(19) Abandon Ship

((Action: Faust leads the way and fights the pirates.))

Faust took the lead, moving as swiftly as his feet would allow him.  Glancing over at Mercy, he had considered letting her go back for the shortsword, leaving them better armed for any fights, but in the end they had agreed that time was of the essence.  Leaping over and around debris, Faust made his way down the hall with Mercy close behind, towards the staircase that would lead them to the top deck where they could escape.  Just a little bit further and we’ll be free of this accursed-........ 

Faust’s thought was interrupted as the cabin door ahead of them exploded outward, sending wooden shards and dust into the hall.  Reacting quickly, Faust reached over and grabbed Mercy’s arm, trying to drag her behind an intact crate to their left.  He didn’t know what had caused the explosion, or if it’d be friend of foe that came out of that room, but he wasn’t taking the chance.  Turning to Mercy, he lifted a finger to his lips, indicating his intention of hiding quietly until the coast was clear.  He didn’t have to wait long, however, before he heard two people emerge from the room.  Though he couldn’t see them from behind the crate, Faust identified them as members of the pirate raiding party, overhearing their crude jokes about the people they had slain.  He could hear the pirates as they headed in the direction of the stairs, away from them, causing Faust to breathe a sigh of relief.

He was fully content to let the pirates pass.  Though it bothered him that those two spoke about the dead in such a manner, he wasn’t about to risk his life to avenge people he didn’t know.  Better them than us, I suppose.  Faust’s many years on the streets had taught him a thing or two about survival.  One of those lessons had been about picking his battles, and so he sat there waiting with Mercy behind the crate.

“Let them get further ahead of us.  If they’re going in the same direction, we’ll want some space between us so we don’t get seen.” He whispered to his mop-wielding partner.  This is for the best.  We can’t do anything with a mop and a broken axe. 

Indeed, he had been fully content to let them pass.  That is, he had been fully content until he heard the jingle of coins.  Peeking out from behind the crate, he inspected the two.  It was a man and a woman, and clothing-wise, they both looked normal in comparison to the stereotypically-clad pirate they had fought before, but that was of little importance to him.  Hanging from the belt of the female pirate was a large, nearly overflowing gold pouch.  Faust could feel his eyes widen with excitement.  Giving one sincerely apologetic look at Mercy, he got up and chased after them. 

It only took moments for Faust to catch up at the staircase.  Wielding the broken axe in one hand and his knife in the other, he pounced on the laughing pair of pirates.  With a forceful swing of the haft, he whacked the female pirate across the back of the head, sending her falling.  In another swift movement, he slashed out with his knife, severing the pouch from the owner’s belt.  Adrenaline and excitement fueling him, he quickly moved on to the male pirate, who had only now just taken notice of Faust’s attack.  However, it was too late for him.  Faust jumped forward and delivered a strong kick to the pirate’s backside, sending him crashing into the doorway.

Faust wasted no time, quickly grabbing up the gold pouch and tying it to his own belt before jumping back from the fight.  He brandished his weapons in front of him, preparing for the next exchange of blows.  Slowly, the female pirate got back on her feet and drew her sword, looking somewhat disoriented from the blow.  Her male companion, however, continued to lay on the ground, obviously still conscious but not fit to fight.

((Event:  Getting shot at when they go on top deck?  Y/N))

(18) Abandon Ship º5

Mercy straightened from her crouching position on the floor. As Faust followed up after her against the pirate (as it was confirmed to be), she looked around for the crewman that had been fighting here, her head shifting this way and that. She just managed to spot the blue-white striped back of the crewman disappearing around the opposing corner, and frowned. Where is he off to in such a hurry? Not even a thank you? Perhaps it was for the best, however. If they were going to ditch the ship by their lonesome, and effectively steal a lifeboat, they would want to alert neither pirate nor crewman. It wasn't as if Mercy cared particularly for them, anyway. Her goal was clear, and that's all that mattered at this point.

She brought her attention back to the fight, in time to see the pirate ungracefully hit the floor--too out of sorts, it wasn't likely he'd get up anytime soon. An odd scene, however, welcomed her wandering eyes. Faust's axe was embedded quite far into a support beam in the wall, which was thick enough to actually snap off the blade and leave the blunt spherical bit at the end. Eyes widened comically in surprise, at not only the sight of the axe but at the power needed to accomplish this feat, she was only brought back by the look on his face.

Her arrested giggles hopefully went unheard as he retrieved his axe from the wall.

“Well then…. This guy is probably not going anywhere.” Faust confirmed, nodding to her, and she adopted a neutral expression as she nodded back.

((Action: Mercy follows Faust.))

As soon as his back was turned, she smiled in amusement. Following him up the stairs however, that faded quickly. The clangs of weaponry reminded her of how outmatched and dangerous it was to be facing someone armed. Whether a sword or a blunt instrument, she would be forced to block any hits with her own body that she didn't manage to avoid, seeing as she was unarmed. With that thought in mind, as they neared the top of the staircase, she reached for the object leaning against the frame of the doorway.

A mop. “I guess beggars can't be choosers.” She gave a half-hearted laughed she didn't feel, grimly expecting to have to resort to her fists and kicks anyway. “You know what, Faust? I probably should have grabbed that shortsword, even if I've never used one in my life.”

Even if I went back, however, that'd be wasting more time. We don't know how or when the outcome of this battle will turn out. "But forget it, let's go." She added after reasoning with herself, shrugging helplessly.

((Event: [=Y] A pirate meets them ahead. Take it away, Faust.))

