HoloJourneys

by vanderblast

A fateful encounter with a fluffy sheep inside a castle dungeon, begins a journey that will change the world. In a world of magic, swords, magical spirits and endless possibilities, Anon, sets forth on a journey with his friend Watame to see everything this world has to offer and to find their origins. The journey won't always be easy, but together, they can always make it through.

38. A Port Where Trouble Docks

It feels like it's only been seconds since you fell asleep between Polka and Flare, but you are already fully conscious within your dreamscape. Seated along an outer golden ring that encircles a violet planet, you kick your legs back and forth in slight boredom. Usually when you find yourself in the vastness of space, its observer is not too far behind. So where is Sana?

With nothing better to do but wait, you begin to practice some of your starlight based magic. The trick you pulled on Flare earlier was a good start, but you should always be trying to expand your spell crafting so that you can adapt to any situation you're thrown into. Within your dream, your mana is back at a full supply, and making a set of four five-pronged stars emerge from your fingertips is simple. You mentally instruct your creations to fly in a small figure eight in front of you, but sigh again.

"It's all well and good as a distraction, but there has to be more I can do with my celestial magic." You say to yourself. "I guess this is why Sana goes out of her way to teach people about this stuff. I can't even begin to know what sort of spells this magic is truly capable of…but maybe I don't need to worry about making new spells at the moment. The more I seem to get the hang of my celestial magic, the stronger my overall magic seems to get. Not to mention I feel stronger too."

Having talked yourself out of your slight uncertainty, you continue to guide the stars you created through the air, having them make sharp turns, dives, and even intersect one another. You accidentally also find that you are able to more precisely control them by extending an invisible link between one celestial body and one of your fingers. Their movements are much more sharp when you conduct their commands through your pointed digits. Another unexpected sign of progress is how you can have a thick trail of mana appear behind a star's flight path.

You decide to try something different and allow magical energy to build up more and more within one of your stars. Its five-pointed body begins to pulse with brightening light, and you feel it is at its full capacity. Before allowing the celestial shape to supernova, you bring your index and middle finger forward and direct it to fly further away from you, where it then erupts in a blinding explosion.

After focus returns to your squinting eyes, you chuckle slightly at what you did. "Not bad. Not bad at all. Now THAT I could use in a fight."

"Boy I'll say!" Sana's choice chirps happily, and suddenly, the cosmic woman is sitting beside you, looking at you fondly. "Did ya come with that one all by yourself?"

"Hey Sana!" You almost ignore her question, as you are just ecstatic to finally see her, and the other three stars you had created glimmer away. "I was starting to think I missed you somehow."

"Sorry, little guy! I was off watching something else! The show just ended though and I noticed that you wanted to hang out, so I popped on over." Sana apologizes softly.

"Hey you got your own life. I can't expect you to come by whenever I come calling." You try to ease the woman's guilt somewhat. "I actually do have a favor I'd like to ask you though."

"What kinda favor?" Sana asks, a little intrigued. "More astrology lessons? Since those are free. Oh! Did you want to see what a moon tastes like? We can do that here too."

"Actually, it's about the moon. The moon around my own planet." You feel the need to specify. "You see…I kinda promised this girl that I could give her the moon for our first date, and while I know I can't obviously do that, I was wondering if it was possible to like…make it a little bigger, or something?"

"Make it bigger?" Sana taps her finger under her chin. "Ohhh I see. Plannin' a little moonlight stroll on the beach ain't cha? Well, sure I'll help ya out. I always try to look out for my friends."

"You'll really help me out!? Oh that's awesome! Thanks Sana!" You give the woman next to you an excited hug around her shoulders. "Oh man! Flare is gonna be starstruck when she sees it! I can't wait. Is it really okay for you to do this?"

"There ain't many people who can tell me not to, so we're in the clear!" Sana gives you a thumbs up after you release her. "Besides, you won me a good chunk of gold last night, so it's only fair I pull a few strings and give you and your lady friend an extra romantic scene to go with your evening."

"I…what?" You tilt your head, your sudden excitement traded for befuddlement. "How did I manage that?"

"Oh I called a couple of the girls over when I saw you on a warpath against some thieving mountain lions, and one of them said we should make bets on if you'll beat their leader in that fight you took part in. Which, by the way, amazing show! You really showed those cats who's the boss!"

"You placed bets on me?" You ask to confirm, but then before Sana can answer, you suddenly feel insulted and slightly angry. "You friends bet against me!? What the hell!? Did they have any idea what was at stake?"

"Ehhh. Nature is kinda my one friend's thing, so she didn't think you could hold your own against the queen of beasts so well." Sana shrugs. "Ya sure showed her though! She was pretty miffed after you won."

"Well if it worked out better for you, I guess I can't complain." You scoff, your mild agitation evaporating. "Wait…what do you need gold for anyway? Aren't you and your friends like….actually, I don't know exactly what you all are."

"Oh I like to take a little romp around the place you call your home every once in a while, and that takes money! The other girls do it a lot more than I do though, but like I said, one of them looks over nature, so she's kinda more invested to be on the ground than I am." Sana waves off the question before her eyes ignite with girlish fascination. "So! About this date. Which lady friend is it for?"

"It's for Flare. I kinda don't have a coin to my name anymore, so I need to get creative with making a low cost date really special. She's amazing and deserves the best." You start to confide in the cosmic woman, but your thoughts quickly become distracted by that half-elf's wonderful face in your thoughts, as you let out a longful sigh.

"She's a real beaut she is!" Sana nods. "Don't worry, I'll make that moon just right for both of ya. Let's try to keep brief if we can though, yeah? The natural order and law of things shouldn't be messed with for too long."

"Completely understandable. Using my own and the magic of the spirits to help me paint a pretty scene is one thing, but I can't imagine we should mess with the moon for too long. If too many people saw it change suddenly, things might get chaotic."

"I'm more worried about a single someone paying more attention…" Sana mumbles, her eyes look around with a hint of worry. Before you can ask what's on her mind, her face lights up again and turns to face you. "Oh this is exciting! I haven't been somebody's winggirl before. When we doing this?"

"That I'm not fully sure of." You say truthfully. "I don't exactly have a good idea for how this whole pirate situation is gonna play out."

"But you're not worried?" Sana smiles.

"Actually." You stop midthought as you ponder your teacher's question, and what brought on the sudden question. You then remember your not so minor freak out when you confided in Sana your uncertainties when faced with the task of helping Pomu and her forest. You give the cosmic woman a small smile to give her the answer she seems to already know.

"Nope. This time, I'm sure of myself. Too many people are counting on me. I promised a lot of people I would be a light of hope for them. My friends and I are gonna kick the asses of these pirates, and help Shallah get back to normal." You say with fierce resolve.

"I'm so proud of ya, little guy!" Sana gives your shoulder a soft bump with her own, and as if the backdrop of outer space responded to her mood, you see several stars twinkle even brighter than before. "I can't wait to see you boarding ships and showin' the world what a hero can do with celestial magic. Which by the wayyyy, I think someone has earned another astrology lesson."

"Really? That would be awesome, Sana. I've actually been a little stumped on how to really advance and use my starlight magic, so this might be just what I need." You say with thankful excitement.

"What do ya mean you've been stumped?" Sana chuckles. "You were just spinning around a little Milky Way all on your own. Just a little while ago I don't think you would have tried that."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Your shoulders slump slightly. "But shouldn't I be able to create more powerful spells with my starlight mana by now? All I can seem to manage is mana coats and little stars that look pretty and can fly around. The light burst is nice, but that'll only fool someone in battle once."

"There's more to your gift than using it to blast your enemies away." Sana says in a more instructive tone. "Why don't we start your lesson and see if you figure out what I mean along the way, yeah?"

When you begin to nod in agreement, Sana is already quick at work to bring you to the sight of your next astrology lesson. The planet whose ring you both sit upon feels soars through the vastness of space, and in mere seconds, stops as though it was never moving to begin with. Now in a new part of your dreamscape, Sana points up above you both and you immediately begin cataloging each twinkling star and any potential connections between them that can be drawn. Then, you notice your chocolate skinned friend flip her hand upward, and your view is quickly changed as you are lifted up from your seat and higher into the glittering sea of the universe. The speed at which you ascend makes your stomach churn, but just as quickly as the feeling comes, it subsides when you are brought to a comfortable halt and your feet touch down on nothing you can see with your eyes.

"Today's lesson will be a little different. It's nice to find constellations just by stargazing sometimes, but don't it sound fun to draw them yourself!?" Sana asks as she floats up to join you.

"I'm going to draw them? How?" You ask as you look up slightly at the girl who is easily even taller than Botan.

"With your magic, silly!" Sana winks as she nudges her face towards the starscape in front of you. "You've connected stars yourself before haven't ya?"

"With the Stellberna spell, yeah, but I don't think I can use that magic to connect with stars that already exist." You try to explain, not sure if Sana is overestimating your own abilities or not.

"But you have a different kind of magic that can do just that!" The cosmic woman points upward in declaration. "Just walk over to that first star and give your boots a nice shine! You get what I'm sayin', eh?"

You give Sana an understanding nod and take a calming breath. Even though you feel solid ground under your feet, to look down at them and see nothing but the endless reaches of space below them is unnerving. You try to remind yourself that this is just a dream, and even if it is something more, Sana would never let anything happen to you. She has earned that trust from you by now.

Taking a testing step forward, your stomach drops and when the heels of your boots make a soft click against the invisible void, the apprehension you feel is gone. You briskly walk to the star Sana pointed to, and let your foot press down into its soft light, where it is just as solid as the path you took to reach it. Next is the slightly harder part, channeling your mana to your feet. It was easier during your duel with Flare since you were in the ocean, but you're finding it a tad more difficult to get your magical life force to gather and show itself around your lower appendages.

After a few failed attempts that only resulted in a light flicker around your shins, you bend over, holding the balls of your knees as you take a few covering breaths through your nose. You refuse to look like a slouch in front of your friend that seems to have limitless faith in you. Picking yourself up, you give your cheeks a soft slap in preparation. Then, in time with a foot pressing down upon the solid star, your unique mana covers the surface of your boot, and the celestial platform shines brighter.

"That's perfect, little guy!" Sana calls over from the sidelines as she raises a thumb upwards. "Now just connect yourself there and walk straight ahead until you get to the next star, then take a slight left and go to the next."

Using a similar philosophy as when you connect your mana to the waters around you, you do the same with starlight, and to your delight, a clear, silver-white ray of light trails behind your steps as you leave the first star. When you reach the third star, you marvel at the simple path you've made, the three celestial bodies are connected by a visible road of light. You look at Sana who gives you a proud nod, and then one by one, she guides you from one star to the next.

Walking the path of a constellation is certainly harder than tracing one with your eyes, and you begin to question if the shape you're outlining will be recognizable in the slightest. The second stretch of this lesson felt like you were drawing a strangely uneven pentagon that also has an angled triangle attached to it. You are almost afraid to see the results.

"Nice! That's the last one!" Sana calls, and before you can utter a response, you are suddenly pulled upward, and you can only watch the bright lights you walked on quickly come into full view as gravity seems to disappear around you.

When you finally catch your breath, you notice Sana happily floating beside you with that bright, unending smile of hers that could even put the sun to shame. She lifts a pointed finger up, and then elegantly points it downward, pulling you to follow it and see a dazzling display.

From your own handy work, what very well might be a full constellation is fully outlined miles below you. A right angled triangle lays on its longest straight side on the left end of the formation, and the smallest line of its figure doubles as the end of a slightly rectangular pentagon. The top and bottom edges of its form are perfectly straight, but the end of the topside dips slightly downward before cutting downward again. Also from where that very angle begins, is the path that you started on for this lesson, which you now see forms what might as well be a child's simple stick figure drawing meant to represent an animal's neck and head.

