Kai just sighed, “As you wish, Captain Pars… My name is Kai Keelson, The Leviathan and today you will fall.” He announced as he crossed his swords and lunged forward, taking note of the newly freed slave behind Pars. Although he’d much rather defeat this captain on his own, he was not above taking an opportunity when it presented itself. This just so happened to be one of those situations.

His swords clashed with the captains, the intensity of their confrontation caused a shower of sparks to erupt between them and a reverberating clash to be heard which echoed off into the distance well beyond the two ships. Kai’s eyes widened in surprise, not very often was an opponent able to defend against a blow like that, yet here stood Captain Pars, very much alive. Was he losing his touch, no, this man was different. Most certainly worthy of the title of Captain, nevertheless, Kai would put him down like the rest.

Kai was once again reminded of his own crew, he’d taught his first mate to fight with swords and had turned him into a great swordsman like himself. They’d found themselves in this exact same situation and he had been the only other person Kai could remember who’d been able to block that attack. Kai smiled as he looked at Pars, their swords still crossed. “Alright Pars… you know what you’re doing I’ll give you that one.” He said as he grinned, loosing himself in this fight. He’d been longing for an opponent with this much skill. He couldn’t wait to see just what this man was capable of. “Don’t get carried away though, you might just let your guard down.” He said as he continued to block with one sword and attacked Pars on the left with the other, grinning wildly, wondering how the captain would get away from this one. Along with the slave behind him, this would be quite the pinch to squeeze out from

Ray was caught off guard when the burly lieutenant bolted across the deck to battle with Nolan. The man was followed by three of his cronies, which Ray managed to cut off from joining the now grappling pair. His saber sliced one as soon as he landed on the deck, but the other two, who were definitely more skilled at swordplay than the regular crew, soon had Ray on the defensive.

"Ray, requesting backup!" Nolan cried in the midst of wrestling with the brute.

"I'm a little busy, Nolan." Ray grunted as one of them managed to slip a fist under his defenses and into his gut. Ray responded in kind by drawing one of his pistols and leveling it at his abuser. His enemy flinched as he pulled the trigger. A quiet *klak* of hammer on metal was all that could be heard. "Damned wet powder," Ray mumbled as he quickly flipped the gun around and pistol-whipped his intended target, exploiting his open defenses while he still could. His other adversary drew his pistol and fired at Ray, winging him in his gun arm. Ray responded by slicing his face open with a deft twirl of the saber.

He looked back at Nolan and saw him kneeling on the deck before the brute's rifle. Eyes wide and acting on instinct, Ray drew his other pistol and leveled it in the lieutenant's direction, hoping in the split second before firing that his bleeding arm would stay steady, that the powder in this gun was dry and that his dueling experience would let his shot hit his mark.

The Coral Pearl

Nolan's eyes widened in fear. Was he going to die in his first battle?

Annie would never forgive him and his parents, his siblings, how would they react? He felt the wind get knocked out of him and squeezed his eyes shut. However, instead of a bullet to the head, he heard the lieutenant let out a pained yowl. Nolan opened his eyes to see the man clamp a hand over his bleeding shoulder. "Thanks Ray." His voice was a little shaky but he felt invigorated.

As the lieutenant staggered back Nolan ran forward and slammed his fist into the mans face. He brought his hands up to his head and Nolan grabbed him by the collar of his clothes before shoving him down onto the deck. In his frenzied state he then pulled his rifle out of his holster and slammed the butt of it into the man's face. The was a crack and soon the man fell unconscious with a broken nose.

Nolan stared at the blood, not sure about how to feel. He had actually won a fight (With Ray's help) but he had also hurt another person but then again these were slavers and they were doing the right thing by helping free the slaves. "You really saved me back there." He mustered a smile in Ray's direction before, but as soon as he saw the man's arm, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. Ray had managed to put down the others and with the lieutenant now out cold they weren't in any danger.

He gave the man a tap on the shoulder. "We should go help the others, thanks again."

Captain Pars was tough, and he held his own for as humanly possible. At one point, the lieutenants managed to subdue the pirates, pinning them and dragging them to lock them with the others. But everything wasn't in their favor and they ended up losing their battles. Parts would not be happy about that. . . Pars noticed the slave running up to him with the weapon. 'Stand down filth, I have other matters to take care of!" He growled out and then had to deflect both the males trying to attack him.

~ ~ ~ ~

Runali smiled and saluted her carpenter.

Luro said
"Normally I avoid any lasses with children but I'll make an exception for you captain since you just helped me out."

"Tch, I'd expect no less from the gentleman pirate right?" She smiled and then started to lead them forward, only to be stopped and silenced. The toddler on her back whispered, looking skeptical. "Is the big person going to help us?" Runali waited for the coast to be clear before she smiled gently and nodded. "This big person is going to help you his to your mommies and daddies to.... Thank goodness." She mumbled the last part and sighed and hurried forward.

Luro said
"I mean your stern is safe with me. Your behind, general back area...hmm...the area that is not in front of you. There we go I knew I'd find the right one, Let's hurry I gotta investigate some rooms on the ship later...once we take care of everything and eviscera....slaugt-subdue the captain and throw his he- hat overboard."

"I question your sanity Luro. But I accept it as it is...And thanks. I think." Only Luro could make her either extremely confused, or make her laugh a lot more than she normally did. She enjoyed it, just as she enjoyed the company of the rest of her crew. And to think, it was probably just a little over three weeks that they knew each other. Almost a month even. The children laughed at his rather odd behavior, and found themselves having to move a little faster. Now that she had back up, she could move through the ship with much more ease. "Keep up! Your parents are up ahead!" She ushered them up stairs and pointed to the side of the ship where their parents were waving.

"Luro, you've got company!" She called out as a few slavers ran up to attack him. Their sneak attack was ruined so they just started to strike.

"Where do you think you're going?" One slaver yanked the kid off her back and held him by his foot. He squirmed and cried for help. He pointed his gun at Runa, but she stood there, listening as the kids ran past. When she was sure they were out of harm's way, she ducked under the weapon and pressed into the pressure points in his arm to make it go limp. The slaver needed his other arm to fight, so he ended it up tossing the kid to the side.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." She ran and caught him, narrowly missing a bullet to her leg. "Here. Take your kid. We've got business to handle here."

