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Post by Shark a' Pult on Nov 8, 2014 18:53:55 GMT -5
"How long are we supposed to wait? I'm pretty sure I can actually see some of them, on the cliffs there."
"We wait for as long as they want us to. I'm not going to try and see if the ship can fit through, or if it can even get back out."
A very big ship sat moored off the breakers, with a less big person laying on deck, all in sight of the cliffs. It had been there for a couple of days now already, in fact. Various crewmen wandered about performing the usual tasks but with no great hurry, since they didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Some small fortune that the climate of the island was not a particularly hot one, so they were more used to it than say, a desert island.
"Think of it this way," said one of the crew as she clamored down the rigging to reach the deck, stopping to talk face to face with the giantess halfway, "they're probably preparing some sort of grand welcome! Yes, that must be the reason, you see."
"I wouldn't count on it..."
Waiting for entry was one thing, but the truth was on everyone's minds. They had to tread carefully around the giantess, since no one yet had told her the true reason for their being here; that once they were certain she was accepted into the country, they would be leaving her behind. This was the only way to be certain that she would indeed stay, but they couldn't tell her beforehand or she would never leave. Not that they wanted to leave her of course, but they had their own job to follow just as she had hers.
In time she would probably get over it, but for now, they wanted to drop her in the laps of those in charge here and put as much distance between them as possible. She was a sight stronger than most after all, and her arms were very long.
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Post by Kyubey on Nov 27, 2014 2:54:40 GMT -5
"Whatcha think they're doin'?"
Since the day the boat moored itself just in sight of the island, the Strand Watch had been busy with activity, preparing to react. Weapons were sharpened, positions were manned, and the walls were crawling with life. Whatever the visitors were, the constant vigil guards of the island were prepared to drive them off. From the day the great war had ended, the Watchers were given one single order by their Queen, and that was to make sure that nobody was to enter, and if they tried, they were to be met with force. And so, the Strand Watch waited to make good on their instructions. Then the first day passed, and they began to feel a bit confused. Usually, those who came to Galatae before, during, or after the war would approach directly and with purpose, or, upon realizing what island it was, would try to put as much distance from it as possible. Not once had anyone come near the island and simply parked there. Until the potential intrusion left, the watchers couldn't leave their posts, but with every hour that passed, they began to doubt that anything was really going to happen. And thus, for the couple of days, most of them had been living in their set positions, eating, sleeping, and talking in one spot, waiting for the boat to move, in whichever direction. At the beginning of the second day, the Strand Watch tried informing the Queen of this new development, and asked for specific instructions. As of that moment, they received no word in response from the throne. Claudia was intent on waiting, as far as they knew. It would have been noticed by the foreign sailors that there weren't all that many guarding the rocks, and the cliffs themselves seemed rather worn down, reminiscent of the scars caused by heavy cannonfire, along with some other marks, that appeared as though the very stone had been scorched by something. The giant and her crew may have also seen some flecks of paint still left on the rocks, but few of those were left, having been largely blasted off during heavy combat. The war had taken its toll on them, which may have been some part of why it took the Watchers so long to act.
For the days of no communication between cliff and ship, only one of the Strand Watchers never took their eyes off of the boat, and that was Galfreid, the second in command of the cliff's warriors. A harsh and scarred-up woman, she was never open to others, and, after being betrayed by some recent visitors, was even more wary than normal. Even as more of her guard comrades were starting to doubt that the supposed enemy was ever going to get closer than they already were, she remained firm, seeing everything as a potential threat. She sat on a small outcropping, big enough to support the weight of only one person, while her leader, the massive and fearsome-looking Klaus, was on a much larger outcropping just below hers, performing maintenance on a ballista.
"Dunno, can't say," Klaus said, in response. While attentive, he was really only half listening to her.
"I don't likes it. Prob'ly here to shame us. Like them Governmenties."
"Boat don't look Marine. Hard to tell, with 'em so far off."
"They're mocking us." By this point, Galfreid's interest had been steadily turning to obsession. "They needs to pay."
"Only if they come closer. Not intruders 'till they intrude, see."
"Then whats are they?"
