Ch.126: Aerial Assault! Battle of Deserts and Shadows!
The Wasteland jumped out of the dimensional portal and shot across the sky like an arrow gliding on the wind. The air jets shooting from the hull propelled them at great speeds, sailing far from the dark dimension's range. The crew held to the ship as they were jostled around like unsecured luggage.
Ambrosine had Lyra and Arid strapped to the ground to keep their injuries from reopening. She continued applying medical magic onto the unconscious pair while Indigo provided any menial assistance.
Jones, at the wheel and looking ahead with a frenetic caution, shouted to Jeffery, "Are they following us?"
Jeffery, keeping constant vigilance of their potential pursuers, responded, "Nothing yet, but we can't be sure."
Graham grunted, leaning against the quarterdeck railing. "We have the keys. They wouldn't give up on us that easily."
"Speak for yourself!" Leigh shouted, gripping her aching chest. "Why don't you cough up and explain what the hell you were doing back there?"
Graham huffed. "It'd be inconvenient to flee my pursuers on foot. Securing the ship was the only choice."
"Oh good, you came back because you needed a lift!" she growled.
"Leigh, that's enough," Ambrosine interrupted. "I knew Graham was coming back for us."
Indigo looked surprised. "You did?" She knelt down and asked, "When did you two plan that out?"
"We didn't." Ambrosine looked up at Graham, then sighed. "But Graham's been with you guys for so long, I didn't believe he would abandon you so readily. He knew what he was doing."
Graham scoffed. "You planned your escape on a whim? You lucked out, Ambrosine. I might've actually left."
"But you didn't." Ambrosine sighed. "I've lived my entire life without love or friends. Call it instinct, but I've learned when people are themselves. It's why I could never understand when someone would risk it all for another. It made no sense. Then again, when did life make sense?"
Graham frowned, then walked away to the back of the quarterdeck.
Indigo shook her head. "That was crazy and foolish, but I'm not complaining. At least we're safe."
"We're not safe," Malcolm grumbled. "Like Graham said, we still have the keys."
Ambrosine reached into her jacket and pulled the three keys out. "They're useless on their own."
"Team Ravenfield has the rest. There's still four more out there," Rico pondered. "What do we do now? Should we forget about the Idol of Origin?"
"After what that bastard king put us through? I'd rather use it to turn him into a brick," Leigh stated most aggressively. Her injuries flared up a bit, forcing her to take a seat.
Ambrosine observed the three colorful relics for a moment, then traded them for the book stuffed away in her jacket. "I don't know what to do with the keys, but I think we can get to the bottom of one mystery."
"What is that?" Indigo asked.
Ambrosine held the book up to her crewmates. "It's a book on the Ravenfield bloodline. It was in the Shadow King's quarters when I…accidentally repossessed the keys."
Malcolm took the book and flipped through the pages. His eyes widened. "Holy shit."
"What?" Leigh asked.
"This is a freakin' history book full of Ravenfields. Sir Andreas Ravenfield, the Rainbow Knight of the Entrustian Kingdom. Dugald Ravenfield, the Stray Vector. Priscilla Ravenfield, the Life Generator. Vashti Ravenfield of the Artic Winds."
"The Entrustian Kingdom," Indigo mumbled. "That dates back centuries ago."
"Right after the Grand Imperium War," Leigh added with a hint of suspicion.
Malcolm kept flipping through pages. "I've read about the Entrustian Kingdom, but I've never heard of any Rainbow Knights before, much less any of these Ravenfields. Who are these people?" He narrowed his eyes at a line of text. "Known for their unwavering confidence and tendency for misfortune. Often have an instinct for trouble."
Leigh deadpanned. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like their family lineage. Still, why and how have we not heard of these people? If there's an entire book dedicated to them, shouldn't we have known?"
"There's something strange about this family." Malcolm flipped back a few hundred pages. "Says here the earliest known Ravenfield was a farmer by the name of Archibald. Wasn't a warrior or anything. He spent his life tending to the crops and working hard. He never got into a single fight."
"That's their earliest recorded ancestor? What a letdown."
Malcolm closed the book. "Ambrosine, why would this book be any help to us?"
"I found something on page 118. Go there."
Malcolm flipped the book open and pressed his finger onto the desired page. He squinted and took a closer look. "This location…"
Ambrosine nodded. "If we want to learn more, going there is our best bet."
Indigo took a look at the page. "I can't believe this. Is this why the Shadow King has his eyes set on killing Wes and Flint? I admit, some of their family sounds strong, but something doesn't feel right. We don't know why he wants them dead this badly."
Ambrosine admitted to herself that the answer was still covered in fog, but the truth was closer than they think. "If Fate has taught me one thing, we're bound to find the answers down the road—"
The ship suddenly jostled and threw the pirates to the floor. A harpoon pierced from the floorboards dangerously close to Ambrosine's face. She screamed and scurried away. Leigh and Malcolm grabbed Arid and Lyra, dragging them away as more harpoons struck their ship.
Jones turned the wheel angrily, trying to regain control of the skies. "Status report!"
"There's harpoons in the ship! What kind of status report do you want?!" Banama shouted.
"I don't know, how about the bastards shooting at us?!"
"The shadows already caught up with us!" Tyrone gasped.
Graham peered over the railing, then scowled. "You've got to be kidding me."
A mast rose from the clouds, bearing the torn jolly roger of an enemy long forgotten. The damaged vessel broke through the clouds and rode atop their nonsolid surface like water. The Devil Wakers, and in far worse shape than before. Some were barely standing, and a few were passed out on the main deck with their own knives jabbed into their stomachs.
The pirates were manning harpoon guns and dragging the Wasteland back, fighting with the propulsive glyphs under the ship.
Thane limped to the front and waved his cutlass with the grace of a wet noodle flopping in the wind. His left eye was swollen shut, and his shell was covered in decorative cracks.
"Arid of the Sand!" Thane screamed with pure vitriol. "You have made a grave mistake humiliating the Devil Wakers! I will not let this atrocity go unpunished!"
Graham yelled back, "Stick your head up your ass and get lost! We don't have time to deal with you idiots!"
Thane laughed aloud. It was a laugh of a man driven to desperation and madness. "Tough talk from a dead man! Fire!"
