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Post by Gar on Mar 4, 2016 15:24:03 GMT -6
Gar followed his captain into the arena, a few crewmates entered with them. Gar’s current leader wore a long black cloak around her shoulders, falling down to the back of her knees. Underneath, a lopsided belt held an axe too large for even Gar to handle. She was fit, a little older than Gar. If she wasn’t his captain he probably would’ve made an ill-advised advance on the lady. His captain walked strait to the ticketing booth where a scarred man raised a sleepy eye and spoke. “Ya fightin or watchin?” “They’ll be competing, I’m here to… supervise.” Gar and his mates were there to make money, plain and simple. For each fight they won the combatant could keep half the earnings while the captain took the other half to buy provisions for their ship. The captain was fronting the entry fee so she picked the six strongest fighters on her ship. Much to Gar’s disappointment he was picked last. Har I’ll just prove my strength in the ring. Gar thought as his captain exchanged payment with the arena manager. She returned to the group and handed out slips of cloth to the pirates.
“These are how you show you’re gonna be fighting. We’ll have our own section in the stands so come when you’re ready.” She said as Gar retrieved the cloth from her hand. She then led Gar and a couple other crew members through a tunnel into a wide colosseum. It was hot inside and it reeked of blood. As the took their seats, one pirate questioned the captain. “Why aintcha fightin? Ya know we love to see yer moves.” A few mates chuckled, even Gar had to smirk. The captain raised an eyebrow and smacked the pirate on the back of the head. “This is for experience, not money. The money is just a bonus and I have plenty of experience.” The captain shifted in her seat and allowed her cloak to fall, revealing the steel of her oversized axe. She spoke again, this time with malice lining her words. “As for my moves, I’d be happy to show you in private.” The pirate turned away, not wanting to upset the captain any more for the moment. Gar wanted to poke fun at his mate’s reaction, but was interrupted by a roar of cheers from the stadium around him.
The pirate’s eyes fell to the center of the arena. A bloodied man on a horse trotted circles around another man, who was flat on the ground motionless. The sight provoked Gar’s captain to speak once again. “Oh yea, don’t go getting yourselves killed. Keep in mind I have money on you lot. If you go out there and die I lose my gold, and to top it off you’ll embarrass me. ” Gar was nearly touched by his captain’s words, until she revealed it was only about the money. I should’ve know.
After a brief intermission to clean the ring an announcer came to the center of the ring and shouted with exuberance. “Another amazing battle in the record books. Who’s next? ”
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Post by Gar on Mar 6, 2016 18:26:26 GMT -6
Gar’s captain simply raised a finger at Gar and motioned it to the center of the arena. “Aye aye.” Gar stood and began walking down the steps to the ring. He looked across the arena and his eyes locked with his opponent. A teenage boy in a robe. Mage Gar knew with a glance. No older than nineteen. Gar looked back at his captain. She grimaced at the notion of Gar killing a teenager. She called to Gar before he entered the ring. “ Gar! Don’t go making my crew look bad out there.” Gar chuckled. He knew what she meant by that remark. Don’t kill the kid. She sure worded it in a clever way though.
Gar stepped into the ring and noticed it was filled with sand. That was an advantage for the pirate right off the bat. He was used to running and fighting on sand from his years of sailing. He continued scanning the ring to find some red puddles spread sporadically throughout the arena. Avoid those, don’t want any surprises. After analyzing the ring his next target was his opponent. A skinny one, in long robes. He sure won’t be moving too fast. The mage’s fists were clenched tightly and his countenance was grim. “Relax kid. I’m a nice guy, I’ll go easy.” The mage responded quickly. “I’m not a kid, but you’ll find that out soon enough.” The mage then took a deep breath while the pirate laughed lightly. Gar enjoyed provoking his opponents to mess with their thoughts. The more he thinks about what I said, the less he thinks about the fight.
A third man entered the ring, carrying a yellow tome and a freshly sharpened axe. Gar picked up his weapon and turned to walk to his starting position. Hmm yellow… Don’t know if I’ve seen a yellow book before. I know red is fire, and black is the crazy crushing magic. Oh well… I’ll find out soon enough. The two combatants were in position and cheers roared through the crowd. From what Gar could tell most had placed money on him over the mage. The announcer moved to the center of the ring and raised three fingers into the air. Three fell to two, then one. As the last finger fell, a deafening bell rang through the air. This signified the start of the battle.
The announcer jogged out of the arena and Gar began closing the distance, cautiously. He didn’t know what kind of magic the mage possessed, but Gar thought it would be wise to prepare to dodge. Gar heard the mage mumbling under his breath. He didn’t understand what the boy was saying but Gar continued toward the mage regardless. He clenched his axe as he got close enough to charge the mage. Just as Gar readied himself for the charge, the mage threw his hand into the air. As the hand fell, there was light, nothing but light, followed by a crack more deafening than the bell was.
