A/N: Well, it seems we're back in Night of Tales. And now, it's time for Howe... and his past to come into play. Again, if I'm getting a little too violent for Teen rating, let me know.


Summary: Captain Howe's ship, the Sabine, is finally ready for deployment. Captain Sema deploys him and Ugur to Xuhua to rendezvous with the Argelian fleet to prepare for the upcoming invasion of Nourdari. Sadly, the Howe family's past plus a sudden ambush by Upril's navy puts the fleet and the Sabine at risk...


Chapter 3: "The Voyage to Xuhua Bay"


Kingdom of Ustros, City of Tel Kibja, Ustrosi Palace, Memorial Graveyard—One Week Later

The light blue-haired young man about 23 stared at the four graves, wearing white and gray regal looking clothes, a simple silver circlet, and a blue gemstone embedded in gold in his hands. He closed his blue eyes while putting his hand on one of the gravestones, letting a few tears slide down his face. On the grave, was the name "Princess Najiyya". Next to her grave was a smaller one, labeled "Prince", and to the left of these two were "Queen Kalia" and "King Usman". Kalia had succumbed to illness after the deaths of two of her closest friends and her daughter-in-law carrying her grandson. The king, however, had let his own health deteriorate and finally gave up the ghost just a few days ago. Now, Prince… or rather, "King Rifat" was alone.

Standing to the far side was a teal-haired young woman, about 18, wearing a white and red pegasus knight uniform. She was standing next to several other pegasus knights, one of whom was an older brunette with her hair in a ponytail, wearing a bright white and gold garb of a falcon knight. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Zainab," the brunette said to her. "You let this happen."

"I did everything I could that night—" the younger woman began.

SMACK!

"'Everything you could'?" she asked the woman nursing her cheek. "Then tell me, Zainab… why is it that Princess Najiyya died, but you survived? If you did 'everything you could', that would have included giving your life! You shouldn't even be alive right now, yet here you are… but no Princess Consort!"

"The princess ordered me to leave the Aquarius without her!" Zainab said. "Didn't you read my report since your promotion, Captain Negin? I didn't want to, but—"

"So you finally admit to abandoning the woman who was carrying the future of Ustros in her womb," the brunette scowled. "Instead of staying and fighting to defend her? You disgust me with your cowardice, valkyrie! I thought it was suspicious that YOU of all people were among the few survivors of the Empress' treachery, traitor!"

"The Empress' treachery?" Zainab repeated.

"Who ELSE could have masterminded this, you simpleton!?" the brunette asked. "If it was up to me, I would have severed your head from your neck ages ago! But… for some reason, the prince… or rather, the king had thought to spare your miserable life. I suppose he thought to show you some cruel mercy for your betrayal."

"Yes, and I've been demoted to staying as a guard to Tel Kibja," the teal-haired pegasus knight remembered.

SMACK!

"Don't you DARE interrupt me!" the brunette snapped. "You're lucky to even have a HEAD, let alone a job, for your incompetence that borderlines treason! Still, I heard you were once again seeking a chance to spread your wings and explore the countryside for signs of the Ustrosi Thieves Guild's base?"

"Well, Captain," Zainab said, tending to her other cheek, "the Ustosi Thieves Guild is STILL a threat to Ustros besides the Argelian Empire. Not to mention, if you read my report, you'd know that the Ustrosi Thieves Guild—"

"Were supposedly hired by the Empress to help her assassinate the Queens of Orobia," Negim said. "And whose fault is it that they succeeded because you left your post?" Zainab frowned, but lowered her head. "Request to pursue the Guild denied. As long as I'm guard captain, you're never leaving Tel Kibja ever again. Your career is pretty much over except for your resignation. I would suggest you'd do that… but you seemed determined to keep serving. Fine, serve as a city guard. But monumentally screw up again, and I will personally see to it that your career is not the only thing cut short. Do I make myself clear?"

"But that's not—"

"Do. I. Make. Myself. CLEAR?" Negim repeated. Zainab sighed.

"Crystal, Captain."

"Good. Now… get out of my sight and back to work before I see you and your pegasus shot out the sky." Zainab turned away, a sniffle escaping her lips, and ran out. Negim walked over to Rifat. "M'lord… I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"You didn't have to be that harsh, Captain," Rifat said to her in a gentle tone. "She did her best."

"Her 'best' didn't save your wife and son," Negim said. "And that heartbreak of losing her grandson and beloved daughter-in-law, plus two of her childhood friends and her hometown, was too much for your mother to bare. Add in your father's health and depression, and that girl's cowardice and incompetence single-handedly killed your entire family but you. I'm surprised you didn't charge her with treason and execute her yourself!"

"...Najiyya was gentle," Rifat answered. "If she wanted Zainab to run away, it was for a good reason. You have apoint she deserves to be demoted for failing to protect Najiyya at least, but… we don't know how far this story goes or why the Empress killed my wife. Did she or the other Orobian queens err in some way? And what's the connection with the Thieves Guild? I must know before passing true judgment upon Zainab." He then turned to face his captain. "Any word about Konunlik? Their city guard hasn't contacted us for over a week, and your scouts have been rather silent."

"That harbor town to the southeast?" Negim asked. "Honestly, it's too small for the Empire's fleet to land, so I have doubt they'll go there. That's why we have the tower in Nourdari… it's our most fortified port town in all of Ustros. We'd see their fleet coming from miles away."

"...We can only hope," Rifat said. "And what about our former friends in the south?"

"King Darius and Sultan Mecca have both been rather quiet," Negim said. "Too quiet for the widows of Queen Kalia's best friends. If they're working on something, a clue would be nice."

"I think they still haven't exactly gotten their people to truly trust each other, which doesn't help our war effort in the north," Rifat replied. "If Sultan Mecca's younger son and King Darius' older daughter were both of age, however… maybe their plan would work."

"You think they're hiding something?" Negim asked.

"What better way to form a permanent alliance than with a royal wedding?" Rifat asked. "Something Father once said when he heard Mother gossiping about Sultana Farah and Queen Minoo's children." He looked towards the south. "Still… we can only hope to hold out until the two nations to the south are truly no longer at each other's throats."


City of Nourdari, Marketplace—Two Years Earlier

Howe walked through the rubble with Dilazak, carrying a large, heavy crate. "Hurry up, Howe," Dilazak said. "This delivery isn't going to complete itself!"

"How do we know if the merchants are still alive?" Howe asked. "This city was hit very bad by the Argelian attack, Captain. And I'm still worried about that ship…."

"Are you honestly going on about that?" Dilazak asked. "Gods, Howe, it was just a large ship! Besides, a few of our goods will reignite commerce in this place! That's what it needs! And we need the coins, so we're doing this. And just so we're clear, since we're late thanks to you, any gold that the merchants refuse to pay comes out of YOUR pay! Understood?"

"Aye-aye," Howe said.

"Don't use that sarcastic tone!" Dilazak yelled. "Now hurry up! I want to get this delivery over with so we can collect our pay and go." Soon, though, the two of them arrived in a broken square, looking at a dust and dirt covered woman, kneeling down in front of a set of destroyed statues. Howe put down the crate, and rushed over to her. "Howe, get back here!"

"Ma'am, what's wrong!?" the helmsman questioned. "Why are you crying!?"

"Didn't you hear!?" the woman questioned. "Princess Najiyya… and the other queens of Orobia… they were killed!"

"What!?" Howe asked. "They were assassinated!? When!?"

"Just the other day!" an injured man said, approaching Howe. "Gods, it was horrible discovering their bodies! Princess Najiyya was with child! Queen Kalia's health is doomed to deteriorate now that she knows the wife of her son who was pregnant with her grandchild is dead! Damn the Argelians and those who support them! They snuffed our beloved light in cold blood!" He then pointed to Howe, and questioned, "And you… YOU!"

"Me?" Howe asked.

"You're a sailor, aren't you!?" the man said. "Your ship docked not too long ago! Where the hell were you when Princess Najiyya and the other Orobian Queens needed help!?"

"WE were making a delivery of fresh Giussean supplies!" Dilazak said, grabbing Howe's shoulder. "We have nothing to do with this!" He then said, "Let's go, Howe! That's an order!"

"The hell you have nothing to do with it!" a knight said, stomping forward. "Your ship docked almost immediately after the Argelian's deathtrap pulled out to open sea! Surely you could have seen it, and done something!" He then pointed at Howe, and declared, "Your inaction killed the Orobian queens! You should have turned around and helped! Their blood is on your hands!"

"My… what?" Howe asked. Howe looked at his hands… and spotted blood all over them. He then looked behind him, at the crate… and spotted blood dripping out of the bottom. The helmsman pushed by his captain, and opened the crate… and stepped back. Inside it was not just one woman's dead body… but five. He then looked in their open, dead eyes… and saw himself. But he was wearing Argelian armor, holding a bloody axe. Howe looked at his own clothes to see that he was INDEED now suddenly in Argelian uniform, and was armed with an axe. The axe clattered against the ground.

"Murderer!" the man from before called. "You killed them! You killed our princess! You killed her child! You killed the queens of FIVE nations! And now, you're wearing their murderers' uniform!" Howe shook while a crowd of people surrounded and began jeering him, throwing rocks, while Dilazak did absolutely nothing to help. Howe then looked back at the crate, and saw the corpses replaced with other bodies... that of his crew and Sema. He then heard some hellish hissing, and turned in time to seeing a pale, blood-cover hand, on his shoulder.

He looked behind him, and Howe could barely stammer as he saw Princess Consort Najiyya, drenched in blood, holding him. The woman let loose a blood-curdling scream as she tackled him to the ground, and began choking him. As Howe tried to push her off, a well thrown knife embedded itself into his left arm. Howe then looked to see four more blood-stained figures standing over him: the other assassinated queens of Orobia. They descended upon him...


City of Konunlik—One Month After the Battle of Konunlik

"Sirius Howe, wake up!" Anna cried, shaking him. Howe jumped, and looked at her standing over him on the deck. Howe had bags under his eyes, and there was a puddle of drool on top of the crate he was laying on. Howe frantically grabbed the lid of the crate, and looked inside… only spotting bushels of fruit.

"Damn… not again," Howe breathed.