The cannons opened up and fired into the Wasteland. The crew held themselves down as the ship jostled violently. The cannonballs ripped through the hull and sent cargo flying out. The crew below immediately sealed the holes shut, but the heavy fire made the job impossible.
Jones spun the wheel to get back on course. Turning off the wind jets would stabilize their flight, but it was also the only thing keeping them from being dragged back to the Devil Wakers. The long fight against their corrupted captain left them in no shape to deal with a ship of angry, vengeful pirates.
Banama shouted down to the lower deck, "Get those harpoons loose! They're going to tear the ship apart!"
"We're trying!" Cheshire yelled back as he, Drake, Zerif, and the rest of the crew tried to push the harpoons out. "They're jammed in pretty tight! We need to cut the ropes loose!"
The Devil Waker ship slowed its course and put more tension on the ropes. The Wasteland groaned like a cold, abandoned cellar. Cracks split open across the exterior of the hull, freshly ripped splinters scattering to the ground far below.
Thane laughed like a madman as he watched the Desert Beasts running around and panicking. "Bring out your damned captain! I want to see his face as I tear your ship from the sky!"
"Jones, do something!" Graham yelled as the last of his cool left him.
Jones kept ramping up the jets, but the increased speed merely quickened their ship's destruction. "We don't have much time. Someone needs to hurry and cut us loose."
"You'll never break free in time!" Thane presumably responded despite the distance. "This is payback! You effing pirates will bow before the true kings of the sky! We'll show you, and those shadow bastards that we are superior! They'll be begging to have me as their ally!"
"Oh~? We never got the memo." Thane's heart sank. He whipped his head around, picking out an intruding Watchog and Heliolisk on his ship. Zaros grinned at the unstable captain. "Silver Shell Thane, I presume."
Thane waved his cutlass at Zaros, but trembled at the suffocating aura he exuded. It reminded him of when he and the Devil Wakers last crashed. All of that smoke filling their lungs, taking their breaths away. This Watchog was the personification of that experience, and he exuded great power in his stature.
"W-Who are you?" Thane demanded with faux confidence.
The apprentice's grin stretched to devilish lengths. "Your new boss, of course. I'm a representative of the Tribe of Shadows. We heard you were interested in joining us."
The fear Thane held became a fleeting memory. What was once a frown filled with terror now became a smile of sadistic glee. "Y-Yes, of course. Ha! So, even the infamous shadows recognize my worth! You made the right call choosing me over those weaklings!"
"Oh, I'm sure we did. What a strong batch of scoundrels," Zaros said. His words spoke praise, but his tone was filled with condescending glee. Thane was too high on euphoria to distinguish either.
Graham observed this interaction through a telescope. He gritted his teeth. "I've got a bad feeling all of a sudden." He turned and yelled, "Jeffery!"
The Chatot flew over. "Don't yell at me! As long as the captain is unable to perform his duties, I'm—" Graham clamped his beak shut.
"As of now, I'm assuming control of this ship until further notice. Now, make yourself useful for once and cut us loose." Graham tossed Jeffery over the side before he could protest.
"You arrogant, asinine—" Jeffery caught his tongue when he pinpointed Zaros on the enemy ship. All of a sudden, Jeffery felt an urge to comply with Graham's requests. "Uh, right away!" He zipped towards the first harpoon and got to work gnawing on the ropes.
Back with Thane, the captain leaned against his cutlass and said, "Allow me to finish tearing these losers down and we can discuss my place on your team."
"Hmm? What are you talking about?" Zaros asked with playful stupidity. "When did you start calling the shots?"
Thane smirked. "I'm afraid you don't know who I am. I am Silver Shell Thane, the scoundrel of the skies. Your king should be honored to have a worthy ally. I have my own demands, after all."
Zaros chuckled. "Power, I assume."
"You read my mind."
"Actually, she did." Zaros stepped aside for Chantal. "Why wait? We'll grant your request right now."
Thane grinned. "Really?"
"Of course. Just remember to read our terms of service."
"Terms of service?"
Zaros snapped his fingers and opened a portal behind him. "Don't die."
Chantal unleashed an unearthly wail and struck Thane. The Wartorle staggered and fell onto his shell. The Devil Wakers gasped, then raised their swords at their captain's assailant. Chantal wailed at the floor, scattering the energy all across the ship. Zaros stepped partially into his portal, avoiding the corrupting wave.
Thane groaned and sat up. "What was—" He gasped as his shadow started bubbling under him. "Wait, what's going on?"
Chantal followed Zaros into his portal. Zaros turned back and said, "A pathetic pirate like you as our equal? You make a better lapdog than a herald." He snapped his fingers and closed the portal up.
Jeffery managed to gnaw off three harpoons out of the dozen or so dragging them down. His beak and talons ached. He fluttered up to the top of the ship and wiped his brow. "You know, none of you are incapable of helping me!"
He took noticed that the crew had miraculously calmed down, but were frozen in place. They were all staring in one direction, towards the back of the ship.
"The hell's wrong with you idiots?" Jeffery grumbled. He felt Julius force his head to face the same direction. Jeffery blinked, then felt the color wash from his face. "Oh. That."
The Devil Wakers' ship became overrun by a surge of black goo. Tendrils stretched over the hull like a network of veins. The wings of the ship were covered in the goo and turned into a pair of demonic batwings. The Celebi figurehead at the front twisted into the image of the Shadow King's possessed form, with his calm, eerie smile taking prominence.
The true horror came from the ship's occupants. Screams of pain and madness roared from the ship as the goo consumed its hosts. From the screams came mad laughter of the corrupt pirates breaking from their cocoons. Flashbacks of Arid's transformation resurfaced as the Devil Wakers bared a striking resemblance to their captain's monstrous state, but with slight differences.
They didn't appear as large or imposing as Arid, even looking much eviler than the snarling, unintelligible mess he was reduced to.
The Salazzle had black chains sprouting from her back and coiling around her arms and legs while her tail split off into four separate chains with Morningstar tips.
The Tentacruel had an innumerable number of tentacles each tipped with cutlass blades.
The Mankey turned into a hulking ball of spiked fur with a club-shaped tail banging against the floor.
