Raiding the Midi

Gabriel bounded to the front of his ship. Technically his ship anyways. The Abyssal Fleet wouldn't miss this beauty, the Lightning Strike, for too long. The ship had been modeled after a sloop. A sleek narrow shape of black with accents of red in the boards that had augmentations to allow flight. The liquid lacrima engines boosted with Gabriel's technical knowledge cranked out a speed most couldn't achieve in this timeline. The wings hugged the vessel closely, further increasing the speed. Gabriel felt the wind grab his hair as he stood upon the prow. Flying really must be the greatest sensation.

The cape nation of Midi came into view rapidly. Gabriel howled into the wind in joy. He didn't need to worry about Temporal Blights or Spatial Rifts. All that mattered now was the hunt, the thrill of the bounty they'd drag in. Their target, a small town along the coast, held a fair amount of wealth. It served as a stop gap port for ships to resupply before moving on. Gabriel popped out a viewing glass. A few ships were floating in the harbor. Only one appeared to be militaristic in nature. The bluette smiled widely in satisfaction.

"Ahoy me hearties!! There be our target!" Gabriel shouted, gesturing. "Looks like we've got some Samurai to deal with but they won't be a challenge for us, will they?!" The crew roared in approval. Gabriel jumped down from the prow. "Swords unsheathed! Flare the wings and prepare for descent! Raise the Jolly Roger! Remember, today we feed the fish! Dead Men tell no Tales!" This time the cry from the crew had the tinge of blood lust. The bluette smiled slowly.

"Captain! Samurai on our port side!" The helmsman shouted, pointing off the side. Gabriel scowled. "Shiver me Timbers, that was quick." The bluette looked toward the guest he'd invited on this little soiree. "Are you ready for a fight, Pirate Julius? It seems we'll have to work for our booty today." Purple armor swirled in the air around Gabriel before encasing him. Two books started to float above each shoulder. Violet fire gathered in each gauntleted hand. "This is going to be a blast!"

WC: 364

Gabriel swept a ridiculous hat off his head. "Begging your pardon, Julius. It seems we're about to be boarded. Shall we repel them?" A crew member hurried by lugging a cannon ball. Gabriel frowned, turning to see why the cannons were being rolled out. They were mages after all! Shouldn't magic do the trick? "Ship to Starboard, ca'pn!" The lookout cried, being more precise this time. "Another two approaching off the port bow!"

"Bring up the mages then! We'll sink their ships to Davy Jones' locker!" Gabriel replied. Most of the crew stopped, looking dumbfounded at the man. He peered around, a cocky grin on his face. His mind snapped to the answer quickly. "Ah, forget it. Lemme show you why I'm the captain!" Gabriel extended a finger gun toward one of the port ships. A multicolored ball flew from it as the mage said "Bang" A yellow shield flickered into place around the ship as the ball was about to make contact. The shield buckled under the assault. The ship continued to sail unimpeded however.

Gabriel stared at his finger hard. "Stupid thing must be Tartarus blasted. He shrugged as if it were no matter. To him, how could it be? Those ships would sink in the end. "Light the cannons! Fire upon those scurvy dogs!" The crew scrambled to follow orders, grumbling the whole way. "Focus fire on the port side, lads. Julius and I will take care of our Starboard barnacle."

A hand extended in Julius' direction. "It'll be easier if you take my hand and don't fight it." Gabriel said solemnly. Regardless of if the pirate mage did so, Gabriel shunted both of them out of time. Everyone other than the pair stopped moving entirely. All sound ceased other than their breathing. Gabriel tapped his lips. "A dimensional shift would have been a better option this time perhaps. Oh well." The bluette grinned at Julius before stepping off the ship. He landed on the water, which had somehow become solid. Gabriel bounced upon it a few times. Water out of time presented quite the opportunity for fun.

"Come along, Julius. I'll explain along the way." He called before striding toward the starboard ship. Gabriel couldn't hold this spell indefinitely while another person's time ran interference. The temporal slayer literally held every second that Julius remained in the spell. Time didn't like to be held still. "I've pulled us out of the timestream to allow us to save our comrades in time. We can walk to the ship and wreck havoc. Let loose the dogs of War!" He laughed softly to himself. "Like Neo in the Matrix almost, No wait! Spock in his time ship altering the timeline!" Gabriel snapped his fingers. That was the one. "Anyways, the reason we can't see the timeline is cause I didn't move us spatially. You need another dimension to see the River of Time and you don't want to visit. That place is Frozen without Olaf or Anna. Just cold and boring. Anyways, ask any questions but do it while we move. Tsk tsk!"

