DISCLAIMER
Several assumptions about the travels of Vyse, and the flow of Arcadia are made in this chapter.
1) Vyse and crew flew right past Maramba, on the trip from Crescent Isle to Esperanza. They'll get Kilafa later.
2) The Valuan fleet did not travel in a course similar to Vyse's, but rather traveled north, past the lands of ice. This is the only explanation for the early warning of the approaching fleet. If they came from north of esperanza, there would be no warning, they'd just appear on top of the village one day.
3) The Nasrad fleet was almost totally decimated. Possibly one or two ships, but the backbone of Nasr's defense was gone. And this fleet protected everything under the red moon. Without this fleet, all of Nasr is highly vulnerable, and open to scavengers (read: black pirates).
Check chapter 1 for the REAL disclaimer.
btw, I know this chapter sucks. I was working on the pirates scene for 2 days. I'm sorry, they'll get better!
--------
As the sun peeked over the horizon, it spread it's rays of hot air across the sub-continent of Maramba. The red moon turned the sun a bright red, and turned the sky a bright pink. In turn, the star made the moon of fire appear to actually be on fire.
The hot air overturned the sand, and blew it everywhere. The coarse air blew past Tilara's smooth skin. As she looked towards the horizon, she saw a cloud of sand increasing in size, and start to blanket the sun. The cloud of sand started to worry her, she wondered if she should head back inside.
As she pondered about the still growing dust cloud, Jare stepped up behind her.
"One of the things about the sun rising against the red moon, is that it superheats the air. As the air becomes hot, it spreads through the cold air, and this kicks up sand. Thus, every morning, a sand storm kicks up", Jare explained, "We should get back inside, before it gets here".
"Alright", Tilara replied, still in a slight sense of amazement.
The Yafutoman was resting on the bed at the inn. She had become so tired, the height and style of the bed no longer mattered to her all that much. SHe hadn't noticed that Jare had slipped out, until he barged in loudly, that is.
"Well, I got supplies, your ship's ready to go", he said, waking Tilara from her trance.
"Um, okay, so, where do we go now?", she said, still half-asleep.
"Well, I found out that when Valua attacked Nasrad, they also took out the merchant ship yards. Probably in fear that they would be used to build military vessels in retaliation", he started to say, "So, the nearest port is probably Sailor's Island, from there it's just a few hours to the Valuan ship yards. But we'll need to get a level 1 Valuan passport to get there. Luckily, I already have one, just don't ask how I got it".
"So, Sailor's Island it is? What are we waiting for? lead the way, guide", she commanded jokingly.
As they approached the docks, they saw a large ship of metal streak across the sky. It was the largest ship either of them had seen.
"What is that?!", Tilara questioned in amazement, "It's almost as big as an anguila, or an arcwhale!"
"I heard about those.. The Delphinus-class cruiser. I never would've thought Valua would finish with those so fast." Jare commented, pulling out a mini telescope to get a closer look at the warship.
"But, if that's a Valuan ship, shouldn't they be firing on us?" Tilara pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right", Jare responded, looking through his telescope, "Wait.. that's a-HA! That's a Blue Rogues ship! I don't recognize the flag... Hm, it's heading south. But there is nothing south of Maramba...".
"Maybe he knows something you don't?" Tilara said jokingly, watching the ship start to dissapear from sight. "Hey, what's that?", she asked, pointing to something on the horizon.
Jare turned his head to get a look, "I.. don't know", he admitted.
The two looked at the small spots as they became bigger.
"It... looks like a fleet of... Black Pirates!" Jare shouted, just as he heard the sound of cannons being fired. "Get down!" he shouted at Tilara, pushing her to the ground, and covering her, just as a barrage of cannon balls blew through the sailor's guild and ship parts dealer behind them, sending the building up in flames.
"What should we do?!" Tilara asked, in a panic.
"Get to the ship!", he commanded, pushing her along to the docks.
As they approached it, a cannonball blasted right through it, sending it in flames, sinking down into deep sky.
The Yafutoman screamed, "My ship!"
"I think we have bigger things to worry about", Jare said, pointing at the small fleet that was growing closer.
"What now? Why aren't they firing?", Tilara questioned, still panicing.