"Might be leavin' us alone, might not be. We gots to find out."
"We gots to kill 'em!"
Klaus gave his old friend a hard, meaningful look. "No, Galfreid. We protect the island. We don't fight wars. But, I won't leave them be, either..."
With that, he fired a single shot from the ballista, in the direction of the ship. The bolt flew through the air, but landed harmlessly in the water, just short of reaching the vessel. This act, given without any prior words beforehand, would be the first sign of acknowledgement the sailors would have seen from the islanders. It was not Klaus's intention to harm the boat, just to give off a warning shot, a test to see what they would do, and a sign that the foreigners were certainly not welcome.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Nov 27, 2014 3:59:52 GMT -5
When the shot was initially fired, if they could see as well as far, there looked to be quite a bit of activity on the ship. Most notably, the giantess leaning towards the edge of the ship, which caused it to list to that side a bit.
After that though, there was a fairly rapid response, and eventually those guarding the walls would be able to make out a lifeboat rowing its way towards the cliffs. A small boat, only capable of carrying a few people, currently of which only two occupied. Assuming they were not fired upon, they rowed within shouting distance of the cliffs, assisted by a megaphone. Of course given the surf and the relationship with the cliffs, this distance could be variable. Either way, the boat came to a slow stop and one of the occupants used the oars to keep it in place amidst the waters, while the other occupant made an effort to stand up to move to the front of the boat.
"Halla, must apologize! We see the shooting of the arrow, but were not able to catch! We are wondering what is made from, so we can replace!"
Standing unsteadily as he was, he didn't seem to be calling out to any one person in particular since he didn't know who to address specifically. Instead he just called to whomever might hear it.
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Post by Kyubey on Dec 21, 2014 1:36:34 GMT -5
When the little rowboat approached, the visitors would notice that the cliffs became alive with activity, in a way they hadn't seen before. People scrambled across the surface of the rocks, intent on getting a better view of the vessel. Considering what they thought was a clear message before, that the ship would actually approach further seemed to them like it could only be an act of aggression, a direct challenge to the island itself. If those on the boat listened carefully, they might have heard a voice from the cliffs shouting, "What're ya doing? Shoot again!" If the visitors did not get that hint, however, they most likely would notice the arrows and cannons being redirected in their direction. When the man on the rowboat first started to speak, these ragged, filthy guards tensed visibly, some shrinking back, but others brandishing their weapons, ready to fight at any moment. They had never heard anyone speaking from a megaphone before, and the sound was new, and rather fearsome, to them. After the speaker had finished, however, there was a long, still silence, as each of the Strand Watch made an attempt, and soon enough failed, to understand what had just happened. Finally, Klaus, the leader and largest man amongst them, stood up, handing his ballista over to Galfried. His size was far greater than that of an ordinary man, but to sailors who would be quite used to seeing giants, he wouldn't have been all that impressive. His body was covered in scars and wounds, most prominently a large gash, that looked as though it was burned onto his flesh, that went up and across his bare chest. The second thing that would have been noted about him was his left leg, or rather, his lack of one, from the knee down. What had been lost, was replaced with a metal peg, that, apparently, he was still unused to using.
"No entrance here," he said firmly, his very face having some similarities with his rock home. "Get out."
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Dec 21, 2014 2:46:26 GMT -5
"Not the entrance? We're not in anything! We see the big rocks, we're not going past!"
The rower seemed a bit annoyed by Klaus' reaction, choosing to speak up though to no one person in particular, as he set down the oars to make some gestures to emphasize his point. The one who had been standing yelled something in their own language and went to kick him, but almost lost balance and fell into the water. Regaining his footing with his arms extended both sides in a wobbly position, he tried to speak to the person whom made himself known as the talking face of the guards.
"So you be wanting a replacement or not? Otherwise we just be going back to the ship to wait, although we can appreciate knowing of other training exercise before they happen, next times."
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Post by Kyubey on Dec 22, 2014 2:01:18 GMT -5
"T-training? No..."
