Captain Halloway pauses before the shredded door of the galley, the lantern light shivering against the dark, slick stains trailing across the splintered floorboards. He grips the frame, his knuckles white, peering into the gloom where the silence feels heavy and wrong.
Captain Halloway
Please, let them be alive. Just one of them, tucked away in the dark.
Arion Touvengard
Move aside. The stain is fresh, but the spirit that left it has already dissipated.
Arion Touvengard
The host is sluggish. This vessel requires my direct presence to hunt, but my strength bleeds away with every moment I remain bound to this meat.
Arion steps past the captain, his movements unnatural and stiff, like a marionette being yanked by invisible threads. Teal light ripples faintly under the skin of his forearm as he grips the hilt of his ancient blade, eyes scanning the wreckage for the lingering warmth of a soul.
+ Scene Quest Added
Find survivors in the galley
“Arion checks the blood and attemps to track where the crew is hiding from any disturbance caused in it or to the surrounding galley.”
PARTIAL (Poor Perception, rolled +1)
Arion kneels, pressing a stiff, bloodless palm against the slick wooden planks. He closes his eyes, trying to sense the resonance of the fleeing souls, but the ship groans violently, a rhythmic grinding that masks the subtle threads of magic.
Arion Touvengard
The vibration is maddening. My senses are dull, like trying to feel the pulse of a mountain through a shroud of lead.
Suddenly, the teal energy in his forearm flares, but instead of illuminating the room, it lashes out, overcharging the structural rot of the ship. A support beam above the captain snaps with a sound like a pistol shot.
Captain Halloway
Watch out!
Halloway dives, but the wood splinters into a shower of jagged debris that rains down between them, effectively sealing off the entrance to the inner hold. Arion remains perfectly upright, his expression blank, as a heavy timber swings on a broken hinge directly toward his head.
“Arion advances towards the pantry, upon openimg it revealing one of the beasts that had been caged in the cargo hold munching on one of the lost crew while the rest of the crew watch it shocked horror. Arion quickly blitzes forth blade a blur as it strikes down the famished beast.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Melee Combat, rolled +0)
Arion ignores the splintering timber, his form fluid yet stiff as he pivots toward the pantry. With a sharp, rhythmic stride, he kicks the door wide. Inside, the dim light reveals a malformed horror, its jaws slick with crimson, tearing into the remains of a crewman. The survivors huddle in the corner, paralyzed by the sight.
Arion Touvengard
Target identified. Termination imminent.
Teal light erupts from Arion’s blade, casting long, frantic shadows. He moves with impossible speed, a blur of motion that closes the distance before the beast can howl. He strikes downward in a singular, crystalline arc. Steel cleaves through sinew and bone, silencing the creature’s feeding.
Captain Halloway
You... you just cut through that thing like it was parchment.
Arion stands over the carcass, his blade humming with residual energy, teal light dripping onto the blood-soaked floorboards.
Arion Touvengard
The vessel holds firm for now. But the cost is mounting.
Quest Complete
Find survivors in the galley
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Poor→Mediocre