Stormy journey (Shield)

[thormundsson]

A warship of the marines sailed out of the harbor at Strawberry Hill. It was of a similar design as almost any other marine vessels and the only thing that was different about it was the color of it's hull. The ship was coated black from stern to stem. The only different thing were two spots of white around each anchor. It looked slightly odd but when the name of the ship was the Orca, named after the killer whales, it didn't seem so odd.

Thor rubbed his head as he watched the harbor sink away as the ship moved quickly over the ocean. The sun was falling fast and in the fading darkness he could make out people lighting lanterns and torches in the town. It was almost symbolic that as soon as he left it the lights were there. Seemed like his own mission to find the thugs was not going as well as he had hoped. Barnett had separated from him, leaving only a little note as to where he should look for the bandits and it was a cryptic little notion so he would have to take some time to look at it.

The blackness that was closing in on the ship didn't ease his mind much. The skies did not look calm and he could tell that the weather was about to break. It was going to be some rough sailing during the night. Thor was not happy, he was angry that he still hadn't caught up to the bandits he was hunting and he was angry that the last trip had been a total bust, save for the duo throwing some lowlifes into the slammer. He tugged the marine coat in tighter to keep himself warm. It seemed that the scars had robbed him of his usual protection from cold and the ached each time the wind blew past him.

He turned around to the aide that was standing close by, apparently waiting for him to finish gathering his thoughts. It seemed a bit out of place really, if the man had something to say and it was marine business then he shouldn't let it wait.

"Do you have something to report, cadet...?" he asked with a slight frown of annoyance on his face. He wanted to get to his cabin for a few moments to rest before taking a look at the note he had in his pocket.

"It's nothing much sir! It's just that along with this vessel came a trainee from the headquarters. It's some sort of program to get the HQ trainees more real life experience, Sir!" The man said hastily, obviously not willing to chance a punishment for insubordination. Thor got the feeling that his somewhat gruff nature was common knowledge amongst the crew now.

"A trainee...? and where is this person?" Thor asked, with a mixture of interest and anger filling his voice.

"Sheeee....should be around here somewhere...Sir"

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

The dark of night had quickly replaced what was once clear skies. Almost all had been stripped of color and rendered black. All save for the people holding lanterns and such, that inhabited the city known as Strawberry Hill. It was said to have a population composed mostly of retired Marines. It also was home to a great orphanage. However what Isabelle found most interesting about the city was its history. She had taken an interest in how the city was established by people who's origins were from the Ilusia kingdom, yet some how the kingsom allowed the city to veer off on its own.

It was about a year ago that the girl knew little about the histories of islands located in the blue. Having enlisted in the Marines she had learned much since then. Though she still lacked the experience. Which was why headquarters drafted her into a program in which recruits would be given the opportunity to gain experience by joining specialized divisions. Isabelle had been assigned to Shield; a division led by Lieutenant "Hammerhand" Thor. She arrived aboard the Orca not too long before sundown. Since her arrival Isabelle had been made aware of the Lieutenant's temper, a subject that reminded the girl of her grandfather.

When she came aboard earlier the marine was assigned a bunk in the barracks, which she quickly adjusted to her likely. Once she had finished up with that Isabelle had had been given a tour of the lower decks. As she transitioned topside she overheard mention of a trainee sent from HQ, of course it was obvious that she was the subject. Emerging from the staircase leading below Isabelle turned towards the direction of the voices, only to see a fellow cadet looking back at her. Beside him stood a man wearing a marine issued overcoat. An indication that she was staring at the back of her commanding officer, Lieutenant Thor. By then she could tell that an introduction was required which prompted her to speak despite her thoughts on how legit his reputation was.

[maroon]"Hello sir. It seems I have come at an appropriate time. My name is Isabelle Reinhart, Seaman recruit. It is my honor to serve under you."[/maroon]

As she spoke Isabelle, like any other marine showed her respect through a formal salute. Although it was dark, and she was pretty sure the Lieutenant could care less, she still felt it was only right to act professional.

[/black]

[thormundsson]

Thor looked the recruit up and down before saluting himself. It was a show of respect to do so and an acknowledgement that the other person was worthy of being a marine. The girl looked like she had just arrived from Marine HQ and with a trip that long he was slightly amused that she was so wide awake and fresh. He thanked the marine who had reported it in and sent him on his way.