And the captain himself? His shell was covered in jagged edges that resembled reflective metal. Two fangs protruded from his bottom jaw like tusks. His cutlass was fused with his right hand.
The shadow monsters cackled mindlessly, brimming with a potent evil the Desert Beasts were unfortunately too familiar with.
"Fire the cannons," Graham muttered.
"Graham, we need to escape—" Jones tried to say.
"Fire the cannons, now!" Graham screamed.
The crew below scrambled to the cannons and fired into the enemy vessel. A grumble of protest rumbled from the Devil Wakers' ship. The shots didn't penetrate the hull, merely stopped by the sponging coat of black goo. Tendrils sprouted out in retaliation and chucked the cannonballs back at the Wasteland.
The Desert Beasts ducked and covered their heads as the cannonballs smashed through the walls of the ship and took out a chunk of the main mast. It teetered to the left and came crashing down on the deck, barely tethered to the bottom post.
The shift in weight tipped the Wasteland to the left. The Desert Beasts clawed into the floorboards, hanging on for dear life. Arid and Lyra would've flown off the side if Banama hadn't snatched them up and threw himself into the captain's quarters. Everything inside there was turned on its side.
The sudden jostling startled Lyra from her short coma. She tried to get up, but fell back down due to Banama's weight pressed on her and the sudden surge of pain biting up her left arm. She squinted at the overturned state of her captain's room.
"Lyra?" Lyra got pulled into a hug by Banama. "Oh thank goodness, you're okay!"
Lyra smiled and hugged back with her good arm. However, recalling the situation, she pulled away and made frantic signs, asking what happened after she passed out.
Banama grimaced. "Short answer, Devil Wakers and our ship is capsizing."
Lyra glared, then tried to stand up again. The ship jerked forward and knocked Lyra down, landing on her bad arm. She hissed in pain and cradled it.
"Lyra, you can't fight. You nearly died a moment ago." Banama ripped his and her bandanas off and tied them together. "We got this covered. Just stay in here and keep the captain and yourself safe." He fashioned the bandanas into a sling and wrapped it around Lyra. "Stay," he ordered firmly before racing to the lopsided door.
Lyra pouted in annoyance, but complied. She grabbed Arid and pulled him into the corner of the room as broken items flew around.
The corrupted Devil Wakers fired their cannons into the lopsided Wasteland, turning the ship into swiss cheese. The ship was barely holding itself together. A few more minutes of cannon fire and they were as good as dead.
Indigo pulled herself up to the kitchen door and sat on the doorsill. "Please tell me someone has a plan!"
Jones, with his claws anchored to the floor, kept a firm grip of the steering wheel. "I'm doing as much as I can, but we'll sink at this rate."
"We need to cut the mast off!" Rico shouted.
"Our jolly roger!" Jeffery shrieked.
"We'll die if we don't!"
Leigh kicked off the deck and flew towards the mast. "I'll cut it down." She lit up her claws and fired pressurized magic slashes at it.
A dark blur zipped by and canceled out her attack. Leigh gasped and tried to track the target, but it zipped around from behind and struck her in the back. Leigh swung her claws furiously, but the flying enemy outpaced her from every direction. It swooped down, snatched her by the shoulders, and smashed her through the tilted floors.
The Desert Beasts followed the blur until it came to a rest in midair. The female Unfezant of the Devil Wakers, just as nightmarish as the rest of the crew. Its wings split off into three pairs that flapped similar in speed to a Vibrava's. She cackled in delight and swooped down for another assault.
She slashed Rico across the stomach, kicked Malcolm across the head, and fired off black feathers into Jones. They nearly lost their grips on the ship, but held strong.
"Damn bird," Malcolm sneered. He pulled out a flintlock and fired at her, but she moved too fast to get a clean shot off. "If the ship doesn't kill us first, she will."
"Even if we get the ship back upright, how are we going to contend with those things?" Indigo asked. "We barely defeated the captain."
Ambrosine, who lay at the edge of the ship with a wonderful view of the ground, shouted, "We need the captain to beat them! There's no way we can stop them!"
"The captain isn't all powerful!" Graham argued. "Even he would struggle with these monsters!"
The crew tensed up as the Devil Wakers fired another round of cannonballs into the ship. The Unfezant swooped by and took her shots at Graham. He tried to grab her leg, but it slipped out of his grip like soap. She fired feathers into his back, which was thankfully guarded by his sheathed axes.
"Although, it would be nice if he woke up now."
"There might be a way to take them all down at once." The Desert Beasts turned their eyes up. Banama climbed to the top of the lopsided ship, stating, "I know a forbidden curse that can eliminate them all in one shot."
"You do?" Indigo gasped.
"Well, hurry up and use it!" Rico shouted.
"There's a problem. I would need them all gathered together close enough for it to work. And if I miss, I won't get another chance to use it."
"Are you saying we only have one shot?" Graham asked.
"Pretty much."
"That doesn't help our current situation—" Graham hushed up as a harpoon fired past his face. He followed the line and saw the berserker Mankey climbing across it, swishing his club-shaped tail. "Oh, as if nothing could get worse."
The Mankey swung onto the ship, digging his claws in, and slammed his tail into the deck. Everyone shook from side to side, taking the ship farther out of the sky. The Mankey roared and beat the ship like a kettle drum.
Malcolm felt his claws losing grip on the ship. "Shit." He looked back at the Mankey, then at the mast. A wicked idea popped into his mind. "Huh." He dug his other hand down, getting a grip, and climbed to the mast.
The Unfezant took notice and flew straight at him. Banama, however, wasn't having it. With electricity pumping through his legs, he rocketed right down on the corrupted bird and grappled with her. She shrieked and wailed, spawning tendrils to rip him off.
"Sleep for eternity," Banama whispered cruelly, pressing the tip of his tail to her temple and delivering an agonizing surge of electricity that could kill a normal Pokémon. She could take it, though, which meant more time to torture her.
Malcolm pulled himself onto the bottom post of the mast, then pulled his gun out again. Right as the beast raised his tail, Malcolm fired and got a direct shot on the eye. The Mankey roared and covered the black-gushing eye.