"Thank you! Thank you! I will never be able to repay you. . . Who are you guys??"

"Don't worry about it. We're the StarDusk pirates. And I'm Runali. Captain of the ship."

Before anymore greetings could be exchanged, she saluted them off and hurried back into battle. The kids screamed out their farewells and Runali made her way to where the fighting was going on.

- - - -

All four lieutenants were defeated and Captain Pars was in a mess of debris from the damaged ship. There was a loose rope so the captain used that to swing down in between her crew and their enemy. "Let's see... Kai, Ray, Nolan, Luro is behind me... Danny you stayed? And...we have an extra body?" She pointed to Marcos, but then turned her attention to their enemy. "I see you've got everything under control here. Hmph, looks like we missed the fight. Alright you guys let's wrap it up here. I think we've done enough. Before we go though, we need our reward! Raid the ship and we'll be setting sail again."

"Who... are you?" Runali tipped her hat to the captain.

"Captain of the StarDusk pirates. Runali here. Sorry I couldn't be here formally, I had other...tasks to accomplish." She looked over at Kai and shook her head. "Leave him. Let the captain go down with his ship- after we get treasure of course."

She gave her orders and then walked over to the makeshift bridge connecting the two ships. She looked at Danny and then at Marcos and then pointed for them to meet her as she easily walked her way to the Coral Pearl. When they were near her she pointed at Danny. "You stayed?" Obviously, she was waiting for an explanation as of why. When she got it, before she remarked she pointed to Marcos. "Explain yourself." There wasn't much that needed to be said for her to clarify.

When the crew returned to the Coral Pearl, she ordered Ray to sink the ship. "We're setting sail!" She turned the ship back on course to the next island. Depending on what the two stowaways said, Runali would see if she'd drop them off there and leave them. The newly freed ones were going the opposite direction, to a small port town.
Maybe to find contact with their loved ones, maybe to start small before going to the larger towns- Runali didn't know, and it really wasn't her business what they did. They had their treasure and they did what they had to do. Their next stop, a port city called Waterdeep- so Runali's map said.

Taking a few moments longer to catch her breath and settle down, she made her way back to the others. The captain had returned and from what Danny could gather, returned the kids to the slave parents. Her smile grew when the other girl looked her way, seeming perplexed at seeig her. While the others talked and made more threats, The girl moved from body to body, searching coin bags and inside anywhere valubles could be held. She gathered them all in a backpack she lifted off one man, finding to her delight blank partchment and ink. She picked up a few of the better looking cutlasses and guns, sticking them in her belt as well.
"Leave him. Let the captain go down with his ship- after we get treasure of course." Danny moved towards the captain as she beconed her and another new face, an apparent slave man. "You stayed?"
"You bet the rain I did. I haven't had that much fun since the Fisher boys brought over the fishn' knives they use in the boats with their pa. And, I've got all the loot from these dead weights up here." Danny smiled wide, holding open the bag, listening to her fellow newcomer's own story.

"We're setting sail!" Danny let out a laugh, looking around the deck to see where she could help. Of course, she knew barly anything about big boats like the Coral Pearl was, but her eye caught the captain lookin over a map. Intrigued, Danny looked over her shoulder, finding her own bag to pull out a map of her own, comparing the two. Her mouth twisted as her eyes darted from map to map.
"Excuse me, captain. Hate to be a bother, but that map is a fake." She said, slowly, before holding the two beside each other and pointing to various parts. "See here? The waterline is wrong, and this part here is too far south. Little things that don't add up. Also down here-" she pointed to a mark in the bottom corner. "-that there is a private maker's seal, where this one is one from the goverment. and from what I can recall about that particular seal, they are known for fake maps. Now, I use fakes to get dicounts on good priced maps, saying how the proper map is wrong, but I can fix it. Ey-oh! Half off map! Thats how I got this one. But they can also be pranks, or lead travlers into traps. This one here ain't looking too harmful, it was probably used for trade, ended up in the store in place of another..." She stopped, pressing her lips together as she noticed how she was rambling, probably quite annoyingly. "Yes. Fake map. Trade me, its got all the areas you've got there." She held out the map she had in her hands, eyes pointedly looking at her toes.

Marcos brought a few downwards strikes directed at Pars's back, but was surprised to find that all of them were parried by the slaver captain. He did not let up his barrage of attacks, though. Marcos kept striking, in hopes to distract him from the swordsman in front of him. If Pars and he met gazes, Pars would be introduced to a fiery gaze of determination and malicious intent towards Pars. Hatred from enslavement, labor, humiliation, pain, loss, and everything that he had to deal with his whole life of being a slave. And now that he was free, he would love to see Pars and the rest have a taste of the pain.

Marcos stopped his attacks on Pars and stepped away when the captain-or at least he thought she was the captain- gave the order to stop. It was too bad; Marcos wanted to gouge out his eyes with a smoldering torch and hang him from his nails and hair. But, he kept his tongue and arm, dropping the now broken carving knife. Marcos was then approached by said captain, asking him to explain himself. "I came from the slave ship you just plundered. I was hanging on to the edge of your ship, and one of your crew helped me up. Then, I started fighting any slavers that got on your ship, throwing them overboard mostly. Afterwards, I went back to the slave ship and attacked Pars. And, when everyone else stopped and Pars surrendered, I stopped. That's how I ended up here," he explained.

Marcos would continue speaking. "If you have space, I wish to stay aboard your ship, and join your crew. I wouldn't have survived much longer on that ship, and there's nowhere else to go, neither no one nor nothing waiting for me. I'll pay off any burden I cause when I'm aboard." After he requested what he did, he awaited an answer from the captain. He was sure the girl in front of him was the captain. Surely the youngest he'd ever seen. By his estimation, a young adult's age of nearly two decades: twenty. A little lower than twenty. Marcos didn't mind following the orders of someone younger than he is. A life of following orders without being physically able to do otherwise taught him to be obedient.

The Coral Pearl

While the others plundered the ship, Nolan followed after both Danni and Marcos.