"They aren't firing because it's easier to raid a village when it's not in flames", he replied, throwing back the bottom of his jacket to get to his holster. "They're attacking Maramba, because they know the Nasr fleet has been totally destroyed, so no one to oppose them", he added, pulling his two pistols out. "I hope you're trained at some form of hand-to-hand combat", he said, examining the two pistols, "Once they land, they'll be angry, and eager to raid this village. Knowing black pirates, they'll probably kill the men and children, and... rape the women".
"Rape?", the foreigner muttered, with a tone of fright, "Real nice culture you have here in the west. I'm REAL glad I came here".
"No use complaining about it now", Jare said, still adjusting his pistols. "Here they come!"
The black pirates jumped from their hovering ship, but before they could move, Jare already had his twin pistols pointed at them.
"Going somewhere boys?", he said authoritatively, "I wouldn't".
"You can't beat all of us", the leader of the bunch snorted, a disgusting man, with an overgrown beard, an eyepatch, and a peg leg. As he said this, a few dozen more black pirates jumped from the hovering ships.
"You're right, I can't", Jare said, dropping his pistols, holding up his hands.
"What're you doing?!", Tilara whispered to him.
"We can't win, not now. I have a plan, don't worry, just surrender for now", he commanded her.
"I hope you know what you're doing", she said, holding up her hands.
"Okay boys, take them! Start rounding up the villagers, and then we'll get to raiding this place", the leader of the pirates shouted to the group.
A few minutes later, Jare and Tilara were firmly tied down to the remains of the the sailor's guild. The black pirates set up a small base of operations at the docks. EVentually the group of pirates that went into the town came back out.
"There's no one in the whole town, sir", one of the members of the search team said, "It's like the whole town was abandoned".
"Hm, forget them then. It lets us get right to the pillaging!", the lead pirate shouted.
His men let out a loud cheer, and ran into the town.
"You two", the leader shouted at 2 of the pirates, "Make sure they don't go anywhere!", he commanded, pointing at the 2 prisoners. After he said this, he started to follow his men into the village.
"So, what's this plan of yours?" Tilara whispered, struggling with the ropes.
"Just be ready", he replied, fiddling with his ropes.
"For what?", she asked.
"For this", he replied, jumping free of the ropes, and bum rushing the closer of the two guards.
Both guards were caught too off-guard to react to the situation. As he tackled the guard, he ripped the pirate's pistol out of it's holster. With the gun in hand, he spun away from the first guard, and shot the second one squarely in the chest. As the tackled guard started to stand up, Jare smacked the butt of the gun against his head, knocking him out cold.
"I'm sorry you had to see that", he said to Tilara.
The yafutoman, still in amazement, uttered "You're not just a fisherman, are you?".
"No, but we'll discuss that later", he replied, looking around the harbor, at the 3 ships docked side by side.
He chuckled as he jumped into the middle of the 3 ships. Inside the small bridge of the ship he fiddled with the weapons systems. Suddenly, a cannonball shot out of each side of the ship, piercing the boats on the two ends.
"What was that for?!", Tilara shouted at Jare, "Now they'll know we're free, and come back here!".
Jare stepped back onto the deck of the pirate's ship. "Do you know how to use one of these?", he questioned, throwing a pistold into her arms.
"No, but I-".
"Point, and squeeze the trigger", he told her, while cutting the rope holding the ship down to the docks.
Jare walked back to the bridge, and turned the ship so that the starboard cannons were pointing at the top of the stairway leading into town.
Eventually, the group of pirates reformed at the door leading into town. Each of them came, and stopped when they saw the cannons pointed at them.
"Now", Jare started to command of the raiders, "You will take this ship, without it's armaments, and get out of here!".
"Stupid boy!", the captain of the pirates started to shout, "The second you step off that ship, we'll attack you, and make you pay. You have no backup!"
"I wouldn't say that", Tilara replied, pointing the gun at the pirate group.
"And", Jare started to add, somewhat enjoying his current authority, "If you look behind you, you should see a rather angry group of Marambans".
The pirates turned around, seeing what seemed to be all the people of the village, holding crude weapons, pointed at the group of scavengers.
