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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lars Frehse" data-source="post: 352403" data-attributes="member: 1674">Chapter 11: Strange Bedfellows- part 4 of 4Once they were out on the open sea, they picked up speed. Each of the crewmen and -women were able to fulfill their tasks without much talk. They were efficient enough to make it look like they had worked together on this ship for over a century- and since they were forsaken elves, this wasn't even that unlikely at all.For the heroes, the time on the ship was pleasantly boring. All there was to see for the first days was the endless red ocean and the only thing they had to take care of was to not stand in the way. Meanwhile, Captain Khemaitas was mercurial like the sea- one moment he would be friendly and likeable just to turn cold and and distant the next moment.During the first night on sea, Trepat left his cabin in order to pass water overboard. As he reached deck, he noticed something peculiar: Captain Khemaitas seemed to be talking to someone who was just below and beyond the front of the ship. Then, Trepat saw that the captain was actually talking to the vessel's figurehead, the Ghost Maid herself and that she was talking as well. Her sad and elegant face was turned to face the captain, and she seemed to be chatting amiably.The noise of the water and the creaking of the masts was louder than their talking, and the moment they noticed Trepat's presence, the figurehead reverted to it's original, lifeless form. Khemaitas turned casually around, and, acting as if nothing had happened he said:" Beautiful night, ain't it?"Trepat, who decided to play along, nodded:" Sure. After the stench of Mithril, the air is especially nice."."Yes, of course. I can't stand that place for too long, either. There is nothing that beats living on the sea... You are lucky, though. There are usually fierce storms raging over the bloodsea in the autumm... But if you do whatever you have to do on Thalien swiftly enough, we might make it back to Mithril before the storms.".They watched the sea together for a while, and then, Trepat returned to his cabin.On the next day, the weather remained calm and they were swiftly cutting through the waves. Donanngar and Khemaitas where standin right where Trepat had seen the elvish captain in the night before and they were deep in conversation.All of the heroes were on deck, enjoying the sun, as all of a sudden they noticed several huge fins cutting through the water alongside their ship. They could hardly see the shapes of the creatures under the backfins, but each of them seemed to be about eight feet long.Apparently, the crewmen had noticed the fins as well. They all armed themselves with composite longbows- it was obvious that they were expecting trouble. Warily, the heroes pulled out their ranged weapons as well, as all of a sudden the wind stopped blowing. With the sails hanging limp, the boat soon lost all speed until it was lazily rocking on the sea.The creatures in the water slowed down alongside the ship, and after they had stopped, they emerged with their upper bodies out of the water. They were green colored fish-like creatures who's red eyes were burning with the fire of a cold and cruel intellect. In their arms, they were holding large harpoon-like spears which they were holding up in their hands, ready to throw. Here they were, the creatures that they had heard so many gruesome tales about back in Mithril: Pisceans.Among them, in front of the ship, there was a black scaled  Piscean, who was two feet taller than the rest and who seemed to be their leaders. Half of his body was above the water as he shouted:" Give us your gold or we will take your ship and your lives.".Khemaitas started to answer, but before he could utter the first word, Donnangar was already holding his composite bow in his hands. He shot rapidly at the black scaled piscean, and each time one of the arrows was let loose, he was already cocking the next one. Soon, the Orc had spiked his enemy with arrows and a general battle ensued.The Piscean's tactic was simple: They used their harpoons to pull their victims into the ocean, where they could easily drown them. Meanwhile, everyone on board was shooting back, occasionaly helping their neighbors when they got hit by a harpoon. Two of the crewmen were wizards, and they shot lightning into the water. The electricity exploded once it hit the water, injuring several of the surrounding Pisceans at once.The heroes fought as good as they could as well. Then, Trepat and Niklas were both hit by one of the Pisceans. Immediately, their friends were with them, cutting the ropes of the spears. Now, both weren't in danger of getting pulled into the ocean anymore, but the weapons were still sticking in their bodies.Torn pulled the harpoon out of Niklas, and after Ben had taken care of the deep wound that was bleeding where the harpoon used to enter his shoulder, he went over to Trepat. The elf was hit in the stomach and was barely concious anymore. With one violent motion, he jerked the harpoon free. Fortunately, mercifull darkness surrounded Trepat then, saving him from the pain.The battle raged on as the heroes were trying to fend for themselves. Already, two of the crewmen were overboard, their bodies drawn into unfathomable dephts. Each of the Pisceans who lost his harpoon disappeared underwater only to reappear after a short while with a new one. Then, everything grew silent. Donanngar had hit their leader, who had been flinging spells against the ship, right between the eyes, and the giant Pisceans fell backwards, dead.Since they had already lost almost a dozen green pisceans as well, this was enough to break the attacker's morale, and as soon as the Pisceans had disappeared, the wind picked up again and they were able to sail away.For the next day, they were wary about a new Piscean attack, but it never came, and eventually, they reached Thalien, where they hid the ship between some small islands within the delta of the island's biggest river.</blockquote>

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