Ch.41: A Pirate's Life is Never Easy! Desert Beasts vs. Devil Wakers!

It has been a long night for the pirate captain. Days and weeks of researching as much as he could on the Idol of Origin, yet nothing further his mission to finding the keys on his own. With no means of tracking them down, their best hope was to locate Ravenfield and follow them, since they clearly know what they're doing.

Arid leaned back in his chair and pinched between his eyes. It was early in the morning. The crew was wide awake and manning their scheduled duties, along with their recent prisoner. Funny, Arid never remembered taking a prisoner in his time as a pirate, yet here he was.

The Steenee still hasn't disclosed her name or any information about herself. Frankly, it was getting on Jeffery's nerves and he kept insisting that they throw her over the side. Arid, of course, kept to his word and didn't change his mind on the ordeal. They were going to keep her alive until he comes to a solid conclusion on what to do with her, whether it be kill her (an option to be considered as an ultimate last resort), drop her off in some random location, or do the morally obligated task of returning her to any friends or family. That last one seemed like an option, but the Steenee hasn't even mentioned WHO she is.

Arid stood up from his seat and stepped out of his office, taking in the fresh air of the high altitude. He leaned over the rails and watched as his crew worked away. Half of them were busy cleaning the ship while Jones, same as usual, steered the airship. Banama was up in the crow's nest surveying the skies.

Arid glanced around the ship before spotting Jeffery hanging off the rope ladders, barking orders to the crew as usual. The Darmanitan pirate rolled his eyes before jumping over the rails and walking over to him.

"Put your back into it, Cheshire!" Jeffery screamed at the Banette. "We want this ship looking spick and span!"

Cheshire looked over his shoulder with an unsettling gleam in his eye and his usual smile. "I could spend a good chunk of the day finding a curse to trap you in your own reflection. So, why don't you tone it down?" He 'accidentally' swung his mop onto his shoulder and splashed water into Jeffery's face.

He wiped it off and squawked angrily as the Banette walked away. "Get back here, you undisciplined twat!"

"Jeffery?" The Chatot screeched, then stood at attention with a salute as his captain made his way over. "Keep that up and they'll murder you in your sleep."

Jeffery eased himself, then folded his wings and scoffed. "Bah! They wouldn't do that to me! The work I perform on this ship is appreciated by the crew!"

Arid rolled his eyes. "That's right, stay in that delusional little world of yours." He narrowed his eyes seriously. "Where's the prisoner?"

Jeffery looked at the tips of his wings dismissively. "What's that? Oh, right, her." The disdain in his tone was as fresh as before. "Well, after having her swab the heads (toilets) and fixing the masts yesterday, she's now peeling the potatoes for tonight's dinner. Apparently, Jones wants to try out a new recipe he acquired during our most recent raid."

"I see." Arid narrowed his eyes as he walked along the ship. "You made sure to have someone keep an eye on her, right?"

"I assigned Tyrone and Indigo to potato peeling duty, too, so they should keep a close eye on her." Jeffery crossed his wings. "She seriously hasn't said a single word about her business on this ship?"

Arid shook his head. "She's keeping her lips sealed. For all I know, she's some runaway who decided to board our ship." He pinched between his eyes. "Good grief, all those berries we had to replace…"

Jeffery scoffed. "I told you we should have thrown her over the ship."

Arid shot a glare at him. "And I told you that I don't want murder charges thrown against me." He flicked the Chatot out of his way, knocking him into the floorboards of the ship. "I'll figure out what to do with her in time. For now, business remains as usual. Which reminds me, how is your information gathering coming along? Have you picked up anything on Ravenfield?"

Jeffery pushed himself up and rubbed his sore beak. "Ugh…nothing yet, sir," he mumbled before standing up. He dusted his clothes clean and coughed into his wing. "I haven't heard anything about hyperactive Umbreon as of late. Since we can't determine a pattern of interest, we're stuck flying around until we spot some shred of evidence."

Arid rolled his eyes, then continued walking. "In that case, any notable locations to pillage?"

"Perhaps a few in the Fire Zone. Fuego Village, Molten Town, Scelerisque City…possibly Scorch Grave City-"

"Scorch Grave?" Arid questioned. "Why that city?"

Jeffery shrugged. "Word around is that a lot of fights were breaking out there. Fights with, according to the public, strong magical attacks."

Arid rubbed his chin. "Hmm…Scorch Grave does possess a fine source of wealth. Perhaps we can check it out and test our odds." He headed down below, with the Chatot following behind. "And how are we coming along on the new cannonballs?"

Jeffery landed on his shoulder and looked ready to proudly explain, when Ray, who was below deck already, stole his thunder. 'Glad you asked, Captain!" Ray exclaimed. Jeffery glared furiously at the lynx as he turned his back and walked over to a crate of cannonballs. "Malcolm and I have been adding in the Collisium at your request."

Malcolm pulled out one of the cannonballs and gently tossed it in his hand. "In theory, a single impact should take out castle walls, ones specially reinforced to withstand cannonballs." He smirked. "I'd say these babies will aid us quite well."

Arid smirked. "Excellent. Do we have anyway to demonstrate it?"

Ray smirked at Jeffery. "I'd say fire them at the bird, but the results would probably look the same with regulars."

Jeffery clenched his teeth together, pouring steam out from his ears. "You'll be getting it, you mutinous rascal!" He nearly lunged at Ray, but Arid caught him by the tail feathers and held him in place as he flapped furiously.

"Perhaps a small mountain will suffice?" Arid suggested.

Malcolm looked at Ray, who shrugged indifferently. Malcolm shrugged to the captain. "I suppose when we come across a mountain, we'll give a proper showing." He pushed the crate of cannonballs away.

Arid looked down at Ray. "Ray, go check on the fuel supply to see if we need a refill soon." The Shinx saluted and ran off. Arid glared out the openings of the gun deck as they passed through the land. "Jeffery, continue on your normal rounds. Make sure you find something on Ravenfield and his party."

Jeffery saluted. "Aye, captain!" He flew out the gun deck openings and flew off into the sky.

He flapped his wings and soared high above the ship until he got a wider, aerial view of the land. He held one wing over his eyes to block sunlight, while managing to keep his stability with one wing. He peered around at the land, searching for any towns or cities he can scope out.

He looked to his far left, where the ship was moving away from, when he noticed a strange figure appearing behind a mass of cloud. It was massive, about the size of an airship. It seemed to be flying towards them.

Hmm, I wonder what that could be. Curious, he flies over to the figure to see what it was.

It has only been a week, but it felt like years for the Steenee. If she knew she would get herself in trouble like this, she would have snuck onto a simple wagon crossing the region, not the airship of a gang of dangerous pirates. The week has been miserable for her. She was forced to clean the ship with the least effective cleaning tools imaginable, like a standard toothbrush and a rag that felt like it was shaved off from a cactus.

She currently had her back pressed against the counter cabinets of the kitchen as she peeled potatoes. Without her cloak, she wore ragged clothes with patchworks of different fabric, implying she had to make her own clothes on the road. Her ankles were chained down to the floor to prevent escape, though escaping from an airship thousands of feet in the air wouldn't be possible, anyway.

After peeling half a potato of its skin, she dropped the potato and peeled to give her cramping hand a rest. "Ugh, this sucks!"

"Hey, no resting!" Indigo shouted as she finished off her potato and tossed it in her provided bucket. "You still have a mountain of potatoes to peel."

Steenee glanced at the pile next to her, then at the potatoes she peeled. Comparing her bucket to Indigo's, she was lagging behind. She gripped her leaves and growled. "Ugh! How long on you people going to keep me on your ship?! I said sorry a hundred times! How much more do I need to beg?!"

