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<blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 7549325" data-attributes="member: 143"><p>Chapter 244</p><p></p><p>The storm assaulted the <em>Golden Gull</em>, the vessel bouncing over waves that rose higher than the ship’s decks, cresting each one only to plummet down into the trough to await the next.</p><p></p><p>In their tiny cabin Bredan and his companions huddled miserably. Kosk huddled over a bucket in the corner, while Quellan was just a limp form in his bunk. The half-orc had finally used a rope to fasten himself in place after the fifth time the bucking ship had hurled him from the narrow bed. It was loud, the sounds of the waves striking the hull like a battering ram, the shriek of the wind clear despite the thick layers of wood that separated them from the storm’s fury.</p><p></p><p>With an effort, Bredan managed to lift his head from his bunk. He could see Rodan lying in the hammock that he had gotten from a member of the crew. The swaying of it threatened to unleash a fresh wave of nausea, even though Bredan doubted he had anything left he could throw up. They’d all visited the bucket, and the floor was slick with vomit that hadn’t made it that far.</p><p></p><p>“You seem rather calm,” Bredan said. He almost had to shout for it to be heard over the din of the storm.</p><p></p><p>Rodan looked at him. The distinctive outline of his horns was clearly visible even in the poor light. “There’s nothing we can do in any case,” the tiefling said.</p><p></p><p>It was similar to what Bredan had told Glori earlier, but it was harder to cling to equanimity when the room was bouncing and sliding around you. Bredan pushed himself up. “I’m going to check on Glori and Xeeta,” he said. His first effort to stand failed, but after waiting a moment to gauge the shifting of the deck he was able to get upright.</p><p></p><p>Rodan sighed. “Hold on, I’ll help…”</p><p></p><p>He was interrupted as the entire ship suddenly lurched heavily. A new sound overpowered the background roaring of the storm, and for a moment Bredan thought that the ship was being torn apart. But the sea remained outside, and the sound was not repeated. The violent rolling of the deck continued, but the pitch of it had changed, and the angle of the cabin remained off, as if the entire ship had been laid almost on its side.</p><p></p><p>“What was that?” Bredan asked.</p><p></p><p>“Nothing good!” Rodan returned.</p><p></p><p>Bredan was already heading for the door, while Rodan extracted himself from his hammock and followed. They could hear Quellan shouting a question, but it was lost over the unabated noise of the sea and wind.</p><p></p><p>Bredan hesitated at the door to Glori and Xeeta’s room, but shouts from the hatch at the end of the corridor drew him forward. Rodan caught up to him as his hand closed on the handle. “Wait!” the tiefling said.</p><p></p><p>“The ship may be sinking!” Bredan yelled back.</p><p></p><p>“It might, but you’ll accomplish nothing if you’re flung into the ocean!” Rodan produced something, a coil of rope that had metal hooks at each end. Bredan had no idea where he’d gotten it, but he let Rodan hook one end onto his belt. The other went around a metal ring set into the wall beside the hatch. “You’re good!” he said.</p><p></p><p>Bredan nodded in acknowledgement, then pushed the hatch open.</p><p></p><p>The full fury of the storm struck him like a punch from a giant. The deck of the ship was awash with water, and the intensity of the wind threw a considerable amount of it into Bredan’s face. He’d thought it had been loud below, but up here it was deafening, a wall of noise that for a moment overpowered his senses. It was all he could do to hang on to the faring of the hatch and remain there, stunned by the intensity of the storm.</p><p></p><p>After what felt like an hour but was actually just a few seconds, he shook his head clear and looked around. He saw the source of the <em>Gull’s</em> trouble immediately. The main mast had snapped, dragging its cargo of sails and ropes over the edge of the ship. It was those anchors that were keeping the thing from sliding into the sea. The weight of it was what was causing the heavy list, dragging the battered ship toward the roiling waves.</p><p></p><p>Bredan was no sailor, but he could see that the <em>Gull</em> would not survive long with that dead weight pulling it down. He looked for the Captain, but could not even see the platform on the aft deck through the chaos of the storm. There were men trying to cut the mast free, but they were having understandable difficulty given the circumstances. Even as he watched a wave struck the ship, washing over the lower deck and sending men sprawling.</p><p></p><p>To go out into that was madness. But if the ship went over, it was almost certain that they would all die.</p><p></p><p>He rushed out into to the frenzy of the storm. He made it barely three steps before he slipped and fell hard onto the swaying deck. The water rushing across tugged him toward the starboard rail, where the falling mast had torn a massive opening. For a moment it looked as if the sea was rushing toward him, then he felt a hard jerk and came to a stop.</p><p></p><p>For a heartbeat he didn’t know what was going on, then he remembered the rope. He used it to pull himself up, grateful to Rodan for his foresight. He began to drag himself toward the base of the mast. He could see where the wood had snapped, not far above where it rose from the deck. But the break had not been clean, and part of the mast was still anchored to the ship. Half-crawling, half-climbing, he managed to make his way there.</p><p></p><p>Rodan materialized at his side. Somehow the tiefling had found an axe, and he clearly divined Bredan’s intent. “We have to cut it free!” he shouted.</p><p></p><p>Bredan nodded, and summoned his sword into his hands.