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.

47. A Conflict In Full Swing, Keep The Pace

You and Polka begin rummaging through whatever you can find within Captain Krol's quarters, lifting and checking under the debris caused by your battle. Unfortunately there is not anything of clear value laid out in the open for you to acquire, as no one would pay even a single copper for the several portraits that depict the SeaKroc Captain and his likely lineage. Polka's search of the side walls and dressers also comes up dry, so you both turn your attention to the smashed desk that lays before the defeated croc. You crotch down and comb through the mess, pocketing a few golden doubloons that have a strange symbol depicting a bunch of bananas, perhaps they are from where the beastkin captain himself hails from? Unfortunately, it is not the payoff you were hoping for, but then a set of thick parchment catches your eye. You bring the hearty stack closer and begin reading.

You continue to flip through the pages, scanning every line. Each one lists more contraband to be delivered, either to previously listed places and buyers, or some you've never even heard of before. The client "P.P." seems to be a fairly newer customer. Who exactly could it be? And why do they need so much in terms of weaponry? Whoever they might be, they can't be good news.

The fact that the SeaKroc Pirates themselves were not only in charge of smuggling weapons and alcohol, but humans too, makes your stomach burn. You try to make a mental note of all the clients buying slaves. You may not be able to decipher where they were taken, but if you ever catch wind of the buyers, you'll come down on them like a tidal wave.

"Looks like this guy just kept this room to his work and…pictures of himself." Polka purposely makes herself sound queasy. "Wanna go check the lower deck? There's gotta be a storeroom somewhere."

"Let's hope so." You toss the stack of files behind you and leave the battered captain's quarters. Polka stays close to your side as you walk, placing a gentle hand along your arm to help keep you steady. Your body still feels a little stiff after the intense battle and while your movements are completely under your control again, there is still a lingering weight you feel from somewhere deep within you. A kitsune's aura overtaking that of a human's is apparently nothing to scoff at. You really will need to get Polka to talk to you more about just what is involved with your unique relationship, if not only for your own curiosity, but to work on training yourself to handle whatever it is she needs, if there is such a concept for humans who become involved with foxian demi-humans.

You are greeted by the gray skies of the outdoors and the deplorable jolly roger of the SeaKroc Pirates flapping in the sail ahead. A swift draw of your sword and your mana sends a sharp slash of wind to slice up the middle of the black tarp, showing any who look upon this galleon that its crew had been conquered. You can't keep yourself from swelling in pride and wanting to further your conquest, but the fennec beside you gives you a light scoff at your heroic antics. She prods you back towards the open entryway to the ship's lower interior, and you continue your exploration.

Each swift investigation of the rooms along the dusky halls within the inner hull reveal nothing but simple living quarters meant for one to two people. You and Polka begin to entertain the idea that the crews of this fleet do not actually keep their treasure aboard their own ships, a notion that more than deflates your mood. As your search draws to a close, you approach the last wooden door at the end of the hallway, and you grip its black curved handle with mild apprehension, unsure if you are willing to be faced with another room devoid of riches. The metal hinges creak as you slowly push forward, and you force your eyes shut until the door is completely removed from your path. Only when Polka scurries past you with giddy breaths, do you open your eyes.

Mounted shelves hang along the walls hold drawstring bags, small rectangular boxes, and baubles of all kinds that look nothing short of expensive. Under those wooden racks sit closed wooden chests of varying sizes that number enough to form a neat line from the room's entryway, all the way around to the other side of the doorframe.

"We hit the motherload!" Polka cheers, and she immediately begins examining the shelved items first, picking up a closed purse that jingles with the tone of silver. "You don't think those crocs will mind if we help ourselves, do ya? I mean, the one seemed like he was a firm believer of 'survival of the fittest'."

"I think we definitely earned ourselves a little reward." You agree and begin to comb the opposite side, opening the first box you see and finding a long strand of pearls inside. "They probably stole a lot of this from the good people of Shallah too. We should try to return some of it to them."

"After we keep a small finder's fee."

"You should always charge for services only you can provide."

Polka then begins to shovel whatever she can into the confines of her jester's hat; its magical limitless space welcomes the precious booty. You focus your attention on opening the various chests along the ground, and while they contain a shallow amount of copper and silver with only scarce speckling of gold coins, it's still more than enough to put a big excited grin on your face. You lift each box one by one, bringing them over to Polka who positions the lip of her hat under you, so that you may pour the glistening riches into it.

"So now that we are officially sharing our fortune with one another-" You begin as you pour another chest down the magical circus hatch.

"Oi! Oi!" Polka snaps, her face flushed a slight red with surprise. "I am NOT getting into this talk with you until after we-"

"I was wondering how your hat really works." You finish with a coy smile, making the fennec puff out her cheeks in annoyance. "Like how do you grab what you need when you want to?" Your innocent question makes your fox's cheeks inflate even more in anger. "What? What did you think I was going to ask, Polka?"

"Guy starts talking about sharing a treasure big enough to buy a house with and wants to know how my hat works…After he knows he isn't going anywhere without me." Polka grumbles as she yanks her headwear away and turns her back to you to continue pilfering more valuables from the shelves.

"Oh we won't need to use any of this on our house." You snicker, more than happy to tease the fennec a little more before you have to return to the battlefront. "I'm sure my dad will want to help build one for us. I'd do a lot of the work building it too, of course. That way we can save our money to help us travel and keep bringing smiles to the whole world. We can always get you the best circus equipment money can buy."

That little bit of playful teasing laced with a light truth makes the fennec's body tense up, her tail shoots upward and her triangular ears twitch in your direction. That had a much better effect than you thought, and on you as well. The idea of traveling the world with Polka, putting on shows that excite and captivate audiences like she's always dreamed of, then always having a home to return to after a successful tour, makes quite a few butterflies stir within your stomach.

"You'll perform with me too? In front of people?" Polka then asks through the flustered silence.

"I feel like I kinda have already." You say as you try to focus on lifting another chest for deposit. "I know fighting bad guys is a lot different than doing circus acts, but yes. I've actually been meaning to ask if I could practice with you. I think it would be fun."

"I'm gonna hold you to that." Polka beams with a smile that is almost blinding. "And we are definitely going to continue this conversation later, since if you let me start talking about stage production and performances, we'll never get back to the battle. Now let's finish looting, get out of here, and finish sweeping these pirates out of this country."

You nod fiercely at your circus fox and help her to steal, retrieve, the rest of the treasure that borders the room, and only when the last bit falls into Polka's hat, do you notice the strange curio parked in the very center of the area. A golden egg shaped object sits upon a simple wooden drum table just large enough to hold it. You cautiously approach the unknown relic and give its surface a light tap with your finger. To your surprise, its surface peels outward like a blooming flower and reveals a rounded crystal that sparkles like the sea at sunrise.

"Ooooo" You and Polka both hum, captivated by the gem's radiance.

"What is it?" You utter, craning your head to inspect more of this object's immaculately smooth sides.

"It's kinda shaped like a…coconut?" Polka ventures a guess as she gives the crystal's surface a testing brush of her gloved finger.

