Kai raised a mug with the others, they may have a long way to go as pirates, but they'd taken a great step towards earning his respect during that dinner. At the mention of their marks, Kai had rolled up his sleeves revealing both his Stardusk, and his Leviathan Tattoos. They drank and talked and ate for a while longer before it seemed that they were slowly dispersing.

Kai sat down back in his corner "Another time Captain, I promise I'll tell you lot all about my days plundering and pillaging before all this." he said as he took out his own personal map of Waterdeep. They called it the City of Splendors, although Kai had never seen it that way. He was on speaking terms with the Royal Halister Family though as he'd protected their merchant ships for a while from other pirates. He had no other reason to do so rather than he'd felt particularly generous. But it had all worked out in the end as now Waterdeep had become a sort of safe haven for Kai as he was fairly safe from the government there. In addition to all this, Waterdeep happened to be home to his favorite tavern known as the Death's Head Inn. A young woman by the name of Wisaria Blackcloak was the barmaid there and was one of the few whom Kai had ever truely considered a friend. Right after his ship had been destroyed he'd found this place, the barmaid had been complaining about bar fights and not being able to stop them. Kai had offered to train the barmaid in swordplay in exchange for free rent. This deal went on for some time and also marked the first time Kai had ever personally trained someone how to swordfight. Now those who drink too much are thrown out, and those who aren't thrown out loose limbs, and THEN are thrown out. Kai nodded as he thought of Waterdeep... wondering how the old inn was doing, he'd have to make sure to take the crew there for some Dragonblood Wine, a specialty he'd helped create with Wisaria, and one of the few things that might knock even Luro down after just one mug.

Luro continued taking apart the rifles in front of him, putting them back together immediately after, at one point he took all three apart and put them all back together with each other’s parts. Each time he finished he raised the gun and fired it to make sure it functioned; once he confirmed it he set it down and repeated the process. He drank from his bottle every few minutes as he repeated the endless steps a smile on his face as his hands continued to move. Luro was sure at one point he saw Ray clean the cannons though he wasn’t sure since his gaze didn’t move from the rifles.

At least that was the case until Danny spoke to him, he jumped a little seeing she had set parchment down nearby but grinned at her words and went back to taking apart one of the rifles again.
“I’ll take that as a compliment, it’s one of the things I love about being a pirate,” Luro said with a firm nod. “Did you know the navy hands out rations of drink? It’s no wonder those guys hate pirates so much since we can drink whenever we want, I’m sure if they could drink as much as they want they’d be much friendlier.”

Luro grabbed another rifle having broken down the one before reaching over and grabbing another bottle after and taking a quick drink.
“I’m sure the others have said it a hundred times but it is good to have you aboard lass, Marcos as well. I’m…not sure if you told us your name…but if you did I’ve probably forgotten it. I forget the captains too but I never really call her by it so that might be it. I may just avoid it since I might call her by the wrong name at one point, then it’s just be awkward. Anyway it’s good to have someone who can read maps…well not read but…actually I forgot what your title is…anyway it’s not important, what is important is that we have a map person on board. I could have used you when I was travelling on my own; I ended up getting stranded pretty often. One would think I’d land at a town…but it was always an island…wouldn’t have been so bad if I had something to drink there.”
Luro shrugged and finished off one of the bottles before setting it down and moving another one closer, he went back to taking apart the rifle before he spoke again his attention fully returning to his task.
“So where do you hail from and what called you to the sea, not that I can blame you for heeding her call, like a wench with a bottle of ale in her-” Luro cut himself off and let out a small laugh. “Never mind that actually but I think I missed a few things when you were tied up earlier so tell me again. Oh speaking of that it was pretty funny, the captain was ‘what’re you doing here’ and then you were ‘ahhh pirates don’t kill me’ ah it was fun but we’re friends now so we won’t kill you. Well we shouldn’t kill you, I’ll do my best not to shoot you lass. Anyway back to what I said earlier why are you traveling with us? We are still pirates; you just made tons of enemies by joining us after all.”

"Aye, I knew about the drink. I was on a navy ship for the past week to get off my island, and all they gave me was water. Said something about 'being underaged' and 'a lass is too delicate for drinks.' Although they made me work just the same as the apprentices they got on there." She said, waving her hand to dry the ink. Usually sand would be sprinkled across it to help it dry, but Danny hadn't thought to bring any. Didn't matter anyways, it would dry on its own. The girl laughed when Luro started to ramble again, stating he had forgotten quite a lot, and recounting the events after the girl's being discovered.
"I am Danielle, but most call me Danny, so I probably won't respond to the name Dr. W gave me. I am the navigator of the coral pearl, effective today. I hail from a little island that is often forgotten about, so much so as the name of it is lost to even those who are born and die there. I left because I had grown bored of the island and all it had to offer my senses, and I have heard such wonders from the occasional sailor who graced our tiny harbour with their boats. Grandad probably helped, too, cause that crazy old man spouted something about the shape of a soul, and mine was a boat. I'd say if he saw you he'd see a bottle of rum as your soul." She girl laughed, leaning back to look at the stars, her mind automatically graphing where they were. It was harder than usual, as she wasn't on the island where she could have pointed the constellations out with her eyes closed. but she none the less did it, and looked back at a map in front of her, her finger over where she predicted the boat to be, pointing to the town of Waterdeep. Danny glanced sideways at Luro, watching his hands take apart and put together the guns as easy as her hands found it to draw lines and follow charts.
"Well, that's my life story, at least all the interesting stuff. What about you? I'll bet you've traveled enough to circle the world tenfold over! What were the islands like? You said you had gotten stranded quite a lot, too, right? How do the people vary from island to island? Are the more fruits like apples? I've been gone a week and a half, and already I'm wishing I did this sooner!"

Marcos laughed a bit when the captain insulted men. "I just came from a slave ship, so I have an excuse. I was around Pars a few times. It rubbed off onto me," he remarked. Marcos smiled and nodded when the captain told him to help Nolan clean. "That won't be a problem. I can begin repaying my debt immediately, then," he replied, before following the cook, Nolan. They came to a station that obviously was for washing dishes. When told he would be drying the dishes, he nodded and said, "Sounds fine. It's a step up from previously cleaning out the defecations of those aboard. Disgusting job."

Marcos would wait until he was finished before grabbing a Haran apple. He took the plate and dried it to the best of his ability, until it was like a slaver's sense of humor, and set it down neatly. He would stack all of the dishes he would dry in neat groups. "I believe you. The crew seems like a good group of people, illegal as their profession might be. I didn't think the captain would let me join, to be honest. I believed she would've kicked me off the ship. Literally, kicked me back into the water. Instead, she let me join, and even helped tend to my wounds."

