Play@YSDC

North Sea, off the coast of Dunwich, England
12:31 AM- Saturday, September 7, 1985

Hatho glared at Elliot with pure malevolence, but he did not interrupt his chanting. The three small boats paddled closer to the cliffs. When they were most of the way there, a sudden rushing sound came from behind them. A massive wave, some thirty feet high, was coming in from the sea, towering over the HMS Brighton behind them! It wasn't all that long or wide, but the height alone was enough to swamp the ship. The wave crashed against the destroyer with its full force, knocking her onto her side and capsizing her. Then it continued, looming over the tiny dinghies and the Marines in them...

The Deep Ones and their spawn stopped their chanting. "You did that on purpose!" Hatho snarled at Elliot. "I'll kill you for that!"

The Marines in the dinghies toppled over the sides and into the water just before the wave struck, smashing the little boats against the cliffside! A moment later, all but one of the men bobbed to the surface.

"No!" cried Victoria, moving between them and wrapping an arm around Elliot. "It was an accident!"

"Perhaps, perhaps not," said Y'Hali. "It is of no consequence. The flare gun will still fire once after being submerged, and once is all we need. The magnesium in it will burn all the brighter for the moisture. Go get it back, Hatho."

"This isn't over," Hatho grumbled at Elliot before diving beneath the water.

"It was an accident," Elliot says to Hatho. After he dives in, "Sorry Mother, I was just trying to help. I didn't realize how unstable the boat was. And like you said, dropping it in the water won't hurt it, why would I drop it?" he asks. He puts his arm around Victoria.

"Sorry, about that, Hatho just makes me so nervous," he tells Victoria.

The sharks circling the boat started speeding off to the south, heading towards the Marines in the water. The last Marine resurfaced, pointed at where the cave entrance was, and then pointed at the fins jutting out of sea.

"Hatho is a hothead," said Y'Hali. "Taking a nice dip will cool him off so that he does not kill his future brother-in-law. And we do need that flare gun back. Dropping it in the water will not hurt it, but it does delay the signal. He was right about one thing, though. This is not over. We are always watching you."

OOC,[b]Hatho[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (30% skill) to spot the flare gun [dice]0[/dice]

"Mother call the sharks off, please." Elliot begs. "You said you wouldn't kill them."

"I said I wouldn't kill the crew, if they didn't press the attack," said Y'Hali. "These men are invaders, not crew. They're heading for the temple. My daughter Emilia is there, and I will not have her placed at needless risk."

"There has to be something I can use to help," he reaches for the bag Victoria is holding.

"Don't," said Y'Hali, frowning. "I think you've helped enough already."

The two sharks sped towards the Marines in the water. One pulled ahead of the other and leapt at one of the men in the water, chomping him clean in half! The thing was over a dozen feet long, and while it looked shark-like, there was something different about it - though it was hard to tell at this distance. Then the other shark bit down on another of the men, who collapsed, floating on the sea. The remaining four men drew their knives and dove beneath the surface.

Hatho rose from the water about ten yards from the boat, clutching the flare gun in his claw. "I've got it!" he called triumphantly.

Elliot grabs for the bag ignoring Y'Hali's command.

Strength check,[dice]0[/dice]

Elliot grabs at the bag, but its a tug of war back and forth before Victoria pulls it from his hands.
"NO," he screams, "Victoria, I can't just let them die. I have to do something." he pleads with her.

Hatho fired the flare gun, lighting up the stormy skies.

"It's not up to me, Elliot," said Victoria, clutching the sack. "Mother said no."

"This is war," said Y'Hali. "In war, people die. They started this, and they'd be dead in less than a century anyway. Would you rather my people die instead of them?"

"You know he would," snarled Hatho.

Randall observed the exchange silently.

The toppled destroyer began to slowly sink, and the shark fins disappeared after the Marines.

"I don't want anyone to die,' Elliot says as he grabs the oars and starts rowing towards the sinking ship.

"We can save some of them Victoria, I have to try."

"Very well, rescue whom you like," said Y'Hali. "We'll be around." She and Hatho disappeared underwater.

"This boat only holds four, and I'll only be in the way," said Randall. "I'm going to head back to shore and see what's going on in town." He leapt over the gunwale and began to swim back to the beach.

Victoria helped Elliot row out towards the sinking ship. Several sailors had managed to dive overboard and were swimming to get clear of it.

"Thanks Victoria," Elliot says while he smiles at her. "I'm glad you understand. We can't hold many, but those not injured can hang onto the sides while we row in." He continues to row as hard as he can to reach the sailors in the water.

"Of course, dear," said Victoria. "Personally, I think Mother prefers that some of them survive so that they can tell the tale of what happened here. The Royal Navy will be less inclined to try again so soon that way."

Elliot and Victoria helped two of the waterlogged sailors aboard while a few others managed to clung to the gunwales.

Elliot looks around for anymore. "Hang one guys, I'll get you to shore. Victoria do what you can to keep the sharks off of them." He turns the boat around and paddles for the nearest shore.

"The sharks are back at the cave entrance," said Victoria. "They won't bother us." She and Elliot rowed back to the stretch of beach from which the Ship Inn was visible in the distance through the pouring rain. The bedraggled sailors flopped ashore. Y'Hali and Hatho surfaced nearby.

Randall Foley was waiting for them there. "Soldiers have taken over the inn," he said. "I see a squad in front, and another in back. I don't know how many are inside. Didn't want to get too close."

OOC,[b]Elliot[/b], please roll Spot Hidden.