Indigo sneered. "Maybe if you weren't raiding our food supply so gluttonously, we wouldn't be as harsh on you. And yet, you went through a whole barrel of berries in the month you've been here."

"I'm sorry! I was hungry! I've been eating canned food on the road for months!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "Besides, didn't see the big deal of stealing from a bunch of grungy pirates…"

Indigo rolled her eyes, then went back to peeling. Tyrone looked at Steenee and tried to make peace with her. "Um…it's not so bad on the ship. Everyone here gets along well."

"Smith, did ye steal me rum?!" Julius shouted from outside before a fight was heard breaking out.

Tyrone blinked, then faced an unimpressed Steenee. "…some of us get along."

"Nice try, but I've been here for over a month. You think I haven't been paying attention to what goes on in here? You all are just as barbaric as the authorities say you are." She crossed her arms and huffed. "It's always fighting, raiding, or partying with you idiots."

"You'd get along well with Graham," Indigo muttered.

"I don't have to put up with this manual labor. I'm a skilled wizard, after all!" Steenee exclaimed proudly.

Tyrone's eyes widened. "Really?"

Steenee smirked conceitedly. "Yep! Powerful magic rivaling the grand wizards of Mysto! I could solo most tournaments with a single fire spell!"

Indigo rolled her eyes once more. "What a load of crap."

"It's true!" Steenee shouted. "I'm incredibly powerful! I'm a prodigy!"

"Then by all means, break out of your chains," Indigo insisted. "They're not enchanted, so you shouldn't have any issue breaking them off."

Steenee blinked, then looked to the side with an awkward sweatdrop. "Uh, well…I'm not in the mood to exert myself. I-I can break out of here anytime I want! I-I-I'm just lolling you all into a false sense of security!"

Indigo set her peeler down, then crossed her legs. She shot the prisoner a deadpan glare. "Okay, first off, that's a load of shit. Second, even if it were true, no master wizard would stupidly announce their plans to their captors unless they really are that stupid. Finally, the actual magic users on the ship know you aren't a threat because they've sensed your magic aura you've been hiding under that enchanted cloak." She raised her brow. "You aren't that strong."

"Y-Yes I am!"

"According to most of my friends, your magic aura is comparable to an above average amateur. Trust me, honey, you aren't pulling anything over my eyes."

Steenee pouted, then crossed her arms. "I am strong!"

"Maybe in your dreams."

Tyrone leaned over and whispered, "Indigo, is it really wise to be taunting the prisoner like this?"

"She hasn't weaved ANY spells to attack us and she doesn't have weapons on her. What is she going to do?" Indigo went back to peeling potatoes. "She's just some stowaway who made the stupid mistake of getting on a pirate ship."

Steenee glared, then looked down at her half-peeled potato. "…fine, I'm not that strong."

"Thought so," the Sneasel muttered condescendingly.

Steenee glowered for a moment, then sighed in annoyance. "…I wish I was strong, though." She picked up her potato and continued peeling it. "Maybe then I wouldn't have to be on road."

Tyrone raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

Steenee looked to the side for a moment, then shook her head. "It's not important. I'm just…wandering from town to town doing all I can to live on my own. Worked well for a while, but…when I saw your ship, I decided to take a miniature break from my freelance lifestyle and rest." She glared. "Clearly, I've overstayed my unannounced welcome."

Indigo set her stuff down, then folded her arms in her lap. "What you did was stupid and not thought out. Why would you risk stepping onto a pirate ship like this? You're lucky our captain is against unnecessary killing, because any other pirates would have gladly executed you…or committed certain distasteful actions," Indigo muttered quietly.

Steenee rightfully shivered at the latter, but still kept her resolve. "I took my chances. Hated them, but still risked it."

"Don't you have family worrying about you? Any friends?" Indigo questioned. "Anyone who cares about you?"

Steenee sneered. "Oh please, like I need anyone but myself. Other people are burdens who weigh you down. Disrespectful and will do everything they can to push you down." She shook her head. "If you ask me, being on your own is liberating to the soul. Gives you some insight on yourself."

Tyrone and Indigo glanced at each other questionably, before the Tyrogue asked, "You sure there's nothing you want to tell us about yourself? You seem like you have…uh…"

"Issues?" Indigo suggested.

"Yeah, that's it!"

Steenee pressed her back further against the counter, crossed her arms and legs, and looked off to the side. "My life is my business. I barely know you despicable pirates. First impression isn't going so well for any of you."

Tyrone sighed and rubbed his head before saying, "Look, I get it, you're uncomfortable around pirates. How do you think I feel? I only joined to get this thing off my arm!" he shouted, holding up his right arm that bared the golden gauntlet.

Steenee raised her brow. "Huh?"

"It's called the Omni-Gauntlet," Indigo explained. "According to the wimp, it's cursed to stay on his arm. Arid saw how powerful it was and forced Tyrone to join the crew to wield its power, in exchange for helping him get it off."

"Yeah, that little task he seems to gloss over every time I bring it up!" Tyrone shouted angrily. "Almost like he doesn't care if it stays on my arm until my death!"

Indigo rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be a baby. You have a strong weapon in your possession."

"I haven't seen my right arm in years! I can't even use this thing without hurting myself!" Tyrone shouted. "Now I'm on a pirate ship, ruining people's lively hood with a bunch of crazy PIRATES!"

Steenee blinked, then scratched her head. "I take it you don't like anyone on this ship."

Tyrone sighed in annoyance. "The pillaging thing drives me nuts, admittedly, but…not everyone on this crew is bad. Jones is a pretty nice guy. Lyra's really sweet, though she doesn't talk much…or at all. Julius is…alright, when he's not drunk."

Indigo crossed her arms, smirking. "Annnnd, what are your thoughts on me?"

Tyrone glared at her. "Rude, a bit lazy, and selfish."

Indigo stared at the back of her prosthetic claw, chuckling. "Some of my best qualities."

Steenee narrowed her eyes. "I must admit, in my time on this ship, it amazes me this crew remains efficient even after the quarreling and fights."

Indigo shrugged. "Not everyone on this ship gets along well. In terms of survival, though, I say we work pretty well as a team." She groaned. "Which is necessary when some of us have to fill in for the other after a previous battle." She picked up a freshly peeled potato and spun it on her claw. "Do you know how long bullet wounds take to heal? Pretty freakin' long time! And guess who got stuck doing Zerif's chores while he recovered? ME! I deserved a bit of gratitude for dealing with double the workload, I swear!" She groaned and collapsed on her back. "Really wish we had better medical supplies…or, you know, a professional healer."

Steenee raised her brow. "So…you all just…either tolerate or hate each other in your spare time, yet work as a team when it calls for it?"

Tyrone scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, even I can't explain how that works. Though, to be fair, better than taking a bullet to the skull. Or getting incinerated. Or drowned. Or captured. Or anything else that would result in immediate death."

Steenee blinked, then chuckled behind her hand. "Quite amusing, I must admit."

Indigo smiled at their prisoner lightly. "Yeah. Guess we're all used to the madness on this ship." She sat up and grinned toothily. "Being a pirate has its ups and downs, but it's an experience you have to go through before make any final decisions."

Tyrone glared to the side. "Plenty of experience, still hate it."

"Oh, hush up and finish peeling," Indigo ordered jokingly before going back to her potato peeling.

Steenee picked up her potato and peeler and went back to work. She smiled lightly. "You know, you two aren't so bad."

Indigo shrugged. "I save the insults for when people deserve them. I'm pretty chill when I can be."

