"To summon a Ki-Rin, you must offer laurel leaves, play the Harp of Harmony, and blow the Alabaster Horn, all at the Cloud Shrine." Master Hong Bao said. "Sadly, the Harp of Harmony was stolen from the Temple of the North Wind by the Amber Horde. It must be on one of their ships!"

"And as for the laurel leaves, I think I have some among my alchemy ingredients." Nikolai said as he looked inside his bag. "Yup, there they are!"

"The Cloud Shrine is in the Vale of Winds, a part of the Ravaged Valley. That place has suffered much hardship." Master Hong Bao said, pointing his staff across the skyway, and we turned to board the Santo Oro.

XOXOX OXOXO XOXOX OXOXO XOXOX

"Fire as she bears!" I shouted, and as we sailed past the oncoming Amber Horde ship like a jousting knight, the gun crews down below decks unleashed a broadside of eight guns while the swivel guns thinned out the barbarians with grapeshot.

Thanks to the efforts of the riflemen, led by Emma on the fighting tops, members of the barbarian crew were falling from the rigging down onto the deck, slowing down the enemy ship since she couldn't adjust her sails.

Heaving on the wheel, I turned the ship to starboard as the first boarding party armed themselves with axes, pikes, and swords, and as another broadside rang out, they leapt into the smoke to board the enemy ship.

The Amber Horde wasn't going to go down easy though, as several barbarians had managed to make their way across the sky between our ships to launch a preemptive attack on those pulling the enemy ship closer to us. "Repel boarders!"

Monkey King took on the boarders all by himself, and one by one, they were struck overboard by his golden staff, and we turned our attentions back to the enemy ship as the smoke from our cannons cleared.

The boarding party was holding out against the Amber Horde, but just barely, and already, a second led by Monkey King was coming to support them by attacking the barbarians' flank.

"Grenade!" I heard Emma shout, and she and the other riflemen had begun hurling the grenades amidst the Amber Horde, and they screamed as the explosives burst into shrapnel.

Thinned out as they were, the Horse barbarians stood no chance against the combined forces of the first, second, and third boarding parties, which I led. Grudgingly allowing himself to be tied with rope, the Amber Horde captain said that they were the ones who had the Harp of Harmony.

As the others went below to the hold to retrieve the harp, I offered the Horse barbarians two choices: to join my crew, or to be tied to the masts and wait for a rescuer that might not come. Most of them elected to join the Santo Oro's crew.

As the men took their new shipmates back to the Santo Oro, Emma arrived with the Harp of Harmony, which was made of fragrant sandalwood and intricately carved. "Set course for the Ravaged Valley!"

XOXOX OXOXO XOXOX OXOXO XOXOX

"We've got the harp and horn, as well as the laurel leaves for the Ki-Rin. Let's do this thing!" Nikolai said as we stood inside the Vale of Winds, which was in a much better state than the rest of the Ravaged Valley, with long green grass and cherry blossoms blooming pink. As Nikolai set the laurel leaves down in front of the shrine, Monkey King strummed the Harp of Harmony while I blew the Alabaster Horn.

Suddenly, there was a loud cry, and Monkey King and I immediately stopped playing as a beast that looked like a white dragon/horse hybrid stepped out of the nearby bamboo. His white mane, beard, and tail crackled with electricity, and he pawed the ground as he swept his head to show off the long horn on his forehead.

"Whoa, there. I've got some nice, fresh laurel leaves for you..." Nikolai coaxed as he held out the leaves to the Ki-Rin, who gracefully stepped forward to eat out of Nikolai's hand as he stroked the side of his neck. "Good boy! Looks like I won't have to use my Rathalos great-sword after all!"

Monkey King stepped forward to speak. "Old friend. Remember your true form. Cast aside the shape of the Wind Horse and wear once more your former majesty."

As Nikolai stepped backwards, the Ki-Rin stood on his hind legs as he began to revert back to Dragon Prince, who groaned as the transformation's reversal was completed. "Monkey King! I had such dreams... thoughts of heaven and sky. What happened?"

"Try to remember, old friend." Monkey King said, and Dragon Prince stared up at the sky, thinking deeply for a few moments before he spoke. "I remember now... Lo Pan transformed me with his evil magic. I was Ki-Rin, but I am a Dragon once more."

Dragon Prince then removed an orb of jade from his sleeve, and he held it out to Monkey King. "Monkey King, if you are here, it must be for my Turtle Ball. Who am I to stand in your way? Here it is. Use it wisely."

Nikolai brought out the other three Turtle Balls, and Monkey King said, "Four... count 'em... four Turtle Balls! I'm on a roll! Let's get back to Shunzang. He'll tell us how to get the last!"