"It's almost the size of my head. This has gotta be worth a fortune! Where do you even find something like this?" You bring your face closer to it, barely being able to see Polka's visage through the kaleidoscopic prism.

"I don't know, but it definitely feels magical, at least a little bit." Polka squints to inspect the crystal coconut more closely. "This might not have been meant to just sell off. It could be an artifact of some kind. I bet this cool case came with it too."

"Maybe it'll do something if I give it a little mana." You take a guess and bring your hands up slowly to hold the mythic crystal, but just as your hands hover along its surface, your balance is ripped from under you and the ship jerks to one side.

The galleon creaks and whines at the sudden force of movement, and the wind rumbles against its hull. A flash of dread sprouts from the pits of your stomach and works its way up to your throat within a second. When you and Polka plant your feet to maintain your balance, you both share a telling glance.

"We forgot to tie up Krol." You both admit to one another. "Shit."

Without any hesitation, Polka snatches the sparkling coconut and stuffs it into her hat before securing it back over one of her ears. You both race out of the treasure room and through the hallway that teeters to one side violently, throwing you into the wall. Polka grabs your hand and you use your combined momentum to fight against the heavy inertia. Glass shatters through the various cabins, and the crash of furniture toppling over thunders through the lower deck, but you march on, the need for survival fueling your legs to move faster with every step.

When you and Polka reach the main deck, you b-line to the small stack of stairs that leads to the upper stern of the ship. There, you find Captain Krol, limping over a spoked steering wheel. The croc's entire body heaves with labored breaths, but his scaled hands clutch onto the handles for dear life. He doesn't even seem to notice or acknowledge your presence, and you feel your skin run cold when you spot the spark of madness that gleans in his eyes. You turn your head towards the front bowsprit and see the galleon's trajectory has been shifted downward. That scaled bastard is actually going to crash his own ship into the mainland!

"We only got one chance." You say, taking out your spell book and thrusting it into Polka's chest. There was no time to debate, you take the fennec by the wrist and begin to run towards the ship's edge. You can feel Polka's body and soul tense, and you steel your nerves for what you are about to willingly do. With a strong hop, you land your right foot along the wooden guardrail, and you use all your willpower to keep your eyes focused on the unending horizon straight in front of you.

The ship dips forward, beginning its suicidal descent, and you jump. When the world is never felt under your boots, you look down; a blanket of blue shimmers before a blotch of beige land that is speckled with marooned ships. Gravity begins to take you, and you can feel your stomach drop as the sky begins to fall, it's now or never.

"Stellberna Ma Stellaruke!" Polka shouts, and your spell book flashes like lightning streaking the sky. An eruption of stars fire forth from your body, finding their own place in the overcast sky. Your mind struggles to mentally link with each one, hoping to get enough in time.

"Anon! Down there!" Polka instructs, and your eyes hone in on one of the stranded ships along the sandbar that gets more into focus with each beat of your racing heart. The image is set in your mind, now all that's left to do is-

"Roll!" The stars whirl into their designated positions.

"Connect!" Rays of silver-white light connect the celestial beacons, creating a thick line that runs down to just above the ship Polka targeted.

"Hang on tight!" You yell, pulling Polka in front and cradling her princess style in your arms as your feet touch the starlight railway; the magical veil around your body adhering your soles to its glow.

Your body dips forward and you accelerate down the celestial ramp. As gravity increases your velocity, you bend your knees to help steady yourself against the wind that pelts your face and rumbles in your ears. Polka clenches you hard for safety as the rail you both created starts to level out bit by bit, attempting to slow down your immense momentum. A slight curve comes up, and you shift your body to flow along with it. Now the details of the ships below are coming into view, you can see several bodies frantically racing around its surface, all trying to surround a single individual.

"Anon! On that ship over there, it's Nenechi!" Polka shouts, squinting at the vessel in question.

You turn your head outward and see the unmistakable blond hair bouncing as its owner unleashes pulses of that distinct orange mana in time with her primal attacks. You nod and gather the freedom of wind at your heels, and with a hard press of your body, you spring forward. Like a bird taking flight, you soar over the earth, your burst of wind and the strength your spell grants you allows you to clear the distance and bring you right above a ship full of pirates.

"Polka, the spell is still active, let's rain down some fireworks!" You shout with bright eagerness.

"Awww yeah! I've always wanted to try this part out for myself!" Polka keeps one hand hooked around your neck, while the other holds your tome wide open. "Roll!"

The stars that made up your escape route, disperse and shoot towards the deck of the ship, startling and confusing the crewmembers that fight aboard it. Polka pauses for a fraction of a second, letting her audience only begin to guess what might happen next. Sparking the imagination of others, making them try to predict what the next part of the act will be, and finally delivering on a performance no one else could orchestrate, that is the stuff dreams of Polka are made of.

"Nova!" The ringmistress chants, setting off a chain reaction of exploding stars that blast anyone within their small radius away.

Shocked and pained yells screech across the air as the paltry crew is blown off their feet by your spell. Then with your stars used up, the spell fades, but your other element is already revving up to deliver you and your fennec down below. While you might be capable of true cloud walking while you are not resonating with Sylph, your comfort with the winds gives you enough control to push against the air with your heels so that you can orchestrate a safe landing.

A roar of wind announces your entrance onto the smaller pirate ship, where you and Polka touchdown and roll right into the heat of battle.

"Stellaruke!" Polka chants once more, giving your body the strength of the stars as you draw your sword to meet the blades of a pair of pirate thugs.

Shining Comet sings as it collides with the raised cutlass of your foe, needing only a small flex to send its edge clean through the shoddy steel. The second pirate makes a hasty chop, but his face contorts to surprise when his swing is stopped cold within the claws of another. Beside you Nene now stands, her fanged smile reaching from ear to ear. A wave of satisfaction rolls over your body. How you've looked forward to fighting at this girl's back again. It was time to let your natural fighting spirit take control and guide you both to a swift victory.

You follow up with a cross slash that tears right through the meager cloth that covers your opponent's midsection to send him falling backward. Nene shreds the blade between her nails and swings her opposite arm across to rend her own foe's chest, sending him down in one strike. The flash of pronged steel flashes in the corner of your eye, you duck, avoiding the point of a harpoon meant for your chest, Nene twists and snags the polearm by the shaft, she yanks it toward her, pulling its owner off the ground and over your head, you spring up, impaling the woman's slim stomach with your cranium. As the body flails and falls behind you, your body carries you into action, sword held low as you and Nene, with Polka at both your backs, run to engage the charging mob of pirates.