"What's it like being a pirate?" Steenee asked.

Indigo smirked. "Oh, where do I begin? Treasure for the taking, free stuff, all the rum and alcohol you can stomach-!"

"-until you start vomiting over the side," Tyrone quipped, smirking to himself.

Indigo glared briefly at him, making Steenee chuckle. "Riiiiight. And just doing whatever the heck you want."

"A good life, I suppose."

"Eh, not exactly," Indigo admitted. "Like Ty mentioned, doesn't leave much open in terms of civil interaction. First sight of you is an instant shotgun aimed for your head. Once you're a pirate, the world turns on you. They hate you…but they also fear you. Strangely satisfying, admittedly."

"Really? Hmm…" Steenee glanced off to the side in thought.

"And don't get me started on the biggest problem with being a pirate. When you make a name for yourself in the skies, you tend to attract other forces that want that title for yourself. Any day of your life as a pirate can change unexpectedly. One minute you're lounging in your hammock, the next-!"

Before she could get another word out, the boat shook violently from a surprise hit. Indigo, Tyrone, and Steenee yelped as the potatoes flew over the place and buried them. A second rumble made the ship tip to the side, throwing the three to the walls. However, because Steenee was chained down, she smacked back to the ground and hung at an angle with the floor while Indigo and Tyrone were pressed against the wall.

The ship stabilized itself, realigning the floor horizontally. Indigo pushed herself up and finished her sentence with newfound annoyance, "-the next, you find yourself being attacked by enemy pirates."

Tyrone rolled onto his rear and held his head. "Ugh…someone's attacking us?"

"Either that, or Jones is driving the boat drunk again!" Indigo raced out of the kitchen, with Tyrone following behind.

"Hey, wait!" Steenee attempted to run after them, but tripped and hit the floor face first. "…right…chains…"

The entire crew ran out on deck to assess the hit they took. Arid raced up from below and glared at the crow's nest. "Banama, what's our situation?! Who hit us?!"

Banama peered through his telescope and zoomed in on the object flying towards them. Once it appeared out of obscurity, he lowered the telescope with an annoyed expression. "Captain, you're not going to like this, but…"

Arid ran to the edge of the ship and leaned over to get a better view. His eyes widened before reshaping in a glare. "Oh, sink me…"

An airship appeared out of the clouds and floated towards them. The ship was made up of black wood that gave it a menacing appearance, with the added golden wings just for ostentatious, not to mention unnecessary, flair. The ship's main sail displayed the crew's logo: a Wartortle skull with the white fur on the head shaped to look like devil horns.

Leigh ran over to her captain's side and growled. "Don't tell me…"

Arid gripped the ship's edge in fury. "The Devil Waker Pirates…"

The airship halted its flight as soon as it was parallel with the Desert Beast's airship. Immediately, they were greeted by the opposing ship's crew, who were snickering aloud with malicious expressions. The crew wore long black trench coats, clean white shirts underneath, expensive looking jeans, and blue bandanas around their head, neck, or arm.

Arid glanced around at the opposing crew before glaring at a certain individual who made their way through the crew. A Wartortle with a similar outfit to his crew, only highly decorated with gold and jewels. Sticking out from his coat was his shell, plated with silver. The tortoise smirked tauntingly at Arid.

"Captain Arid of the Sand," the Wartortle greeted impishly.

Arid clenched his teeth tightly. "Captain Silver Shell Thane…"

Thane chuckled lightly. "Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you here. I wasn't expecting for our paths to cross…again." He held his chin as he studied the crew. "I see your crew is doing just as well as last time: dirt poor and rolling in their own filth." He threw his head back and laughed.

Pain Train shook his arms, jingling the keys attached to them. "Oi! Shut up!"

Graham, who was sitting high above on the mast, smirked at the Devil Wakers. "Well, look at that. A pirate crew with actual class."

Arid glared briefly at his least loyal crewmember before turning his attention back to Thane. "You fired at our ship."

Thane held his arms up innocently. "Did we?"

"There's some decently sized holes in the hull to prove it," Malcolm retorted, crossing his arms.

Thane scratched his head, laughing. "Ooh, my bad. Seems I misfired. I was actually aiming for the captain's quarters." He, along with his crew, laughed wholeheartedly, much to annoyance of the Desert Beasts.

Leigh raised her battle claws. "I'm kill them one-by-one, captain. I'll save the flashy turtle for you." Arid pushed her claws down, silently rejecting to the idea…for now.

Arid drummed his fingers against the boat's edge. "You better have a good explanation for this, Thane."

Thane smirked. "Well, word around is that you and your crew for your hands on some pretty valuable minerals. Something called…Collisium," he said knowingly.

Arid growled through his teeth. He should have figured their information gatherer would pick up on such a heist. Any pirate would want to increase the firepower of their weaponry. You can't keep anything secret in this world anymore. To some degree, he was at least glad this wasn't about the Idol of Origin. Didn't help he was still being interrogated by such disgraceful pirates.

Arid retorted with, "The Collisium is not for the taking, Thane. So, I suggest you shove off before I give you a direct taste of our cannonballs."

Thane shook his head. "Oh Arid, when you learn I'm always one step ahead of you? You think you can beat me? You've had a good run, but I think it's time to step down and let the new age of pirates take over." He held his hands up and laughed. "The Devil Wakers shall reign supreme over this pitiful region and claim right to all its vast treasures!"

Indigo sneered. "New age of pirates? Yeah, with a name like Devil Waker, you're stretching too high to be 'cool.'"

Thane narrowed his eyes, unimpressed by her back-sass. "Teach your crew some respect, Arid. Too much of the rebellious nature could lead you to being overthrown as captain." The Wartorle pointed over his shoulder. "My crew knows their place."

Arid narrowed his eyes. "My crew follow my orders without hesitation. So long as they remain loyal, I do not care how they go about their business. I don't suppress my crew's rights to be themselves."

"Yeah!" the Desert Beasts shouted.

Thane shook his head. "That's the old way of thinking. I run my crew like a strict squadron of soldiers, only I make sure they know their place in front of their superior."

Arid sneered. "I'm giving you one warning, Thane. Turn your ship around and get out of my sight. Or…" He snapped his fingers. His crew armed themselves and aimed their weaponry at the opposing ship. "The next town over will find a flaming ship crashing on their grounds."

Thane chuckled behind his fist. "Go ahead, do your worst. I still intend to take that Collisium and any other valuables on the ship. As an added bonus, I have a little something of yours." He snapped his claws.

A female Unfezant, who wore a black vest, bandana around her head, and golden anklets, swooped down from above, landed next to her captain, and slammed down a tied-up Jeffery with her talons. She held him up to Arid and his crew. The Chatot looked like he went through hell, having a black eye and ruffled feathers.

"Captain!" Jeffery squawked. "Help! She's been beating me up for the last five minutes!"

Arid groaned and pinched between his eyes. Of course…

Thane smirked. "Well, what do you say? Your crew member for your riches or Davy Jones' Locker?"

Cheshire chuckled through his zipper. "Oh please, you're trading crap for gold. What kind of deal is that?"

"I can hear you!" Jeffery screamed furiously.

"We know," Ray said dryly. "Doesn't change anything."

"Mutiny! Manipulative, miserable, malicious mutiny!" Jeffery shouted.

Unfezant sneered and bashed his face into the ship's side, which actually made the Desert Beasts flinch. "Cease your pathetic cries. I know hundreds of ways to torture you before death claims your life."

Lyra glared angrily and marched up to the front. She waved her fist at them, then slid her claw against her neck. The Devil Wakers looked at each other, confused.