"And this is Leo!" Sana slaps on your back, seemingly pleased with your results. "Leo the Lion."

"Lion?" You repeat, but then the irony of the situation hits you harder than well, iron, right to your face. "Oh…of course it is."

"Not my fault you just seem to be drawn to things that take after the zodiac." Sana shrugs, but you can see the shrewd satisfaction on her face as you come to grips with what she views as a delightful meeting between the people in your life and your special gift.

"Except they were the ones who came to me." You sigh. "What is this 'zodiac' anyway?"

"I'm so glad you asked! It's a special group of twelve constellations who each have their own unique form and meaning. People used to use them to tell the time of year, where they were, and even tried to predict their futures with 'em." Sana is all too happy to begin explaining, and her enthusiasm starts to infect you as well, making you want to hear all there is to know. "Some people even draw strength from the zodiac signs, but more in an emotional sense. Faith in the heavens is a powerful thing for some people. You, however, can do so much more with them!"

"Like how the Aquarius constellation gives my water spells a big boost if I make it using the Stellberna spell? What would this one do then? Is it only good for lions?" You question.

"Let's work through what the Leo star sign represents, and then you can try guessing what it might do for ya. Think about your little pack of new girlfriends." Sana proposes with a small giggle afterward. "When you picture them, what do you see?"

"Besides potential fights and headaches waiting to happen?" You roll your eyes, but then take the question more seriously. "Well, they're fierce, wild, determined, and probably brave above all else…maybe to a fault. It did almost got them done in twice already since I've known them. They're also incredibly proud and loyal women."

"Yes! Those are all things that Leo is known for! Since you got the gift, you can channel the power of the constellations within you! Like a spell! Leo can make ya as strong as a king of the jungle!" Sana then says with brimming excitement.

"Leo can do that for me?" You ask in disbelief, but then decide what better way to test the theory than to put it into practice by bringing nine stars to life in front of you, fueled by your own magic. Creating and controlling that many at once is certainly a challenge, but you quickly place them all in their correct spots in front of you and Sana, who looks on with bated breath. Once the celestial shapes are in place, you draw lines to connect each of them with two of your held together fingers, and soon, a mini version of the Leo constellation floats in front of you.

"Go on. Give it a touch." Sana urges you, and you reach an open hand forward to place it within the celestial formation's middle. Your eyes widen when the entire outline pulses with light as your hand breaches its threshold. The stars then erupt with a soft glow as their stardust floats and funnels itself into your body. Your breath gets caught in your chest at the sudden phenomenon, but you soon begin to feel a strange uplifting sensation, something almost like an inner voice.

You give your fists a hard flex as your starlight mana coats them in a flash; its radiance even thicker and more formidable than normal. The collection of shimmering magical energy around your fist feels like it could reduce boulders to rubble, or punch holes in a warship with a single strike. It makes you feel powerful, proud, and…wild. "Is this really from that little constellation I just made?"

"Sure is! Constellation magic imbues the user with all sorts of neat stuff! It might only last one or two shots until you get more practice in, so keep that in mind."

"And maybe if I make it with the Stellberna spell, it'll last as long as it's cast, but that's also a heavy burden on whoever is chanting the spell for me." You voice the idea to yourself as you constantly fight the urge to just unleash your new power. The mana around your fist almost bubbles with a desire to be used, to be molded into something worthy of the proud creature whose namesake helped spawn it. A human with the strength of a lion. Botan regarded you as such too, and you're becoming more and more okay with that by the second. It paints a strange, but not all too unfamiliar hungry smile across your face. You can't wait to see what will be on the receiving end of this. Maybe you can punch a pirate through the hull of his own ship, or maybe you and Undine can upturn the water from under it, flipping the entire thing under the sea. You and Sylph, the storms you could create together can probably cause a fair bit of panic. Pomu can help with that too. Oh that'll be fun for the fae. All those deplorable pirates will make excellent prey.

"Hey! Shoo you rat! Ah see what you're doin'. Don't bother him!" You barely hear Sana whisper, which makes you shake off the encroaching thoughts of the chaos your magic could create.

You decide to take the opportunity to practice some restraint, and command yourself to relax. There are no enemies nearby, and no prey. There is no need for such power right now. Your body seems convinced by your thoughts and your mana slowly recedes back into your skin, allowing your head to think clearly again.

"I think if you show that off to your new friends, that'll surely surprise 'em!" Sana chirps. "By the way, how is being a pack leader going anyway? My friend was snickering quite a bit when we found out that those little cats were suddenly your responsibility."

"It's challenging to say the least. Almost every time I turn around they're about to fight…over me usually." You sigh, but then your shoulders lighten. "But they are actually pretty cool. They listen to what I have to say, and are letting me teach them magic! I'm kinda excited to help them take their home back."

"And with the power of Leo in your corner, you can't lose!" Sana gives you an encouraging pump of her arm.

"Heh, damn right! Those pirates aren't gonna know what hit them." You chuckle and offer a fist towards Sana. "I'm gonna use the power of the constellations to help free the people of Shallah, and win back the island that belongs to my pack. I'm not gonna let them down, and I'm not gonna let you down either, Sana."

"I know you won't, little guy." Sana beams as she bumps her gloved hand against your knuckles. "Now show the whole world what celestial magic can do in the right hands!"

A burst of excitement swelling in your chest rouses you from sleep. Today is a new day, a day to step towards your current goals, and a very important and very necessary next step is to see what the beachfront looks like in the morning. You crane your head forward and nuzzle the cheek of the half-elf you share a bed with before giving her a soft peck on that coffee colored skin of hers. Flare sighs softly and seems to drop into a more relaxed sleep, which makes you almost reluctant to leave, but the sea is calling you. You gently retract your arms from around Flare's waist and turn over, to then be met with a snoring Polka whose one hand is placed against your hip.

It wouldn't feel right ditching the kitsune to go play in the water without giving her the snack you promised her yesterday. You bring your arm up so that you can caress that adorable cheek of hers with your thumb, and she slowly stirs awake.

"M-Morning…" She grumbles, ever the morning person.

"Hey sleepy clown. You ready for your breakfast?" You whisper as to not wake anyone else up.

"Just a small bite…for now." The fennec mumbles. "I wanna enjoy it more later. It's not fair to me if I'm half asleep ya know."

Finding no reason to argue, you simply nod. Polka then brings her hand up from your waist and palms the middle of your back. She pulls you into her, the edges of her fluffy ears tickle your nose in a pleasant way. Then, you feel like something is trying to escape from your chest, your arms and legs become limp, and you have a loss of breath. You and Polka take a deep breath in unison, you in a desperation to fill your lungs with air, and her in relief. The world stops its brief spinning and focus returns to your sight to see the fennec's bright smile as her eyes shut again.

With some effort, you lift your arm that tingles with the feeling of pins and needles one might get from sleeping on it in a constricting way, and give your circus magician a few soft pats on the forehead. Her hair is delightfully soft but also has a clear thickness to it that suits her immensely. You better free yourself some this bed before you resign yourself to staying here longer than you want to. Gently freeing yourself from Polka's touch, you bring yourself over the bedsheets and slide down past the foot of the bed.

Standing in the bedroom you and Flare bolted into last night in an attempt to not get caught making out in a broom closet, you see Watame, Nene, and Undine resting on the thick blankets that lay along the floor near the far side of the room. The early morning sun peaks through the wooden shutters that are part of the small square window frame. You then see the water spirit roll herself over and meet your gaze. You give her a bright smile and reach out to her with your mind.

Morning Undine! Want to get one more swim in for the day before I summon Sylph?

That would be wonderful! Let us be off! Undine smiles back with brimming happiness.

Quiet as a mouse, you get dressed in your normal clothes and exit the bedroom to then walk through the living room of Kukai's home. Your cheeks heat up a little when you pass both the storage closet and couch where you and Flare were getting tangled up in one another. Your heart throbs at the mental reply of her on top of you; her damp shirt hugging her chest as she explores your body with her hands. If you thought you wanted her badly then, just imagine how she'll look on a beach in front of the best moon Sana can provide. That definitely sounds like it'll be worth waiting a day or so for, you can do that.

The ocean breeze hitting your face as you hold the front door open for Undine to walk through does wonders for clearing your mind of any overly hormonal thoughts. The sun hangs a little above the azure sea in the distance, basking this tropical country in its warmth. You close your eyes and just take it all in. Now you're ready to tackle whatever today brings with all you got.

"Ahhh~ feel that warm ocean breeze." Sylph's voice takes you by surprise and your eyes shoot open to see the intangible wind fairy at your side. "Morning, summoner! Big Sis! Taking an early morning dip before everyone else wakes up?"

"Indeed. I am glad you awoke and can join us now, sister." Undine says as she seems to not hold herself back any longer and begins to make for the shoreline. "Do not fall behind you two! Last one to touch the water is a fish's backside!"

"Now how is that fair?!" Sylph says sarcastically with her arms stretched out towards her sister that gets further and further away. "I can't even touch grass right now!"

"Guess you're a fish's backside until I summon you back huh? But just in case you're trying to trick me…" You start before you take off in a full sprint towards the ocean, leaving a wind fairy who is all too happy to play along, and fakes being mad as she puffs out her cheeks.

By the time you reach the water, Undine is already chest deep and paddling over a coming two foot wave, and her magnificent tail can be seen splashing to propel her forward in its wake. You kneel down and roll the cuffs of your pants to sit snugly at your knees, and take a few slightly apprehensive steps into the water. Your body stiffens when the tide washes over your ankles, shocking you with its cold embrace. After a few seconds, your body adjusts to the cooler temperature of the ocean, and you step forward until you are shin deep within its waters. The horizon in front of you glitters with the light of the sun, and you notice several large and fluffy clouds calmly making their way across the sky.

"What a perfect day!" Sylph exclaims as she floats next to you. "What cha got planned for us today, summoner?"

"I think we should check out Shallah's main port today. Maybe we can get an idea of what we're up against. But before all that though." You say as you pull your arm with your opposite flexed forearm. "I got a new spell to try and I'm feeling just great! Who knew that a simple massage could make me feel like a new man?"

"I think we know exactly how it made you feel. Are we going to have to look away every time you're alone with one of the girls?" Sylph teases innocently, and the curve in her smile makes your face heat up in embarrassment.

"Hey, she started it. I'm also not gonna entertain any complaints from the spiritual peanut gallery that is all too happy to encourage my love life." You say defensively as you finish your upper body stretches and recenter yourself emotionally. "Now if you're done letting me know how you invaded my privacy, I got a new spell to practice."

Sylph raises her hands in mock surrender while trying to hush out a hard snort, while you can clearly hear a faded giggle from Undine within your mind. You brush off their teasing and focus on testing the constellation spell Sana had shown you in your latest dream. Creating the nine small stars you need at once in the light of full morning is more challenging than you expect, but considering how your mana seems to respond more to the environment you're in, that isn't too big of a surprise. Still, with a good night's sleep and unknotted muscles, you successfully create all the celestial shapes you need and begin to reconstruct the constellation from memory.

Sylph watches you intently as you work, and her eyes widen when you connect the last dot of the starlight formation and place a hand in front of it. The star sign of Leo disperses and funnels into your hands just like it did during your lesson with Sana. You take a second to bask in the pride of your almost seem less replication of the spell.

"Sis! You gotta see this!" Sylph calls out to the water spirit who is now doing a relaxed backstroke along the swaying ocean. "Our summoner just made a drawing with stars and then absorbed it!"

While you feel like calling one of the great formations in the sky a mere "drawing" is a tad disrespectful, you are feeling too good right now to dwell on it for more than a second. When you concentrate on the mana radiating in your fists, you are also happy to find out that all those preliminary thoughts you had about how much collateral damage you could cause with its power are completely absent. Now, you feel one hundred percent you, and that is a very comforting thought while you feel like you really have the strength of a lion.

