It's just a question of ti~me [Open]

[tidesnpc]

Characters: 4423 crew
Content: It's a race against time as the crew of the 4423 tries to pillage as much as it can before the ship plunges to its doom, or someone comes to ruin their fun...
Setting: Merchant ship near Kropmork
Time: Raidin' time
Warnings: none yet, but who knows.
Notes: Once again, you are free to form your own teams, but please

Comments

[seventh_hero]

Watching as the merchant ship, purely poor in good fortune and gaining in smoke and smoldering fire, lurched and shuddered as it lost altitude, Cloud's eyes scanned the surface of their opponent, now his enemy, watching for something; something like a weakness, something like an opening, or something like an opportunity. His eyes were no longer quiet and thoughtful now as they usually were, but instead looked as sharp as the edge the weapon he now had resting heavily against his right shoulder, one hand gripping the hilt. At first, he stood tall on the open deck of the 4423, but as the scene proceeded, he lowered his shoulders, tensed his legs, then shot forward into a quick dash, running down the length of their own ship as it passed adjacent to the enemy's.

As he ran, he moved closer and closer to the far edge, the surface of his boots growing dangerously close to open air beside him. It was when he reached a set of railings towards the aft of the ship that he leapt into the air, bounded off of the metal surface, then took wing and soared across the distance between the ships, tumbling in midair once before touching his feet to the side of the merchant craft. With sword outstretched, Cloud swung it cleanly and aimed a portion of the hull that had been damaged by one of the bombs dropped. Together with its weakness, he smashed effortlessly through and landed inside, crouched down with one hand touching the floor.

He stopped then, turning his head towards his entry point with a look of soft surprise. "That went better than I thought, actually..." he said lightly.

There was no hesitation to his voice or his demeanor, thankfully, none of the meek attitude he had displayed earlier when he had said he would be staying behind. Why had he changed his mind? He'd never admit it, but maybe...Hiruma was right. He'd joined a pirate ship, and if he wanted to find his place on it, he would put his abilities to good use.

"Time to find something valuable," he said solidly, straightening up.

[thesnakecharm]

Anko was not one to wait for planks and ropes either. Their height above the ground didn't faze her in the slightest either. A little drop wasn't gonna kill her, after all.

Not one to sit still when there was action to be had, Anko had been practically bouncing from foot to foot, a knife twirling around her finger in a metallic blur.

A metallic blur rather like the one that flew by her one the railing. She grinned fiercely; looked like Cloud had decided to show up after all. Flying into action, Anko followed him, along the deck for a few steps, up onto the rail for people avoidance, and then into empty air. Landing with agile grace behind Cloud, she grinned up at him, flipping the knife again. "Hope you don't mind me tagging along," she said cheerily.

"Let's go!"

[seventh_hero]

The faint and swift movement behind him caught him by surprise; with no indication that anyone was following him, he wondered for a moment if the merchant crew had somehow managed to get behind him! Cloud's head spun towards the source, finding Anko there instead - much to his relief.

"Anko..." he said, a little stunned. His surprise faded quickly, though, replaced by a rather comforted smile. "I'm glad to have the company, actually."

Knowing full well that she could easily keep pace, Cloud bolted ahead, exiting the room that he had smashed his way into, then darted off to the left. They were closer to the aft of the merchant ship, where he hoped his practical knowledge would not fail to lead him to a good haul. Being a shipwright, he knew it was common for merchants to keep a safe in the captain's quarters, where something of worth would be stashed, and the captain often took residence in the back of the ship.

As they ran down the corridor, several panicked crew members emerged from another hall, and one of them nearly bumped straight into Cloud. His sword was already in his hands, held in a tight and ready grip; it would have been child's play for him to simply draw the massive blade across the man's chest and serate him in typical pirate fashion, then move on. However, he instead swung the sword back with a gale-like thrust of his arm, then swatted the man away with the blunt side of the blade with enough monstrous strength to send him literally flying down the hallway.

He had no fear over taking life, but even if he chose to be a pirate, he didn't have to kill needlessly.

[thesnakecharm]

She would have stayed, whether or not he'd been happy to have her, but it made things less awkward, to be sure. Licking her lips as she sprang into action right behind him, the grin on her face growing. Cloud seemed to actually know where he was going, as opposed to aimless wandering.