"Oi, monkey boy!" Malcolm called out. "Your dumbass belongs in the Stone Age! Plenty of folk just as stupid as you to interact with!"
The Mankey roared and swung himself up to Malcolm's level. He swung his tail, which Malcolm jumped out of the way from. Just as Malcolm predicted, the tail smashed the remaining bit of lumber tethering the mast to the ship. The mast split off and vanished into the clouds.
With the weight gone, Jones spun the wheel and tilted the ship back to its upright position. The Desert Beasts felt the tension leave their fingers and claws and gravity pushing them back to the floor. They collectively melted to the floor in relief.
"Crisis averted!" Jones announced.
The Mankey pounded his chest and raised his tail over Malcolm. The Golduck wasn't the least bit worried and even beckoned the monster to try and hit him. The monster swung his tail down, but Rico stepped in and swung his foot into the club. The two forces tied in power, though Rico felt a great strain on his leg.
"Hurry!" Rico yelled.
Malcolm ran and lunged onto the Mankey monster. "Since you freaks can regenerate, we don't need to hold back!" He whipped his dagger out and plunged it into the monster's eye. He didn't stop at the monster's hollering and twisted deeper into his eye until black goo came gushing out.
The Mankey swatted Malcolm off and cradled his gushing eye. From above, as Banama pushed the corrupted Unfezant to her limits, he dove down with the pirate trapped in a suplex. "Get off our ship!"
He crashed on top of the Mankey and released a massive surge of electricity. The Desert Beasts shielded their eyes from the brilliant light while the two corrupted pirates screamed their hearts out.
The Devil Waker ship picked up speed and started racing side-by-side with the Wasteland. The corrupted Thane waved his sword, ordering another cannon fire on the Desert Beasts.
Cheshire, Leigh (who lay in a pile of crates), and the others noted this from the lower deck as the Devil Wakers lined up their cannons. "Ah shit, not this again," Cheshire grumbled.
Drake pulled out his katanas. "Not this time. Zerif, may I have your assistance?"
The Zoroark cracked his knuckles. "Gladly."
They jumped from the holes in the hull and slipped through the cannon ports. Drake kicked one of the pirates in the face, then slashed down three that charged at him. Zerif jumped over their heads and threw several cutlasses that impaled their heads.
They didn't stay down long as their regeneration kicked in. Drake turned one of the cannons onto the group and fired, knocking them across the room. After that, he slashed open a large hole in the hull, then kicked the cannon into the clouds.
"Start throwing them overboard," Drake ordered before setting his eye on the corrupted pirates. "I'll keep them busy."
Zerif grumbled as he wheeled the cannons to the hull. "Why do I get the boring job?" He shoved two cannons out.
Drake rushed at the pirates and diced through their shadowy bodies. Ribbons of black goop flew through the air with each breeze. It was like watching a master chef elegantly tearing through a head of lettuce with their knives. Though the monsters tried their hardest to fight back, they were nowhere near as terrifying as Arid.
A chain whizzed around and caught Drake's leg before flinging him into Zerif, who was in the midst of pushing out another cannon. The two Desert Beasts tumbled out the hole and barely caught onto the edge. The cold air rushing at them was like a shower of razors grazing their skin.
The corrupted Salazzle approached the edge, laughing at their situation. She stomped down on Drake's hand, then Zerif's. They endured, otherwise the speed they were moving at would be far too much to withstand with one hand.
Seeing that they had no intention of letting go, Salazzle coiled her chains around their necks and squeezed them. Drake and Zerif tried to gasp for air, but the chains tightened down on their windpipes. Salazzle lifted and pinned their bodies against the outside of the ship.
With the unbearable cold and lack of breath, all they could do as bang their heels against the hull, all while the devilish Salazzle cackled with glee.
"Oh, shut the hell up!" Salazzle's eyes widened as a bag of flour flew into her face. Her chains unfurled from Drake and Zerif, but another pair of chains grabbed their wrists and pulled them back into the Wasteland.
The duo landed under Pain Train. Drake sputtered and shook his head. "Thanks, PT."
"Way too close there," Zerif grumbled.
"Don't thank me yet!" Pain Train yelled as chains shot into and latched onto the ship.
The Salazzle monster roared and pulled the Wasteland right up against their ship, no doubt damaging the wings. The crew stumbled forward while corrupted Devil Wakers charged through the closed gap.
"Stay back!" Pain Train yelled, extending a wall of chains between his crewmates and the enemy pirates. The shadow pirates crashed and pushed against the chains, clawing and biting with single-minded bloodlust. "That won't hold them back for long. Run!"
The Desert Beasts gathered themselves and raced to the upper deck.
The shadow Devil Wakers leaped onto the main deck and charged at the Desert Beasts. Both sides clashed with their swords and guns drawn, but the Devil Wakers had the advantage in strength and persistence.
Indigo shifted her claws into a sword and parried a few strikes, but a Slowking got her with a spiked club. She dug her heels in and stopped herself. The club drew blood from her stomach, bleeding through her shirt. The shadow Slowking lunged and swung his club, which Indigo barely dodged.
She shifted her claw into its crossbow mode and fired an arrow into his eye. The Slowking reacted violently, swinging his club into the wall and floor. Indigo tried to crawl away, but the injury on her stomach flared up with movement.
The Slowking plucked the arrow out, then charged at the immobile Sneasel. Right as he raised his club, Julius flew over Indigo and slammed his cannon barrel into his face. "Adios, ye son of a bitch!" Julius incinerated the pirate's face off and blasted him away.
Indigo pushed herself up against the wall and stood up, clutching her stomach. "Thanks."
Julius reloaded his cannon and pointed at the Devil Wakers. "They're not as strong as the captain, it seems, but they're annoyin' little buggers."
"Yeah." Indigo grunted as she loaded another arrow into her crossbow. "We won't last at this rate."
"I'll gladly go down swingin'!" Julius cried, charging at the pirates and firing wildly.
Indigo used the wall and ship's edge to guide herself toward Banama, who wrestled with the shadow Mankey. He grappled around the ape's neck and pumped him with electricity. He rolled back and kicked the ape over his head, throwing him against the walls under the quarter deck.
"Banama, this plan of yours. Now would be a good time to start doing it," Indigo pressed weakly.
