Danny's smile at her victory faded when she heard cannons and crunching wood. Rushing to she railing of the ship, the girl balled her fists in fear and rage.
"Oi oi!" She bellowed, jumping around energetically. "Come 'ere and fight like real men! Don't hide behind gunpowder and metal! Ya cowards!" She stopped dead when the explosion sounded behind her, the brilliant light of the flare leaving spots in her eyes. The girl was dumbfounded, she had never seen anything like it. The island barely had guns, technology like that was unheard of.
"What witch craft is this?" She lept over onto the Coral Pearl's deck, rolling when she hit the wood and standing up beside Marcos as Luro came over to them, explaining a plan. Danny grinned, taking the bottle from Luro.
"Yes, you sounded like a very sober person. But I'll go hunt down where the loud explosion star thing came from." She took a swig from the bottle, screwing her face up in disgust. "Gods, this is so bitter! How do you constantly consume it? Never doing that again, wow. Its making my belly go all weird. Ugh, I'm leaving, have to find the star shooter. Gross alcohol. Marcos can stay if he wishes or come with, I'd say stay and get medical attention, I saw you get hit pretty bad." She handed ithe bottle back to Luro, rubbing her tongue over her teeth as she moved to the railing, jumping down to the dock and took off running. It didn't take long for her to find the two opposing Captains, with Kai and Nolan joining them. Instead of joining the group, however, Danny swiftly climbed a tree, sitting where she had a clear view of the entire scene, the water, and roads leading there, but she couldn't be seen by Fenn. She crouched, ready to drop out of the tree and move at a moment's notice. She could see that rocks were a minimal danger if the child was dropped, so it was a matter of diving after her. Danny was confident in her own ability to swim, but it would be difficult with the extra weight from not only the child, but the chains. All the same, Danny was ready to try.

One of the ex-prisoners offered to take the keys from Ray and release the rest, and he happily obliged. Okay, now I have an army, but no weapons. Ray approached one of the prisoners who was ordering the others around, obviously an officer of some kind. “Do you know where we can find some weapons?”

“The armory, but these bastard pirates have likely looted the place already. Weapons should be our priority, without them, we can't fight off Fenn's forces, and once they realize we've been released, they'll send everyone they can to stop us.”

“Hmm...” Ray thought quickly and remembered the unconscious gate guard. “I have an idea.” He strode out the gate and dragged the sleeping man into the courtyard. He awoke and started screaming until Ray drew his sword, held it to his throat and looked him in the eyes. “Tell me where the weapons are or I slit your throat just like your buddy. Answer truthfully and I won't kill you.”

The pirate stammered a response. “Th-The Warehouses! By the docks! W-We were going to load them on the ships, but Ki- er, Cap'n Fenn wanted more men first. Oh god please don't kill me!”

Ray smiled and lowered his sword. “I am a man of my word.” He then drew a pistol and handed it to the officer. “Do what you will with him.” The officer approached the pirate, who shrieked at Ray.

“You promised! You said I'd live!”

“I promised that I wouldn't kill you. I can't speak for these gentlemen.”

“You lying ba-”CRACK!

Ray moved to the center of the courtyard and pitched his voice to carry through the entire area. “Your Island is in peril, as are my comrades. One common foe stands in our path, and his name is Captain Fenn. Will you let him take everything we hold dear?”

“No.” The soldiers called back, disjointedly, but emphatically.

“Will you let his injustice stand?”

“No!” Their replies were more unified and forceful.

“Will you let that so-called 'King' live one day more?!”

“NO!” A mighty chorus shouted back. Cannons boomed in the distance.

“They have taken your weapons to the warehouses. Go forth, first to the docks, and then, to glory!”

As the troops surged out of the prison with a roar, Ray held back and stopped Arthur. He placed the grenade he got from Lisset in his hands. “You mother says you forgot this.” Arthur smiled. “Put it to good use.” He patted him on the back and sent him off with the rest of the men. Now it was time for the truly hard part. He hoped he wasn't too late.

Runali, don't die.

"Move if you dare." Fenn narrowed his eyes as Runali stared at him. "Your time is ticking." And it was. The ship was moving farther away. Runali only had little time to react and none of her crew was-

Runali looked up to see Kai and Nolan approach. "It's about time you guys came." Hearing a third voice, she looked back seeing a woman. Kai didn't immediately attack her so she had to be useful- and Kai further explained her purpose. "Good to meet you. We can use all the help we can get." The captain never took her eyes off the ship. And once Nolan threatened him, Fenn was true to his word. Not only had a threat been given, but three more in her party had joined. Sudden movements meant a sudden death for the princess. Not only this, but the sounds of pirates were coming in close.

"You've sealed your fate and this girl's!" Fenn let go of the girl, unphased by Nolan's threat. He jumped down off the ledge and let his ship go on. If they wanted to go after him, they could swim after him. No matter how much they tried to shoot at him, none of the bullets hit. The princess screamed as she fell into the ocean, but she was old enough to know she had to hold her breath. How long she could hold it was what they were going to find out. "Kai, have at Fenn. I'm going to get the kid."

The was no room for debating. Runali had tossed her hat off and ran into the ocean water, diving as sin as she could.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



Pirates began to surround them. Kai, Nolan and Wisaria were between the ocean and most of the army of pirates. As signaled, they didn't hesitate to try and kill whatever was coming between their captain and his prize. Once more, the StarDusk pirates were left in an 'impossible' situation. To be a new crew they were getting a lot of hell. But this is what they signed up for. Then again, normal pirate crews probably only had to worry about other pirates and not saving towns.

"Oh yeah," Runali turned to Kai. "Fenn is all yours!" She couldn't explain further because by then she was in the water and soon, under it. Kai had bad blood with the Kraken Skull Pirates, so it was only fair to Runa that he got the revenge he wanted. When it was all over, maybe they could watch the ships burn down- like a party! Then again...once the pirates were taken out, the government was sure to come. Well, someone would probably be able to call them or something. The captain didn't know, she had to focus on the sinking princess. She came into view, but if she wanted to catch up to Vivi she'd have to move faster.