As the first guy flew down the hall, away from Cloud's blade, Anko gave a shout of laughter. She didn't miss that he'd intended to injure and not kill--but it was fun nonetheless.

Until, from a side corridor, a man leaped out at them with a yell, armed solely with a wrench and half-mad from fear. Anko reacted reflexively, turning to stop and slash out with the blade. It hit true, and the man fell, a fine spray of arterial blood across her hands and knife.

Shaking it off, the wrench had reminded her, uncomfortably, of someone else, she continued the mad dash down the corridor. Perhaps other crewmen would avoid them now, with his sword, and blood glinting dully from her blade. She would spare the man a prayer later. For now, it was just another part of the job; he had attacked, she had defended.

[seventh_hero]

Cloud only paused for a moment as Anko dealt with her own opponent; swiftly and simply, she felled him, and before she had even dealt the nimble strike, he had already started to move on ahead again, knowing that she would catch up in a moment. He didn't flinch as she ended his life; this was a fight, and he knew full well that they were pirates, not saints.

Coming to a crossroads, several hallways intersecting in four different ways, Cloud stopped in the center and stared intently into his own thoughts. The way back was instantly eliminated; to the left and right likely only lead to more hallways, cabins, offices, and rooms that did not interest them. No, straight ahead was the way to go, made evident as Cloud lay eyes on a large door at the very end of the hall, decorated much less modestly than the others they had passed by.

"There!" he declared sharply, dashing forward. "That has to be the captain's room, and I bet we'll find a private vault inside."

CLICK

He instantly knew that that sound was: a pistol cocking. A figure appeared from the opening at the hall's end, holding a gun straight out in front of him, and with a burst of sound, a single shot came whirling towards them.

There was nothing to panic about, though. Cloud, level-headed and focused, simply held out his large sword and let the long, flat edge harmlessly deflect the bullet with a soft clink. Hidden behind its surface for a moment, Cloud then moved the blade aside and glared at their attacker for a moment. He, in turn, dropped the gun, all the color drained from his face, and ran off without a word of protest.

/joining in, hope y'all don't mind. |D;

[kirekaze]

After the ship was downed, Kensei immediately flew his plane back to the 4423's hangar, parking it there and hopping out with the other person he was with. The silver-haired man wasted no time in joining the party, though he was understandably late due to the fact that he had to settle his plane back at the ship first. He released Tachikaze with a mumble of his command phrase, the blade shrinking down to shape of a combat knife.

The Vaizard quickly dashed into the ship, expertly dodging attacks and panicked crowds; leaping off walls and bounding like a hyperactive rabbit along the corridors as he searched for a party to join in. Dimo seemed to have his hands full, and Maxim sure seemed like he had everything under control. He had heard there was a team deeper into the ship; Kensei quickly hastened his pace, flying with a strong kick to propel him forward around the corner before he reached where Anko and Cloud were.

He arrived just in time as a man fled from the scene, Cloud lowering that giant sword of his. Kensei finally made a stop in his mad dash, landing onto the metal floor with a hollow thud before straightening himself and looking at the duo with a slight smirk on his face. "Hope you don't mind me joining the party."

Woo, more people!

[thesnakecharm]

"Right!" Captain's room meant good loot, smart move. She knew there was a reason she tagged along.

Anko felt herself tense at the click. It was an almost visceral reaction to the sound--she hadn't yet been shot by a gun and had no real desire to try something new and different in the way of pain, today at least. A little relieved sigh at the giant sword being good for something was the only sign she gave she'd been nervous about anything.

At the thud, Anko spun, grinning at the newcomer. "Glad you could join us." Looking back at Cloud, she spun the knife once into a slightly different grip. "Think there're any more in there?"

"good for something?" This sword is good for EVERYTHING

[seventh_hero]

Cloud was certainly relieved that he had been able to stop the shot, and not just for his own sake. With Anko right beside him, she could've easily been the one the man had been aiming for.

Kensei appeared shortly thereafter. He was an unknown to Cloud, but based solely on his un-panicked mannerisms, not to mention the smirk he wore, he had to have been part of their crew, rather than the merchants. Cloud nodded smartly to him. "Right. It'll be easier with more muscle on our side," he said.