Banama panted and wiped the sweat from his brow. "I told you, I need them all grouped together. The curse won't work if I shoot just one or two of them."
"Grouping them together is hardly an option!" she yelled.
Before Banama could retort, the shadow Tentacruel dropped down in front of them and coiled them in his tentacles. Indigo cried out as they rubbed against her wounds. Banama tried to fire off an electrical attack, but the bladed tips of the tentacles dug into his back, making it difficult to concentrate.
The Tentacruel laughed and hovered them over the edge of the boat while more bladed tentacles sprouted out around him. They trained on their heads, twitching anxiously for spilt blood.
"Get away from my friends!" The wooden floorboards peeled open under Tentacruel. Wooden roots grew from their withered surface and coiled around his gooey body, then pulled him away from the edge with his two captives.
Indigo and Banama tumbled across the floor, landing in front of Tyrone's feet. He was joined by Smith and Ray, the former shakily pointing a pistol at the trapped jellyfish.
"Shoot him, you wimp!" Ray barked.
Smith yelped, then fired three rounds into the Tentacruel's head. The shadow jellyfish jolted from each shot, but not even a direct headshot could put him down. He dug his bladed tentacles into the roots and ripped them apart.
Tyrone canceled his spell, panting from his gauntlet's curse, then activated the white gem on his gauntlet. "Ray, now!"
Ray twisted his sound orb and fired into the Tentacruel, with Tyrone copying the effects. The shadow Tentacruel squealed in pain and flew off the side. He anchored himself down with his tentacles while fighting against the pressure waves.
Smith charged at him with a shovel and bashed it against a cluster of tentacles. Tentacruel didn't flinch, not even as Smith bashed the shovel repeatedly into him.
"Let go already!" Smith yelled with fearful tears running down his face.
Tentacruel hissed, then shot a dozen tentacles straight for Smith's chest. The Simisear went stiff with fear, feeling the faintest touch from their tips before suddenly teleporting back over to Tyrone.
Tyrone panted as the purple gemstone's glow fainted. Now that wasn't being bombarded by two pressure waves, Tentracruel easily pulled himself back onto the ship and leaped over Ray's attack. The group scattered and narrowly avoided a shower of bladed jabs beating into the floorboards.
Smith tried to run, but Tentacruel grabbed his ankle and yanked him back over. "Please, I'm too young!"
Tentacruel lunged onto the Simisear with his tentacle blades pointed out, but stopped just short when a knife spinning through the air struck the jellyfish right between the eyes. The shadow pirate stared ahead with blood dripping from his face, meeting eyes with the sadistic witch of the Desert Beasts.
"There's a fun curse to live with," Cheshire said with glee. "Go ahead, just try and stab poor Smith."
"Excuse me?!" Smith screamed.
Tentracruel forgot about the pathetic monkey and went straight for Cheshire instead. Cheshire made no attempt to move, not even when the jellyfish pirate stabbed him into the shoulder. Tentacruel tried to stab him again, until Cheshire uttered, "Stop."
A compulsion overcame the jellyfish's body, compelling him to freeze in place. Cheshire grabbed the tentacle and plucked it from his shoulder, unfazed by the blood spilling out. He did, however, grin at his own blood soaked on the blade.
"Curse of Submission. Too bad, I'm sure Smith would've enjoyed having his own puppet to play with, but I guess you'll do." Cheshire smirked. "You shadows, so driven by dread and misery, you're too single-minded to resist such a basic curse. All it takes is a little drop of my blood and you'll be compelled to obey my commands." Cheshire laughed jeeringly. "Even a wimp like that fool, Smith, could put up a resistance to a body possession."
Tentacruel snarled angrily and tried feebly to attack Cheshire, but his body forever obeyed the first order given to it, and followed it religiously. Cheshire pulled his knife from the jellyfish's forehead and spun it between his fingers.
"You beasts have no qualms with death and destruction so long as it isn't your master, right? Good. First order of business, kill your pathetic Devil Waker brethren."
The command was heard loud and clear. Tentacruel sprung into action and went on a blind assault against every possessed Devil Waker on the Wasteland. Stabbing, slashing, cutting; everything he could to appease the law of the witch.
Cheshire wiped the blood symbol off his knife and tucked it away. "Don't often use that one. Glad I could—"
"Cheshire!" Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Cheshire was shoved to the ground, this time by Ambrosine.
Right as she did, a row of glass blades grew from the floorboards in a jagged fashion. One step through them and he would've been cut to ribbons.
The two tumbled across the floor, panting quick, panicked breaths. They followed the straight path of blades and traced them back to Thane. The possessed Wartortle pulled his sword from the floor, threw his head back, and laughed wickedly, even though he completely missed. He was truly brought into a deep madness.
And now, he felt more deadly than they could ever imagine.
Lyra kept her good arm over her head as the ship rocked unsteadily. The rumbling of battle outside and the occasional hole in the wall sent her that much deeper into a panicked state she wasn't too comfortable sitting in. She normally had her concertina to play music and calm herself down, but it was probably somewhere with her stuff when she was brought back aboard.
She didn't know what she was more afraid of: the possibility of dying, or her poor instrument being torn to pieces in the ensuing battle. She teared up at the thought of her pride and joy being reduced to rejected firewood.
It hurt more that she was practically useless now. With her arm all banged up, she couldn't hope of lasting in a fight. Listening to all her friends doing their best to protect the ship made her wish she could do something useful.
Why did I have to go and get myself hurt like that? She sighed to herself and shook her head. So stupid. There were a billion other ways I could've dove in and played hero like that. Got myself nearly killed instead. She huddled up against Arid, who amazingly was still unconscious even with the rumbling outside.
Lyra closed her eyes and sighed. "…I don't like talking, Captain. I never have much to say. Even then, you know what I mean through my music. The crew doesn't need to hear me to understand me. I want to be understood by the feelings I project, not what is spoken. Got this far without speaking.
"I never said this out loud, but I wanted to be a musician. I know, shocking, but it's true. That's what I've been trying to do before we met. Getting thrown out of bars for being too annoying, never giving a straight answer, or having the guts to just ask for help. Talking is a burden. It's easier to…say this stuff through how I play.
