Mirror plot II.

[stuck_mynock]

When the morning comes, Atton's gone, but there are two rather ragged and thin looking pirates poking Will with their feet.

"Get up," one says (he's very shrill). "You're to report to the quartermaster, down on deck four."

Comments

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

"I'm sure," the quartermaster says, nodding towards a nearby door. "Your waiting area is through there."

[will_scarlett]

Will nods and walks through, loosening his sword in its sheath.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Beyond, there's something approaching an especially large cavern. Vast and dome-shaped, with long teeth of rock hanging from the ceiling, for the most part the stone has been shaped into high and ever-higher benches looking down on the centre. Currently, those benches are filled with jeering pirates. Atton isn't anywhere to be seen.

In the middle, there's a large circle, depressed down into the rock by ten or twelve feet, with two roughly hewn doorways on each side, through one of which Will's just come.

Opposite from him, somebody else emerges through another door. It's clear that Atton had a sense of humour when he picked Ray - technically, he follows what Will had specified, that his opponent be around the same size as him. He's only slightly taller, only slightly broader. The joke is in the fact that, this aside, any semblance of fairness has been thrown out the window - he has battered, mismatched armour, a heavy axe in one hand and a sword in the other, and from the back of his head streams a mass of tentacles, bifurcated to hold a hammer and another sword.

[will_scarlett]

As he sees Ray, Will crosses himself and sends a small prayer up that he can return to Kate in one piece from this adventure.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

There's no announcement that the fight has started, but Ray starts rushing towards Will anyway, sword and axe sweeping about at his neck.

[will_scarlett]

Will does his best to meet the swinging blades and hoping that he's just that much faster.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Ray lets out a strange, chittering sound as the blades are blocked, hammer and second sword coming up to swing down towards Will.

[will_scarlett]

So Will takes a chance and pushes forward towards Ray, hoping to knock him off balance as he dodges out of the way. He also slashes towards Ray's torso as he moves.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Ray stumbles, and while the slash leaves a deep groove across his armour, he's uninjured, and quickly strikes back by swinging his axe towards Will's shoulder.

[will_scarlett]

Will's able to just get out of the way but the axe leaves a nasty slash down his arm as he turns to meet it with his sword.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

With his axe locked against Will's sword, Ray turns to other weapons - his hammer swings sideways towards Will's head.

[will_scarlett]

Since his sword is locked and the hammer is coming fast, Will briefly lets go of his sword, kicks Ray in the groin and grabs his sword again before going under Ray's legs.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

The muted grunt from Ray and the way he freezes up would probably indicate that this works fairly well.

[will_scarlett]

Once he's clear of him, Will comes back and slashes at Ray's legs to knock him fully over.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

With a sharp yelp, Ray stumbles forwards, legs bleeding. His hammer and sword swing about to thrash in Will's general direction, but the aim is poor.

[will_scarlett]

So Will simply backs up more to get out of the way.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Ray hits the floor on his hand and knees, tentacles and tentacle-held weapons still thrashing about.

The crowd's cries aren't especially coherent, but it's clear that they rather want Will to finish him off.

[will_scarlett]

Will comes up and puts his sword at Ray's throat,

"Why should I kill 'em?"

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

The crowd, being a not especially orderly sort, just continues to yell at Will to finish him.

At which point there's a blur behind Will as Atton lands nearby, striding over and ruffling his hair.
"You did good. Don't worry about it."

[will_scarlett]

Its so much like what normal Atton would do that Will turns and just gives him a smile,

"Aye, good."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Will gets a warm smile in response and a pat on the shoulder, before Atton moves past him and towards Ray.

"But he's not much use to me as a pirate. He's lazy, he's greedy, he's not really a people-person, and now he can't even walk. No good as a slave t'sell, either," a flick of his hand hoists Ray into the air.

Ray twitches, for a moment, before Atton clenches his fist. There's a loud crunching noise, before Ray goes limp, and Atton lets him drop down to the floor again.

[will_scarlett]

Will's smile fades but he does his best to not show any fear,

"Oh aye."

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Will gets a bright grin.

"Someone was always going t'die here today. But I'm glad it wasn't you - I like you more than Ray." There's a pause, while Atton peers at Will, as if he's very tempted to start another fight, before he just shrugs. "Head to my quarters. I'll see to that wound when I get there."

[will_scarlett]

"Aye, thank ye."

Then Will bows to Atton and hides the wince from moving his arm that way as he cleans and sheathes his sword.

[stuck-mynock.livejournal.com]

Atton jumps out of the pit, wandering away into the rapidly dispersing crowd.