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Post by Gar on Mar 7, 2016 18:51:19 GMT -6
Smoke cleared and Gar regained his sight. He noticed a charred patch of land to his right.He missed? Gar closed then opened his eyes and laughed in relief. Well. Better not give him another chance! Gar sped toward the mage who turned to dodge to the side. The mage’s face turned to panic. Gar raised his axe and swiped at the mage’s lower body. The mage hopped to the side, but the axe caught him in the thigh. Blood splattered across the sand and the mage fell to the ground with a scream. Well that’s that. Gar thought as he withdrew the axe and shook off the blood.
Gar stood over the mage to notice his was mumbling once again. “Are you kidding me?” Gar was annoyed that the mage still had fight in him after he had lost his mobility. A swift kick sent the mage’s tome flying from his hands and skidding across the sand. “Just surrender, I don’t want to have to hurt you.” The mage shook his head. “You’ll never make me surrender you brute.” Gar sighed and put on his meanest face and placed his axe near the kid’s neck, which forced the mage to shy away from the danger. Gar spoke, attempting to be as menacing as possible.
“You listen to me. The only reason you still breathe is because my captain has a soft spot for kids. However, if you continue to annoy me, I could always just find a new captain.” The mage grunted and placed his hands over his head, signifying his surrender. Gar lifted his axe and held if over his head to the cheers of his mates and spectators. Two men came to carry the mage out on a stretcher. As Gar exited the ring the announcer returned to call for more competitors. Gar reclaimed his seat with his crew.
“Well done Gar. I’m sure you learned something about mages today.” Gar laughed. “Yea that they’re all stubborn weaklings.” Gar’s captain rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You are aware that weakling almost took your life, twice. You got lucky.” Gar wasn’t sure about twice, but the fight was certainly a lot closer than he was letting on. “Aye if that first bolt hit me I would’ve been a goner. I guess you gotta keep mage’s on their heels, don’t give em a chance to cast their magic. That goes double for that yellow book.”
“Glad to see you have learned something. But I recommend that you simply avoid mages of all sorts until you get stronger.” A few crewmates chuckled at the notion.
Gar crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. He spoke under his breath. “As if I’d back down from those tiny, robe wearing bookworms.” Gar knew that they were dangerous, it just wouldn’t do well for his reputation if his mates knew how he felt. Nonetheless the fights continued. Next was a pirate, from Gar’s crew, versus a mercenary. Tough luck, mate. Gar grimaced as his crewmate was cut to pieces before his eyes. “Damn it, he was one of my best cooks too.”
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Post by Gar on Mar 8, 2016 19:23:27 GMT -6
More fights took place. Gar’s squad ended up with five victories and 1 loss. Unfortunately, the loss was fatal. A cashier brought the crews winnings up to their section. “Congratulations all, here are your winnings. You could of course double your earnings by fighting again.” Most of the pirates, including the captain, declined and accepted their share of the money. When the chance came for Gar to do the same he took a moment to think. I’m not sure if they really got a sense for my fighting ability. I should really show them something impressive. After I do I’ll even have extra spending money. Har har it’s a win-win. Gar waved his hand over the plate carrying his share of the profit.
“Let it ride.” The cashier bowed his head and backed away, returning to the manager’s office. Some of Gar’s crewmates got excited at pirate’s bravado. The captain wasn’t so impressed. “You’re being a fool Gar. You’ve won once already, don’t push your luck.” Gar shrugged and looked at his captain. “What’s luck got to do with it?” Gar raised one arm and flexed his bicep in the air. Giving the flexed muscle a few good pats he spoke. “This is all I need.” The unimpressed captain rolled her eyes once again as the crewmates chuckled. Internally, Gar was annoyed with his actions. Ugh These mates of mine always bring out the worst in me.
“Whatever, just don’t keep us waiting here too long.” Gar relaxed in his seat until the time came. The announcer spoke again calling for contenders. Gar stood and entered the ring once again. This time he stood across from a heavily armored knight. The knight was covered from head to toe in armor. With no flesh showing, Gar knew this would be a hassle. “Hey how about you make it easy on me and take some of that armor off?” There was no discernible response from the knight which annoyed the pirate. A large helm even shadowed the knight’s eyes. “Hmph what’s a knight doing in an arena on the isles anyway? You must’ve been disgraced in battle and chased out of the army huh?” Still no response. Gar furrowed his brow. “Or did you do something worse? Har har It’s okay you can tell me.”