</p><p></p><p>His first blow went wild, and he nearly lost the sword. That would have only delayed him, but he forced himself to focus on his task despite the confusion that swirled around him. Another wave crashed over the side as he struck again, but he ignored it, ignored the water that tugged as his legs as he slammed his sword repeatedly into the bend of bent wood that still connected the mast to the ship. On the far side Rodan echoed his blows with his axe.</p><p></p><p>Finally, after what felt like an eternity of hacking, the mast tore free. Bredan almost followed it as the ship lurched again, but the rope allowed him to catch himself before he fell. He grabbed hold of Rodan, who he saw was not anchored as he was; the tiefling had given his only protection to him.</p><p></p><p>Their victory, however, had not been complete. The mast, he saw, had hung up on the edge of the deck. There were ropes that were still holding it, still dragging them after it. Some of those were on the very edge of the deck, right on the precipice where the hungry sea waited.</p><p></p><p>Bredan raised his sword and prepared to rush toward the nearest of the ropes, but before he could begin there was a bright flash. At first he thought that there had been an explosion, but as the flames flickered out he saw that it was Xeeta, anchored in the hatchway by Glori. Bredan didn’t think that the sorceress’s fire could do much within the storm, but as he blinked away the afterimages he saw that part of the rail where some of the ropes had been anchored was now gone.</p><p></p><p>Another large figure lumbered across the deck, and Bredan saw that it was Quellan. The cleric was holding a cutlass in one meaty fist, and as they watched he used it to hack through another lump of tangled ropes. The mast was starting to tear free now, and Bredan and Rodan helped it along by targeting more taut ropes further back along the deck. Some of the other sailors were cutting more, including a long length of sail that had gotten tangled up with some of the foremast rigging, and finally with a last groaning crash the mast tore free and disappeared beneath the waves.</p><p></p><p>Free of that dead weight, the <em>Gull</em> seemed to spring back up, the deck lurching under their feet. Bredan went down again, as did Rodan. The two of them started sliding across the deck, but Bredan dropped his sword and seized hold of the tiefling before the next wave could drag them toward the broken rail. He could feel the rope as it grew taut, and then they were sliding over the deck toward the hatch. He looked up to see Kosk pulling on the rope, his face a hard mask of effort as he drew them in. As they reached the hatch Glori and Xeeta reached up and pulled them up.</p><p></p><p>“Quellan!” Bredan said.</p><p></p><p>“He’s okay!” Glori said. She pointed back toward the corridor, where they could see the half-orc kneeling in a sodden heap. The others staggered back to join him, Kosk pausing to muscle the hatch shut again behind him.</p><p></p><p>They just collapsed there for a moment, breathing heavily after their exertions. “Think that’ll be enough?” Glori finally asked.</p><p></p><p>“Gods above, I hope so,” Bredan said. “I definitely don’t want to ever do anything like that again.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lazybones, post: 7549325, member: 143"] Chapter 244 The storm assaulted the [i]Golden Gull[/i], the vessel bouncing over waves that rose higher than the ship’s decks, cresting each one only to plummet down into the trough to await the next. In their tiny cabin Bredan and his companions huddled miserably. Kosk huddled over a bucket in the corner, while Quellan was just a limp form in his bunk. The half-orc had finally used a rope to fasten himself in place after the fifth time the bucking ship had hurled him from the narrow bed. It was loud, the sounds of the waves striking the hull like a battering ram, the shriek of the wind clear despite the thick layers of wood that separated them from the storm’s fury. With an effort, Bredan managed to lift his head from his bunk. He could see Rodan lying in the hammock that he had gotten from a member of the crew. The swaying of it threatened to unleash a fresh wave of nausea, even though Bredan doubted he had anything left he could throw up. They’d all visited the bucket, and the floor was slick with vomit that hadn’t made it that far. “You seem rather calm,” Bredan said. He almost had to shout for it to be heard over the din of the storm. Rodan looked at him. The distinctive outline of his horns was clearly visible even in the poor light. “There’s nothing we can do in any case,” the tiefling said. It was similar to what Bredan had told Glori earlier, but it was harder to cling to equanimity when the room was bouncing and sliding around you. Bredan pushed himself up. “I’m going to check on Glori and Xeeta,” he said. His first effort to stand failed, but after waiting a moment to gauge the shifting of the deck he was able to get upright. Rodan sighed. “Hold on, I’ll help…” He was interrupted as the entire ship suddenly lurched heavily. A new sound overpowered the background roaring of the storm, and for a moment Bredan thought that the ship was being torn apart. But the sea remained outside, and the sound was not repeated. The violent rolling of the deck continued, but the pitch of it had changed, and the angle of the cabin remained off, as if the entire ship had been laid almost on its side. “What was that?” Bredan asked. “Nothing good!” Rodan returned. Bredan was already heading for the door, while Rodan extracted himself from his hammock and followed. They could hear Quellan shouting a question, but it was lost over the unabated noise of the sea and wind. Bredan hesitated at the door to Glori and Xeeta’s room, but shouts from the hatch at the end of the corridor drew him forward. Rodan caught up to him as his hand closed on the handle. “Wait!” the tiefling said. “The ship may be sinking!” Bredan yelled back. “It might, but you’ll accomplish