After a few moments, Marcos spoke again. "I want to thank you for helping me up, earlier today. It's the first friendly act that I can remember someone acted upon me. You didn't have to help me. You used a good amount of manpower on me that could have been used for something else. Something more important. It may seem mundane, but it really does matter to me. The crew, especially you, saved my life. So, thank you." Marcos dried another dish before turning to Nolan, smiling. "If you ever need help with a task, big or small, just tell me to help and I will."

It appeared everyone was departing to handle their own business before bed. So, the captain decided to wander out the galley and to the main deck for a bit to gaze at the stars. She climbed up to the crow's nest, wandering past the few on the deck. Her attention turned to the sea, but seeing nothing endangering them she continued looking up at the stars. She ended up dozing off up in the crow's nest, but realizing it was getting cooler, she woke up and slid down one of the ropes, jumping down silently and heading to her quarters and passing out there instead.



The captain woke up as the sun rose. She was always an early bird, so waking up early was no problem for her. After getting freshened up, and putting the new eyepatch on that Kai found, she was out resting on the main deck. She waited for everyone else to wake, but in the meantime she did what she did best. Surprisingly enough, with the status of being captain- what she did best was lazy about.



And right on time, as the sun rose and morning was in full set, the News Coo came in. The news bird flew past and dropped the paper down. The wind shifted, and the paper's course went toward the water..or to get stuck in the sail. "Uh oh." To get her blood pumping for the morning, she climbed up to the yardarm, the horizontal piece that the sail got tied to, and balanced on that. It was probably pretty dangerous, but with her acrobatic ability, she easily balanced on her toes. It was only more dangerous when the wind picked up, but luckily for her she managed to catch the paper as it flew by.

"And down I go~" She skilfully climbed down and landed right on the main deck. "News is here!" She called out to the crew (whether they were there or not) as she skimmed through it. Nothing ever interested her in the news, so she just tossed it aside and looked ahead. Waterdeep was just a few hours away so they had plenty of time to get ready and be at leisure.

***

"So we can split up when we get there- at least after we have everything checked off. Danny and Marcos can worry about their tattooing. Someone help Nolan with restocking if he needs the help. And so forth. We can meet back around late noon. It'll give you plenty of time for necessities and then you know free time. By that time, we can also look for Kai's flag. We can do that first actually...well we'll work out the details." She discussed this through breakfast with the crew.

Runa sat back after her small spill and looked at everyone. "Clear enough for you? I'm sure a bunch of adults can handle themselves. It's not like you really need me to tell you how things need to be done. She held up the newspaper and flipped through it once more. This time, something caught her eye. "Waterdeep. One of world's best ports, is at an all time low... Hmm, how about that. Hopefully that doesn't get in the way of our plans."

She shrugged and tossed the paper to the next person who wanted it. It didn't give any detail to what it was about so she didn't think too much of it. At the moment, she was trying to figure out what to do to pass the few hours before they hit the next town. There was fishing, sparring, maybe doing some redecorating, reading, all that. The captain just had to figure out what to do.

Well that couldn't be too complicated. And if it was, the next best thing was sleep until they got there.

Approaching Waterdeep

Nolan stared at Marcos with wide eyes, before a grin spread across the cook's face. "It's not a problem, it's what any normal person would do. I couldn't just leave you dangling there, that would have been cruel. You don't need to repay me, I would have done the same for anybody." He tapped Marcos on the shoulder then began placing the dried up plates in one of the drawers. "Thanks for your help, Marcos, it's appreciated." He began to wipe at the sink with a wet rag. "Well, I'm sure you're tired, it's been a long day and tomorrow we're headed for Waterdeep. I'll handle the rest, you should hit the hay, friend."

The cook began fixing things up before eventually exiting the kitchen and heading for bed. Since he had taken a nap prior to cooking everyone dinner, he didn't feel as tired as the rest of his shipmates. He an hour or two reading by a candle before finally deciding to sleep. Nolan had sweet dreams that night and woke up to the sound of cawing birds. Quietly, he exited the room (he didn't want to wake the others up.) and made his way to the deck.

Upon arrival, he grabbed a bucket and a mob and began cleaning up a bit. It was best to start the day with hard work.

Suddenly, a familiar voice yelled about the news and he turned to look at the captain with a salute and a smile. "You're up early, captain. Anything interesting on the paper?" She tossed it aside, and it wouldn't be hours later until she told them the news.

---

"I wonder what's causing problems," his eyebrows creased in concern. It could range from politics to corruption really, so he shrugged it off and continued listening to the captain. "I'm going to pick up a few fruits and vegetables, they're always better fresh but it'll only take a moment. Usually there are always a lot of stalls surrounding ports." Nolan shrugged a little then turned to look at his fellow crew mates. "Luro, Ray, would you mind if I tag along?" He then turned to the captain with a smile. He'd make sure they got back to the ship on time.

"Noon, right? Well, you can trust us captain. Are there any errands you'd like to get done? I'd be happy to help."

Luro finished with his guns and grabbed his own looking over at Danny as she spoke of her time on sailor ships, he gave a small nod sad to hear she had to drink water of all things on it. He continued working on his own gun but he gave Danny his attention as he was curious where she hailed from, hearing it was from an island he tilted his head slightly. He was pretty sure he didn't end up on hers while he was travelling but it just being a possibility made him a smile a little, he looked down at the parchment setting his gun down and grabbing another bottle as he sat tailor style resting his hands on his knees a small grin on his face.
"I think your grandad and I would get along," he said before taking a drink from the bottle. "I am sorry to hear you had to drink water, a wise man once said if you can throw a punch you can handle the drink, well he wasn't really wise just...really really drunk but aside from that and four other things he was a pretty informative guy. Anyway if you're going to work like a sailor it only makes sense to drink like one."
Luro brought a hand to his chin remembering she had asked him about his own travels, he tilted his head slightly and tried to think of an answer but wasn't having much luck, though he could barely remember his name right now.
"There's nothing too interesting about me Danny, stowaway on a few ships, got in trouble with the law, got put in prison, got out of prison, left a few heartbroken lasses behind....and one lad but that's another story. Let's see insert some murder and larceny in there, a bunch of bar fights, more lasses, add some rum and that's about it. Why I became a pirate though is for the freedom, there's nothing better than being your own person, you really don't know how dear freedom is until you can lose it and I have lost it more times than I can count. Now I can drink as much as I want, sleep as much as I want, inflict physical harm on whoever I want though the captain has requested I not kill needlessly so I won't. It's great I can think of nothing better to do, having people along makes it all the better, travelling on your own get's lonely sometimes."
Luro leaned back placing his hand back to steady himself as he took another drink finishing off the bottle before setting it down, he stood up grabbing his rifle and putting it on his back.
"You'll find the answers to some of those questions yourself, you're our navigator now after all it's no fun if I just tell you the answer. You're going to love being a pirate Danny, even when your getting shot at by the navy and almost cut apart by fellow pirates cause you'll always have your freedom and rum mostly freedom though."
Luro reached down and grabbed the rifles deciding to turn in for the night, his vision was starting to get a bit blurry well blurrier which meant he was probably going to pass out soon anyway.
He put the empty bottles in the barrel and took a long swig of bottle in his hand before dropping it in there with the rest of them.
"I'm heading to bed now night Danny."
Luro was pretty sure he saw the captain while he made his way below deck but he was past the point of no return and knew if he stopped he wasn't going to move again.