"I never considered being a pirate, but…you're something special, Captain. You have this uncanny way of making allies from the roughest, toughest scum out there. You're not so different from Ravenfield, actually. It's something you both share. Maybe that's why I don't mind being a pirate. As long as you're there for us, we can accomplish anything."
Lyra tensed up as the ship rocked harder, knocking around the downed shelves and books.
"Not how I wanted to die, honestly," she stated. "I pictured myself in my old age, putting on a concert so intense that my heart stopped from excitement. I want to be remembered as a musical legend who put on a show so filled with passion and heart that it would change the lives of everyone." She chuckled softly. "Guess dreams aren't all that great, huh?"
The ship trembled again, then suddenly jolted down. Lyra gasped as books, furniture, and herself were tossed in the air. She dug her claws into the floor to keep herself down, but noticed the shadow of one of the bookshelves looming over her.
She clenched her eyes shut as it came down. The bookshelf exploded into pieces over her, its weight not so much as reaching her. She opened her eyes to the shattered pieces of wood strewed across the floor.
"You have a lovely voice, Lyra. No matter if you speak or not, your passion is true." Her eyes widened, sensing the Darmanitan's presence standing protectively over her. "Dreams are what gives us purpose."
Thane swung his sword frenetically, sending waves of dark glass blades at the Desert Beasts. Cheshire and Ambrosine dodged his attack, racing to the other end of the ship.
"I liked him better when he was dead!" Cheshire yelled.
"When was he ever dead?!" Ambrosine cried.
"In my mind when he crashed!"
Thane stabbed his sword down, projecting an area of effect wave of glass blades. The Desert Beasts scattered to the two ends of the ship as the entire main deck erupted in blades. Julius and Tyrone nearly escaped unscathed, but got their legs caught in the rising blades. When they got onto the quarterdeck, their legs were riddled with cuts.
"Effing hell!" Julius screamed, holding his leg tightly.
"Agh! This freakin' hurts!" Tyrone seethed.
Thane clicked his fingers, causing the glass blades to shatter to nonexistence. Despite being mostly a mindless puppet, he set his sights on Jones next, the skilled shipwright/helmsman of the Desert Beasts. He pulled into his shell, then spun right for the Barbaracle with a trail of glass shards forming behind.
Jones immediately realized he was being targeted. "Smith, take the wheel!" Jones turned and ran as Thane hopped onto the quarterdeck.
The ship tilted to the side, but Smith lunged at the wheel and held it in place. "Why me?!"
Jones raced to the back of the quarterdeck and, without hesitating, jumped over the side. Thane stopped, popped out of his shell, and checked over the side. Jones was gone, vanished without a trace. Even a mindless puppet could tell something about this wasn't right.
Thane crawled down the side like a spider, searching all the way to the bottom of the ship. Nothing but the jets of air shooting from the bottom. Thane hissed in annoyance and turned back, only to get a sudden kick to the face from Jones, flying into the air jets.
"I know every inch of this ship," Jones stated. "I've helped the captain remodel this vessel from my design. That includes secret passages and trapdoors built for purposes like this." Jones hung from a trapdoor in the hull. Before he jumped over the side, he pulled a secret lever that opened up a trapdoor in the very back, sitting right under Arid's quarters' window. A trapdoor that made for an emergency slide in case something was wrong with the jets.
Thane clung desperately to the wind jets blasting against his face. His claws dug deep into the wood, but even that was giving out under the strain.
Jones glared. "Guess you can't hear me over the jets. Don't worry, I'm sure this will get my point across!" As he used the arms on his shoulders to cling to the ship, he pulled out two cutlasses and jabbed at the corrupted Wartortle.
A shadow arm formed from Thane's shell and blocked the swords. Three more spawned and dug their claws into the hull. Jones gasped, then quickly pulled himself back into the emergency chute. Thane's shadow arm grabbed Jones' ankle and yanked him out.
Jones found himself dangling upside-down and swimming through clouds. He glared up at the corrupted Wartortle that shook him around teasingly. Thane waved mockingly at the shipwright, then let him go.
Jones has heard that time slows down when in a life or death situation, though he never had a personal experience. He survived a lot in his early days as a shipwright and his time as a pirate. Guess now he could say he believed it.
He was an old salt like Arid. Been in the skies for as long as him. He was one of Arid's first crewmen. He needed a ship, and Jones happened to be a shipwright who needed to get away from society. It was a perfect match.
Jones was pretty content with being a pirate. A lot better than his old life as a plain ol' shipwright. Not to say he hated his life. It was a hard day's work building ships. Not many common folks went about buying airships, it was always the rich and opulent. Jones never minded, it made money. He complied with all requests, no matter the absurdity or specifications. Whatever made him money, he was cool with.
He had his limits, however, and that's what made it hard to look back on.
One particular customer demanded a ship from the company. As usual, Jones and his team took this request without much thought. They built the ship to the man's requests and didn't complain. He wanted a vessel that spoke as loudly as him. Orange, covered in gemstones they had to get imported from Alola, and a figurehead of the customer's physique. Jones never built a gaudier ship, but he never spoke up. Jones never spoke up. He let his actions do the talking instead.
Jones picked the wrong time to pay their customer a visit. All he needed was a confirmation on the gemstones he wanted for the ship, nothing much. He happened to hear the man shouting in his home. Jones nearly went about business, but curiosity had its claws sunk into him. He only meant to listen for a minute.
It was that day that always reminded Jones why he wasn't fond of the rich. They used their money to get away with everything, including ruining someone else's life. He didn't know the full details, but it was clear as day that rich guy dated someone that found out about some shady business practices he committed. That's who he was arguing with over the crystal orb.
Soon as he hung up, Jones wanted to leave it at that, but the rich guy pulled out a business card and placed it against the orb. It was a hitman's business card. It wasn't easy to get into direct contact with hitmen, intentionally implemented so they weren't hired by edgy teenagers looking for revenge or some child who made a wrong call. The fact this guy had a business card means it might've been a regular partnership.
They planned to meet on Friday. The rich guy had to pick his ship up on Thursday.
Jones never got involved in other people's affairs, but something inside him said to stop that man. So, Jones made a few minor tweaks to the ship before it was scheduled for pickup.