nothing if you’re flung into the ocean!” Rodan produced something, a coil of rope that had metal hooks at each end. Bredan had no idea where he’d gotten it, but he let Rodan hook one end onto his belt. The other went around a metal ring set into the wall beside the hatch. “You’re good!” he said. Bredan nodded in acknowledgement, then pushed the hatch open. The full fury of the storm struck him like a punch from a giant. The deck of the ship was awash with water, and the intensity of the wind threw a considerable amount of it into Bredan’s face. He’d thought it had been loud below, but up here it was deafening, a wall of noise that for a moment overpowered his senses. It was all he could do to hang on to the faring of the hatch and remain there, stunned by the intensity of the storm. After what felt like an hour but was actually just a few seconds, he shook his head clear and looked around. He saw the source of the [i]Gull’s[/i] trouble immediately. The main mast had snapped, dragging its cargo of sails and ropes over the edge of the ship. It was those anchors that were keeping the thing from sliding into the sea. The weight of it was what was causing the heavy list, dragging the battered ship toward the roiling waves. Bredan was no sailor, but he could see that the [i]Gull[/i] would not survive long with that dead weight pulling it down. He looked for the Captain, but could not even see the platform on the aft deck through the chaos of the storm. There were men trying to cut the mast free, but they were having understandable difficulty given the circumstances. Even as he watched a wave struck the ship, washing over the lower deck and sending men sprawling. To go out into that was madness. But if the ship went over, it was almost certain that they would all die. He rushed out into to the frenzy of the storm. He made it barely three steps before he slipped and fell hard onto the swaying deck. The water rushing across tugged him toward the starboard rail, where the falling mast had torn a massive opening. For a moment it looked as if the sea was rushing toward him, then he felt a hard jerk and came to a stop. For a heartbeat he didn’t know what was going on, then he remembered the rope. He used it to pull himself up, grateful to Rodan for his foresight. He began to drag himself toward the base of the mast. He could see where the wood had snapped, not far above where it rose from the deck. But the break had not been clean, and part of the mast was still anchored to the ship. Half-crawling, half-climbing, he managed to make his way there. Rodan materialized at his side. Somehow the tiefling had found an axe, and he clearly divined Bredan’s intent. “We have to cut it free!” he shouted. Bredan nodded, and summoned his sword into his hands. His first blow went wild, and he nearly lost the sword. That would have only delayed him, but he forced himself to focus on his task despite the confusion that swirled around him. Another wave crashed over the side as he struck again, but he ignored it, ignored the water that tugged as his legs as he slammed his sword repeatedly into the bend of bent wood that still connected the mast to the ship. On the far side Rodan echoed his blows with his axe. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of hacking, the mast tore free. Bredan almost followed it as the ship lurched again, but the rope allowed him to catch himself before he fell. He grabbed hold of Rodan, who he saw was not anchored as he was; the tiefling had given his only protection to him. Their victory, however, had not been complete. The mast, he saw, had hung up on the edge of the deck. There were ropes that were still holding it, still dragging them after it. Some of those were on the very edge of the deck, right on the precipice where the hungry sea waited. Bredan raised his sword and prepared to rush toward the nearest of the ropes, but before he could begin there was a bright flash. At first he thought that there had been an explosion, but as the flames flickered out he saw that it was Xeeta, anchored in the hatchway by Glori. Bredan didn’t think that the sorceress’s fire could do much within the storm, but as he blinked away the afterimages he saw that part of the rail where some of the ropes had been anchored was now gone. Another large figure lumbered across the deck, and Bredan saw that it was Quellan. The cleric was holding a cutlass in one meaty fist, and as they watched he used it to hack through another lump of tangled ropes. The mast was starting to tear free now, and Bredan and Rodan helped it along by targeting more taut ropes further back along the deck. Some of the other sailors were cutting more, including a long length of sail that had gotten tangled up with some of the foremast rigging, and finally with a last groaning crash the mast tore free and disappeared beneath the waves. Free of that dead weight, the [i]Gull[/i] seemed to spring back up, the deck lurching under their feet. Bredan went down again, as did Rodan. The two of them started sliding across the deck, but Bredan dropped his sword and seized hold of the tiefling before the next wave could drag them toward the broken rail. He could feel the rope as it grew taut, and then they were sliding over the deck toward the hatch. He looked up to see Kosk pulling on the rope, his face a hard mask of effort as he drew them in. As they reached the hatch Glori and Xeeta reached up and pulled them up. “Quellan!” Bredan said. “He’s okay!” Glori said. She pointed back toward the corridor, where they could see the half-orc kneeling in a sodden heap. The others staggered back to join him, Kosk pausing to muscle the hatch shut again behind him. They just collapsed there for a moment, breathing heavily after their exertions. “Think that’ll be enough?” Glori finally asked. “Gods above, I hope so,” Bredan said. “I definitely don’t want to ever do anything like that again.” [/QUOTE]
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