BS7 Finale!
The dark waves slowly rocked an empty ship from side to side as they gently lapped their rhythm against the wooden planks with hollow thuds. A light rain began to fall and a gentle breeze picked up, rippling the mainsail in the air. Had one been looking down from above, one would have seen two small boats approaching the large ship from either side, each loaded with two passengers. Each boat carried an otter with a vermin cohort, and each was headed straight for the ship.
With a gentle thud, Keyla's boat nudged the ship's starboard side and a rope fell down from above. It was as if the ship had been calling him. Swiftly ascending, both otter and stoat looked at the boat secured below and the towed up the rope.
Philippi's boat had done likewise on the port side of the old massive ship and a rope ladder descended to meet him and his pine marten mercenary. The otter gave a roguish smile and quickly traversed the woven rungs with mercenary close behind. The rain began to come down a bit harder and the wind picked up ever so slightly as Philippi looked across the ship and saw his opponent on the other side.
Both otters' eyes met in a fierce glare and both chose otter javelins and a large shield from their armaments. The two mercenaries were already moving, but in opposite directions. Bladegut went to the forward of the ship and ascended the stairs above the captain's quarters. The pine marten headed to the stern of the ship.
Philippi flung his javelin first, but before it struck the deck two of Keyla's had buried themselves near him. The two otters circled and paused when each had their mercenaries to their backs. Both otter grinned slightly, and Keyla put paw to his saber.
Philippi did likewise, shifting paw to his light blade and slashing deftly at the air. The two otters charged and met near the main staff of the ship. The otters slashed, thrusted, and parried, metal clashed upon metal as darkness crept in about the ship. It was as if the ship had been taken back into the old days as swashbuckling sounds filled the air. Sword upon sword, the clanging of metal radiated out from the ship.
Keyla bashed his shield against Philippi's sending him back a pace or two. Philippi retreated back a step farther to get his sword back in ready position, but his footpaw smashed through a rotten board, sending him to the deck.
Keyla pounced, but Philippi was about to pull his footpaw free and roll just in time to avoid the attack. Philippi brought his saber down on Keyla's footpaw with tremendous force, slicing through her boots and severing off her toes. With a yelp of pain, the otter stepped back and looked at his footpaw with confusion as smoke emitted from it, his wound seared shut by Philippi's strange sword. Philippi got back on his feet just as Keyla sheathed his saber. With a flick of the wrists, Keyla donned his blade claws and then flipped his shield into position on his back.
Setting caution to the wind, Keyla went at Philippi with two bladed paws, lashing out with both paws at a time. Philippi was taken aback and parried one thrust with his saber and the other with his shield. Keyla kept up his furious assault and slowly Philippi was tiring of his defense. Keyla's head butt knocked Philippi to the deck once more and Keyla brought his claws back to strike.
Just then, the sound of the wood moaning caused Keyla to look behind him. Without mercy the large jib of the main mast smashed into the otter, sending him flying. Shogun Vaishek had flung his knife at the perfect time, severing the roped that had been holding the jib in place.
Keyla looked dazed as Philippi approached, and all Keyla could do was stumble backwards towards the cabin door as he swigged a potion. As Philippi charged a blur came from above. Keyla's mercenary landed the perfect kick, spiked boots directly to the chest. The stoat tried struggled for a moment, but finally removed his spikes from Philippi's leather armor.
Shogun Vaishek's knife cut Bladegut's whip in half as it swung at his master, the metal tip falling to the deck. Pine Marten met Stoat as the battle heated up and soon the two otters had returned to a level playing field.
The rain was tapering off and the sky above was beginning to lighten as Philippi lashed out at Keyla with his whip. Keyla charged in, but his bladed paw was quickly wrapped in leather as Philippi's whip encircled it. Giving a sharp tug, Philippi sent Keyla sprawling to the deck. Keyla quickly slashed out with her other blade claw, slicing the whip into two pieces. The paw still encircled in half a whip came up to meet Philippi's saber in a metallic clash.
Philippi kicked Keyla and the otter continued to rolled with the momentum.
Shogun Vaishek was far too quick for Bladegut, so the stoat made a few provisions to slow the marten down. As the two creatures went up the stairs above the main cabin, Bladegut tossed a pouch at the marten, who slashed it with blade claws before he could realize what he had done. The pouch split but its contents continued onward, launching a cloud of green dust into the air around him. Sputtering, the pine marten quickly swigged a potion and covered his mouth. Through the greenish haze came Bladegut charging as fast as he could with his shield in front. The shogun was caught completely off guard as he was buffeted backwards and crashed over the railings and down to the ship deck next to Philippi. The pine marten barely had time to react as the stoat jumped from above...
Ignoring his mercenary's fall, Philippi pursued his quarry to the edge of the ship, at the railing near where Keyla had boarded. Saber met claws as the two fought furiously onward. At odd intervals each weapon would perform some sort of dazzling trick, but each time it was countered by something equally amazing from the other. The battle was a veritable standstill, until...
Shogun Vaishek rolled to the side as Bladegut's scimitar slashed downward, burying itself in the deck. The stoat had Vaishek on the defensive. Vaishek kicked out ineffectively as he footpaw stubbed itself on Bladegut's boots. Vaishek parried a blow from the scimitar and quickly flung a knife at his opponent. The knife grazed over the nearby stoat's shoulder and sailed towards the sea until it struck an otter.