- - - - -

Fenn heard his army of pirates and he chuckled. "Right on time... Now, where is the other group." He looked around for the second ship. They hadn't arrived yet, but he knew they would be there soon enough. While he was searching, he noticed Runali attempting to catch Vivi. "Oh no you don't you little brat..." The way the ship was going, it would pass by a cliff before it left the city, but that was irrelevant, for Fenn at least. He was more focused on making sure that

-----

Meanwhile, the king's army charged to the dock, all except for one group. One group charged straight for the castle. They had to protect the king and queen. First they had to find them. And from the talkative pirates that guarded them, the two were still alive and still in the castle. The rest hurried to the docks and noticed the three pirate ships. Two had the Kraken's flag, while the other had a different symbol. Nonetheless, they were pirate ships. "Raid the ships! Kill whoever is on board!" The soldiers charged forward, grabbing their weapons long the way planning to take down all three ships. . .

Danny dropped to the ground and bolted for the water as soon as Fenn made the move, but the captain was a step ahead of her, already under the surface after the girl. All the same, the mapmaker went out to her chest, waist deep for the average sized person. She waited and watched, looking for her captain or the princess, but her eyes were drawn behind her. Fenn was looking their way, but didn't have much intentions of attacking or shooting at them. The hoard of pirates seemed differently minded, though.
"Come on, captain." The girl muttered, wadding deeper i to the water. She hated feeling useless, but she didn't know what else she could do in the situation she was in.

The Shore

A friend of Kai arrived to back them up, but as soon as things to a turn for the better, everything went to hell.

Fenn dropped the child and Nolan's eyes widened in shock. Pirates weren't the friendliest people in the world, they stole and killed, but to think one would throw an innocent child into the sea, it filled him with an unexplainable rage. No,no, she was just a child.

"You bastard!" Nolan exploded. Never before had he felt so much hate! The cook gritted his teeth, but was snapped out of his blind rage when their captain jumped into the water to save the princess. He would have gone after them, if not for the sudden appearance of several other pirates. He closed his eyes and quietly whispered a prayer for the princess' and his friends' safety.

He didn't know if they would live to see tomorrow, but they weren't going losing to these filthy and honorless men!

I'm sorry Annie...

Nolan took aim and fired. He, Kai, and Wisaria had their backs to the ocean and they were pretty much cornered. He wondered where the others were and if they were doing alright. He hoped that no one was hurt.

His bullet struck true and he watched as one pirate's shirt turned crimson. Straight through the heart, the man crumpled to the ground and watching it left a bad taste in the cook's mouth. His hands were stained now, just like Kai's, Luro's and Ray's.

Murderer. The word made him feel sick, but he continued shooting because this was a pirate's life, the life he had chosen. I'm sorry...

Marcos would take the alcohol from Luro after Danny gave it back to him. "I need this for my injuries, hope you don't mind me stealing a bit of your drink," he said, chuckling. Marcos would move the cut up cloth away from his wounds. There were two major ones. On his shoulder, and on his side. That was two injuries he needed to have attended to. And right now, all he could do was pour alcohol on them and try to clean them, and attempt to not move that much. He didn't like the last part of that. In any case, he was cleaning his wounds with the alcohol, grimace on his face. It stung, and that sting hurt. But the sooner he stopped complaining, the sooner he could treat himself, and the sooner he could stand and defend the ship.

After his cuts were treated, or somewhat so, he stood and turned to Luro. "I'll stay with you and defend the ship. I can't move much, and I've got an axe. This axe, to be exact. I don't have much of a choice in the matter," he said. He then chuckled and handed Luro the bottle back. "Here's your alcohol back. I tried to conserve on it, but I ended up using a good amount of your drink. Oh, and sorry about the bloodstains on the bottle." Marcos managed to stay a little bit positive when injured, though not that much. To be fair, being positive wasn't his agenda now. His agenda was to protect the ship.

After a few minutes of waiting, Marcos saw what must have been an army charging in their direction. The king's army. The real king, not Fenn, slimy bastard. Marcos figured they were going to try to fight the rest of the pirates, but find none, and congratulate Marcos and Luro. This was not the case. They were going to board the ship! Marcos yelled, "You've got the wrong ones, we're the good guys!" Marcos pointed to their flag, and then the two others. "We're not with Fenn or his men, our captain and most of the crew is at the castle, fighting Fenn right now!" Marcos didn't think for a second that they would buy it. He hoped they did.

Luro grinned a little hearing Danny's response though it did make him question if he didn't sound sober all the time, he considered this for a moment but was pulled from his thoughts as he saw Danny take a drink from the bottle, he laughed a little seeing the response, he didn't like it when he first drank it either but it grew with him over time and he was sure it would for Danny too. He gave a two finger salute when she ran off before looking over at Marcos who took the bottle, he grinned and gave a shrug as he poured it on his wounds. Marcos seemed pretty informed, knowing all the wonderfulness that can be done with the drink can make everything in life better or at least that's what he thought.

Luro took the bottle back looking back at Marcos taking in he was going to stay and defend the ship, he grinned not about to turn down the help and it might have been bad if he ran off with his wounds like that anyway. He gave a wave of his hand at how much was consumed and the blood, the best part about drinking is sharing it with others, well that and the actually drinking part but he wasn't going to bring that up now, instead he decided to head down and see if there was something for Marcos wounds.
Luro came back above deck holding a small box with medicine in it for Marcos, he arched a brow seeing Marcos attention had been grabbed by something, he walked over to him hearing him yell at something and when he took a look himself he noticed an army coming at them. He smiled a little seeing it was the kings army but it seemed they were mistaken about the situation right now going off their words, at least Marcos was trying to clear it up.
If Luro had a piece of silver each time and army ran in his direction....well actually he'd have a lot less than he thought he dealt with mobs more than armies, putting the thought aside he decided to help Marcos.