He turned back to the recruit who was waiting patiently for orders. It was good that she was calm about this, it so happened that all too many marines liked to charge headlong into the enemy without a care for their own bodies. Thor didn't much hate that since it weeded out the weaklings and losers from the really tough fighters and made sure only the very best got to the top.

"Now I did not request a recruit to be assigned to me but I can't say I dislike the idea. Too many of the HQ's recruits grow up complacent knowing that in the same building are the Marine Admirals and it dulls their senses and drains motivation during fights. Now I can be a hard taskmaster but show me you are worthy and you will rise faster through the ranks than any grunt could hope for" Thor said calmly to the girl.

The purpose of his mission had not alluded him and he turned and shouted to the man at the helm. "Get us moving away from this sad, little, rock and head east" He said, pleased to see the men jumping to the order and feeling the ship turn with a purpose eastwards. It was the only thing Barnett had left him on the note apart from some cryptic message. He hated cryptic words, they were just a hindrance to fulfilling ones goals.

"Well, what skills do you have, Isabella, can you use that weapon of yours?" he said, turning back to the recruit

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

For some reason Isabelle could not wrap her mind around the rumors spreading amongst the crew members. It was all talk of how cruel the Lieutenant was. But standing here before him, the recruit only saw a respectable man with a hard exterior, similar to her grandfather. She was especially pleased when Thor returned the salute, which she precieved as a form of acknownledgement. Another indication that he wasn't as bad as the others have warned about.

Bringing her arm down, Isabelle stood at ease, awaiting any instructions the Lieutenant may have had. She was surprised to see him turn away from her, but the girl was calmed the moment he began to speak. His words of wisdom were appreciated but unneccesary though Isabelle held onto [blue]"show me you are worthy and you will rise faster through the ranks than any grunt could hope for."[/blue] Isabelle couldn't help but smirk at the promise of increasing fame. However the promise could only be fulfilled if showed her worth. An easy feat to be accomplished within time.

Isabelle continued to stand by while Thor gave the order for to head east. If they were to reach as far as East Blue there was a good possibility that she would run into her grandfather. By then she would have grown in terms of prestige as well as skills. This was her goal to be accomplished by the time she next saw her grandfather.

Isabelle's train of thought was interrupted by Thor's questioning of her swordsplay along with his instertion of an "a" at the end of her name instead of an "e". Slight irritation from this would force her to respond in a disapproving manner.

[maroon]"Sir, my name is Isabelle not Isabella. As for my sword skills, they still have room for improvement."[/maroon] She said raising her left hand to stroke the gemed pommel of her sword Rovina.

[/black]

[thormundsson]

(OOC: I don't have a DF on Thor, I couldn't change it before I was promoted to staff so it's been left in there but I'll take a logia on him as soon as I get to C. The other one was removed due to retardedness.....)

"Good to know, if you told me you had no room for improvement I'd tell you to jump off this ship and take the Admiral position, it's good to know your limits" he said with a slight mixture of sage wisdom and amusement. He had never been the one to win out with his mind, he was not fool but he knew that there were a lot of smarter people out there. Still he prided himself in knowing more than most on fighting, if only brutal melee.

"I'd like to see the extent of your skills with that blade of yours and how strong you are?" Thor said as he sized the recruit up. I don't intend to fight you myself, I've got a few wounds that still need healing, but I think a demonstration with Sergeant Mian. "Oi! get Mian over here!" Thor called to one of the crewmen, the man jumped from the cannon he had been cleaning and went to get the lookout man. The Sergeant always amazed Thor by his sheer speed, even if he didn't match up to most foes.

Mian came walking pretty fast, accompanied by the private. He was a tall man, thin as a needle but almost a head taller than Thor, who himself wasn't a small man at all. His weapon of choice was a long blade, almost half again as long as a normal sword. His short, white hair and thin black beard was a nice contrast and his eyes were like those of a hawk.

"I'd like to see you take on the new recruit, Mian" Thor said as the man got close enough and saluted him. "CLEAR THE MAIN DECK!!" He thundered and as always was please when the men rushed to follow his orders. Soon enough there was a clear space on the deck and the men had moved to the two other decks to watch.

Thor pointed both fighters to take their stance and get ready for the fight....

[miguelangel12345]

The warship Orca was considered to be, by some, a representation of what the might of the marines was, intimidating, powerful, a force of nature that could never be taken down, neither by nature nor pirates.