The weapons were brought out, one axe and one lance. Damn that lance is taller than I am. Another hassle I’m gonna have to out maneuver. Gar gripped his weapon and returned to his starting position. A gong signified the start of the battle. Neither combatant moved. I’ll let the knight come to me, help tire em out a little. I know it’s hard moving in that armor. A breeze blew through the ring as the tension built. Gar heard no noise and saw no motion from his opponent. It soon became clear in Gar’s mind that he may as well be fighting a statue. “Really? You can’t move at all huh? Well this should be over soon.” Gar pushed off the sand and ran at the knight. He shifted past a lance thrust and jumped in the air readying his axe above his head.
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Post by Gar on Mar 9, 2016 20:09:36 GMT -6
Gar brought the axe down with all the force he could muster. It left a gash in the knight’s chest plate, but it didn’t do much else. Gar quickly withdrew his axe and attacked again before being forced to retreat out of the knight’s lance range. The second attack did even less that the first. Gotta hate knights right. Looks like I’ll have to keep chipping away at that armor. Gar squared up with the knight once again, and once again the knight refused to move from their spot. Gar grunted and charged the knight a second time. This time no lance thrust came, but Gar leapt to drop another attack on the armor. As Gar’s axe descended the knight checked his wrist with the wood of their lance. Gar’s hand immediately went numb and the axe fell harmlessly to the ground. Gar retreated away from the knight and cursed under his breath. “ Son of a-”
Gar took a moment to shake his hand out and regain his composure. Alright. I’m unarmed but not out of this fight. I still might be quick enough to get my axe back and chip away at more of that armor. Just gotta be careful. Gar could feel his captain’s eyes on his back. Yea captain is probably saying ‘I told ya so’ or ‘just surrender it’s not worth it.’ Har, I’ll show them. Gar clenched his teeth and sprinted, not at the knight but at the axe on the ground. The knight was fully aware of this and brought the shaft of the lance against the back of Gar’s knee forcing it to buckle. Gar's knee slid on the sand and turned to regain his footing. As his back was turned a strong kick to his behind sent him face first into the sand. He scrambled away, feeling humiliated. His face felt hot and he could hear laughter in the stands. “You think you’re funny?! I’m gonna beat your skull in!”
A more collected Gar probably could’ve realized by now that the knight wasn’t using the lance and a lance but rather as a staff. Unfortunately, the pirate was too furious with embarrassment and his pride too wounded to think straight. Gar tightened his fists, clenched his jaw and furrowed his brow. He deliberately walked toward his opponent, fury roiling inside. Each step was filled with a sense of retribution, as if he would reclaim his pride but the time he reached his destination. The knight prepared a swipe at the pirate’s mid-section. Gar caught the lance under his left arm and pinned it against his ribcage. He dipped down to wind up a strong punch. Pushing through his legs, he launched an uppercut strong enough to knock the helmet off the knight’s head. A brief wash of relief came over the pirate as the helm fell back to the earth. Gar caught a glimpse of a feminine face and long brown hair before a gauntleted fist connected with his jaw, turning the world to black.
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Post by Gar on Mar 10, 2016 21:43:10 GMT -6
Gar came to in a small room, dimly lit by a few candles. He was lying on the first in a row of mats lined up on the floor. A window on the wall showed that it was night. Gar rubbed his tender jawbone and began recalling what landed him in the recovery room. He sighed and spoke to himself. "Captain always knows best." He noticed a bandage wrapped around the knuckles of his right hand. He flexed it to see how sore it was after connecting with a metal helm. He sighed again, exasperated with his actions. Gar rose to his feet and made his exit stepping around a few sleeping and wounded combatants. He even came across a young mage with a leg wound. I know how you feel kid, I would sacrifice to help heal your leg, but I don't think I got the energy in me right now. Gar exited the room to a more brightly lit waiting area.
The first thing Gar noted was his captain waiting in a chair, conversing with another lady. The second was statuesque with brown hair held up in a bun. Gar still felt a little embarrassed of his latest fight. Half of him wanted to pretend he didn't see the captain and exit the building all together, but he knew the captain wouldn't tolerate any disrespect right now. Both the seated ladies turned their heads to Gar. "Morning sleepyhead." Said the one Gar didn't fully recognize. "Did you rest well, numbskull?" The Captain questioned.
"Aye, thanks for waitin'. I assumed you'd leave port as soon as the battles were finished." Gar walked over and leaned against a wall near the chairs. The captain chuckled, "If it were up to me, we would've. The crew however, found it more pressing to celebrate their victories at the tavern." Gar shook his head and looked away. Yea whatever, it is up to you. You're the captain. The unknown lady confirmed Gar's suspicion. "Don't listen to her, she hasn't left this spot since you were brought here. She was so worried that something happened to her favorite little pet project." Gar's captain turned red and shoved the lady playfully.