Drake crossed his arms. "Translation: do that again or you're gonna get it." He glared. "We may hate that miserable parrot, but we don't appreciate you using him as your personal punching bag." Jeffery wasn't sure how to respond to that sentence, mostly because he was insulted and defended at the same time.

Thane, regardless, chuckled through his villainous grin. "Oh? And what are you going to do about it?"

Arid took a deep breath and sighed. "I was hoping not to come to this, but…" He glared. "Desert Beasts…destroy the enemy!"

The crew roared, running around the ship to man their stations. Malcolm, Cheshire, and Smith headed below deck to man the cannons while the others readied themselves for an onboard attack.

Thane shrugged indifferently. "If you insist." He snapped his claws. "Raise the shields."

Fives pirates stood in a circle and locked hands together. They chanted under their breaths before summoning a red shield around the whole ship, shocking the Desert Beasts.

Malcolm loaded a cannon and aimed it at the ship. "Time to test these babies out! Fire!" Three cannons fired at the ship and impacted the shield.

A violent explosion washed over the protective barrier that covered the ship. The shockwave threw the Desert Beasts' ship back, nearly capsizing if it weren't for Jones reacting in time.

He steadied the wheel and regained balance with the ship. He glared at the shields as the smoke cleared. The barrier remained intact. They didn't have any visible effect on the shield. "Captain, we need to take out their magic users!"

Arid yelled at the floorboards, "Ease up on the cannons, boys!" He glared ahead. "We're gonna have to take this fight to them." Since his gauntlet will be useless this high up, he drew a cutlass from under his cloak. He raised it high and yelled, "Attack!"

"Seraphina…what took you so long to call us?"

With her temple now compromised, Seraphina took refuge in another town over. She planned on calling the mages sooner, but she lost track of time as she was getting herself situated. Without the need to guard the key anymore, she found herself having extra free time. It was unprofessional of her, but she needed a break after her battle with Griffin.

Seraphina sat on the floor of her temporary apartment in a meditative position, wearing a red bathrobe. She smiled gently at the head mage. "My apologies, Master Cielo," she apologized sheepishly. "I planned on calling sooner, but…well, my previous accommodations weren't working out anymore and I spent a great deal of time moving my stuff out from the temple."

The green hooded mage leaned against a tree with a wooden staff in his hand. "You're usually the most punctual out of us, Sera. Tsk, tsk, tsk," he teased lightly.

Seraphina chuckled behind her sleeve. "Again, my apologies, Vernon."

"Eh, whatever." He jumped off his feet and sat on top of his staff. "Because you took so long, we all heard about what happened at the temple. Seems to me like Randolph wasn't kidding around."

Randolph, who had his hood up with his face somewhat visible, laughed aloud. "I told you, those kids are strong! I can sense it!"

"Well, don't get ahead of yourself, because it wasn't one of the four you encounter." Seraphina narrowed her eyes. "One of six, in fact. After leaving Scorch Grave, their team now consists of six. Six warriors."

"Six warriors?" the black hooded mage questioned. "That means…the first part of the prophecy has been realized. Six warriors will band together and vanquish the shadows."

"Slow your roll there, Seth," the silver hooded mage interjected. "They only have two of the keys. Just two. They may be six warriors, but they have yet to fully prove themselves as a team. This prophecy relies heavily on the outcome of their teamwork." She crossed her arms. "Meaning, should they screw up, we're all dead."

Randolph chuckled. "Pessimistic much, Margo?"

"Oh, shut up! Not like beating you was a workout!"

"You wound me, my dear," Randolph teased.

"Regardless," the dark blue hooded mage interjected, "it is our job to test the lengths they're willing to cross. Our mission is to protect the keys, but it is also our mission to test the limits these six possess. They are being thrown into a situation they chose to complete of their own accord. History is set in stone, but the future has yet to be determined."

"I'll be sure to test them once we cross paths," the white hooded mage added. "If we should test their skills as a team, my challenge will be perfect for them."

"That's all well and good, Benedict, but your time will come much later." Seraphina focus her attention on the blue hooded mage, Calder. "They are heading to Spring Wells City."

Calder's eyes narrowed under his hood. "Is that so? Hmm…fascinating. I look forward to this." He glanced over at Benedict. "Perhaps this would be good for you, Benedict. I'll test them all at once and you can test them individually. That is how it will go should you fight them your way."

Benedict closed his eyes. "Fair enough."

"There's still the matter of the prophecy," the yellow hooded mage brought up. "Need I remind you all that these six still have no current knowledge of the risks they're taking."

"Don't worry about that," Randolph assured. "I've spoken with an old acquaintance of ours: Ava Young."

"Ava?" Margo muttered confusedly before snapping her fingers. "Right, that fortune teller that was friends with Master Cielo's last apprentice."

"She's currently in pursuit of Team Ravenfield as we speak. Sooner or later, they'll inform the children of their big part in all of this." Randolph cupped his hands together. "The real test is whether or not they can handle the burden."

"Well, they better," the yellow hooded mage stated. "There's no use in chickening out this late in the game." He raised his hand, sparking it with electricity. "I'll make sure of it."

Vernon sweatdropped. "Positive reinforcement, I guess?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I have confidence in them. They've obtained two of the keys and faced the shadows. I think they can handle the burden."

Cielo narrowed his eyes. "Let us hope that's the case. Thousands of years keeping this secret hidden from the world cannot be undone. The Idol of Origin must remain out of reach from all tyranny in the world."

Seraphina smiled. "Do not worry, Master Cielo. They can handle it."

"I'll believe it when I see it. Calder, do not disappoint."

Calder bowed. "Never will, Master Cielo."

"Then with that, this meeting of the Mages of Origin comes to a close."

The Desert Beasts were at a big disadvantage with the Devil Wakers shield in place. With their upgraded cannonballs virtually powerless, any regular attacks they fired off prove equally ineffective. With the Devil Wakers, however, they could easily fire off attacks through their side of the shield.

The Devil Wakers pulled out blunderbuss pistols and rifles and fired shots onto the enemy ship. The Desert Beasts scattered and ducked for cover. Bullets flew at them and pierced through the floor boards of the ship. They tried to return fire, but the shield didn't even crack from their hits.

Arid slashed through the magic bullets, refusing to fall back. Thane laughed as he pointed at Arid mockingly. "That desperate, aren't you?! You're still trying to prove you're the better pirate?! Get real!" He snapped his claws. "Fire!"

The ship shook as another cannonball shot through their ship. The crew below jumped out of the way, nearly hit by the projectile.

Smith flailed his arms in panic. "This is bad! What are we going to do?!"

Cheshire snickered, as if the situation didn't faze him. "All we can do is pray and hope they forgot to restock on cannonballs."

Malcolm sneered. "We can't do anything with their barrier up."

Back up top, Thane snapped his claws and pointed forward. "Take their ship!" The Devil Wakers cheered and raced to the edge, leaping over the gap and landing on the enemy ship before charging into action.

Rico glared behind a box. "Big mistake!" He backflipped over the box and spun across the floor on his back. Using his capoeira skills, he performed dance-like kicks to strike the enemy pirates in their weak points, whether they be the face, ribs, or anything else to incapacitate them.

Drake clashed his katanas with a Tentacruel wielding multiple cutlasses at once. The Grovyle leaped across the masts with Tentacruel climbed after him. Drake dug his claws into the mast and clashed swords horizontally as Tentacruel battle him up the mast. The jellyfish smirked cruelly. "The Desert Beasts shall fall by the might of the Devil Wakers! Our influence over this region will leave all cowering in fear!"