Jones wrote his resignation, confessing his sins, on the same day the rich man picked his ship up. Jones left before his team or boss could talk to him. His client never made it to his meetup with the hitman. The day Jones disappeared was the day he became wanted for murder.
As Jones felt the weight of gravity overtake him, he closed his eyes and quietly accepted his fate. He deserved as much. He had a number of different ways to report the crime, but he didn't trust to let criminals like that go free. He took the fall to spare the company he loved.
He had a lot to thank Arid for. He gave him a new purpose, and made him feel content with his sins. No wonder he followed him to the ends of the earth.
He was fine. This felt fine.
Suddenly, a grainy sound surged down, then coiled around him. Jones' eyes snapped open as dark gray sand caught him before he fell too far from the ship. And in his surprise, he stared back at the man who renewed his purpose in life.
"Jones, you bastard!" Arid growled, clinging to the hull. "Haven't I taught you anything? A shipwright, like a captain, goes down with their ship! You're not dying on me so easily!"
Jones' eyes watered in awe. "Captain…"
Thane growled, a part of his warped mind remembering the burning hatred he felt for Arid. He lunged at the Darmanitan, but Arid swung his gauntlet and bashed Thane's head into the hull.
"Oh, shut the hell up!" Arid yelled. "Do I need to teach you and your bastard crew another lesson?"
Thane pushed back and tried to bite down on his arm. Arid responded by clenching his fists and summoning more sand from his coat pockets. The sand hardened into spears and impaled through the Wartortle's stomach.
"Good thing I pocketed some earth and stone before I became corrupted myself." Arid hopped onto the sand holding Jones up, and took them back to the top deck where the others were still holding off the Devil Wakers.
The corrupted Hitmonlee spotted Arid and shot his clawed foot at him. Jones whipped out a cutlass and stopped the shadow monster in its place. "Don't you dare touch the captain, mongrel!"
Arid smirked. "Appreciated, Jones." He dropped his helmsman onto the deck. "Get control of the ship. The rest of you, clear the deck. I'm ending this."
The Desert Beasts grinned with joy at the sight of their captain, then raced to the quarter and lower decks of the ship. Graham ran by, but stopped to give a quick, "Glad to have you back, Captain."
Arid smiled. "Good to have you as well, Graham." He gave a hard glare to the Devil Wakers as they grouped up before him. "Don't have enough sand for all of you, but…" He held his hand out. "I'll make do with what I've got."
The limited collection of sand he had swirled in front of his palm. The shadow pirates charged at him without a second though, thoroughly believing they could take him.
The seared rune engraved on Arid's gauntlet reacted to its magic. The sand Arid had doubled in size, then tripled, growing out at exponential proportions. Black sand spawning from nothing, swirling around the pirate captain.
Arid looked at the sand curiously. "What the…?"
The Desert Beasts gasped. "Is that shadow magic?!" Tyrone cried.
"Oh no, don't tell me the captain's going to be corrupted again!" Ambrosine cried, pulling on her leaves.
Cheshire narrowed his eyes. "I don't think it's fighting him. He's in control of it."
"What do you mean?" Banama asked.
"The Curse of Binding bound his shadow to the gauntlet, pacifying it. It's possible…Arid's in control of his own shadow!"
Arid stared in awe at the black sand, bending and shaping it as he pleased. A cruel grin grew across his face. "Payback time." He thrusted his palm and sent down a shower of black shards.
The Devil Wakers staggered and tried to turn back. The shards impaled each and everyone of them in an instant, pinning them to the deck. Arid flicked his fingers up and raised the Devil Wakers into the air.
"Shadows are a part of us, huh? Your own shadow can easily consume you, representing the parts of ourselves we don't want to face." Arid glared. "I think I'm finally starting to understand what you creatures really are. Unfortunately for you, I've had quite the wakeup call. Now, let's see what else I can do!" He clenched his fist and flung it straight at the Devil Wakers' ship.
The Devil Wakers went flying and slammed right into their ship in the same effect as their cannonballs. Arid contorted his fingers and slashed apart the harpoons clean off the Wasteland.
Jones turned the ship and put some distance away from the enemy ship. "Haha! My baby's flying smooth!"
Arid whipped up the sand around himself and levitated in the air. The gauntlet flashed purple twice, hitting Arid with a brief wave of fatigue. Guess I can't abuse this power too much. Arid summoned more black sand and sent it out against the enemy ship. Each slice ripped a huge hole through the hull, ripping through the veiny armor.
He tightened his fist and punched the air, firing off a fist of sand ignited with black flames. It bashed into the ship and instantly incinerated half the main deck and everything under it. Arid winced as another wave of fatigue hit him. He faltered in his flight, but safely landed back on the ship.
"Phew." He held his forehead. "That takes a lot out of you—"
"Captain, duck!" his crew cried.
Arid ducked his head and felt the breeze up a cutlass graze the hairs on his head. He sneered and locked eyes with Thane. The Wartortle howled with anger and lunged at the Darmanitan, who was now utterly fed up with him at this point.
Arid caught Thane by the face and brutally rearranged it with black spikes shooting through him. "You know what, Thane, I was wrong. Maybe I'm not as innocent as I claim. Still, I've never spilt innocent blood, and I never will." He blasted Thane back onto his sinking ship with the rest of his dazed crew.
The Desert Beasts raised their fists and cheered. "Alright! Way to go, Captain Arid!"
Arid dispelled the sand and fell on his rear, clutching his head. "Not so loud, please—" Jeffery tackled Arid and hugged him with comedic tears running down his face.
"I was so worried about you! WAAAAH!"
Arid growled softly, but let it be. It's been a long day for everyone.
"Uh, guys! I think it's a little too late to celebrate!"
Jones' announcement caused the crew to look back at the Devil Waker ship. Their eyes nearly bulged from their skulls as the pile of downed crewmen started assimilating into each other and with the ship. Darkness coated the entire vessel like a thin coat while the black ooze around the Devil Wakers sprayed outward.
It molded and grew into a tower of pure darkness, clambering over the ship and taking its roots inside. Wings sprouted from the back, a horrible mismatch of parts taking the shape of flying limbs. Claws, tentacles, and all kinds of appendages sprouted from the body, some incredibly short and some disturbingly large.