---

The sunlight pouring into the small room made Luro groan and roll over as morning came, he moved his arm only to hear a clinking noise follow which woke him up a bit more causing him to open his eyes. Once his gaze met the ceiling of the room he realized he wasn't in the sleeping quarters, that and his back was currently on a hard floor instead of his bed...or whoever's bed he passed out in. Looking around he recognized where he was almost immediately, a room that brought him a joy that little else could, the rum room.
Looking around he was surrounded by bottles of all kinds of drink, he was literally in a bed of bottled goodness and picking one up he noticed they were still shut.
He sat up glad he didn't drink any at least, he'd be in a new kind of trouble if he drank it all last night though he wasn't sure when he got there as he was positive he was heading for a bed last night.
After putting all the bottles back in their proper places he heard the captain yell about the news, he grinned and stretched a few cracks coming from his bones before he grabbed his rifle and made his way out of the room.

Luro tapped the bottle of rum he had brought out of the room with his finger as the captain told them the plan for Waterdeep, he was already on his second plate but had stopped figuring it was rude to eat while the captain was speaking. Late noon seemed more than enough time to get things done, he may even be able to check out the tavern in the city. He wasn't against helping Nolan restock and he believed it might be for the best to get their supplies first, last time they had to make a hasty exit after all.
He wasn't sure what to think about the port being at an all time low so he didn't think about it all, he looked over hearing what Nolan was going to do and smiled when he addressed him and Ray.
"I'm afraid I'll be staying behind for a bit to do some repairs on the Coral, we did get harpooned after all and it's easier to make repairs when we dock. It won't take me long but I have a title to uphold. My title as carpenter not womanizing dog of the sea, not sure when I got the second one but I've been called it enough times. Doesn't make sense to me really I'm a pirate not a dog and I don't remember doing....the first part of that....anyway that aside I'll probably just roam the city and stop by the tavern I don't really have anything interesting planned...aside from the tavern. Ray might have a good idea or Kai since he's been there before."

(Sorry for all the short posts guys, I'm having a little bit of writers block)

Kai was once again staring out of one of the ships window at the spray of the sea as they sailed, he had finished his breakfast already and was listening intently to the conversation. Although none of it really registered in his brain until Runali mentioned that Waterdeep was at an all time low. Here, he offered his opinion “Captain, there’s no way that’s normal, something about this doesn’t bode well…” Kai began as he turned to look at his captain “Waterdeep is in the dead center of EVERY major trade route in these waters, it’s even earned the nickname ‘City of Splendors’. I don’t know what it is, but something about it seems wrong.” He said as he turned his gaze back out of the window.

Kai thought for a moment before he heard his name come up from Luro. Something to do in Waterdeep? Kai honestly couldn’t think of anything you COULDN’T do in Waterdeep. He frowned before speaking to his comrade “Well if you’re looking for some good drink Luro, you may want to check out The Death’s Head Inn. Run by a young lass with silver grey hair named Wisaria Blackcloak.” He said as he smiled, he did so love that old inn. “Although, if you go there, do us all a favor and don’t try to get with her.” Kai said, a small devious smile crossing his face “That is, less you want to return to us with your legs cut off.” He said as he let out a little laugh, one of the first times he’d done so since beginning this entire voyage “She’s a tough one, you watch yourself.”

Danny watched Luro as she spoke briefly about his travels, and seemed to dismiss them as boring. The girl couldn't think of a single time where it was half as exciting as the stories Luro spoke of. All the same, she nodded when he told her she'd have to find out some answers for herself, and she was excited about it.
"I know I'll like being a pirate." She said, grinning down at her maps. " I have never had as much fun as I am having in the sea. I think you're right, with the freedom thing. After a while, island life becomes constraining and ultimately, boring. Easy to get restless, and it makes me wonder why I'm the first in years, probably generations, to leave it. I'm rambling, 'ight, Luro. see you in the morning." She raised her hand to him as he disappeared, leaving her alone to finish up what she was doing and gather up the maps and inks, moving it all back to the book room.

---

Danny woke up with a start, slipping off the chair she had been in moments before. Taking a second on the floor, the navigator rubbed ather eyes yawning as she puzzled at where she was.
"Right, girl. You're on the coral pearl, and you're the navigator, and after you packed up from th deck last night you had the brilliant idea to start a new map! So you fell asleep, probably on the map, and most likely got ink on yourself. Again. You are a great decision maker when you're tired." She muttered to herself, standing up and looking over the parchment. An area of ink had smudged, and slightly panicking, Danny looked over her arms, making sure it wasn't on her face. There was a spot, near her elbow, that had a new spot of black, not part of her tattoos. To be sure, she did her best to check in the reflection of an ink bottle. Satisfied, she went above deck, just in time to hear the captain call about the news. Surprised, Danny looked up and spotted the bird, more papers with it.
"You have birds to deliver mail? That is so cool!" She smiled broadly, leaning against the rail to watch the bird fly away.

Danny sat, smiling vaguely as she waited for the others to finish. The captain spoke up, and she nodded along.
"Tattoo, got it! Then I'll go and find the others, help Nolan or something." She rested her elbows on the table as her attention was once again grabbed by Runa, and then Kai. Her brow furrowed as she heard about it. "Well, something is always wrong when a city is in low prospects, but again, this is Waterdeep. But it shouldn't stop our plan, about the flag, right?"