"Well I wouldn't say we're the good guys but we're not the bad ones at least," Luro said handing Marcos the medicine box and walking to the edge of the ship. "Oi it's good to see you guys got out! However my friend Marcos is right we're not those Kraken guys we're the StarDusk pirates see our flags are different! With that said if you step onto this ship I'm going to kill you, most likely very painfully!"
Luro pointed down at the Coral Pearl as he said this before grabbing his rifle and readying it.
"Also anything on these ships are ours since we were here first! You guys were locked up so your late! Go check on the king and queen and the rest of your people leave the raiding to us! The only reason I'm not shooting you now is Kai likes this place and I don't wanna cause trouble! Anyway go on now shoo shoo!"
Luro smiled and made a shooing motion with one of his hands before stepping back and walking back towards the barrel.
"If they don't want to listen we attack Marcos, we have to guard the ship but guard your life as well, I can repair damage to the ship but repairing you is a bit more difficult," Luro said before grabbing another bottle and sitting back on the barrel.
"Man guarding the Coral was supposed to be the easy job, I'll never get the repair done like this," Luro said sighing and taking a drink from the bottle. "Man the captain's probably off beating that mustache guy up, she's so lucky."

A group of soldiers started heading straight towards the castle, ignoring the weapons cache Ray uncovered. Ray hesitated. He could go with the army towards the docks, or he could go to the castle and possibly save Runali. He made up his mind and started moving towards the docks, telling himself that if Captain Runali had survived this long, she she didn't need his help to survive, but she could probably use a way off this crazy island.

There were sporadic groups of Pirates along the streets, but very few, and most of them simply fled at the sight of a mob of angry men. Those that didn't either met their end at the blade of Ray's sword or at the hands of the army, a nasty way to go. The trip to the warehouses was rather brief, or it seemed brief to Ray, who spent most of his time sneaking towards the prison, or running from that first pirate patrol after he first snuck off the ship.

While the soldiers looted the warehouses for their stolen weapons, Ray checked the docks and noticed the Coral Pearl was not just intact, but back in the hands of his comrades. The first squads of re-armed soldiers came out of the warehouses as Ray jogged down to the pier to greet his friends. He was shocked to see that the squad next to him knelt and sighted their muskets at the Coral Pearl. He quickly charged into their group and tackled the nearest one, sending all their shots wide.

“Stop! They're on our side!” Ray cried, trying to stop them. He got up and tried to stop another squad from firing at the ship, but the men he just tackled seized him.

“You'll all answer for your crimes, pirate scum.” An officer growled, “You think just because you let us go means you won't be punished? Tie him up and take him back to the prison.”

Before anyone could bring rope however, something round bumped into the officer's feet. He looked down and shouted at the top of his lungs, “GRENADE!!!” The soldiers holding him released him and immediately dove into the water. Ray ran down the planks as fast as his legs could carry him before the bomb went off, knocking him to his feet and severing the pier from land. He looked back ashore and saw a flash of red hair and a smile before he picked himself up and got to the Coral Pearl.

Luro, Marcos and Danny were onboard the ship, but the Captain was nowhere to be seen. “Good to see you guys. It's been a long day.” A shot ricocheted nearby and Ray ducked. “We may wish to get this ship underway.” A cannon boomed and a cannonball whizzed past his head. “Jaysus, what the hell have you gotten yourselves into?” Ray asked from the deck, which he had dropped to to avoid the shot.

The army of soldiers came to a halt. Their new weapons were now pointed to Luro and Marcos. The general of the army raised his hand, telling the soldiers to wait. Marcos pleaded his case. With a great deal of persuasion, and the fact that Ray was with them to vouch, the general instructed for the men to take down the two other pirate ships and take their treasures to pay for the damage they caused. It didn't require the entire army, only a handful of soldiers needed to do the job. The rest went after Fenn and his crew. After so much trouble they put up with, those pirates had to be eradicated. Soldiers never liked pirates anyway...

And this was further shown when a part of their plan went awry. They were going to subdue the pirates and prosecute them later after they looted the ships but with the explosion it didn't turn out that way. Instead soldiers were diving in the water and now preparing to attack them as well.

* * ! * *

Just as all hope was lost for the three, now four because a few pirates spotted Danny, the sounds of anger and rage filled the air. The sounds of feet hitting the ground and metal clanking together only got louder and no one could make of it until one pirate yelled:

"The army has gotten free!"

And as soon as it was said, that pirate had a bullet in his chest and so did a few others. War had started, and the army was intent on winning. In the heat of battle, Arthur, the young soldier, noticed the few pirates fighting against other pirates. He hurried over to them, making sure he didn't look as if he planned to attack. He ran up to Nolan first. "Here. I think you all will be able to make use of this. I have to help my soldiers, and I wouldn't waste one grenade if we only have one." He handed the grenade to Nolan, nodded, and picked up a fallen pirate's gun and sword. The grenade that Ray had was one found with the weapons, and he decided the pirate could use the diversion. Kai was already heading towards the cliff in order to catch the ship before it passed. He wasn't going to let Fenn get away.

With the help of the army, the StarDusk crew had gotten a huge advantage. Now it was just the matter of saving the princess- the captain had not rose to the surface yet, and stopping Fenn.

What would they do?

- - - -

On Luro's end, the group of soldiers that went out searching for the royals had returned, with the King and Queen in tow. And the Queen didn't look too happy. Even the King, and Haru, were behind her, not wanting to face her wrath. "Sir-?" The king silenced the assistant and shook his head. "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn... Let her be, before we're the ones that are bitten." Haru nodded and listened to the woman. In his arms was Koi, Princess Vivi's pet. The animal was rather worried about his companion, considering they were inseparable, but even he was quiet while Queen Natalia spoke to the ones on the Coral Pearl. "Stand down! All of you!"