He didn't want to loot dead bodies, and the Coral Pearl looked like it needed some cleaning. "I'll go on ahead and fix up the ship." He told Ray before giving the man a smile. Nolan rushed past the captain and gave her and the two new people a quick salute. The cook began gathering up the broken pieces of wood and placed them in a sack, they'd be useful for cooking later on and maybe minor repairs, he'd have to ask Luro about the latter later.

He took whatever weapons the slavers had left behind on their ship and placed them by the weapon rack. They had left behind a couple of good cutlasses and a rifle or two. His eyes flitted to the other ship and while he had no pity for the captain, it was a shame they'd be going down the way they did, it was an honorless end, one of the worst kinds. Eventually, his fellow crew mates came of the ship and their captain stated they would be leaving for the town of Waterdeep.

It had always been his dream to sail the seven seas and travel, and now he was doing it with such an interesting bunch.

Nolan had never left his town until he climbed aboard the coral pearl, but he had heard tales about Waterdeep and was feeling ecstatic. Finally, he'd see places with his own eyes! He heard something about the map being fake then turned to look at the stiff-shouldered Marcos. The man had been through a lot so he gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure everyone is tired, I'll make sure to cook a grand dinner." He grinned at his friends, "so what would you guys like on the menu?"

Luro grinned and followed Runali rubbing the back of his head as the kids laughed, he was glad to see them smiling at least. He couldn't imagine what they probably had to deal with on this ship but all of that didn't matter now at least. He whistled a tune to himself as they made their way to the kids parents, he kept an eye behind them and was glad no more slavers were coming along at least, fighting with kids nearby would be pretty difficult, he wasn't sure if he could shoot a man in the head and it not scar them later on in life, however once they made it to the parents Runali pointed out a few of the slavers attacking.
He made sure the kids couldn't see before he readied his rifle with a grin as one approached him, he raised his gun blocking the strike and quickly moved to the side feeling the weight the slaver had put into the strike causing him to stumble. He took a step forward bringing the butt of his gun across another's face causing him to stumble to the side, he grinned but noticed another running towards him, he glanced behind him to see the other slaver had recovered and was reaching for his gun. He noticed the captain seemed busy too but he couldn't do much to help if he got run in, and he was sure she could handle the other slaver.
Luro ran towards the slaver ducking his slash before butting the man in the stomach with the head of his gun, he rolled over the man as he hunched over and grabbing his shirt quickly raised him causing the slaver to shoot the other slaver. Luro grabbed the man's gun letting the slaver fall before shooting the other in the head. He noticed the captain was finished on her end as the other slaver ran at him. Luro grabbed his last bottle of rum and raised it to his lips finishing it off as he raised his rifle with one hand and shot the last slaver in the face as he ran towards him. His body fell a few inches from Luro and he looked at him before walking over and grabbing the slavers pistol putting it on his belt.
"Thanks though you can't hear me since your dead and all," he said saluting him with the hand holding the bottle.

Luro decided to swing back over to the other ship wanting to get some practice in though it was harder than he thought and he ended up tumbling when he landed. Luro ended up slamming into the side of the ship and stood up patting his back as he walked over seeing the captain speaking with everyone. He made a mental note it was harder then he thought and decided to try again next time the opportunity presented itself. Stumbling onto another pirate ship wasn't the dramatic he was really looking for, he put the thought aside however as Runali gave her orders concerning the captain and other ship.
"You guys got to have all the fun," Luro said shaking his head putting his hands on his hips. "Well I had fun too but I at least wanted a shot at the captain. I mean literally I wanted to shoot him."

Though he was sad he couldn't kill the captain at the very least they could plunder and that made everything better in his opinion, he knew what he was going for but he needed to check for wood and a few other supplies for the ship since it did get shot after all. He noticed Nolan grabbed some wood and smiled deciding to thank him later for it, he also saw him grab a few rifles which he wanted to disassemble but he wondered if that would disrupt what Nolan wanted to do with them, figuring it would be he decided to grab a few for personal use. Nolan seemed to grab most of the good ones but Luro was looking for the internal so he grabbed whichever one worked and tossed them onto the Coral Pearl. His second trip took a bit longer since he made a few personal...stops.
After informing the wenches, with about ten minutes of discussion in-between, that the ship was going to sink he went after the real treasure. After making sure two planks were between the ships he rolled a few barrels onto the Coral Pearl and once they was over he turned one up before opening it. He dug in the barrel for a bit before grabbing a bottle of rum with a grin.
"With all this rum why did they need anything else?" Luro asked shrugging and heading back over to the ship taking a drink.
Luro came back carrying a small chest and dropped it on the deck with a small 'oof' before he kicked it a few times grinning. He walked around to the front of it proud of his discovery as he went to open it.
"Those guys had a bunch of treasure on board, some gold, gems jewelry and all that, probably got it from other ships they attacked" Luro said before opening it revealing a large amount of rum, mead, wine etc. which to Luro at least was the greatest treasure one could find on a ship.
"Thankfully I threw most of that stuff out and was able to fit all this in here. I'll make some grog later it'll be great!" Luro said laughing heartily afterwards. "Also don't worry there's a bit of treasure at the bottom so we can buy more!"

Once the ship set sail once more Luro took a seat on a barrel again his chest of drink next to him, he grabbed one and poured the rum into a mug swirling it a bit before bringing it to his lips, it was good to have grog again and there was more than enough though since he found some small ale as well in there.
"We should let them stay captain!" Luro said raising a bottle meaning the two new people. "The stowaway seems to know maps and...uh...oh I don't know his name but he seems alright to me! If they want too of course they can certainly hold their own in a fight which is good enough for me, come on over and get yourselves a drink. The best bonding is done over drink and a bit of violence, well I mean we could talk too but no need to be fully sober during it and all."
Luro took a large drink finishing off the mug before grabbing another small ale and some rum pouring them both in with a small hum, he looked back up as Nolan spoke setting his bottles down and grabbing the mug.
"I got drink so I'm okay with anything Nolan...just make it illegally delicious! Oh right I almost forgot thank you for getting the wood, It'll be easier to repair the Coral Pearl once we dock at Waterdeep. Also you should let me have one of your rifles, I'm interested in the quality of their parts. Just so you know I had a dirty joke there but I held back, i'll tell you it later if you want."
Luro finished his mug and hummed to himself as he grabbed a bottle of rum deciding to save some of the small ale for the others, he'd drink it all if left alone.