"Hmm. Well thanks anyway but who are you exactly? You two are paling around like old friends." The lady tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at Gar."Huh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you don't remember. I gave you quite a shot back there in the ring." Gar immediately blushed and looked toward the ground. Ahh shes the one who knocked me out in the fight. "Haha yea she did! You should listen to your captain next time ya fool." The unarmored knight smiled. " Name's Cynthia. I came here to make sure you were doing alright. Also to make sure there are no hard feelings."
"Aye, you won fair and square. I'm Gar. Nice to meetcha."
"Well I'm glad you two can be civilized. Considering you two are gonna be working together now. Cynthia is the newest member of my crew and to celebrate We will be getting some beverages at the tavern." Cynthia chuckled. "First rounds mine. I suspect you may be a little short on funds there Gar." The pirate huffed but didn't argue. He instead smirked and followed his captain out the door and to the tavern. Oh I'm sure there will be more rounds. And I'm sure Ill get one of 'em sooner or later.
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Post by Gar on Mar 17, 2016 16:36:43 GMT -6
-Weeks Later-
A bead of sweat gathered on Gar’s forehead. As it began to roll down his face, the pirate wiped it with a gloved palm. Gar knew his situation was becoming dire. I’m just outclassed here. This could be it for me. Gar moved a piece on the board a tile to his right. Onlookers sighed and his opponent shook her head. “What kind of move was that? Are you even thinking?” Gar’s captain was quick to reprimand him. Gar clenched his teeth as his new found rival made her finishing move. “Checkmate.” She smirked to the cheers of her mates. “Arrgh double or nothin!” Gar shouted, standing up from his chair. Cynthia shook her head and gathered the gold coins that laid on the table. “That was double or nothing. Or did you forget?” Gar felt his coin pouch and realized there wasn’t enough left for another bet. He slumped back into his chair defeated. “Whatever this game is boring anyway.”
“Feel free to pick another game. Or I can always beat you in the arena… again.” Gar had once battled Cynthia and lost in a rather embarrassing fashion. He ignored the shot and removed himself from the table. “I need some dinner. What’s on the menu anyway?” he asked his captain. The captain shrugged. “I have no clue. This new cook hasn’t made anything good to eat since we left port.” Gar sighed and removed himself from the room. Gar made his way through the ship to the mess hall.
In the cook's defense, he needs to make our supplies last. There hasn’t been any wind for the past couple days and we don’t have the manpower to row anywhere. We could be here a while. His path took him above deck to the silent and chilly night. The stars shone bright in a clear night sky. The air was cold and misty, but stable, as if the wind had no will to move. The pirate crossed a slick deck to descend into a hall. As he opened the door, the faint hum grew to become a pirate shanty that Gar knew all too well. He joined in for the last few lines of the song. “~And so they tossed me in the water, hope I'll wash ashore.~” The sound of mugs clanging filled the air.
Gar sat down at a table with a couple of his mates. They were thoroughly into their drinks and Gar decided he needed to play a little catch up. “Oy Gar what are ya eatin?” A cook shouted over the commotion of the mess hall. The pirate thought for a moment and responded. “Just give me a couple pieces of jerky and a mug of that strong drink.” His mates laughed at his choice of dinner. “Haha Wass a matter Gar? Sumptin ya wanna forget.” Gar laughed lightly at himself. They were right he shouldn’t care about losing a couple games of chess, but for some reason, losing to Cynthia again and again had gotten under his skin. “No way, I’m just trying to find a way to pass the time. And I like your style.” These two in particular had been drunk for about a full day now. Gar didn’t plan on doing the same, but he could partake in the festivities as long as their boat sat dead in the water.
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Post by Gar on Mar 18, 2016 16:42:30 GMT -6
A plate with two strips of jerky and a mug were set in front of Gar. The smell of the drink singed his nostrils from where he sat. Nothing better to do. He sighed and grabbed the drink. He filled his mouth and swallowed the fire. Gar gave a grimace and another sigh to clear his mouth of the fumes from the drink. A warmth in his gullet gave him a strange sense of comfort and he ripped at a piece of jerky with his teeth. He chewed the dried meat until it became soft enough to swallow. His eyes looked around the room. Some pirates were singing songs, others were arm-wrestling, and others still were full on wrestling.
Gar simply sat back and took the scene in. That is until a mate of his clasped him on the shoulder. Gar turned to notice a friend of his, who went by the name of Pea. Gar wasn’t sure of the spelling exactly but the man claimed he got the name from his love of the vegetable. “ I see yer drinking that fire water…You wanna play a game?” Gar couldn’t refuse, but didn’t quite want to agree before he knew what the game entailed. Nonetheless, Pea sat down beside Gar and went on to pull a copper coin from his hip pouch. “I’m gonna be betting on myself to win.” Gar took another bite of jerky and washed it down with a sip of the liquor. He let out another sigh. “Ugh not used to that yet. I’ll bet on myself as well.” Pea and the other two mates laughed. “Anyway, this games called sink or swim. Well go in a circle doing feats of strength and such. If you can do it, you swim. If you can’t you sink. And by sink I mean drink.” The two mates across the table enthusiastically joined in the game. Gar considered for a moment while finishing off a piece of jerky. “Alright I’m in already. Let’s see you’re so called feat.”