"Gods, I'm so glad the rest of the crew is out getting the last of our supplies before we weigh anchor! Did you have another nightmare?"

"...Yes," Howe said.

"The one with the burning ship with your parents on it, the one where another you cuts off your arms before cutting off your head, or the one where you're in Nourdari and the crowd accuses you of murdering the Orobian queens because you didn't stand up to Dilazak?"

"...C."

"Howe," Anna said, gently kneeling beside him, "nobody could have predicted what happened that night. It wasn't your fault. And maybe Dilazak had a point that all you would have done, at best, was delay the inevitable had you turned around, and at worst gotten us all killed. If what I've heard about the Argelian Empire's true, there's no way there WEREN'T janissaries aboard that ship. They're Argelia's finest melee troops and the personal guardsmen of the royal family. Add in some orichalcum to limit magic's effectiveness, and that ship was a deathtrap for any enemy of the Empress…."

"She has a point, Captain," Sema called from the docks. Howe walked over to the port side, spotting Sema and Habai standing by. "I don't know the exact details of what happened that night, despite being Princess Kadri's friend, but… the Aquarius wasn't a ship you could have taken on easily. Nor could you have taken the Empress. Anyway, I heard you had been having… night terrors, lately, and wanted to stop by and check on you."

"Captain Sema, always a pleasure!" Howe greeted. "I should be okay. But your plus one there means this isn't a social call. What else brings you to my slums?"

"I wouldn't call it slums, Captain Howe," Habai said. "These are docks."

"You are very literal and have never been to Giuss," Howe noticed. "Anyway, what can I do for you ladies? Would you like a tour of my ship?"

"Captain Sema would most certainly like a tour," Habai smiled, and her captain's cheeks went pink. "Most likely ending in your captain's quarters. For several hours. Maybe you can have better sleep, and she can finally—"

"H-Habai!" Sema stammered. Turning to Howe, she calmed down, and said, "Perhaps a tour of the Sabine is due another time, for inspection purposes, once this upcoming battle is over. But for now, I have your next mission ready for you."

"Already?" Anna asked, popping her head over Howe's shoulder. "Wow! I mean, don't get me wrong, Captain Aksoy, you paying us money to do what Howe wants to and be your heroes is amazingly good, but I didn't think you'd have need of us as soon as we were getting ready to test the Sabine."

"Oh, your ship will get quite the test," Sema explained. "Emperor Consort Nika himself has given us the greenlight on one of our greatest goals. We've been given orders to take Nourdari so we can properly land our fleet in northeastern Orobia for the first time since this war started. Once we take it, we can spread properly through the rest of northern Orobia. Your land approach suggestion was brilliant, but the Emperor Consort and his chief tactician have made a slight edit. They're convince that this won't work without a proper distraction."

"Define 'distraction' in this scenario," Howe said.

"We're getting ready to move a majority of our forces out of Konunlik to march my people ahead, but we need someone to run a diversionary tactic to make sure they don't see our army until we're in position to destroy that cannon tower. I know an Ustrosi cutter like your Sabine would be much faster than my Eccentric. You could easily beat us to Nourdari and be in position to run a diversion... with a fleet. It'll be dangerous once they realize you're working for Argelia, but you have the best chance to pull this off."

"How soon do you think you'll be able to march on Nourdari?" Howe asked, concerned.

"About a month, give or take," Habai answered.

"If you could, rendezvous with a few more captains at these coordinates," Sema said, holding up a plate. "The leader there should be Captain Muhsin Yalman. Let him know you're spearheading the diversion." She then blinked, realizing something. "Um, Sirius… did I ever give you an astral plate and astral crystal?"

"Astral plate?" Howe asked.

"...No, I didn't," Sema said. "I'm sorry, I knew I've been forgetting something this entire time. Habai?" At this point, Habai disappeared in a puff of smoke, and reappeared on the Sabine's deck, where she held out a black glowing plate and blue crystal similar to the one he saw in Sema's quarters on the Eccentric. Howe took them, looking the two otherworldly relics over.

"So, this is an astral plate?" Howe asked, holding it up.

"I guess you're not familiar with this on Giuss," Sema said. "By using spell circles on these enchanted plates and special magical crystals from supposedly the djinn race's true home, we can use astral projections to communicate over long distances to allies, as well as map out our next moves. You can have that plate… if I remembered it correctly, the plate should be set up to connect to Habai's magical frequency, so you should be able to contact us as long as you have a magic-user pouring their magic into the plate, but if you encounter any other magi allies, you can connect to them."

"Thanks," Howe said. Habai channeled her magic into the plate for Howe, showing him the meeting point for his crew to rendezvous with the fleet. According to the map, it was about 20 kilometers west of the coast of Xuhua. "...Why am I going to Xuhua?"

"You're not making landfall," Sema assured him. "I looked into your family's history with Xuhua. About 50 years back, your grandfather made a name for himself when he stopped Xuhua's invasion of Orobia and Giuss… Novan Howe lured the self-proclaimed Sun Dragon Emperor, Oshiro Nobunaga, and his fleet into a death trap of a reef, and a ship full of flammable materials. Looking back at it, it could be considered good yet brutal tactics that ended the war before it made Orobian landfall. But to the people of Xuhua, honor's a very big thing… and your grandfather completely dishonored the Xuhuans by refusing to face Nobunaga in single combat and instead killed him with a cheap trick." She then said, "If you knew this about your grandfather and fear Xuhua, why risk sailing? Your grandfather was a great tactician, but not exactly known for making friends."

Howe slightly frowned, and said, "I always admired my grandfather's skill and smarts. Trying to be like him lead me to sailing…."

"But it's also lead you to a life of trouble," Anna chimed in. "How many pay cuts have you had before our new boss? And also, we JUST took a small Ustrosi city for the Argelian Empire, and we're now about to sail into dangerous waters to prepare for a huge invasion of a major trade hub. Kind of a step up, and a very dangerous one."

"Well, this won't take too much effort," Sema said. "I've talked to Captain Yalman, and he's agreed to avoid landing at Xuhua, despite the fact that the nation is on friendly terms with the Empire and has chosen to be neutral."

"So… I should probably find a magi before our scheduled attack."

"That would help besides Anna and Adem," Habai suggested. "I'm not sure where you'll find a roaming magi prior to the attack, however."

"Adem's staying aboard?" Anna asked Howe.

"Yeah, he asked me to stay on the crew," Howe agreed. "Of course, even though a cutter requires far less personal than Captain Sema's ship, we should expand our hands."

"Good call," Sema nodded while Habai came off the ship, and the rest of the crew finally came back. "Be safe, Howe. When you find a magi and introduce yourself to Captain Yalman, contact me. Dismissed." She then saluted him, and he nodded before she and the genie walked away. The three other crew members brought their supplies up.

"So, Captain," Keyon said, "I couldn't help but notice not only did you get us involved in another possible suicide mission, without our say-so once more, while we were gone, but Anna seems to have promoted herself to Vice Captain. Did I miss a crew meeting or have you two been sleeping with each other despite the fact that our Argelian employer clearly wants you in her pants?"

"Mr. Keyon!" Adem chided.

"Again," Anna said, "that was my twin sister who slept with him. Also, let's be real, Keyon, I'm a lot better of a pick for Vice Captain than you. You're a jackass. You occasionally have points, but you're too much of a reminder of Captain Dilazak for us to reasonably follow your orders in Howe's place. You need to be a lot kinder. Also, Piper may be combat trained, but she's been a lookout, not exactly a leader."

"Hey!" Piper frowned. "I deserve a chance at leadership! Who was the one who first congratulated the Captain and is always worried about him? All the two of you have done is belittle and second guess him, Keyon, and lie to him and take money, Anna!"

"I agree, Anna's a swindler and somewhat of a con artist," Keyon said. "But I also agree that Piper is way too inexperienced, and would crack under that type of pressure. My career with Dilazak was pretty damn good, despite his abrasive personality, so the Captain here needs someone who knows what he's doing."

"What about you, Pastor Adem?" Piper asked. "You're not throwing your hat in the ring."

"I don't like to take command," Adem said. "Furthermore, I feel underqualified to put my name forward. You lot have been sailing together much longer than I have."

"Seems you're having a bit of trouble keeping order, Giussean boy," a male voice said. The group looked to see Ugur leaning on the side. "A typical rookie mistake, not appointing a second-in-command the moment you BECOME the official leader. You're going to have a mutiny, sooner or later, if you don't nip arguments like this in the bud, now."

"...I'm actually on that guy's side, this time around," Keyon said. "Howe, name a Vice Captain."

"Alright, fine," Howe sighed. He thought about it for a minute. "Keyon, you're now Vice Captain of the Sabine."

"I'm sorry, what?" Keyon asked, actually touched while both girls pouted.

"Let's face it, you and I served Dilazak the longest, and your negative opinions have occasionally gotten me to actually think before I speak," Howe reasoned. "You have the most experience in sailing besides me. Just don't crack the whip too hard."

"Alright, Captain," Keyon nodded.

"Now that the mushy antics are done, onto real business," Ugur said, pushing off the wall. "Nice little ship you have. Of course, it's no Prospector, but no ship in the entire Argelian fleet is like her. That said, I'm going to coming on your first voyage since my ship should be among the fleet ready to hit Nourdari. If you asked me, I'd rather be the one at the tip of the spear than some Guissean privateer, finishing what I started two years ago, since I'm the one with the most experience with Nourdari. But because Aksoy is the one the Emperor's put in charge of this and you're more… expendable than I am, we're doing her plan to take out that tower. Still… this doesn't mean you and I can't work together."

"Why do I have a feeling you have a plan that's going to get a lot of Ustrosi killed?" Howe asked.

"Would it really be that bad?" Ugur answered. "Look, despite your nightmares, if you were completely sympathetic to the Orobians, you wouldn't be here, would you?" Howe frowned, but remained silent. "Your silence is my answer. While you may have reluctance to fight Orobians, you do what you must to survive. And you're not exactly weak… I saw you in action taking Konunlik. A bit too merciful if you really want to make a name for yourself in Argelia's navy, but you got the job done. Besides, we're going after the Thieves Guild. We're really doing a favor for these future subjects of the Empire."

"The Thieves Guild?" Piper asked. "Why are you and Captain Aksoy after them?"