Her beautiful russet locks ran like silk through his fingers. Ray couldn't help but smile; love tends to do that to people. He couldn't help but run his hands through her hair as she slept peacefully in his bed. He was content, and wholly unconcerned that she was not his openly, but belonged to another man.

The scene faded and was replaced with his hands in her hair, but no longer in the sweet confines of his chambers, but outside, in the west courtyard of Manor Skalter. He was worried, then concerned, finally outraged as he beheld the unsightly blemish on her cheek. He begged her to leave for him, she handed him a sword, his rapier, a gift from her, and his features hardened as he took it in his hands.

A new setting drifted in a courtyard, devoid of all but three, Raymond Skalter, Daniel Setn, and her. They were dueling over her and over honor, Raymond defending hers, Daniel defending his. They were back to back, and took three steps....

And then there was fury, the blank in which there were only scraps of memory, Daniel's shocked and agonized face, Raymond's features curled into a mask of hatred, and her, promising her support. And not delivering.

And the next night, Ray was in the dockside tavern, blathered and blasted, waiting for the end, swearing vengeance upon she whom he had loved. And then,quite unexpectedly, salvation.

The sun shining upon his face through a porthole. Ray lay in his hammock, thinking. "What am I doing?" he wondered aloud. Is this all there is to my life now? This life of piracy, it is liberating, being able to do what I want how I please, but it isn't a viable career option in the long term. I nearly was killed by slavers, so I'll stand little chance against the navy, who are surely after me. Back at that tavern, I was done for and I knew it, but now, I'm alive and well. I should be going back to Lendria, trying to reclaim my title, or at least trying to fulfill my word. I swore I would kill her, and my honor is all I have left. I'll need to talk to the captain about this, and possibly getting released from her service.

He sat up and looked at his broken rapier, the weapon she gave to him and the weapon he swore he would slay her with. "Let me repair this first."

"We've got to do something about him! He's going to kill our citizens if this keeps up."

"I know darling, I know! But we are powerless right now. All of our soldiers are in the prisons. If the citizens stay indoors and just do as they say for now, they'll be fine. Don't worry my queen, we will think of something."

"But they have surrounded the entire harbor. The only way anyone can get into the island is if they start a war, or attempt to go through the back of the island and you and I both know that's dangerous!"

"We will think of something, I promise-"

"Queen Natalia, King Richard. Captain Fenn would like a word with you two." Both royals silenced and stood from sitting on the edge of their bed. "Haru! Wonderful, you're okay!" The queen hugged their personal servant now under the Captain's orders. Haru hugged her and smiled. He was thankful to see that his royal family was all right, just as they were happy to know their trusty right hand was fine. Haru bowed to the king, but before he could say something, the king hugged him as well.

Haru smiled once more and lead them to the 'throne room'. "Princess Vivi is still okay. I made sure of it." His voice was low, knowing he shouldn't have been talking to him about the subject- or anything really.

- - - -

"Well, well. It's nice to see you, your highness. Your majesty." Queen Natalia frowned at the filthy pirate dirtying up her nice place. Pirates were dispersed around and each of them had a handful of jewels and gold.

"Are those my- how dare you-!?" The queen took a step forward to one who was playing with her ruby earrings and necklace set, but was stopped by her husband. She glared, but composed herself. "You will surely pay for your crimes."

A maniacal laugh echoed in the room and Captain Fenn sat up. "Who's going to stop me? All connections to this place have been cut off. The government can't help. No one in that silly town will help either, no matter how much they love the king and queen! . . . Heh, and your poor little daughter is in my care. You wouldn't do anything too rash would you?" At that, two pirates pulled up a small cage with a girl and her pet huddled close together. The queen managed to hold her composure, although her motherly instinct was to gouge out the eyes of the pirates that dared to touch her child. She was sure she would gouge out a few of their eyes, making sure her nails were sharp and maybe had pretty sparkled rings on her fingers while she did so. . . Well, she had to do stuff with class. "Are you ready to sign your kingdom away? Or do I kill you and your daughter off King Richard?"

Without a quick response, the captain growled and shooed them away. He knew that they'd be surrounded by navy officials if he killed them. They were escorted back to their room. "Mommy! Daddy!" She sniffled a few times, but hugged Koi as he cuddled to her.

"Captain, a pirate ship is approaching. What are your orders?"

The captain chuckled and waved his hand. "We have three ships with a full crew on each. Bring them down, and then bring the crew to me. We'll give them the opportunity to join us or die. Make sure you take their things. But be nice, if they join they'll need a ship. Don't hurt theirs too bad."

The pirate nodded and went to inform the others. Fenn then pointed to Haru, who stood a little bit taller. "You. Go down there and give the new pirates a rundown on what's to come. It'll save me the monologue time." Haru nodded and quickly went off.

~ - - - - - - ~

There were no errands she could think of to give them, after their short term goals, everyone would focus on fishing for a flag- and possibly underwater treasure. How they were planning on attempting to go underwater to actually find it was still in question. Maybe they could go around town and find someone to help.

"Well that doesn't look so well..." Runali had once again borrowed Luro's height as they approached the town of Waterdeep. A grey fog rested in the air and the place looked deserted. "Three pirate ships and a couple of trade boats. I don't recognize the pirate flag either." She passed the telescope to anyone who needed it and jumped down from Luro's shoulder. The ships were fanned out, making detouring much more complex. "Our plan is still the same. Don't cause any trouble- until I give the okay. If they try and kill us on sight, then we attack. Clear?"

- - - - - × × × × - - - - -

The sail was pulled up, and it soon docked to port. Two ships were on either side of the Coral Pearl, and the third docked on their right. Runali had everyone calm and silent. Just as she suspected, a group of the pirates, piled onto their ship. They all looked conniving and bad, but one stepped forward and put his hands up in 'surrender'. He gave a smug grin before stepping forward. "Which one of you be the captain?" Runali stepped forward and the male raised an eyebrow. "Eh? You? ...Anyways, the new king is buildin' a pirate army. And you all look like capable pirates," His eyes scanned the group. "Well most of ya. Your options are to join- or regret ever coming here."

The group was surrounded, but the captain stayed calm. "I want to see this 'new captain' for myself. There's a rumor that pirates are dirty you know. They'll try to trick you and leave you with nothing."

"Ha! Of course lass! You're a smart one. We'll have the servant monkey lead you there- of course a few of us will tag along to make sure you don't do anything foolish." In the midst of the tough crowd, Haru pushed through and looked at the captain, bowing slightly. He was pristine compared to the others so Runa immediately guessed he was apart of the royal group- the actual royal group.

