man at the moment.  I think that creature took a healthy swig of me while it was moving about in it's borrowed skin. If it isn't the book thief I hate to think what we must have riled up to earn such a guest."  She leaned heavily on both the wall and Kemp.  Demos fluttered down fussing and grooming her messy hair.  He was puffed up with lingering fear for his mistress.  Phobos flew as near Kemp Necker as she dared and then a small bobbing dance to show appreciation and then flew over to coo at her mistress with Demos.  They were strange glad things.  "If I can stand when we go ashore I wish to gather supplies and make charm bags to keep those creatures away. My Nana Lafayette used to use them to keep those that prowl the swamp away from her chickens,  The herbs inside mix and make a kind of repellent.  As far as I have ever researched the science is sound and it works against most small opportunist creatures and a few larger ones.  It isn't perfect but it is something at least."