"Woman, last I checked, you were just passed over for Vice Captain," Ugur said, giving her a look that made Piper recoil. "Howe, you need to crack the whip with her and the redhead."

"Excuse me, you sexist pig!?" Anna scowled.

He then said over Anna's protests, "Look, Howe, all you need to know is I've been busy. I've found out that thanks to their leader, this 'Mawdood', Orobia isn't as far as they reach. While we're sailing to the rendezvous, we can find one of their supposed spies. We use the spy to reach Mawdood, I get ahead of Aksoy in the Admiralty position… and then, I can hurry up this war and conquer Orobia for the Empire. Of course, I'll make sure you're well rewarded… after we dispose of my competition just to make sure I'm THE choice for Admiral."

Howe frowned, but Ugur walked inside the ship before he could get another word in. "...Alright, let's take a vote. Who hates this guy?"

"That's not even a vote," Keyon said.

"I don't like him," Piper admitted.

"I despise him," Anna added.

"Frankly, I prefer working with Captain Aksoy over Ugur," Adem chimed in.

"Good, not just me," Howe said. "But we have to work with him, for now… once we drop him off, he'll be his crew's problem. Alright." He looked over his astral plate, and observed the meeting point. "Raise the gangplank and hoist anchor! I want to set sail!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Piper saluted, running off to do just those things.

Howe walked to the helm of his ship, and smirked while turning it so they began to move away from the docks. He took in a breath of fresh sea air, and looked to the horizon. "Braves yourselves, ladies and gentlemen!" Howe called to his crew. "This is going to be an amazing adventure!"


Xuhuan Sea—Another Two Weeks Later

"This is proving to be a terrible adventure," Adem groaned over the rough waves, leaning to the side. He then, turning slightly green, lurched over the starboard side of the ship, and evacuated the remnants of his lunch from his stomach into the stormy sea. "Oh Cydris, lütfen yoğun rüzgarlarınızla bize merhamet gösterin {Oh great Cydris, please show us mercy with Your intense winds}."

"Little seasick, I see," Anna said, walking down. "I have JUST the remedy for you." She then reached into her pouch, and pulled out a small bottle. "Behold! Anna's Miracle Elixir! Guaranteed to cure whatever ails ya! Including colds, fevers, upset stomach, dizziness, diaherra, diabetes, the urge to kill Keyon and/or Captain Howe, and sea-sickness!"

"...Well, that sounds interesting," Adem said. Reaching for the bottle, he asked, "When did you make it?"

"Most of my sisters are tricksters, adventurers, or merchants," Anna said, pulling the potion away from Adem. "One of my big sisters is the rom baro of her own Romani caravan in Orobia, and she's written to me about some daughter she adopted. Another sister is a skilled Commander of Heroes in a far away kingdom, whose written to me about a skilled summoner. I had to tell her to NOT come to this world. A few even got in good with a few princes and princesses of other worlds." Ignoring Adem's frustrated reaching, she continued, "I myself apply my trade with being an apothecary. I've had a bit of time to kill during the time we were at port in Konunlik, and gathered the best herbs in all of Ustros. I then painstakingly ground them up into a powder and/or drained the juices out of them, mix them with a few liquids, and then instant cure-all in a bottle."

"You are truly a mistress of your craft, Anna," Adem said. "But if I may partake in it so I may endure this divine storm we're in?"

"Oh, right," Anna said. "Now, normally, for something like this prototype cure-all, I'd charge an arm and a leg for it since herbs in Ustros are rare. But for you? I'd be happy to part ways with it for about 200 Gold." Adem looked incredulous as the mischievous smile and wink Anna gave him.

"You're charging a member of your own crew for your potion!?" Adem questioned.

"Well, obviously," Anna said. "How else am I going to make a profit when I mass produce?"

"That's Anna, for you," Howe said, climbing down from the lookout's position. "Ugur, can I have the helm back? It's been my turn for the past two hours, and you've sailed us into the storm I specifically said NOT to, and I think we're close to a certain place we really shouldn't be!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the day I didn't think I'd live to see," Keyon said, looking up from his paper map. "Sirius Howe is SCARED of sailing to a place! Hell, him scared at all is kind of amusing!"

"Hey, we all have fears," Piper defended. "I myself don't like manaketes very much… it's mainly because I think they'll eat me."

"Nobody cares about your petty fears, you two," Ugur said. "We're almost there!"

"Almost there," Howe repeated. "You said that back when you turned us east right into a thunderstorm!"

"Howe, you're a damn hypocrite," Keyon said. "How many times have you put US in mortal danger because you have to be a risk-taker?" But looking at Ugur, he asked, "What is so important out here? The rendezvous point is supposed to be about six klicks WEST of here!"

"This was the fastest way to our destination!" Ugur answered while Howe walked up to the helm. "The rendezvous point may be a few klicks out, but I've decided to take us through a brief detour."

"Detour?" Howe asked. He pulled out the Argelian plate, placed the crystal in the slot, and looked at his two healers still fighting over Anna's supposed miracle vulnerary. "Could one of you magically recharge this? I need to figure out where we are." Anna relented the bottle, and came up and concentrated her healing power into it. Soon enough, the crystal showed an image of their small cutter approaching a landmass island. Howe recognized its shape, and scowled. "Captain Ugur… why are we sailing directly into Xuhuan territory?"

"My Orobian may be lackluster," Ugur shrugged, "but your tone hints you view that as a bad thing."

"So you really haven't read up on me or my family," Howe said, looking at Ugur and Keyon.

"Honestly, as long as I can use you, I don't give a damn about who your GRANDMOTHER was," Ugur said. "And considering how matriarchal Argelia is to the point that the EMPRESS is in charge, it's kind of saying something."

"Honestly, Howe," Keyon said, "all I really know or care about you is you're the grandson of some supposed war hero."

Howe sighed. "Have either of you heard about the Nobunaga Siege?"

That caused some reactions. Keyon verbally groaned. Anna nodded. Adem tilted his head in confusion as to why that was a bad thing. Piper gasped in horror and surprise. And Ugur? He started laughing aloud. "Asla! Lanet olası yok {No way! No damn way}!" he guffawed. "Bu şu anda gerçekleşmiyor! Yok hayır {This is not happening right now! No}!" Howe looked at Adem, who shook his head in apology. Once Ugur recovered, he asked, "You mean to tell me that YOU'RE the grandson of Novan Howe? The same bastard who was responsible for Xuhua not getting their own empire and handed them their most humiliating naval defeat? The same guy who killed Nobunaga before he even set FOOT on Orobia!? They're going to want to rip you limb from limb, Howe!"

"Well, thank you very much for confirming you're now trying to get us killed," Howe frowned. He then grabbed the helm, pushed Ugur off of it, and said, "Look, Captain Ugur, I may be a risk-taker, but even I don't mess with my grandfather's enemies that are still alive! Xuhua takes that still seriously, and will come after us! If we turn back, now, we can avoid being spotted by Xuhua's forces—"

"Captain!" Piper said, looking up. "A battle is ahead! It looks like a few Argelian ships and one Xuhuan ship are surrounded by Uprilian ships! The Uprilians are firing upon the Argelians, but the Xuhuan ship is beaten up pretty bad!"

"What!?" Keyon asked. "Did some people from the fleet break off to go to Xuhua? And how does Upril know about our plans?"

"I don't think they know… at least, not yet," Howe frowned. "But this presents a problem."

"What do you mean?" Ugur asked.

"Do we let the battle happen or do we get involved?" Howe explained. "If we let it play out, the Argelian ships will be destroyed, as well as a Xuhuan ship, causing Xuhua to declare war on Upril, and adding to the chaos. But on the other hand, if we go in and save the ships, we'll still have their help with the fleet… but there's little doubt once the Xuhuans figure out who their savior is, they'll gun for us. We'll need to get out of here, quickly once we do this."

"So, what if we, and bizarre pitch," Ugur suggested, "kill all of the Xuhuans BUT the one of the Ustrosi Thieves Guild I still need alive, and blame the Thieves Guild for the massacre? You're free of being held accountable, and Xuhua doesn't come after you."

"What?" Howe asked.

"Remember that Ustrosi Thieve Guild spy I said was near this area?" Ugur asked. "Yeah, during our voyage, I managed to get a message to them. They're about the Xuhuan ship. Everyone on board the ship is a witness to any interaction we have with them."

"I'm going to interject in this as your second-in-command," Keyon said. "Howe, I know you. You'd never ignore your allies in danger, nor would you let innocent people be killed. At this point, I know you've already made up your mind about what you're going to do. So, tell you what. If you're going to go in here, guns blazing, I suggest you be smart about those guns… and not fire the biggest one. Your last name."

"So what, let you all call me 'Sirius' for the duration of this battle?"

"Either that or 'Captain'," Keyon answered. "Either way, we better get ready. We're now near the Uprilians' firing range."

Meanwhile, on the Xuhuan ship, a young woman about 17, standing 5'2", with dark brown hair tied in a back-length ponytail, blue-worried filled eyes wearing a purple shitagi under her silver breastplate, and brown leggings stood in front of the door, looking worried. At her hip was a killing edge katana. The woman complained, "Karera ga Argelians o korosu tame ni watashitachi o utsu koto o nozonde irunara, don'na kyōki ga Upril o totta nodesu ka? Xuhua ga sensō de chūritsudearu koto o karera wa shiranai nodesu ka? Soshite, korera no Arujeria hito o dono yō ni chōsen shite, Amerika o kore ni hikizurikomu nodesu ka? Karera no subete ga... Karera no dare mo kono fune ni notte i tari, watashi no iitai koto ga areba, watashi no ōjo ni furete iru hito wa imasen {What madness has taken Upril if they're willing to hit us to kill Argelians? Don't they know Xuhua is neutral in their war!? And how dare these Argelians drag US into this!? Damn all of them... none of them are getting aboard this ship or touching my princess if I have anything to say about it}!"

