(May '17) Prompt #1 - "Barrel." [Archive]

ArtisticVicu

08-04-2017, 04:36 AM

"I'm not sure this is the wisest of choices, Tai Hao," his companion informed him, watching as he shoved at the barrel and rolled it across the floor.

"Nonsense! This will work perfectly," Tai Hao countered happily, a mischievous grin on his face. His companion didn't believe him and expression and stance translated that well. He couldn't help the chuckle. "Come on, Levine. It's not that horrible."

"Says the one shoving a highly explosive barrel," muttered the polecat. "Look, I don't care how perfectly this will go. It's a bad idea."

Tai Hao shrugged. "If it works, it works. What's a few missing hairs."

"Says the wolf!" Levine countered sharply. "I am not as big as you, let alone as hardy."

Tai Hao gave one last shove and turned at a run. He scooped Levine up, grinning. "All the better. If you were any bigger, this wouldn't work."

He shoved Levine up the small opening, following as quickly as he could. Levine pulled at his shirt but it helped little. Tai Hao made it up through the gap just as the first explosion rocked the floor. Tai Hao scooped Levine up again. "Out of time."

Down the hall, up the stair, round a corner, down another corridor, another corner, a second followed by a third set of stairs, and they reached the deck of the ship as a final blast rocked the entire vessel, blowing out a section of hull on the bow's port side.

Chaos ensued.

Tai Hao raced across the deck with Levine clinging to his back. Tai Hao had hoped to have gained a few seconds of cover from the confusion but he was spotted instantly.

"Stop them! Don't let them escape!"

Tai Hao growled. There was a flash of steel and he met saber with saber. He threw the assailant off, using the momentum to keep going forward. They had to make it to the long boat before the rest of the crew realized just how screwed they were but said crew kept getting in his way.

As the ship started to list, the Captain cut him off and Tai Hao skidded to a stop, hissing in displeasure.

"Get to the long boat, Levine," Tai Hao ordered.

"But-"

"No," he snarled, cutting him off. "Go. I'm right behind you."

Levine removed Tai Hao's knife from its sheath at the small of the wolf's back before dashing off. The crew went after him but Levine was quick and was out of sight in an instant. The Captain bade the polecat no mind, eyes solely focused on Tai Hao.

"You have been a pain in my side since we swept you up, landlubber," the Captain growled.

Tai Hao shrugged. "More of a seadog than you know, Captain," he offered with a smirk, his body appearing relaxed as he played confidence acting as if the Captain wasn't the threat he really was. "I'd show you a few pointers but you might hurt yourself."

The Captain lunged at him. Tai Hao misjudged his ability to dodge fast enough and received a slice across his shoulder for his mistake. Still, it got him in close and he buried the hilt of his saber into the Captain's gut. Said Captain was hardier than that and pain erupted on the same shoulder Tai Hao had already injured as the Captain's own hilt drove itself into the joint. Falling to a knee, Tai Hao brought his sword about and sliced the underside of the Captain's sword arm. Blood gushed over his head and shoulders, the low angle of attack not the greatest of ideas but it was effective. The Captain jerked away and Tai Hao dashed around him.

"KILL HIM!"

Tai Hao internally winced at the roar. Of course he would gain the Captain's wrath with a move like that. Not to mention, if he hit the artery, the man would bleed out if it wasn't attended to soon. He ignored the guilt that ate at him. He could wallow in self misery about no longer being a pacifist later.

Levine was holding his own rather poorly but enough that the long boat was still theirs. Tai Hao took out Levine's assailants and wrapped an arm around the polecat one last time, throwing him into the long boat before diving in after him. "Hang on!" he shouted before cutting the ties.

The boat gave out from under them and Tai Hao found his stomach in his throat. They hit the water hard and he slammed into the bench, certain he felt a few ribs crack. With pain lacing through his body with each movement, he shoved himself towards the oars and grabbed them both. He had received worse injuries than this and had to do a lot more than simply row with them. This was nothing.

By the time they had a league between them and what remained of the sunken ship, Tai Hao pulled the oars in, groaning as his entire body screamed at him. Levine shifted behind him, groaning as well but for a separate reason.

"Ah, what happened?" Levine asked, looking about. "We made it?"

Tai Hao covered his bleeding shoulder, now feeling the effects of blood loss. "Yeah, we did. I take it you hit your head with our landing?"

Levine nodded, making his way over. Somehow - miraculously - Levine's glasses had remained on his face and intact through the whole ordeal, meaning that the polecat could see a lot more than hazy shapes. His small hands moved Tai Hao's and there was a sharp intake of breath from the smaller creature. "Tai Hao, you're supposed to protect yourself, not get skewered in every fight," Levine chided.

Tai Hao chuckled weakly. "Trust me. I would if I could but he was a lot faster than I had anticipated."

Levine hummed. "Well, at least it's a clean slice. Will make patching you up all that easier." Tai Hao involuntarily flinched when Levine prodded the wound rather forcefully. "Even with you making it worse by rowing so.....aggressively."

Tai Hao gave him a flat look. "Hey, you were asleep while I was rowing. As far as you know, I had caught a swift current." Levine met his gaze with an equally flat look. Tai Hao conceded. "Ok, so I could have been a bit more careful rowing."

Levine gave a curt nod in acknowledgment before moving to grab the first aid kit. Tai Hao looked back at the wreckage, his entire being feeling heavy with guilt of the actions he had taken to stay alive and make it back home.