Almost immediately, the soldiers stopped and moved from the Coral Pearl. They didn't intend to make the Queen any angrier.

"Both of you! I demand to know where she is! My daughter, where is Princess Vivi!?" The Queen was yelling with a teary expression. She wasn't angry, it was just her motherly instinct to worry so much for her child....And the fact that pirates were putting her in danger!? King Richard tried to console her, but failed. He was upset as well, but he knew panicking would only make things worse. The guards that were surrounding the royals spoke up. "Our sources say that your crew went after Fenn, and our Princess was with him last. That, and on the King's orders, a group of our finest will be on their way to help you rebuild your ship- for your services to saving the King and Queen."

It was obvious that the soldiers didn't approve, but knowing that friends of Kai had rescued them, the King and Queen were utmost grateful.

- - -

Vivi's lungs were burning. She tried to struggle against the chains tying her together. She tried and tried, hoping for someone to save her. As her vision blurred, she could've sworn she saw something coming towards her. Whatever it was.... it was coming quite fast.



Runali saw the fish and nearly gaped, losing some air she had. She mentally cursed herself for doing such, but swam faster as the sharp looking fish got to Vivi. It darted back and forth at the girl, only managing to snare the chains. Fortunately, it loosened the chains by the time Runali was close enough. She reached out and grabbed the princess only to see the fish coming towards them both. The captain quickly pulled the chain up so the fish bit it. It gave her a window of time to swim away, which she took the liberty to try and swim upwards. She managed to get Vivi some air before she gave out, causing the girl to cough and wheeze- only to scream when the girl saving her was pulled back under water. Vivi paddled away, turning back only to see red at the surface...

There was too much water in her system to scream out anymore. Thankfully, her swimming lessons had gotten her speeding as fast as she could to the shore. She didn't want to die like the one that sacrificed herself to save her. A few soldiers caught sight of the princess and two immediately dove in to retrieve her. The princess had several scratches and bleeding cuts thanks to that fish, and she was suddenly coughing and spewing up water. "It's alright Princess! We've got you, we'll take you to-"

"W-Wait...S-Save the-" Vivi spit up more water and pointed to the eminent pool of blood that was a little farther off. One of the soldiers dove down and swam downward immediately spotting the girl. He caught sight of the fish struggling in the chains and Runali sinking. He caught her and hurried to shore. They did the emergency procedure of clearing their lungs both of water, although Vivi was sure she puked most of it up. They didn't take any chances. Both were rushed to the castle for medical treatment without hesitation.

** ~ **

The soldiers had pretty much taken all the pirates that weren't dead into prison, planning to get in contact with the government to send them away for good. All that was left was getting Fenn from escaping.

Kai was off, Fenn was cornered, unable to escape him unless he didn't make it there in time and he was able to escape on a ship. But no, he wouldn't let that happen, not after the pain he'd caused, the people he'd hurt. He took note of his captain jumping to save Vivi, but everything other than that was just a blur of color and sound. He rushed ahead away from everyone else, the sounds of fighting had ceased at some point.

Eventually, he reached his target, slamming into the back of Fenn, he knocked his weapons away and pushed him to the ground, hard. Here he pulled the man's arms behind his back. He could feel the stares of people beginning to fall on him. Fenn's men, The royal family, Their army, one by one eyes turned to the cliff where the grudge match of a decade would finally be ended. His sword was drawn and the blade was pressed into Fenn's back, but even with the moment at hand, he couldn't bring himself to drop the blade, not with so many people watching. In his glory days, he'd have ended this man's life without hesitation. However, these were not the glory days, nor was he the same pirate he'd been a decade ago.

He gritted his teeth and called out to the man he held pinned to the ground, but spoke loud enough for the others to hear. "Captain Fenn, For crimes committed on the high seas, and in the town of Waterdeep. By the authority granted me by his majesty the king, and with a fine amount of personal satisfaction, I hereby place you in the custody of the court... and declare you to be my prisoner." He said, reciting the speech that one was required to give to legally arrest someone in the town of Waterdeep.

Kai glared down at the man he held pinned to the ground, intense hatred welling up inside of him again as he held him there "Such crimes do include, but are not limited to... Piracy" He thought of his lost ship as he said the word "Treason" He thought of the Royal family whom he'd rested Waterdeep from "Murder" He thought of his crew of 300, killed by him and his men "Torture of the most heinous sort... Including the brutal attempted drowning of the young princess Vivi" Kai said as he glanced back at the shore where he saw the princess and the captain being taken back to the castle for medical care.

At this point, Kai hoisted the man up by the scruff of his neck and shoved him down the cliff ahead of himself. Eventually he reached the bottom again and handed Fenn over to the royal army, he didn't know how much longer he could look at this man without killing him. He then walked over to a small tree and sat down, not saying a word to anyone and pulling his hat low so as to cover his eyes.

Danny's head was snapping back and forth, watching the fight on shore, and looking for the girl or the captain. She was relieved when she saw the two of them surface, only to have her heart sink as the captain did. She assisted the princess to the shore briefly before diving back in after her captain, a soldier beside her. He went for the captain, pulling her to the shore, while Danny went for the fish. Or, the fish went for her. It was slowed by the chains still wrapped around it, but it was still bloody fast. Thinking fast, Danny pet herself sink deeper, under the fish, and gripped the chains as it went by, tugging on them. The tiny girl kicked hard, headed for the shore as she tried her best to keep the fish in the chains, wrapping them around more, pulling it along. She gasped as she reached the surface, kicking at the wriggling fish behind her. She needed to get to where she could touch the ground. It was easier said them done, the fish thrashing around her, cutting her. She still did it, and pulled up on the chains, holding them as high as she could, pulling the fish half above the surface. She continued on, bringing the thrashing thing higher and higher above the water until Danny reached the shore, dripping with both water and blood, the fish's wriggling weakened. Dropping and dragging the fish across the shore, she let herself drop to her knees, laying on her stomach, coughing a bit.
"I got us supper!" She murmured, looking back to see the fish had stopped moving completely, dying in the open air. Feeling hands upon her, Danny thrashed, standing up to see Kai against a tree and Fenn being led away. She looked to the soldiers surrounding her, confused and scared.
"I'm fine, please don't touch me, I'm just scratched up a bit." She said, gripping the chains which still were wrapped around the fish, dragging her prize to Kai, flopping down beside him.
"I thought you were dead set on killing that other guy. Fenn, with the face. Are you alright?"