"Now", Jare began, "I am going to disarm this ship. You will stay right there, and once I am done, you will take this ship, and LEAVE".
"Grr, fine!", the pirate snorted.
The weaponless, overcrowded pirates ship took off, and headed into the distance. Jare and Tilara stood on the remnants of one of the piers, watching them depart.
"You'll see us again!", the captain of the ship shouted, as the ship dissapeared.
"Well Jare", Tilara began to say, "That was-".
"Excuse me!", a big man said, stepping up to the two, "I'm the mayor of Maramba. And I just want to thank both of you, for saving our village!".
"We couldn't have done it without you", Jare replied, being modest.
"Hehe, yes, that is true. Well, I must be going, we still have to rebuild this place!", the muscular man said, starting to turn away, "Thank you again!".
"Odd man, which is why I like this place", Jare commented. "You've seem to become quite adjusted", he added, turning to Tilara.
"Yes, anyways, as I was saying", she started. "What do we do now? My ship has been destroyed. For the time being, all trade in and out of this little port has stopped. And we still don't have a new destination!"
"Yes", he started to reply, pulling out a pocket watch. "I meant to ask, can you apply your yafutoman technology to adapt one of our ships to fly above and below the clouds?".
"Yes, but-".
"Good", he cut her off. "Then here's our ride!" he said, pointing up at the sky.
Tilara turned around to see one of the oddest ship designs she had ever seen. It was a sail ship, with two masts sticking out of the top. But in addition to this, it had a fun jutting out from the bottom, and two masts with small sails sticking out from the sides. It also had a metal cover in the front, which seemed to house several cannons. It's flag design was a skull with a cigar in it's mouth. It seemed to be a very majestic ship.
"That's the Claudia", Jare added. "A blue rogue ship. The captain is a man named Gilder. He's kind of unique. Him and his crew are always searching for 'the good life'. Whether that's adventure, gold, or women, or all 3, I don't think even he knows. I just hope he's actually on board today".
"Gilder?", Tilara said, watching as a small life boat came out of the ship, on approach to the ruins of the docks, "I think you've mentioned him before".
Several assumptions about the travels of Vyse, and the flow of Arcadia are made in this chapter.
1) Vyse and crew flew right past Maramba, on the trip from Crescent Isle to Esperanza. They'll get Kilafa later.
2) The Valuan fleet did not travel in a course similar to Vyse's, but rather traveled north, past the lands of ice. This is the only explanation for the early warning of the approaching fleet. If they came from north of esperanza, there would be no warning, they'd just appear on top of the village one day.
3) The Nasrad fleet was almost totally decimated. Possibly one or two ships, but the backbone of Nasr's defense was gone. And this fleet protected everything under the red moon. Without this fleet, all of Nasr is highly vulnerable, and open to scavengers (read: black pirates).
Check chapter 1 for the REAL disclaimer.
btw, I know this chapter sucks. I was working on the pirates scene for 2 days. I'm sorry, they'll get better!
--------
As the sun peeked over the horizon, it spread it's rays of hot air across the sub-continent of Maramba. The red moon turned the sun a bright red, and turned the sky a bright pink. In turn, the star made the moon of fire appear to actually be on fire.
The hot air overturned the sand, and blew it everywhere. The coarse air blew past Tilara's smooth skin. As she looked towards the horizon, she saw a cloud of sand increasing in size, and start to blanket the sun. The cloud of sand started to worry her, she wondered if she should head back inside.
As she pondered about the still growing dust cloud, Jare stepped up behind her.
"One of the things about the sun rising against the red moon, is that it superheats the air. As the air becomes hot, it spreads through the cold air, and this kicks up sand. Thus, every morning, a sand storm kicks up", Jare explained, "We should get back inside, before it gets here".
"Alright", Tilara replied, still in a slight sense of amazement.
The Yafutoman was resting on the bed at the inn. She had become so tired, the height and style of the bed no longer mattered to her all that much. SHe hadn't noticed that Jare had slipped out, until he barged in loudly, that is.
"Well, I got supplies, your ship's ready to go", he said, waking Tilara from her trance.
"Um, okay, so, where do we go now?", she said, still half-asleep.