"Follow me please." His eyes looked over the small crew and Runali nodded for her crew to follow. One of them he was almost sure he could recognize, but brushed it off and did his job. She then paused and look at the gruff pirate that spoke first. She smirked and pulled him down to her eye level. She ignored the swords and guns that pointed toward them. "How do I know you won't touch my ship?"

The pirate yanked away and rubbed his jaw. He grimaced and crossed his arms. "We weren't given orders to..." The captain gave a small nod and gestured for the crew to follow. "Alrighty, but if something is out of place I'll happily have my shipwright kill you. He works hard to keep our ship nice. I don't think he'd appreciate grubby hands all over it."

The pirate rolled his eyes and gestured for the pirates to head back to their own ship. "You have our word. We don't disrespect our king's orders."

With that, the small group followed Haru and the few pirates that escorted them to the royal home. "His name is Captain Fenn- or King Fenn... He is also the captain of the Kraken Skull Pirates. . . He wants to create a large pirate army and is trying to get as many allies as possible. For reasons he hasn't said. But just know, the last ship that denied... Well, they were killed." He explained the brief so Captain Fenn wouldn't have to, just as he was told.

The flag… Kai’s blood boiled as he saw it for the third time, The Kraken Skull Pirates…Kai had already had his swords half drawn when he heard Runali mention to stay their hands, for a moment his hands shook upon his swords as though he were indecisive about obeying. But just when it looked like Kai was going to disregard his captain, his swords returned to their sheaths and moved closer to her, he knew these pirates although he didn’t currently have the mental capacity to speak. As they disembarked and were told that Fenn wanted to speak to them, again Kai’s hands returned to their swords, which rattled slightly as he tried not to slice open this man’s throat here and now.

Then it happened, Runali pulled the man down to eye level, and the men surrounding the crew readied their weapons. In a flash, Kai was on Runali’s right hand side, swords drawn, ready to block any kind of attack that they might throw towards them. He might not have been able to block both sides, but he trusted the rest of the crew enough to protect the captain if it came to that. But then the moment was over, Kai sheathed his weapons again after everyone had calmed down. They had agreed to be taken to the captain, excellent. He could get paid back one hundred fold for his lost ship now and collect payment in full. He thought of Wisaria as they walked to the castle, he spoke to no one and didn’t look anywhere except down at his feet. He knew that if he did look at Waterdeep in this sorry state he wouldn’t be able to control himself. This, he couldn’t afford to do, as control was what all these situations were about. However, as they continued up the street, Kai mumbled something so that only those near it would be able to hear. “City of Splendors… Your Leviathan has come to set you free.” As they walked his hand drifted to his right arm where his tattoo rested.

Waterdeep

Luro mentioned fixing the ship and Nolan gave his friend a nod. It was hard not to start laughing when the man talked about being a womanizing sea dog. He took things far too literally and never really struck Nolan as the Casanova type, then again, he wasn't a girl. Plus, girls were weird, weren't they? He still didn't know what Annie saw in him, but he thanked the Gods that someone like her actually liked him back.

Darn. He missed her, her silly jokes, and fiery debates. She was the more fiery of the two, one of the reasons spending time with her was so enjoyable. He hoped Annie was doing well. When this was all over, after he got his fill of adventure, he'd return and he'd finally settle down and ask her to marry him. A dorky grin spread across his face and for a moment or two, Nolan found himself stuck in dreamland.

However, Luro's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Good ol' Luro." He tapped the man on the back, "the coral pearl can always count on you. Do you need anything from Waterdeep, I can go get you nails or a new hammer?" He made a mental note to ask Kai where the market and other shops were located, but he never got the chance. As soon as they docked, pirates began spilling into the ship like water into a crack.

He froze then fumbled for the rifle strapped to his back. The captain told them to stay their hands and he froze, eyebrows creased in irritation. The other pirates began to speak, and even had the audacity to invite them. They introduced themselves as the Kraken Skull pirates and Nolan's eyes flitted towards Kai. These were the guys he had been talking about, right? That had been ages ago, but they were still here. The captain pulled one man down and Nolan jolted forward, nearly tripping on his feet, but as soon as it had started, it ended, and they were led away to meet a man called King Fenn.

Ha...that last ship that refused was killed? They weren't even given a choice. Nolan remained silent and waited for an order.

Danny's perpetual smile faded off her face when she got a look at the harbour. The paper was right, and the situation was harsher than she originally thought. She automatically assumed the city was having nothing more than a few hard years on budgets. It wasn't uncommon for droughts to crop up in this season in the surrounding areas, if not the city itself. What Danny was expecting was fewer trade boats and more of the essential items, like food and clothes, so when she saw the pirate's flag, her heart skipped a beat.
"If they've taken all the good maps and inks, I swear to Neptune that I'll skin them. I've heard about coloured inks coming from this area, and honestly, I'd kill for some of that." She muttered to herself, joining the group as the pirates crawled onto the deck like so many cockroaches. She glared around at them, though fear was starting to creap into her thoughts. Anger quickly replaced any other thoughts when the supossed leader mentioned capabilities.
"I'll show you capable when I use your blood to write a very detailed map leading-" she hissed through her teeth, stopping only to step forward as her own captain pulled him closer, causing a tension Danny had never felt before. It didn't lessen as the group was lead away, and she glared at the pirates around her, pointedly making eye contact. She half listened to their guide as she glanced back at the ships, inwardly daring them to enraged the book room.
"I say we cut someone important. Can we do that? I don't like these guys." She muttered, agitatedly pulling at her shirt. "I mean, we cut their captain and they'll listen to us? That's how it works, right? Fear them into respect?"

Luro grinned bringing a hand to his chin at the idea of drinking at a tavern again, he enjoyed drinking on the Coral Pearl but it's been awhile since he's been in a good bar fight, though Kai did mention he knew the person there so he might not be able to participate in one anyway. Luro sighed a little at the thought only to have Nolan pat him on the back, at the mention of supplies he shook his head with a small smile, after being shipwrecked dozens of times, one thing he made sure to always have was a hammer and nails.
He glanced over the captain as she climbed to get a better look at what's ahead, he turned his attention to where she was looking and squinted his eyes trying to see with little luck, he ended up taking the telescope and peered through it to see the ships she mentioned.
He set the telescope on a nearby barrel for someone else before looking over at the captain pouting a little hearing they couldn't attack on sight but a smile returned to his face hearing a response was allowed.
It seemed Kai was just about ready too attack already, Luro arched a brow at him seeing this, Kai was normally pretty calm but something else was in his expression for a moment though Luro couldn't identify it.

