Wild Stallion And the Drow, Chapter 13 Teaser

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Wild Stallion And the Drow, Chapter 13 Teaser

Postby Scooter » Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:18 pm

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Ranma belongs to Takahashi-sama and a whole slew of companies; Eilistraee, Forgotten Realms, and characters therein belong to TSR and Wizards of the Coast; Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin Characters belong to their respective copyright owners. All I own are the Enterprise, Bereth, Crystina (I can always scan their character sheets for proof), and any other characters I come up with.
I’d also like to acknowledge one resource that this humble author is deeply indebted too- Patrick O’Brian’s Men-of-War. Without it, I think this would have been a poorer story.

Chapter 13:

USS Enterprise
12 hours east of the Isle of Prespur

Bosun whistles began piping the crews up, as the ship’s drummer began beating to quarters. Ranma stood on the quarterdeck, along with his officers, looking aft, through a glass. Half a mile ahead of the former American frigate was their quarry, the Acheron. On the quarterdeck of the red and black frigate was her captain and officers doing the same thing, as was a cloaked covered form.

“That’s seamanship,” the master was overheard saying to one of the junior lieutenants. “To come up on their wake, after a chase of seventy two hours.”

Maya lowered her own glass. “That cloaked form would be my sister, Faeryl, Ranma.”

“Did I kill her husband, her sister, or Corellon-forbid, her daughter?”

“She’s driven. Like you,” the worshiper of Eilistraee said quietly. “She knows that her cargo has significant value to you. And is working to deny you that cargo.”

“I grow weary of this chase,” Ranma growled

“Just what are you going to do,” Crystina called, as she followed the pigtailed martial artist up to the fighting tops.

“I’m going to take away their advantages,” he replied, as he continued to climb the rigging. He reached the maintop and looked around the platform, before deciding that he was still too low, and continued climbing up to the maintopgallant yard. Steadying himself against the rolling motion of the ship, quite evident almost 200 feet in the air, he could feel the ship gain headway, as she spread more sail.

“We’re beginning to gain, Ranma,” Crystina called from the maintop.

“Are the guns ready?”

“Double shotted, and run out, sir.”

“Go below, and take charge. As soon as the first broadside has finished, reload with grape and canister. Sweep her decks. Colors and pennant, if you please.”

“Aye, sir.”

Ranma watched the redheaded half-elf descend back to the main deck, before returning his gaze to the horizon. The Acheron was steadily getting closer, growing larger. Puffs of smoke belched from the red and black frigate’s sternchasers, as columns of spray were sent up from the 9 pound shot impacting ahead of the Enterprise. He thought about the three lives buried deep in the hold, if he were to fail; lives that were to be considered forfeit if that ship were to reach Zhentil Keep, and thence to Lolth. Above him, the Enterprise’s commissioning pennant caught the wind and snapped out, as the Stars and Stripes rose over her quarterdeck.

The mast he was on shuddered, as one of the long 9s from the Acheron hit the hull of his ship. The slaver was well within range of Enterprise’s own long 9s, but Crystina was holding the gun crews back from firing. Ranma raised his hands, and fired off a Möko Takabisha. The ball of confidence ki, growing in size and power as it tapped into the magic weave of Toril, flew the distance separating the two warships, before severing the Acheron’s starboard foremast shrouds. With the cables on one side holding the mast in place severed, the tension from the larboard (port) shrouds pulled the foremast over, fouling her deck, and slowing her. Sliding down the backstay, he called to the quartermaster “Now, bring us alongside her. Guns, fire as they bear!”

In a great rolling thunder, the Enterprise’s batteries fired, two 24 pound cannonballs from each gun slamming into hull of the Acheron, causing more carnage on the deck of the enemy frigate. “Boarders, stand by! Helm, bring us along side!” Pulling his longsword from stuff-space, Ranma jumped down to the waist, ready to lead his crew aboard the target. Human and elves opened fire with musket and bow from the fighting tops, as the two frigates crashed together. Another volley from the Enterprise’s main deck cannon swept into the masses of crew on the Acheron’s deck.

“Grapples!” Sailors with grappling hooks tossed them over the side, hooked on to the black and red frigate’s gunwales, and began heaving the two ships together, before making them fast. The first of Enterprise’s crew dashed across the debris and boarding planks, followed by Ranma and Crystina, leading the main boarding parties. Below, gun crews were firing with pistol and pike, bow and musket.

The main deck of the Acheron was a charnel house, bodies of dead and dying slavers. There was scant resistance along the gangway; several of the Acheron’s officers were dead, the crew of slavers disorganized. The Enterprise crew let out a cheer. “Quiet! Silence, there,” Crystina called out, as the Corps made their way across the ruined deck.

Then from below, a rush of men, threatened to overwhelm the boarders. The fight renewed, and Enterprise’s crew fought lustily, even as several 24 pounders slammed into the former American frigate’s hull. Gunports were blown out on both ships, and more boarders from the Enterprise leapt aboard the slaver. Bereth charged, leading one group of gunners in a charge, his mace swinging. Kasumi and Maya, leading another group, followed, their own weapons sending slavers to meet with Kelemvor for final judgement.


Ranma entered the captain’s great room cautiously, sword at the ready. “So the boy thinks he’s a man.” he heard from behind him, as he walked around an overturned table. As he spun to face his taunter, her obsidian dagger plunged into the bicep of his sword arm. The sword he’d carried all throughout his childhood clattered to the deck. “Pathetic. I don’t know what Eilistraee sees you,” Faeryl sneered.

“Perhaps it’s more than you’ll ever know. Hell, your own sister believes in her, and in me,” Ranma replied, holding pressure on his right arm.

“Foolish male! Now die!” Faeryl slashed and swung with her dagger, while Ranma danced and weaved out of her reach.

“You know, every one I meet eventually tells me to do that. From Kuno, to Ryoga, to your Goddess to Saffron. Somehow, I always seem to ignore their advice.”


“This time you will…”

“Because the dagger is poisoned, right? I’ve had it up to my eyeballs with poisons, potions, and food poisoning. And I have had enough of you.” Ranma leapt on to a dismounted 12 pounder, then made a flying leap at Faeryl. With Amaguriken-speed, his feet hit the Drow priestess, along her chest, face and arms. The force of the blows was such that her sternum shattered, her black heart pulped within her chest cavity. The dagger dropped from her limp hands, as she collapsed in a heap on the deck. “This wasn’t a fight,” he muttered, tearing a piece of tablecloth and fashioning a bandage out of it.

“Ranma,” Crystina said, as she entered the great room, “I give you joy of victory. They’ve surrendered.”

“Good. Let’s go find my wife,” he growled, picking up his sword.
Oh are you from Wales ?? Do you know a fella named Jonah ?? He used to live in whales for a while.

— Groucho Marx
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Postby borgrabbit » Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:31 pm

Your description of the battle reeks of authority. Liked the touch of the canon Ranma technique and look forward to the completion of the chapter.
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