A head formed from the top, and it was the spitting image of Thane's face, only far more monstrous than before. Dozens of blood red eyes opened with new life before the abomination reared its head back and roared to the sky. The sound was unearthly, unlike anything their minds could ever comprehend to come from any creature. If Arceus had crafted such a creature, he'd have sent it to the deepest pits of Hell wrapped in adamantine chains and guarded by every demon occupying the realm.
"Go, go, go!" Graham yelled.
Jones spun the ship around and pushed the air jets to their maximum output. The abomination acknowledged their escape and casted down black flames in their direction. Jones steered away from the flames, with only their ship's wings taking serious damage. The wings incinerated into nothing.
"This went from scary to downright traumatizing!" Smith screamed. "What in Arceus' land is that horrible beast?!"
Leigh sneered. "I've never seen anything like it before."
"We can't have that thing running loose!" Rico yelled. "It'll kill the people below!"
"Oh, great idea, let's just slay the cosmic abomination! No pressure!" Leigh screamed back.
The monster breathed more black flames at the fleeing vessel, nearly catching their back on fire. Jones maneuvered away by a hair. "As much as I'm with Leigh on this one, it's not like it'll stop chasing us!"
Indigo glared over at Banama and asked, "You said you wanted them grouped together, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, you're not going to get a better shot than this."
Banama smirked. "Right." He raced up to the quarterdeck and stood atop the railing. "Jones, keep us steady. I only have one shot at this."
"I can't make any promises!"
Banama held his hands out side-by-side, then steadied his breathing. A crackled of blood red energy surged between his hands. A small orb of densely packed magic formed. The power it radiated made Banama feel sick. Though he bared the power of this curse, he could feel its horrible effects from its mere presence. The lives it has claimed, the lives he claimed with it; he could feel those memories from its aura.
Banama took a deep breath. I haven't used this ever since I killed The Sheer's entire crew. Hood, if you can hear me right now, I've gotten what I wanted. I never asked for this life, but I've taken what I can. Now, I have what I wanted for a long time. I'm actually…happy for once.
The abomination raised its horribly formed wings and fired a shower of needles down on the ship. The needles exploded as soon as they got close to the ship. Jones steered through the explosions while everyone clung to the ship.
Banama stumbled around on the railing, trying to keep his balance and his focus on the curse. "Jones, I said keep steady!"
"And I told you I couldn't make any promises!"
Banama bared his teeth and tried to steady his aim. The monster kept getting out of focus with every jostle of the ship. An explosion rang too close to the side and knocked Banama over the railing.
"No, no, no!" Banama tried to get his tail around the railing, but missed.
Fortunately, Lyra lunged through the railing and caught Banama by the ankle. She hooked her legs around the railing posts.
"Lyra!" Banama gasped. "You're supposed to be—oh, what the hell am I saying? I'm so glad you're here."
Lyra smiled, blushing a bit, then pointed her ears at the monster still chasing them.
Banama nodded. "On it."
He held his arms out and lined up his shot with the monster. Surprisingly, hanging upside-down made aiming much easier. Target locked and lined up for elimination.
"Back to hell with the lot of you! Murder Curse!" The energy blazed erratically, then fired out as a narrow, straight line.
The monster wound its head back for another attack right as the beam connected with its massive body. The energy rippled over the monster's whole form, as well as across the ship.
The Desert Beasts held their breaths as they became blessed with a long silence. The monster was frozen in place, staring blankly at the sky. Banama and Lyra looked between each other and the monster, wondering in fear if it didn't work.
Then, the monster began to crumble. Ashy flakes of darkness blew away in the wind like dust. The ship began losing altitude and sank into the clouds. Banama and Lyra were the only ones who caught a glimpse of Thane's body within the dark matter, eyes whited out and jaw hanging open. He and the rest of his crew vanished beneath the clouds.
Banama took a deep breath, then sighed. "I'm not going to be able to sleep for weeks." Lyra nodded meekly in agreement, then helped pull the Raichu back on board.
Arid limped onto the deck to check on them. Once Banama was back on solid ground, he passed out immediately. The effects of his Murder Curse. No matter what it hits or if it misses his target completely, he would be completely immobilized for a while. He snored soundly, the only decent sleep he might be able to get for now.
Arid sighed in relief. "We're free, for now."
"And we have the keys." Ambrosine walked up behind Arid and showed him the Keys of Fire, Water, and Storms. "At least we'll be able to delay their plans to get the idol."
"Good work, Ambrosine. Though it be an accident, you helped us finally gain the motivation to escape."
Ambrosine blushed in embarrassment. "I'll…try not to do that too often."
"Where to now, Captain?" Jones asked.
"Good question," he admitted.
"Actually, Captain," Ambrosine spoke up shyly.
"What is it?"
Ambrosine showed him the Ravenfield book. "I might have a suggestion."
Arid squinted at the page she showed him, then glared. "This is…is this what the Shadow King feared?"
The Shadow King snapped his fingers, wiping the aftermath of the battle from the crystal ball. "I've seen enough."
Aeternus crossed his arms. "How strange that the witch's little curse gave Arid full control of his shadow. Still, the test was a success. Our new spell will corrupt anyone with their own shadow. It's impossible to fight off your own fears and grief."
Callista hissed. "But it's way too small of a blast. How do we expect to cover Mysto with that tiny thing?"
"We're still in the testing stages for now," the Shadow King reassured. "We'll improve upon it in time."
Zaros glared. "And what of the Desert Beasts?"
"Let them be on their way." The Shadow King glared. "I know exactly where they're going. And, if Fate has dictated it, it'll be better for us to let them go free for now."
"If you say so."
The Shadow King leaned back into his throne. "A shame they got away with the keys, but not a total setback." He glared. "Still…"
"A problem, Your Majesty?" Nightmare asked.
The Shadow King gripped his throne's armrest tightly. That troublesome Steenee stole the book I was using. She has all the knowledge of the Ravenfields in her possession. I have to keep the Desert Beasts and Team Ravenfield separated, otherwise the brothers will learn the truth behind their bloodline. I can't let that happen.