Again, the Strand Watch seemed confused by the badly spoken words of these strangers. At first, the guards had suspected that these people were mistaken somehow, probably due to their foreign culture, that did not understand what it meant when someone fired an arrow in their direction. Now, Klaus was beginning to think that the people speaking to him came from some island of idiots. That is, unless they had something in mind that they weren't letting on.
"Theys mocking us, theys are!" Galfried screeched. "We'll teach 'em, right Klaus?"
Klaus took a brief second to look in Galfried's direction, and shake his head in disapproval, before looking back to the rowboat, shouting in its direction without, like the people he was speaking to, looking at any one individual in particular.
"No replacements. We have still have lots of arrows. Lots. Of arrows." With that, he stamped his good foot down, and raised an arm outward beside himself, signifying a boundary. "The seas don't belong to no one, stay out there 'till you die, if you wants. But you go no further than here. Nobody past these rocks."
Like the warriors of Galatae who lived on firm land, and fought under the Queen's flag, the Strand Watch prided themselves on strength. However, unlike Claudia and those of her kind, they were not, by nature, ones who would seek battle without a proper reason. As such, while Klaus might not have liked the crew staying out there, and was absolutely suspicious, there was still only one rule he enforced, and indeed, one rule he lived by: none shall set foot on the island, unless the island wants them to enter. Until he had reason to think that these visitors would do otherwise, he was not about to risk more damage to the Watch by fighting.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Dec 22, 2014 3:24:15 GMT -5
"None to pass the rocks?! Av karlek till... thank you besides!"
When Klaus actually verbally stated the rules, the fellow rowing the boat kicked the one standing in the back of the knee, causing him to fall over in the boat. Pretty much immediately after that he started rowing back, the one with the megaphone sitting up to call back as they made their departure.
Whereupon it was that they reached the boat in the distance, the guards along the wall would probably be able to see something of a commotion as the giant passenger sat up and seemed to be yelling at something or someone. All the while, the various smaller crewpersons milled about and looked rather busy. The ship shook a bit from a confrontation but before long it looked like they had managed to tie the giant to one of the masts well enough that she couldn't fight back. Maybe some ten minutes later, and the mast itself looked to lean dangerously to the side before actually tipping overboard and taking the giant with it. The both of them surfaced moments later, at least one of them still proclaiming anger in various languages. Those on board the ship didn't seem to mind all that much though, and after the giant soon followed a very large netted bundle of axes overboard. Unlike the owner however, they didn't need an entire mast to stay afloat, just a couple of overturned lifeboats.
And about as long as it took to transpire, the ship took sail with the remaining masts and began to drift towards the horizon. To those unlucky enough to be tossed overboard however, they had only the currents to rely on.
---
The bundle of weapons and lifeboats would have reached the rocks a good while before the giant did, and what the strand watch chose to do with it all was up to them. It was probably an hour or two after that though, that a portion of the mast started banging up against one of the rock formations, back and forth just as the waves went. Somewhere along the way it seemed that the bindings about the giant had come undone to an extent, such that whereas before she had fought against being unwillingly restrained, now she weakly clung for dear life to the massive piece of jetsam. She didn't seem too aware of her surroundings, or rather she seemed too weak to be able to do anything about it yet, simply mumbling to herself about this that and the other.
"Revenge will to have... when to see again will make have tears..."
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Post by Kyubey on Dec 24, 2014 1:25:51 GMT -5
"Watcha think theys doin', Klaus?" The Strand Watch had let the rowboat go back to the bigger ship peacefully, and watched the commotion with a quiet interest. There were some murmurs of shock, as the mast, along with the giant, was knocked overboard. If any aboard the ship was observant enough, they would notice that every pair of eyes in the cliffs was staring at them, and followed the giant as she drifted all the way to them. While to some, the sight may not have been that worthy of note, to the Watch it was the best show they had for a long time. None of them had ever seen a giant before, nor did they know that such things even existed.
"Dunno," he said. "Maybe theys abandoning 'er?"
"Leavin' her ta die, looks like."
Klaus looked at her confusedly. "Whys would they do that?"
"If I was on a boat with somethin' that big, I'd push 'er off, too, I woulds."
"But here? They knows she can't go to the island. Do they wants us to take 'er in?"