"Summoner!" Undine waves from within earshot. "Let us test your new abilities! Are you ready?!"

"You bet I am!" You answer confidently, ignorant of what sort of test the water spirit has in mind. The tide then begins to recede with sudden gusto, and you watch as Undine commands a wave that is easily over three times your height to begin curling towards the shore. The sight is intimidating to say the least. On top of its sheer size, you know there is truly no overpowering such a force, as water cannot be stopped so easily. A wave will always complete its journey, the only thing anyone can influence in regard to that, is if they will go through that wave, or have it consume them.

Choosing to go with the former, you give your right hand a few flexes before hardening your stance, digging your heels into the wet sand as you stare down the small tidal wave coming your way. The mana around your hand rattles and you focus on what form your spell should take, but a different part of you already seems to know. When the wave reaches its full height as it crests to fall downward, you swipe your one hand down as if it were a nailed paw, and your mana erupts from your fingertips. Your slash against the air sends five sharp edges of silver-white magic that cut right through the wall of azure in front of you, displacing its mass to its sides as gravity forces it downward. Your top half is only grazed with a light drizzle from the crashing waters that harmlessly rush past your sides.

As the tide recedes to resume its natural flow, Sylph and Undine both clap for you. You give both spirits a wide smile and force the spell that fuels you with wild energy to subside. Sana mentioned you only would get a few shots out of this spell for now, and that assessment seems to be correct. You could easily feel the unique power Leo fills you with growing weaker after that first slash. You would likely only have two or maybe three more hard bursts like that at a time, and with how time consuming making the constellation is, you'll need to be mindful with how you choose to use that energy. Still, the mana coats you might be able to create thanks to the support of the zodiac might be a force to be reckoned with on its own. Something to try later for sure.

"That was magnificent, summoner!" Undine cheers as she swims closer to the shore line. "Sylph said you made another constellation? Which one is it this time?"

"Leo. Leo the Lion." You can't keep yourself from sounding proud. "And yes. I already know how it's fitting that I learned this now. Do me a favor though? Keep this from the pack until later. I want to surprise them with it. I hope they'll think it's cool."

"We should try that one with your spell book too!" Sylph suggests. "Maybe it can help you AND all your lion girls bust out that kinda wild power."

"It's worth a try. We still haven't tested what happens when we make Aries with the Stellberna spell either. Man, those pirates aren't gonna know what hit them! I almost want to just march up to their biggest ship and show them what happens to bullies like them right now." You say with growing enthusiasm.

"Ugh! Of course you're already out this early…" You hear Kiara groan from a little up the beachline. You turn and spot the orange clad woman slowly walking along the dry part of the beach towards you, with an impressive scowl across her face, but missing that interesting piece of secondary headwear, favoring just her orange barret today.

"Good morning, Kiara!" You try to sound as welcoming as possible. "Glad to see I'm not the only early bird for once."

"Aska was always an early riser." Sylph waves off her own bad joke, but snickers anyway.

"It would make sense that her daughter would be too." Undine agrees as she hops out of the water, her finned tail changing back to legs.

"I'm an early riser because I want to be." Kiara snaps, her arms crossed as she stops just at the border of sand that is untouched by the outreaching tide. "And YOU!" The servant of the sun spirit directs her narrowing gaze at you. "That was some bullshit you pulled on me yesterday; roping me into your little game of playing hero. I didn't think a summoner would play such a dirty trick like that."

"I was only thinking about the success of your business." You shrug, and half lie. "Helping out the people of Shallah will do wonders for your company's image. 'Play' hero with me, and you'll have more customers here than you'll ever know what to do with."

Kiara opens her mouth to argue, and you see the same flicker of anger in her eyes that you witnessed when you two fought, but then it suddenly dies down, and she lets out a heavy sigh as she lets her arms droop to her sides. "I guess that's true…" She puffs. "But I still think this whole thing is dumb."

"I don't see why you're so upset. You're insanely strong. You could probably clean up an entire crew of pirates all on your own." You argue.

"To be fair to Kiara, summoner." Undine interjects. "She may not be accustomed to jumping into danger like you. She is clearly very skilled, but how one uses their talents should be up to them."

"Exactly." Kiara agrees happily, but then seems to remember who exactly she is agreeing with, and puts a disgruntled look back on her face. "And of course I'm upset! Overturning an entire pirate armada that has been in power for more than a few years is not easy. Not even for a summoner."

"Which is why I had to get your help. With you on our side, our chances of winning are easily doubled!" You try your best to flatter the girl.

"You cocky little sh-..." Kiara mumbles before she shakes her head and starts over. "Look. Let me make one thing clear. I am not setting one foot into the ocean, got it? If you end up fighting pirates offshore, you're on your own. I'll still hold my end of the bargain and help keep any people on the mainland safe if fights start to break out here, and I'll also make sure Pomu stays safe, but that's all you're getting out of me, bub."

"That actually sounds great." You agree to the prickly girl's terms with an acceptance that clearly takes her by surprise. "With you watching over the innocents here, I can fight without worrying about them at all. I can only imagine what kinda underhanded stuff this Blackfin guy is capable of, so with you watching the backs of everyone on the mainland, I can rest easy. Thanks, Kiara."

"You're really going all in on this aren't you?" Kiara then asks, her expression somewhat softer than before as those violet eyes of hers try to search you for something. "You really want to fight an entire fleet of pirates? All for the sake of some people you don't even know?"

"That's just who our summoner is!" Sylph answers for you. "Jumping into the fray, fighting evil, and rescuing pretty girls."

"It's part of what our pacts are based off of." You add, and when Kiara raises an eyebrow at you, you realize you need to immediately amend your statement. "Not the part about rescuing pretty girls. I mean that DOES happen, but that's not why I made pacts with Undine and Sylph."

You take a few seconds to recollect yourself and look at the two spirits whose company you keep. A smile forms on your face as you are reminded of why you're together and what you all work towards. "I asked Undine and Sylph to help me protect our world. I learned early on in my journey that there are a lot of awful people out there. People who want all sorts of things, and will hurt anyone and do anything in order to get it. If they can just be allowed to get their way, people won't be able to enjoy the gifts that Undine, Sylph, and all the other great spirits blessed our world with. Don't you feel that way too a little bit, Kiara? Don't you want everyone to be able to live freely under the sun Aska made? Don't you want to fight for that?"

"Of course everyone should be free…" Kiara says downcast, and she turns her back to you to leave. "It's just…some things can only last for so long. There's only a few absolutes in this world, Anon, and there's only one thing you can always believe in, yourself."

Without elaborating further, Kiara walks back in the direction of Kukai's home. You have half a mind to chase after her and ask what exactly she could mean by her dim statement, but you decide to leave it alone for now. There is apparently a lot more to this spiritual servant than you first thought. You look at Undine, and then Sylph, gauging if either of them want to discuss what their niece had just said, but the shapes of three familiar lionesses approaching you takes your attention away.

Botan, Frala, and Korla pass Kiara on their way down to the shore, and you can swear you feel the intensity from the glares they give each other as they cross paths. What does Pomu really see in that girl anyway? There must be a really good story behind that.

"Morning girls!" You wave to some of your pack, and they slightly pick up their pace to meet you. "How was sleeping indoors for a change?"

"Not bad. Having actual blankets was a welcome change of pace." Frala answers as she steps into the coming tide, not even flinching at the drop in temperature around her ankles.

"It's been a while since we had a full night's sleep without having to worry about enemies or hunters." Korla adds, relief coats her words. "The rest are still sleeping like cubs. It's been nice to see."

"So what are you up to out here so early?" Botan asks as she steps into the ocean water and bends over, touching her fingers to her bare toes.

"Just some early morning exercise." You say cheerfully. "I've been trying to make a habit out of this. I need to stay in top shape and keep pushing myself."

"Count me in!" Frala says with unbound eagerness, and her red brushed tail flicks slightly behind her. "I've been dying for a packleader I can work out with! Let's start with some good ol' fashioned push-ups."

The muscular lioness then takes you strongly by the wrist and tugs you back to drier land. The whites of her sharp fangs sparkle in the bright sunlight, and her thick dark red hair bounces with her excited steps as the ocean breeze blows it in every direction. You are more than thankful that the pack is dressed for the most part today. Even so, the way Frala's black tube top tightly covers her breast area allows the rest of her very impressive physique to be shown off in its full glory.

It has to be against some law somewhere to have abs that look that cut but also somehow feminine at the same time! Gods, I could probably carve gems off those things, and her biceps, damn they're defined…hopefully whatever her exercise regimen is can do that for me too. I wonder what it would be like to caress those muscles? Crap, listen to me. I'm down just as bad when I was pent up for weeks…maybe that's just a default state for me. Gotta focus, Anon! There will be time to play AFTER you help the people of Shallah. You hope you'll get to play.

"Hey, Anon! You in there?" Frala taps the top of your head with one of her fingers to snap you out of a brief hormonal daze. "You ready? My normal routine can be kinda intense, but I know you can handle it."

"S-Sure, Frala!" You snap back to attention. "So push-ups, right? How many?"

"Five sets of ten. You can take a small breather between sets, and after that, we'll spot each other for the same amount of sit ups. You should probably unstrap your stuff. You can't work out with swords and books attached to ya." The dark red-haired lioness explains before reaching down and with a clawed finger, undoes the tie that keeps your blade's sheathe attached to your hip, and it flops down onto the soft sand.

You nod and do the same with the straps that cradle your spell book. After you appropriately un-equip, you take a starting position on the sand, your hands and toes pressing you up firmly against the grainy earth that slides and slightly covers the tops of your fingers. On Frala's mark, you both begin your work out. You swiftly bring your body up and down against the warm sand, letting the cloth of your shirt touchdown ever so slightly before pumping yourself upward again. When you hear the sounds of Frala's quick paced reps, you turn your head slightly to observe that the woman's form is impeccable. Her back is perfectly level with her forward facing chin as her arms bend to push her up and control her descent with each pass. The ways her arms showcase their full splendor as they flex makes you lose your rhythm more than once. You quickly point your face forward inland and focus on completing your set.

"Come on! Just five more!" Frala coaches you through your last ten pushups after she completed hers. "Three. Two. Cmon, keep those shoulders straight! One…and you're done!" The lioness claps as you let yourself flop, stomach first onto the sand with a heavy exhale. "Not bad at all, Anon!"

"Th….Thanks." You pant as you catch your breath.

"You almost kept up with me the entire time. You should be proud of that! You did fight two battles yesterday." The bulkier lioness continues to praise you, which does make you feel better about your winded state somewhat. "Although next time." She starts again as she squats down and offers you a hand to help you up, which you graciously take. After she pulls you up to a full stand in a way that makes you feel like you barely had to put in any effort at all, her lips curve to a wide grin as she clasps your hand tightly within hers.

"You should concentrate more on your own form, instead of mine. Not that I mind the staring." Frala winks before yanking you to be mere inches apart so she can whisper the next part gently. "Save it for when we get to work out in private. I'll give you plenty to stare at then."

As butterflies start to rouse from slumber all throughout your stomach, Frala chuckles and lets go of your hand before shoving you back first onto the sand.

"Now it's time for sit-ups!" She cheers.

The next half hour is spent enduring Frala's intense exercise routine. After fifty sit-ups was thirty squats, and after that was scissor kicks, but the final exercise was the most grueling of all. The lioness called it a "plank", where you basically laid on the ground with your toes lifting your legs up so that your back arch is completely level, and you hold your upper body up by your arms pressing against the sand. You are meant to hold this stance, without budging, for a minute at least. The first half-minute is easy, but after that, your arms start to destabilize as the muscles shake and beg for rest. Your chest tightens as you fight for air to help you make it another fifteen seconds.

"We're almost there. Breathe through your nose, exhale through the mouth. Keep it up, Anon! This is no problem for you!" Frala encourages you again.