Kai had slammed Pars into the deck thanks to the ex-slave distracting the captain and had been about to decapitate him when Runali's orders reached his ears. He paused for a moment, debating the matter in his head. Eventually he leaned down to the now defeated captain and spoke to him "You loose." He said as he stood up, being sure to kick him a couple of times before walking away. He walked down into the armory of the ship, taking a quick look around he turned around and left "Nothing but garbage." he said to himself as he continued to pilfer from the ship. His next stop was the cargo hold, here he found a couple of items of interest, a treasure chest containing several sea charts, and an eyepatch adorned with a skull and crossbones. He grabbed these two items, thinking of the captain as he did so.

He was about to leave when he noticed a pile of treasure carelessly thrown on the floor. He opened the chest he'd just aquired and piled the treasure in with the charts and closed the lid hastily before walking out. He stopped by the galley and grabbed the shiniest set of kitchen knives he could find, along with two, not so shiny, knives before heading back up to the main part of the deck. Here, Kai took out the two duller looking knives he'd gotten from the galley and looked up at the flag of the slavers. He took aim and then a moment later he hurled the knives at the flag, severing the ropes that connected it to the mast. The flag floated down to him on the breeze and he frowned as he caught it. Kai turned once again to look at Pars as he grabbed a rope and swung back over to the Coral Pearl, he landed with a thud and was in the process of taking in everything that was happening when he heard the name "Waterdeep." At this name his bones went cold and his eyes sharpened again. He dropped the items he'd collected on the deck of the ship with a series of thudding and clattering.

Kai didn't wait for the others or even speak at all for that matter, he just wandered off into the ship's galley and sat down in the corner as he usually did. He knew of course that dinner wouldn't be for a while, but he wasn't really in the partying mood. He frowned as he thought again of this crew that Runali had assembled. He'd have to tell them the story eventually, especially if they were going to set foot in Waterdeep.

"Good find you guys. We have enough plenty to add on to what we have." Seeing Luro with the barrel of rum made her laugh lightly. "Don't drink it all in a night Luro. . . And Ray." Luro and Kai seemed to come out with the most treasure. Ray on the other hand was helping put all the treasure into the appropriate place. The new knives were given to Nolan, and the maps and papers were separated from the actual treasure. Well he was organizing until Kai paused dropping everything and leaving. It looked like he was in shock, but the musician had no idea why. He said nothing of it, looking to the captain to see if she knew. Runali watched Kai go, and then shook her head. "Leave him. He'll come back when he's ready." She had a feeling she knew where the sudden shock came from, but decided to let him be.

Ray nodded and found an eyepatch in the treasure Kai was carrying. "Aye, Cap'n Kai found you a new patch." The captain examined it and smiled a little. "Nice."

The captain looked between the two that weren't crew mates. Danny told her story first, getting a nod from her. "Well. I appreciate the help. And the loot is yours to keep since you earned it." She wasn't a part of the crew, so what she earned was what she could keep. The captain leaned against the wheel as Danny walked over. With the map in hand, she tilted her head towards the girl's own discovery and then examined the two maps. "Well how about that... Thanks, again." She turned the wheel so the ship would be on the appropriate track to Waterdeep. In the spur of the moment, Runali looked at Danny. "You seem to know a lot about maps and I don't have a navigator. You have plenty of time on your hands as it seems.... You can be my navigator of the StarDusk pirates." It wasn't a question, or a request, more rather it was... a statement. To make it even more official, Runali handed Danny both maps.

"We have a room with a few books and such there. You can claim that as your own. And since you're apart of our crew, the treasure you got, just add it to the rest in the treasure room." Runali gave a small smile and tipped her hat. "Welcome to the StarDusk pirates Danny."

Around the same time, the second of the stowaways spoke up. It was obvious that he was from the ship, but she stayed silent, letting him speak. While he did, she hopped on a barrel and stared him eye to eye. Well, one eye to two. Her arms were crossed and she gave him a blank look. "Uh huh..." She then raised her hand calling for silence almost as if it was judgement day. "So, just because you helped out and have nowhere else to go makes you think you can be apart of the StarDusk Pirates?" There was criticism in her tone, but still she gave no expression. After a dramatic pause, Runali stood straight and jumped off the barrel she was using as a stool. "Alright. Fine. You can join." Tilting her hat up so she could see him, Runali had her usual relaxed expression back in place. "I don't know your skill, but by how banged up Kai looks I'll guess Pars was a pretty good fighter." She crossed her arms again and then nodded. "So I'll assume you have some talent there. But no matter, you'll have a title here eventually. In the mean time, welcome to the StarDusk pirates. I'm your captain. Captain Runali. Make yourself...at home I guess."

"How's everyone holding up?" The captain decided to help with damage control and decided to grab the extra first aid kit and help bandage up the crew. As Nolan offered to cook, Runali waved the idea away and poked at Nolan's side. "Don't strain yourself Nolan. You were in the fight too you know." Her first patient so happened to be the musician as he plopped himself down on with his instrument. Before he could play the captain was bandaging his arm up.

"While I do appreciate the help Cap'n, this is completely unnecessary." But in the midst of protest he was still aided and right after he began entertaining them in song. Runa sat on a barrel, one that she was fairly sure was empty- at least she thought so, and looked at the two new ones. "We're a small crew, but we manage. I'm Runali, the wonderful musician is Ray- also our top gunner, Luro, the really tall one is the carpenter- and my occasional perch to see over people. The best chef in the seven seas over there is Nolan. You be nice to him, he's friendly. And Kai, who just left is my bodyguard. You shouldn't make him upset. That wouldn't be a very.... good idea."

The captain decided that while they got acquainted, she would rest on ledge that liked down on the main deck and looked up at the sky as it grew dark. "Two battles and two crew members. Nice."



To Night:

The crew was gathered in the Galley, having just eaten dinner prepared by their excellent cook Nolan, Everyone sat around the table, their plates empty, Kai looked at them from the corner where he still sat, he hadn’t moved since they’d gotten away from the Slaver ship. He had only accepted food from Nolan, to which he nodded in appreciation of the food. He’d thought about it all through dinner and had decided that if there was ever a time to share his story of Waterdeep, it would be now.

