Fopah was a skilled navigator, much better than Lunord had anticipated. Aside from one minor incident that a bit of paint would fix, all was perfect. Had the navigator been an unskilled recruit, the ship would have been incapacitated, if not underwater at that point.
Issac had waken up from a more peaceful slumber and shuffled over to Lunord. "So, what's the plan of action?"
"Well, since it's been hypothesized that there's an uncharted reef, we're going to go over these charts and figure it out."
"But…but that sounds boring!" Issac clearly showed his disdain for this plan.
Lunord explained, "Yes, I know. But there are measures that need to be taken. How would you feel if your ships were--?"
Lunord froze mid-sentence. He had picked up the sound of a burning fuse. None of his cannons were lit.
"Everybody get down!" Lunord called.
The crew hit the deck as a volley of iron shot sailed over the deck, some would've hit the crew had they been standing. A ship bearing a fox head flag had sailed out from behind some rocks. The Scarlet Blade had found the problem of the scuttled ships. Pirates.
Pirates were a common occurrence in these seas. Calling them on that, however,was a bit challenging. As there were many different flags in use, pirates did not opt for a typical Jolly Roger. There were two ways to identify them, their reaction to other ship, or what the crew was wearing. Take Fandango; if one did not know the flag, they easily stood out by their white and purple uniforms.
"Return fire! Let's show them what we're made of!" Lunord called out to the crew.
The two ships sent shot back and forth with nary a scratch on either. It was then that Lunord noticed the pirates had ceased fire. It appeared that they were loading white shot into the cannons and aiming them above the hull. The cannons roared and a swarm of porcelain shards tore through the sail. Though they were still usable, the volley had found another mark; a now injured Vivi was found falling toward the deck.
The fallen sail master would recover, but was out of commission for the rest of the engagement. The antagonist ship seems pleased with their hit and sailed away. The Scarlet Blade had a bit of time to rest, that is, before a much larger ship bearing the same flag came upon them.
"Fopah, bandage him up, make sure he'll make it back to landfall. Alright mates, let's send these scoundrels to the deep!" Lunord called out. "This one looks a bit slower, but it probably packs a nasty punch. Let's outrun it and fill it with shot!"
This plan, however, also seemed to be that of the new threat, as it fired at every chance it got. The Blade was much quicker though, and dodged many of the shots fired. It seemed an impasse though, a large ship that couldn't hit the small one, and a small ship that did little damage.
Once again, the cannons ceased, and it was guessed that another prototype shot was to be fired. This one was vastly more deadly. Instead of a wave of porcelain shards, two cannonballs chained together sailed over the sea and into the base of the Scarlet Blade's mast.
Danet didn't need to be told what to do. Almost immediately he was working on repairs to the nearly toppled mast. "She's in bad shape, but she'll hold. Just don't take any other hits!"
Lunord saw an opportunity in this. He wouldn't be taking any other shots, and he'd be able to sink the attacking vessel. In a moment of overconfidence, the assailants clipped the side of their ship on one of the reefs jutting from the water. This left a nice gash, revealing a portion of the hold. The powder store.
Lunord shouted over to the frantic gunman, "Issac! Aim for that gap in the hull!"
"You can count on me. I never miss." Issac said with a coy smirk as he adjusted the cannon.
Issac was true to his word. The Blade's cannon fired, and the shot found its mark. It was quite a sight to see the aft portion of the ship explode, with planks splintering and falling into the sea. This battle had been won. The battered crew of the beaten Scarlet Blade floated their way back toward landfall, back to their home of Fortune Harbor.
As the other ship came to the rescue of the fallen pirates, Lunord looked back at the scene of the encounter. "They weren't average brigands, that's for sure. One of the more intense encounters I've had in awhile. Well fought."