Luro grinned and readied his gun seeing as a fighting was unavoidable, not that he necessarily minded but it meant he had to apologize to Kai later, wherever he was at. However when he noticed Ray he stopped seeing he was with the army, he started to wave to him but when the explosion occurred he lowered his land and laughed as he watched the soldiers scatter. He already didn't like the idea that they got to take all the stuff on the ships for themselves so he wasn't again watching them get blown up though he figured that was a little man, however it seemed it didn't finish them.
"Welcome back Ray it's good to have you back," Luro said grinning at him. "I was afraid I'd have to sing and I'm horrible at it, we can't really move the ship, with all these interruptions I haven't been able to repair the Coral, so we'll just take out the army then get right to work, try not to die okay."
Luro rested his rifle on his shoulder and smiled at him as he ducked turning to look at the cannonball before answering Ray.
"Oh you know, same old thing nothing new, watch the blood too down there."

Luro was ready to move glad to have Ray back since he could help them fend off the attackers but he stopped when he heard some attractive lady yelling, turning and looking at her he noticed two men behind her, one being the servant guy. It took him a moment to register that it was the queen, that was a shame she had a bit of fire in her but Luro put the thought aside seeing the expression on her face, it seemed she was worried about the princess and it showed. Luro ended up just staring down at the royal family, he wasn't sure what to say to them right now, the captain saved dozens of children on the slave ship so he was sure she could save one princess, he never doubted that but he wondered if the queen would believe that.
Luro tilted his head as the soldiers spoke to him about someone fixing the ship, seeing they didn't like it too much made a toothy grin find it's way onto his face.
"I can fix the pearl so I'd rather have a celebration with plenty of rum and one of those red chairs you have in the castle....but the Coral is more important," Luro said before making his way off the ship seeing a soldier run over, most likely from the other side.
"I'm not used to soldiers being kind to me, I might fall for you if you keep it up," Luro said giving the soldier a playful pat on the soldier before turning to ask the other soldier about the other side.
He was given a quick update on the situation, including the rescue of princess Vivi, and he was happy to hear Fenn had been captured and by Kai no less. His smile faded a little as he heard of the captain and he gave a nod and thanked him.
"The princess is safe, our captain saved her," Luro said looking over at the royal family. "She dove in and got her out, oh and Kai got captain musta...I mean Fenn I assume by cutting through hundreds of his men, then standing on their bodies as he pointed his sword at Fenn and saying something like 'Submit and your life will be spared but not your freedom' and Fenn probably went 'no the Leviathan my mustache can't save me from swords why didn't I choose a scarier name to save me from capture' or something like that.
Luro gave a nod figuring that's what happened before turning back toward the guard who gave the update.
"Hey he didn't use his tongue when he helped her right," he said pointing at him. "The captain is still a lass after all, you don't use tongue without permission unless it's in the moment then it's fine, but this was to save a life so it'd be pretty dirty if you took the opportunity to do so."
The guard stared at him but slowly shook his head mostly out of confusion which was enough for Luro before he turned towards the others.
"Hey the captains safe! Kai and Danny are still on the other side but captain was taken to the castle with the princess for medical treatment! This is a good chance to see the captain's sleeping face and check on her at the same time! Hurry up let's go see her so we can tease her about it later!"
Luro fully put his rifle on his back and started making his way to the castle but stopped and looked at the guards.
"Oh right I'd rather only those men your sending touch the Coral Pearl, if anyone else does we'll probably become enemies again. Oh and tell them not to touch her inappropriately that's my job."
The Coral Pearl was important but the captain was more important...by a little but Luro would never say that out loud.

The Shore

"Kai!" Nolan slammed the butt of his rifle into one of their attacker's noses, "be careful."

Kai was probably the most experienced and capable pirate in their crew, but watching him Run off and leap onto Fenn's ship worried Nolan. Still, there was no time to doubt the man, he had his own battle to fight on the shore. Damn it! It was hard to think when he knew the captain and the princess were underwater and it was harder to fight when he knew his friends lives were in danger too.

The rifle felt extra heavy in his hands. He'd allow the guilt to strangle him later, but at the moment he shot and shot, each bullet sending another man to the ground. How could he look at Annie the same way when this was all over, he didn't know the answer.

"Please! Just stay back," he was snapped out of his thoughts when a soldier approached him with a grenade.

Nolan nodded his head numbly, "thank you." It would be useful but he wouldn't use it unless they really needed to. He clipped it to his belt and continued to shoot, but the chaos died down soon enough, with the help of the king's army, they managed to calm things down.

He didn't realize it, but he was huffing and puffing. The man's eyes flitted across the shore before they landed on the coral pearl. Luro, Marcus, Danny, and even Ray were there but the captain and princess Vivi were nowhere to be seen. Nolan's eyes grew the size of sauces and he rushed to the shore only to witness a guard haul their captain up. "GODS! I-Is she alright?" He was a frantic mess. "IS SHE BREATHING?" Why on earth was their so much blood?!

The cook watched as the soldiers helped their captain. Thank heavens she was breathing! Still, he couldn't help but fret when they took her away to the castle for medical care. Nolan brought a hand to his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Yes...they'd all need a nice break after this. He turned to look at Danni and mustered up a smile. Supper, huh? He'd be sure to make them the best fish fillet they've ever seen. The girl walked away towards a depressed looking Kai, so Nolan decided to make his way towards Ray and Luro.

