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Way hay and up she rises

"Fire!" Mana hums in the air and the cannons crack, tearing through the hull of the merchant ship. They fight back, compensating for their lack of cannons with magic. Their spells are dissipated by her own purifiers before they can hit the deck or catch the sails ablaze. It's an easy win, the opposing crew quick to surrender, and it's been years since they've had a catch with such little difficulty. It doesn't bode well.[break][break]

"Take what you can, we're breaking away in three—"[break][break]

"Captain, port side!" On the horizon, a ship coming towards them, sails painted with the seal of the Esheri navy. Lead settles in her stomach and quickly they're breaking away, magic humming in the air again as the air witches work their magic to fill their sails, but as soon as they get started, suddenly it all stops. Their magic is neutralized in an instant and cannon fire tears through their hulls. Amelia's attention snaps from the naval ship picking them apart to the merchant crew they'd captured and she grit her teeth. A purifier among them was dispelling their magic, keeping them dead in a sea with no wind. She should've trusted her gut and fled the moment they saw the ship. An ambush painted so clearly and yet the hunger that gnawed at their bellies clouded their judgement. If they thought they would go down without a fight, though, then they severely underestimated her. [break][break]

"Prepare to boarded!" She shouts across the deck as she slits the throats of the merchant crew one by one, "Kill the purifiers first!" But it doesn't come to that and no battle breaks out even at the pile of corpses that great the Navy. The ship sweeps up next to theirs and a man shouts across the water:

"Amelia Penrose, captain of the the Lady's Delight, how would you like to not have the Navy on you?"[break][break]

A recruiting sergeant came our way

"There's a war brewing Miss Penrose." He says as he sips his expensive tea. His quarters are lavish, decorated in the red and gold of the Esheri nations. He's high ranked, even for a captain. He probably commands a fleet of maybe a hundred ships, judging by his wealth and the state of his men. [break][break]

"Been on the waters recently? War's already started, Captain Brigmore." She'd rejected the tea and took the scotch. It was worth more than her life and how easily the captain gave it meant exactly that was on the line.[break][break]

"That it has. Not officially, though, but it's only a matter of time. The Esheri navy wants to hire you. As a privateer." He gestures to one of the men to his side and they put on the table a chest filled with gold, enough for the whole crew to eat well for a good time. "You leave Esheri ships alone, protect them even, but Aler ships are yours for the taking. Sink them, kill them, whatever you want. And you keep what you find. This is the sign on bonus. More will come." He speaks as if she has any other option, but she sees how their hands rest on their swords and wands. "Don't you think it's a good deal? We'll give you some time to think." The chest is closed and hauled away. He leans back in his seat and takes another long sip of his tea. She still works her scotch. "You have yourself a girl down in Povali, don't you?" Her hand is at her sword and chair clattering behind her at the mere mention. Eight different sword points threaten her neck, but the captain waves them down. "We're not threatening her. The Aler navy is heading that direction, though. We thought you might want to know. Why don't you see the enemy yourself and see just how important this war is, Miss Penrose?"[break][break]

"It's 'Captain', not 'Miss'." She crisply corrects him, downing the rest of her scotch and getting up. He smiles at her.[break][break]

"Of course, Captain Amelia."

Farewell and adieu to you Spanish ladies

Povali is a pirate town. Has been for ages and Amelia thought it'd be that way for ages more but a sailor bursts into her cabin, face red and scared. "Captain," He says, "Povali is burning." Things clatter and shatter as she scrambles to her feet, shoving past to the deck and it feels like she's swallowed lead shot. It can't be, it can't— She can't—[break][break]

They dock. She makes them dock on a pier the flames had yet to reach. She rushes the city, sword in hand and song at the tip of her tongue. Where is it? Where is she? She has to find her, because she has to be alive somewhere just waiting. The flames climb higher with her despair as she stumbled to the bar her dearest, most perfect Silvia worked at. The fire roared and burned her even across the distance, but surely she's in there, alive, waiting![break][break]

Arms thick with muscle restrain her as she kicks and screams and cry hoarse in despair. "Captain, no one's surviving that." They try to reason with her, but all she does is fight harder. She can't lose her. Her light, her life, her—[break][break]

They were supposed to be married in a month.[break][break]

(They do everything they can for the survivors. They say that hours earlier, the Aler brought slaughter and hell fire.)

The shilling he took and kissed the book

"I want to speak to Captain Brigmore." Heavy circles have settled under her eyes and her attitude especially foul.[break][break]

"Captain Brigmore doesn't speak to pirates." And her hand is at her sword. She doesn't have the patience for this and she's willing to cut her way to the captain starting with this guard. But before she can spill blood, heels click on marble floor and with a wave the guards step aside with tongues held tight. [break][break]

"I heard of Povali. Is she—?"[break][break]

"Don't." Amelia cuts him off with a snap, but regains a semblance of composure after a moment, "We'll do it. Tell us where the Aler are and we'll do whatever you want." And she hates the smile he shows. At the end of this, if she has the chance, she'd like to see him bleed, too. The Esheri navy could've done something, but instead they sat back and watched Povali burn. She'll dance with them now, but when they get ready to toss them aside, she'll take down the lot of them.

Here's a health to the company

It's been a century and a half since these waters had seen war and while the crew has all tasted blood and danced their tunes with death, they've never seen war. Not like this. Entire fleets take to the seas and the water runs red and debris follows the currents for miles. This isn't a war they're winning. They picked the wrong employer and it's showing in the body counts. It rises and rises and in this battle alone Amelia Penrose has lost half he crew.[break][break]

She's carved these shanties to her bone and she's pulling at the mana in the air. The songs fall from her lips without effort, magic lacing each syllable, and her crew chants with, but not all the mana in the world can save a dying crew such as this. This isn't a battle they can win and so she shouts for her men to unfurl the sails and fill them with wind because they're running while the current is with them.[break][break]

Half the crew dies in the fight and half of those who remain die of infection in the following weeks. A quarter of a crew isn't enough of a crew, but they push and sail and ration out the food as best they can and the gods show them mercy. Another coast, another land, another country who's never heard their names or their war. Sundial is a blessing and a curse. The waters too much protected by the Helios Knights, but a place to dock and hide and survive. They cut their losses and carefully tuck away their swords and they make for themselves a new life.[break][break]

Leave her, Johnny, leave her

Silvertongue doesn't ask. They don't care where she's from or what she's done. The blood on her hands, the ghosts around her shoulders? None of it matters to them. They see the callouses thick on her hands, the scars that mar, and the way she watches their every movement. Spellsinging may not be as useful in combat as some of the other affinities, but she is clearly a force to be reckoned with. They take her in and she is grateful.