Philippi cringed as the knife struck him from behind. Involuntarily lunging forward, the otter's quirky movement caused his shield to clash against Keyla's and sent Keyla over the railings.
Philippi quickly withdrew the knife and used a healing potion. Spinning about, he flung the knife at Bladegut, burying itself in the stoat's should just as he was about to strike again.
In his fall, Keyla had caught hold of the rope he had used to board the ship and slid down it until he landed lightly on his boat. Knowing that all hope of ascending it again was foolish, as Philippi would sever the rope while he was dangerously high up, Keyla dove into the depths below the massive ship.
As Bladegut cringed in pain, Vaishek seized his chance and slashed out with his bladeclaws to the stoat's neck. Blood streamed forth, showering the marten in crimson. And yet the dying stoat was smiling, for as Vaishek slashed out in his fervor, he had left his own heart exposed and the stoat's scimitar had not erred in its final strike.
The two vermin bodies hit the deck with a thud. Quickly attending to his mercenary, Philippi rushed over, but it was too late. Both creatures had died nearly instantly, both believing he had outdone the other and neither realizing that in doing so he had condemned himself. Philippi cursed over Vaishek's corpse before rolling both beasts over the deck for a burial at sea.
And so Philippi waited. He had seen Keyla escape into the sea before he could launch a javelin, but with such a large ship there was no telling where Keyla could be now. Philippi waited carefully, withdrawing to the captain's cabin, where nobeast could sneak up unexpectedly. Philippi cautiously dined on whatever he had in his pack to spare, and yet nothing came.
All the while Philippi was waiting inside, a fire had started on the deck directly above him from the outside. Seeing the red reflection in the sea outside, Philippi quickly exited the cabin.
Rushing from the cabin, Philippi turned about and saw the deck above the captain's cabin in flames. Had he waited longer, it all could have collapsed upon him. Keyla vaulted from above and landed beside Philippi, slashing out with bladed claws again, but this time with shield equipped.
Philippi parried the unexpected blow awkwardly and stumbled backward a pace. Keyla slashed out again, but this time Philippi blocked with his shield.
Philippi went on the offensive then. Slashing deftly with his saber, metal clashed upon metal as Keyla blocked with his shield. And then proceeded to strike with his bladeclaws and be blocked likewise.
Philippi and Keyla danced across the deck, lunging, thrusting, slashing, and parrying. Each took a few steps forward, and then retreated a few paces back, but slowly the two made their way to the ship's stern.
Philippi lashed out at Keyla, and this time her claws were a bit late, deflecting the blow after it sliced the right arm protector off of her armor. Keyla grimaced as he anticipated blood drawn, but eased up as his parry was just in time, but his arm was now exposed.
Keyla slashed out with both blade claws at once and then slashed out with both blade claws. As metal clashed upon metal, Keyla hit the deck with a spinning kick, knocking Philippi off of his footpaws.
Quick as can be, Keyla tightly wrapped a rope laying on the deck about Philippi's left foot paw. Returning to his feet, Keyla quickly lashed out at Philippi who rolled to his left and then rose too. It'd take too much time to get out of even such a simple tangle as his footpaw was in when time was so precious, so Philippi just struggled a bit with the rope.
Philippi circled about Keyla, parrying Keyla's blows as he struggled with his caught footpaw. Philippi used a large anvil to keep space between themselves, circling about the outside of the anvil while keeping Keyla to the inside. Continuing around the anvil, Philippi parried yet another trust. Philippi knocked Keyla back a step when he slammed his sword pommel hard into Keyla's chest after a parry, and seized his opportunity.
Slicing the rope about his footpaw in the blink of an eye, Philippi quickly drew a javelin and flung it. The anchor had been precariously balanced on the ship's edge for quite some time. Keyla had been trying to use it to his advantage when he trapped Philippi's footpaw in its rope, but he knew that the rope was too long and Philippi would sever the rope off his footpaw before the slack ran out and thus he worked to keep Philippi occupied until the opportune time. But little did Keyla know that Philippi too had plans for the anchor.
As the javelin soared past Keyla, he smiled defiantly, unaware that Philippi had sent the heavy anchor topping overboard. Had he even seen it, Keyla wouldn't have realized in time that Philippi's circling of him caused his foot paw to become encircled in rope and as the slack ran out, the circle close in on his footpaw.
With a yelp, Keyla realized what was happening too late. He felt the rope close tight about his foot paw and he headed overboard.
Philippi grinned as he heard the splash of the anchor followed by the second splash of Keyla's body hitting the sea. His smile grew when the third, and largest splash greeted his ears. As Philippi passed by the avil, he had looped a section of spare rope over the end of it, and all had gone to plan. Carried overboard by the weight of Keyla and the anchor, the anvil followed the rope and those that went before it, directly on top on anybeast below.
Philippi walked to the ship's edge and looked down just in time to see the javelin shoot into his chest. Keyla smiled wickedly as Philippi's eyes opened wide with shock. Philippi plummeted overboard, paws clasping the javelin in his chest. Philippi let go of the javelin that he had buried into the side of the ship. The ship was too high out of the water to carry him down to the water, so as he fell, he flung his weight to one side and stuck a javelin into the ship there, anticipating the coming anvil. Keyla descended the anchor rope to retrieve his pack, floating just to the side of where the anvil had gone under, after all, Keyla had needed a convincing second splash...