You nod hard as you bite through the pain and try to take a reinvigorating breath as she instructs, which happens to give you just enough strength to make it to the one minute mark.

"Annnnd done! Phew!" Frala exhales in satisfaction and sits on her knees, while you take the invitation to let your legs and arms stop working and fall flat onto the sand, not even caring that the grainy earth might enter your mouth.

"Nice job, Anon. I even have a hard time keeping up with Frala's workout pace. Glad you could be her partner instead of me." Botan congratulates you, to which you reply sluggishly with a silent thumbs up.

"For a human, you sure are something." Korla remarks next, and then you can feel what must be her hands on your back, and then a sudden warm and soothing sensation from deep within your body. "I know this spell is meant for wounds, but I think it should help you get back up on your feet."

Gradually, your exhaustion fades, and you no longer feel like taking a sand nap. You push yourself up by your elbows and look at the curvy blond lioness whose face beads with sweat at the effort of using her magic on you. Korla gives you a comforting smile and moves her hand to give your head a few small pets.

"Awww, don't baby him, Korla." Frala whines. "Anon doesn't need it."

"I know he doesn't, but our fight to take back our home could start at any time, and I'll make sure our pack leader is in the best shape he can be." Korla states with authority, but her gaze softens somewhat when her eyes return to you. "That's what my magic is best for, isn't it?"

With renewed strength, you spring up to your feet and breath in deeply. You feel absolutely great! The exhilaration and satisfaction of a hard workout AND not feeling like you want to just collapse. Korla's healing magic feels a little different than Polka's does, it feels more energizing somehow. It even has a distinct residual feeling that almost reminds you of how refreshed your water based healing magic can help you feel, but you've always been in the heat of battle when you used it, so you never really paid close attention to how it made you feel overall.

"It sure is!" You answer Korla's rhetorical question as you give her a beaming smile, and a hand to lift her back to a full stand. "Thanks a lot, both of you. I feel ready to take on the world again!" You say to both lionesses while flexing both your arms.

"And we're going to be right beside you!" Frala flashes her fangs again.

"We are going to be practicing." Botan corrects her pack-mate, her expression as calm and relaxed as the breeze that brushes those wild gray locks of hers. "Korla might have the stuff down for a healing spell, but the rest of the pack needs to get better with their magic if we really want to help Anon out when he needs us."

"I gotta agree with Botan, for today at least." You say, quickly forming a game plan of sorts for the day. "The pack should stay here where it's safe and practice their magic. I'll probably try to head to the main port today and scope things out."

"You want to find out if there's an easy way onto the island where the prisoners are kept, right?" Sylph asks, as if she doesn't already know your full intentions that you've yet to speak out.

"Mhmm. I want to also try and get a feel of what our enemies look like. It can only help to know more about them before they know about us. I think I'll try to pick up some food for Kukai and the other people we met yesterday as well, since we kinda cleaned out Kiara's whole stock. I'll need to bring someone along who actually has money though." You confirm while you secure your spell book and sword back to your hips.

"You could just steal it?" Frala offers brazenly.

"Didn't we have this talk yesterday? No." You snap as you give the lioness a scolding glare. "And before you try to argue, even if I steal from pirates, who do you think will take the fall for their food being missing? Not some mystery dude they've never seen before, that's for sure. That'll put the people that live here peacefully in even more danger."

The mere thought and mention of food ends up working against your argument however, and your stomach growls with its discontent from being empty. You did just do two forms of heavy exercise since you last ate. Botan snickers at your involuntary noise before a slight grumble escapes her own midsection.

"Guess I'm hungry too." She states as she rubs her exposed midriff.

"Perhaps I can help with that." Undine says as she turns back towards the sea and walks to where the water's surface reaches her waist. The tide had been slowly growing larger as the morning went on. Larger waves now crash further from the shoreline, creating a rumbling trail of white before being pulled back into the sea to fuel the next movement. Undine raises her arms high into the air, and you can sense her magic at work once more, but this time, it's not pulling from the ocean's surface, but further out and from its depths.

The glee you can feel from the water spirit's soul within your own is almost overwhelming. The sensation is almost so distracting that you barely see the tidal wave Undine creates that sweeps across the sandy shoreline, drenching you in salty water, but you continue to feel giddy. Once the initial shock of being covered in seawater that was almost freezing, likely due to it coming from the deeper recesses of the ocean, wears off, you feel something slimy on your head.

Botan, Frala, and Korla stare at you with unflinching eyes, and you notice a small sliver of drool peeking out from the corner of the alpha lioness' lips. You curiously place a cautionary hand on your head to find the shape of a slippery fish that flops to escape the non aquatic environment it now finds itself in. The realization and overall unpleasant feeling of a live fish floundering on your head makes you jolt slightly, dislodging the sea creature as it falls towards the ground. Then, quicker than lightning, Botan steps forward and snatches the fish by its tail before it can be covered in sand. She holds her prize up to face, and licks her lips.

The sounds of fins slapping against shallow water chorus along the beach, and you behold what has to be an entire school's worth of various kinds of fish and other sea life washed ashore. Korla and Frala waste no time claiming their own meals, securing fish after fish tightly under their arms.

"Will this suffice, summoner?" Undine asks as she rides a coming wave to shore, and her tail magically shifts to her regular legs as she touches down on land. Her face is completely shining with pride as she holds what looks to be a swordfish upside down by its tail. "I bet you could make a wondrous dish with this one! Be careful of its nose though."

"Undine, is this really okay? This is a ton of fish!" You exclaim as you continue to watch the three lionesses gather and stack as many of the soon to be seafood on their cradled arms.

"Of course it is." The water spirit answers matter of factly. "The waters are meant to provide for all life. It is merely the cycle of nature that these creatures provide sustenance for those who need it. Do not worry, summoner. Even this amount is not enough to imbalance the ecosystem. Use them to feed yourselves and the people you helped yesterday."

"Well it wouldn't feel right to argue with you there. Alright girls! Let's get roasting! We'll make enough to feed everyone at the house, then work in the second batch that can be brought to the saloon later." You happily take command over half your pack, who nod with eager enthusiasm.

Luckily there is a small tented collection of sticks and logs nearby that are likely used for beach bonfires. You won't need anything that big right now, but you can salvage a little wood from it to make a small cooking fire. After setting up a few logs that looked to be on their last legs, you use a small stone that was peeking out through the sand as a focal point for your kindling. With some fast and heavily applied friction using another stick, and a small dash of wind magic, your fire comes to life.

The lionesses have already created crude skewers that have been poked through the ends of the now dead marine life, so it was time to heat up some breakfast. You each give your own sticked fish a few minutes over the fire until its scales are darkened, and its innards heated through. After handing one to Undine, you sink your teeth into your own meal's slightly charred flesh and rip off a good bite, scales and all. It doesn't hold a candle to Kiara's fried chicken, but the way fish feels going down your stomach as it fills your body with specific nutrients only sealife can provide is satisfying in its own way.

Frala, Botan, and Korla devour their own morsels within seconds, and you can already see each one of them contemplating having seconds. To be honest, you are as well when you eye the almost bare stick in front of you. Thankfully, the pack doesn't seem to be the sort who eat the heads or tails, as they peel them off of their sticks and toss them over their shoulders. That's a relief, you were afraid for a second that you might have to eat the entire thing, eyes and all as some show of primal leadership.

Midway through you all heating yourselves up a second helping, you spot the rest of the pack, led by Nene, walking towards you.

"Hey guys! Hurry over! Undine caught us all breakfast!" You wave to everyone, and the mention of food makes your more instinctual friends quicken their pace, their light jog kicking up sand in every direction. When the second second wave of early risers reach your small cooking fire, sharp sticks and fresh fish are provided to each of them. Nene takes a squat next to you and begins to let her breakfast roast over the fire.

"Undine catch all this fish?" Nene asks.

"Sure did, turns out she's quite the fisherwoman. We even have enough to feed all the people we met yesterday." You chuckle.

"Nene good at catching fish too! She used to catch lots in the lake back in Bjornholm. Sometimes mama and papa take Nene to fish by the sea too." Nene chirps, but the mention of her parents seems to take the champion of Ursol's mind elsewhere, and her gaze faces longingly up the shoreline towards where the main port of Shallah should be.

"Don't worry, Nene." You put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "We're gonna crush anyone who is responsible for making your people suffer. After that, they can live happily and freely again."

"Anon right!" Nene nods, her mood instantly repaired. "No one can beat Nene when she has Anon by her side!"

"And don't forget us!" Bransha says through a mouth half full of fish.

"Those punks are in for it once we get a hang of our magic." Riki adds with fierce confidence. "I can't wait to freeze some of them solid."

"So what's the plan, Anon?" Bree asks, her determined eyes tell you that she is begging to know the very second she can be sent after your common enemy.

"Let's wait till everyone else wakes up to go over that." You offer a slight compromise, since it's likely that Flare, Polka, and even Watame could have good input on what your next steps should be. With food to keep them occupied, the lionesses agree to this for now.

A moment like this is almost perfect. A decent cooked meal provided by nature itself, the sound of the waves crashing nearby, the smell of the salt air, and the warmth of the sun beating down on your body. All of this being shared with friends both old and new. As you reflect on the scene of paradise you are a part of, the harsh reality that the very people who call this country their home are not allowed this same luxury, makes your heart sink, and your irritation slightly ignite.

Your building frustration is then immediately put on ice when you hear Watame's bright greeting call to you. Your heart lightens when you see the rest of your group walking towards you along the sand, you even spot Kukai and Kiara near the rear. Perfect, everyone will be accounted for.

"Yo! Foods on everyone!" You let the late risers know, which comes to a relief to your sheep and a half-elf, while the Shallah native and servant of the sun spirit looks thoroughly surprised.

"Yayyy!" Watame chirps as she takes a heated fish skewer that you offered without thinking, and to your own astonishment, the sheep takes a hearty bite out of it. "Itsh ghood! Tanks Anon!"

No one else seems as concerned as you are that the herbivore is currently eating the skin off a fish, but then again, she is a demi-human. It would make sense that she has the capacity to be an omnivore, even if she prefers to eat plant life. Well, that just widens the menu you can provide for your favorite sheep.

"Where? How?" Kukai says, mouth agape at the large pile of fish next to the fire.

"How about we call it a 'Blessing from the great water spirit'?" You proudly propose, which Undine grins at.

"What…what should I do? Should we do anything? How does this usually work? Our ancestors had traditions for this sort of thing, but it's been a long, long time since those were practiced." Kukai then stammers, nervous over how he should show proper respect for this bountiful harvest.

"A verbal thank you, will suffice." Undine smiles, and the man's anxiety washes right off his face.

"For this, we'll be thanking you for quite some time." He then says graciously. "I'll haul it all up to the older folks. I'll spend all day today doing it if I have to. The port will just have to go on without me for a day."

"Speaking of, I was planning to scope things out a bit over there. What do you guys think? Flare? Polka? Any objections?" You take the opportunity to lead the conversation towards making today's plan of attack.

"Sounds like a good place to start." Flare remarks as she finishes her own fish, and wipes her mouth with the cuff of one of her sleeves.

"No arguments here." Polka says in between bites. "The sooner we can bring some real smiles back to this place, the better, so I'm behind ya all the way, Anon."

"If you're really going to head to the port, I think only Anon and Nene should go." Kukai suggests, his tone and expression laced with a heavy foreboding you can't write off as some sort of over exaggeration.

"I was planning on having the pack stay here for the day and practice their magic, but why shouldn't everyone who is distinctly not fully human go into port with Nene and I?" You ask sternly, having picked up on the possible true meaning behind Kukai's words.