Luro watched the captain be well...the captain with the other pirates, he couldn't help but smile seeing all the pirates around them. He was hoping they would meet some while they were here, when the pirates pulled their weapons on Runali Luro grinned and his hand twitched as he saw Kai and Nolan respond, however he didn't move though his eyes watched hoping for any movement that allowed him to act, he was already going through which one to shoot first. However the moment passed as quick as it came and Luro sighed a little disappointed before walking after the captain, he did stop to look at the pirate she addressed offering a small smile to him.
"I actually want to kill you right now anyway, laying a hand on the ship just gives me a justifiable reason, a part of me hopes you do just so I can, that aside it's nice to meet you."
Luro made sure to keep with the others and the servant who was currently leading them to the 'new king' who he was already looking forward to seeing.

Luro folded his hands behind his back as they walked through the city, he didn't pay attention to most of the buildings and was mostly just looking for the tavern which he was having no luck in finding. His attention was drawn to Kai hearing him mumble something but he didn't quite catch it, he wasn't sure what to think right now about Kai, he was being really quiet...well more quiet then he normally was which Luro didn't even think was possible. Just as he was marveling at this phenomenon he heard the servant talk to them about the Kraken Skull Pirate captain and what he was doing, Luro brought a hand to his chin as he finished speaking before he spoke to Danny leaning so he wouldn't have to talk too loud.
"The captain said to wait so we'll wait, though I like where your going with this and I'm all for busting heads but we gotta use that one thing first.....strategy that's it...then violence. Next time we'll use violence then strategy...I think."
Luro raised his body and looked back at the servant who gave them the information that cleared up a majority of Luro's questions but he had more.
"Thanks for the information servant guy, his name is Captain Fenn then," Luro said before crossing his arms. "Well I don't blame the last ship for denying, that's not a terrifying name at all who would be afraid of the rear of a fish. Captain Fin should choose a scarier name that's not frightening at all, perhaps Captain Death or Captain Walrus in mating season, I mean that last one is pretty long but it's threatening in it's own way if you know how they are....though now that I think about it only certain people would know to fear him so something else then."
Luro rubbed the side of his head trying to think of another name before he snapped his fingers.
"Oh I got it Captain Black rose, he could keep a black rose in his hat...oh wait I think there's already someone who has Black in their name...I'll throw a few names out there when we meet him. I mean even with King in front it's not much better, there's nothing impressive about the king of fish. Why haven't you guys discussed this with him, he's your captain."
Luro looked at the pirates as he finished his question before looking forward again and shrugging his shoulders. He was filled with all kinds of questions for this Captain Fin, he put them aside for the time being and elbowed Nolan lightly needing to speak with him.
"Hey rifle brother we should play 'shoot that guy in the head' later, I'll teach you when the time comes it'll be fun bonding."
With his peace said Luro put his hands behind his head and happily followed the servant wondering if they had anything to drink there.

Marcos was silent at the morning's meeting, looking at the pirates that came to greet them and offer them a meeting with their "King". He was sure he recognized a face or two in the group. He was sure one of them had dealt in slavery before. He wasn't sure, though. Maybe just the jitters of the sudden situation they were in. One of the brandishes on his right arm seemed to burn again. He couldn't remember exactly who had branded him with that one. Normally, he did. It was odd. Then again, it was the morning after his first ever real night of sleep, and he was a bit tired.

When the other group told them to follow, he did so with the rest of the crew. He remained silent so far, and didn't plan on breaking that streak. He felt sick when he looked at the surroundings around him. He had been a slave that worked here before. It was bringing back memories of his life as a slave. One particular memory was of him as a young slave boy, being beaten nearly to death by a group of slavers for sleeping on the wrong section of the floor. He was bleeding from almost all of his orifices and couldn't even cry. He did, just a little, and they beat him even more. The memory terrified him.

When Luro had snapped his fingers while trying to think of names, Marcos jumped out of his memory and back to reality. He didn't do so gracefully, either. It felt like something was weighing down on him, pushing into his chest. He couldn't breathe. Well, it felt like he couldn't. He was actually breathing just fine. His head got heavy and his feet wanted to give up. It was that oh-so familiar feeling of fear. And he didn't know where it was coming from. He just had a lot of built-up fear and it decided to come out right now, and it was not pleasant at all.

So, I'll ask Kai about a swordsmith, head there, get my sword fixed, get drunk while I wait, then talk to the captain and see if I can find a ship headed back to Lendria. Ray placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully, then noticed the stubble growing on his chin. And get a shave. Ray was still in his quarters when the ship sailed into port. He was taking his time getting ready for the shore party, not looking forward to his talk with the captain. He swore his oath to serve her, and he wasn't one to break his word. Of all the things I once had in life, only two things remain: my honor and a promise. His gaze rested on his broken sword, lost in thought.

Ray was still lost in thought when the Coral Pearl docked. The thing that brought him out of his reverie was the extra footsteps on the main deck above him. The voices he heard were muffled, but he could make out most of what they were saying. The veiled threat by the others onboard the ship, the brief but tense standoff with Kai, King Fin or Captain Fennel or something like that, and Luro's garrulous drone going on about mating with walruses as they left. Though he was certain he was lacking context, Ray couldn't help but mouth a silent 'what' to himself after listening to that last detail.

It was rather clear that his crewmates would need help: Ray knew Captain Runali well enough that she wouldn't dare abandon their quest, and once she objected to this Fenn's conscription, they would be in deep water without a raft. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the pirates on the ship began searching it, so Ray moved quickly and quietly to gather his swords and get off the ship; he'd be no use to his friends if he were captured. He crept to the gun deck, holding his sheaths to keep the blades from rattling. He opened one of the gun-ports and climbed out of the ship and under the pier, taking great care to ease himself onto the water rather than jumping in with a conspicuous splash. He had to wade through neck deep water, trying to keep his swords above the water and not make any excessive sloshing noise. It got easier the closer he got to the shore, but still took painfully long; the frigid water had soaked him to the bone and he was worried for his friends, making what took no more than ten minutes seem like an eternity.