A flash of violet mana snakes ahead of you and dives into the wooden floor of the ship, leaving a small trampoline in its magical wake. Nene picks up her pace and aims to be the one to take to the air, and you find your role in this latest collaborative attack without the need for words. You charge your mana within your steel, ready to unleash a torrential blast upon your enemies when the time is right. The champion of Ursol then jumps onto the taunt launchpad, and she rockets up into the air, and you enact your own motion, swinging your blade widely across your body as you run, sending a flurry of tidal slashes at the bunched pirates. When water whips their bodies and impedes their advance to a halt, Polka raises her baton to the sky, sending a ribbon made of pure reds, blues, and pinks crawling through the air and wrapping itself around Nene's waist, the fennec then brings both her arms down hard, sending the Champion of Ursol, with her fist raised, plummeting back to earth. The slam from Nene's mighty claw thunders the entire deck as its electrified power crackles in the air and the wood underneath her splits and crumbles. The pirates caught in the blast radius are sent flying, and any close enough to the point of impact are sent straight below deck. Before Nene herself can fall, Polka yanks her back like a fish on a line.

In one dazzling display of teamwork, the three of you have reduced this sorry crew to a mere handful; a few apprehensive bodies shake with fear at the other end of the ship, and you grin with battle driven delight. You raise an open palm in their direction, and the pirates jolt.

"Stellar." Polka utters, and the spell fires pure starlight from her hand, taking the poor bastards in its radiance as it blasts the cabin wall behind them. When the smoke clears, a small group of pirates appears from below deck, ready to defend their ship to the last. Polka begins to cast the spell again, but a sudden shaking of the wooden seacraft jostles you all.

A cascade of five more impacts come from the starboard side, and only when your focus shifts to the world outside your battle, do you hear the whistles of cannonfire flying through the air. The three of you race towards the side railing to see what or who is actually firing on you. Your eyes widen when you spot another barrage soaring your way at a higher angle, those slugs will definitely hit the deck!

"Get behind me, you two!" You order as you sheathe your sword and hold both your hands out in front of you, your heart urging Polka to cast the defensive spell you want.

"Stellashield!" Polka shouts, allowing you to create your star-shaped barrier in the air in front of you to catch two of the cannonballs that rain down on the ship you stand on.

The crash and crunching of wood booms behind you, causing the vessel to lose more and more of its structural integrity. You can hardly believe it; those bastards are actually firing on their own in hopes that you'll get caught in the blast! Your choices are limited, you can't engage in a full on firefight with another ship with nothing but your spell book and some of Polka's own spells. You need to abandon ship before it crumbles from under you. You nod your head to Polka as your body buckles from enduring another pulse of damage to your shield thanks to another round of cannonfire. The fennec gets your message and signals for Nene to stick close.

"Charge!" Polka yells, funneling all the punishment your shield sustained into your fist, and you take quick aim at the stationary ship straight ahead. "Stellaruga!"

You punch forward, unleashing a heavy spiral of starlight that flies over the sandbar. The silver-white beam crashes into the hull of the ship that assails you, but most of its bite has waned from the distance it had to travel, but the distraction it creates is all you need.

"All ready, Anon!" Polka calls as she tugs a thick rope tied to the guardrail of the ship. You run over to her and accept your spell book back from her to quickly secure it back within its pouch. With no time to lose and another battery coming your way, you grab the tail end of the hearty twine and lead the escape.

As you repel down the side of the ship, you make incremental jumps against its hull to stabilize your descent. Iron slugs continue to batter the ship, tearing new openings into its body that threaten to shake you off. A stray shot nails the area around where your tether is tied, snapping the side railing to twigs. Your mind doesn't have time to catch up with what just happened before you feel Nene's strong arms hook around your waist. She holds you and Polka close to her as she stares at the coming sand and braces herself for landing; the magical energies that mark her power gather around her legs.

You are not content to let your friend bear the burden of your landing by herself, you stretch your arm forward, forcing your mana heed your command and create a bluster of wind that blows against the sand below you. Before you all reach the ground, you push your magic once more, and the sudden forceful pulse of air pushes you all upward and you are caught in a short game of tug-o-war between gravity and wind. Gravity ultimately wins the second your spurt of magic fades, but it was enough of a struggle to allow Nene to make a running landing along the sand with you and Polka in tow. She sets you both on your feet and you all catch your breath. The ship you left looked like a block of swiss cheese. These pirates are much more reckless with their own ships than you initially gave them credit for. Perhaps it would be a good idea to not stay aboard them the second they start losing from now on.

"Everyone alright?" Polka huffs with her body hunched over.

"I'm all good, thanks Nene." You breathe heavily.

"Nene thank Anon too. Wind magic help lots. Nene would have been able to take fall, but it would have been hard." The bubbly blond beams at you between her own heaves.

When the relief of having escaped a perilous situation just begins to slow your beating heart, a spike of anxiety shoots through your system as you feel that something is amiss. The sand around you begins to skitter and shift, as if it were only the wind blowing against it, but you can just feel that is not the case right now. Polka's triangular ears twitch to find the movement you must be sensing, confirming your suspicion that you just jumped right into an ambush.

A swift rumbling beneath the sand is followed by the grainy earth coming apart and bodies sprouting from it with an audible puff. Men clad in foreign style robes and horns that poke through their hoods appear brandishing strange weapons ranging from steel chains linking to a metal ball, sharp bo staves, hiltless black knives, and finally, curved thin blades that bare the same style as the one Iroha uses. They form a tightening perimeter around you, and you can get a closer look at their stone gray skin that shines under their hoods and the openings of their sleeves that reveal their shoulders that bare elaborate tattoos of something unrecognizable.

Bringing your sword at the ready, you tense and prepare to fend off your foes, no one has been able to stop you so far, and with Nene and Polka at your side, you can't lose. They horned pirates begin to inch closer, each of them possessing an eerie calm in how they poise their weapons. Their feet shuffle silently along the sand, making it difficult to guess their next movements. Your mind and heart begin to race with the possibilities of what you might be faced with. Why are these pirates so…different?

"So it is a kitsune after all." A dark voice snickers from just beyond the shrinking encirclement. The men who close in on your stop, and the two who form the blockade straight ahead separate to form an open doorway for a taller man to walk into view.

The man flexes the fingers of his gloved right hand, the arm of which is covered by a jagged and imposing metal arm guard whose rear end spikes out to offer as much danger as it does protection. His dark tan overcoat that showcases his status as a captain lays open, and his inner layer is a charcoal robe whose cut leaves the top half of his stone gray chest exposed. His blood red sash that holds his clothes together holsters a set of blades shaped like threading needles big enough to puncture an artery. The man also possesses an assortment of the same shaped blades of his comrades; four sit sheathed along his back. He steps thrice more towards you, and stops. You can't see most of his face thanks to the black mask he wears that depicts the maw of a ravenous beast, but those blood red eyes of his look to shatter your composure. He pulls his hood off his head, fully revealing the two massive horns that shoot straight up to the sky from the middle of his forehead.

"I had my doubts at first." The man begins to speak again. "When some of my business partners mentioned a fox girl among the interlopers, I was skeptical, but here she is." The captain's eyes hone in on Polka, winching for a split second in disgruntlement. "Brown fur? How disappointing."

"And what the heck is that supposed to mean?" You growl, letting your anger douse some of the intimidation you feel. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want with Polka?"

The man scoffs at your questions. "Normally my targets don't need to know my name, as they will not know it for long, but pirating is quite a different game. It's much more about bolstering your name, so forgive me. I'm still a little new to this. The name's Ibaraki, the right hand of the Cloaked Dagger in the service of the great Oni Houses."