"You'll be too noticeable. There aren't many non-humans living in Shallah who aren't pirates. At least you and Nene can blend in enough to not be chased down. There's also the fact that…well…" Kukai struggles to find the right words, but from how the pack's eyes now blaze with a fiery hatred, you can make a good guess on what he's trying to say.

"Those bastards have a thing for caging demi-humans." Bransha snarls.

"If only it stopped there." Kukai says remorsefully. "There's been rumors, things I've heard from some of the crews while they're drunk. Blackfin is apparently big into the slave trade. Something Captain Morgan never condoned."

Just like that, a storm flashes within your heart. The very idea that someone would look at Polka, Watame, Flare, or even Pomu and think about selling away their freedom, makes your fists tremble with anger. You remember your promise to Chloe; that you'll never let someone who would enslave others be allowed to continue their wicked ways. This guy HAS to be stopped.

"So Nene and Anon will go. Find where pirate jail is. Then smash it." Nene offers, likely keeping in her own anger and setting up a plan to allow her to find an outlet for her frustrations.

"Maybe wait on that last part, Nenechi. At least until we can all work together on the smashing. Wouldn't that be more fun?" Polka asks, trying to temper the primal warrior's expectations down with a lowering gesture of her hands.

"Anon and Nene all on their own? Like that won't end with a brawl with the entire Blackfin fleet." Flare scoffs as she rolls her eyes.

"Nene and I are perfectly capable of not getting into trouble." You fire back. "And besides, Undine and Sylph will be with us too. While in their spirit forms, no one besides us will even be able to see them."

"I can go with them too." Pomu raises her hand. "I'll just give myself a slight makeover and I can blend in too and keep an eye on them. Will that make you feel better, Flare?"

"W-Wait! Hold on, Pomu! You don't wanna go ther-" Kiara begins to stammer, eyes wide in panic.

"You three aren't exactly great at not drawing attention to yourselves." Flare sighs, cutting Kiara off. "But what choice do we have? I guess if Polka and I are here, we can help the lionesses get better with their magic faster. That way if and when Anon does something stupid to blow his cover, we can storm in and bail him out."

"Well now I'll have to do something stupid." You scoff. "And when I bail myself out, won't you feel silly?"

"So it's decided! Anon, Nene, and I will be the intel gathering team. With Lady Sylph and Lady Undine backing us up of course. While Flare and Polka teach the lions how to kick magical butt. Which just leaves Kiwawa and Watame. What you girls gonna do?" Pomu lists off the groups before turning to her orange clad friend.

"I'm gonna learn how to play the violin!" Watame cheerfully responds, which quickly draws your full attention to your wandering bard.

"Watame has a real talent for music, so I said I'd help her get started on one of my old fiddles." Kukai goes on to explain.

"With how fast you learned the flute, and how good you are with your harp, I bet you'll make incredible music with a new instrument in no time, Watame." You encourage your sheep excitedly, which earns a bashful smile and her cheeks to slightly flush at your praise.

"Watame's gonna work on her own magic too in that case." Pomu happily clarifies. "What about you, Kiara?"

"I'm going to come with you, of course." Kiara replies, slightly annoyed. "I'm not letting you walk into a den of pirates by yourself. I look human enough anyway, so it's fine if I tag along."

While you could tell that the daughter of Aska is clearly upset with the current state of affairs, you aren't going to argue against her being present for this potentially dangerous mission. She did promise you that she would keep Pomu and other innocents safe from harm. That is more than enough for you. The fae in question however, seems absolutely tickled pink by her friend's decision.

Now that you have a plan to divide and conquer, you rise to your feet and get ready to do one more thing before setting off on your own mission. You look over at Undine and Sylph, who already know what's next. Walking over to a spot on the beach just twenty paces away from the main group, you stay uncharacteristically quiet. While your back is turned you wear a slight grin. Then, before anyone can question what you might be up to, you begin to conjure the magic necessary to perform a summoning.

The sand under you glows under the particles of light green magic that emanate from your being, and the breeze seems to localize around your body. In a place where the winds flow freely and strengthened by the swing of the ocean, you can feel an even closer connection to the orchestrator of the wind's life force. You bring your arms and hands close to you as you gather the last of the mana you need, then, with a controlled by sharp thrust of both open palms forward, you give your spell the final push it needs.

In a bright burst of green light and whistling wind, Sylph appears as a solid person by your side, her blond hair blowing ever so slightly across her forehead, and her translucent wings fluttering to create her own gentle breeze.

Sylph inhales deeply through her nose, almost bending herself backwards as she breathes, before letting out a loud and easily overdramatic exhale. "Now smell that wonderful sea air! Ahh~ There's nothing quite like that smell in the morning, and how good it feels on your lungs! Boy howdy! Forget ale, I can get drunk on this stuff!"

You can't help but chuckle at the wind fairy's unique energy, but force yourself to turn around to take in a sight you know to be equally amusing. There, as you thought, are many awe inspired faces. While the pack has seen what spirit magic can do, they have never seen you summon before. Last night, you unfortunately kept Undine's summoning a private show, so no one else saw it. Kukai's face is a mix of astonishment and hope as he kneels on one knee by the cooking fire. You think you quite like how being the center of attention like this feels. It feels really good to show off the people responsible for shaping the planet. It's also kinda funny to see them do double takes at Undine who is now as solid as a ghost.

"And with Lady Sylph to be the wind at our backs! We'll be off!" Pomu declares with unconstrained excitement as she takes big marching steps in your direction, prompting Nene to bite off the last piece of fish meat from her stick and hurry to join you. Kiara sighs and takes her time, not wanting to find trouble any sooner than she has to.

"Hold it!" Flare commands, and your entire exploration team is stopped in their tracks. The half-elf then crosses her arms and taps a finger as she gives you a disapproving stare. "You can't just run off first like that. Anon, you need to listen carefully to me. Very. Very. Carefully."

Your mood is instantly soured by Flare's bossy attitude. You cross your own arms defensively and give her a droll stare. "Yes, your majesty. I'm listening." You say sarcastically.

Your sassy mouth just earns you a narrowing stare from the half-elf and she marches right up to you, bringing you both practically nose to nose, but you won't budge.

"You and Nene are going to walk around the port. JUST. WALK." Flare makes sure to put extra emphasis in her voice, like a mother scolding their child. "That means; no drawing attention to yourselves. No geeking out about whatever plants, trees, boats, or even the water you see there. No saying what you're here to do, out loud."

Beside you, Nene is counting the rules she is meant to follow on her fingers, and Pomu is just swaying forward and backward on her heels as she looks up at the passing clouds, as if she is excluded from the beratement you three are receiving.

"No flying. No mentioning you're a summoner, fairy, or champion of Ursol. And most importantly; no fighting. That means, no needless heroics. You absolutely need to lay low. One impulsive move, and you three will have the entire fleet chasing you, or worse; Anon will get locked up. Again." Flare finishes with an exhausted huff.

"Aww Flare, c'mon. You're worrying too much." Pomu whines. "We got me heading this mission, remember? I'm a pro at making people look somewhere else. I was right near you guys when we met, and you didn't even know I was there."

"See? With our big boss watching my back, we'll be fine." You wave off the half-elf's scolding, and let yourself look forward to seeing the main port up close.

Flare lets out an exasperated sigh, and shakes her head. Now Polka and Watame have joined your little pre-mission briefing, and give the half-elf reassuring smiles. The fennec gestures for Flare to get on with it, which makes you raise your eyebrow slightly.

"Just…Just be careful. All of you." Flare says as she lets her arms slouch to her sides, and one of her fingers finds its way to hook around one of yours. "Find out what you can, then get back to us, safe and sound. Okay?"

Seeing Flare let her defenses down slightly, and how you can feel her concern, makes your own walls crumble. She can be bossy and hard on you at times, but you know it comes from a place of love, a love you should respect and return. You would want her to always be careful and come back to you safe and sound after all. Taking the rest of her fingers between yours, you pull the half-elf into a strong hug, taking her off guard.

"I'll do exactly what I gotta do." You say assuredly.

"And that's the part that worries me." Flare whispers.

"But I promise I'll come back safely, and when I do, we can start our pirate bashing contest. I'm gonna kick your ass in that, just so you know. So you better get all the practice in that you can while I'm out." You continue, which makes the half-elf scoff into your shoulder.

"We'll see about that, hotshot." Flare chuckles as she parts from you and wears that usual smug, but adorable smile of hers.

"Remember Nenechi, no fighting, okay?" You hear Polka say to her friend, hoping that the message is drilled deep into that whimsical head of hers.

"Yes! Nene won't smash anyone until she has to!" Nene answers confidently.

"That's about the best I can ask for." Polka chuckles as she turns to you. "And you. You better come back in tip top shape later." The fennec pokes your chest playfully a few times, but at the final touch, her hand flats against your chest, and she fights the urge to linger. "Got it? Flare ain't the only one who is right to worry about ya."

"Geez. You're making it sound like I'm walking into a dragon's den or something." You remark as you scratch the back of your head.

"And even if you were, I know you'd slay that dragon and come right back to me!" Watame takes her turn to come face to face with you, her unending faith and beautiful smile make you weak at the knees slightly.

"There isn't a dragon alive that would keep me away from you guys!" You cheer, now full of confidence and slight fantasies of fighting an actual dragon someday.

"Now there's something I might not want to actually tangle with." Botan says as she comes up to join in the goodbyes. "Before you go, Anon. You need to tell the pack who is in charge while you're gone. If the leader needs to leave for a hunt or something else, he names someone else to give the orders in case something happens. So, who is it gonna be?"

The cogs in your head start to turn at Botan's request. Well that makes sense I suppose. In the event that an enemy appears or some other weird situation happens, the pack needs to know who they can turn to. Botan is the obvious choice, but I don't really like how she's starting to look at Watame. I've seen how she drools enough by now to know she's thinking about fresh mutton. Well, the girls have been saying how Watame is my prime so it only makes sense that…

"Watame, you're in charge of the pack until I return." You say it loud enough for everyone to hear. Already you can hear Bransha and Bree murmur something to each other. The rest of the pack seems to accept your decision without verbal complaint.

"You got it!" Watame salutes with determined eyes. "I'll protect them just like you would. You can count on me!"

"I always do." You say affectionately before turning to Botan. "I assume this won't be a problem, right?"

"Nope. I had a feeling you'd pick the sheep. She is your prime after all." Botan shrugs. "At least for now."

"Watame, I think the pack means to cut in on your man." Pomu leans over and whispers not so subtly to the sheep, which makes her pointed ears twitch up slightly. "Now do what we talked about! You gotta show them what's what. Be assertive. Be the alpha!"

"Be the alpha." Watame repeats to herself as she stares at you intensely, so intense that it almost makes you feel like you will be unable to resist this sheep's will. Watame then steps forward, and takes your face in her hands to pull you in for a very hard and passionate kiss.

The act makes you tense up at first, unsure how you should react to engaging in such a heated display of affection while in public, but as Watame grips keeps your lips locked with hers, you begin to just follow her lead. You WANT to follow her lead. Thoughts such as "who might be watching" are quickly pushed out of your mind as you feel the sheep's soft tongue invade your mouth. A few wet, sloppy, and purposely loud kisses later, Watame releases you with a very audible "muahhh!", as her lips smack off of yours.

You are left in a slight daze as Watame twirls elegantly and struts back towards the pack, but not before looking over her shoulder and giving you a fluttering wave and batting of her eyelashes.

"See you later, Anon~" Watame says before resuming her top girl act.

"Gross." Kiara gags as she turns and starts to make her way up the beach.

"Later gators!" Pomu waves as she hurried to catch up with her friend, the fae slightly giggling at her own handiwork.

"Wait for Nene!" Nene happily shouts as she hooks her arm around yours and pulls you along with her. "Bye bye Omarun! Nene will be good and follow rules. Come back with genius plan!"

"Have fun checking out some of your mom's hometown too!" Polka waves.

