"I was kinda hoping so." The young man chuckles, before nodding to show he got the hint and leaving. The possible demigod has some time to ponder her situation in silence, noting the way the ship rolls with the waves, before she's rocked - the whole ship is rocked - by some powerful impact.
Luckily, a glance back shows that Callirhoe doesn't have to worry about the chimera's other heads, as they're engaged by Bellerophon and Medusa. The added shaking means she has to hold on tight to stay on the beast's back, though. Spoiler: Agility Roll D100: 9 Callirhoe HP: 100-10 Sweaty from the thrill of combat, the demigod's hand slips from the ram's horn, and she finds herself tumbling to the ground, her head hitting a rock and making her vision flash white momentarily as she's stunned. Looking up, she sees the snake head above her, its mouth dripping with venom as it reels back, about to spray it forth at her.
It had been a while since Talpharos had last visited the port, but as far as he could tell nothing much had changed – the crowds were the same, the smells were the same, the ships were as numerous and varied as ever... and after asking around he was able to find a few that would bring him to Calydon. The barbarian ship was out of the question – the language barrier was too much of a potential issue. Even if the trip turned out to really be free there was a high chance of him doing or saying something to insult the people on board and get in trouble. That left the other two. The warship seemed like the safer option. Rowing would be exhausting, but he was a strong man and could handle it. Having to fight Athens' enemies was not really a problem for him. Sure, it carried some danger – all battles did – but as an archer he would likely be able to avoid getting too close to the fighting, instead shooting enemies down from a distance. Taking the trader ship meant that he would have a chance to enjoy the company of the dusky skinned captain, however it also came with a few potential issues. First, a merchant ship was more likely to attract pirate attacks, forcing him to help defend the ship. Second, unloading the cargo could be quite demanding physically. And finally, accompanying the woman as she tried to sell her goods could take quite a while, not to mention all the potential trouble with thieves, competitors and other people. In the end Talpharos decided to travel with the Warship – the memory of the trouble Elegus had gotten himself into was still very fresh in the young hunter's mind and he did not want a repeat by getting involved with another merchant.
Myrtoan Sea - One Day Later: Talpharos' arms and shoulders ache as he raises the wooden beam up and pushes it forwards, helping propel the oar through the water, as he tries not to fall behind the men to either side of him on the rower's bench. Athens, due to its great wealth, can afford to hire professional rowers to man the oars of its fleet, rather than the slaves who do the back breaking work for most of the other cities, and the expense is clearly worth it. The professional oarsmen are strong and swift, sending the galley cleaving through the waves faster than most lighter ships - and meaning that Talpharos has had to strain himself to keep up. In the fairly dim light coming from the oar holes and the stairs leading above deck, Talpharos looks at the other oarsmen to see if any are also tiring, and gulps as he fails to notice any of them do so. Behind them, the oar chief calls out the rhythm that the crew should row at, keeping the oars moving in synchronicity, his hands beating a drum as he shouts. His shouts are overshadowed by a louder cry from above deck. "Sails sighted! Lambda symbols - They're Lacedemonians!" A hush falls upon the rowers at the news - Lacedemonians are the sworn enemy of Athens, fierce fighters raised from birth for the sole purpose of making war, and few aboard the ship have much desire to fight them.
Well, that didn't take long... Talpharos sighed as he heard the cry. Let's see if they will attack us... Mentally he prepared for the possibility of having to fight. While he could use a break from the rowing, this was certainly not what he had had in mind, but he had no choice but to play his part...
Spoiler: Ship Combat Roll D100: "Hard to port!" The oarmaster shouts, giving Talpharos a few moments' respite as the opposite side of the oar deck take the brunt of the effort as they begin to turn the ship. Soon, though, both sides are called to do their part once more. "Ramming speed!" Talpharos feels his arms burning as he's forced to row harder than ever, propelling the vessel forward through the water, before he's nearly knocked clear from his seat as the bow collides with something hard. There's the sounds of timbers cracking and shouts of distress, as the Athenian vessel's ram smashes through the broadside of a Lacedemonian ship, or at least that's what Talpharos assumes has happened, given that he's stuck below decks. The victory is short lived - clearly there's more than one enemy vessel, as the ships rocks to the side slightly and Talpharos once again nearly loses his balance. "Spartans are trying to board us! Anyone who thinks they can fight can come up on deck! The rest of you rest and get ready to row your asses off!" The captain's voice sounds from above.