"O-Oni?!" Polka stutters behind you, her eyes fixate on the heads of the pirates around you, and a sharp realization hits her. "Oh crap…" She breathes in a hushed whisper and holds her one hand over her mouth to keep herself from shaking.

"I never tire of that expression." Ibaraki removes the mask from his jaw and reveals a menacing smile; the sharp bridgeworks gleam and look powerful enough to chew through solid steel. "The sight of a mark's blood running cold when they realize that death now walks to them. I'm glad to see it's just as delicious as when it comes from the wretched muts of my homeland. So that just leaves me wondering. What mud stained clan do you hail from, you filthy soul burner?"

"Polka, what is he talking about? Do you know what this guy is?" You inch closer to guard your fennec, you can feel now more than ever how fearful she is of the newest arrivals.

"Oni are bad, bad news, Anon." Polka warns, trying her best to get the words out. "I've only heard stories from the matriarch from my village, but all you need to know is that they're cruel, insanely tough, and hate everything that isn't an oni."

"Omarun doesn't have to be afraid." Nene tightens her battle stance and stands at the front guard with you. "Anon and I will protect you from mean looking horn men."

"Boss asked you a question, kitsune." One of the surrounding oni men barks, swinging the chained steel ball casually in the air beside himself. "Do they not teach you to respect your betters in whatever hole you crawled from, brush tail?"

"A forest rat like her is probably from some pitiful clan anyway. Or she might even be a runaway, I mean just look at those clothes. Even the ones back home had more respect for themselves than this one does." Another joins in, causing the others to laugh, but their mockery does not distract them from keeping their own guards perfectly placed. Even so, your blood begins to boil and you cannot keep yourself restrained any longer, guard be damned.

You close the distance between you and the one to make the last remark, you bring your sword down with a mighty swing that meets the middle of the bo staff he raises in his defense, your hands shake when you try to push through the oni's guard, but your steel only clatters as it inches slowly backward. Another oni accepts your invitation to begin combat, and launches one end of his steel ball chain at you, the sphere soars directly for your shoulder. Before it can make contact, Nene leaps forward and cuts its travels short by gripping it by the chainlink. The metal tether becomes taut as she pulls, hoping to rip the oni that holds the other end off his feet, but the hooded pirate digs his heels into the sand and stands firm against Nene's bear-like strength.

As you continue to struggle within your own clash, a shape blurs past your eyes, and your heart spikes in panic. The oni pirate captain had dashed past you and was going straight for Polka! The fennec jolts to attention and readies her baton, her eyes narrow, and sweat drips from under her blond bangs. Ibaraki, now with his battle mask upon his face again, extends his arm towards Polka, and a blade meant to skewer springs from under his wrist. A malicious laugh escapes his lungs as he plunges forward, his blade just missing Polka's head when she throws herself to the side, but not without grazing her cheek and scattering strands of hair to the wind.

"Eyes this way, human scum!" The oni who locks weapons with you sneers, tearing your attention from your fennec to his crooked face. He buckles his staff to disengage you, and then in a series of swipes and steps that move like a deadly dance, he brings the head of his cudgel against your collarbone, then your arm when you go to raise your sword, then your knee. Every attempt at defense is bypassed with professional precision. A long sweep brings the staff against the side of your leg, flipping you right onto your back, and your body quakes with the impact.

"Anon!" Nene cries, her own concentration torn from the deadlock she's engaged in, an opportunity the surrounding pirates take full advantage of. A pair wielding shining short blades converge on her from her flanks, slashing wildly for her flesh. Nene's nails clang against the flurry of steel, and each wild slash she unleashes in retaliation is either met with a deflecting blow, or punished with a fast scrape against her exposed arms.

Your body pushes and urges itself to rise, despite how everything around you feels like it's spinning. A cry resounds in your very soul, Polka's cries.

She's in danger! We're all in danger if I don't get up! I need more power. I need to be stronger. Now!

Your internal pleas cause the book strapped at your waist to begin shining, it responds to your call.

"Stellaruke!" You yell, and your body becomes engulfed in an aura of starlight that blinds the oni who sought to slap you back down. You twist your body and gather galeforce energies into your one fist, then with a thrust of your palm, you unleash an airstream that blows that staff wielding oni backward. You don't take time to breathe, you can only think about protecting your fox from her assailant, you dash forward, using your enhanced speed to cut between her and the oni pirate captain that towers over you.

Ibariki stabs for Polka again, only to find the flat of your gleaming sword in the way of his pointed murder weapon. You buckle, the oni's strength is even more overwhelming than the last, but you don't shy away, you don't doubt yourself. Your spell book rewards your conviction and shines even brighter, and the veil of starlight around your body thickens, and with it, you feel more of its power course through you. You begin to push the oni back, and when he is forced a step in the opposite direction, his brow furrows.

"Tenacious piece of trash." Ibaraki snorts, putting more of his arm into your clash. "How dare a human like you even raise your sword to me."

"I don't give a fuck who, or what you are. If you attack the people I care about, I'm going to knock you down!"

"And no one calls Anon a piece of trash!" Polka shouts in anger behind you, and her mana begins to rise and respond to her anger, creating a swirl of purple light around her body. She cups her palms and in a flash of confetti and stars, appears two separate decks of cards.

"I don't care how they do things back where you're from, but around Omaru Polka, you don't disrespect her friends, no matter what race they are!" She declares, and the suited cards begin to radiate with a deep purple glow.

"I forgot how protective you soul suckers are of your meals. Quite a stock you've made for yourself too. TWO humans at your beck and call." Ibaraki spits, taking one step back and readying his wrist blade in a defensive stance.

"Anon and Nenechi are NOT meals to me. They will NEVER be that to me!" Polka shrieks back in rage, and the rest of her mana is sucked into the two stacks of cards. She brings both together, and when she removes her top hand, numbered hearts, spades, diamonds, and clovers float in the air around you, and the surrounding oni freeze their movements to observe.

"Nenechi, Anon." Polka says with determination. "It's showtime."

You take your ring mistress' cue and charge with your sword aimed to pierce the center of Ibaraki's mask. You make a strong thrust, conviction and starlight shoot your edge forward like a roaring comet, and it reaches an early stop at the curved steel of a katana Ibaraki pulled from his back. Your steel grinds together, you put every ounce of strength your muscles will give to gain the advantage, but the oni still has his other arm free, and his gauntlet blade aims to inject itself into your jugular. When the metal spike approaches your face, a single card interjects; three of clubs, taking the point for itself, and curiously, is not pierced.

The oni grunts in surprise, and thrusts his right arm forward again, but the card does not yield. You take advantage of the horned man's brief confusion to reflect his sword off of yours, following up with an upward slice that cuts through his wide sleeves. Ibaraki jumps backward to disengage, and after shredding the torn sleeve from his left arm, he rips away the card that caps his wrist blade. Your heart hardens when what should have been a debilitating blow to the man's second sword arm, was not hindering him in the slightest.