Stepping forward, Cloud eyed the door to the captain's chambers ahead. The area looked clear, but there could easily be more men waiting around the far corners, or even behind the door itself, ready and waiting to pounce. It would be best if they eliminated that possibility. Tightening his grip on his sword, Cloud steadied himself, taking the hilt in both hands, then swung the enormous heft of the blade up and over his head, bringing it down in a straight, cutting line through the air, bisecting the air with a horrible rushing sound.

"Break!" he exclaimed, and as the end of the sword collided with the floor ahead of his feet, a burst of energy came rushing out in the form of a glowing blue wave. Like a roll of the ocean tide, it skimmed along the ground, leaving a charred trail behind it, then slammed angrily into the doorway, utterly demolishing the entrance. The door flew from its hinges violently, and the frame surrounding it was bent apart to an unrecognizable shape.

Nothing stood behind the door, and anyone hiding to the sides would have been blown away by the impact. From their safe position down the hall, Cloud, Anko, and Kensei would be able to see the lavish decorations of the merchant captain's room.

ITS A GIANT SWORD OF COURSE ITS GOOD FOR *EVERYTHING*.

[kirekaze]

Kensei nodded back, twirling Tachikaze on his hand before grabbing it firmly by the hilt. "Glad I could join the party then," the silver-haired man responded to them both, smirk still on his face. For just the two of them, they sure moved fast in their job; hopefully with him now inside the now-trio they'd be move even quickly and get the most out of this loot. Or something like that - Kensei wasn't quite sure how the loot was going to be divided after this, after all. He'd know soon enough after this anyway, he supposed.

Shifting that thought aside, the Vaizard looked as Cloud utterly decimated all obstacles before them with a swing of his giant sword and could help but look impressed. Damn, that sure was one heck of an attack... all he could do with his own sword was to shoot out some spheres of energy, really. Unlike the blond and his Break move.

The silver-haired man squinted a little through the fading cloud of smoke and dust in the aftermath of that attack, seeing the blasted open door and their clear path to the captain's quarters now, decorated rather lavishly if he could say for himself. "Well, that's sure one heck of a decoration in there."

[thesnakecharm]

Slightly impressed, Anko smirked. It was a pretty good trick, but it wasn't like she couldn't do the same thing--with a smaller weapon, given. Not that the boys needed to know that. "Very nice," She said admiringly instead, peering at the wreckage of the door and the ornateness inside.

Confidently, Anko strode into the now wide-open cabin, quickly identifying good targets for looting. A dresser and two chests, along with a desk, a chart weighed down by an inkwell and some other improvised paperweights, as well as a plush bed occupied the cabin.

Other than that--it seemed the man with the gun had been the captain, or else someone else was hiding in the room's lush appointments. Heading for the smaller locked chest, Anko did a sweep with her arm under the bed. Dust-bunnies, a few stray papers and, "Aha," she purred, flipping open the simple wooden box there and pulling out a bottle half-full of some amber liquid. "The captain's sanity."

This she set aside to be carried back later. A few crumpled Ivonian bills in the bottom went into her pocket before she turned her attentions to the chest to decide the quickest way to unlock it.

[seventh_hero]

Cloud shouldered his sword, then moved quickly into the spacious cabin along with his two companions. As he passed through the doorway, he glanced at his handiwork, the twisted remains of the frame, its hinges horribly split apart. Hmm, good... he thought, wearing no signs of either disappointment or approval on his face. I haven't used that move in a while, but it hasn't gotten any weaker. I wish I could make it as strong as my direct attacks, but I never was very good with projectiles...

"Let's grab as much as we can before this thing goes down," he said aloud; there was no time to stand and idly admire the captain's collection. "We probably don't have time for a second trip."

Slinging his weapon to his back, he latched it securely within its small, strapless harness between his shoulders, then began to pick up and pocket anything with the slightest gleam or glint, from a pure-gold quadrant tool and astrolabe to several decorative medals and a few small, hinged boxes, pocketing them all in a satchel hanging at his side without even pausing to examine them.

The chest was next. Quickly stooping down beside it, he glanced at the lock for a moment, then shook his head. "No time," he said plainly, then wrapped his hands around its cornered sides and lifted it up against his chest. They could take it back to the safey of their own ship, then open it.

