OoO( 11 )OoO

It had been weeks since they had left Albion's shore. They sailed storm after storm, but the ship held fast and plowed through any obstacle that swelled towards it. It truly was a dragon of the sea. Van stood at the prow of the ship, dressed in seafaring clothes of sailor. One of his leather boots was up on a small barrel of wine that he was drinking from.

Elizabeth, wearing a large coat and similar boots, walked out to greet him. She walked up and stood next to him, getting an arm wrapped around her. The mage pulled her closer and kissed her cheek as they both watched the horizon being pulled towards them by the ship beneath their feet.

"It really is beautiful…" said the woman. Van nodded.

"Indeed it is. It's almost a shame it has to end." He said. Taking his tankard of wine, he took another swig. He almost choked as he heard the call from the crows nest.

"Pirates ho!" shouted the voice. The acting captain, a large man with a strong resemblance to a lion, yelled back to the nest.

"Whereabouts!?" he shouted.

"Southeast to current position and gaining speed! It'll be minutes before they are upon us!" shouted the man.

Van ran up to the man and shouted, "Captain Nemo, what are we to do? Pirates have cannons. They can reach us before our magic can reach them!" he said agitatedly.

Nemo smirked. "We keep on the move. If we keep moving, their cannons will be ineffective until they get within range of your fancy hero tricks. Now get to the bow and give me a good readin' on how fast they are going." He said.

Van nodded, then took off for the rear of the ship. About this time, Lyle ran to the captain. "Sir, we need to talk." He said.

Captain Nemo looked at the warrior. "What is it? We haven't time for idle chatter."

"I think we should stop the ship." He said. The man looked at him bewildered.

"Have you lost your mind lad? If we stop we come within range of their cannons! They'll blow us to the Old Kingdom and back again!" He yelled, getting most of the crews attention.

Lyle smiled and shook his head. "No they won't." he said. "I know from personal experience that bandits…or pirates in this case, won't do anything if they can't profit from it." He said getting the captains attention. "They will only fire if we fire on them, or after they have left. They will wait until they have seen if there is anything worth stealing from the ship before sinking it, I promise you." Said the warrior.

The captain scratched his beard in thought. "So what are we to do?" he asked.

"We slow the ship, act like we haven't noticed them. We are all dressed like sailors, so they won't know it's a ship full of heroes until they come aboard and get what's coming to them." He said, slamming his fist into his palm.

Nemo smiled. "You got a head on you kid." He said, then looked around at the crew who still stood staring at the two. "What in hell do you think yur lookin' at!? Didn't ya hear the man!? Get to work!" he shouted, causing the crew to scatter like birds.

Alex came up with her weapon attached behind her, still in its dormant state. "What are we doing?" she asked, also dressed in regular sailor regalia.

Lyle turned to her and smiled. "We are luring them in, then striking hard." He said. "Which is why I need you to be captain for a few minutes." He said, turning to Nemo. The older man was going to question the order, when it hit him.

He smiled and bowed, "Milady, you have control over this ship." He said, handing her the captain signifying hat. She smirked, then put the hat on her head.

"As you wish." She said.

OoOoO

"This looks like a good one mates." Said the man at the prow of the ship as he stared at the slow moving vessel ahead of them. His crew laughed loudly and continued to push the craft forward until it was speeding alongside the other. Grappling hooks were thrown across the gap, latching onto the smaller ship and pulling it closer until they rested side by side with a loud thunk!

The captain of the pirates jumped off his ship and held his saber up at all the crew who were surprised to see the man. "Where is your leader? I demand to see him!" shouted the man in a rather high pitched voice.

Alex walked from the cabin and stepped in front of the man. "I am the captain. What is it you want with this ship?" she asked. The man looked at her stunned. He said nothing for minutes as his eyes looked her up and down.

Finally, he found the words he was looking for. "But…But you are a woman…" he said.

She growled furiously at him. "And a better captain than you any day!" she shouted. The man looked at her and smiled.

"Of course. I was just thinkin' of asking you to join me on my ship." He said.

She glared at him. "What's in it for me?" she asked. Van snuck back towards the rear of the ship and untied one of the ropes as Lyle and several other heroes climbed the nets silently, disguised by the distraction Alex was providing. Every eye on the other ship was nailed to her.

"Madam, what is it?" asked Elizabeth as she came from the cabin and approached Alex. "The treasure was all there I…oh my!" she said surprised as she saw the visitors they had. "Milady, what is this?" she asked, hiding a smile very well.

"So many beautiful ladies on this ship…" said the pirate captain. "How would you gals like to come and join me aboard my ship? We can clean the seas of treasure together!" he said, thinking not only of having two gorgeous women aboard his ship but also the combining of the treasures. "You may keep control of your ship as well as keep three fourths of the treasure you find." He said, confident that his offer was too good to pass up.

Alex thought for a moment then smiled. She saw the signal from the crows nest. "What do you think boys?" she asked. All the crew roared loudly a battle cry before chaos broke loose on the two ships. The pirates drew their blades too late as Alex grabbed the captain between the legs. "Take these treasures with you…" she said, then spun and backhanded him in the back of his head, sending him sailing over the railing and into the water.