Drake wasn't fazed by his declaration, remaining stoic in the face of his opponent. "I don't care for your pitiful dreams…"

Tentacruel sneered and performed a flurry of thrusts with his cutlasses. Drake swung his swords quickly and disarmed the cutlasses right out of his tentacles before grabbing one. Tentacruel gasped as the Grovyle placed his sword against his tentacle before swiftly slashing it off, leaving the jellyfish to scream as he fell off the mast.

Drake sheathed his swords. "Don't be a baby, you have seventy-nine other ones…" He threw the severed tentacle away.

Leigh slashed multiple pirates with her battle claws, mowing through them like a bloodthirsty savage. Two Gourgeist, a small and large one, tried to backstab her from behind. However, the former assassin sensed their movements and whipped her head around, projecting her internal bloodlust from her eyes. The two pumpkins froze in place and shivered uncontrollably as the Togetic inched towards them, with her bloodlust pounding into their souls relentlessly.

"…sleep," she whispered. Out of sheer terror, the pumpkins felt an overwhelming faintness come over them before passing out.

Indigo leaped between the rope ladders and fired off specially made arrows. She got a couple pirates in the back, sending them flying with an explosion. She landed on the deck railing before preparing a reload. She gasped aloud and dropped her arrow as a cutlass drove itself into her shoulder. She clutched her shoulder and glared at the Pignite who got her.

"Time to die, my pretty," he whispered creepily.

Indigo stuck her tongue out in disgust before saying, "Couldn't agree more."

Pignite raised another cutlass, but someone grabbed him by the back of the head and smashed his face against the railing. He dropped to his hand and knees, then that same someone stepped on his back and put all their weight onto him.

Indigo glanced up at Jones, smiling. "You're a real lifesaver, Jones."

He nodded, then looked at the cutlass in her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

She gripped the blade, then, biting down on her tongue, pulled it out. Jones could hear her screaming inside. She dropped the weapon and clutched her bleeding shoulder. "I-I'll be fine!"

"Get to cover and try to patch yourself up!" Jones kicked the Pignite onto the lower deck, then pulled out his own swords to join the fight.

Indigo stumbled around and pressed her back against the edge. She took a moment to catch her breath, while trying to keep herself from fainting. She carefully made her way down the stairs, hoping no one came after her.

Below deck, Malcolm, Smith, and Cheshire faced off against a Salazzle, Alolan Rattata, and Slowking. Malcolm held his guard up as the Alolan Rattata jumped around on the walls and cannons, kicking him around from crazy angles. Malcolm flipped back to get some distance.

"Hahaha! Take this, duck boy!" the rat taunted as he somehow got behind Malcolm and kicked him in the back of the head. Malcolm staggered forward, then sneered as the rat continuously hopped around the walls.

Malcolm tried to keep his cool. He had a bad habit of letting his temper get the better of him. He couldn't afford to fail his captain because he let his emotions fly around unrestrained. Malcolm studied the room and the many vantage points the Alolan Rattata was using, before smirking.

"Okay, I got it." Without even looking, Malcolm rolled out of the way just as the rat flew down to kick him. Malcolm knew he would kick off the moment he touched the ground, so he grabbed a cannonball and accurately predicted where the rat would go based off his movements.

He threw the cannonball at a support beam, where the rat was too busy jumping to notice he accidentally jumped towards it. The perfectly timed throw of the cannonball earned Malcolm a direct shot on the Alolan Rattata, nailing him in the gut.

Alolan Rattata dropped to the ground and held his stomach with a scrunched-up face. "Why?! Why would you do that?!" he shrieked with a high-pitched voice.

Cheshire laughed as he swung his knife haphazardly at the Slowking pirate. Slowking telekinetically swung four cutlasses to block the knife strikes. He spun two around Cheshire and aimed for his back. Cheshire snickered gleefully and leaped over the knives, nearly impaling them into their owner. Slowking deflected them and turned them back on Cheshire.

The Banette danced around the cannon room, leaping off the cannons as cutlasses tracked his movements. He held his knife in a reverse grip as he muttered an incantation. "Go ahead! Keep trying to hit me with your puny knives!" A dark energy wrapped around his knife. "You're going up against a master of curses!" He dropped to the ground and sped towards him low to the floor.

Slowking tried to bring his cutlasses over quickly, but Cheshire scored a perfect cut on the Slowking before leaping back. He covered the wound, then glared at the laughing ghost as he made a symbol with the blood on his knife. He held up his finger, with some blood still on it.

"Now for the fun part." He smeared the blood symbol onto a barrel. Once it was complete, the barrel briefly flashed with a haunting energy. Cheshire leaped over and sat on the barrel. "Your move!"

Slowking growled and flung his cutlasses at the Banette. Cheshire folded his arms behind his head and leaned back. The knives tracked his angle and nailed the barrel. However, the moment they did, Slowking doubled over as four stab marks appeared on his torso. His eyes shrunk in pain as he let out a breathless scream.

"Curse of Connection," Cheshire said as he stood up. "This barrel is tied to you. Meaning whatever I do to it…" He held up his knife and tilted his head to the side in a creepy manner. "…gets reflected back onto you!" He laughed and violently stabbed the sides of the barrel.

Slowking held his head and screamed as puncture marks hit his sides with blood splatters flying out. He commanded his cutlasses to aim for Cheshire's head, but he lost the mental strength to hold them as he passed out from the abuse.

Cheshire aimed for the top of barrel, presumably the head, but Malcolm grabbed his wrist and stopped him. He smeared the blood mark off the knife, ending the curse. "That's enough…"

Cheshire snickered through his grin. "Spoil sport…"

Their eyes widened as Smith flew past them, slamming into the walls. He hit the floor, eyes spinning dizzily. They blinked in bewilderment before chain wrapped around Cheshire's neck and threw him across the room, slamming him into a cannon.

Malcolm dodged a chain snap as the Salazzle pirate inched towards him, spinning the weapon around intimidatingly. She smirked cunningly before rushing across the room. Malcolm dodged a chain whip and punched the lizard across the face, then kicked her onto her back. Though, she immediately rolled onto her feet and threw the chain at his ankle before throwing him into the ceiling and slamming him into Smith as he got up.

Salazzle snickered mischievously as she spun the chain. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." She tightened her hold on the chain and straightened it out. She walked up to Malcolm with the intention to choke him to death.

A cutlass flew across the cannon room and slashed her snout. She held her bleeding snout in horror, before snapping her glare on the Zoroark standing before her. He carried three cutlasses in each hand like throwing knives. Sitting inside the top of his hair was his teddy bear.

"Lady, you and your pals are getting off our ship, even if we have to do it in body bags." He smirked as he held the cutlasses close to his face. "Now, unless you want me to ruin that pretty face of yours, I suggest you walk away."

Salazzle smirked and held her hip with a jeering glare. "Really? I'm supposed to be intimidated by a fox caring around a stuffed toy?"

Zerif blinked, then lowered his head. A dark shadow covered his eyes. "Mr. Pooky…cover your eyes. I don't want you to see this."

Salazzle raised her brow. "See wha-WHOA!" She used her chain to deflect two cutlasses, but one slashed her in the cheek. She held it, then gasped as Zerif ran down the room and slashed relentlessly against her chain. The speed of his movements didn't allow any room to counterattack.

Back up top, Julius swung from the ropes, firing shots from his prosthetic cannon. He laughed heartily. "Aye, ye bilge rats! Flee in terror at the might of me mighty cannon!"

One of the Devil Waker Pirates, however, got on top of the mast he was swinging from and slashed the rope, crashing him into the deck. Julius picked himself up, rubbed his head, then blocked a sword strike from an Archeops.