Kai stood up from the corner and walked over to the table, standing behind his captain. He looked around at each member of this crew that they’d gathered. “Lads, lasses, I’ve a story you might want to hear.” He said as he began to pace around the table in a circle, his eyes continuing to sweep the room. “It’s about Waterdeep.” He said as he continued to walk “Get comfortable, this may take a while, I need to start at the beginning.” Kai took a deep breath and began.

“As some of you know, I was once feared as a grand military power, Captain of a massive ship known as The Leviathan. She was undoubtedly the mightiest ship in the entire world, she won me the title of Strongest Pirate the world over in a fortnight. Myself, my ship, my crew, all accomplished by age 21… Two years later, me and my crew of miscreants were planning on sacking a town. All of a sudden I was approached by one of my own men, who told me that several chests of treasure had gone missing sometime in the night… The Kraken Skull Pirates he told me, a fleet of pirates who’s number is unknown. Naturally we had to get our treasure back, and one crewmate just so happened to know that they were making port in a city called Waterdeep. We immediately set sail… What I didn’t count on wsa a massive hurricane to be directly in our path. Wind like you would not believe, tore right through several of our sails, the deck was pitching violently in the waves, which in themselves were so large they dwarfed even my Leviathan. Eventually when it stopped the ship had been ravaged, my men began dropping like flies, either from exhaustion, or starvation. The blasted hurricane wiped out our food supplies.

When we finally arrived at the port city of Waterdeep, what we had expected was to anchor the ship and get everyone medical attention and food. What we instead sailed into was an ambush, no less than seven battleships flying the Kraken Skulls flag were waiting for us. With what men I had left, I ordered them to attack and they did so without hesitation in spite of being tired and hungry… With my ships mighty cannons we managed to sink two of the battleships almost immediately. However, moments later the other five fired upon us. Their cannonballs ripped through my storm ravaged ship. The enemy boarded us and started cutting down my already wounded men one after another. Eventually I was the only one left, and like what we just did, they left me to go down with the ship. What they didn’t expect was for me to leap from my precious Leviathan onto THEIR ship.

Now the stories that sailors tell of that moment state that I was outnumbered 50 to 1, in truth it was more like 100 to 1. Enraged at the loss of my ship and my crew I’d worked so hard to attain I went on the offensive without any thought for the consequences. Cutting down opponent after opponent as I made my way down to the cargo hold of their ship. Once all the men were dead I lit their powder kegs on fire and escaped, the ship being engulfed in a fiery explosion on my heels. Under the cover of that much commotion, I fled. However, in the sea around Waterdeep, my old pirate flag still rests in the water along with my old ship.” Here Kai paused as he looked at Runali specifically “I NEED that flag back.” He said before continuing his pacing “There was some gold aboard my ship that may yet still be there which we can also use to restock and reinforce the Coral Pearl.” He added as he continued “It’s important to me, I must get that flag back.” He said, trying to emphasize that this was something he sorely needed to do. “Plus, it might do you some of you younger pirates some good to see the old ‘Terror of the Seas’” he added, again glancing at Runali. “You’re free to accept or decline, but whichever you pick I’m going to do this.” He said as he sat back down “So either help me or get out of my way.” He finished as he looked around at the crew for their responses.

The Coral Pearl

It was a long day and when the captain turned down his offer to cook, he headed to his room for a nice and long rest.

He wasn't used to fighting, so as soon as Nolan's head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep sleep. In fact, he didn't wake up until it was already dark out. The young man scrambled into the kitchen and with a bit of help managed to cook a good meal in no time. The other ship had some high quality cooking supplies and he was even given new knives and chopping boards. It wasn't a bad find at all.

As soon as dinner was served he joined the others by the table, making light chatter before Kai told them to listen up.

Nolan focused on the captain's bodyguard. He had always been intimidated by the veteran pirate, but now the man looked even more serious than usual. Whatever he had to say must have been big. He'd heard about Kai's past, it didn't seem like a happy one so he wondered why the man had decided to dredge up old memories. Kai began talking about how his ship had gone down in Waterdeep and the cook listened on with a frown. Losing his men and everything he had worked for, Nolan had no doubt that it was painful and while a part of him wanted to give his fellow crew mate a pat on the back, he remained seated and listened to the rest of the tale. Kai wanted his flag back and they were headed to Waterdeep, anyways, right? It didn't sound like too much trouble and if the Kraken Skull Pirates were dead then it didn't sound too dangerous either.

"Hey, if it's that important to you," Nolan gave the man a smile. "I wouldn't mind lending a hand. The Kraken Skull Pirates are long gone, right. I mean, you might not have gotten all of them, but that was long ago? So retrieving a flag doesn't sound like too much trouble." He gave Kai a grin. "We're in this together after all." Sure, he hadn't known them for very long and some of them were scary but they were Stardusk Pirates and out on the seven seas, they really only had each other.

Luro spent a majority of his time taking care of his chest of drink making sure to take the captains words into account, he nodded firmly deciding not to touch the ones in the barrel at least not yet. He was pretty sure Ray could hold his own when it came to drinking and that meant a chest wasn't going to be enough.
He noticed Kai walk off but just arched a brow for a moment deciding he was probably off to do Kai stuff whatever that was and returned to his rum. His attention shot to Runali when she spoke to the two stowaways, seeing the look on Runali's face she looked like a real captain.
Luro blinked a few times and looked at the bottle of rum remembering that Runali was a real captain and that he was on her ship, realizing he forgot those two piece of information he decided he needed to drink more and remember.
Since Runali permitted the two to stay on the ship that was even more reason to continue, new cremates and one was going to serve as a navigator that just made it better.