"Well, this was one crazy adventure. Nice to see you again Ray, so..." Nolan tapped the man on the back and laughed. "Where did you get the army? I never knew you had connections in Waterdeep as well?" Luro was being silly again and Nolan couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, let the captain rest, she deserves it."

Luro's comment about singing made Ray chuckle; it felt like he hadn't done that in months, but it was short lived. The soldiers were readying to attack and board the ship. Ray knew they didn't stand a chance, but was ready to die for the StarDusk Pirates, his friends. Suddenly, a noblewoman of clear position stepped out and ceased the fighting altogether. Ray hadn't the faintest idea who she was, but he was incredibly thankful to her for sparing him from fighting good, honest men who were simply caught up in the moment. He would have severely regretted fighting them.

Soon afterwards, it seemed like everything just fell into place and things calmed down. All the StarDusk Pirates eventually boarded the Coral Pearl in one piece, the Kraken Skull Pirates were defeated and captured, Captain Fenn was taken into custody and all Ray could do was sit there. The emotional toll on Ray had drained him completely, having gone from fear of death to safety and back several times in that day, not to mention his physical exhaution. He had no idea what had gone on to produce an ending like this, and it didn't sit entirely well with him: it all seemed too neat and anti-climactic. Then again, he didn't care, so long as nobody was trying to kill him.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. ”Nice to see you again Ray.” Ray turned to see Nolan, grunted a greeting and smiled weakly. “Where did you get the army? I never knew you had connections in Waterdeep as well."

Ray chuckled. “Its, uhh... its a long story. Buy me a drink and I'll tell you.” Ray sat there on the deck for a minute or two, enjoying the general antics of the crew before willing himself to stand and find his viola. Fortunately, it was just where he left it, and he began playing a song. Before he knew it, some of the soldiers began playing with him. It didn't take long to put Ray in the mood to sing, a wide grin spread across his face.

“Here's a health to the king and lasting peace,
To faction end, to wealth increase.
Come let us drink while we have breath,
For there's no drinking after death.

And he that will this health deny,
Down among the dead men,
Down among the dead men,
Down, down, down, down,
Down among the dead men let him lie!”

"Is she alright?" Both the King and Queen asked in unison. The guards were already escorting them back to the kingdom. The messenger looked at the StarDusk pirates and then the royals. "Well, Princess Vivi is fine. She just has a cough now. We are tending to her. Their captain got to her just in time though... But by the looks of what I saw, that fish may have taken a bite out of their captain. We saw blood, but couldn't exactly examine to see if it was her own." There wasn't much he could say after that because he was being shoved onward with them.

- - - - * * * * - - - -

As everyone finally regrouped. . .

The StarDusk pirates were escorted by a couple of guards to a medical ward in the castle. They still weren't completely trusted, even if the royal family believed they were war heroes. Walking through, they noticed the servants slowly reappearing and filing back into the kingdom. Pirates were being escorted to prison and guards were informing the citizens of their safety.

Waterdeep was saved.

Before they got to see the captain, a few nurses attended to the crew upon being ordered. But right after, they were escorted out.
"It's about time you all got here. Your captain had a few injuries and has been unconscious for some time. You can go in and check on her. But the King and Queen would like to see you all afterwards." A nurse looked at them all, and then shooed the guards away. She believed the worst they could do was steal their captain and leave the island. And she could care less if they did such a thing. The guards decided to stay out the door as the crew walked in.

Runali was bandaged and in a new set of plain clothes. "Finally you guys got here. Before you panic," This was more directed to Nolan and probably Dani too. "I am fine. It was just a couple of scratches and bruises. And a small bite, but that's besides the point." She wasn't looking for their sympathy. Runali was the captain, which meant she had to do better when it came to being injured. That was twice so far. The first was her being shot in the shoulder on Hara Island and the second being her getting attacked by fish... This was not a good look for business. That business being, pirate business.

"Well, no use standing around. Let's go see what the royals want. We still do have stuff to accomplish like getting Kai's flag. And Marcos and Dani's StarDusk symbol. We were put a little behind."

The captain rolled off the bed and lead the way out the door. In their trek to the throne room, she heard two servants mingling.

"You know, now that everything is cleared, the Navy should be arriving in a couple of days to collect the pirates."

"Yeah, I heard. They are reconnecting the phones now."

Well that meant their trip would shorten a lot. No need for them to get tangled up with the government. "So, once we figure out what the royals want, we can-"

Entering the room they were directed to, Runali was a little shocked to see the huge feast in their honor. "Wonderful! You all are just in time! Drink! Eat! We couldn't find a better way to thank you for saving not only our kingdom, but our daughter as well." The Queen happily hugged each of them, not caring if they didn't approve. King Richard bowed to them in respect and watched as the princess and her pet stepped forward. First, she stepped to Runali.

"Thank you for saving me miss! You were really brave. Oh, and I found this for you." She pulled the Captain's hat from behind her back.

"Hey, my hat! Thanks Princess." The little girl grinned and then looked at Kai. She gave him a curious look, trying to remember where she had seen him before.

"Well guys! We can't deny the royals and waste a perfectly good feast." She grinned as music played and the celebration began. "We'll get everything else accomplished first thing in the morning!" Before Runa could explore the party, the King and Haru pointed to the guards that had approached. "We also gathered...a few things we thought you may find useful." The soldiers opened the chest to reveal a little more than a few pieces of gold and jewels. "We'll put it on your ship for you."

"We should save more towns. This is awesome."

"Captain!" Nolan pretty much bounded through the doors, eyes as wide as saucers and arms flailing around in a frenzy. He threw himself to the captain's side only to have her say she was fine. "Are you sure? Do you hurt anywhere? Do you want me to get an extra pillow or some pain killers?" It was hard not let his brotherly instincts kick in, Runa was as young as one of his little sisters after all, but then again she was their captain.