Galfreid raised one eyebrow. "She's too big ta be a Watcher, Klaus. Tunnels're too small. She can't fit."
"Then what? And whats about the axes 'n such? Is it a gift?"
"Big person could be a gift, too. Outsiders're odd. Don't mean it's a problem we gotta deal with."
"So ya think we should just leave 'er there, like the dummies on the boat did?"
She shrugged. "They thinks it's a good idea. What else to do?"
"I'll think o' somethin'. Gimme rope."
By this point, the mast, along with the giant, had reached the edge of the rocks, almost directly below where Klaus and Galfreid were sitting. At his word, one of the Watchers on a nearby outcropping tossed Klaus a bundle of rope. After making sure the rope was firmly attached to the cliffs, he used it to make his way downwards, closer to Hilda's level. With one arm, he supported his entire weight, gripping the rope tightly as he used his single foot to steady himself. As he was halfway down, he realized it would have been smart to bring along his weapon, but at the same time knew he had friends above him with arrows and guns, should the interaction turn violent.
"Hoy there! You're very big! My name's Klaus!" he called out to the giant. He said every word loudly and slowly, as though she wouldn't understand if he did otherwise. "Whys your friends leave you?"
He knew, from the giant's earlier words, that she at least spoke the common language, but that was so far all he could tell for certain. Before that day, he only thought that giants existed in stories, and he wasn't sure how to deal with a living one, or even if he was safe around her at all. Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Dec 24, 2014 4:25:44 GMT -5
"Uuuuuugh... what to say?"
Groaning, the giantess seemed to gain some clarity when Klaus came down to her level and started speaking. With something to actually focus on beyond the monotony of the water and bumping against the cliffs, she tried to raise herself up a bit to respond as well, but almost slipped off the mast and ended up scrambling for a grip with her chin coming to rest on the wood.
"Must to leave, they explore new land. I must to stay, so they go."
Slowly creeping her way more and more atop the log, she made a bold move and carefully reached out to try and grab ahold of part of the cliff nearby. It was a difficult business to be sure though, if she was to also maintain her grip on the mast, what with constantly being moved by the tide. Still, if she had something more solid to hold onto, she could maneuver herself into a more stable position.
"Be you King of Gala-tay?" she asked, though clearly had her attention focused on the cliffside.
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Post by Kyubey on Dec 30, 2014 18:11:10 GMT -5
Klaus did not seem to mind the giantess gripping the cliffs, so long as she didn't do anything to damage them or disrupt those on them. With his free hand, he signaled to his fellow watchers, to be at ease for the moment. As far as he could tell, the giantess was not about to start any fights, and the last thing the Strand Watch needed was another battle. The most he could do was keep things peaceful.
"King? Me?" he asked, his shock clearly showing in his voice. "No. We don't haves a king, anymore. Queen's in her castle. I'm just chief of the Watchers. Your friends did a bad thing, when they left you here. Nobody goes into Galatae anymore. Not after the war, or the mark. I'm sorry."
He was beginning to feel sympathy for the giantess, though his orders were clear. As such, he wanted to help her in any way he could, but given her size and his circumstances, there wasn't exactly a clear solution for the problem. The most he could do, for the moment, was hope that she would understand, and a crisis could be averted.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Dec 30, 2014 20:37:31 GMT -5
"Not to enter?"
Klaus' response caught her a little off guard and she nearly slipped and fell off the log again. Leaning forward in a desperate effort though, she managed to grab ahold of the nearest cliffside, finding a precarious grip on the rocks. For her though it was enough, and she began the effort of righting herself upon the piece of wood. By her effort, her intention was to eventually end up sitting astride the mast, and supporting herself and maintaining balance by hanging onto the cliff with at least one hand at all times. Probably two.
"Why this? Am suppose to be getting inside."
Whereupon she managed to pull herself up and out of the water, she had some difficulty getting her leg over, but once properly seated on the mast well enough that it didn't tip over she was able to better focus on Klaus and was now starting to notice some of the other guard members from their cutaways in the rocks. Her weight actually caused the mast to dip underwater a bit below the surface, but with the help of the cliff right next to her, she didn't have to worry about sinking to an untimely end.
