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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arcturion" data-source="post: 3743885" data-attributes="member: 54632">1.2 Hommes OptareEdging slowly backwards, Eltera’s gaze never left the skeletal creature before her. She felt the fabric of the fallen blanket at her feet and set her body lower in a half standing crouch, every muscle poised to spring into action. Calling out Rentiki’s name louder each time she spoke, the dark aelf could not be even sure if her voice would carry past the double wooden doors and the chorus of voices beyond them. She expected her words were Svarined out by the raucous sailors’ bawdy singing.There was no other option left. When Eltera shouted the Daoshan Captain’s name a third time, the fleshless serpent chose that moment to lunge forth, baring its fangs. Quick as lightning, the dark aelf kicked back one bare foot and swept the blanket forward and up into her waiting hand, twisting her body to one side to easily avoid the skeletal snake’s midair strike. She reached forth with her other hand to grab at the opposite end of the blanket but was not fast enough to trap the creature within its folds. She felt rather than saw the serpent go limp as its body once again broke apart into a hundred little pieces of flying bone that escaped her makeshift net in all directions.Whirling the sheet around her shoulders like a shroud, Eltera danced back a few steps toward the table and used the fabric to shield herself from the tiny myriad missiles from hitting any bare skin. Unharmed, the dark aelf snapped one corner of the blanket away from her just as the snake’s skeleton began to reform again, its ivory-white parts rattling softly. Whole once more, the creature spun lazily through the air, its ribs and spine arcing with an undulating motion.Steeling herself, Eltera made sure that her fingers had grasped the blanket securely this time, recognizing the feint masked within her strange adversary’s deceptively slow movements. Without warning, the undead serpent dove at her again from the left side but the dark aelf was ready for it. She threw her arm up and over her head, twisting the sheet as well as her body just in time to snag the creature within the folds as it lunged past. Wasting no time in gathering up the opposite ends of the blanket, Eltera closed the improvised net around her opponent, snaring it completely.Before the dark aelf could even allow herself a shout of triumph, the skeletal serpent hissed silently and strained against the fabric with a strength that took her by surprise. Eltera was nearly pulled off balance by the struggling creature but somehow managed to keep herself upright. Shuffling bare feet across the smooth wooden floorboards, she was helpless as the snake dragged her toward the center of the cabin. Not to be outdone, the dark aelf leapt up into the air and landed gracefully upon the surface of the table lest her stomach be driven into its rounded, well-carved edge.The sound of heavy footsteps greeted her ears just before the double doors were thrown wide open, accompanied by a bewildered Rentiki as he strode into the room. “Cat, where are you? What’s going on in here?” the man bellowed, gaping momentarily at the chaotic scene before him.From the corner of her eye, the Daoshan Captain looked exactly as Eltera last saw him, minus his bone necklace. Still struggling atop the table with the creature trapped with her blanket, she could spare the man no more than a quick glance. “Rentiki!” the dark aelf cried. “Do something!”Thunderstruck, Rentiki blinked up at Eltera for what seemed like an eternity before throwing up a meaty hand and uttering strange words under his breath. The double doors groaned and abruptly slammed shut behind him, seemingly without any intervention on his part. “Orpheus!” the Captain’s voice rumbled. “Enough! Go back to sleep, you rascal!”At that, the struggling within the folds of Eltera’s sheet stopped as the creature within suddenly went limp. Letting out a breath, the dark aelf lowered her aching arms and stared down from the table as a lifeless bone necklace tumbled out from the folds of her trap to land on the floor with a dull clatter. She still gripped the empty blanket in both hands when she turned around to face her would-be savior.“I am truly sorry, Cat,” Rentiki began, sounding sheepish. “Orpheus tends to be rather forceful when he feels like playing.” The Captain shrugged his broad shoulders and balled his fists against the sides of his equally ample midsection. “I told him to merely keep watch over you as you slept but sometimes familiars have a mind of their own, you see.”Catching her breath, Eltera could feel the man’s dark eyes playing over the lines of her body. She was suddenly aware that he was staring at the bare skin of her legs with open admiration and something else in his expression she couldn’t quite place, the woolen fabric of her shift leaving relatively little to the imagination.“Well, it seems you’ve found me out, dear Cataya, if that truly is your real name,” the large Daoshan continued gently. “I must admit that the reason for keeping your secret hidden is just as good as mine, if not better. After all, one does what one must to survive. Still, a dark aelf who walks the surface world by day, that is truly something to behold! I scarcely believe it myself! Even so, I can understand and forgive your deception. I only hope you can find it within your heart to do the same for mine.”With that, Rentiki’s left hand drifted toward the gold-plated grip of his flintlock pistol, the weapon stuffed into the sash around his barrel-shaped waist. Appearing all too calm, he drew the firearm and aimed its barrel straight at Eltera’s chest as he cocked the hammer back with a resounding click.</blockquote>

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