I didn't hold back on that swing. I wanted to cut him, but Shining Comet barely made a scratch. Are oni bodies really that tough? That doesn't matter. I was able to cut through Grendel when I tried hard enough. Time to step up the gear. I'll make the Stellaruke spell even stronger!

You charge again, pouring more of your inner strength into your spell book, its cover practically overflows with the strange light it emits. You cross swords again with Ibaraki, and to your aid come more flying cards; five of diamonds, two of diamonds, whizzing past the oni's face, tracing thin white lines across his gray skin. The minor annoyance akin to a pesky bee, fuels Ibaraki's anger and bloodlust, he puts his entire weight into his swings, making you stagger back with every narrowly executed block. Even with more cards flying to swarm your foe; one, four, seven, nine of diamonds, using their sharp corners to attempt to harm and deflect the oni's blades, you are still fighting with your back to the ropes. Ibaraki slices through three of the soaring cards with a slash of his sword that was almost invisible to the naked eye. Another strike sweeps across your guard, flinging you backward with the raw power of a giant. Your world rocks as you tumble along the sand, but you are far from done. You spring to your full height and take a calm breath.

A presence touching the back of one of your heels causes you to turn your head just enough to see the curls of Nene's hair in the corner of your eye. At each other's backs, you feel as though your heart is encased within the thickest armor, and the weapon you hold can split mountains. A card lands itself flat atop your wrist; three of hearts, and disappears as though it was absorbed by your very being. You're not sure what exactly it could be, adrenaline, your convictions, Polka's magic, but you feel a burst of energy mounting from deep within you.

Nene lets out a small mew of curiosity when she finds a card; two of hearts land and vanish into her paw, and a vibrant glow of orange and red covers its surface.

"That's your cue, guys." Polka's shoulders heave up and down, and she flings a card held between her two fingers out into the wild, and a flock of the magician's tools swarm and impede the advancing of oni. "Make this a big enough finale to knock these guys right out of their seats!"

"With Omarun and Husband, Nene can't be beaten!" Nene roars, and the electrical current that dances along her claws amplifies to new heights.

"Let's show 'em what humans and foxes can really do when we work together!" You mold the overflowing energy you feel into the power of water, and create an azure casing over Shining Comet that moves like an endless stream. You bring your sword over your back, and call to your comrade.

Nene brings both her paws to the raging torrent of water that covers your sword, and the sparking of two souls that are now intertwined erupts. Lighting dances over the sharp river you've created, and azure purity forms into long nails that surge like a jet stream for the Champion of Ursol.

In front of you Ibaraki slices two cards; seven of clubs, ten of clubs, that enlarge themselves to create a temporary wall between him and his targets. Two other oni pirates support him, and you are more than satisfied with the shot Polka helped line up for you. At your back Nene gives her newly empowered claws a few testing flexes, and she lets out a small cackle. Her emerald pools fixate at the three pirates she had struggled against so far. They will know the might of Ursol first hand.

"Raging water, crackling thunder, join together to create a river of destruction." You begin to chant, pouring your combined convictions into your trusted weapon as you begin to swing down.

"Ursol, accept the power of water and unleash your rage!" Nene twists her body and holds her claws tight at opposite sides.

"The powers of bears, foxes, and humans! Drown and cut through souls of darkness! Collaboration magic! Ursine Tidal Surge!"

You bring down your arms, sending forth a torrential stream of rushing lighting coated water. Nene begins to spin her body like a top, causing the power in her claws to spiral around her, and she darts forward.

An electrical river crashes into Ibaraki and his lackeys, slamming them into the hardened sand. You swing Shining Comet across your shoulder, forcing the tidal surge to move along with it, carrying your foes across the battlefield.

Nene who has now become a magical drill of water and lighting, rams straight through the group of oni pirates, knocking them clean off their feet and into the air when they touch the rapidly cycling energy she emits. Steered by her natural instincts, she alters her trajectory to bring herself upward, to then dive back down on her foes. The oni pirates can do nothing to keep themselves from being battered around by the primal force of Ursol's magic spinning around her champion.

The tides of both your magic works in tandem, the charged river snatches the oni that are uprooted by the power of Ursol, and its champion comes back from her return trip, the incandesce of lightning and water dances behind her as the elements dissipate from her body. You point your sword forward and push another pulse of mana through your body, commanding the raging stream to burst forward and take all within its embrace into the pirate ship that lies stranded in front of you. Its hull is pummeled by the force of water and the bodies of hardened oni, pushing its integrity to its very limit. When the liquid falls and reveals both several blemishes along the flagship of the Ibaraki pirates, and the oni themselves; drenched but slowly recovering, a storm begins to stir within your heart.

I don't know what the history is between oni and kitsunes, but one thing is perfectly clear. They look down on and just plain hate Polka just for what she was born as. They want to kill her just because of her race, because they think they're better than everyone else. Those names they called her…they were meant to hurt, like things I used to be called.

The light from your spell book begins to shine with such intensity that it almost swallows the one side of your body whole. Each beat of your heart makes its glow grow thicker and faster.

I was able to feel it, her fear at the sight of them, how she hurt when they called her those awful things, her rage when they looked down on me the same way. I will NEVER let bastards like this make the fox I love feel like something is wrong about who she is. I don't care what these oni choose to believe, I'm going to crush them all for what they did! They're done!

"Urou!" You begin to shout, ripping your spell book from its holding space and revealing its shining light for the clouded skies above to shirk from. You grip your sword tight as you prepare for the second part of the incantation, pouring all your anger, your convictions, your love, into that which gives the great beast its power. Your heart thumps as you gather and hold the energy in, it threatens to burst from your body with every second you try to contain it. With battle driven focus, your eyes find the loathsome Ibaraki standing, and even from far away you can feel his disgust and contempt for you. Then the dam breaks.

"Stellaruga!" You roar, and the silver-white light bursts from your body and tome, twisting and molding together in the air until it forms the great celestial bear. The great beast who towers overhead places his ethereal claws onto the sandbar as they gain weight. Your mind quickly becomes foggy, but one thing burns bright; your prey. A simple desire makes your spell begin to move, taking a few short steps along the battle scarred sand, and the sight of the great bear whose hide shines with the beauty of the constellations freezes all who gaze upon it, both in fear, and in awe. Urou then roars as it begins to gallop towards the oni pirate ship, feeding off your desire to dismantle everything in your path to pieces. You lift your sword up high, and with your half-conscious motion, your spell leaps into the air to match.

"Crush! Them! Alllllllllll!" Your lungs exhaust themselves as you bring your sword down to complete your command, and your spell lunges down from the height of its arc. The bear brings its claws out wide, and extends its mighty jaw as it crashes into the mighty oni pirate ship. The outer siding of the vessel is blown to bits as soon as your spell collides with it, then with fang and claw fueled by starlight and powers not fully known, it begins to tear it apart as though it were its meal. The bear's claws slam against the flat of the sandbar, knocking several oni away in its wake. Your spell then completes its frenzy with an ear shattering roar as it makes its final dive into the broken body of the ship, erupting and overtaking all around in its pure starlight energies.