So it came as a surprise for Neyruk Integer, one of the newest recruits, to actually be sent to such ship right after a few weeks having officially entered the corps. To him, the rumors about the life of a marine being harsh and full of sacrifices and trials were, at least so far, very far from the truth, it was....somewhat tough but it was all so rewarding that any sacrifice he felt he had to make were, considering the benefits, very trivial.

These last few weeks he had learnt some of the basic duties of a seaman recruit and he was now capable of putting up somewhat of a fight with his scythe, even starting to use some pretty standard fighting moves.... and now he was going aboard his very first ship, this was just too good to be true.

The orders were simple, to serve personally under the Lieutenant ''Hammerhand'' Thor from the division Shield until the trip was over, once found, he was to give him a letter that would clarify everything to him.

Theoretically, he was now a full fledged marine on a ship and with an assignment to fulfill, he clutched his necklace on his fist, waiting that his family got the letter he sent two days ago.

He left everything in his cabin, except his scythe which he strapped on his back, giving him a very distinct, and therefore, stand-out appearance from the regular marine, even if wearing the standard marine uniform.

He began to chat with other recruits whilst looking for Lieutenant Thor, from what he was hearing, he seemed to be as tough a person as a marine, Neyruk decided not to show him his patented ''Hello, my baby. Hello, my honey. Hello, my rag-time gall'' hand-puppet musical number, just in case he didn't take it well.

A while later, he noticed the sky turning a lot darker ''Bad weather, seems like a storm might pop up any moment'', as he went around, he finally arrived at a very surreal image.

A young woman wearing a white Marine jacket with black pants and an standard marine, both seemingly ready to battle while hundreds of recruits ran to clear the deck for both of them and a marine wearing an overcoat watched with a face so emotionless that it could've been mistaken for a statue, he told himself ''Oh no, don't tell me marines out of all people fight amongst themselves''

This felt to him like a shameless show, they were supposed to be an example of discipline and order not act like pirates, or morons, or pirate morons for that matter, he liked a good old-fashioned brawl now and then but not on hours of service.

He thought about shouting and stepping in but he wasn't so stupid as to try to command a large regiment of marines without any authority, if that beauty was in any sign of danger, he was stepping in.

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

Thor wished to see how capable Isabelle was with her sword; Rovina. Though she had never displayed her skills for the mere observance of others, the recruit knew it was necessary for the Lieutenant to guage the strength of those beneath him. However his suggestion gave the girl the impression that she would tested by the Lieutenant himself. To her disappointment that would not be the case. Instead she would have her bout with a fellow marine named Mian. The opposition was a slender man that stood taller than the massive Thor. He had an odd but not unheard of contrast of strands of white sprouting from his head and black strands that constructed his beard. As fascinating as it was, Isabelle's focus quickly shifted to the long sword held at his side. Although she was confident in her skills the recruit knew the range Mian had over her would be problematic.

Following the arrival of her opponent the upper deck was quickly cleared to give the participants an open area for their battle. All aboard the ship had formed an audience. Theirs eyes all focused on her and Mian. Though she assumed they were more determined to catch any actions on her part. Hopefully she wouldn't disappoint them. The last thing she wanted to do was become an outcast on a ship full of people who've witnessed a moment of failure. Regardless of wether she won or not, Isabelle was fairly confident that she would be capable of providing them with a reasonable amount of entertainment.

The omnious dark encompassing the surroundings made everything all the more serious. Such a mood was reflected on Isabelle's face as she respectfully bowed her head. Her eyes meeting those of Mian as she rose and drew her Rovina. Calmly she assumed her stance drawing her sword back on her right side through the use of her right arm, while tilting her elbow so that the tip of her blade was aimed slightly towards the ground. She grasped the handle with both hands before bending her knees slightly.

Now she was ready.

[/black]

[thormundsson]

Thor had to admit he didn't know much about Mian. The only thing he had heard and knew was the report on the crew and the apparent awe the men held him by. It would be an interesting sight to see if the new recruit could handle it. The men seemed pumped up at the sight, more so than he liked, really. This wasn't some pit fight with a group of gladiators, this was a sparring session between two marines. He noted a few of the men were talking to themselves as the opposing fighters took their place.

"Oi! if I see so much as a beri pass hand in an attempt to bet on this fight I'm tossing the culprit overboard.......and clear the lower deck completely!" He shouted and glared at a man who seemed like he was about to start something. The man turned his head and froze in an instance when Thor locked him down with a stare that could pierce metal.