Fire flew like a tidal wave and incinerated the pirate ships sails. Lyle and the heroes on the top of the ship cheered as their fireballs tore the sails apart and sent crimson rain down upon the pirate crew. Van jumped from his position on the back of the ship and sailed out over the water holding tightly onto the rope in his grasp. He swung around quickly as the pirates jumped onto the smaller ship. His momentum carried him between the two ships, where he unleashed a hellish bolt of lightning that ate through the wood like paper.

Containers of gunpowder in the ship were lit and exploded on impact from the lightning, tearing holes all across the ships hull. Van climbed back up the rope and jumped onto the deck of the ship to join the battle. Alex had drawn her new weapon and pulled the string back. She released the arrow that appeared on the string, making it fly like a missile past the crew and disintegrating the wooden mast of the other ship. It creaked loudly and groaned until finally it snapped and fell over into the sea. The bandits didn't stand a chance against the heroes.

One of the sailing bandits tried to take a swing at Elizabeth. His sword stopped in midair, then shattered. He stood stunned for a moment before a massive lightning bolt sent him unconscious tumbling onto the other ship. Lyle took his large blade and cut the grappling hooks holding the two ships together, causing the pirate ship to drift slowly away and begin to sink. The entire crew cheered as they sailed away from the wreckage with over a score of pirates at their mercy.

Lyle smirked and looked at Alex. "Well, what should we do with them captain?" he asked.

She smiled and placed her hand on her hip. "Maybe we should make them swim to save their ship." She said getting worried looks from the pirate crew. "No…too cruel." She said, then turned around. The crew sighed in relief. "Off with their heads." She said, causing them to shout in horror. Lyle laughed as Captain Nemo approached from below deck after assessing battle damage.

"There'll be none of that on this ship." He said putting his bloodied saber away at his side. "Put them in the brig." He said to the heroes holding down the prisoners. "We'll figure out what to do with them when we start running out of food." He said, getting a laugh from the crew and another groan of horror from the pirates.

OoOoO

Michael sat listening to the tale, fascinated at the workings of the pirates. He listened until the story was over before speaking up.

"So it worked?" he asked smiling.

Lyle smiled and ruffled the young boys hair. "Yes, it worked. Thanks to you, a lot of lives were saved today. It was a very good plan." He said standing again. "Now, lets get to your training." He said, and the boy stood smiling. The boy nodded eagerly and grabbed his weapon. Lyle grabbed a wooden sword from the table next to him

"What will you be teaching me today?" he asked curiously.

"You will be learning how to use your weapon as if it was a part of you." He said as he tapped the boys weapon with his own. "Now, defend yourself." He said as he quickly flicked the wooden sword at the boy. Michael deflected the weapon, but was surprised when it appeared next to his throat a second later. "What are you holding right now?" asked the hero as he stood with the boy at his mercy.

Michael looked at him oddly. "What?"

"What are you holding in your hands?" asked the hero again.

The boy looked at the wooden spear confused. "A weapon." He said, thinking the question strange.

"No." said Lyle as he lowered the weapon. "What you are holding in your hand is your soul. It's your life, its your blood, its your heart. Every hero has a weapon, and most heroes are decent with that weapon. But do you know what made people like me, like Whisper, like Thunder as good as we are?" he asked raising the sword. The boy shook his head. "It's because our weapons are more than just a tool of destruction. They are a part of us. Watch." Said the warrior as the energy from his body became visible.

It flowed around him like a rapid river, coursing through his whole body. But the boy noticed that it didn't just stop at his hand. The waves washed over the sword as well as if it was a part of Lyle's body. Then it dawned on him. "It's a part of you." He said as the energy vanished. The warrior smiled.

"Now you are getting it. Don't strike with the weapon. Strike with your body." Said the hero as he stood holding up the weapon. "Now…defend yourself." The sword flew again, but this time the boy ducked under the blade. The weapon came back to strike again, but it was blocked by the wooden spear. Michael, as smooth as the air, loosened his hold on the weapon, causing it to spin as if controlled by his mind around the outside of his hand before landing safely in his palm again.

Quickly, as the hero struck again, the boy flicked the spear forward, causing the shaft to bounce off Lyle's forehead. Lyle stumbled back in surprise and fell and fell to the floor. Michael caught the spear again and thrust it forward the same time that Lyle thrust his sword at the boy. It stopped at the boys heart. Lyle looked down at the wooden spear that was aimed at his own chest. It was a draw. The warrior smiled widely before standing up and putting the sword away. "Now you have truly seen the secret of a heroes power." He said. "You would have killed me if that had been a real spear. I would not have been able to reach you with the range of my sword if it were." He commented as he knelt down.

"But you are stronger than me. You would have surely overpowered me before I could get close enough to you to do that with a real spear." Said Michael, feeling pride swelling within him that he had even gotten the hero off his feet.

Lyle nodded. "Which is why you have to get stronger." He said as he crossed his arms. "So, get stronger." Michael looked up at him and smiled, knowing the cue he had been given. As instructed before, he jumped up and grabbed a hold of a hard wooden pole that was hanging above him. Using the strength in his arms, he pulled himself up to the bar, before hanging again, then repeating. Lyle sat on the bed watching proudly as the boy pull himself up and down on the bar with determination.