Syrup and the Wolfenboss watched as Tatanga retreated back to his legions and Wario behind them. She had gone running when she heard that Anonster had struck Tatanga himself in the shoulder but was too late to prevent the alien from leaving. Perhaps he would have made a valuable hostage against Wario. "The wall is solid," said the Wolfenboss, a bit startled that Anonster had gone so far as to maim their alien foe. To him, Syrup seemed completely unfazed. "It will indeed do the job of channeling the aliens into Rogueport and the rest of our defenses are nearly complete."

"Wolfenboss, have the men found any route through the hills to our back?" asked Syrup.

"None, captain," answered the Wolfenboss. Yet atop the brown stones and pale ground stood Wormwould like a broken creature. In the time to come, Syrup would wonder how long Wormwould stood behind her, almost as if waiting for an opportune time to gain her favour.

"There is such a route, good captain," he hissed, interrupting the two pirates. He lowered his bronze shield to reveal his entire body to both of them. "Just past that western ridge. Its an old Inamazu path. The aliens could use it to outflank us." The Wolfenboss stepped forward and leveled his spear at Wormwould's frame.

"Not one step closer, monster," warned the burly pirate.

"Wise captain, I humbly request an audience," whimpered Wormwould, bowing his head towards Syrup.

"I'll skewer you where you stand!" roared the Wolfenboss, standing firm. Yet, Syrup lowered her spear in front of the Wolfenboss' chest, abruptly stopping him from advancing towards Wormwould.

"I gave no such order," she calmly whispered. The Wolfenboss looked to his captain and backed away slowly, watching Wormwould as he returned to his men, who prepared for the aliens. "Forgive the Wolfenboss. He is a good pirate… but a bit short on manners." Politeness in words and stance was something that had been prioritized throughout Syrup's childhood and she found the seas hard pressed to take that from her. Syrup squinted and shortened his gaze to Syrup.

"There is nothing to forgive, brave captain," stuttered Wormwould. "I know what I look like."

"You wear the crimson of a pirate of Mystic Lake," noted Syrup. She herself had never been there, but she knew that many proud men from that place had joined in the fight against Rool.

"I am Wormwould," said the grisly being, raising his head with pride, "born of Mystic Lake. My mother's love led my parents to flee to Kitchen Island, lest I be discarded. My father became a shepherd, but he taught me the sailor's way."

"Your weapon's and armour?" asked Syrup, for she felt not pride when she saw this creature, but pity. She'd seen many beings like him of poor circumstance, where she came from, his family would have found a way to care for him and his deformities. Life like a side show was a hard one, but Syrup could hardly believe that she had it in her to say what was necessary. Silence lay between the knowledgeable captain and the eager soul.

"I beg you, bold captain, to permit me to redeem my father's name by serving you in combat," pleaded Wormwould as Syrup leaned against a smooth, cool stone. Her face was stoic and she couldn't betray her true feelings, not to this creature. "You will see… day and night my father trained me and taught me Rudy's art of combat." Wormwould opened his stance and twirled the shaft of his spear, blurring the speed of its arc. "To feel no fear… to show no pain… to make spear and shield and sword as much a part of me as my own beating heart." Wormwould jabbed his spear towards the alien ships in the distance, breathing, growling at the imaginary men that fell before him. "You see? My arms are strong and my reach is long… I will earn my father's armour, noble captain… and reclaim my family's honour in battle."

"A fine thrust," noted Syrup, giving only as much praise as she could afford and at that she stood. Syrup was not a particularly tall woman, but even she towered over the warped frame of Wormwould. She did not tower over many people. "Raise your shield."

"Captain?"

"Raise your shield as high as you can," ordered Syrup. Perhaps this creature could help her, although it was likely that he would damn her instead. Wormwould did as he was ordered and was half hidden behind the circle of hammered bronze. "Your father should have taught you how our advance works. We sail as a single impenetrable unit, that is the source of our strength." She lifted the shield that the Wolfenboss left behind and demonstrated the stance, although admittedly it was one that took her several years to learn herself. "Each pirate protects his sailboat. A single weakspot and all the sailboats will shatter." She took her hand to Wormwould's shield and measured the height, it was a good distance disparate from the needed height. "From thigh to neck, Wormwould." Just as she had suspected and partly hoped, the creature could not do it. The captain shook her head slowly as Wormwould lowered his shield. "I am sorry, my friend, not all of us are made to be soldiers."

"But I…," protested Wormwould as the kind captain placed her hand on his shoulders.

"If you want to help Kitchen Island in its victory," she offered, "you can clear the seas of the dead for Luigi, tend the wounded, bring them fresh water. As for the fight itself, I cannot use you." The captain turned quietly and with that, headed down the slope of the limestone to her pirates, hoping that her words would be taken truly by the creature.

"Rudy… you were wrong," muttered Wormwould. He turned away and moved toward the cliff's edge. "You are wrong, Syrup! You are wrong!" Yet the captain continued on her way, becoming smaller to Wormwould's view in the distance. Wormwould turned and leapt from the cliff, disappearing from the outcropping of rock, his twisted feet making not another sound.

The Wolfenboss also watched as Syrup crossed the folds of rock, windblown brush and shade dappled grass. She was fine as silk, but he would never find himself able to tell her. "Dispatch some of Cractus' men to the Inamazu path and pray nobody tells Tatanga about it."

The ground of Sarasaland itself began to shake and lift. Rocks loosed and cascaded down the cliff face. The pirates from Kitchen Island and the Emerald Pass began to ready themselves. The distant rumbling of the alien war machine grew stronger and louder. "Battle formations!" roared Cractus. Without hesitation, the pirates moved quickly in their sailboats, grabbing their weapons and shields.

As much as these pirates loved to fight, they were about to come face to face with a beast that savoured the meal to come.