Headed by a Snake

Tycondrius and the two Sea Wolves had arrived at a difficult predicament. The Saltspray King, Liber, had become empowered by a Dark Ritual.

The power Liber was utilizing was clearly above his rank. The ritual had already been completed, so disrupting the ritual circle was not an option. As there was no flowing source of power, Tycon hypothesized that the ritual had a limited duration... or may have been chained to a location.

Lang Hai wanted to charge forward like a gods-damned hero, drunk on getting his vengeance. Convincing him to withdraw would be antithetical to the boy's nature. If Tycon withdrew on his own, he risked losing Lang Hai and Rico both.

The situation had gone to shite, bringing Tycon to a fact he already knew intimately.

Warlocks were nothing but trouble.

"Eldritch Blast," Liber flicked his hand, a green bolt of dark energies smashing into Lang Hai's chest. Hai stumbled backward, but the tentacles on his back smashed into the walls and floor to steady him.

"Bah! You shite-eating mage-bastard! Come over here and fight!!" Hai growled.

"How does it feel, Mister Tycon? To watch your companions die while you can do nothing?" Liber raised an eyebrow.

Tycon smiled, "Admittedly, not very good, Mister Liber. Perhaps you'd consider attacking me, as well?"

There was an important clause in the contract. If a Saltspray pirate was to attack Tycon or someone from his guild, the non-aggression agreement would be nulled-- at least for that instance.

Liber lightly shook his head, "No, Mister Tycon. I don't think I will."

"Very well. I only offered out of politeness, after all."

Tycon turned to Lang Hai, who continued to be struck by green bolts of energy. His scales withered and flaked. Parts of his body were discolored by a gangrenous rot. The boy-Captain's regenerative abilities were being taxed heavily.

"GrrrreEEAAAGHH!!" Hai picked up a nearby table and hurled it at the warlock.

Liber wordlessly held up his hand, a spherical green mana shield surrounding him. Upon contact, the table's movement abruptly halted, and it fell harmlessly to the ground.

"If it makes you feel any better, dear Captain, I like your enthusiasm," Tycon offered.

Hai snarled, his viscous saliva dripping from his maw, "When we get done here, I'm going to skin you alive, you stupid--"

"Captain," Tycon interrupted.

"WHAAAAAT?!" Hai was incensed.

"Geek the mage, if you would be so kind."

"THAT'S WHAT I WAS--"

[Lamb to the Slaughter activated. Support ability. Allies within range are compelled to simultaneously charge the user's chosen target.]

Tycon saw the exact moment Hai's body began feeling the effects of Tycon's Skill. His fins raised up, his black-sclera eyes widened, and the muscles on his thighs and calves began to tremble.

"Oh." Hai closed his mouth, "Got it."

Lang Hai rushed towards Liber, still being pelted by Eldritch Blasts-- but as long as he was affected by Tycon's compulsion, the spells' stopping-power was nonexistent.

Hai smashed an elbow into Liber's face, knocking him back into a wall. He picked up the table and began to smash it repeatedly against the warlock's staggered form.

He really wanted to hit Liber with that table.

Tycon sighed. It was an inefficient use of mana to utilize his Lamb to the Slaughter Skill with only a single ally, but Hai needed to get within range of Liber to threaten him.

"Central hall, Captain!!" Tycon called out as he began walking, "I will see to Rico."

"BESTIAL LATCH!!" Hai grabbed onto the Warlock. Bluish mana sheathed his fist and he crushed harder, causing Liber to yelp in pain.

Hai wound up his arm and threw Liber into the central hall, bounding out of the room after him.

...

Tycon knelt down beside the fallen Rico. The horse-sized Sea Wolf was lying on her side, looking ten shades of pathetic. The poor girl had vomited and even urinated on the floor. She whimpered and lapped at Tycon's face.

He wished she hadn't. The smell was atrocious.

« System, analysis: Rico's negative status effect. »

[Analyzing...]

"Rico, how are you feeling?"

"I... I don't feel so good, Mister Tycon," Rico whined, pain apparent in her voice.

[Analysis complete. Poison. Third-Circle Necromancy. Greatly reduces target's life force.]

Rico could have better shrugged off a poison effect from an Iron-Ranker... But Liber cast at this spell at a higher level than his own. This and the barrier he had were likely the reasons why Liber was so confident.

Tycon wasn't a proper healer, but his Skill, Desire Trigger, could help Rico resist the spell's effect. However, it would require the girl's willpower... But judging by the girl's hyperactivity and the fact that she had the tendency to cry and urinate when she went for too long without food, (he had seen it,) Rico needed a push.

Tycon held up the girl's snout, "Rico... Listen to me."

"Am I gonna diiiiie?" Pools of tears had collected at the corner of Rico's eyes.

"No. Shut up for a moment, young lady," Tycon scolded.

"Kayyyyy."

Lang Hai always treated Rico as a nuisance... but Tycon had only ever seen obedience from her. Rico was a good girl.

"Rico, tell me something you like very much."

"I... I like you, Mister Tycon," Rico nuzzled her snout into Tycon's chest.

"Rejected," Tycon lightly bopped her nose, "Something else."

"I like... eating... with my friends," Rico managed to puff out her cheeks, an impressive feat considering her form.

"Is that what you like most, young lady?" Tycon scratched under the girl's chin.

"I wanna... be with Captain forever," Rico whimpered in a tiny voice.

There it was. Tycon could work with that.

"After this, then. We'll all have a big meal. We'll have everyone we can get... and I'll make sure that Captain Lang Hai is there."

Rico's body started vibrating with how fast her tail was wagging, "But... but... Cap'n doesn't eat with everyone else. He says it's not something officers do."

Tycon smiled gently, "Which is why it's going to be special... just for you, young lady."

The Sea Wolf gasped, "Just for Rico?"

"That's right. So you have to get better, okay? You have to stay strong."

[Desire Trigger conditions met. Activate? Y/N?]

Rico blinked the tears out of her large eyes, "It really hurts, Mister Tycon..."

Tycon raised an eyebrow. It sounded like the girl wasn't finished speaking, "But?"

"But it... hurts more thinking that a different Sea Wolf might eat with the Captain, instead of with me."

Ah. Very well. So Lang Hai was ignoring the girl's feelings. Tycon was going to beat the shite out of the boy after this.

« Activate the ability. »

[Desire Trigger activated. Support ability. Targeted ally is compelled to envision an existing incentive, moderately boosting target's ability to resist detrimental effects.]

Tycon unstoppered a borrowed waterskin and poured it into his hands-- he'd filled it with seawater just before, "Drink."

Rico obediently lapped up the water.

"Rest for awhile, young lady. I'll go help your Captain with that rude fellow," Tycon stood up.

"O... okay, Mister. Come back soon."