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(TFT) SOLO III, 042

Solo III
Demon World
Part 042
Guzzler rows up to the side of the ship. "Aboard there!" he calls out and is answered in kind. There are three other boats tied to this side of the ship. On the bow of the ship is a carving of an octopus. A rope ladder is rolled down. The ship is small with one mast, but it looks lean and fast. The rigging and rope ladders going up to the mast are full of mates. There are lanterns hanging everywhere. Over the railing another crowd of men are waiting. None are smiling. Uncle, Gail, and Ada begin climbing up the ladder. Once Ada is on the ladder, Guzzler rows away. Not even waiting for them to get all the way up.
Up on deck the crowd backs away. The aft area has a raised deck just like the Profit, but the Triangle is smaller. There are about fifteen men in the rigging overhead, and thirty here on deck. They have cleared a path to the aft deck and the steep ladder going up to it. Up on the aft deck are three older women dressed in green sitting in large winged wicker chairs. Each woman is flanked by a captain on their right and another woman on their left. Uncle leads Gail and Ada through the space left by the crowd, up the ladder, to stand before the older women. They have on emerald gowns of different styles and cuts. All modest in their fashion but bespeckeled with tiny jeweled bottles dangling. The women glitter in the lantern light. Uncle sits down on the deck crosslegged with Gail standing behind him on his right and Ada behind on his left. He doesn't say a word. There is a breathless moment where no one says anything. Everyone in the rigging is silent. All mates on deck stop shuffling and stand still. And the older women size up Uncle, Gail and Ada. Uncle Gail and Ada look back, calm, and dispasionately. 

aft deck            ___
       ___     ___/   \___     ___
   ___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___
  /   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \
  \___/   \___/  C\___/W  \___/   \___/
___/ C \___/W  \___/OW \___/  C\___/W  \___
  \___/OW \___/   \___/   \___/OW \___/   \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/Unc\___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/Ada\___/Gai\___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
  \___/___\___/___\---/___\___/___\___/
                  /---\
 main deck        \---/ steep ladder
                  /---\
OW = older woman
C = Captain
W = woman
m = Mate
The older women are sitting and the people at their sides are sitting. Uncle is sitting and Gail and Ada are standing at his sides. It's as though by the simple act of sitting Uncle has said he is equal to them. Even though they sit in large wicker chairs with winged backs. 
    The older woman in the middle says "You will submit to us."
    "Yes."  Uncle says.
The women at their sides relax a little at this. The older woman on the right waves her hand, and a Mate from each side of the deck approach Uncle. While they do the middle one says "And you will give us a bit of your hair." 
    "Yes."  Says Uncle.
The two mates stop next to Uncle and take him under the arms. They intend to lift him to his feet first. Then maybe they will take a lock of hair. Uncle's dragon says to Gail and Ada's "Now." 

aft deck            ___
       ___     ___/   \___     ___
   ___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___
  /   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \
  \___/   \___/  C\___/W  \___/   \___/
___/ C \___/W  \___/OW \___/  C\___/W  \___
  \___/OW \___/   \___/   \___/OW \___/   \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
  \___/   \___/ m \___/ m \___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/Unc\___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/Ada\___/Gai\___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
  \___/___\___/___\---/___\___/___\___/
                  /---\
 main deck        \---/ steep ladder
                  /---\

mate      mate
ST 13     ST 13
DX 13     DX 13
IQ  9     IQ  9
MA 10     MA 10

Gail
ST  9      Amulet Fireproof
DX 11 (16) Amulet DX+5
IQ 20      Amulet vs. Fire Elemental
MA 10
  Wizard's Wrath
  made to look like sunlight
  3 hours of work put in it for 3D+6 damage
  get 3 exp for the work, and 1 for each point of damage done
  get 13 exp if the mate is killed for his DX