[kirekaze]

"Agreed," Kensei replied with a nod before he entered the captain's quarters as well and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the gaudy decors. Well, this certainly proved all too easily that this ship had to be pretty loaded - or at least, the captain himself had a pretty penny or two to spare. The silver-haired man gave out a low whistle as he examined the place. The man sure had been loaded, at the very least.

He looked around as well just as Cloud and Anko did, grabbing a few trinkets and bits of spare cash at wherever he could find, and after a moment of mental debate opened the cabinet as well to find a box of... well, something sitting at the top shelf. It had to be important, at the very least, since it was placed in such a place. Without further ado, the Vaizard grabbed the contained and lugged it with him as well. Cloud and Anko had looked over most of the other areas in the room, so that had to be pretty much it.

The man turned around, wanting to say something when he paused slightly at Cloud heaving the huge chest over him. Well... that... sure was one heck of a muscle he had built up. Kensei stared for a few moments in surprise before shaking his head and gathering back his wits, holding his zanpaktou firmly in hand before speaking. "Well, let's get going then. We've got someways to go and the ship isn't going to hold up much longer." At least, judging from the way the place was rumbling and crackling.

[thesnakecharm]

Cloud was probably right in thinking anything of import in this cabin was locked away in the chest he'd picked up. And, yeah, sure, taking the whole thing back was probably the fastest way of getting it back--oh hell, as long as he could carry it, she wasn't going to argue.

"If that's it then?" She gave the room one last quick scan. It was indeed beginning to shake ominously, reminding her her of the last ship other than the 4423 she'd been on--that wreck. Hopefully the others had found more than this on their expeditions onto the ship.

Not wasting breath repeating what'd been said, Anko stepped out into the corridor, peering down the hallways to be certain there wasn't anyone waiting to attack them as soon as they left. There was the retreating back of someone, but they were obviously going the other direction. Hopefully they weren't going to get reinforcements or anything to try and overwhelm the small group. "Come on."

[seventh_hero]

"Mmn." Cloud, not one to waste words easily, let out an affirmative little grunt, re-gained a grip on the hefty chest, and followed Anko out into the hallway.

The quivering state of the ship didn't seem to bother him, nor did the few panicked crew members all likely fleeing towards any lifeboats left available to them. Cloud watched some of them run by down the far end of the hallway, seeing their frightened expressions as they scurried to safety. The feelings stirred up by such a sight drew a soft sigh out of him, but nothing else.

While Anko led the way, Cloud followed closely behind, the weight of the chest failing to slow him in the least.

[kirekaze]

"Should be," the Vaizard replied just as the ship lurched once more, and fortunately for the man he managed to hold his footing before he lost his dignity by falling on his butt or whatever was worse than that. He tightened his grip on the container that he had, the trinkets swaying inside the pockets of his cargo pants as he followed behind Anko and Cloud once more. Tachikaze was still tightly gripped onto his other free hand, ready to be used in case there was a sudden attack or something. It never hurt to be overly-cautious after all.

He was silent as he watched the people scrambling to get away from the breaking ship, a part of him hoping that they would get away in time. Even though he was a pirate now he really hated to kill if it came to that. He had enough of killing back when he served Ivona... he would kill if it came to that, but he'd still regret it unless the asshole deserved it.

It wasn't the time to think about this though. Shaking his head to clear those thoughts, Kensei hurried behind the two as he fell slightly behind them, more than eager to leave this ship behind and get back on board the 4423.

[thesnakecharm]

Anko's balance wasn't effected in the least by the lurching of the failing ship. Knife in hand and collected spoils in her coat pockets, Anko ran, confident the others could keep up with the easy (for her) pace she was setting. They were making good time, like this. If they kept this pace, they would be out well before the ship fell apart.

Unconsciously, she was retracing their steps from before, going for the hole Cloud had smashed in the side. It might have worked too, if she hadn't turned the corner and immediately had to stop.

Apparently one of their gunners or a pilot's bomb had taken out this corridor, the hall completely blocked with wreckage. They couldn't afford to waste time trying to shift this lot, but she didn't know where to go to get out the quickest. She knew the 4423 like the back of her hand by now, but that didn't help in a ship of unfamiliar build.

Turning back, she looked at the other two for guidance as they came up behind her.