"Kairi, sorehodo fuman wanaidarou {Kairi, less complaining would be nice}," a male voice said. The woman turned to see a man about 19 with orange hair and glasses-covered green eyes, wearing a sleeveless white kimono vest and a pair of long black pants, large thick bracelets, a pair of golden rings on his fingers, and carried a tome. "Dakara, Upril wa, chikaku no kono Argelian kantai o hakai shiyou to doryoku shite iru Xuhua no chūritsu-sei o wasurete shimatta yōda. Watashitachi wa chōdo sonomama ni shite oku hitsuyō ga arimasu {So, Upril seems to have forgotten about Xuhua's neutrality in their effort to destroy this Argelian fleet nearby us. We just have to stay out of the way}." With a shrug of his shoulders, he said, "Tashika ni, karera wa watashitachi ga hi busō no funedearu koto ni kidzuki, Jo Ka ni kaeru tochū ni imasu {Surely they'll realize that we're an unarmed vessel and let us be on our way back to Xuhua}."

"Kanryō shita yori kantan ni itta, Torio {Easier said than done, Torio}!" the woman snapped. "Jōsen-sha ga kono fune ni notte iru koto o ninshiki suru to, Xuhua ga Argelia o on ni suru yō ni kyōsei suru tame ni, watashitachi zen'in o korosanakereba, sore o tsukamaeru tame ni subete o kiken ni sarashimasu! Watashitachiha junbi ga hitsuyōdesu {When the Uprilians realize who is aboard this ship, they'll risk everything to capture it, if not kill us all, to force Xuhua to turn on Argelia! We have to be ready}!"

With Howe, he sailed the Sabine into the battle range. "Alright, Howe," Ugur grinned, "you know how to naval battle, don't you?"

"I've heard my grandfather going over how ship combat works," Howe said. "From the helm, I control the Sabine, and can move it into and out of range, just like commanding any land battle. However, ships have a lot more range, durability, and kick than archers do… and the Sabine isn't designed for taking a lot of hits from cannon fire."

"Yeah, that's definitely the Prospector's area of expertise," Ugur chuckled. "Of course, if we take too much damage, we're sunk… it won't matter how much the crew's able to endure, we're all as good as dead if this ship gets taken out. Just this once, I'm going to give you some repair kits, but you'll have to buy or steal more. They're good for fixing up your ship so it doesn't sink, but like any action, it'll end your phase. Of course, if you sail directly next to another ship, you can ram them and board just like an ordinary infantry battle. If you take out the captain of the ship you're on, the crew usually surrenders, and you can gain plenty of loot from its cargo hold… maybe even recruit a few new hands if you're lucky."

"But I can break off the clash whenever I want, right?" Howe asked.

"Yeah, sure," Ugur waved. "But be wary… if your whole crew's not aboard your ship, you're leaving them with your enemies on that ship. Not that's it's stopped me from making a retreat to heal up before."

"You'd leave crew members to die!?" Piper asked.

"Woman, I didn't survive this long in Argelia's navy by staying in a battle I can't win!" Ugur snapped. While Piper recoiled (and Howe scowled in disapproval), Ugur said, "Look, it's not like any of my crew don't know the risk. Sometimes, it's been one of my maneuvers to back off from a fight, then blow up the ship while its weakened. Sure, the crew members left are as good as dead if I can't get them from the debris, but it's sometimes a quick way to win a battle."

"It's not my policy to do that," Howe said. "I'd come back for them!"

"Well, good luck surviving some hard battles, then," Ugur said. "Still, to every captain, their own. But you should be wary. Enemy and allied ships still move during engagements. Some ships may ram YOU and force you to take up the defensive and cut off your escape. Lucky for you, I don't think Upril will risk destroying one of their ships to sink yours if you clash."

"Good to know naval combat is somewhat chivalrous," Howe said. "So, what if I wanted to weigh anchor and use my sea walking ability to sneak up on them?"

"Admittedly clever tactic," Ugur said. "But be careful… someone could spot you, and all its gonna take to make you chunks of shark bait is one solid cannonball. Don't risk it if you're gonna be spotted."

"Speaking of getting spotted," Keyon called out, "once we make our first attack, Upril will realize we're here to help Argelia. So, suggestion: we ram the one farthest from the rest of its fleet, and take out the captain, and then open fire on the others."

"Good call," Howe agreed. He sailed the Sabine near the Uprilian ship that was the farthest away from the other three. The captain of the ship, a male explorer, spotted the Sabine, and blinked in curiosity.

"What in Rerci's name is that cutter doing here?" he asked aloud to himself.

"Captain, what's wrong?" a myrmidon asked.

"Is it just me, or is that not a ship heading towards us?" he asked the myrmidon. The myrmidon looked, and spotted the Sabine.

"Yes it is, captain. Are they friendly?"

He was answered by the Sabine ramming into them. While the crew was thrown for a loop, Piper, Howe, and Keyon jumped aboard, Adem and Anna not too far behind.

"Greetings, you lot!" Howe said, hoisting his axe over his shoulder. "Tell me: whose the captain of this ship? Drop your weapons and surrender now, and I'll spare you and your men! Don't, and defend yourselves!"

"How dare you!?" the captain scowled, drawing his bow. "We're soldiers of Upril on a mission to stop the Argelian fleet!"

"Well, that's unfortunate," Howe said. "You see, I NEED that fleet for something. I can't let you sink it, no matter what you want. Also, you're endangering Xuhuans, who aren't a part of the conflict! Last chance to surrender now." He was answered by an arrow flying, and the arrow barely grazed him thanks to Piper pulling him from its path. "That's a no, then."

"Of course it's a no, pirate!" the captain said. "Fight back, men!"

Howe then saw a soldier rushing at him, and blocked his lance with his axe before slashing the man down. However, he was slashed by a sword. Luckily, Adem was on healing duty while Anna fired back with her arrows, hitting one of the soldiers. Keyon cracked his whip, smacking an unfortunate myrmidon with a brutal lash before using a dagger to stab the man in the chest before he could get back up. Piper, meanwhile, finally closed in on the captain and slashed him with her sword. She was grazed in the arm by an arrow herself, but it didn't stop her from slicing the captain down.

The crew of the ship stared at their now dead captain, and were stunned. Some of them dropped their weapons, while others abandoned ship. Howe held his axe up to one of the crewmembers that stayed aboard, and said, "So, what to do with you lot?"

"Please don't kill us!" a crewmember said. "You're free to help yourselves to what treasure we have, just don't kill us!"

"You know, I think we will," Anna beamed, healing Piper as she did so. "While you're at it, can you explain what you're doing here?"

"Okay, fine," the crewmember said. "We got word that there was a Xuhuan Ustrosi Thieves Guild pirate aboard the ship. Some bigshot, rumored to even be the right hand of the Guildmaster himself. Between the Thieves Guild and Argelia, Upril and Ustros have been getting hammered. The fact that we caught Argelians here was a bonus, but we're to sink that ship on the orders of Captain Habal."

"And you'd risk committing war crimes by attacking a Xuhuan passenger ship just to kill a bunch of Argelians and one Thieves Guild bigwig?" Piper asked. "That's pretty disgraceful! I thought Upril was supposed to be better than this!"

"We wouldn't get another opportunity like this for a long time!" another crew member defended himself. "We have rumors that this is none other than the Thieves Guild's biggest member next to Mawdood! And they're stowing away on a Xuhuan ship! If anything, we're doing Xuhua a favor! So a few civilians die! It's not like Argelia's any better! I see the man you're sailing with: Ugur, the 'Coast Reaper' who sacked Nourdari two years back? You expect me to believe you pirates are any better!?"

"We're letting you live, aren't we?" Keyon asked.

"...Fine," the crew member relented.

"Thanks," Howe said. "Now… what to do with you? I already said I wasn't killing you… but I can't let you come after us. At least, not in this ship."

"I have a suggestion, Captain," Keyon said.

Several minutes later, the Uprilian ship was aflame, and the Uprilians were tied up and being led to the brig by Piper and Keyon while Anna counted her treasure. One of the crew members, an archer, shot Howe a scowl.

"You'll regret this, pirate," he spat. "I swear, I'll hunt you down, one day." He was then shut in the brig.

"You know," Ugur warned while Howe took the helm, "you really should keep in mind who you keep alive and who you don't. Some folks, you're better off killing now."

"You win your war your way, I'll win my war my way," Howe said.

"Captain," Piper said after she looked up. "Argelians approaching us to intercept!"

"Man the cannons," Howe ordered. "They know we're not just here to watch, anymore."

"I thought you'd never say so," Ugur grinned. "Lucky for you, Argelia's ships know you're not here to hurt them, and won't fire on you."

Howe moved the Sabine to sail near one of the Argelian ships, and opened fire. One of the cannons hit the enemy ship for a great deal of damage. Of course, though, it returned fire, hitting the Sabine. Lucky for the Sabine, the Argelian ships sailed over to help defend her, firing on the Uprilians while Howe took this opportunity to patch up his new ship. Once the Sabine was patched up, Howe ordered another round of cannon fire, sinking one of the Uprilian ships.

"Alright," Howe grinned, steering his ship through the chaos. "Now, what next?"

"How about we finally do something about that Xuhuan ship?" Ugur said. "Break off the battle, and secure that ship. We could find our rogue pirate the Uprilians were chasing… maybe they're be a lot more cooperative than Zrisse was for Aksoy. I can finally get ahead."

"Yeah, but something tells me they're not going to like me, even IF I'm trying to save their lives," Howe muttered. Regardless, he sailed over to the Argelian ship, and had his crew place planks to board it while the Argelians covered them. This did not go unnoticed by the two members of Xuhua's army who saw the crew of the Sabine.

"Korera no hitobito ga daredeare {Whoever these people are}," the myrmidon scowled, gripping the hilt of her killing edge, "karera wa kono fune ni noru koto o shi no kibō to shinakereba naranai {they must have a death wish to board this ship}."

The mage countered, "Shikashi, Kairi wa, watashitachi no inochi o tasukemashita {And yet, Kairi, they saved our lives}." He then brushed a hand through his hair before saying, "Sukunakutomo watashitachi wa utsu mae ni sorera o kikubekidesu {At least we should hear them out before striking}."

"Karera ga watashi no chikaku no dokoni ite mo, watashi wa karera ga tekitai-tekida to omoudeshou {If they get anywhere near me, I will assume they're hostile,}" Kairi warned. Howe, meanwhile boarded the ship alone… he figured it would be easier if he was alone. Kairi drew her sword, and kept an eye on Howe… while he looked around, wary. Howe, spotting Torio wasn't as hostile looking, approached him.