That's when Mian attacked.

He lunged forward, his massively long blade extended as far as his arm could take it, giving him a reach that was as long as the girl was tall. It seemed somewhat unreal, as if his body wasn't in the same proportions as a human one. He aimed his blow straight at the girl's chest, seemingly to puncture her shoulder. It was a bit concerning really, if it hit her full on it would take her out of the fight and if she didn't die she'd be bedridden for months.

"I suppose they have to learn it the hard way....." He thought quietly to himself. He noted a twitchy little fellow on the edge of the staircase who seemed a bit nervous or distracted by the melee going on. His lack of standard clothing made it obvious that he was either a new recruit or he was a stow-away. Thor wasn't going to wait around to see which it was and walked slowly towards the young man, watching the fight with one eye.

"And what brings you to this battleship, son?" He asked in his usually cold manner....

[miguelangel12345]

(Because i've started a CP9 thread, i'm not continuing this one and i'm planning to make this a past experience for my char, this will be a final post, although i'd like to role-play in the future with Thor and Isa someday)

And what brings you to this battleship son? Neyruk suddenly heard and looked at the man standing in front of him, it was the marine wearing the large overcoat with the unfriendly face. He then realized that this man, speaking with such authority to a fellow marine had to be Lieutenant Thor, all he could think after seeing him was a high display of respect, he seemed strong, very strong and authoritative.

His eyes left the fight, if he had allowed the fight to go on, then probably the fight had been approved by this man and he had no motive to worry then. He saluted and asked just to be sure.

''Sir, my name is Neyruk Integer from Illusia Kingdom Base. I'm looking for Lieutenant ''Hammerhand'' Thor, there is a letter i must hand to him. Would you happen to be him?''

Little did he know the content of the letter which went something like this. ''The recruit delivering this letter will serve as one of the cabin boys for the ship until the ship returns to Illusia Kingdom Base Please, make sure he misses not work''..[/font][/i]

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

Through the darkness Isabelle saw the lengthy figure charge forward. The lack of lighting made her drop any thoughts of parrying Mian's impalement. Though a little hesitant about dodging full on, Isabelle decided avoiding the attack was the safest. Timing he stride to the sway of the ship, rocked to the left taking several short but quick steps away from her former position. Avoiding the frontal attack was easy and allowed Isabelle to gain some distance in order to prepare a counter or drive of her own.

"This is going to be challenging."She thought to herself. Her mind quickly cycled through Mian's actions; They were lethal, in the sense that they came without warning and were very swift. Aside from that his lunge would have ended her right there. Such was determined by the whisps of air she felt while dodging his attack. Fortunately she now knew the strength he was capable of producing and would try to keep from taking too much damage.

As her thoughts ran so did her actions. Her side step was followed by a swift pivet so that she remained facing her target. Isabelle brought her arms downward so that Rovina was aimed at the ground behind herself. Once set she was off, set at a dash, once within range she would sweep her sword upwards to preform a diagonal slash with every intention of killing Mian. Should she succeed in her attack Rovina would enter the man's lower body, due to the height difference. From which the blade would travel in a curved motion until exiting from Mian's shoulder.

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[thormundsson]

(I'll try and get more active but I had forgotten that the other guy left, so I was waiting for him)

Thor was impressed by the deft dodge from Isabelle. The strike from Mian had been very good and her decision to dodge rather than block was the wisest move. If she had she would have had her chest full of metal, a very discouraging thought. He smiled a little as he watched the girl fight against the man with both skill and determination, just as he liked people to fight.

It seemed her strike was meant to cleave the man in half but it looked like the good lieutenant had some moves left. As the blade had almost reached his lower body he jumped over the girl, using his own size and height to minimize the force needed for the jump. He flew over her head and ended behind her, his body spinning in place, aiming a direct blow to the upper part of her shoulder.

Thor was a bit intrigued, it seemed the speed would make sure the blow hit but he had a feeling that the girl was hiding some good moves. He had his hand ready to signal the end of the fight, he had a feeling it would end very quickly now that both had realized it was serious.

He told an aide to go and make sure he had enough supplies for the chart room, he was going to crack the note and the girl was going to help him. It would be intriguing to see if she was as smart as she was quick.

He looked back to the fight to see how it would turn, his hand ready to signal the end.