"Undine, Sylph. Please, please, please, keep them out of trouble." Flare then lowers her head and prays to the two spirits. "Kiara might be Pomu's friend, but it seems like she would let Anon walk off a cliff, she might even be happy to push him off."

"And why would that be a big deal?" Sylph shrugs. "I can fly. I'll catch him."

"What my sister meant to say." Undine jumps in. "Is that we will look after our summoner and Nene. Now we must be off! Good luck with your practice!"

The two elemental spirits hurry to join you in your light jog back towards Shallah's main port town. From where Kukai's dwelling is, you should reach an entrance further inland that will take you up to the main city in an hour. The sea that glitters like diamonds across the horizon does well to take your mind off almost everything. All you can seem to focus on is the serene landscape while arm in arm with Nene, who is equally enthralled by the picturesque scene.

"When Anon makes Nene meal, can we eat it by the sea?" Nene suddenly asks you as you walk, drawing your attention away from the horizon.

"I'd actually really like that, so you betcha!" You smile as you look forward to the idea of your dinner date with Nene. It'll have to wait until after your date with Flare, but an outing for just you and the champion of Ursol just feels like it'll be so simple. "You'll need to tell me what you want me to make though. Maybe there are some dishes special to Shallah I can learn. I'd love to make you something that is unique to your mom's birthplace."

"Then husband can make it for mama when we back in Bjornholm!" Nene's eyes sparkle at the idea, and instantly you can see the inner workings of her head entertain marital fantasies, which you are free to let be as they are for now.

"Is he for real?" Kiara whispers to Pomu. "The summoner is actually some kinda ladies man?"

"After what they've all been through together, I'd be surprised if they weren't like that." Pomu shrugs with a smile. "Anon has been a little slow on the uptake though. I think he's had a hard time understanding a real woman. Did you know he didn't even get to kiss the sheep until I set up the perfect scenario."

"He's been a little shy, but he's quickly getting over that." Undine joins in on the private conversation as you and Nene are busy taking in the coastal sights. The shore line begins to narrow as you get closer to the town's borders, the swaying palm trees grace the air with the gentle song of their leaves brushing against the wind. On your left, the backs of beachfront homes are even spaced between the sand dunes and dividing trees. You can't help but wonder if people are currently living there, or why they aren't outside. When Nene's footsteps suddenly stop, you follow her gaze which provides a potential answer to your questions.

Sailing along the crystal blue towards where the port should be, is a massive wooden galleon. Even though it's miles from the shore, you see three massive masts that hold the ship's mighty white sails, the one in the middle has what looks to be a crocodile's head; jaw open to showcase mighty teeth, and two sets of bones crossed behind it to complete the Jolly Roger. To further show this crew's theme, another croc's head, this time made of pure gold, is mounted under the bowsprit that angles toward the sky off the galleon's bow. The sight is made even more intimidating by the row of black cannons that point out from the gun port below the main deck.

"Come on. We don't want to be caught gawking." Kiara orders you to focus back on her. "Let's just hope that ship is on its way out to sea today. Last thing I need is something like that trying to use us for target practice."

"While we're this close to buildings?" You scoff as you turn your back to the sea after the galleon passes a jetty in the distance and disappears behind its rocky formation.

"That probably makes it better for them." Kiara says coldly as she walks toward the natural pathway that leads off the beach and into Shallah's residential streets.

"Nene will show them power of Ursol soon! Make them think twice about attacking Nene and her people." Nene puffs out her chest as she walks beside you.

"Remember Nene, this is an intel gathering mission. No smashing yet." Pomu reiterates the rules, which reminds you to contribute to your success in your own way.

"Sylph, it's probably a good idea for you to go into your spirit form for now. We'll draw less attention that way." You suggest to the wind fairy who nods at your request and allows her form to fade and becomes fully transparent.

"Now it's my turn!" Pomu sounds off with dramatic flair. She then twirls her extended finger in a small circle above her head, and green fairy dust showers over her form. Her ears suddenly shrink and become more rounded while her wings seemingly vanish into thin air. "Tadaaaaa!" She flourishes, letting her drop to a comically low tone, which makes Kiara snicker slightly.

So the girl can actually smile after all. Good to know that one of the sun spirit's offspring isn't actually colder than ice. Still, it might be better if she's as irritated or plain pissed off as she can be when it comes to the fights we might have ahead of us. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her sword a second time, that's for sure.

"Now I look human enough to be Anon's real family." Pomu does a full spin to show off her figure that now has its distinctive fae features invisible to the naked eye.

"And who says you aren't already real family?" You remark somewhat sternly as you walk past Pomu, but not before giving her blond head a firm ruffle with your hand. "Now come on! We got a port to explore!"

"Wait for us!" Sylph chirps as she and Undine swoop past both Kiara and Pomu to float at your flanks, leaving a slightly embarrassed forest fairy with her entrepreneurial companion who wears a confused look on her face.

"Family?" Kiara repeats, seemingly just to herself.

"Mhmm. Anon treats anyone important to the great spirits like his family." Pomu states as she fixes up her bow, stretching its two leaves to be upright and wrinkle free. "But I also get the feeling he's just quick to get attached to people. See? Didn't I tell you he's a great summoner? He's gonna help the whole world, and we get to help him do it! Now let's go!"

Before Kiara can voice a possible counterpoint, Pomu takes her friend by the hand and follows after you, which seems to make the orange warrior forget all about any possible difference of opinion she might have for the moment. The small beach town you pass through is quaint, but comfortable. The ground you walk on is a mix of sand and light gravel, while the simple wooden homes you pass are the picture of simplicity. Most are only one floor, and look to be only big enough for maybe three or four rooms. Now if only it didn't feel like you were passing through a ghost town.

"Do you think all the people are holed up inside?" Sylph whispers, clearly as output as you are by the eerie silence.

"If they're still even here. Since we aren't that far from the port, I bet most of the normal folks got as far away as they could. Still, it's almost creepy how most of these houses might just be abandoned right now." You answer as you scan the street up and down for any sign of life.

"From what I could tell, the people who can still work live in the northernmost town of Shallah. Anyone who isn't part of a crew seems to be at the port to deliver to, work for, or even just appease the pirates." Kiara adds.

"Well at least they all aren't forced to stay indoors. It kinda kills me how many of the people who live here can't just enjoy the sun and waters like they're supposed to." You lament, and your muscles begin to tighten at the thought of who is responsible for all this.

Nene puts a comforting hand on your shoulder and you can feel yourself relax slightly. Those emerald eyes of hers shine with purpose, you know she feels exactly the same way you do. Now isn't the time to dwell on what's been happening. Now is the time for action.

"Alright guys. Let's scope out our adversaries and with any luck, find an easy way to all those prisoners they have." You say with bright resolve, and you match forwards towards the main streets of Shallah.

"At least this time I don't have to worry about being robbed again." Kiara sighs as she follows along begrudgingly, with Pomu and Nene skipping beside her. Again, the carefree spirited fae manages to crack a smile along Kiara's lips. You can easily relate to that. No one can stay grumpy when in the presence of Pomu and Nene. No one is that black hearted.

The sandy streets bring you further inland, taking you through streets lined with more simple residences, and stretches of tropical nature. The roads take you steadily uphill until you reach a high point where you can see the main outline of the port at the bottom of the connecting path that leads down towards the ocean. Rows of heavily armed ships all decorated with their own Jolly Rogers sit anchored at the docks.

"Is the summoner finally starting to get what he signed up for?" Kiara says snarkily when she notices your composure shift slightly.

"I never know what I'm signing up for." You half-joke as you try to save face. "And that kinda works for me. So far anyway."

Seeing how her attempt to rattle you failed, Kiara just clicks her tongue and takes the lead down the hill, prompting the rest of you to follow. Your eyes are practically glued to the endless blue horizon as you traverse the worn earthy slope, the shimmering of the sun's rays reflecting off the water's surface puts you at ease.

Before you know it, you have reached where the hill bottoms out, and the dirt path ends in favor of light cobblestone. You try to steel yourself somewhat, wanting to push that child like wanderlust you have down below for now. While you want to jump for joy for seeing a sight you've only heard stories about, you need to keep a level head and not draw attention to yourself.

Nene seems to be having similar struggles as she walks next to you, her legs extend to their full length with each step she takes. The way her face fights to keep itself looking straight ahead and her smile contained to a small smirk is pretty adorable, but it also troubles you to watch your friend fight so hard against her true nature. You decide to take her hand in yours and give her a bright smile, which seems to ease her tension slightly. You both have really wanted to see this place, but you have a low profile to keep, which when you think about it, is something neither of you have a great track record with. Even so, together, there's nothing you two can't accomplish when you set your minds to it.

With a more controlled expression, Nene nods to you and you walk hand in hand into the port of Shallah. Instantly your ears are bombarded with the sound of a bustling populace that is rowdy beyond measure. Loud cheers and hearty laughs carry across the wind. The waves slapping against the docks can be heard even from the inland entrance, playing in the background to the calls of flock after flock of seagulls that soar and gently land down all over the port. Your legs just continue to move you forward as you and Nene take in the sights. Buildings with wooden siding and stone foundations are densely packed to make this seaside entryway into the country feel like its own city.

Your whimsy over seeing a new place is quickly brought down when you fully take in the state of your surroundings. Most of the buildings have visible damage to their doors and windows, and the streets are littered with garbage; empty bottles, barrels, even just scraps of spoiled food. When you think of how this food was just wasted like this, you start to feel so angry that it's nauseating.

"Hey, cool it!" Kiara hisses as she jabs your side with her elbow. "If you keep that scowl on your face, people will start lining up to start shit with you. Now get a hold of yourself."

You nod and take an inconspicuous breath through your nose. A small controlled exhale undoes some of the knots you feel in your chest, but only just enough for you to not feel like taking a swing at the next person you see defacing someone's home or letting good food go to waste. Speaking of people, you've noticed the feeling of several eyes on the four of you since you entered the main streets of the port. You keep your eyes forward as you walk towards the next intersection as you voice this finding.

"I think the alleyways have eyes and ears here." You say low enough for only your group to hear.

"Very small ones though. Low level hiders. It took them a whole five seconds to get out of sight when my head turned towards them. They're just little kids." Pomu reveals.

Kids? But Kukai mentioned how all the elderly, women and children were all moved up to the higher district bordering the desert. There can't be kids living here, can there? I guess they could be kids belonging to any of the crews, but why would they be scurrying through alleyways like this? Either way, we can't let our guard down just yet. The real test is coming up. You think to yourself as you ready yourself to be met with the owners of the drunken and loud yells that draw near.

After turning to the right at the road's intersection to go further towards the water, you are met with a scene that absolutely floors you. Pirates, real life pirates! Groups of them are all over the port, looking to be drinking themselves silly, loading and unloading their ships, or just plain getting rambunctious. The part that surprises you the most however is the fact that…

"Some of these pirates…they're actual beasts?!" You gasp quietly as you put the question into actual words. The groups of lawless seafarers are comprised all off matter of people; humans, elves, goblins, demi-humans, most of which seeming to have the traits of wolves, dogs, reptiles, and even monkeys, but the most interesting to you of all are the ones who are practically fully animal like. People who have the snouts, scales, and limbs of a crocodile pass by on their way to who knows where.

"You've never seen beastkin before?" Kiara asks, genuinely surprised.

"So those are beastkin?" You ask, still trying to process what you are seeing. It's as if actual full furred canines and reptiles just decided to stand on two legs one day, put on a set of clothes, and pursue a career in plundering. Although that might be a slight exaggeration. While these people had the fur, faces, and traits of beasts, their builds still resembled a person's; broad shoulders, legs that bend at the knees, and spines that are perfectly fine being straight all the time.

"I've known demi-humans existed my whole life, but beastkin were always said to be monsters. I didn't know they were civilized. Or even got close to human civilization." You go on to explain.