When Runali went to check on everyone and eventually bandaged Ray Luro laughed a little though he was lying on his back at this point and just grabbing the bottles that lay next to him. Luro couldn't go into the bliss he was feeling at this moment, the slight rocking of the Coral Pearl, the sound of the waves hitting the boat, the amount of rum and grog he consumed probably enough to knock three men out. He couldn't help but feel immensely calm and at peace at the moment, he hoped this bliss would last for a bit longer.
"No fair Ray I want medical care too ya know," Luro said speaking up once Runali finished laughing a little before he sat up.
When he was introduced along with the others he raised his hand as a greeting to the two.
"Luro Makaacchi....Maka....Makachi there we go at your service," Luro said before lowering his hand. "Stowaway lass if you ever need anythin, or if ya start feelin down....go to Ray he's a gentleman...I think. I'll probably just end up trying something if I'm completely out of it, least till I start rememberin your face. Oh I'm not there yet so don't worry i can still remember my....uh....well i remember whatever I need to remember...and new lad if you ever wanna drink you come find me, same offer is extended to you too lass."

Once the introduction and such was taken care off Luro picked up his bottles and tossed them in an empty barrel not wanting to leave them on the deck and had a use for them later, he rotated his arm and went to check on the full condition of the ship. He knew he the mast needed to be taken care of but he figured it wouldn't hurt to do a few extra checks, though he made an effort not to bother Kai while doing so since he seemed to be off doing something. Once he finished checking he spent the rest of his time disassembling a few of the rifles on the main deck he got from the slaver ship, taking any good parts out of them. Though his face was flushed as he did so the speed which he repeated the process of disassembling and reassembling didn't seem affected by it and he continued this until dinner time.

Luro didn't waste any time eating Nolan's food when they were at the table and if not for Kai standing up he probably would have gotten thirds, however though Kai looked serious most of time something about his expression now seemed....extra serious. When he told them to 'get comfortable' he slowly reached down and grabbed a bottle of rum before putting it on the table and opening it. Luro stared at Kai setting more food on his plate as he told them of his past, which made Luro realize a few things he couldn't piece together earlier. It seemed he had a history with Waterdeep and though Luro was still sobering up a bit he made sure to listen attentively to him, as he was sure this wasn't a story he would want to share again, as he listened to it he realized that this was indeed the case as it wasn't a happy story.
Once he finished Luro tilted his head slightly still trying to take all the information in, it was during this Nolan spoke saying that he would help Kai, he reached up and rubbed the side of his head at the idea of assisting Kai, it was something important to him so Luro already knew his answer.
"Hmmmm okay so you were the captain of The Leviathan, that...makes sense of some stuff. Back at the port town when you said all that stuff I wondered if you were the same guy. I've heard tales of you from sailors, I think a few said you had two extra arms or something...but we were pretty drunk."
Luro took a drink of his rum before setting it on the table folding his hands together.
"I really don't care about past Kai but I like current Kai so I'll help the now Kai that will help past Kai, because I don't know past Kai but I know now Kai."
Luro stopped talking for a moment and looked at his bottle of rum for a moment making sure he said that correctly before he looked back at Kai.
"Yeah that sounds right...unless I know past Kai because I know now Kai which means I'm helping past Kai who I don't know which means by helping now Kai I'm not helping past Kai which means the past Kai is the now Kai and-" Luro stopped mid sentence and brought a hand to his hand feeling a headache coming on.
"Ah never mind the why I'll help you get your flag current Kai," Luro said. "I don't want the gold so give it to the captain for the Coral Pearl and to me this ship is the only lass I need but you got business with this place so I'm willing to help, of course I must tend to the Coral once we dock, once she's taken care of I'm yours unless the captain says otherwise of course."
Luro grabbed his bottle before bringing a hand to his chin remembering a part of his sad tale.
"Wait you said an ambush was waiting for you right? Did those pirate guys steal your treasure and wait for you to come collect it? That's pretty dastardly."

Danny blinked at the captain's statement then grinned widely as she let out a noise of joy. It was true, she did have a lot of time on her hands. She had all the time on her hands, and she couldn't hope for anything more than joining the stardusk pirates.
"Aye, captain! You can count on me!" She said, rolling away the maps and moving to the pile of new maps and supplies. She rolled out a few of the new ones, using her own, biggest map to check the quality. She grinned all the while, occasionally letting out breaths and making new marks on the maps already laid out, referring to the others. She gathered them all up when it got too dark to see, deciding to go find the book room instead of lighting another lamp. As she passed Luro, he started to babble at her, offering her a drink. She raised a brow curiously, gathering up some of the still closed bottles and hiding them in a barrel, but not before inspecting a label. Sailors who visited her island sometimes brought alcohol, but none of those native to the island were interested in it, and Danny herself never got her hands on it.
"No thanks, mate. Not now, at least." She said, passing the man again to continue to below deck, where she promptly found the book room. A few hours or organization later, Danny joined the others as they started eating. It was beyond anything she had ever tasted, having but a small experience with food past meat and potatoes. She couldn't eat as much as the others, as she noticed Luro going for thirds as Kai called for quiet. Danny chewed on a spoon as she listened to the man speak, turning to the crewmates as they in turn offered their support.
"If it means anything to you, I'll do my best to help." She added, a smile at the corner of her lips as she sat back in her chair. "I mean, do we know where the flag is? I'm good with sneaking in and out of places undetected, so if they've got it tucked away somewhere I could weasel my way in and then back out."

Marcos listened to the captain as she spoke, finding the hint of criticism in her tone in the right place. The more he thought about it, the more he figured that it was a bit odd. He just escaped from being someone's work dog, and now he pretty much wants to be another person's work dog. Not that Marcos much cared for that. Criticism was a tone familiar to him. It didn't bother him all that much. He quickly learned to shut up and obey orders. Put simply, Marcos didn't care if the captain treated him with disrespect. If she thought ill of him, so be it. If not, great. Didn't change the fact that he was indebted to her and her crew, especially the fellow who helped him up. That's why it made him happy to hear that he was allowed aboard. "Thank you, Captain Runali. My name is Marcos Abeille."

His first orders were going to be difficult. To make himself at home aboard the Coral Pearl. He didn't know what a home felt like. He never had a home. He'd been a slave for all of his life, up until today. And the life of a slave was no easy thing. Whacking away at crops with a machete, pulling carts that must have weighed one hundred men, basically any miscellaneous chore that could be done. Each and every day. Top that with sickening food, few drops of water, and an hour at most of rest. He never relaxed. It was something very alien to him. First time for everything, as they say.