Pea stood up and grabbed his boot with one hand. He proceeded to jump with his free leg, over the one he grabbed. Pea landed stable on one foot. “Your turn.” Gar simply laughed. “That looked ridiculous. But I’ll do it.” Gar stood from the table and attempted to replicate the trick. He grabbed his boot and jumped. Unfortunately, his foot caught on his leg and had to bail on the attempt. He caught himself with his hands before he hit the deck. “Ahhh so that means I sink huh?” Gar grabbed His much and drank his punishment.
Oddly enough, the next mate, drunk as he was, cleared the feat with ease. “Got anything better?- hic-” The third in line wasn’t as talented. He attempted the trick, but fell forward smashing his face into the table, knocking himself out. The whole room burst out laughing at the clumsy mate. “He sure sank. Well I guess that means it’s my turn to come up with a feat huh?” Pea nodded. Gar rose from the table. “Here goes nothing.”
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Post by Gar on Mar 20, 2016 9:14:07 GMT -6
Gar sprung off his legs into a handstand. He began walking around the table on his hands, avoiding the unconscious mate on the floor. After one complete loop around the table, Gar returned to his natural orientation. His face was flush with blood and he suddenly felt a buzz from the alcohol. “Whew, good luck.” He sat back down and watched his mate attempt to perform a handstand. The dude can’t even stand, a handstand is outta the question. The mate struggled for a long enough point that Pea had to call it. “Alright mate you sank, take your drink.” The mate retorted. “Naw gimme a sec. I got it.” A final attempt followed and the mate ended up on his back from an overzealous handstand. He reached from the ground and grabbed his mug from the table. The mate took his drink of defeat while lying flat on his back.
Gar had to chuckle at the scene. “Hahar Your turn Pea. Don’t embarrass yourself.” Pea simply shrugged and leapt into a handstand. While he walked he got tripped up on the two mates who were on the floor, forcing him to tumble to join them. He quickly rose to his feet. “Hey hey now that doesn’t count.” Gar had to disagree. “I was able to avoid all obstacles, I say you sank there buddy.” Pea grunted and drank the remainder of his unconscious mate’s drink. “Fine, your turn, scrub.” Pea said referring to the conscious mate on the ground.
The three remaining contestants were starting to get a crowd. Pirates were betting on who would win and others were providing the players with drinks to keep the game going. The floored mate brought himself up from the ground. “Aight, for my feat, imma -hic- imma drink a mug of grog!” The drunk mate upended a mug and chugged its contents. Gar turned to Pea. “Well that seems kinda pointless right? Win or lose we drink. But whatever, Im cool with that feat.” Pea nodded. “As am I.” The two clanged mugs together and downed their drinks. The two simultaneously let out loud belches and the hall cheered.
Gar was smiling widely. This is great. No work needs to be done, just get to enjoy some downtime with my mates. Pea nudged the unconscious man on the ground. “Well usually the person who failed the most feats gets removed, but I think we can agree to vote him out.” Gar nodded and the third mate managed to agree with an “Aye.” By the looks of things Gar assumed the drunk mate would be out by the next round. Gar was confident he could beat Pea as well. I’ve got this in the bag. Nothing’s stopping me now. Gar replenished his drink and sat back down at the table. “Well, should we get round two started or what?” Gar heard the door open and a chill from outside entered the mess hall.
“Room for one more in your little game? Looks like fun.”
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Post by Gar on Mar 21, 2016 9:41:29 GMT -6
Gar turned to recognize Cynthia strolling through the door with his captain. “I’m fine with it as long as you two are. The more the merrier if you ask me.” Pea shook his head. “It wouldn’t really be fair now that we’ve already gone a round without you.” The third mate mumbled something unintelligible but he was shaking his head to the proposition. The captain sat at a table across the room from the drinking game. The pirates cleared a line of sight so she could see. “Cynthia is playing, that’s an order. Furthermore I’m putting money on her to win.” Gar was surprisingly happy about this opportunity. Well, looks like it’s redemption time.
Cynthia nonchalantly grabbed a drink and sat across the table from Gar. The pirate looked at his brunette rival in the eyes. There was a healthy tension as Cynthia simply smiled, knowing Gar’s intent to drink her under the table. Pea looked back and forth between the two, misinterpreting the type of tension between them. “Alright you two, save the bedroom eyes for the bedroom. We have a game to play and our audience is getting bored.” Both Gar and Cynthia turned their heads and blushed slightly. “That’s not.. I mean I don’t … ugh just do your feat.” Pea shook his head.