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

As she brought her sword upwards, Isabelle was amazed to find it was trailing behind Mian's body. It was a surprise to see such a tall man capable of jumping in such a quick and effortless manner. Knowing that if she ended her slash like she originally intended her back would be exposed, Isabelle reacted instinctively and sought to place something between herself and the man. So as she veered towards what would have been the end of her slash, the Marine twisted her body further and shifted her weight slightly, taking an additional step from which she would pivot, so that she could utilize the momentum gained from her initial slash. Rather than end her attack she would simply extend it by dragging the blade further as she rotated her body.

The intent of doing so was to keep Rovina aimed at Mian despite his agile movements. However there was a good distance that kept the man out of the range of her blade. Should he push forward though he would meet the end of her bladed partner no doubt.

Isabelle couldn't help but feel satisfied from the level of physical activity she was outputting. But under the current circumstances it was relatively hard to enjoy such a serious moment. This was the next phase in her goal towards becoming a full fledge Marine.

[/black]

[thormundsson]

As the two fighter's blades met Thor decided to stop the sparring match. He stepped through the group of marines barring his way and entered the area. Raising his hands as he snapped his fingers he got everyone's attention in an instant. It seemed that even the waves died out as he did and the ship came to an almost complete halt, merely floating forward slowly.

"Very well fought, both of you. It's a please to see marines taking their training so much to heart in this dangerous sea." Thor said as he stepped towards the duo, Mian sheathing his blade almost as soon as he heard the snap. The man was well trained and very disciplined, almost beyond a regular recruit. "You have a few openings that come from overextending your reach, lieutenant. I advice you try to lessen the influence of reach and focus on your defenses. I had to do the same when I first started fighting and it is something to really focus on" Thor continued and explained in a rough sense his view on the man's style. He demonstrated a little, keeping his hands closer rather than so extended as Mian had done. "All of you are dismissed, back to your duties and get this floating sloth on the move!" He thundered and the men ran to their duties. Most seemed satisfied enough to have had a break and went to their work with admirable gusto.

He turned back towards the girl. "You are a very fine fighter and it brings pride to my heart to see other marines value their fighting skills as much as I do mine" He said as he folded his hands across his chest, his coat blowing slightly to the side in the almost non existent wind. "I do find your style to have too many risks in it and whilst I don't go against such things I do expect all trainees under my command to survive so pay attention to that" He finished and turned to walk towards the map room.

"Come on, we need to see where we are off to....." He said slowly as he walked on ahead.

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

Isabelle's muscles reacted the moment Thor approached; Her swing being brought just out of reach of Mian's arm. Appearently their Commander had seen enough and was calling a stop to the spar. He probably sensed the harm that would have been produced had the two continued. Although her body longed for such a physical experience the recruit was rather glad that the spar ended shortly. Afterall she was able to last without the inclusion of Oblio.

She took in the wisdom of Thor, knowing that what he said about leaving openings was true. Though they could have been avoided had she been using both Rovina and Oblio. But she was glad she was given the opportunity to train with just one of her weapons. Of course she hoped to become more proficient with using a single blade, so that she could maintain the unknown aspects of her style.

[Maroon]"Sir, I greatly appreciate your critique. I shall work harder on developing my swordplay."[/Maroon]

Giving her brief thanks Isabelle followed after Thor. Curiousity evident on her face, as she wondered what sort of destination lay in mind, and of course the location. She would question why once she was told where they would be going.

[/black]

[thormundsson]

He passed by a few marines on their duties as he pushed open the heavy oak door to the map room. The room was fairly well lit and it seemed like it had been readied immediately when he came aboard. Apart from the small window there wasn't an opening on the room and it's interior was set with heavy wooden cupboards and a few well made chairs.

At the center of the room was a massive table, made from solid wood and obviously of fine craftsmanship. There was a map of it showing the entire world and from each side of it could be drawn another map which showed one of the four blues. It was a nice design and made sure that the maps were always easily readable.

He bent slightly over the table and dragged open the map showing the West Blue, making a mental note of their position and trying to decipher the note that Barnett had left him. It seemed too puzzling for him at first, the words and the scribble both to badly written and so cryptic that he couldn't make heads or tails to it.

Then he realized the idea and it all sort of made sense as he looked at the map. "A brilliant kid, that Barnett, too bad he had to leave" He said with weariness in his voice.

The Orca sailed along into the night, heading swiftly towards their next destination.