Well, time for my first battle on a ship... Talpharos thought as he got up and headed above deck, to check out the situation and see how best to help repel the attackers.
Talpharos blinks as his eyes adjust to the sunlight as he rushes out on deck. Looking straight ahead, he sees a ship nearly torn in two, sinking slowly as it takes on water from a gaping hole in its side, sailors leaping overboard - some swimming towards the Athenian vessel that destroyed their own. A javelin landing at his feet forces him to shift his perspective, however, as he turns to see a ship alongside his own - a bireme a little smaller than the Athenian ship. The enemy have assembled themselves into a line of spears and lambda crested shields, with men throwing javelins behind them, a few slingers throwing rocks up in the rigging, and several men rushing forward to lay ramps down over the gap between the two ships, presumably so the Lacedemonians can cross over and board Talpharos' ship. Looking at his own side, he sees the Athenians are positioned in a mirror formation to their enemies. None of the combatants wear heavy armor, since it would drag them to the bottom should they fall in the sea.
I see... Talpharos nodded to himself as he started looking around. He was an archer first and foremost, so needed to find a good defensive spot from which to shoot at the enemies. He would target the enemy ranged fighters, be it the men with the slings or the ones with the javelins.
As Cleon entered the room, and looked at the bound peasant woman, for a moment he considered trying his powers on her. But then, her discarded the idea. The woman was after all peasant, her sins were not big, nothing worthy of Tartarus. The young man sighed. He would need to have the woman taken out of the room and taken to the slave market... His eyes roamed over her body. Maybe... later. He put his hand on the bound and blindfolded woman's skin and started slowly massaging it. "Now, what did we end on?" He asked.
Spoiler: Combat Roll D100: 57+20 Talpharos hears the dull thwang of his bowstring over and over as he looses arrows, sending several of the men perched on the enemy's rigging crashing down to the deck. Before he can celebrate, however, the Spartans shift their strategy. Seeing that they're losing the ranged fight, they begin sending warriors to leap the gap between ships and flank the Athenian shields. One such Laconian warrior fixes her eyes on Talpharos, moving with deadly intent.
As her head hits the bedroll, the bodyguard knows something isn't right. The ship begins to shake and rock unnaturally, moved by something more than normal waves. Somewhere along the hull, she hears the sound of timber cracking.
Stirring from her sleep, at the sudden commotion, her instincts react fast to find her spear and find the source.
As Rhea rushes to protect her charges, she feels the ship shake again, and suddenly the hull begins to crack directly beside her. A tide of water crashes against her, sending her head colliding with the wall, and everything goes black. The Roman awakens sometime later, head pressed against sand, with a hot sun beating down from above. Slowly, she raises herself up onto her muscled arms and looks around. She's on a beach...somewhere. Luckily her gear was secured to her, so what didn't stay on her person washed up not far away.
She didn't remember much of what exactly had happened or how, as she tried to gather her surroundings. She remembered the ship cap sizing and then...she didn't know what. She slowly rose to her feet as she tried to survey the area. She didn't seem to badly hurt all things considered, but she had more important things to think about. Trying to figure out where exactly she was, she looked to see if her charge had washed up anywhere near her or anyone else. He knew how to swim, but that wasn't much of a reassurance for suddenly finding yourself underwater in the middle of the night.
Seeing the woman move toward him Talpharos took aim at her right shoulder and fired, hoping to disable her primary arm, or at least make it hard for her to use her sword so that he would have an advantage in melee. If she made it to him he would use his spear to try and keep her at a distance.
Cleon smiled, at the realisation of power he felt over the woman. Maybe he would toy with her some more~ "And what you were saying to me, hmm?" He asked as his hand moved to her pussy. "Did you do any other wicked things?" He asked as his finger almost slid inside her pussy... almost~ He would take joy in toying with her~
Spoiler: Awareness Roll D100: 72 Stumbling her way to her feet and cleaning the sand off of her arms and armor, Rhea struggles her way from the beach to a nearby bluff where she can get a better view. Looking around, it isn't long before she spots activity - a man, about the size of her young client, lies prone on a nearby beach. Next to him are three humans on horses - a bit too far away to get a good look at them and establish their identity. Velicus is hoisted up onto one of the horse's backs, and the horsemen begin to turn to leave.