"Oi! Watch where ye're swingin' that thing, bucko!" He threw his legs at his stomach and kicked him away.

Archeops pulled out another sword and spun them around in his hand when a Raichu tail suddenly wrapped around his neck and poured tons of electricity through him. The ancient bird twitched uncontrollably before falling to the floor.

Julius smiled as Banama came to his aid. "A thousand graces, Banama."

"No problem," the Raichu replied as he helped him up. Two pirates attempted to jump them, but Graham swung in and kicked them out of the way. Banama narrowed his eyes. "You're helping?"

Graham stood up and crossed his arms. "Enemy ship means money to steal. So long as I get my cut, I help out. Though, don't expect me to be assisting you lowlifes." He dodged a Hitmontop's kick and flipped him over his shoulder before walking through the chaotic fight.

Banama shook his head and sighed. "Whatever…"

Tyrone ran around through the fighting, trying to avoid getting into any conflicts. However, fate forced its hand as a Mankey came into the fight and kicked the Tyrogue off his feet. The Mankey danced energetically before wielding two billy clubs.

Tyrone got to his feet and held his hands up. "H-Hey, there's no reason to f-fight. W-W-Wouldn't you rather…talk out your problems inste-ACK!" Tyrone got whacked across the cheek and fell on his face. He held his bruised face as the Mankey danced around joyfully. "I'll take that as a no…"

Mankey leaped high in the air and unsheathed a hidden blade in the club before aiming down at the Tyrogue. Tyrone threw his hands up defensively when the purple charm in his gauntlet reactively glowed and teleported the Tyrouge out of danger.

Tyrone ended up appearing back in the kitchen, where he clutched his arm in pain as the gauntlet's curse reacted against him. "AAAAHHHH!" he screamed as the pain surged through his body. It lasted for a long while before giving the Tyrogue a chance to breathe.

He sighed and picked himself up. "Ugh…" He walked over to the window and peeked out as everyone was fighting off the enemy pirates. While they were doing fairly better at pushing their forces back, there was still the issue with the enemy ship. Not to mention everyone was slowly getting hurt. He even gasped upon spotting Indigo trying to keep a bleeding shoulder wound closed.

"This is bad," he muttered.

"You're telling me!" Tyrone turned around and face the Steenee as she stabbed at the chains binding her down. "I'm stuck on a ship with a death sentence painted on it!"

"Are you trying to escape?!" Tyrone shouted.

"Wouldn't you be if you were me?!"

"…fair point."

Steenee groaned as she viciously stabbed at the chains. "This is ridiculous! As if being held prisoner was the worst of my days!"

"I'm not too fond of this, either! The crew's going to get taken out and there's a massive barrier in the way!" He gasped as he saw Indigo collapse to the ground. "Crap!" Against his better judgment, he rushed out of the kitchen and ran towards the fallen Sneasel. "Indigo!"

The Sneasel's claws were covered in blood, losing the strength to close it. "Not…doing…so…well…" she panted.

Tyrone took his bandana off and wrapped it around her shoulder before dragging her into the kitchen. He slammed the door shut, then set the Sneasel down. "I don't think I can stitch your wounds up," the Tyrouge admitted.

Steenee stopped stabbing at the chains and glanced at him. "Wait, don't you have a medic on this ship or something?"

"Not really. Just a few pirates barely trained in medicine, one of them not being me." Tyrone flinched as he saw Jones' back slam against the window before charging back into battle. "We're not gonna last much longer if we don't force the Devil Wakers back. And they still have Jeffery."

Steenee looked between him, Indigo, and the battle waging outside. Swords clashing and guns blazing. At this point, she had a choice: die with the ship or lend a hand. Considering her odds and current predicament, her captors suddenly looked like her allies.

She attempted to crawl towards Tyrone and Indigo, but the chains stopped her. She groaned, before shouting, "Hey, buddy!" Tyrone looked at her. "If you let me go, I'll help you!"

Tyrone raised his brow. "Help us? How?"

"You're gonna have to trust me on this! I'm not letting those scumbags be the death of me!" She held her hands up. "Bring Indigo over and I'll handle the rest."

Tyrone wasn't sure if he should be trusting their prisoner at such a dire moment, but he rather not fight the Devil Wakers himself. It didn't take long for him to come to a decision. He scooped Indigo up and brought her over. "Okay…what do you have in mind?"

Steenee raised her hands over Indigo's torn shoulder. Her hands lit up with an aquamarine aura. "I may have lied about being strong, but I'm strong in a different field."

Despite starting out fairly strong, the Desert Beasts found themselves being pushed around by the Devil Wakers vaster numbers. Jones fended himself against five pirates at once, clashing swords vigorously. One pirate kicked his leg out from under him and knocked him onto his face before slashing his back. Jones clenched his eyes tightly in pain, then rolled out of the way of a stab.

Ray fired off his sound orb to keep the enemy at bay, but some managed to grab him from behind into a chokehold. "H-Hey!" he shouted as he tried to flee their hold.

Pain Train flew overhead and noticed Ray was in trouble. Pain Train glared and floated down onto Ray. He grabbed his ear and shouted, "Switch!" He and Ray flicker vanished way from the pirate, with PT replacing Ray with a cannonball that slipped out of the pirate's hands and smashed down on his foot. He held his foot and hollered in pain.

Banama fired off tons of electricity and blasted back the pirates. He panted lightly and took a step back, but a pirate punched him from his blind spot and kicked him to the ground. Banama glared at the Lairon pinning him down, who snickered in delight.

"Any last words, bucko?"

Banama sneered, then glanced to the side for a split second. His eyes widened, then he smirked. "Not really, but I bet she has a few words."

Lairon suddenly got grabbed by the head and lifted up to face Lyra. He tried to shout in complaint, but she shushed him quietly before inhaling and screaming a sonic wave through his ears. Lairon froze up as the visible pain in his face stuck. His eyes glazed over as he passed out on the floor.

Banama allowed Lyra to lift him up. "Thanks, Lyra." She blushed bashfully and smiled as she happily wagged her tail. Banama punched his fists together as he stared down the other pirates that surrounded them. "Care to help me?" Lyra smirked and pulled out her concertina. "Then let's go!" They raced into action.

As his crew fended for their lives and the ship, Arid took a more pissed off approach to dealing with the enemy pirates. Rather than pull off complex moves to one up them, he simply bashed skulls against one another and threw pirates off the ship. His expression showed he was absolutely done with the shit he had to deal with.

It didn't help the enemy captain continuously laughed at him. "Having trouble there, Arid?" Thane taunted, hands on his hips. "I can already see the smoke pouring from your ears."

Arid faced the Wartortle and blew smoke from his nostrils. "I have no qualms about killing off your crew."

"Eh, I've got more where that came from," Thane waved off uncaringly. "Besides, all I care about is taking out your ship." He snapped his claws. "Fire!"

The airship rumbled again as a cannonball flew through the hull. Arid gripped to the side as the ship tilted back. He peeked over the edge and saw one of the wings went limp. He gripped the edge furiously.

"I'm going to kill-!" Arid ceased shouting as a magic bullet flew through his arm. He stumbled back and gripped his arm, but continuously staggered back as more bullets pierced him.

Thane laughed as his crew fired at the helpless Darmanitan. "No sand, no worries! You can't crush up enough ground this high up to help you!"