(17) Abandon Ship 4

Faust couldn't help but nearly burst into laughter after rounding the corner.   The sight of the pirate was just-…..   He could find no words to describe it.  It was as if he were an actor out of a play, his garb and appearance so strikingly that of a storybook pirate that it was almost silly.

Earlier, he had readied himself for the impending battle, fully prepared to cut down any foe that stood in their way.  He had never taken a life before, and truthfully he didn’t want to, but he had told himself that now was not the time to be hesitant about such things.  However, he didn’t expect to see this.

((Action: Follow up Mercy’s attack and head up the stairs.))

If not for Mercy’s attack, he would have paused unnecessarily, but seeing her land a devastating kick to the back of the pirate’s head helped him rush into action.  He dashed forward, in an effort to finish off the pirate before he recovered from the blow.  Once again, thoughts of shedding blood burdened his mind, but only for a second.  Raising his axe, Faust took a hard sideways swing at the pirate’s neck.

Faust blinked in confusion, a few seconds passing before he realized what happened.  The blow delivered by Marie had apparently caused a concussion, leading the pirate to lose his balance and fall the moment before Faust was to deliver the killing blow.  Looking down, the pirate lay groggily on the floor, having obvious trouble maintaining any sort of motor coordination or even the ability to focus his eyes.  In the meantime, Faust found the blade of his axe buried in the wooden wall, it having broken upon impact and leaving only a blunt metal stub at the head of the haft.

“Well then…. This guy is probably not going anywhere.”  Faust said with some uncertainty.  Nodding at his partner, he headed towards the stairs and ascended to the next floor, still holding firmly to his ‘axe’.  Upon reaching the top, he noted the significant difference in scenery.  Unlike their floor, this one had taken much more damage from the attack, with debris scattered all over.  More sounds of fighting could be heard along their path ahead.

((Event:  One more enemy gets in their way before the top floor?))

((Event:  Faust finds something worth looting.))

(16) Abandon Ship º3

As she approached the corner, she could hear the telltale signs of fighting, and much louder than the one up on deck. Mercy slowed to a halt just before the turn, and glanced back. Spotting Faust not too far behind, she waited for him to catch up. It was an odd feeling, she decided, teaming up with him. Back when she was working at the orphanage, she was an errand girl, only sometimes having to supervise or take over the cooking duties (those were primarily Marie's). This was different, however... Was this what having a partner was like?

His face displayed a look of confusion at her stop, and she bit her lip. Stepping up to the corner, she peeked around it cautiously.

She recognized the crewman by his blue striped shirt, but the unknown entity was definitely... If that isn't a pirate, I'll eat my socks. The pirate had the swashbuckling trousers, the shirt, and even the right accessories--a bandana and eye patch decorating his ugly mug. If he wasn't so ridiculously stereotyped Mercy would be more worried. But as it was, even the shortsword in the pirate's hand didn't make her take him any more seriously.

((Action: Attack!))

The two waiting behind the corner prepared themselves, Mercy lifting her gloved hands, and Faust his boarding axe. There's no way but forward... She reminded herself, frowning, before she nodded to Faust and they rushed forward. The ambush might work in their favour, seeing as the pirate had his back turned to them right now.

She decided to take the first hit, and sprinting ahead of Faust, took a leap. Her body twisted in the air and her knee lifted as she swung her leg around toward her target. Fury empowered her as she drove her booted heel into the back of the man's head. The surprised man's head jerked forward with an audible crack, sending him off balance and stumbling forward as Mercy landed in a crouch where the pirate had just been standing.

((Event: Concussion? Y/N))

(15) Abandon Ship ! ~ Continued

((Action: Faust follows Mercy down the hall.))

While Faust was in complete agreement with the idea of escape, he was caught off guard by how quickly Mercy had run off. The only warning he had gotten was that single look, and then she was gone. Stepping out into the hall, he took one last glance at the unconscious pirate. "Thank you for your kind donation." Faust said smugly, twirling the pouch by its string.

The pride from his victory didn't last long, however, as he awkwardly stumbled down the empty hall, his new boots causing some discomfort and much unnecessary noise as he followed closely behind Mercy. Hearing the sounds of continued fighting all around them, he was relieved that no other pirates had crossed their path yet.  He could only hope that the crew lasted long enough for them to make their escape.

((Event:  Fight already occurring in the stairwell? Y/N))

(14) Abandon Ship!

((Action: Mercy leaves the room first.))

Mercy shifted her weight to one leg, tapping her foot calmly against the worn wood of the floor as she thought. There really wasn't much to think about, however; she knew they had little choice but to fight their way out. The problem was, if the ship was being raided, then there wasn't much the two of them could do. As frustrating as it was, being helpless, it was true. If the crew won against the pirates then that'd be all fine and dandy, but in the case that they ended up losing? Being on the ship at that time wouldn't be a favourable outcome, considering the time constraints put on them to get to Yuusari. So, that left, reasonably...

"Well, we get the heck out of here, of course." Mercy mumbled, feeling her mood worsen with the guilt. Pity any unfortunate pirates that would cross her path... "Let's hope we can find a boat in this place."

Find a boat and don't get caught, she reinforced clearly in her head as she leaned over to grab her knapsack and proceeded to swing it over her shoulder.

Squeezing by Faust, she carefully opened the door a smidge, peeking through the sliver of space out at the hallway. The coast is clear, she thought, sparing Faust a significant look. That gesture was all he would get, as in the next moment she was dashing into the hallway. Her footsteps were quiet compared to the stomping of skirmishes above deck, but the light tapping could be heard swiftly making its way toward the staircase around the corner and down the hall.

Figure A: Rough map of below deck of ship.
(Stairs at either end of ship.)

 ((Event: Enemy in the hall? Y/N))