“Not quite yet. At the start of round two we have to enact a new rule. Ya know raise the stakes a little. Since the captain has graced us with her presence I say we let her come up with something.” Gar’s attention turned to the captain who was chewing a piece of jerky and holding a mug of beer. “Make it something good captain. And no playing favorites just cuz ya got money on Cynthia.” The knight, Cynthia, laughed. “Trust me I don’t need any help to beat you two.” The third mate was slumped over the table, but managed to get out a word. “Three.”
“Oh yes, I don’t need any help to beat you three.” Gar sighed and waited for his captain to speak, but Pea spoke first. “I wouldn’t be so cocky, Gar ain’t no pushover ya’know.” Gar was curious to see how Cynthia responded to that. He would like to know what she thought of him as a rival. “I never said it wouldn’t be hard to beat you all. I just said I didn’t need help.” Gar smiled, the statement warmed his heart a little. That could’ve just been the alcohol though. Fair enough. At least she knows what she’s getting into. With that settled the room’s attention fell back to the captain. She sat with her back against a table and one leg crossed over the other. She rested her elbows on the tables behind her and spoke as if she were a queen in her throne room.
“ So you want me to come up with a rule for your game huh? Let’s make this interesting. Whoever wins your drinking game will be my new first mate.”
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Post by Gar on Mar 22, 2016 9:54:18 GMT -6
The spectating pirates began to whisper and the intoxicated mate’s ears perked up at the proposition. Unfortunately his chances of winning were dwindling as the alcohol slowly drifted him off to sleep. He was still conscious, but if he sank one more time, Gar was sure the mate would pass out. A few moments passed and the spectators began cheering louder than ever. “First Mate Gar!!” “No way It’s gotta be you Pea!” “Cynthia just got here and she’s still better than those oafs!”
“Well that certainly makes this interesting.” Pea said. Gar and Cynthia nodded in agreement. “Now then for my feat.” Pea placed a number of chairs in a line and stood on one side. From a flat stance he sprung over the chairs and landed solidly on the other side. Gar chuckled. “Is that it? Easy Pea-sy.” Cynthia also had to scoff at the situation. Gar stood up and jumped over the chairs. Cynthia also replicated the feat with ease and grace. The final mate might have been able to do the same, but he was busy snoring on the table.
“Someone get those two drunkards to their quarters. What can I do with these drunken sailors anyway?” Gar laughed. Apparently the captain was in a good mood, good enough to be joking and playing along with the crew’s game. After a brief break to remove the two sleeping mates the game continued with Gar’s turn. Hmmm I gotta come up with some other feat now. What to do? Gar racked his brain for a few moments and eventually had an idea.
“This ones actually good in a fight if you need to regain your feet.” Gar laid down on his back. He then curled up into a ball and placed his hands on the ground by his head. Pushing off his hands, he tucked and rotated in the air landing on his feet. Gar was proud and the spectators that were on his side began cheering. Cynthia however, did not seem impressed.
“Maybe that would be difficult in full armor, but with just my body weight it’s a piece of cake.” She performed the feat more deftly than the pirate and also received more cheers. She performed a sarcastic curtsy after landing. Bringing up Pea’s turn. He attempted to do the trick, but didn’t pop up strong enough. He landed on his heels and stumbled backward falling on his rear. He simply shook his head to the groans of the Pea supporters in the crowd. Pea drank his due and motioned toward Cynthia. “Your turn now. Make it something good.”
Cynthia nodded and began to clear some space in the hall. She moved the chairs that were previously placed in the center of the room for Pea’s trick. The currently unarmored knight stood in the middle of the room and deftly preformed a backflip. Cheers were loud and clear for the woman’s skillful feat. Pea groaned. “Ain’t no way I can do that so I’m just gonna sink.” Pea drank and the turn order moved to Gar. Gar wasn’t the type to back down from a challenge however, especially after he had been drinking.
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Post by Gar on Mar 23, 2016 11:28:24 GMT -6
Gar replaced Cynthia in the center of the room. He took a breath and squatted down, preparing his legs for the flip. He jumped into the air and tucked his knees close to his chest. For a moment it felt like he wasn’t going to complete the rotation. Luckily as Gar returned to the floor his feet caught him. Cheers followed and he stumbled back to the table smiling and dizzy. “Whoo that was a first. Gotta admit it was mostly luck hahar.” Cynthia and Pea both shook their heads, but Cynthia took a drink afterward as if to forget than Gar just managed to match her.