"Well, I found out that when Valua attacked Nasrad, they also took out the merchant ship yards. Probably in fear that they would be used to build military vessels in retaliation", he started to say, "So, the nearest port is probably Sailor's Island, from there it's just a few hours to the Valuan ship yards. But we'll need to get a level 1 Valuan passport to get there. Luckily, I already have one, just don't ask how I got it".
"So, Sailor's Island it is? What are we waiting for? lead the way, guide", she commanded jokingly.
As they approached the docks, they saw a large ship of metal streak across the sky. It was the largest ship either of them had seen.
"What is that?!", Tilara questioned in amazement, "It's almost as big as an anguila, or an arcwhale!"
"I heard about those.. The Delphinus-class cruiser. I never would've thought Valua would finish with those so fast." Jare commented, pulling out a mini telescope to get a closer look at the warship.
"But, if that's a Valuan ship, shouldn't they be firing on us?" Tilara pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right", Jare responded, looking through his telescope, "Wait.. that's a-HA! That's a Blue Rogues ship! I don't recognize the flag... Hm, it's heading south. But there is nothing south of Maramba...".
"Maybe he knows something you don't?" Tilara said jokingly, watching the ship start to dissapear from sight. "Hey, what's that?", she asked, pointing to something on the horizon.
Jare turned his head to get a look, "I.. don't know", he admitted.
The two looked at the small spots as they became bigger.
"It... looks like a fleet of... Black Pirates!" Jare shouted, just as he heard the sound of cannons being fired. "Get down!" he shouted at Tilara, pushing her to the ground, and covering her, just as a barrage of cannon balls blew through the sailor's guild and ship parts dealer behind them, sending the building up in flames.
"What should we do?!" Tilara asked, in a panic.
"Get to the ship!", he commanded, pushing her along to the docks.
As they approached it, a cannonball blasted right through it, sending it in flames, sinking down into deep sky.
The Yafutoman screamed, "My ship!"
"I think we have bigger things to worry about", Jare said, pointing at the small fleet that was growing closer.
"What now? Why aren't they firing?", Tilara questioned, still panicing.
"They aren't firing because it's easier to raid a village when it's not in flames", he replied, throwing back the bottom of his jacket to get to his holster. "They're attacking Maramba, because they know the Nasr fleet has been totally destroyed, so no one to oppose them", he added, pulling his two pistols out. "I hope you're trained at some form of hand-to-hand combat", he said, examining the two pistols, "Once they land, they'll be angry, and eager to raid this village. Knowing black pirates, they'll probably kill the men and children, and... rape the women".
"Rape?", the foreigner muttered, with a tone of fright, "Real nice culture you have here in the west. I'm REAL glad I came here".
"No use complaining about it now", Jare said, still adjusting his pistols. "Here they come!"
The black pirates jumped from their hovering ship, but before they could move, Jare already had his twin pistols pointed at them.
"Going somewhere boys?", he said authoritatively, "I wouldn't".
"You can't beat all of us", the leader of the bunch snorted, a disgusting man, with an overgrown beard, an eyepatch, and a peg leg. As he said this, a few dozen more black pirates jumped from the hovering ships.
"You're right, I can't", Jare said, dropping his pistols, holding up his hands.
"What're you doing?!", Tilara whispered to him.
"We can't win, not now. I have a plan, don't worry, just surrender for now", he commanded her.
"I hope you know what you're doing", she said, holding up her hands.
"Okay boys, take them! Start rounding up the villagers, and then we'll get to raiding this place", the leader of the pirates shouted to the group.
A few minutes later, Jare and Tilara were firmly tied down to the remains of the the sailor's guild. The black pirates set up a small base of operations at the docks. EVentually the group of pirates that went into the town came back out.
"There's no one in the whole town, sir", one of the members of the search team said, "It's like the whole town was abandoned".
"Hm, forget them then. It lets us get right to the pillaging!", the lead pirate shouted.
His men let out a loud cheer, and ran into the town.
"You two", the leader shouted at 2 of the pirates, "Make sure they don't go anywhere!", he commanded, pointing at the 2 prisoners. After he said this, he started to follow his men into the village.