Jeffery flailed in his captivity, positively outraged by the treatment of his captain. "Cease your disgraceful disservice towards my glorious captain! If you wish to torture anyone, torture me!" Unfezant glared and tightened her talons around his throat. "Ack…I…didn't mean…suffocate…"

Arid kept himself up by his knuckles, panting heavily. If we were closer to the ground, I'd give that barrier of theirs a real workout. His whole body was covered in bullet wounds, bleeding out. He wasn't sure if he could last long before he gave out.

Thane pressed his claws together. "Perhaps another round of cannon fire and bullets will put you down. Ready yourselves, crew!" The pirates took aim at the Darmanitan. "And…fir-!"

An arrow whizzed past Arid and struck the barrier. Thane and his crew stared at it in confusion, before flinching as it exploded. It was a loud boom, but it didn't break through the barrier. Thane put his arm down and examined the explosion.

Arid breathed heavily, then looked over his shoulder. Indigo walked up to his side with her prosthetic claw in its crossbow form. Her shoulder was completely healed. No trace of scarring or damage left behind. She still looked slightly out of breath, but otherwise battle ready. She loaded in another arrow and fired at the shield.

The arrow stuck to the barrier and formed a thick sheet of ice around the surface. Thane glared and shouted, "Fire!" The pirates fired at the ice, but it was durable enough to take the blasts.

Indigo switched her claw back to its normal state, then helped her captain up. "Hang on, Captain Arid, I got you."

"Indigo…weren't you injured a moment…ago?" Arid questioned.

Indigo smiled. "I was, but…I had some help." She turned him around to face Tyrone and their freed prisoner, who waved awkwardly.

Arid narrowed his eyes. "Why…did you…release her?"

Steenee walked up to the captain with her hands up, channeling magic through them. "I know I don't have much reason to be doing this, but I rather not be one of the bodies found in the wreckage." She reached out, but Arid got defensive as he gripped his sword.

"Sir, trust her," Indigo advised. "She helped me."

Arid glanced at his crew member with uncertainty, but ultimately gave in as the blood loss was beginning to make him lightheaded. He staggered forward, but Steenee held him up as she placed her hands against his cheeks. She closed her eyes and delivered a wave of magic through his body.

He glowed in an aquamarine light, blazing with a calm sway. The energy clustered up around the bullet wounds and quickly sealed the damaged flesh while also restoring the fur to a healthier state. Arid opened his eyes and felt a new sense of vigor surging through his body.

Steenee stumbled back from the captain after healing his wounds and held her head tiredly. As Indigo helped her stand, Arid stretched his limbs and realized he was back to full strength, as if the injuries were never inflicted onto him.

He narrowed his eyes and glared at the Steenee. "What did you do?"

Steenee smiled proudly and stood up on her own. "Heh…I specialize in healing magic. Many different types of spells to help others."

Arid clenched his fist, then glared at the sheet of ice as it began to crack. He looked back at Steenee and asked, "What other spells do you have up your sleeve?" Steenee smirked as she raised her glowing hands.

Rico tumbled into some boxes and held his head. "Ugh…" The Fraxure he was fighting grabbed him by the jacket and shoved him against the walls. He drew a knife and pressed it against his throat. Rico sneered. "Do your worst."

Fraxure was more than willing to, but he got grabbed from behind and placed into a chokehold, pulled back by Indigo. Rico stumbled forward, but Steenee caught him. Before he could question this, his eyes widened as an aquamarine aura blazed around him like a cloak of energy. Steenee stepped back and smiled.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

Rico looked at the blazing aura around him, then smirked. "Stronger." He kicked off the ground towards the Fraxure.

Indigo rolled out of the way, letting the Fraxure breathe for just a second before Rico smashed his knee into his face and kicked him into the side of the boat.

The other Desert Beasts slowly got winded by the Devil Wakers, but Steenee ran past all of them and gave them light slaps, transferring her magic through their systems. They gasped as the aquamarine aura exploded around their bodies, shocking the Devil Wakers.

"What the hell is this?!" Julius shouted.

"I don't know," Leigh admitted, before smirking at the Devil Wakers as she coated her battle claws in her red aura. "But, I don't care." She rushed towards the enemy pirates and slashed them violently, spraying their blood across the deck.

Banama felt the energy surge pass through him as he unleashed a wave of electricity that obliterated through the pirates. He smirked. "Oh yeah! Now this power!" He formed a massive orb of electricity over his head and smashed it down on a small group.

The Desert Beasts from downstairs were given the same energy boost and kicked their opponents out of the cannon room. Zerif spun his cutlasses intimidatingly. "Hehe…we tried to warn you idiots."

Malcolm cracked his knuckles before shouting, "Hey Lyra, how about some battle music?!"

Lyra smiled brightly, then flipped away from two pirates that crashed into each other and landed on the railing near the helm. She held up her concertina and played a merry and energetic song as she danced around the railing. Green aura waves bounced off like sound waves and powered her allies further, this time feeling a new sense of adrenaline pumping their veins.

They roared and tackled the enemy pirates in a single charge, shoving them towards the edge of the boat.

Thane's crew finally blasted through ice, only for the Wartortle captain to recoil in horror as his men were suddenly being overpowered. "WHAT?!" He glared angrily at this sudden turn of events. "What the hell happened?! Weren't you getting your asses handed to you a moment ago?!"

Arid stepped into view with his sand gauntlet on. He clenched his fist and glared at the opposing pirate. "I warned you to buzz off, Thane. Now you're getting the full force of my crew."

Thane blinked, then he held his hips with a confident expression. "Oh? With your sand gauntlet? I told you, we're too high up for you to use any sand."

Arid smirked. "True, but I feel you misunderstand the true purpose of this relic. The Harenae Gauntlet breaks down earthly composition into sand grains. I don't need to crush up rock, specifically. I just need something that was formed in the earth. Whether they be powdered gems, volcanic fragments…" He chuckled. "Or explosive minerals."

Thane's eyes widened. "Oh crap…"

Arid raised his gauntlet as it glowed brightly. "I didn't consider using our special ammunition for such a purpose, but I figured adding it to my side would prove to increase my own power. And luckily for me, we have a surplus of this stuff in the ship!" Two holes burst from the floor as a cloud of white powder surged out from below deck.

Thane stared at the mass in awe, then smirked. "Heh, so what? This barrier is powered by my five strongest magic users! A cannonball couldn't penetrate it! How's a small pile of sand supposed to cut it?!"

Arid grinned. "I don't need to cut it. Just need an opening." He glanced over his shoulder. "Miss Lyra, break down that barrier!"

Lyra flipped over her captain and landed on the edge. She stretched out her concertina, then squeeze out a condensed, purple sound wave that collided with the shield. It wasn't enough to break through, but the power boost acquired from Steenee allowed the sound wave to warp a small entrance through the shield. Small enough for a stream of sand to slip through.

Arid threw two fingers forward and commanded the sand to surge through. Thane gasped before being punched off his feet and sent skyward into the shield. He flew through the shield, then landed on top, groaning.

The magic users tried to keep their concentration, but the sand snaked around them and threw them up in a whirlwind, breaking their connection. The barrier dematerialized from the bottom and worked its way to the top before completely vanishing, leaving Thane to crash into the deck.

Arid shouted, "Someone man the cannons and fire!"

Malcolm and Pain Train nodded at each other before jumping down the holes Arid made. They landed and grabbed cannonballs off the rack before loading them into the cannons. They both grabbed the trigger strings as they took aim. They smirked and pulled the string, firing off two explosive cannonballs that completely decimated the hull.

"WHOA!" Thane screamed as he stumbled around. He fell of his shell and slipped all around the deck.

The Unfezant carried Jeffery high into the air, with the parrot flailing in protest. "Lady, I have had enough of this crap!"