Marcos sat at the table in the galley of the ship, having been bandaged up by the captain. Another foreign thing to him was medical care. And it made him feel safe, or whatever was closest to the idea of safety. Marcos also would enjoy the food that was given to him in generous amounts. Finally, food that didn't make him regurgitate more than he took in. It was fresh and properly cooked, and delicious. He would have to thank the cook multiple times over, both for the food and for, to his learning, pulling him up. And, as the dinner was finished, he listened to Kai's story. He was familiar with Waterdeep, as he'd been a slave worker there for a year or so. He remembered it from the branding left on his back, at the center of his mass and to the right a bit.

Runa watched the stars as the boat rocked gently. It was a nice and peaceful evening, but when Nolan called for dinner and her stomach growled the starry night could wait. She jumped down and headed to the galley with everyone else. Everyone who took their sweet time was urged on and hurried in. As normal, the food was amazing and she complimented him for it.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as they told stories and the likes. The two new ones seemed to adjust more or less. She figured it wouldn't take too long to get acquainted. They were all pretty nice, just fairly ruthless in battle. It all got quiet and eyes went to Kai as he stood behind her. The captain looked up, raising her at to get a better view. "What is it?" And soon enough, Kai's story began. She got comfortable, leaning back in her chair as he began his story.

She knew it meant something to him. And hearing his story reminded her of the story he told her before, when they first met. Being new to the pirate age, she hadn't heard of the known pirates or 'legendaries'. But she had heard of the dangers. When Kai had saved her from the tavern she had met him in, although she insisted she could take care of herself, he told her his story. Why not have a legendary pirate as a bodyguard? It got her crew jump started. When his story was finished, she too listened to the responses of the group. All of them seemed eager to help Kai, even the stow- new crew members.

"If the captain permits, then I'm up to help too!" Ray added his own response before continuing to chow down. "Nolan. You're food. Is amazing." He spoke in between mouthfuls of food. Runali nodded in agreement before hooking her foot under the table and leaning backwards to look upside down at Kai, since he was sitting behind her.

"Kai you're so harsh. I'm ashamed of that attitude of yours." Her arms crossed as she balanced on two legs of the chair. "Now what makes you think your own crew mates wouldn't help you retrieve something that's yours? Especially from the likes of a few pirates! Of course we'd help. Besides, what else are we going to do while we're in Waterdeep?" She sat up and looked at her crew. "Alright then, it's official! We're going to find that flag and stop whoever gets in our way." She raised her cup to toast on it. "We're going to Waterdeep and getting Kai's flag!"

With that they, drank on it and the conversation ensued. "Hey Kai, any stories about your days as captain that you want to share? It's not everyday we hear from legendary pirates you know." She then looked around the room, unless someone else has a riveting dinner tale?"

While everyone chattered, Runa crossed her arms and looked over at Danny and Marcos. "So, Marcos. There are two sleeping quarters down here. Since there are now. . . Seven of us on board, you can can figure out which you want to sleep in. I don't know how the guys split it up down there. Just ask. And Danny, since we finally have another female on board, I'm sure you'd rather not sleep in a room full of stinky guys. So you could set up a hammock or bed in the book room, or I could make room in my quarter's. I don't take up that much space anyway." She rubbed her arm, and remembered the symbol that was placed there. "You also must get your mark as a StarDusk pirate. Everyone has it." She showed her arm and pointed to the symbol. Then she motioned for everyone else to show their symbol as well.

As plates were being emptied, they were stacked on the ends of the table. It was a lot more considering there were two more mouths to feed, so Runali decided to give a little help to Nolan. There was no reason he had to cook AND clean by himself. "And Marcos, since you feel so indebted to the crew, you can help Nolan with Dish duty tonight. . . I'd ask Luro or Ray to do it, but," She looked over, laughing gently to see them downing more than enough rum- one more than the other. "Don't worry, we all have to help out cleaning one way or the other. Last time, Ray was in charge of helping him clean." With that, Ray nodded and gave a salute.

"A dirty job but I've done worse. Besides, if it's for our chef, I wouldn't mind it." He took to singing songs to keep the good mood going until everyone decided it was off to bed or just to leave the galley.

The Coral Pearl

Luro began rambling on and Nolan couldn't help but chuckle.

The man was a good comrade, though a tad silly and hard to understand at times. Everyone eventually began voicing their will to help Kai and Nolan smiled. "The Captain's right you know, I guess in a sense were kind of like a big, dysfunctional family." Nolan puffed out his chest and gave everyone a salute. Sure, Kai was intimidating and they'd only traveled together for three weeks or so, but they had his back and he had theirs. They were good people, "we don't really have anyone else but each other." The last part he had uttered with a hint of bashfulness. "So don't worry about your flag, we'll do our best."

They finished up their meal and Ray complimented his cooking skills. "I'm glad you enjoyed it, there were a lot of supplies on board the slave ship." They continued to chatter the night away before it was time to clean up. The captain offered Danny a room but not before saying they were a bunch of stinky men. Nolan laughed at this before tapping Luro playfully on the shoulder. "I'll have you know, Luro's the only one who smells like rum though from time to time Ray does too." Nolan began pilling dishes one on top of the other then nodded when Marcos as asked to assist him. "The help is appreciated."

The captain joked about Luro and Ray helping and Nolan shook his head with a chuckle. "We'll be more than fine on our own." He recalled the last time Luro helped. The man had broken more than a few plates and it was pretty silly. "Let 'em have their fun." Nolan turned back to Marcos with a kind smile, "kitchen is this way, you said your name was Marcos, right? It's a pleasure to have you and the new girl on board with us." He made his way into the kitchen setting the dishes by the sink. "I can wash them and you can help me dry them, how does that sound Marcos?" The cook held out a hand towel and waited for the other man to take it. "While I was the dishes, feel free to take a seat on one of those crates, we have apples in them." Nolan brightened up, "feel free to have a bite, Hara is known for there wonderful apples so I made sure to stock up on them."

He wasn't the best brawler out there and he was clumsy with weapons, but when not in a fight Nolan could be pretty talkative and chipper. The man began washing dishes, swiftly, he had done so for years after all. "Now that you're with us, you won't have to worry about the slavers." His voice softened. Whatever it was Marcos had been through, it sounded unbearable and he wanted to help make his fellow crew mate feel at home. "You're with us now and we watch each others backs." He passed the man a wet plate too dry. "The captain and everyone up there," he chuckled, "they can be rowdy bunch from time to time, but they're good people."