"Well duh. Where do you think demi-humans came from? Geez. Half your friends are demi-humans and you didn't know that?" Kiara chuckles at your lack of knowledge and reasoning.

"I didn't really think about that much until recently…" You shamefully admit. "Very recently…"

"I knew they were around, but this is my first time seeing any up close." Pomu remarks quietly as she scans the area with you. "So what ya think, Anon? How should we proceed, summoner?"

"You tell me, Big Boss." You playfully say to effectively hand the reins of the mission over to the forest fairy, who looks all too happy to play the role you just gave her.

"Alright! First I say we try to talk to some of the locals. If we come off as friendly, they might be willing to share some information with us." Pomu says with slightly forced authority, and she points towards what appears to be a small pop up market along the streets. "Let's move out!"

"Aye aye, boss." You say, and you add extra flair to your confirmation by giving the fae a strong salute, which Nene copies while furrowing her brow, purposely trying to look disciplined.

You walk alongside Pomu and Nene as you allow the fae to step a pace or two ahead of you so she may lead the way. Kiara covers your rears and you can practically feel how tense and on guard she is. Her eyes subtly dart between every stranger, every crevice, door, window, or alleyway you all pass.

While there seems to be a fair amount of locals at the port at this hour, the opportunity to talk to them plainly is not as abundant. There are simple wooden stands whose countertops house a variety of fruits and vegetables, which brings a small smile to your face. That is, until a pair burly, and scruff faced men stroll up to one of them like they own the place.

The more portly of the two, his gut on full display thanks to the simple cloth button up he wears easily being too small to cover his chest anymore, chortles as he swipes an entire head of lettuce right from the stand, and takes a large bite into its top.

"Not a bad haul today Robbie." The other man taunts, leaning forward to eye the simple Shallahan farmer's merchandise. "It's your lucky day, since we gotta stock up. We'll take the lot."

Then with practiced hands, the more lean of the two pirates opens up a large rucksack, and just starts shoving every piece of produce from the stand into it, all while wearing a devious smile. The farmer can only look on in defeat as the "transaction" transpires. When the stand has been effectively cleaned out, the pot bellied pirate flicks a single copper piece at the proprietor's face with a smug grin.

"This should hold the boys over at the bar for the afternoon I think." He goes on to laugh. "See ya tomorrow then, Robbie! Your stuff is top notch, so don't make us come find you again like we had to last time."

The farmer meekly pockets his "payment" and nods without saying a word, not daring to make eye contact.

That's all!? Just one damn copper!? Your gaze locks on the pair of thugs and you can already feel your blood begin to boil. Those bastards. No wonder all Kukai can manage to scrounge up for his people are mere scraps. These ungrateful sons of bitches just take what they want and act like they're doing these people a favor. Well how about I-

"Anon! Pssst!" Pomu grabs your attention and yanks your wrist to pull you forward along with her. "You gotta chill out. Come on."

"But Pomu, they just-" You start to argue, your hand already gravitating towards your sword.

"I know I know." The fae says in a hushed voice back. "I hate this as much as you do, but we have a mission. You and Nene will get to deliver some justice later. We promised Flare, remember?"

You nod reluctantly and try to bottle your rage. Nene does the same and hurries along, doing her best to shut out what she just witnessed. The more you walk around the port though, the worse it seems to get. From being extorted, to just plain disrespected, the normal civilians of Shallah have it the worst you've ever seen in person. If the pirates aren't just taking goods from them and offering a pathetic amount of pittance for it, they are just humiliating them. You can tell that some of the natives are just doing what they can to survive, or help their fellow people survive, as they play music on simple instruments, bring the pirates food or drink, or even help carry belongings from one point to another, all with forced smiles on their faces. The only reason you were not subject to possible confrontation is how Pomu is able to pick the most inconspicuous routes and use the environment she is in to her full advantage. From using side streets, to expertly timing your movements so that you are shielded from view by people passing by with obstructing crates or other objects. It's wondrous how perfect Pomu is at hiding in plain sight.

Eventually you reach the far side of the port and walk to the far end of the dock so you can be just a little closer to the sea. Thankfully there are no ships anchored here, so you should be able to speak freely amongst yourselves. You take a seat along the edge of the wooden structure and exhale in an attempt to vent out some of your frustration.

"All Nene's…mama's people…were so sad." Nene says downcast as she takes a seat next to you, her chin resting heavily between her hands.

"I could have told you it wasn't a pretty sight." Kiara says somewhat regretfully as she turns away to face the rows of ships that lay anchored further down the docks. "Those lowlifes seem to have complete control over this place. They don't seem to like it when someone tells them no either. I had to give up a fair amount of my stock just to not cause a scene. Cheap little shits…"

"So what have we learned so far?" Pomu says to get the conversation back on a productive track.

"Not a lot that's useful yet." You whine in a low voice. "Just more reasons to kick these pirates' asses."

"We learned that a fair amount of the crews employ beastkin! That's something!" The fae chirps. "They gotta be a little stronger than typical humans, so that's good to know ahead of time."

"And I think I might have found a possible lead on where their prisoners are." You add as you point out towards the endless sea. The girls all follow your finger to find a spec of land in the distance. There isn't much you can make out from here, but you can definitely see the shapes of what appear to be mountain tops, dense greenery and even buildings. Not to mention, there's two ships coming ever closer to the shores you sit above, ever so slowly.

"That's a long ways to go to possibly be wrong." Kiara says with slight pessimism.

"Well at the very least, I'm pretty sure that island is where the pack is from. Some people we met yesterday said they watched some of their loved ones get taken there too, so I'm feeling pretty good about this one." You explain yourself, while holding back a remark about how for a girl who is made from the great sun spirit, she is a bit of a gloomy downer, even if she is just being level headed.

"So how do you wanna go check, summoner?" Sylph asks for your next move, but she is quick to offer her own unique options. "We could try to fly over there. Or maybe we can hitch a ride on one of the pirate ships. Or maybe we can take one for ourselves. I'm with ya on any of those ideas."

"Sorry, Lady Sylph, but we can't. We promised the others we wouldn't do any heroics." Pomu voices rather reluctantly.

"We also shouldn't get too deep before we know what the score is." Kiara adds. "Should we double back and see if we can talk with any of the locals? It might be a waste of time though. They look like they've just given up for the most part."

"There has to be someone who hasn't lost hope yet." You say, rousing yourself to your feet. "I got an idea though. Why don't we make a few purchases while we're here? Pomu, Nene, could either of you spare a few coins? I would but…."

"I gotchu, Anon." Pomu waves off. "Did you see something you liked? Everything was quickly getting picked off by the pirates."

"I figure if we just buy SOMETHING, it might help convince some of these people to answer a few questions. Not to mention it'll be a little bit of some much needed charity. I'll pay you back later, I promise."

"Is landing yourself in debt a habit for the great summoner?" Kiara scoffs, but her own jab at you seems to lift her own spirits somewhat.

"Nah, this is a new one." Pomu answers genuinely. "It's not a bad plan though. Let's get shopping!"

"Nene has money too! She help!" The champion of Ursol cheers as she rockets up to her feet, likely eager to aid her people in some way that doesn't violate the rules set upon you all.

Again, you are guided inconspicuously through the lively port by Pomu's sharp intuition. At several food stands that look to only have worn and stringy scraps left, the fae generously offers pieces of silver as payment, and every single time she is met with disbelief, and even suspicion. Pomu had created the cover story that she is a traveling writer and is in need of inspiration. You are rather impressed by her quick thinking and ability to sell the story. The notion that an aspiring author is willing to part with coin and face potential danger for the sake of her work makes her questions about the present crews much more well received.

Unfortunately, what you do manage to learn is nothing terribly useful. Almost every person you talked to would say the same things more or less. Some crews are comprised mostly of humans, others beastkin, demi-humans, and a few had a healthy mix of all races. You did manage to learn that Blackfin does reside on that far island you saw earlier. There are only rumors about what happens over there, but some people share with you that they have been stocking a generous supply of wood, tools, and other building materials onto ships that sail back to that island. Some say Blackfin is constructing some sort of weapon, likely related to whatever Captain Morgan must have used to force the different pirate factions to unite. Others say that he is creating a naval armada that he will use to attack the kingdoms across the sea. One thing most people seem to agree on however, is whatever work is being done, is being performed on the backs of the people taken prisoner. That much is clear seeing how fresh, energetic, and perky most of the pirates are. After learning about all you could, Pomu leads you all to a secluded alleyway to go over your findings.

"So this Blackfin guy might be building something big." Pomu starts, thinking over all the potential facts in her head. "If all the prisoners are doing that for him on the island, it might be hard to spring them free."

"By the sound of things, there's always a full crew or two there as well." Kiara follows up, she holds her arms within one another as she leans against the building's side. "So you'd have to secure an escape on both sides, since you can't bring them back here. You'd be demolished before you got halfway to the docks."

"Afraid all my escapes have been done from the inside." You shrug. "I don't got much experience breaking someone else out of jail, but there's a first time for everything, right?"

"Maybe we can find a way to stowaway on one of the ships heading back. Ya know? Launch a surprise attack. We could all jump out from a big box that was supposed to be more tools and-" Pomu offers, excited by how the picture must look in her head.

While that is not a bad idea, your attention is diverted back towards the mouth of the alleyway, where Nene is bending down to meet eye to eye with a small girl. You can hear her excited gasps from here, and the delighted giggles of the child. Nene does seem to have a natural way with kids, she will definitely make a good mom…now there's a distracting thought that definitely needs to go away…for now.

"Nene give youuuu this for pretty shell!" She chirps as she pulls out something from her small coin purse.

"A-Are you sure!? This is a lot!" The girl exclaims, but doesn't seem opposed to the offer.

"Yes! That what shell worth to Nene. She buy." Nene seals whatever deal she just made by gently forcing the gold coin she retrieved into the little girl's small hand.

"Thank you miss! This is enough to get all sorts of yummy food for my friends! Thank you thank you thank you!" The small girl babbles before running off, ecstatic over her sale.

"Bye bye!" Nene waves. She then stands up straight as you walk over to her to see what exactly that was all about. Before you can even mouth the question, Nene turns around and holds her hands behind her back. "Nene buy something great! But husband can't see till later. It surprise."

You merely chuckle and laugh off the girl's intent to keep her secrets. From the way Nene is fidgeting, it doesn't take a genius to know that whatever she just bought might have something to do with you, but you won't take this from her. She did just make some little girl's day, and it's a little cheesy, but that means more to you than any material possession right now.

This playful moment is suddenly cut short by a shrill shriek coming from a block down from where you are. You and Nene exit the alleyway and look further down the main trade street, and what you see instantly makes your eyes widen, and your mind go white hot with anger.

There was the little girl Nene was just talking to, being held at bay by a simple hand against her soft pale blond head. The child was in tears, yelling at the large man to give her back the coin she had earned. By the look of him; bright yellow britches, open white shirt, and most notably, the yellow headband wrapped around his forehead that bore the mark of one of the pirate groups you learned about today: The Sunflower Pirates. An unfitting name you first thought, but their captain and a portion of their crew hail from the kingdom where you and Flare grew up, as well as the neighboring elven lands. They say their captain is a shrewd woman who sails the seas in search of rare magical artifacts.

"Hey hey! What's a little urchin like you doing with this much coin?!" The elf of the pair says mockingly. He was usually scrawnier than his cohort, and likely content to be the "brains" of this two man shakedown.

"I bet she stole it from hard workin' folk like us, Ganley." The large muscular human who continues to stop the small girl's advance with just a palm, offers in jest. "Pickin' the pockets of those in Blackfin's fleet is a serious offense ya know?"

The verbal utterance that she might be in actual trouble, the child stops her struggling and just looks up with overflowing tears in her eyes.

"B-But that's mine! I sold a shell today." She says through congested nostrils.