Unfezant growled. "Silence, bird!" She tried to claw his face, but he moved his head and bit down on her ankle. She threw her head back and shrieked, releasing Jeffery.

"HA! How do you like…that?" He only just realized he was still tied up. "…shit." He screamed as he fell down, falling in between the boats. He clenched his eyes shut as the wind rushed in his face. That's when a powdery substance wrapped around him and ceased his fall. He opened his eyes with lingering panic as Arid brought the parrot back up to face him.

Arid narrowed his eyes calmly. "Next time you see a pirate ship, don't investigate it without my say."

Jeffery's eyes watered, relieved to be rescued by his captain. "OH! Yes, sir! Never again!" He wept and pressed his head against his captain's shoulder. Arid wasn't amused and, after cutting Jeffery's binds, dropped him.

Thane picked himself up and rubbed his head. "Ugh…you'll pay for that, you old salt!" He turned around and drew his gun, then gasped as the crew members that boarded the ship were thrown right on him, all tied up an unconscious.

Arid snapped his fingers and condensed the sand into a compacted state. He held two fingers up and said, "My ways the old way, huh?" He glared threateningly. "Well, here's another thing about the old ways: we don't kill our enemies, we let them suffer." He threw his fingers forward and fired off the explosive sand into precise points of the ship, specifically the rudder and the wings.

The enemy ship tilted over as it lost all air stability. Adding insult to injury, Malcolm and Pain Train fired more a second round of cannonballs that completely tore off the front of the enemy ship, setting it ablaze.

Thane gripped to the floor as the ship plummeted fast. He shouted, "I'll get my revenge on you, Arid of the Sand! I won't rest until I've become the greatest pirate in all of Mysto!" The airship fell in a plume of smoke before disappearing into a thick forest of trees.

Arid glared at the ship, still seeing the remnants of smoke. He sighed, then pressed his back against the edge. He pinched between his eyes. "What a mess…" Before he asked about the ship, he asked, "Any casualties? Anyone injured…or dead?"

Jones counted the number of heads, then smiled. "We're good, captain. Some injuries to heal off, but nothing we can't muscle through."

Arid sighed in relief. "Good. And the ship?"

Ray saluted before stating, "Serious damage in the hull and minor damage above deck. We may need to stop for repairs soon."

Arid nodded. "Alright. We'll land and take time to recuperate. After that fiasco, you all deserve a break." The pirates threw their fists up and cheered. "Before that…Steenee! Front and center!"

The Steenee was pushed out of the crowd and dropped to her hands and knees. She looked absolutely exhausted from powering everyone up. She looked up at the captain as he loomed over her. "Y…Yes, sir?"

He got up to her face and blew smoke out of his nostrils, making her cough. She gulped as he seemed to study her closely. After a moment of examining, he asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Why did you help us?" He grunted. "Last I checked, prisoners don't take too kindly to their captors…unless they have Stockholm Syndrome," he muttered through his teeth. He glared. "So, why?"

Steenee bowed her head and said, "Well, Captain Arid, I wasn't about to go down with the ship. It's either I curl up into a ball and HOPE they spare me or take the smarter route and aid the least evil party." She smirked jokingly. "That would be you."

Arid snorted, which made Steenee flinch. She looked away, but he pulled her attention back to him. "Why were you on your own? Why take refuge in a pirate ship?"

Steenee frowned, then looked down. "I…just didn't want to be in my own village anymore. I couldn't stand living there." She gulped. "I couldn't deal with the stress I was putting up with, so…I just ran. Ran as far away as possible."

Arid narrowed his eyes. "You're a runaway…" He raised a brow. "What is your name?"

"…Ambrosine."

"Ambrosine…" Arid sighed, then rose to full height. "Miss Ambrosine, I've reached a conclusion regarding your imprisonment."

"You have?" Jeffery questioned as he walked up to his side. He nodded.

Ambrosine looked at him worriedly. "What?"

"You shall be released under the following condition…" Arid paused for a moment, letting it sink in for the Steenee, before smirking. "You become a member of my crew."

Ambrosine's eyes widened. "Wait…huh?!"

"You heard me. No tricks, no strings attached, nothing. For your services and for aiding the crew in battle, while also regarding your current situation, I'm offering you a spot in the Desert Beasts."

Ambrosine looked at the other Desert Beasts, who were muttering to themselves about the offer. She narrowed her eyes, then looked back at the captain. "Why?"

"Well, besides not being an absolute pain all week, you have special skills we lack. A healer would prove useful to my crew in the event we need immediate healing. You'll prove to be a lifesaver for your fellow crew members. A real asset to our operations and raids."

Ambrosine narrowed her eyes and looked down uncertainly. "I'm…not sure about this."

"The pirate's life isn't for everyone. It's not easy, trust me. This isn't the most glamorous life by any means. Being a pirate is about abandoning the laws of society and taking action our own way. Despite me being your captain, I do not force my crew to be something they're not. All who join this crew join of their own accord. They know the risks and dangers. This is meant to be a life of freedom and selfish desire."

He held his hand out to Ambrosine. "By joining, you will be part of a greater force. We work as a crew, and fight as a crew." He narrowed his eyes. "What do you say?"

Ambrosine looked at his hand, then glanced back over at the pirates. They didn't seem against the idea. They actually gave her encouraging smiles, while some remained neutral, but still with the offer. The Steenee glanced at the damaged floorboards in thought, then looked back up at Arid.

What other option did she have? Go back on the streets and hope the next ship she comes across doesn't find her stealing their food? She was lucky to be caught by more merciful pirates. She is being offered shelter and food at the cost of manual labor. Not too different from her week, minus the chains and tedious labor.

She inhaled deeply, then grabbed Arid's hand. "I'd be honored to join the crew…Captain," she accepted with a wink.

Arid closed his eyes and chuckled through his teeth. "No turning back on this deal, lass."

"I'll take the risks."

Arid stepped back and nodded. "That's what I like to hear." He faced Jones and shouted, "Dock this ship in the mountains. We depart in an hour after for repairs in the next town."

Jones saluted. "Aye, Captain!" He raced to the helm.

Arid glanced at the others. "You all heads to your quarters and take a brief rest." He glanced at Indigo. "I expect you to show the newcomer the ropes."

Indigo saluted. "Aye, Captain!" She hooked her arm around Ambrosine and grinned toothily. "Hehe! Get ready, because I'm gonna give you the full pirate's experience! Hope you like rum!" She threw her head back and laughed heartily.

Ambrosine smirked. "Bet I can stomach more than you."

"Not even a minute in and you're already starting shit?" Indigo asked teasingly before smirking. "You're on!" Indigo pulled her to the dining hall.

Arid glanced over at Smith. "Get Ambrosine's measurements and make her uniform."

Smith saluted. "Aye, Captain! I'll get my sewing machine and the fabric!" He ran off quickly.

The crew slowly dispersed off the deck, leaving only Jeffery and Arid, with the former perching on Arid's shoulder and crossing his wings. "So, despite suggesting multiple times to dump her off somewhere, you went with letting her join?"

Arid glanced at him. "Need I remind you she's the reason you're still squawking?"

He held his sore beak. "Cutting it a little close, if you ask me."

"You can either wait to heal and suffer through your injuries or swallow your pride and ask her to heal you instantly." He narrowed his eyes. "Choice is yours."

Jeffery pouted, then sighed. "Ugh…well, she better not slack off under my watch." He flapped his wings and took off to meet with the newest pirate.

Arid sighed, then looked over the boat as they steered towards a far-off mountain. He closed his eyes, then headed to his quarters. "You've said that about the rest of the crew before," he muttered. "Even now, they still stand strong."