"Go aisatsu... Xuhuan magi. Watashi wa Shiriusudesu. Watashi wa anata o sukuu tame ni koko ni iru {Greetings... Xuhuan magi. I am Sirius. I am here... to save you}."

"With all due respect, Captain Sirius," Torio said, "your Xuhuan is completely inadequate. Also, it's kind of insulting to assume we don't know common Orobian tongue, yet be out here."

"...Well, damn, that was a waste of time," Howe muttered. "Look, since you can understand me, know this: I'm not your enemy. I'm an Argelian privateer. I'm sorry you got caught in the crossfire of this battle, but Upril suspects that there's an Ustrosi Thieves Guild pirate aboard this ship."

"Ustrosi Thieves Guild?" Torio asked. "That's weird. Although there's a manakete passenger, she's Xuhuan, through and through. Xuhua's neutral to the Orobians and Argelians' conflict. Yes, our beloved Shuteng has once tried to seduce Gargec, that Smith Dragon who fathered Orobia's Genie Dragon, but we stay out of this. We don't normally deal with Thieves Guild."

"Yeah, no idea who the hell any of those are, actually," Howe said. "I'm just a sailor from Guiss who's working for the Empire trying to end this war, quickly."

"Guiss?" Torio frowned. "...You wouldn't happen to know anyone from there named 'Howe', would you?"

"Um, uh… no?" Howe lied. "I don't really associate with anybody named 'Howe'. Certainly not the grandchildren of any long dead war heroes who managed to stop Emperor Nobunaga from really getting anywhere…."

"I never mentioned Novan Howe having a grandson," Torio smirked. "So, you're the war criminal's grandson." Howe's eyes widened. "Relax… your grandfather may have stopped our plans to widen and provide Giuss and Orobia with our nation's wisdom, but you're trying to rescue us and our princess, so I will let it slide… for now."

"...What?" Howe asked. Torio rolled his eyes, but extended his hand.

"I'm Torio, Captain Sirius Howe," he greeted. "If it hurries up our princess' safety, I'll gladly aid you in this conflict. I'll just convince Kairi to not kill you until after we are done with you… she won't hurt me, no matter how much I annoy her." He then walked over to Kairi.

"Dakara, kaizoku wa nani o nozonda no {So, what did the pirate want}?" Kairi questioned.

"Kaizoku wa nōbanhau, Kairī no magodearu {The pirate is the grandson of Novan Howe, Kairi}," Torio answered. She gasped.

"Nōbanhau no mago!? Sono yarō ga yakyū kōtei o koroshite kara, orobia ya jūsu o toru koto ga dekimashita {Novan Howe's grandson!? That bastard killed Emperor Nobunaga before we could take Orobia or Giuss}!" She unsheathed her blade.

Torio stopped her by explaining, "Kairi, kare wa sofude wa arimasen. Soshite Fumiko hime wa kono tatakai ga nagaku naru hodo kiken ni sarasa remasu. Kono otoko ga sore o owara seru no o hayaku tetsudatta hō ga hayaku, kono dorobō girudo no supai ga kono fune ni notte iru no o shiru koto ga dekireba hayaku, kōkyo o Ino joō to sono kyōdai ni modosu koto ga dekiru {Kairi, he's NOT his grandfather. And Princess Fumiko is in danger the longer this battle goes. The sooner we help this man end it, the sooner he can find this Thieves Guild spy supposedly aboard this ship, and the sooner we can get the princess back to Queen Ino and her brothers}." Kairi sighed, and sheathed her blade. She then turned to a nearby door, and knocked on it.

"Fumiko hime, Torio to watashi wa, anata no fune o sukuu tame ni, kono jiosu kaizoku no baka to issho ni hataraite imasu! Wareware wa modotte kimasu {Princess Fumiko, Torio and I are working with this Giussean pirate idiot to save you! We'll be back}!" She then turned to Howe, and said in Orobian, "The only reason this killing edge isn't currently lodged in your chest is because you're helping us, Howe. I don't care if you're kind of handsome… your grandfather butchered a lot of good men. My grandfather and his father, included. That alone means we're destined to be enemies, some day."

"Yeah, my grandfather did kill a lot of Xuhuans and later Poswali," Howe said. "War's like a bad hand of cards. It's not pretty to look at, but you try to make due with the hand you're dealt."

"Your grandfather didn't know a thing about proper warfare, let alone honor!" Kairi spat.

"I beg your pardon?" Howe questioned, his eyebrow raised. "Look, my grandfather defeated your emperor in a display of superior tactics AND planning. That's simple."

"But not proper combat!" Kairi answered. "Instead of facing him or the rest of the Xuhuan fleet sword to sword, that coward Novan Howe chose to taunt Emperor Nobunaga from his ship, lure him and our fleet into dangerous waters and using an oil and gunpowder coated ship, watched them get trapped, and then opened fire, destroying the fleet, and watched as our emperor, my grandfather, and his father all burned or drowned! He didn't even TRY to fight Nobunaga in single combat like a man!"

"It was a smart play, and the only play that would have worked," Howe retorted. "Single combat is idealistic, but DAMN stupid when we all know that swordsmanship seems to trump axe-mastery that my grandfather had. Furthermore, if we looked at a naval combatant perspective, my grandfather was simply outgunned. In short, there was NO honorable way to win that battle against Nobunaga and protect Giuss. But sometimes… you have to forsake honor to get your crew out in one piece."

"That's why your grandfather and YOU are scum," Kairi said while she walked aboard the Sabine. "You spit on ideals to look for the 'easy way out'. It will lead you to a life of betrayals and eventually, people will get tired of your pegasus dung. It's what lead to you being orphaned, wasn't it?" Torio and Howe shot each other a look, and the two walked to the ship.

"So," Keyon said, looking at Howe's uncomfortable face, "which one of these people are we going to have to explain to that you killed their Thieves Guild ally turned traitor?"

"Neither of us are Ustrosi Thieves Guild," Torio answered. "But Princess Fumiko is aboard that ship, having just come from Argelia to talk with Princess Kadri. They're friends. Were this any other situation, we wouldn't even be doing this. We need to hurry this battle up. I take it Howe is the captain, here?"

"Oh gods, they know your last name, Captain," Piper whispered.

"Like we have much choice in this ourselves," Kairi said, leaning on the wall. "Get us close to one of those Uprilian ships, we'll sort them out. But I expect compensation when we're done."

"Between Kairi's sword and my magic," Torio grinned, "we'll handle this."

"Welcome aboard the Sabine, Torio and Kairi," Howe said, grabbing the helm to rejoin the battle. Once the Sabine was in firing range, he softened one of the remaining two Uprilian ships up with cannon fire, and managed to avoid the return volley to ram the ship. "Ugur, helm!"

"Thought you'd never ask," Ugur grinned while Howe grabbed his axe. Aboard the Uprilian ship, it was captained by a cavalier, who had already gotten on his camel and drew his sword.

"Pirate scum!" he called to Howe's crew. "How dare you attack Upril on a critical mission!?"

"I dare because I need this Argelian fleet," Howe said. "Now, I'm going to offer you a choice: surrender now, or fight." Looking at Kairi and Torio boarding, he added, "My new… acquaintances here want you backing off that Xuhuan ship, anyway."

"Pirates associating with Argelia?" the cavalier scowled. "And your accent says you're from Giuss, despite their supposed neutrality!? You're even greater scum than I thought, violating that! And why are you defending that ship!? Don't you know one passenger aboard it is an Ustrosi Thieves Guild spy!? We miss even one Xuhuan passenger, and we risk the spy getting away!"

"The thing is I personally don't give a damn about that spy," Howe said. "However, there's another passenger aboard the ship who, for all of our sakes, needs to stay alive. My grandfather may have stopped Xuhua once… I don't know if we can face their tactics coming back into the fray twice."

"It's worth the risk to prevent any more Ustrosi Thieves Guild schemes from being hatched," the cavalier said.

"That's where we disagree," Howe scowled. "It's already bad enough that no less than six countries are at war with each other. If it makes me the bad guy to cut you down and let some criminal escape to prevent the bloodshed from escalating… then I'll gladly wave the black flag. But you're not sinking this fleet and you're sure as hell not touching that Xuhuan ship!"

"Fine, then," the cavalier scowled. "You die, filth! Attack!"

Kairi drew her killing edge, and spotted an archer approaching her. She then said, "Find peace in death!" She then seemingly passed by the archer, who turned to look at her holding up her katana. She then sheathed it… and the archer finally fell, a nasty cut across his body. She looked at Howe, and said, "If we didn't have this crisis to deal with…."

"Yeah, I realize that I'd be the one on the deck bleeding out," Howe said before slashing down a soldier. Kairi, meanwhile, faced off with another myrmidon. He wasn't as skilled as Kairi, so the Xuhuan made quick work of him. Torio covered her, meanwhile, by unleashing an Elfire spell into an explorer brandishing his whip.

Adem healed Keyon after the latter took a hit from the cavalier captain for him, and Keyon cracked his whip against the captain. While the cavalier was distracted by the attack, Keyon used his whip to wrap around the camel's neck, and pulled it hard, causing the camel to buck off its rider as it attempted to pull back away from Keyon. Keyon let got of the rider before brandishing one of his daggers, and tossing it.

THUNK!

Everyone looked at the now dead cavalier before Howe sighed, and raised his axe towards the defeated crew. "So, what now?" he asked them.

"Um… uh… fine, we surrender," a soldier said, throwing down his lance. "I can't believe you killed the captain!"

"Yeah, we're going to get that a lot," Anna said. "We'll take anything shiny and valuable not nailed down, thanks!"

"All of this just for a damn manakete," the soldier frowned.

After a few more prisoners were loaded onto the Sabine's brig and Anna hauled over a bunch of treasure, grinning like a schoolgirl as she did so, Howe grabbed the helm again. "Three down, one to go," he said. "Full sail ahead, Piper!"

"Aye-aye, Captain!" Piper said.