Gabriel walked briskly to the targeted ship. Magic spiraled around him briefly once they reached the wooden wall. Both Julius -if Julius had followed - and Gabriel were lifted, to be deposited in the center of the deck. "Excellent. Be prepared" The bluette clapped his hands and time resumed. The sailors of the Midian ship shouted in surprise as they noticed the intruder(s). Armored warriors rushed to surround them. Each warrior wielded a curved single edged sword. Another weapon hung at their belts. Gabriel took note of several people in long flowing robes. Some clutched staffs, others orbs of some sort. The mages perhaps? The slayer made no move, waiting to see how things played out.

WC: 630/994
TWC: 1349

Gabriel chuckled at Julius' glib response to the time stop. Not everyone took such an event without issue. He'd driven more than one person insane by trapping them within their own personal bubble of time stasis. Good times. The bluette waved away the other pirate's response to walking on water. Not everyone could compare themselves to one such as he. However Julius walked on water, assuredly it must be different from his own methods. Gabriel stopped the ocean's time. Not many could pull off such a feat.

When Gabriel reinitiated time, Julius had yet another quip. The bluette looked at the man appraisingly. This one might be kept around. Especially with the way this pirate had lazily disarmed the samurai's threat. He tipped an invisible hat to the other man. "As you request, darling. The mages will not disturb you." Gabriel bowed, teleporting behind the nearest group he'd deemed to be magic wielders.

The bluette's hands clasped the man's head. The sharp intake of breath told Gabriel all he needed. A quick twist ended in an audible crack. The corpse dropped to the deck. Several allies of the dead man turned toward Gabriel. He adjusted his jacket, fiddling with the cuffs. "Its hard to find the right jacket these days. You can only find blood proof or a good fit. Never both." His tongue clicked in disappointment. Rolling his shoulders, the bluette eyed his opponents. This jacket definitely wasn't blood proof. "Surrender. Only warning."

They charged various spells to attack. Gabriel sighed. No one took his threats seriously here. His fingers snapped in irritation. One of the attackers exploded as the fabric of space twisted. Another snap teleported the right half of another mage to some random destination. Gabriel snapped his fingers once again. Time stopped around a heart. The heart kept in time isolation while the body struggled to function. The bluette turned to watch that one struggle to breath, clutching at her chest. Two mages remained in this cluster. They stared dumbfounded at the carnage. Ten seconds, and he'd effortlessly killed three of their number. Gabriel frowned, tapping his chin. Could he be getting slow in his old age?

The bluette invoked a time cage around the remainder of the group. Did this ship have any other mages? Gabriel looked around, admiring Julius' work for a moment. The man did have a sense of class. "We've little time to play here, Julius." He called out, stepped up to two samurai. He threw an arm around each of them. "Our booty lies in the village and these scurvy dogs have reinforcements coming over yonder." Gabriel didn't actually know about any reinforcements. His guess wouldn't be confirmed anytime soon however. Any reinforcements wouldn't arrive for at least ten minutes. More than enough time to raid the town and leave. The samurai were turning their blades to skewer him.

Corruption erupted around Gabriel's hands. A single touch had the samurai screaming. The purple black substance consumed them rapidly, leaving behind little more than husks. Gabriel dusted off his hands and straightened his jacket. Julius would take care of the remaining samurai. The bluette emerged across the deck from a tear in space. The mages he'd surprised tried to attack. The time mage crossed his arms. A call across the void had several ghostly shapes stepping into existence. The mages stared in horror. Each ghost was a mirror with one key difference: the ghastly wounds of death upon the ghosts. "Kill them. Yourselves. Whatever." Gabriel ordered with a yawn. The mages barely had time to scream as the ghosts fell upon them. In moments, the corpses on the deck looked exactly like the ghosts. The bluette buffed his nails on his jacket. Would someone appear today that presented a challenge to him?

Personal WC: 630/1624
Thread WC: 2698