When the spell's light shimmers away from your body, you drop to one knee, digging your sword into the sand to keep yourself from falling further. You fight to catch your breath, but you do not collapse. Good. While it was more than worth it to blast those horned bastards with your most powerful spell, you would have not fared well if you lost all strength in your legs afterward. It would seem that with practice, even a spell as mighty as Urou Stellaruga can be cast without as big a drawback as it initially had. Good. Very good. That will likely save your life many times in the battles to come.

Polka recovers from the momentary reverence of your greatest spell in devastating action and lowers down to help you up to your feet. Your body feels like lead, but with each passing second, and each fresh siphon of air into your pathways, it becomes a little lighter. You look ahead to count the damage; the ship of the Ibaraki Pirates has been completely gashed open, the inner beams and lumber that give the ship its integrity are completely mangled, and the ship is heard creaking as it tries to keep itself from crumbling down. The pride you feel from leaving the barge completely unseaworthy is whisked away on the wind when you see the straight shapes of some of the onis as they stand; some hold an injured limb as they slouch, and others roll their necks to work out the sore muscles, Ibaraki however, looks over at you with a cold fury that could freeze lava.

"That was some neat trick, human." The oni captain snarls, slowly pacing toward you, a katana gripped menacingly in each hand. "This is quite the setback you've given me, and an oni will tolerate NO setback from a lesser mongrel like yourself. All the bets are off now." He continues and the reds of her his eyes shimmer with an underworldly gleam. "Time for the kitsune's pet to di-"

"Boss, reinforcements." One of the smaller oni interrupts his commander, shifting all eyes towards the coast.

Along the flat waters a boat…slides? Ever nearer. When the small lifeboat approaches, you can more clearly see how it sleds along a blanket of ice whose tail end is steadily breaking apart. At the nose of that boat stands Flare and Riki, both their hands pointed towards the ocean as their magic freezes the living body of water underneath them. Watame stands proudly behind them, one foot on the front railing, with her flute raised to her lips, its enhancing melody enables the three biggest lionesses at the rear to shove the wooden vessel along its slick roadway with even greater speed.

When the dinghy meets the immense resistance of the sandbar, everyone leaps off its body and rushes to your defense. Undine and Watame stand firmly to be your shield, staring down the approaching oni with ironclad purpose, which makes the horned captain stop and begin assessing his new opponents.

"Are you alright, summoner?" Undine asks, not taking her eyes off the oni captain.

"Summoner?" Ibaraki repeats, making his advance stop cold, and one hand idly sheathes one of the swords back along his back.

"I'm alright, better now that you're here." You crack an exhausted smile.

"We'll protect you guys, so stand back." Watame proudly resounds. "The lion pack calvary is here!"

"D-Do you think what the one with the fish ears called the human is right?" One of the flanking oni's asks, unsure if he should be adversarial or concerned.

"With what we heard about the little raid the human was part of last night, the pieces are suddenly fitting together quite nicely." Ibaraki sheathes his other sword as he seems to come to an unwelcome conclusion. "That's enough my brothers. I think it's about time we returned to our homeland."

The oni pirate crew follow their captain's orders with unflinching obedience, lowering their weapons and beginning to back away from your party's defensive line. Could this be a trick of some sort? Why are they starting to retreat?

"Hold on!" You bark, not willing to let the deplorable oni just get off the hook for what they've done and what they've been a part of. "Where do you think you're going!?"

"It's about time my brethren and I paid a visit to our home. Pirating has been a very lucrative business for us, but we have no real allegiance towards that orcid demi." Ibaraki begins, turning his back to you. The oni then dons his hood that has slits for his impressive horns to slide through before turning his head halfway to speak again. "Besides, I'm not taking the life of a summoner without a proper contract. For a head like yours, I bet someone will pay enough for me to retire three times over."

"Well you better rethink that retirement plan. I'm not afraid of you, or any batshit clients you have." You snort.

"Insolent, mouthy human." Ibaraki bares his fangs, and suddenly his boiling rage subsides and a twisted smile curves up to his cheeks. "You'll learn your place one day, but before then, try to stay alive. You're not worth anything if you die before a deal is struck. Same goes for that foxed soul sucker."

The oni does not give you a chance to retaliate, verbally or otherwise, before he digs into his pocket and slams whatever object he had been searching for into the ground, creating a pitch black cloud of smoke that hides the entire crew. The seabreeze wafts the thick haze away, and the horned pirates are nowhere to be seen. Tension weighs down on you, and your nerves jitter frantically as your senses try to locate the underhanded assassins. After a moment of rigid silence, your sharper eyed comrades shake their heads in affirmation that your immediate enemies are actually gone.

Could you really accept that one of the fleet's captains would just turn tail and leave? It has been hard to gauge just how far loyalty lies for some of these pirates. And what was all that about a contract for your head? Would anyone besides HoloX really be that invested in you? Even then, HoloX specifically wants you alive, but who knows when that could change. Either way, it's a problem for future Anon. Present Anon has another problem, a slightly wet one too.

The tide is beginning to come in, time has taken back control over the vast ocean, and the sandbar you stand on grows smaller by the second as it recedes under the water's surface. Further down the sandbar, one of the ships begins to wade, its body finally feeling the freedom of the waves once again. As the tide starts to caress your ankles, rising higher with each pass, you look around for an escape route. Three ships are beginning to adjust their positions to aim their batteries at you, behind you still stands a ship on its last legs, and to the side is the small life boat that your reinforcements arrived on. The boom of cannonfire then erupts in the sky, shattering your moment of indecision, and then the hulls of one of the three enemy ships.

The Crimson Quarter tears through the sea as it makes headway towards your position. Marine's proud ship fires barrage after barrage, pelting holes into the enemy pirate vessel that struggles to turn and defend itself. Your heart suddenly gets lighter, and a rasp chuckle escapes your lungs. It's just as the Houshou Captain said: Whenever you need me most, your Senchou will be there. Through hell or highwater, this captain will always come through.

Better late than never you suppose, but perhaps a little too late. The other ships are seafaring again, which puts the battered dark red vessel at a significant disadvantage. The surprise attack did well to considerably cripple one of enemy ships, but with two more turning to meet Marine in naval combat, you need to find a way to even the odds. Your eyes are then caught by the flag of the RockyRoad Pirates spread wide from the mast of a ship whose boarding plank is still dug into the sandbar. That will do nicely. You started this assault by rattling the mainland base of this ragtag group, time to finish the job.

"We need to start moving." Botan speaks loud to garner everyone's attention and then looks to you, and her lips curl when she notices something particular about the look in your eyes. "Packleader, you have the gleam of the hunt in your eyes. Your orders?"

"We need to stick to the original plan as much as we can." You begin, securing your weapons and looking back out to sea where Marine's ship sails ever closer. "But that didn't include our enemies being seabound. So, who's ready to do some boarding?"

"We are! We are!" Bransha and Bree volunteer.

"M-Me too!" Nula forces herself into the spotlight.

"Nene is ready." The bubbly blond says between heavy breaths, but then Polka steps in front of her and gives a disapproving shake of her head.