As the ship moved to engage the final enemy, Kairi approached Piper, and questioned, "How could swear such loyalty to the grandson of a war criminal like Howe?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about," Piper said. "He's not his grandfather. And so what if the captain is Novan Howe's grandson? He himself maybe a bit rough around the edges, loses sleep at night, apparently slept with Anna's sister and is currently flirting with the Argelian captain we're working for… but he's a well-meaning man."

"In Xuhua, the sins of our ancestors carry with us," Kairi said. "It takes a great deal to wash away the blood they've shed."

"And your ancestors?" Piper questioned. "They tried to invade Giuss. I don't know much about Novan Howe, but he was fighting to save Giuss! Anything that happened about 50 years ago was 50 years ago. Right now, this princess of yours needs saving from the Uprilian fleet more than Howe needs his head cut off for whatever atrocities his grandpa did."

They finally approached the final ship, and Howe rammed the Sabine into it. "Alright, last ship, let's do this," Howe said, grabbing his axe. He then looked at the captain of the enemy ship, a mercenary swordsman.

"So, you're the troublemakers interfering with my operation," the mercenary scowled. "I don't know what a damn pirate crew's interest is, but an Argelian fleet AND a Thieves Guild spy aren't slipping through my clutches!"

"So, I take it you're this Habal I've been hearing about," Howe said. "The name's Howe. I'm working with Argelia, so I need this fleet."

"Howe? As in 'Novan Howe's legacy'?" Habal asked. "That axe-style seems all too familiar. You betray him AND Orobia by siding with Argelia!"

"You wouldn't be the first people I've betrayed," Howe replied. "But you forget, my grandfather was trying to protect Giuss, not Orobia! And this, in a way, IS protecting Orobia… from itself! The longer this war goes, the more innocent people get caught in the crossfire, like the Xuhuans, all because you suspect a mole from the Thieves Guild is on an unarmed ship! If I have to be the bad guy, so be it! It doesn't change the fact that I've taken out three Uprilian ships. I've outwitted and outfought your people in an undermanned ship with only a little backup from the fleet you ambushed and that guy over there." Howe pointed to Ugur. "Do you really want to test me, right now? Throw your weapons down, and call off your men!"

"No, traitorous scum," Habal scowled. "You've killed and/or captured my people. You die right here, right now!"

With that, the final battle in the Xuhuan sea began. Howe was forced to slash down a rogue, while moving past an archer. Keyon, luckily, took the archer's bow with a whip, and cracked the bow in half on the deck before whipping the now unarmed archer down. He then very quickly grabbed one his daggers, and slashed the archer's throat before moving on.

Torio and Anna were back-to-back, being the ranged combatants. Anna spotted a mage, and fired an arrow at him to injure him before his Thunder spell could fly. She managed to dodge, giggling as she did so while Torio flung his Fire spells to eliminate an archer. Piper grabbed them both by their wrists to get them out of the way of a pair of explorers' daggers, and kept moving. The two ranged combatants yelped, but kept moving.

Meanwhile, Kairi slashed down a few approaching swordsmen left and right. Whether they fellow myrmidons or mercenaries, the swordswoman from Xuhua faced them all and was doing surprisingly well. It may have been the fact that she was carrying a sword designed for fatal attacks, or the fact that she was incredibly skilled, but Kairi was raising a great amount of hell.

At least, until a soldier blocked her sword with his lance, and forced it down to smack her with his shield. When she tried to get her left hand on another sword, his hand stepped on it, and she looked to see the soldier standing over her, lance aimed at her heart. He reared it back…

CLANG!

Kairi gasped as the axe from nowhere blocked what would have been a fatal blow. She then noticed the hand holding onto the axe was held by a certain pirate. Howe then headbutted the soldier before suddenly lifting him and power slammed him into the ship's railing with a sick crunch. Not that the breaking of his spine mattered or his scream of agony lasted too long, as Howe embedded his axe into the man's chest before letting him fall overboard into the drink.

"Say what you will about me," Howe said, extending his hand to help her up. Kairi reluctantly took it while he said, "I'm not letting my crew and allies bite it if I can help it."

"...Thank you," Kairi said. She grabbed the now free Killing Edge while Adem healed her, and sliced down another archer before the archer could mark Torio.

Meanwhile, Habal clashed blades with Howe. "Howe, you bastard!" Habal scowled. "Can you really sleep with this much blood on your hands!?"

"What do you think?" Howe answered. "I don't sleep. At least, not easily. But you're being a damn hypocrite, Habal! How many people are you prepare to send to the depths just to do some damage to your enemies? If these Argelians were unarmed, would you have done the same attack?"

"As a matter of fact, yes!" Habal said, swinging his sword and scoring a gash on Howe's arm. "Argelia deserves no mercy! Their Empress deserves NO mercy! She killed Queen Tabia in cold blood, and hired the Ustrosi Thieves Guild to secure the killing blow!"

"Really?" Howe asked. He then was kicked back, and Habal held his sword to Howe's throat. Piper, having just slayed a rival mercenary, turned and gasped.

"Captain!" she said, running towards them. She then barely parried the blade before the killing blow could be dealt, but lost her grip on her sword after doing so. Habal angrily turned to her. Before he could kill her, though, the tip of a katana erupted from his chest. He then looked behind him, and saw Kairi scowling before she pulled her killing edge back. She let Habal kneel down before she slashed diagonally to finish him off.

After the killing blow, the ship's remaining crew finally surrendered while Kairi helped up Howe. "We're even… for now."

"Thank you, Kairi," Piper smiled.

"I don't like debts," Kairi said, sheathing her blade. "Now, come… I have to check on Princess Fumiko."

About half an hour later, the Sabine was flanked by two ships. An Argelian ship captained by a man about a head taller than Howe wearing a thick red coat over his uniform and a pointed hat over his brown hair was to the port side, overseeing the transporting of Uprilian prisoners. On the starboard side was a young lady, about 16 years old, with short black hair and wearing green and white robes.

"So, you're this Sirius Howe that Captain Aksoy spoke highly of," the captain greeted. "I can see why. You've got guts and brains, kid. Not too many would be willing to sail a cutter into a firefight like you did… and manage to pull it off. I'm Captain Mushin Yalman, by the way."

"Captain Yalman?" Howe asked. "I was to report to you and ask about the fleet's status, if memory serves."

"It does," Yalman agreed. He pulled out an astral plate, and requested, "Now… do you have a magi? I'm afraid mine was killed in action when the Uprilians ambushed us."

"If you don't mind me asking," Howe said, "why DID you steer away from the rendezvous point? We're supposed to meet AWAY from Xuhua!"

"I know," Yalman agreed. "But Princess Kadri's good friend behind you needed an escort."

"Behind me…?" Howe asked. He then turned to see the black-haired girl in the robes right behind him. She then curiously took a sniff of him, and then walked around. "Well, she's not ordering me dead," Howe observed. "That's a good sign."

"You smell like sea salt, gunpowder, alcohol, and blood," the girl said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Are you a baka pirate?"

"Baka pirate…?" Howe repeated.

"That's what Kairi called you," the girl said. "Well, thank you, baka pirate, for saving us. For that, I won't tell my big brothers who you were!"

"Big brothers?" Howe asked.

"Yep! Jinjiro and Goro would have your head!" the girl said. "They remember what your grandpa did to our great grandpa, baka pirate, and would cut you into chunks if they ever got their hands on you! But tell you what: Torio-kun and Kairi-chan, since they were ordered to just finish my escort before leaving, are all yours! Just don't come to Xuhuan waters ever again without them, and we should be fine!" She then skipped away, leaving Howe stunned.

"That was the nicest death threat I've ever gotten," Howe said.

"That was Princess Fumiko," Torio said while walking over. "She happens to be a childhood friend of your Argelian princess. These Argelians were escorting us back to Xuhua when Upril attacked. We've finished our escort. So, we're sailing under you as Xuhua's secret contribution to the war. Kairi will complain, but she'll eventually stop trying to kill you." He then concentrated his magic on Yalman's astral plate, recharging it and the crystal. Soon enough, Howe and Yalman were treated to the sight of Sema.

"Sizi gördüğüme sevindim, Kaptan Yalman {Good to see you, Captain Yalman}!" Sema beamed. "And Sirius, nice to know that you made the rendezvous."

"We hit a bit of rough water," Howe said. "Should I tell her, or do you want to?"

"I should," Yalman sighed. He then turned to face Sema. "Aksoy, filo Upril donanması tarafından neredeyse tehlikeye atıldı. Kayıp verdik ama savaş zamanında hazır olacağız {Aksoy, the fleet was nearly compromised by Upril's navy. We took casualties, but we will be ready by the time of the battle}." Sema gasped. "Xuhua'nın Prenses Fumiko'sunu, onlardan gördüğümüzde evine geri götürmeye çalışıyorduk. Kaptan Howe için şimdi olsaydı, filomuz yok olurdu {We were trying to escort Princess Fumiko of Xuhua back to her home when we were spotted by them. Were it now for Captain Howe, here, our fleet would have been destroyed}."

Sema placed her hand to her face, and moaned, "Tanrılar tarafından ... ne düşünüyorsun, bu kadar büyük bir filoya sahip olmak için kraliyet eşlik ediyorlardı {By the gods... what were you thinking, escorting royalty with such a large fleet}?" She then said, "Howe, I'm sorry you had to pull this off so early!"

"Don't be," Howe said. "We have them, that's all that matters, right?"

Yalman confessed, "Düşes Avdin, Xuhuan suları yakınlarında yelken gördüğümüzü gördü ve delikteki yeni asını karşılama yolunda Xuhuan prensesini bırakmamızı emretti {Duchess Avdin saw we were sailing near Xuhuan waters, and ordered us to drop off the Xuhuan princess on our way to meet your new ace in the hole}."

"Avdin?" Sema muttered. "Sarayın etrafında mı dolaşıyor yine {Is she snooping around the palace, again}?" She then said, "Bunu sonra Prenses Kadri ve İmparator Nika ile görüşeceğim {I'll discuss this with Princess Kadri and Emperor Nika, later}." Turning to Howe, she said, "Even though the fleet isn't anywhere as strong as it should be, Sirius, we're good to go, thanks to you. Be ready for Nourdari, soon, Captain."

"It's… not going to be pretty," Howe winced.

