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>Nikon rolls a 22 against a 21
>I also provided a "giant" trait context bonus to Nikon that temporarily canceled his concussion malus, if anyone's wondering about that.
With your hand exerting gentle pressure upon Pollux's shoulder, you mean to shout, but instead - an urgent whisper escapes the barrier of your teeth -
<span class="mu-b">"Stay your hand, Pollux!"</span>
The stress in your voice seems to break Pollux's spell better than any amount of shouting may have - and Ares Manslaughter releases his grip upon Pollux's heart. He breaks his eye contact with gasping Kyrtios and flashes a look of clear irritation at you, raising his speartip towards the ceiling.
"Don't tell me you're becoming Salaminian, Nikandros." A measure of disgust wrinkles his nose - you've damaged your standing with him in a small way, here.
His tone is halfway mocking, meaning to insult, but you take the higher path - you resist the urge to explain the tactical benefit of extracting information from Kyrtios if there will be the mass transportation of war supplies across the Cyclades, but the frustration in Pollux's face tells you that this would be the wrong approach. You wait him out instead, a placid look upon your face, and finally, his anger melts into dissatisfaction. The greater of the Dioscuri speaks -
"I must be growing old at last - I no longer understand young men." Before you can reply, you each catch the scent of smoke, growing stronger - Pollux whirls in alarm, and sprints off into the bow-side hold, leaving you with Kyrtios.
The defeated man attempts to speak with you, perhaps misunderstanding your mercy - you lean closer, as if to listen better, before driving a right hook into his jaw - you control your strength, only knocking him unconscious, rather than tearing his head off his shoulders. Not satisfied with this alone, you strip him of his bronze armor, and bind him tightly in his nakedness with repurposed fur lines stripped from the ceiling beams.
This accomplished, you move to the bow-side, where Pollux has suffocating a small bonfire - clearly, Kyrtios had hoped to set the ship ablaze. You wonder at his motives before you see something interesting - in the hold of the ship itself, there is a large wooden plug, about a stride in diameter. Testing it, you find that it is hooked into heavy iron hooks in the hold floor. Releasing these, you find that the wooden plug can be raised - you almost attempt to remove it, before you remember that you're at sea! An escape hatch that would doom the ship - hardly a heroic measure, but probably a life-saving one. You imagine that your entry into the hold stopped Kyrtios from wriggling out of his bronze and through the hatch - he must be a talented swimmer to bet his life on such a strategy. Above you, the screams of slaughter have finally ceased - instead, you hear the muffled laughter of victorious sailors.
The pirates have been slain, the battle won - it's been a good day!
