Headed by a Snake

Coraline's ears twitched. The other passengers had arrived in the hallway.

"Maisie! Are you alright?!" Captain Nikandros voiced his concern. He was heaving, sweat pouring down his forehead from the short run. "By the gods, woman-- is that blood?"

"C-cap'n! M-mista Highblade, he-- Oh, it's terrible!" Maisie sobbed.

Coraline placed her oil lamp on a desk and knelt down to inspect Arod's body.

Two wounds.

There was a puncture wound on his lower back and the front of his throat had been slit, ensuring his death.

"Someone attacked Master Highblade from behind..." Coraline turned back towards the crowd in the doorway... "--with a bladed weapon."

"He-- he got done in by a sword!" Maisie shouted, her light voice crescendoing into a high-pitched screech, "An' the only one that coulda done it is the dragon BITCH!!"

"And I still *have* that sword, you stupid whore," Olesya growled back.

"Ladies!" Nikandros shouted, "Now is not the time!"

Coraline retrieved her lamp and stepped back into the hall. She carefully observed the faces of the men and women there... Someone standing among them had murdered Lord Arod and stolen his artifact weapons.

"Oh, dear... oh, dear....." Lucrezia fanned herself with her hand, her breathing labored. "This is the most horrible development!"

"W-worry not, my love," Giorgio cooed, "I will protect you."

"You two got nothin' to worry about," Ramon groaned. "The elf died 'cuz he carried around two fat sacks of silver on his back. AND he was an insufferable DICKWAD!"

"Gods damn it, Ramon," Elladan shoved the bigger man. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"Don't TOUCH me, knife-ear!" The tiefling shoved his companion in return, and the half-elf's back struck the wall. "I may be a heartless killer, but I ain't a THIEF!"

"That's it!" Elladan stretched his back, "You're dead, goat!"

"Who you callin' a goat?!" Ramon pointed angrily.

Elladan grabbed Ramon's wrist and, in a single swift motion, threw the tiefling to the wooden floor with a loud crash of metal chain. He then mounted the bigger man's chest and began to rain down a series of merciless punches onto Ramon's red face.

Felicity, their third guild member, hurried to Nikandros, "Captain! You have to stop them!"

Coraline grimaced, looking at the old, slightly plump ship Captain. He wasn't going to be of any help in a fight.

Meanwhile, Ramon and Elladan were rolling on the ground, striking each other with fists, knees, and elbows.

The guardswoman, Olesya, averted her gaze from the fight, pretending not to see it. She wasn't planning on breaking up the fight, either.

Coraline didn't blame her.

"I'm tired of your stupid face, Ramon!" Elladan shouted, "⌈Rattling Strike!⌋"

Ramon took a mana-empowered punch to the face, but the only thing it did was making him more angry.

"GRAHRRRRRH!!!" With a crazed roar, he brute-forced Elladan off of him, sending the half-elf tumbling down the hallway.

Those two were... adventurers. And they were using Skills on each other. If Olesya were to intervene, she'd risk being heavily injured. --And if either of them managed to wrest her sword away from her...

Nikandros smiled with chagrin... "Those two are... young. They'll sort this out by themselves."

"No, Captain!" Felicity yelled, "You don't understand-- Ramon has the Berserker class!"

Coraline's heart lurched into despair. If Ramon activated his ⌈Berserk⌋ ability, then there wouldn't be only a single murder on the Golden Eagle. Elladan could very well die and Ramon might even turn on the other passengers.

In her latest lapse of judgment, she dashed towards Ramon. He had his back turned to her, so she had a chance... She wasn't well-trained in close combat, but if she could put him into chokehold, she could hold on for dear life.

With almost supernatural speed, Ramon turned... towering over Coraline at his full height.

His eyes were hazy and bloodshot, burning redder than his skin.

They were the cold-hearted, murderous eyes of an adventurer.

"M-mister Ramon! You must regain control!" Coraline shouted, her voice cracking in fear.

"GRRRRGHH!!" The tiefling reached out his hands toward her.

"Ramon, DON'T!!!!" Felicity yelled.

Lady Lucrezia let out a shrill scream.

In that critical moment... Coraline's two weeks of martial training failed her.

She flinched.

Her eyes closed-- and the world was dark. She didn't even put her hands up to defend herself.

She just... stood there... and waited.

...But nothing came. No grab and breaking of her spine. No skull-splitting punch. She stood blindly, patiently waiting for her end to come... and was granted only silence.

...Until a loud smack upon the wood beside her rang in her ears.

Opening her eyes, she turned to see Mister Lone sitting up against the wall, cradling the back of his head and groaning his pain, "Owww..."

Ramon had grabbed him, instead of her...

...When had he arrived?

"I AM in control..." Ramon muttered, shaking his head, "I'm always in control."

Control. Coraline straightened her back. She needed to take control of the situation before anyone else got hurt.

Whenever she did that back in her old guild, she was hated for it... but someone needed to do it.

She turned to Nikandros, tilting her head up to look eye-to-eye with the ship Captain... and she put as much steel into her voice as she could manage, "Captain, have the passengers return to their rooms."

The half-elf Captain narrowed his eyes, "Dear guest... Respectfully, this is *my* ship."

"Do as the girl requests, Mister Nikandros."

Coraline furrowed her brows. It was Tychon, walking nonchalantly towards them... and he had, once again, lent his deep voice in support of her.

Nikandros' face reddened and his eyes bulged, "I beg your pardon, young master!"

"Miss Coraline is protected by House Highblade and thus, is qualified to act with their authority," Tychon explained, gesturing towards her dismissively. "Also, it's late. I'm tired."

"Th-that's right!" Coraline stammered. "I want everyone isolated! ...There is a murderer among us."

Nikandros inhaled deeply through his nostrils. Of course, he wouldn't be happy about his leadership being taken away... "Very well, young mistress...

"Dear guests, please return to your rooms... the crew of the Golden Eagle will guarantee your safety."