The cook cleared his throat and took a step back. "Sorry, sorry, it's good to see you're all patched up captain." Nolan gave her a hesitant smile then nodded. They couldn't sit around, they still had a lot of things to do. The Stardusk pirates stepped out of the room only to see a grand feast thrown in their honor. Nolan gaped at how beautiful everything looked. Maybe he could ask the queen for some of the recipes? He was sure his friends would appreciate it.

"We couldn't just let those meanies take over the kingdom." He flushed at the way they were being treated then grinned at the princess. This was the fanciest meal he had ever seen and he wondered if it was the same for some of his other crew mates. "Aye, aye, captain." He gave her a salute then spun around to face the royals. "Thank you very much!" Nolan tensed up then took a bow.

Maybe being a pirate would be a chance to help people? Haha, maybe being a pirate would actually be a good thing.

His thoughts returned to the fight to save Waterdeep, but as soon as he remembered the man he had shot, he lost his appetite. Murdered and hero, he couldn't see the words in the same sentence. Sure, they had saved the princess but they had also sent a lot of pirates to Davy Jone's locker. Did they really have that right? It wasn't the time to contemplate.

He mustered a smile. "Your majesty, this is absolutely astounding! Could I perhaps ask for a recipe?"

Danny cracked her neck, stretching as she did. She had left the fish at the boat, catching up to the rest of the crew at the castle, just in time to see the Captain in the infirmary. Predictably, Nolan got worked up, mothering over the captain. Danny herself would have panicked, if she weren't absolutely comfortable in the settings. She had seen people much worse off than the captain get better within the week week back home, and just by looking around, Danny could tell the castle health services were a whole lot better equipped than back home. She didn't say anything until they were led to the feast, and her excitability was back.
"Theres enough food here to feed an island! We can't possibly finish it all, there's going to be so much left over! What are those platters made of? Oh the gods, they look fancy enough to buy a house! A big one! What even are these foods? Are these edible? Are you sure? Nolan what are these? Is this alcoholic? What about that? Wow, those gooey balls look like apples dipped in something sugary! Are they? Hey, Ray what are those? How do you even eat that? What are all these forks and spoons for? Theres five! Of each! What Re they made of? You could buy a whole lot of ink with a few of those. Miles of parchment, too! Ooh, whats that?" The navigator ran side to side, looking wide eyed at the spread, but never touching anything. She ended up behind Luro, peeking around him at the table muttering.
"This is too much food. Too much food. It'll take a year to eat. Let the gaurds have some. Maybe the townsfolk. Too much food. Too fancy. Too much fancy."

Luro put his hands behind his head as they were escorted to the castle, he still wanted to catch the captain asleep but Nolan was right she needed to rest he still pouted a little at it. He didn't mind that the guards didn't trust them, he couldn't help but smile a little seeing they had to be nice, a small chuckle escaped from him and he glanced back at one of them giving a small wink.
When the nurses took care of them Luro tilted his head at the idea since he didn't get hit too much but he wasn't going to pass up the offer especially if it was coming from a young lass but when he noticed his nurse was old enough to be his grandmother he held up a hand indicating he was fine a little sadness in his voice, unfortunately his no was ignored and Luro gained a memory to suppress later as they left.
Once they got to see the captain Luro ruffled his hair seeing she was already awake, he let out a small sigh but smiled seeing she was fine, he knew the captain would be okay but seeing it for himself still brought a bit of relief.

Luro followed the captain adjusting his rifle wondering if he could ask Kai where the tavern would be now, they were leaving so it was a good chance and when they saw the royal family he could ask if he could have one of their chairs. Luro grinned at the idea as they entered the room, his smile faded however as his eyes widened at the huge feast in front of them.
"Look at all that food, it's too bad we can't-"
Luro cut himself off when the queen spoke to them mentioning something about saving the kingdom and that feast being for them, Luro glanced over at the others before looking back at the queen as he was hugged, he blinked a few times but grinned and started to hug her back but it was broken before he had the opportunity, in the end the king was right there so it might have been for the best, he was even being really formal which made Larel rub the back of his head feeling a little guilty for enjoying that.
He looked over at Ray and Kai the whole matter of saving the town still confusing him a little.
"Hey when did we save the kingdom?" Luro said tilting his head. "I feel like I'm missing something."
Luro started counting on his fingers what happened, they got to Waterdeep, met some pirates, killed those pirates, killed more pirates, almost killed the guards then Waterdeep was saved, at least that's what he remembered doing.
He decided not to question it agreeing with the captain on accepting their hospitality especially since the queen mentioned drinks and he wasn't about to turn that down, never turn down a drink especially a free one...unless it's poisoned but since he never new if they were or not he just didn't say no just in case they weren't.
Seeing the princess Luro brought a hand to his chin, the princess was a kid he assumed she was a young lady this little girl had some weight on her shoulders, he smiled respecting that a little.
"I don't know about the reward point of doing it Captain, I'm not used to this kind of thing. Now having weapons pointed at my face, I'm far more comfortable with that. Still since they have drink no reason to refuse."
Luro looked over at the chest for a moment but his attention went back to the throne chair his eyebrows arching, that was his kind of treasure but that would come later for now there was something more important
"Let's celebrate! servant person over there," Luro said pointing at one of the servants. "Point me to your nearest bottle of drink."
Following the finger of the servant Luro ran over to the table and grabbed one of the wine bottles by the neck ignoring the glasses nearby, he started to bring it to his lips but remembered that he was in front of royalty which meant he had to have manners.
"Oh right gotta be fancy...uh...I think I hold it like this," Luro said moving the bottle to his left hand. He grabbed hold of the neck of the bottle holding it with his forefinger and thumb, was he supposed to put his pinkie out, no that didn't seem right and this was a bottle not a cup anyway, how was he supposed to hold a bottle fancy? With a shrug Luro just wrapped his whole hand around it, he at least tried to act formal anyway.
By then he noticed Danny was behind him staring over at the table, he grinned listening to her before holding his arms out motioning the whole table.
"Then we just gotta eat it all so there's not so much! We'll drink, eat, dance and drink again! Oh except the princess since she's recovering but you all-"
Luro cut his sentence off and pointed at the royal family and Haru grinning as he did so.
"Are not excluded from the drinking tonight, first one to fall loses and has to drink more anyway hahahahaha!"
Luro raised his arm in the air still holding the wine bottle before turning back towards the table.
"If you don't hurry I won't save anyone any!"
Luro immediately started on the food throwing piece after piece in his mouth and drinking the wine as he did so.
"Oh this is the fancy wine we gotta get some of this! I still prefer my rum though but this isn't half bad! Oh wait there's a fork here ah it'll just slow me down, man this is so good but it doesn't have Nolan love in it, I wonder if he knows how to make this? Man it's no wonder Kai like this place so much!"
Luro continued lost in his own world as he devoured anything within arms reach grinning all the while.