"You need to take a break, Nenechi. That last fight really took it out of both of us. Undine can cover Anon, so we should sit this one out. Okay?" Polka offers politely, but the reluctance in Nene's eyes is clear as day.

"We don't have time to debate this, Nene." You put your hand on the primal warrior's shoulder. "Besides, I need you ready to smash through Blackfin's home base once you help Marine fend off the second ship. She's going to need some help." This seems to reach Nene somewhat, and one of her paws places itself over your hand. She gives you a small nod and her fanged smile shows that firm determination you've come to admire about her. You then decide to stoke that fire within her soul a little more, and you lean in just close enough to whisper, "Nene, remember the promise we made? We both already have a few cool scars that will need cleaning, but we should each get a few more. Won't it be more fun if we keep them secret from one another until later?"

Nene perks up like a flower having its thirst quenched from a long overdue rain, her shoulders stiffen, heavy breaths pour out her nose, and her smile quivers from the tug of war between her girlish spirit and the primal spirit within her that hungers for battle. The cogs in that bubbly head of her begin to mesh and turn, signaling her to nod furiously at your proposal. You release Nene and give her a final thumbs up, and she walks to the dwindling border of the sandbar to retrieve the small lifeboat, lifting it above her head without an ounce of strain. Polka chuckles and gives you a pleased smile before walking over to join her, leaving you to asset the rest of your potential boarding party.

Flare meets your gaze with clear determination and fondness, which makes the knots in your back loosen slightly. It makes you relieved beyond words to see her safe and sound, she is easily worn down, and the way her left shoulder slumps clues you into how her mana is practically all used up. You can tell she really gave her all in her last fight, and she even looks slightly different somehow, and you don't think it's because of the fetching headwear she now sports. No, something within your half-elf seems to have changed, grown. You can feel an even fiercer resolve shining from those amber eyes of hers, and the way her cheeks curve from her own natural rest seem stronger. Perhaps you can take her with you.

Then, as if she could see the decision on your face she shakes her head. "Sorry. I'm almost tapped out. Even if I read your spell book for you, I might end up being too slow for a full on ship invasion."

"That goes for me too." Botan joins in. "I can't conjure much at the moment, so I'll be more useful aboard the pirate girl's ship. I can man the guns up there."

"I wanna come-" Riki begins to say as she walks forward, but she stumbles, narrowly avoiding a faceplant if not for Korla's swift rescue. "Dammit…I can't be left behind Bransha and Bree again…"

"Don't sweat it, Riki." Frala says, patting the floofy head of her packmate. "You've fought well so far, and it's thanks to your magic that we were able to get here in time to back Anon up. I won't leave ya behind either. Packleader, I'll head with the others and help protect that ship. If any bastards try to board it, I'll knock them clean off with my fists."

"Watame" you begin to say to your sheep, your heart heavy with the decision that you know is best for the mission, despite how it yearns for something different. That beautiful face; laced with sand and saltwater, moves up and down before you can continue.

"Korla and I will keep the rest of the pack and the people helping on Marine's ship safe and healthy!" Watame chirps, twirling her trusted flute in between her fingers. "Now go show those pirates who's boss!"

With the time goodbyes running shorter, you skip a step forward and give Watame a brief, but heartfelt hug with one arm. You gather as much courage and energy as you can from those brilliant purple pools of hers and take off before you want to alter your plans.

Four pairs of legs splish and splash behind you within the ankle high waters. You make a desperate charge to reach the docked ship before it recedes its boarding ramp. When the sea begins to crawl higher up your legs, Undine waves her trident to her one side, and the rising pool in front of you parts to form a dry walkway wide enough for you to run through. With your momentum regained, you approach the on-ramp to the RockyRoad's Pirates' flagship, and immediately catch the attention of two of its sentries that prepare to free the vessel from its tether to the sandbar. They appropriately greet you with stares that mark confusion and quickly turn to disgruntled hostility.

You slide your hand over Shining Comet's steel, creating a thin layer of wind as it travels. Undine's own weapon swirls with water that dances around its prongs. A synchronized swing of your weapons sends blades of azure and verdant to nail your targets dead on, knocking them flat onto the deck. You let the tides of war spur you onward, and you raise your sword up to the sky to lead the charge up the sturdy plank.

At the top stand several human pirates, armed and ready to buckle swash. Undine thrusts her polearm forward, its head jutting just past your hair as the sound of rushing waves fills your ear. A mighty torrential stream fires from the water spirit's soul bound weapon, crashing through the man made wall that would hope to impede your arrival. The men are carried backward by the magical deluge, and dropped on their backs on top of the deck as they try to force the unwanted liquid that invaded their lungs. You put everything you got into storming the deck, meeting the pirates who come to subdue you strike for strike. Alongside your soul-bound partner, you fight with renewed strength, your body weaves and dances like the shapeless azure element that begins to subconsciously form from the mana glowing around various parts of your person.

The trio of lionesses battle along the outer edges of your peripherals, pouncing on any man or woman bold enough to try and assault you with ranged weaponry. Bransha and Bree's claws flourish with water that helps them break through guards and deliver a punishing slash from their sharpened talons. Nula sticks closer to your flanks, using her lithe body to avoid clumsy swings, which you and Undine use the openings she creates to deliver fierce counterattacks. Every swing, every quick paced movement of your body, starts to become heavier, more sluggish, with every pirate you parry or take down. The RockyRoad Pirates are by far the weakest you've faced so far in terms of raw strength, but after multiple back to back battles, they are quickly becoming more formidable.

Undine prepares a spiral of water around the top of her trident, and the surrounding pirates halt their approach and cautiously wait to see what the water spirit's next move will be. You slowly begin to catch your breath, but your hand grips the handle of your sword even tighter. If you start to relax, even just a little, you might lose all the momentum you've built, and it will not be so easily regained. You begin to shift your body forward to go on the offensive, but heavy padded footsteps beating against the wood of the deck at a casual pace puts your latest orders on shutdown.

"Good job wearin' em' down lads." A dwarf with a thick and hearty accent broadcasts as he steps past two men standing near the top edge of the battle circle. The short, bulky man saunters closer, pulling the braided strand within his bright red beard that is thicker than a jungle. More of that bushy flame colored hair spills out from underneath his dark brown bicorn, and judging by the open peacoat he wears that is adorned with buttons and belts worthy of a higher station, you have to assume this is the captain himself. Captain Redbeard as you've heard him to be called, also wears thick leather gauntlets that cover up past his stubby forearms, and a leather breastplate protects his chest from underneath his captain's jacket. The one eye he has that isn't covered by a simple black eyepatch looks to be measuring your weight in gold, a notion that makes you snort in frustration. He then stops and places a hand over the hilt of a dagger strapped along his waist.

"And here I thought I'd have to share the reward for bringin' in this landlubber's head with some of the other captains. He also comes with a bonus! I always wanted a few lion tails to hang on my wall." He flashes a smile, revealing several missing teeth.

"Oh yeah?" You begin to retort, letting your boiling contempt for this dwarf pump your body with some direly needed adrenaline. "The last group of assholes thought they were gonna be the ones to cash me in too, but each one of them got more than they bargained for. What makes you think this is gonna end any differently for you?"