"What else to do, sit here forever? Cannot sleep like this."
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Post by Kyubey on Jan 2, 2015 15:34:12 GMT -5
For the moment, it seemed that the giantess reacted reasonably well to the news that she wouldn't be able to go no farther. Or, at the very least, she didn't respond with violence, causing Klaus to let out a small sigh of slight relaxation. Even so, her complaints were certainly understandable, and could not easily be ignored.
"Not my fault," Klaus said. It's the Queen's order, she decides who goes and leaves. After strangers left that strange marks on our island, I don't thinks much of anyones is gonna be going farther n' this. Is there no where else for you to go?"
One thing that the giantess was right about, was that she could not stay there like she was. Not just for reasons of her own comfort, but because of how impractical it was. One way or another, the Strand Watch would have to remove the giantess, and he would prefer to do is as kindly as possible.
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jan 2, 2015 17:07:02 GMT -5
"Aj, not to talk about marks!" facepalming in annoyance, she responded before Klaus had even finished speaking. She tried to put on an air of anger, but was clearly embarrassed over her own past experience involving marks. She had no actual idea what Klaus was talking of but the usage of the same word, as other smaller folks had called it, dredged up the past for her.
"No where to go? Val... not like so. Can not to swim, and not to know where to go. Which way is a close land even?"
She patted the mast as she spoke, a clear indication as to what she meant. She was not the smartest but she figured Klaus would have been able to tell that she couldn't really go anywhere just by clinging to a piece of flotsam. Even if she had a proper vessel, or even could just swim, she didn't even know where to go. Like most everyone on the crew, she knew how to navigate by the stars rather than relying on instruments, but that didn't help when she had no clear direction to turn from here.
"Can to see the Queen sa? Talk to her kanske, will change decision. Will to be very thankful."
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Post by Kyubey on Jan 7, 2015 22:38:14 GMT -5
"Land? Nearby? No, island's all there is."
In truth, Klaus, or near any of the Watchers, were not good people to ask about places that extended beyond the cliffs. In his entire life, the leader of the Strand Watch had scarcely left the rocks, and certainly didn't know about the world that extended beyond them, other than the faint knowledge that somewhere, out there, there was something, some place where all the foreign people came from.
"Talking to Queen Claudia's too much for you to asks, sorry. She don't likes people much, and really don't likes talking to 'em. More of a fighter, she is. I can sends her a letter though, don't know if she'll answer." With that, he looked upwards, to the scores of his fellow watchers, who were still staring down at the giantess with interest. "Oy!" he shouted up to them, "One of you, writes up a letter to the Queen! Asks if we can make an exception for Whatsername here!"
Following his orders, one of the watchers disappeared into the cliffs, to hastily scratch out a poorly-spelled message to the main island, which would be carried there by bird. By this point, Klaus was hanging onto his rope completely with one hand, dangling loosely above the waves and swaying softly in the wind. He didn't seem to mind though, having more than enough strength to support himself comfortably.
"So, where's you from? Why did you come here? Did your crew have a fight with you or some such?"
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Post by Shark a' Pult on Jan 10, 2015 20:01:13 GMT -5
"From? Survolg." she had to reaffirm her grip for a moment as a bigger wave came in and pushed her against the rocks, nearly causing her to slip, "Come to help, not know how but can help more than others. No fight, just only me supposed to help, and crew not want to stay and wait."
Klaus asked a pretty important question now that the giantess took a moment to think about it. She wasn't herself entirely sure why she was actually supposed to be here in the first place. Only that, the captain had made it clear that she needed to come here. She didn't like being left behind, and hoped she would be able to leave soon and catch up with them. If she at least knew what it was she was supposed to do, then she could get it over with and leave. Maybe it had been said to her, but if it had she couldn't remember.
"You say though, Queen is fighter? Can to fight her, and go to Gala-tay? In Survolg we have trial by combat, to settle problems. You have this here?"
At this point she was grasping for straws, but she had only what Klaus gave her to work with.
"Challenge? I challenge Queen, if can to happen."
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