Luro was more than happy to raise one to helping Kai and did so with the grin before downing the rest of his own drink.
He glanced over at Nolan hearing his mumble and smiled deciding not to say anything, it was decided that they were going to assist Kai with his venture. The idea that it was guarded by pirates just made him even happier, a little opposition would make things interesting.
His attention went to Runali as she spoke to the Marcos and Danny, in terms of the sleeping arrangement Luro wasn't really sure, he normally passed out in whatever was closest, depending how much he drank that tended to change. He considered writing his name on one but he thought that'd be silly and he'd probably assume another Luro slept there or something, it wouldn't be the first time its happened..
At the mention of being stinky Luro blinked and raised his arm before he heard Nolan's comment, he grinned at him and raised his rum bottle.
"You can always trust a man who reeks of Rum...well unless he has a sword....or any other weapon really....actually if he's big that's bad too....hmmm...wait what was I trying to say?"
Luro brought a hand to his chin not sure where he was going with that anymore, in the end he just shrugged his shoulders deciding to drop it.

Seeing Runali's motion and realizing it was for the StarDusk symbol Luro pointed to his chest just above his heart where the symbol rest, he pat it a few times before chuckling.
"It's a sign you're part of the crew, once that happens your basically family sorta," Luro said nodding. "Ahh I remember when I got mine, well I mean not right now cause I'm still trying to figure out why there's two of you lass but I'm sure later on I will."
Luro raised a hand to Nolan and Marco as they walked off, he was glad the duty wasn't with him tonight at least, he found out the hard way drinking and cleaning dishes don't mix well together. He kept missing the counter...probably because Nolan had three of them and he had to keep guessing where to drop the plates once they were clean.
Not really wanting to hear any stories Luro stood up and put his rifle on his back before taking a step back, and pushing his chair in making sure to grab his bottle afterwards.
"I don't wanna hear any old tales and the only story I can think of involves a brothel, a horse, the navy and a pelican and that's hardly dinnertime conversation so I'm going to get some air....right after I get more rum. Just in case I don't see anyone else I'll just say goodnight now."
With that Luro turned and walked back towards the main deck raising a hand as he walked away, humming a small tune to himself.

Three bottles of rum in his possession later Luro walked onto the main deck, he took in a deep breath the cool night air blowing past him. It felt fantastic and made it a perfect night to drink, stare at the stars and drink some more not necessarily in that order.
He walked past the rifles he was working with and picked them up as he walked towards the stern of the ship putting the rifles down once he reached it. He sat on the deck setting the rum next to him before he rested his arms on the sides and stared up at the night sky, he wondered how often he looked at the sky like this and felt stifled in the past, honestly he was curios of old tales but he didn't like the idea of the possibility of sharing his own and he liked everyone in there too much to decline if it came up. That aside Luro dug into his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular black container, with silver running along the side of it. He opened it and moved his cartridges and powder out of the way until he got to a piece of parchment on the bottom, he opened it fully and stared at it for a moment before a small smile formed on his face his eyes closing as he folded it back up.
"Waterdeep," Luro said putting the parchment back in the container and closing it. "I know absolutely nothing about the place but I'm so excited to go, wonder if those pirates will know who Kai is, I'd imagine they would after what he did to them....what was that again?"
Luro thought about it for a moment but ended up shrugging and putting the container back in his pocket, he grabbed another rifle returning to disassembling it once more,
"Back to this then," he said with smile setting his rifle down to the side.

Danny laughed, raising her fist in the place if a cup, as she hadn't gotten one yet. She smiled at Nolan when he mentioned the dysfunctional family.
"Aye! Though, truth be told, I came from a more dysfunctional family than this. An entire town, even!" Her attention was grabbed by the captain on the subjects of sleeping quarters and marks, a few others showing their own. At the tattoos shown, She grinned again. "I may be new to everything, but I ain't new to tattoos. The island I grew up on holds tattoos to be an important way to share stories." She held up her arms, already covered in black patterns. "And a mark of my crew seems one hell a' story to tell. I can do it myself in Waterdeep, s'long as I can get my hands on the equipment. As for sleep, I'll set up in the book room. It wouldn't be the first time I've bunked with boys, but it ain't like I'll leave that room much otherwise." She smiled again, helping to bring the dishes to the sink, her ears perking up at the mention of apples. She slipped two out, motioning to Nolan and muttering another thanks around the fruit before she went and gathered mapping supplies again, moving to the deck where it was brighter. Once there, she noticed Luro, still with a few bottles of rum around him and working away on some guns. She moved over to him, spreading the parchment across the deck and dipping her quill in the ink.
"I've never seen a man- sailor or no- drink as much as you." She commented with a smile, already adding marks of her own to the various maps around her as she chewed at the fruit in her other hand.

The battle over, Ray rejoiced with the rest of the crew and did his part looting the slaver ship, scuttling it as they left and singing a silly tune. He enjoyed himself in the aftermath of the battle, distracted completely from his concerns during it. The drinking with Luro was an experience; he had hardly been drinking the swill that pirates called rum for two weeks and he had already acquired his taste for it. It was certainly no finely aged scotch, or mellow brandy, but it did have a way of getting you drunker than a pickled fish. Nolan's dinner was simply top-notch again, and Ray couldn't help but let him know. He may be lacking in a fight, but he certainly has his own skills.

After dinner and drinks, he spent his evening cleaning out the cannons, the rum making him forget if anyone had already done so. The guns were his responsibility, so he figured he had to keep them in good condition. While he was working, he thought to himself, Why am I enjoying myself so much? Duh, we just won, so we're celebrating. But honestly, why am I working so much after a victory like we just had? Work would be the last thing on my mind. It's like I'm trying to forget something. Realizing that he was in fact trying to forget something, he turned his mind fully towards the task in front of him. However, the more he worked, the more it slowly crept into his conscious mind.

By the time he returned to his bunk, he had all but remembered. Exhausted, he fell into his hammock and dreamed of her....