“Well the sleepyhead lost this round so it’ll just be us three for the third round. Now to add a rule hmmm…” Pea trailed off in thought of how to keep the game interesting. Gar also tried to think of something to add to the stakes, but it seemed the stakes were already high enough for a dumb drinking game. Gar scanned the faces of his opponents noticing them turning a light tint of red in the cheeks. “Hahar you two are starting to feel it huh?” Cynthia and Pea both laughed. “Look who’s talking. Ya look like a tomato wearing a blue bandanna.” Gar felt his cheeks to realize they were warm. This realization made him blush, in turn making them redder. Gar took off his bandanna to at least alter his description in some regard. Gar slid the fabric through his belt. “I’ll tell ya what, the next person to lose has to perform the other two’s duties for a week.”
“No sweat. I’m in.” Gar spoke with confidence. “As am I.” With the stakes sufficiently raised once again, it was Pea’s turn to come up with a feat once again. At this point in the game all the contestants were struggling to come up with feats they could easily perform while the others couldn’t. It was a testament to the skill of the contestants. Either that or a testament to how few things they were truly capable of. Perhaps it was this kind of thinking that led to Pea’s next feat.
Pea stood up and traversed the mess hall toward the food stores. Grabbing and orange, Pea opened his mouth as wide as he could and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. "Howth thith for a feat?" he muttered through his fruit filled mouth. Gar covered his face with his palm and shook his head. "Aye that sure was something..." Pea removed the orange smiling widely and tossed it in Gar's direction. Gar made no attempt at catching the saliva covered fruit and allowed it to sail past him, landing on the floor.
"No way am I touching that! I'll grab my own." Gar followed in Pea's footsteps and reached into the barrel of fruit. He retrieved an orange and took a deep breath before stuffing it into his face. The pirate's gag reflex kicked in but he managed to keep the orange in his mouth for long enough before his body forced him to remove it. "Ugh why did you pick such a weird feat?" Gar asked mostly to himself. Pea just smiled and gestured toward Cynthia, signifying her turn.
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Post by Gar on Mar 24, 2016 13:56:55 GMT -6
Cynthia led with a word. “No.” Apparently this was much to Pea’s displeasure. “Aww come on it’s just a bit of fun.” Cynthia continued her refusal with an explanation. “You couldn’t pay me enough to do something like that. It.. It’s… undignified.” The declaration was met with some chuckles from the crowd. “Yer on a pirate ship lass. Ye aint no princess.” That comment caught Gar off guard and provoked him to speak his mind. “Shut it scrub. She said she wasn’t gonna do it so leave her be.” The comment struck an odd chord with the pirate. He was one of the few pirates who never fit the stereotype. Not only his language and mannerisms, but his morality and actions were often reasons for ridicule for other pirates. Luckily for Gar as he grew, people eventually accepted him. Remembering this, Gar didn’t want his new rival to feel ostracized in anyway. Or perhaps it was some misplaced sense of heroism that prompted Gar’s response. The whole scene made Gar question himself briefly. Do I even like the company I keep? There’s always a couple good people in this line of work but… I don’t know. Whatever now isn’t the time for a soul search. A quiet filled the hall following Gar’s short outburst. Gar turned to Cynthia who seemed utterly unaffected by the whole situation. The pirate sighed and shook his head.
“Anyway, On with the game!” Gar said raising his head to reveal a smile. The smile wasn’t forced but it was required to lighten the mood. Briefly forgetting it was his turn, Gar took another drink from his mug. Once he remembered he had to come up with a feat, he rose to a standing position. He looked upward to try to gauge how high the ceiling was. Gar knew he was a hair shorter than Pea, but he was still the second tallest of the competitors. Gar decided his feat would be to touch the ceiling with the palm of his hand.
The pirate jumped high into the air and smacked the palm of his hand against the ceiling to make a loud noise. It appeared that the feat wasn’t incredibly fantastic as it was met by only a few cheers and a little muttering from the crowd. The other competitors were unimpressed as well, both were able to accomplish the feat. “You’re gonna have to do better than that Gar.” Gar noticed that Pea didn’t quite get his palm on the ceiling but he decided to let it slide. “Aye that one may have been a bit too easy.”
“Well looks like it’s time for a real feat.” Cynthia placed both palms on the ground and twisted her abdomen in preparation of her feat. She untwisted and began to spin on her back. Using her legs, she continued the gain momentum while spinning. The feat culminated in her springing off her forearms back onto her feet. The crowd was stunned to say the least. Moments passed before every single crew member was forced to applaud wildly for their potential new first mate.