"Ya hear that, Borgel? This one's already connin' poor saps out of their hard earned gold. She might be worth takin' in. You know how the captain always had a soft spot for little kids." The elf, Ganley sarcastically remarks.

"She said she liked the necklace I made though…" The girl utters softly, feeling bad about her own efforts to feed herself. This is too much. This is far too much for you to bear.

Please. Just give the little girl her coin back and walk away. You urge, you pray silently, your fists tremble, and it takes everything you have to keep your mana from manifesting itself over your skin. Nene is doing even worse than you are; electricity crackles over her knuckles, her shoulders quake, and she bites her own lip so hard that she breaks the skin.

Just say the word, summoner, and I'll bring a storm that those two will never forget. Sylph's voice resounds in your mind, and you can feel her rage compound with yours. The knowledge that she has you back is a nice comfort, but you are more touched by how this scene invokes the same anger it does within you.

"As if anyone would pay you real money for the trash you people find washed up on your shores." The human then laughs as he shoves the girl down. The sound of her thudding against the ground deafens the entire area, and then, her tears erupt.

"If you're old enough to make money, you're old enough to start paying tribute to Blackfin." Borgel states with arrogance.

That is it. That's the last straw. You and Nene both take heavy steps forward, but Pomu cuts in front of you, her face is pure panic.

"Anon, Nene, wait!" She commands. "You can't. We promised. Kiara! Help."

"L-Let's just take a sec and chill. Deep breaths, right? Kiara nervously comes to the fae's aid and tries to calm Nene down. "I know they're scumbags, but is this really worth blowing our cover? Is this worth causing a scene?"

"Kiara's right! When those two bullies are gone, we can make sure that girl's okay. You can even heal any boo boos she has! Sounds like a plan, right Anon?" Pomu offers with a weak smile. She knows she's losing you. She knows what she's asking for isn't what's right either, but she is trying her damndest to keep her promise.

"Sorry, Pomu." You say coldly as you gently move her out of your way.

"Bad pirates make cute girl cry…they pay." Nene snarls.

Like a flash of lighting across the sky, you and Nene bolt forward. The pirate pair's bemused faces are quickly turned to shocked confusion as you and your comrade are already upon them. The elf can only let out a sharp gasp, his yellow eyes widen at the blond girl who stares back in cold, primal fury, but that is quickly replaced by her balled fist which becomes the last thing he will remember. Charged with her own rage and primal mana, Nene's knuckles dig into the elf's skinny face, his check caves, and the crack of bone can be heard. With a roaring battle cry, Nene throws her arm down to finish her arc, sending the unsuspecting pirate hurling through the air from the power of her blow. He flies into a nearby building, completely breaching its wooden walls.

You allowed his partner to watch this display, if only to give him the chance to regret what he has done. He looks down at you to see your palm open against his midsection, confusion turns to rage, which then turns to fear as he sees the light of your spell book erupt in your other hand.

"Stellar!" You shout in furious release.

The pirate in front of you is sent flying along the burst of starlight that fires from your hand. He screams in pain and panic as he is carried through the air. When the energy of your spell fades, the man is at the mercy of gravity which sends him plummeting into the water along the docks. With the threat removed, and your inner desires immensely satisfied, you and Nene turn to the small girl who only looks at you with awe.

"Nene take back what bullies stole." Nene says as she kneels down and gives the girl back the gold coin that is rightfully hers. "They never bother you again."

"I hope you're both happy!" Kiara huffs as she and Pomu run up to you. "Now everyone's staring at us. Come on, we gotta get out of sight. Now."

You turn your head slowly and gauge the reaction of the bystanders. Any of the Shallah natives that are nearby are both relieved, but afraid as well. A group of three men and two women step forward out of the small building to your side that must have had a great view of what had just transpired. You immediately notice their flagship colors present along with various motifs throughout their garments. One of the women even went so far as to have their Jolly Roger tattooed just above one of her breasts. The body artwork of a simple rounded skull surrounded by yellow flower petals that are given a slight indent on their tips to resemble bones is actually kinda badass on a lady, you're willing to admit.

The small gang scowls as they brandish their blades, three of them unsheathing sharp cutlasses while the other two twirl pointed daggers within their hands. You widen your stance and get ready to ignite your book with power. Nene plants her own feet firmly and steps in front of the small girl, her hands and arms still crackle with mana, but curiously she hasn't transformed yet. The restraint the normally primal warrior has shown today has been nothing short of impressive, but we all have our breaking points. Let's see if these pirates truly want to see what it's like when the two of you are pushed to act.

"I'm only gonna say this once." You break the tense silence of the port street. "Pick up your friend and leave. Now what's it gonna be? Do you want to end up losing some teeth and taking a swim like those two chumps? Or are you gonna do the smart thing for the first time in your lives?"

"Don't get all cocky because you got the jump on our mates." One of the women spits. "Nobody takes cheap shots at our crew and gets to walk away."

"You heard her. Looks like you all are new to how things are around here, so we'll teach ya. Afraid it'll be the last lesson you all ever get though." One of the males parades his curved blade in front of him, thinking its sorry excuse for an edge would intimidate you.

"If that's really how you want it…" You force a sigh, but deep down you are grinning. "Nene?"

"Nene always ready." Nene snarls, and her magic begins to manifest itself, the buns of hair on her head changing to fluffy bear ears, and her signature bear armaments surround her hands.

Show these bullies what happens when they mess with kids, summoner! Sylph commands from within your mind. Send them flying!

Unable to hold yourselves back any longer, you and Nene spring forward with the magic of Ursol and the winds at your heels. Just as the first two were, the Sunflower Pirates are baffled and unable to react in time to your almost sudden appearance right in front of them. Nene swings her arms outward, her claws catching the blades of two of the male pirates and slicing through their metal like they were leaves.

Harnessing the power of the skies in your free fist, you dig in your foot and deliver a hard blow into the gut of one of the dagger wielding women, knocking the air from her lungs as she is forced to release her weapons.

Now here comes the fun part. Sylph giggles almost maliciously in your thoughts as you can feel her begin to guide you on how to channel your magic. Let that storm you have brewing in your hands release itself. Think of the ever spiraling circle of a tornado, and unleash it!

Adhering to the wind fairy's instructions, you let the torrent in your heart manifest itself in the winds you create around your fist. You let them build up speed, turning faster and faster, until you unhook them from the magical tether that binds them to your body. A visible cyclone erupts against the stomach of the pirate you dislodge your fist from, and she is flung up through the air, spinning around helplessly as the spell you unleashed throws her through the window of the building she had originally come from.

The rest of your adversaries take an instinctual step backwards, their jaws falling to the floor as they slowly comprehend just how outmatched they are. Then, with her own targets disarmed, Nene kicks vertically upward, catching the slacked jaw of one of the men with the toe of her shoe, correcting his rude expression while knocking out a few teeth in the process. The second doesn't even have time to raise the stub of his sword in his defense before Nene's paw trusts into his chest, pushing him backward so fast that he bends over backwards and skids along the stone ground. He convulses slightly from his defeated position as electricity dances over his body.

Fueled by fear and anger, the last of the men grips the handle of his cutlass, and swings its pointed edge towards you, while the other woman raises both her arms and aims the tips of her daggers for Nene's neck.

Crossing each other's pathways, you and the champion of Ursol come to the defense of one another through sheer instinct. One of Nene's mighty claws grip the steel edge that was meant for your head before it could even finish half of its journey, and a swift roundhouse kick firmly plants your foot into the exposed midriff of the dagger wielding woman. You complete your motion and sweep the pirate into the other that Nene keeps in deadlock, knocking them both backward and setting the stage for your final strike.

"Stellar." You chant, and in a bright flash of starlight, both your enemies are sent hurling into a pair of upright wooden barrels that sit at the corner of a nearby alleyway. Pained yells fill the air along with the sound of wood splintering apart. It puts a smile on your face to know that these pirates won't be getting back any time soon.

You and Nene turn towards the onlookers and don't even give your fallen foes a second glance. The air is filled with uncertainty as the innocent natives look between you and the unconscious bodies of their oppressors. It was lucky that only a small group of people are around to witness this, maybe you can actually dip out of here before things escalate.

A taller man then shoves his way to the forefront. wearing the signs of the Sunflower Pirates, and points a flintlock pistol at you.

"I don't know who you troublemakers think you are, but no one takes a cheap shot at our crew and lives to tell about it." He says, pulling back the hammer of his gun to fill the air with a resounding "click".

The pirate then puts on a smarmy smile as he points the barrel of his weapon towards the little girl and his finger starts to squeeze the trigger. Your body begins to move, ready to defend this innocent child, but instead of his weapon firing, the pirate's eyes glaze over as a short gasp escapes his lungs. You watch in shocked fascination as his body falls face first into the worn cobblestone.

A woman stands behind where the Sunflower Pirate once stood, young, tan skinned, and with long black hair that falls just to her shoulder line from under the red and white striped bandana that is tied over her head. You quickly look her over for any clear sign as to what crew she may belong to, but you don't spot anything that matches the descriptors of the groups you know about so far. She wears simple beige britches, thick leather boots, and a sleeveless red white vest that covers her chest, but leaves just enough breathing room to create an inviting view of her own natural valley. Along the black undercollar of the vest, you notice an emblem stitched with white thread; a simple heart split into a white half, and dark half, with an arrow shot through it from the top right corner.

"I draw the line at harming kids." She breaks the brief silence while securing her sheathed cutlass back through the red sash that wraps around her waist. "Pretty ballsy of ye to attack one of the fleet's crew in broad daylight like that. Even ballsier that you cleaned their clocks without even tryin'. Those daisy pickers aren't exactly fierce, but round here, you don't mess with anyone under Blackfin's wing. Even if he's a despicable, honorless, barnacle."

"Good to know there are at least some pirates out here with a conscience." You say walk up to your mysterious aid. "And I see there's no love lost between you and the fleet captain."

"I think Blackfin gives real pirates a bad name." The woman spits. "But he holds all the cards, so there ain't much I can do about it. But…" The woman muses as she looks you up and down. An idea seems to form in her head, one that paints an optimistic smile on her face. "That might just work…what do I have to lose at this point? Hey! Spell caster. Seein' as I saved you from watching an innocent girl get her a hole put in 'er, how's about listenin' to a proposition of mine?"

"Funny. I was just thinking I'd ask you the same thing." You smirk, having had the idea that this pirate could end up being a potential ally and might even be able to get you to the island where the prisoners are being held without anyone being any the wiser. "If you think Blackfin needs to be taken out, I'm your man for that. I'm here to put an end to his reign over Shallah, and I need someone who can help me free the people he has captive first. So what do you say? Feel like helping make Shallah a better place to live again?"

She looks back and stares deep into your eyes, sizing you up before giving you a firm nod. "And here I thought I would have to bend and twist your arm, but we're kinda after the same thing. I think I can get you to where the prisoners are all being held, but you need to promise me something first."

"If you can help me free all those innocent people, just name your price…preferably not money though. I'm already in debt to the ornery girl in the orange. Like majorly." You joke while gesturing at Kiara, who gives you a slight nod in affirmation that you haven't forgotten where you stand with her.

"There's someone specific I want you to promise you won't leave that little island without. She's the whole reason I'm still around to begin with. You give me your word you'll do that, and I'll get you in, but it's gotta be now. We'll be screwed if the full story of what happened here gets out."

"I was going to rescue everyone who is being held against their will anyway, so you got yourself a deal!" You say offering your hand to the girl. "I'm Anon."

"This might end up makin' me into fish food, but oh well! I'm sick of just watching things go to shit, and after seeing what you just pulled, you might be the best bet I can make right now." The woman remarks as she grasps your hand and gives you a firm shake to seal your agreement. "I'm Roxy. Roxy of the Houshou Pirates."