"So, what's this plan of yours?" Tilara whispered, struggling with the ropes.
"Just be ready", he replied, fiddling with his ropes.
"For what?", she asked.
"For this", he replied, jumping free of the ropes, and bum rushing the closer of the two guards.
Both guards were caught too off-guard to react to the situation. As he tackled the guard, he ripped the pirate's pistol out of it's holster. With the gun in hand, he spun away from the first guard, and shot the second one squarely in the chest. As the tackled guard started to stand up, Jare smacked the butt of the gun against his head, knocking him out cold.
"I'm sorry you had to see that", he said to Tilara.
The yafutoman, still in amazement, uttered "You're not just a fisherman, are you?".
"No, but we'll discuss that later", he replied, looking around the harbor, at the 3 ships docked side by side.
He chuckled as he jumped into the middle of the 3 ships. Inside the small bridge of the ship he fiddled with the weapons systems. Suddenly, a cannonball shot out of each side of the ship, piercing the boats on the two ends.
"What was that for?!", Tilara shouted at Jare, "Now they'll know we're free, and come back here!".
Jare stepped back onto the deck of the pirate's ship. "Do you know how to use one of these?", he questioned, throwing a pistold into her arms.
"No, but I-".
"Point, and squeeze the trigger", he told her, while cutting the rope holding the ship down to the docks.
Jare walked back to the bridge, and turned the ship so that the starboard cannons were pointing at the top of the stairway leading into town.
Eventually, the group of pirates reformed at the door leading into town. Each of them came, and stopped when they saw the cannons pointed at them.
"Now", Jare started to command of the raiders, "You will take this ship, without it's armaments, and get out of here!".
"Stupid boy!", the captain of the pirates started to shout, "The second you step off that ship, we'll attack you, and make you pay. You have no backup!"
"I wouldn't say that", Tilara replied, pointing the gun at the pirate group.
"And", Jare started to add, somewhat enjoying his current authority, "If you look behind you, you should see a rather angry group of Marambans".
The pirates turned around, seeing what seemed to be all the people of the village, holding crude weapons, pointed at the group of scavengers.
"Now", Jare began, "I am going to disarm this ship. You will stay right there, and once I am done, you will take this ship, and LEAVE".
"Grr, fine!", the pirate snorted.
The weaponless, overcrowded pirates ship took off, and headed into the distance. Jare and Tilara stood on the remnants of one of the piers, watching them depart.
"You'll see us again!", the captain of the ship shouted, as the ship dissapeared.
"Well Jare", Tilara began to say, "That was-".
"Excuse me!", a big man said, stepping up to the two, "I'm the mayor of Maramba. And I just want to thank both of you, for saving our village!".
"We couldn't have done it without you", Jare replied, being modest.
"Hehe, yes, that is true. Well, I must be going, we still have to rebuild this place!", the muscular man said, starting to turn away, "Thank you again!".
"Odd man, which is why I like this place", Jare commented. "You've seem to become quite adjusted", he added, turning to Tilara.
"Yes, anyways, as I was saying", she started. "What do we do now? My ship has been destroyed. For the time being, all trade in and out of this little port has stopped. And we still don't have a new destination!"
"Yes", he started to reply, pulling out a pocket watch. "I meant to ask, can you apply your yafutoman technology to adapt one of our ships to fly above and below the clouds?".
"Yes, but-".
"Good", he cut her off. "Then here's our ride!" he said, pointing up at the sky.
Tilara turned around to see one of the oddest ship designs she had ever seen. It was a sail ship, with two masts sticking out of the top. But in addition to this, it had a fun jutting out from the bottom, and two masts with small sails sticking out from the sides. It also had a metal cover in the front, which seemed to house several cannons. It's flag design was a skull with a cigar in it's mouth. It seemed to be a very majestic ship.
"That's the Claudia", Jare added. "A blue rogue ship. The captain is a man named Gilder. He's kind of unique. Him and his crew are always searching for 'the good life'. Whether that's adventure, gold, or women, or all 3, I don't think even he knows. I just hope he's actually on board today".
"Gilder?", Tilara said, watching as a small life boat came out of the ship, on approach to the ruins of the docks, "I think you've mentioned him before".