"Agreed, but that's war," Sema said. "Patch up your ships as best as you can, gentlemen. We're hitting Nourdari, soon. İmparatoriçe Chitra için!"

"İmparatoriçe Chitra için!" Yalman replied before disconnecting. "Howe, I'm going to oversee those prisoners, grill them for any information they know. I'll also take Ugur off your hands… prevent him from giving you any more crazy ideas. You should prepare yourself… we attack, soon."

"Got it," Howe said before Yalman walked away. It was at this point a few footsteps echoed.

"So, you're this 'Howe' prick that I keep hearing about?" Howe and the rest of his crew looked to see a 5'7" woman that looked about 21 years old standing on the deck. She had a well-developed figure, a fair skin complexion (most likely because she sailed a lot), and long, wavy, light blue hair. Her amber yellow eyes with reptilian pupils looked at Howe with an air of curiosity. She was wearing a white, short-sleeved, off-shoulder blouse under a brown leather corset, a slightly torn red hip sash over her white pants, and a pair of brown boots. Around her neck was a brown leather choker collar necklace with a golden tube hanging from it. Finally, Howe noticed (and so did Piper, who quickly ducked behind Howe) was her slightly pointed ears.

"So what if I am?" Howe asked. The woman smirked.

"The Xuhuan part of me would like to turn into a dragon and tear you apart just to see how quickly you'd die," the woman said. "The Thieves Guild part of me agrees with that assessment, seeing as YOU'RE the ones who killed Zrisse, and the only reason Mawdood's letting it slide is because Zrisse tried to betray us. But the limited honorable part of me says I owe you."

"...Wait," Keyon said. "I didn't think the Ustrosi Thieves Guild took in women outside of slaves…."

"EXCUSE ME!?" the woman scowled. "I'll have you know that the Thieves Guild DOES in fact take women! And I take very good care of my lasses! Sure, Mawdood is nasty and has a rather dark business with women, but as his right hand girl, I can get away with so much more than most lieutenants. What can I say? I'm a selfish, greedy bitch, but I have standards about being a selfish, greedy bitch."

"Wait… you're the right hand of one of the most notorious criminal organizations in all of Orobia?" Howe asked. "And you're here in Xuhua because…?"

"Because I wanted to visit home after a job and NOT pay the fare," the woman winked. "It didn't help I spent most of my money on drink. The name's Sheba."

"And what do you want with us, Sheba?" Howe asked.

"To make this clear," Sheba answered. She then grabbed Howe by his neck, and lifted him up. "You have NOT made friends, today. Mawdood will hear about you… and although he'll be relieved you killed Zrisse before he could give anything that could hurt him, he'll eventually try to have your head simply because you stole his kill. But guess what? He won't claim it. I will. But not today." She then threw him down, and said, "You're lucky I'm in a good mood."

"That's a more blunt threat than your princess," Howe said. "Wait… about the guild."

"It's far too late to join us, Howe," Sheba scoffed. "After all, Zrisse may have been a backstabbing thief, but was a good drinking buddy of mine."

"I wasn't asking about that!" Howe scowled. "I wanted to know more about what the Guild's involvement with the Widowing Massacre was! If you're the right-hand woman of Mawdood, then you'd know! Did the Guild help kill the Orobian queens… and why?" Sheba shrugged her arms.

"What's your concern?" Sheba asked. "Were you an Orobian queen's secret lover?" She then laughed, "Look, I'm not one who normally judges, but I don't think you're a queen's type. Still, if you asked me, it would have paid a hell of a lot more to catch them, and ransom them back. I'm a hedonist, but the gold and a brief bit of scorn is a lot better than trying to make everyone fear you. Even if I was there that night, which I wasn't because I was involved in a very wild party in Argelia, why would I tell you anything about what happened other than Mawdood stuck his metal hand in this pie?"

"Take this seriously!" Howe demanded. "All of this violence, pain, suffering… all because I failed to take a stand…!" Sheba raised her eyebrow. She then smirked.

"Oh… so you blame yourself for all of this?" the manakete asked. "You see yourself as responsible… but you don't know how to go about fixing it. To the point that you think you'd have a better chance of doing so by working with the Argelians. I hate complicated people like you: you're boring, you try too hard to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you get so invested in helping other people that you can't focus on your own, and you cause more trouble and headaches for those who actually care about you to the point that they'd rather see you dead because it relieves THEIR stress! Sooner or later, you crash, and then you wonder why people stop giving a damn about you. I wonder how long that friendship with Argelia will last before you come to the conclusion that trying to atone by ending the war as quickly as possible is a terrible idea?" She then walked back from him, and taunted, "You need to indulge in some 'Howe time', buddy! Enjoy the short and simple things! You're only gonna break everything you care about if you don't stop carrying it all at once!"

She then leapt off the ship, laughing as she did so, before melting away… and then emerging as a giant blue dragoness with webbed hands and feet, and actual gills on her neck. Sheba then swam away.

"So," Ugur said while walking back over, "any word on the Thieves Guild spy?"

"Yeah," Howe said, rubbing his head, "and she didn't know anything about the Widowing Massacre."

"The Widowing Massacre… who the hell cares!?" Ugur frowned. "What I want is how to get to the Guild's boss! I get Mawdood, I make Admiral over Aksoy!"

"And what's your problem with Captain Aksoy?" Howe asked.

"She's not ruthless enough to do what needs to be done to win this war and expand Argelia," Ugur said. "You saw Konunlik… instead of making examples to show what happens to those who resist the might of the Empire, she gave a rousing speech about how what we're doing is a 'necessary evil' to 'achieve peace'. The last I checked, empires aren't built or founded upon peace, and House Aksoy has knights, not diplomats. The only reason she's even this high ranked is because she happens to be a good friend of Princess Kadri. I don't think she's capable of leading the siege we're preparing for… and if our empire is going to thrive, it will only do so with someone who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty at the helm. Men like us."

"Us?" Howe questioned.

"I've seen you fight, today, Howe," Ugur said. "Beneath that pragmatism, there's a ruthless side of you. Anyone you personally fight, you make DAMN sure they're not getting back up. You only spared those people in Konunlik to make nice with Aksoy, but there were multiple ways you could have gone about that attack if you really wanted to send Ustros a message to surrender. It's fine to pretend to have mercy to get in Aksoy's skirt, but you have to use this next battle to teach her and the rest of your troops that this is WAR, and it is fear, not misplaced love, that keeps the peasants in line. You can't build an empire without trampling over a few villages." He then walked away towards Yalman's ship, not letting Howe have any more words.

"...You sound like you're willing to trample over far more than a few," Howe said.


Kingdom Rider92's Notes: In case it wasn't obvious, Xuhua is the Wutai of Night of Tales. For those of you who have never been on TV Tropes, good for you, it's a huge time waster that you'd become addicted to, trust me! But to make it this a long story short, the Wutai, named for the location in Final Fantasy VII, is a random east-Asian (most likely Japanese) location in the middle of your western European fantasy setting... or in this case, your Arabian Nights setting. Why am I including this at all, you might ask? Since modern day Fire Emblem games (the ones on the 3DS) had Chon'sin in Awakening (where Lon'qu, Say'ri, and Yen'fay were all from) and Hoshido in Fates, and until perhaps E3 we have NO idea what the heck the Switch game is going to involve, I have a feeling that these types of settings will be in future FE titles. Heck, it works here BECAUSE before it made its way into the Arabian Nights, "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" was a Chinese-written piece (although it was based on a Middle Eastern setting, which perhaps explains how it eventually weaved its way into the Arabian Nights). That's why they speak poorly-translated Japanese (I used Google Translate, copied the subtitles instead of the actual Japanese script, and used that).

Second, you know that manakete Sheba? Yeah, she's half-manakete. Special thanks to her creator, LordofAwesomeness23/World's End34! Howe just risked his life to save your character AND a Xuhuan princess! I hope I got her right!

Well, Howe did get a couple crew members out of it... Kairi and Torio. I'll admit, Kairi was the one I first created the earlier for Howe's campaign, but to make sure I kept the male-to-female ratio semi-balanced (plus to emphasize magic being used in the astral crystals/plates), I had to create Torio, a mage.

Now, Kairi, being your Navarre archetype (she's actually red for Howe until you use Torio (who starts green, but is in NO danger from Kairi) to talk her down from killing Howe... and she WILL if you try to recruit her with Howe straight-up), is a myrmidon, the glass cannon swordsmen that have three variants: Orobian, Argelian, and Xuhuan. While Orobian ones are dressed in a desert style and are harder to hit, Argelian ones are dressed in semi-bulkier armor and harder to KILL, Xuhuan myrmidons like Kairi are far more skilled, wear the lightest armor, and are faster and kill a lot easier. Kairi has a few options, too, when she promotes: she's able to be either an assassin, get access to bows and the one-hit kill Lethality, become a Swordmaster, getting Astra and Swordfaire, or a Janissary, a class that allows her axes and lances and is a physical melee jack-of-all trades.

...God, I need to check in on Kiral.

Meanwhile, Torio, being a mage, is an all-too familiar class to Fire Emblem (or fantasy games in general), and know that you have a squishy glass wizard whose job is to fling spells and wreck people's day, especially those units with poor resistance. Magi can gain steeds, either a ground steed if they're male, becoming a Dark Knight (and getting swords and Lifetaker) or a winged steed and becoming a Dark Flier if female (and gaining pegasi), with dark magic for both of these. They can also become melee-fighting healers, being either a male, axe-wielding War Monk or a sword-swinging, female Priestess. But if you'd rather not be forced to choose a gender-exclusive class, Magi can become Enchanters, getting access to light magic, staves, and daggers.

Finally, the biggest recruit of this chapter: Sabine. Yes, the cutter is a playable "party member", and Howe's campaign is made more difficult because you have to remember the ship has HP and you need to use it for combat, approaches, and escapes. The Sabine starts as a cutter, but can "promote" (in short, be rebuilt into the Sabine II) into being a brig (tankier, ramming does more initial damage to boarding/hand-to-hand combat, comes with chain shots to hinder enemy ships' movement to prevent them from escaping to repair very far) or schooner (faster, harder to hit, comes with releasing mines to help with getaways)... eventually, you can reclass it again (as the Sabine III) into a galleon (far more resistant to magical attacks that will come later, has an automatic magic cannon you don't need to purchase/have equipped to use magic, and increases the rewards for successful boarding/raids) or a man-of-war (does the most amount of damage without having to equip certain cannons, is able to move and attack twice a turn, and is quite durable). Regardless of how you use it, the ship will level up on its own the more you have Howe at the helm, so you should have an easy time getting it near ready to upgrade by the end of Howe's campaign.