Ray dragged himself onto the shore, wheezing at the cold of the water still clinging to his now heavy clothes. He had to catch up to his friends, but had lost sight of them minutes ago, and neither had any idea where they were. Before he had any time to do give a guess where they had gone, he heard voices coming his way. Another group of pirates were patrolling down the coast and spotted him. Cursing himself for his lack of subtlety, Ray ran down a street, hoping to lose them. Their voices raised as they gave chase. Ray turned several corners trying to lose them, but they were relentless. Ray, in a panic, burst in through a door and shut it before the pirates spotted him again. He tried to quiet his breathing while his lungs screamed for air. He heard the pirates' voices get louder through the door, then after a tense minute, recede into the distance. He breathed a sigh of relief, then realized he had no idea whose house he burst into, and slowly turned around....

Ray managed to escape the place, and Runali said nothing about it. He was going to have to make use of himself from the outside in. She trusted him, and she trusted everyone to keep quiet about it. "Rational thinking you all." She said aloud, not caring if the escorts would hear. "Three boatloads of their crew and probably more. No one do anything brash." She remembered the name. These were the pirates that had taken out Kai's ship- well these were the descendants of those pirates, give or take a few of the older crew. She spoke out, mainly to Kai as she noticed the tension of trying to remain calm. "Don't do anything stupid." She nudged him lightly before walking ahead next to Haru. "Hm, King and Queen status here? The actual king and queen." She got a few growls from the escorts.

"The king is awaiting your decision. He has yet to pick his queen." Runali rolled her eyes, even if one could only be seen. Haru noticed she still wanted an answer. Why would a couple of pirates want to know what became of the king and queen? "Alive." Was all he said before quieting down.

The captain laughed lightly and looked over her shoulder. "That's not how things will work. Not this time. Just follow my orders. For worry Danny, you will have your chance." She turned away and mumbled more to herself as the pirates gave a skeptical glare. "We will all have our chance."

The pirates' attention turned to Luro who was making fun of their Captain. "You will respect our king!" Despite their threats and yells, Luro continued on, making Runa laugh lightly. Even Haru held his hand over his mouth to prevent his laughter from showing.

××××××××××××××


(This except there are two chairs in the middle and one on the right and a few pillars in there)

Captain Fenn was once again, lazing about on the throne that didn't belong to him. When he spotted the crew being brought in, he gave a hearty laugh. "That's it? A little small don't you think! Ah, well... I believe my little servant monkey has explained the gist of the details, yes?" He waited for the answer from the captain, deciding to sit up and be 'a little more formal'. Once again, Runali stepped forward only to get a scoff from the 'king'. "You're the captain? You don't look like much. But allies are allies and you guys could be useful distractions or something." Even the captain was getting a little annoyed by his undermining. But she stayed silent until he was finished and crossed her arms.

Once again, they were surrounded by pirates. They all had piles of gold and jewelry around them. Must have been from the royal stash. She looked back at her crew, absently patting her leg. She was counting the number of pirates on either side of her. Around 40 or so...plus the three around the group. With 6 of them against all. "Well? Will you be apart of a growing army or not?" The captain tipped her hat up. Luro, Kai, and Danny were next to the three pirates that circled them. Perfect.
"That would be a no. I didn't become a pirate to work under someone else." She watched as Fenn glared, and Runali held one finger behind her back, signaling for her crew to wait.

"You dare defy my new law?" He stood and his pirates tensed. 'Wait for it...' She signaled still as he stepped forward. "Do you not know the consequences?" The pirates with the treasure, all forty or so watched the easy kill that was about to take place. With 6 pirates, the forty didn't need to help. The pirates near Luro and Danny put their hands on their swords, while the one near Kai rested on his gun. That would be a mistake in a matter of seconds. "Of course, I know the consequences. But you underestimate us. This is not up for debate. I made my decision. And the StarDusk pirates will bow to no one."

"You're willing to risk your crewmates' lives and your own just because you're a stubborn brat?"

She smirked and retorted. "If you don't risk your life, you can't create a future." She turned quickly to her crew. "Now!" Runa pulled Haru behind a pillar as the other pirates joined in to kill the pirate crew. "Haru, where's the king and queen?" The servant stammered, watching in shock as the 6 man team easily took down pirate after pirate. "T-that way!" She was about to head that way with him, but noticed that Fenn slipped away in the chaos. "Kai! Nolan! Follow Haru and get the royal family to a safe spot."

"Fenn has their daughter, a-and the soldiers are in prison! The prison isn't in the kingdom though." He blurted as Runa took down the pirates coming towards them. That made everything easier. "Don't worry, we can handle this." She interrupted before he could finish. The rest of the crew stayed behind to finish off the pirates that were trying to take them down. "Try to keep them from escaping! They'll call to the rest of them if they do!"

- - - - - - - - - - -

Some stranger's home

A young woman and her daughter stood wide eyed as a random pirate bursted through their door. The mother grabbed a heavy iron pan and readied to smack the pirate clear across his head. The daughter, probably around 7, noticed the sound of the other pirates and then the sound of him breathing heavily. "Wait! Mom! He was running away from the others! He's not one of them!... He looks to clean to be one of them anyway." The mother narrowed her eyes and glared at the pirate at their door. "You have seconds to explain yourself." She threatened. Obviously, this woman had been through a lot and she was not planning to take any crap.

The daughter could only step to the side in order to retrieve a weapon if it was needed. And stay out of the way if a fight did start.

Luro continued walking with the others wondering how far away this place was, he was tempted to ask but decided not too bored with talking to these pirates, Ray had gotten away and went somewhere, knowing this he continued humming to himself as they walked. He wasn't entirely sure where he went but he hoped he'd bring him back something, the way it was looking there wouldn't be time to do some shopping yet. Luro nodded at the captains words though it was really hard to hold himself back, and he was glad she knew what was up with Kai, it probably had something to do with these pirates but Luro couldn't remember fully what that exactly was.
All of that aside the real king and queen seemed alive, Luro was still piecing everything together but what he did know was it wasn't time to respond, not yet anyway.
His attention ended up going to Marcos for a moment, Luro reached over and pat Marco on the shoulder once offering him a smile before looking forward again.
"Deep breaths ya know, we're right beside you," Luro said before folding his hands behind his back. "Just gotta wait."