Ada
ST  8      kyanite gem 48 point ST battery
DX 14(18)  kyanite gem DX+4
IQ 17      kyanite gem long-distance teleport
MA 10      Ear ring    long-distance telepathy, Fireproof, Invisibility
  lightning
  shot like a thunderclap
  4 hours of work put in it for 4D damage
  get 4 exp for the work, and 1 for each point of damage done
  get 13 exp if the mate is killed for his DX
Unless Gail or Ada critically fail to hit, both mates should be struck dead instantly. The men in the rigging react by climbing a little higher. All the mates on the main deck take a step back in surprise. The mates lining the sides of the aft deck gape, stare, gawk, and shake their heads. The three older women are up, out of their seats, and the middle one cries out "You dare bring WEAPONS on this vessel!" She points at Uncle. "Destroy them!" The two standing older women, and the three asistant women all fire magic fists at Gail and Ada. The center one shoots a fireball at Uncle. They are massive spells, each one. About a whole days worth of work put into them. Everything they've got. Sweat breaks out on their brows. All the missiles strike the spell sheilds that Uncle is maintaining and disperse into nothing. They have no effect. Uncle, Gail and Ada remain in their possitons totaly unaffected. The center one stands with a non verbal growl. She snatches one of the bottles off her dress and pulls the cork. It emits a column of black smoke and a demon appears. It is wearing an iron collar and appears bound to some kind of servitude. She points and uncle and says "Kill him!" Instantly the demon teleports in front of Uncle and tackles him onto his back. 

aft deck            ___
       ___     ___/   \___     ___
   ___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___
  /   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \
  \___/   \___/  C\___/W  \___/   \___/
___/ C \___/W  \___/OW \___/  C\___/W  \___
  \___/OW \___/   \___/   \___/OW \___/   \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
  \___/   \___/body___body\___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/dem\___/   \___/   \___/
m \___/   \___/Ada\Unc/Gai\___/   \___/ m \
___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/   \___/
  \___/___\___/___\---/___\___/___\___/
                  /---\
 main deck        \---/ steep ladder
                  /---\
Without being told, Ada waves her hands over Uncle and the Demon. She says "Pugare, Uncle" casting the cleansing spell that will instantly kill it, but not Uncle because she named him. She draws the strength from her kyanite gem thus making it look effortless. She doesn't shed a drop of sweat. (Ada gets 20 more exp for the work casting the spell, and 63 for killing the demon.)
If successfull everyone on the ship gasps, then starts to mutter among themselves. Even the women step back, falling into their seats. They are totally stunned. They have never seen anything like it. Laying flat on his back, legs still crossed, the demon evaporates off of Uncle. He sits up without using his hands. Waiting for the women to say something, Uncle realizes they are too shocked. So he does something to draw their attention back to him. He holds up the dragon heart. Passes his left hand over it, casting a simple illusion, so it glows a little and starts beating as though it is still alive. Everyone on the ship grows quite. They watch and listen to the thump thump. Thump thump. Instead of waiting for them to recover Uncle takes the initiative and speaks. "I am Gigamax." 
    The center one blinks twice and sits forward.  She recognizes the name.
    "Fear not."
    Everyone looks doubtfull at this.  Some think about jumping overboard.
    "I have returned."
Finally the center one comes to her senses and rises, saying "I remember you. You made totems of power, and taught the secret arts for gold. Before the demons came." "Yes." Says Uncle. "And you have fallen far since those days Julie. With this degenerate form of magic you practice. One does not need a hair from someone's head to control them. This is a lie started by the old ones to keep you from using the magic on them. All it takes is the knowledge and the will." She raises her hands like she is going to protests, or she doesn't want to hear it. "What do you want from us." She can't even look at him. Everyone on the ship has calmed down and is listening attentively. Uncle speaks calmly and is heard by all. "Why my dear lady, with all the cargo they carry, I want to capture ships." Every mate on the ship shouts with one voice. A resounding "Yeah!" Shaking one fist in the air. 

David Michael Grouchy II

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