Ray was relieved to see his captain alive and in one piece. “Cap'n, while we all find your resilience impressive, could you at least try to keep out of harms way?”

"Hey when did we save the kingdom?" Luro said tilting his head. "I feel like I'm missing something."

“Uhh, I think that was me, but I was just trying to save you guys.” Ray replied, scratching his head. “This whole episode is starting to sound like one of Ciaphas Adder's adventures.”

When the queen hugged him, Ray was embarrassed. He was in no condition to greet royalty: His coat was still wet from the seawater he waded through, it still had plenty of bloodstains on it, both from the slaver fight and today, and he couldn't remember the last time it had been washed, which was probably before his exodus from Lendria. He was much happier that the King decided to bow instead of hug, and returned the bow gracefully. He also made a mental note to purchase a new outfit while in Waterdeep, probably several.

After being escorted to the feast, Ray tried to guide Danny through some brief lessons in fine dining, but gave up when her interest shifted, which seemed to be happening rapidly. There certainly was a broad selection of food and drink, and Ray didn't blame her for wanting to take in all that was being offered. After loading a plate and snagging a fine Lendrian vintage, he dug in with few of the manners he was raised with, which somewhat surprised and mildly embarrassed him, being in the presence of Royalty, after all. He contemplated using proper manners, but saw little need; he was hardly a nobleman now, and nobody here expected him to eat with manners, so he continued with his meal with gusto. He had unknowingly worked up quite an appetite.

Runali ate happily and watched as her crew enjoyed themselves. The feast was amazing and the music was pretty jovial. It didn't take long for even some of the soldiers to join in on the fun. There was one familiar song that the musicians played and she sang along with them- pausing more than often to eat. Until she decided to hum along instead.

In the midst of the party, Marcos had finally come to a decision about his life. Being a slave for most, if not all of his life, he didn't think pirating would cut out for him. At least not right away.

"I still need to find myself. I don't think it would be wise for me to do something so drastic...."

Runali nodded in understanding. "You go ahead. If you think that's what you'll want to do, I'm sure the King and Queen wouldn't mind the help. Though I'm sure being a soldier in this town shouldn't be so hard. Heh, now that it's getting back to normal."

The two shook hands and Marcos nodded. "It was an honor to be a StarDusk pirate."

"And it was an honor having you. Now, let's enjoy this party!"

"Recipes? Of course, of course! This was all made by the finest chefs!" The Queen lead Nolan off towards the kitchen for him to get as many recipes as he wanted. And on the other side, one man challenged Luro to a drinking contest- despite the little game he proposed.

"I bet I can out drink you. No one ever wins against me!" A little crowd formed around the two, while two of the maidens decided to supply them with drinks. Runali only laughed and shook her head. "Never challenge a pirate- especially not Luro to a drinking contest." She wondered how that would turn out.

While Ray and Danny were munching away, the King happily told them to take some of the food to go. That was before he started pulling things in front of them for the two to taste. Those two would definitely end up full to the point where they'd explode. Haru walked around making sure everything stayed orderly like any good assistant would and he kept an eye on the princess.

After Vivi had finally deduced how she remembered Kai and he shared stories with her. He did disappear long enough to be able to share some stories. The girl listened in excitement only to run up to Runali. "I want to be apart of your new crew! I was in Mister Kai's but he says that his is gone." She whispered the last part as if it was a secret. Runali laughed and patted her head. "Sure, you can be an honorary StarDusk. We'll even come and visit to share stories with you." Well that excited her, and not long after she was swept away to be taken to bed.

Another song was played, but this one was a little more upbeat and nicer to dance to. Which, that's what the captain did. She was even asked to dance by one of the younger soldiers. "Oh, sure."

***********

As the party started to end and everyone was as drunk as they wanted to be and full as they could be, everyone began to depart. It wasn't just the castle that had a party, but the entire town in honor of finally being rescued from being imprisoned by pirates...Ironically enough, thanking pirates for saving them. The royals offered them rooms to stay in, but the captain denied hers. She would have much rathered sleeping out on the Coral Pearl. She also wanted to check on the ship. It was going a couple of hours since she had seen it, and she had heard that it had been damaged pretty bad.

"Do what you like, just be at the ship by morning."

Runali wandered the quieting streets to the ship. She took a leisure time, only because she was half asleep and ready to relax on her ship. Until out of nowhere, some flyer smacked her in the face. She made a noise of annoyance, but decided to look at the paper anyway.

Annual Tournament
In the town of Utsukushī!
Test your strength fighting people (and mermen) from around the world!
Winner takes $200,000
-Rules to enter are available in town-

It was a tourist town. Luring people far and wide to cover visit. While Runali had no interest in entering the tournament, the picture of the town looked very picturesque. It was most definitely a tourist town. "Hm...maybe we should head that way next. It looks nice." They'd do a search of the waters for Kai's flag and then head that way. It couldn't be too much trouble. It seemed people only went with interests of minding their own business, so it was perfect.