When they reached the castle Luro's eyes widened and a look of pure excitement showed on his face, this place was absolutely huge, he's been in castle before but this one seemed fancier if that made any sense which he believed it did. He looked all around at the castle, the thrones and the pillars that made him wonder how they held up that huge ceiling. Though he noticed the treasure he realized something else far more important, there wasn't an ounce of drink anywhere. Luro's excitement faded and he let out a long sigh as they stopped in front of Captain Fin, what was the point of a castle without drink, that was like a shark without teeth at least that what it seemed like.
He got a good look at Captain Fenn and realized something almost immediately, this guy looked nothing like a fish. Luro figured he'd have fish eyes, or pursed lips or something like that, it was just some middle aged guy with a nice mustache and beard braids. He was actually disappointed to see that, there was plenty to work with here but he let his love for fish ruin a perfectly good opportunity.
Luro realized that he was missing most of what Captain Fenn was saying and came back as he started going on about being a part of their crew, Luro sighed and ruffled his hair.
"Wonder if they have anything to drink here," Luro said though he didn't miss his captain signal. "I doubt they'd tell us where they keep some, starting getting hungry too should have had fourths always go with your gut Luro."
Luro continued ruffling his hair taking note that the pirate near him had placed his hand on his sword, he was positive the others noticed they were getting ready to move but he waited for the captain's signal, though a smile did come across his face as he heard her speak, bow down to no one, Luro liked that but he remained quiet as he didn't want to miss the signal.
He watched Captain Fenn speak and the moment the captain retorted a toothy grin formed on Luro's face, the instant Runali gave the signal Luro raised his elbow and slammed it into the Pirate's near him's neck, he grabbed his gun as the pirate gripped his own neck and slammed it across his skull a loud crack sounding as he fell to the ground.
Luro spun the gun in his left hand and turned to the other pirates.
"No hard feelings but I have to kill you know."

Luro ducked under a slash aimed at his neck and grabbed the pirates gun before lifting his body putting the barrel of the gun in his left hand against the pirates chin pulling the trigger with a grin. The other pirates in the room had advanced on them and Luro remembered that he forgot to explain the rules to Nolan about their game, he made a note to tell him later since it was boring to play alone.
Luro turned as the man's body fell and hurled the now empty gun at an approaching pirate who ducked under it, however the doge gave Luro enough of an opening to close the distance and he slammed his knee into the pirates face before he lifted his body sending him to the floor. Luro walked up to him and as he sat up and shot him in the skull before tossing the gun aside. He went to reach back for his rifle since this pirate didn't have a gun but he noticed something out of the corner of the eye. It seemed to be the captain talking to the servant from earlier, he could hear a bit of their conversation but sadly an approaching pirate kept him from hearing more as his attention turned back to the fight. Luro stepped to the side avoiding a vertical cut at his arm however the pirate stepped forward and slammed his fist into Luro's face sending him stumbling back. Luro landed on the throne and started to get up but stopped as he ran his hand along the arm rest.
"Oh man this chair is so soft and comfortable, it's like sitting on a cloud, I think I want this chair I wonder if they'd get mad if I tried to steal it."
Luro came back to reality seeing the pirate who punched him stab at his skull, he quickly ducked to the side leaving the chair as the pirate stabbed his sword through it getting it stuck in the process.
"Hey I was considering stealing that!" Luro exclaimed before grabbing the pirates gun and shooting him in the back of head.
He noticed the lifeblood of the pirate ended up getting on the throne and sighed putting his hands on his hips.
"Good thing it's already red so it won't show, when we save them I'm asking for one of these chairs."
Luro turned grabbing his rifle off his back as he heard the captain's orders, it seemed Nolan and Kai were going to save the royal family, Luro sighed realizing that meant he might not be able to ask for the chair, he wondered if Kai would vouch for him on this. His future plans aside Luro was pleased none of them were allowed to leave, that meant he didn't have to hold back as much.
Luro was pulled from his thoughts as three more pirates approached, he ran forward and brought his gun across the first one's face before he could respond sending him to the floor, he raised his gun blocking the strike from the other before raising his foot nailing the man between the legs, he swiftly brought his gun down on the back of the man's skull afterwards.
Luro turned his body and slammed the end of the rifle against the last pirate's face sending him to the floor, Luro walked over and grabbed the last pirates gun before slamming his foot on the man's head and readying the pistol.
"Sorry about that," he said looking at the middle pirate. "I mean I'm pretty sure your dead and all but I'm sorry I nailed you there."
Luro raised his attention seeing a pirate approach him and another pirate taking aim behind him, Luro raised the pistol and shot at the pirate, the one running at him flinched but seeing the shot missed grinned and kept moving, however he felt something hit the back of his skull and fell to the ground red pouring out of his skull.
The pirate behind him held his other shoulder groaning and falling to his knee, Luro hummed to himself and tossed his gun aside before grabbing the gun off the now dead pirate, he wondered if they were going to have to clean this up later or that servant, either way it was going to be a pretty big mess.
"Really got to be careful when you have two targets," Luro said walking past the pirate.
He pointed the gun to the side and shot the pirate in the head as he walked by before dropping the gun.
"I think that's all the ones over here, hope the others finished taking out theirs," Luro said looking around.

Kai had been waiting patiently for their chance to strike, although his anger was getting harder and harder to contain. When they entered the throne room and he saw Fenn sitting on he king’s throne his rage almost escaped him. That was, until Runali’s finger came up, signaling them all to wait. He was on watch again as always, making sure that these pirates along the walls didn’t try anything… waiting… listening…

Then it happened. Runali gave the word, “Now” was all he needed, before he leapt like a tiger at the nearest pirate, knocking him to the ground and viciously slashing at his neck and torso. Kai was completely enraged, his city, the closest thing he had to a home, taken over by the men responsible for destroying his ship, sending his crew to Davy Jones, and kidnapping the king and queen’s daughter. Absolute scum of the earth, the worst kind of filth imaginable, that came close to describing how filthy these pirates were in Kai’s eyes. He went from pirate to pirate killing as many of them as his swords would reach.

In his blind furry Kai heard Runali’s order and moved to follow it, although maybe pausing for a little bit longer to kill a few more pirates “You scum DARE to slander these halls with your filth! No god nor beast will save you should I come back and you’re not gone!.” He warned as he ran after Haru, shouting at Nolan as he ran, although his tone drastically changed when he called to his ally “Come on Nolan! We’ve got work to do!” he shouted as he ran after the caretaker. He was a little sad the man hadn’t recognized him when they had approached. Although it didn’t much matter now, he’d know soon enough who he was and thank him proper. Kai took count, Nolan, His Majesty, Her Majesty, and Haru. He may have to protect four people at any given time. A challenge to any, but to Kai it probably wouldn’t be that difficult. He heard Luro shout about wanting one of the thrones and thought to himself “Don’t worry Luro, I’ll be sure to ask, it’s the least I can do for dragging you all into this.”