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Post by Gar on Mar 25, 2016 15:56:30 GMT -6
“Well I certainly can’t do that. How bout you Gar?” Gar shrugged. It annoyed Gar to have to concede this one, but he knew he couldn’t perform the feat drunk. “Maybe if I had some time to practice… But right here, right now. No.” He turned to Cynthia. “Make sure you show me how to do that sometime.” Cynthia showed a smirk that was half smug and half sincere. “I’d be happy to.” Gar smiled back. Pea shook his head and decided to interrupt the moment by bowing out of the competition. “Well we all tied, but I don’t even want to be first mate so I’ll leave the rest to you guys. Sure is gonna be tiresome doing your work and all.” Some groans from the crowd followed the actions. Pea took up his drink and walked away from the table leaving the last two contestants still seated.
Pea wandered over and sat down next to the captain. “So whatcha think? Got any favorites?” The captain’s face was a fiery red, as she had apparently been drinking quite a lot as the game was going on. “I think you’re all a bunch o rotten drunks. You’re all great!” The captain was speaking so loudly that every pirate on the ship must’ve heard her. Every pirate in the mess hall had to smile and raise their mugs in agreement with the captain’s sentiment. “Aye we can’t wait to celebrate with our new first mate after the game!”
Gar smiled and stood up. “I can’t wait either because we all know it’s gonna be me!” The crowd was now divided into two parties, the Gar supporters and the Cynthia supporters. Due to this Gar’s declaration was met with a mix of cheers and groans. Gar took note that Pea was also rooting for him, the captain however, seemed indifferent. Cynthia stood up and walked in front of Gar to address the drunken pirates. “I may be new here, but I’m fairly certain you all know quality when you see it. That why I can assure you that I’m going to be your new first mate, not this burly, blue oaf.” Gar already knew what kind of reaction she would get, a mix of cheers and boos. At the moment however, Gar couldn’t tell who had more support.
“Well, since you’re so confident why don’t we get this show on the road?” Cynthia resumed her position at the table opposite Gar. The two looked gazes once again. Cynthia raised her mug. “May the best mate win.” Gar reciprocated the action. “Aye.” The two drank to the spirit of competition and got ready to start the final round. Pea interrupted once again. “Hold up hold up. Ya didn’t raise the stakes. What else are you gonna put on the line?” Gar shrugged and looked to Cynthia. She also was drawing a blank.
“If you can’t think of anything then I will. Whoever loses this round gets marooned for a month. We’ll come back and pick you up after that. If you’re still around that is.”
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Post by Gar on Mar 28, 2016 17:38:48 GMT -6
"Well, that certainly raised the stakes... Are you cool with this?" Gar asked Cynthia before they continued. "It's fine with me. What about yourself? You've been with this crew a lot longer than I have." Gar didn't actually know how he felt about this amendment to the game.On one hand these were his mates, and some of his best friends. Of course he didn't want to risk losing them for any amount of time. On the other hand, Gar was slowly and steadily coming to the conclusion that he just wasn't the same as other pirates. Where they see a town in trouble, they would pillage and rob the town blind, increasing the strife and suffering. Gar would offer aid and relief in whatever way he could. Perhaps he did need some time away from the salty sea dogs he called friends. Even if it was only to clear his head.
"Yea it's cool with me. Not that it matters because I'm gonna win." Cynthia just scoffed and allowed the pirate to perform his final feat. Gar picked up three glass mugs and tossed one in the air. Shortly after that, he threw another in the air and transferred the third to his opposite hand. After catching the first, he repeated the cycle of tossing, transferring and catching repeatedly. It was a solid party trick but not super flashy. Gar eventually caught all of the glasses and placed them on the table in front of Cynthia. "It's called juggling and it takes some practice. Hahar" Gar said with an air of pride.
"I know what it is." Cynthia said as she gathered the glasses and tossed one in the air. The confidence with which Cynthia took to the feat made Gar worried. Uhh oh, does she know how to- Gar's train of thought was interrupted with the sound of glass shattering on the floor. "I'm just not any good at it." Gar raised his arms over his head in a victorious pose. "I did it I win! Haha!" The pirate was partially celebrating winning the game, but mostly that he had finally beat Cynthia in something. Cheers echoed throughout the hall.
"Not quite, she still has a chance to out preform you." Pea said, ending Gar's premature celebration. Gar dropped his arms and sat down in his seat. "Okay then. Let's see it." Cynthia slid the glass into a pile on the floor, but didn't bother picking it up. She looked around the room and waved her arms to signify that the crowd should make space for her. Cynthia moved to one corner of the room. She took two strong steps and leapt into a handspring. She propelled off of her hands into the air where she spun and turned multiple times. Landing on her feet, she raised her arms over her head as if to taunt Gar. The pirate moved to the same corner where Cynthia began. He took two steps and leapt onto his hands. Unfortunately he lost too much momentum and when he sprung up he didn't get high enough to complete any turns. The pirate landed on his back, failing to complete the task.
"Well then looks like we tied. What now?"
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