Now, this chapter itself explains not just what's going on in Ustros leading to its defeat and submission to Argelia during the other three lords' campaigns, but Xuhua's history itself. Approximately fifty years ago, Xuhua's ruler, Oshiro Nobunaga, was a powerful king who saw the Empire of Argelia, and wanted an empire of his own. Conquering a group of small nations that aren't important to the plot, he eventually turned his attention westward to Orobia and Giuss, bombarding the latter for months. Novan Howe, back then a naval captain and privateer, was challenged to hinder Nobunaga... a clearly intended suicide mission by his nobleborn superiors who didn't like his common birth. Unfortunately for them, Novan Howe wasn't stupid enough to actually TRY to kill Nobunaga, a beast of a swordsman who had an impressive dueling record, in single combat or directly engage Nobunaga's fleet. Instead, Novan used what he DID have to pull essentially what Robin did in that one naval battle chapter of Awakening. He lured an angered Nobunaga's fleet into chasing his ships towards a reef, and let them sail in it, getting themselves trapped before detonating a boat full of flammable material. The resulting explosion destroyed the fleet, killed Nobunaga... and earned the Howe family a lifetime enemy with the nation of Xuhua for a "dishonorable approach to combat". Sadly, Xuhua was forced to surrender because they didn't have the manpower or ship power to take revenge without disturbing Shuteng's peace, but the Howes were never welcome in Xuhua ever again. Our Howe himself is lucky that Fumiko is MUCH nicer than her siblings.

As for Ustros, yep, Zainab from the prologue! She's still alive! Although heavily demoted since the Widowing Massacre. In fact, if her captain had her way, Zainab would have been hanged by now for failing to protect Najiyya. As for King Rifat, I hope you enjoy seeing this young man, because he's the current ruler of Ustros. Yeah, I feel really sorry I didn't show Kalia or Usman alive in-universe (especially Kalia, since she was the last member of the Heroines of Aseel's War that has yet to be seen), so I'm going to seriously need to find a way to make up for this girl.

But I also need to answer some reviews.

KazeNoKishiX: Well, thank LuciferXIII Trollkaiger Green. They were the one who made both Casval and Saiduq, and Casval was clearly (to me, at least) written as a villain with a vision... a dark vision. Yes, Casval has his reasons for his dark outlook, and you can ask his creator if Lucifer feels like sharing. Under normal circumstances (i.e., Sizah wasn't already decided as the arc villain of Janiya's mini-campaign), Casval would be perfect for her as the big bad. But due to the fact I had already decided Sizah would be the big bad of Janiya's tale AND I want Casval's story to be told, I let him be a Karma Houdini... for now. As for other villains, well... yeah, it's a Fire Emblem story, typically the humanoid boss of the chapter, even if they're given a generic face, at least has a name. Sure, they're killed off as quickly as they come, but it comes with the territory.

Yeah, because of how powerful magical beings like genies are, I felt the need to limit them somehow, which is why I created the bound genie rule... but I felt that I should punish them with a fate worse than death should the rule ever be broken, and I wanted to incorporate the ghoul type of genie in somehow.

I'm glad someone actually is willing to give Sulaiman a chance. He has quite the bad luck streak: he's the second-born child of a nation that does NOT value second or third-borns as highly as their first, the only person to ever care about him unconditionally (besides family members) is from his country's old foe Cruibia, almost every decision he's made has been second guessed, and he's surrounded by political enemies, but tries to play nice. That's not even mentioning his poll rating. It makes you wonder what is going to happen with his campaign and his goal to get to Cruibia.

LuciferXIII Trollkaiger Green: You're very welcome for including your OCs. I'm glad I have Casval close to how you imagined him... he's a villain character that I really wanted to see kick ass. Again, if Sizah wasn't here and already decided on, you know he'd be an effective Arc Villain for Janiya, and I thank you for him, Saiduq, and your latest OC. That said, I feel I shouldn't let Casval go to waste... I have plans, just to let you know.

A lot of dark movement is happening, here. You have the manaketes under Adre of the west, realizing her enemy is back because some of her people accidentally dug up said enemy, and is moving to counteract her, while Janiya barely survives meeting an Argelian general who effectively gave her an emotional and (had it not been for Darius) physical curbstomp battle that until she finishes training she stands no chance of defeating, and Sizah is planning a one-two punch to announce her return and third attempt to destroy Cruibia, this time by recruiting an army of genies and branding manaketes while hiring Ustrosi Thieves Guild bandits to launch raids. All Darius feels he can do until either Sizah or Casval (preferably the former) are defeated is lock down Cruibia, which is why you won't see Tawni, during the rest of her campaign, return to it, most of Howe's campaign has already happened by this point, and Sulaiman's campaign... well you'll see.

Yeah, I know you probably WEREN'T thinking that Saiduq could be one of Janiya's romantic supports (and yes, there ARE going to be romantic and even friendship supports in Night of Tales, for anyone curious, but 1, no child units will be made/mentioned in Night of Tales, and 2, they're going to be in story format instead of script, because I find it easier for me to do that for dialogue purposes), but yeah, I figured Janiya, who is a bit of a rebel and barely already cares for the niceties of politics, wouldn't mind being with Saiduq. Although he WOULD, in their support conversations, remind her that A, he's technically her commanding officer and even if he wasn't she's a princess while he's kind of low on the noble totem pole compared to Janiya, B, he DOES have enemies in the noble courts and it would be somewhat of a scandal for her to pursue him romantically, and C, he's actually a slower romantic support than Janiya's other suitors because of those reasons. This is in spite of the fact that 1, Janiya's other current love interests (Payam (who has a MUCH faster support) and Caspar) are both minor nobles, and 2, a lot of Fire Emblem games that do involve romantic supports that the player can choose for themselves don't really care for rank... despite the time periods usually do.

Oh, I plan to explore the genies-to-ghouls thing a LOT. And to answer the question, it's not exactly a well-known thing by most humans. Typically, those who are trained to defend against magic like Templars and their promotions, royals like Yasmin and Darius, high-ranking members of the military, skilled travelers like Guaril, old dragons like Adre, and genies themselves are the only ones who really know how ghouls are made. But nobody really likes them, because ghouling a genie is typically a last resort in Orobian warfare, since despite how hard it is to actually kill a bound genie in comparison to fighting ghouls, at least there's ONE genie in that case.

Ike: Yeah, I wanted those who thought to submit a character who was at least part-genie to know if they're going to have a bound object, they need to protect it.

And yeah, I always did plan for there to be romantic supports... just don't expect to be playing, "pairing for stats for a second generation" like you would in Genealogy, Awakening, or Fates if you really wanted to metagame. In fact, there are no playable child units in Night of Tales, because I refuse to try to justify them playing a role in this story or making them now for our heroes, nor do I want YOU all, who actually submit OCs for this project, to actually feel pressured to try to pop out child units.

Guest: Well, I'm trying to make Zeke a good boy. We're still working on it, but thank you very much for understanding that my priorities have been a bit scrambled.

Yeah, Sizah is an evil bitch. And to answer the question about Megtra, a bit of both, really. Sizah's Dragon Domination spell makes her a bit more compliant with Sizah's demands, but Sizah has been pushing Meg to her physical, mental, and emotional limits, and has been repeatedly been abusing her over the course of a month, during which Sizah has been gathering small groups of allies. Sooner or later, Megtra may break down, if not die, if she's not given some help, and Sizah won't give a damn.

ZenoZen: Thank you. Yeah, Janiya's surprised ME with her popularity. I honestly thought Tawni would be higher than her and Howe... and I'm not surprised to see Sulaiman right now towards the bottom. Please give him a chance to shine.

Yeah, Sulaiman and Aladdin are both a quarter ifrit. Real ifrits in Islam refer to them as powerful and dangerous genie spirits, so while Minoo was the hero of her generation, Etti the smart girl, Adre the big girl, and Kalia was the chick, Farah was the lancer, and a damn powerful one. Makes you wonder how she ended up dying in the prologue. And ifrits in Night of Tales... well, let's just say Sulaiman may be slow to anger, but his rage breaking point will be explosive. Not to mention he ends up starting out at the highest level of all four "lords".

Yeah, so far, we know of at least one current carrier of the Fire Emblem fragments: Yasmin. The other ones are unknown... for now.

Wait, are you doing a codex. If the answer is "Yes"... you and I need to talk. You can also talk to LuciferXIII Trollkaiger Green if you want more information about Casval, the name of the masked Crusader who would have handed Janiya her ass had Darius and Yasmin not been there. Casval is an interesting and ruthless villain, I couldn't say no to including him. Also, he and his forces gives me a good idea for a major arc.

Consort: Actually, they're not joining Janiya, they're staying in Adre's village as caretakers, simply because Adre trusts them to not let everything go to hell. Janiya won't run into them during her campaign... but maybe during the main story. It will be interesting to see them with either Tawni or Sulaiman... but there's no telling if they'll join then or later on. The two's stories may have them pass through their area, but go on.

As her uncle points out at the end of Janiya's chapter, she's very lucky to be alive. Had Darius not played Papa Wolf and redirected Casval's sword swing, Janiya would have more than briefly lost the use of her magic as well as a lot of blood in her arm. She'd be dead.

Well, yeah, Templars are MEANT to make people rethink how to fight armored units. You can't magic them to death like you would a knight, general, or great knight. They don't have lances, so you can't just use an axe to chop them down. The best bet is to use an armor-piercing weapon or a lance like Saiduq does.

Sizah, twice before, tried to destroy Cruibia with no real plan but overwhelming force. This time, she's still using overwhelming force... but she's getting an army together. Devastation is inevitable, but Janiya's going to try to form her OWN plan to counter the Chaos Djinn into making a fatal mistake.

Alright, next time, we're going to see Tawni infiltrate a Thief's Guild hideout. Farewell, my subjects!