"Because it was only a matter of time before a youngster like you screwed himself over." Redbeard responds. "You came waltzin' onta' my ship with nothing more than a couple of kitties and some…fish…thing."

"You will bite your tongue you cur!" Undine snaps, and the mana around her body flares and becomes that of her natural element, splashing the ground around her. "You stand before the ruler of the waters, the very reason your ships can traverse the seas. I will not tolerate your disrespect of myself, or my summoner."

"Bah!" The dwarf waves off, his unwillingness to take the water spirit's threat seriously earns a few snickers to waft from the surrounding onlookers. "Been quite a few decades since anyone uttered nonsense about fairy tales about some tide ruler. Yer just some pretender, like the rest of these louts who thought they could go against Blackfin."

A bolt of rage flashes across Undine's eyes. You can feel her white hot anger begin to erupt from her very soul. Her knuckles begin to shift to a pale blue as she twists and holds her trident even tighter.

"I am no fairy tale." She utters with a scorn and authority that makes your own ears tremble. "Summoner, let us show these heathens what befalls those who incur my wrath. Proud lionesses, join us and show those who would defile your lands what it truly means to stand against the might of water."

While the sudden storm surging within your friend caught you off guard, you allow it to become part of you. Yes. These villains will be punished not only for the misdeeds they have committed, but for disrespecting the person who has helped spring life into this world. They will regret their words and learn to acknowledge she who is responsible for the magnificence of the open seas.

When your opposition sees the threat the water spirit made manifest itself in your group's stances, they begin to converge closer, and dwarven reinforcements emerge from the ship's inner entryway. You lock eyes with the gruff captain and charge, Shining Comet pointed to run through whatever defense he might try to muster. As Redbeard unsheathes the glinting dagger from his belt, two of his lackeys step to form a defensive perimeter around their captain. A voice in your mind tells you to not yield, to not deter your attention to this vessel's master. Your trust is then rewarded when tendrils of water coil around the ankles of the two pirates, and yank their footing right out from under them; their heads slam against the sturdy wood before they are whipped away, leaving you to meet the red bearded captain without interference.

Shining Comet rings against the steel of a gold hilted dagger, the dwarf's hand only shakes slightly under the pressure of your swing. You retract your weapon and execute another swift swing, letting the advantage in both height and reach you have work in your favor. The dwarven captain flops to the ground like a stone before your edge can meet its target, and the rounder humanoid rolls along the deck to quickly create some distance between you two.

Redbeard then springs up to his full squatty height and holds out one of his hands that catches a warhammer one of his subordinates tossed to him. He sheathes his pointed weapon and grips the shaft of the long warmaul tightly, you had not seen such a weapon before; one side of its head was lean and pointed like a pickaxe, while the other had the shape to crush stone or bone. The dark sleek metal is also marked with strange lettering you don't quite recognize, perhaps it is dwarven? Before you can examine the weapon more, the captain that wields it charges you. He hammers down his weapon like it weighs nothing, and a jerk of your body is all that keeps you from suffering a bone crunching blow as it punches a hole right through the deck. You make a retaliatory swipe of your sword, it's deflected by the warhammer's returning upswing; and it rotates to try and deliver its pick straight into your skull. A swift thrust of your sword aimed at Redbeard's heart puts a flash of fear in his eye, forcing him to hobble sideways to cause his own swing to miss and graze your shoulder, while your own attack deals the same damage to him.

You jump back, breathing heavily from the close brush with death, and the scruffy captain looks to be doing the same. You look beyond the stout man, to see Bransha and Bree's swift forms engaged in a brutal melee with the lower ranked pirates. Their water enhanced claws help them knock both blade and spear out of their adversaries hands, allowing them to show them how a lion subdues its prey. A group of dwarves then rush in hopes of overtaking them, but the battle driven lionesses stand firm, gathering even more mana within their palms. They stand shoulder to shoulder, aiming their collective hands forward, and from them surges a duo of punishing jetstreams that merge into one and take the encroaching pirates for a ride. You feel a tinge of pride begin to swell, and before you can make use of the second wind you feel slowly building within you, a body comes hurling across the deck right towards you.

You duck just in time to not be forcibly taken by the helpless pirate who had been launched by Undine's powerful magic, and the water spirit nods at you before returning to her work. Her adversaries have learned quickly that they should not trifle with the ruler of the waters, and opt to aim their attacks for the meek lioness who cannot seem to do more than dodge and deliver scratches not strong enough to match the mettle of steel. After a jab from Undine's trident sends another would-be hunter down in defeat, Nula lets out a growl of utter frustration.

"Useless!" She chastises herself. "It's not fair…why did I have to have an affinity for a magic I can't use to hunt. I can't help my packleader…my magic is weak, just like me."

When Undine sees the shattered confidence of the smaller lioness, she makes a wide sweep with her trident to send a rush of water to blow back their immediate enemies. She then puts a gentle hand on Nula's soft, silver hair, causing her to look up at the water spirit.

"Your magic is stronger than you think, little lion. Whatever you wish others to see, you can make be. Allow your mana to mold itself to the vision you hold in your heart. Let your magic surge with what you feel in this very moment." Undine encourages, letting her hand leave its connection and comfort so the lioness can reflect upon her words.

Nula feels less critical of herself as she begins to think on what the water spirit told her. What does she feel in this moment? Anger? Frustration? Fear? The thrill of the hunt? Perhaps most of all, she feels she wants to prove herself. She wants to show her packleader that she is strong, that he can rely on her, that she can be a mighty lion that will always defend him. She feels jealousy over her packmates that share an innate connection to an element the young man controls so naturally. She wants to share that connection with him as well.

Nula's eyes then widen as an idea comes that seems to bring her entire body to full alert. Her mana begins to respond to her call, quickly surfacing above her skin and shimmering as its shape and color changes. She focuses on the image that burns brightly in her mind; her ideal image that encapsulates everything she feels and wishes to show the world. The light of magic around her body fades to a deep blue, and it slowly floats away from her and begins to take shape within the air above her.

A visible outline traces the shape of paws pressed against the floor's surface, then it travels upward, creating the powerful legs. The transparent image continues to take shape, trailing upward higher and higher, and as each section of the picture it draws becomes more full, its color is filled in by a brilliant blue hue. Nula raises her hands high, pushing her magic beyond its limits to create her masterpiece; a proud lioness whose body surges with pride and shimmering majesty, stands over her and the battlefield, its glowing eyes shine when it looks down upon its prey.

The illusionist takes a deep breath, and looks upon her creation and how its body sways and appears to move with the rapid fury of water. When her gaze moves back to the pirates before her, the azure lioness lets loose a mighty roar that makes its creator's enemies quake with fear..

The sudden appearance of the queen of beasts puts your own battle on hold as you and Redbeard stop to admire it with joint awe. Nula commands her creation to roar again, making the dwarven captain step back twice. The dwarf's composure begins to dwindle, but as he observes his crewmates' own cowardice, his face tightens with forced anger.

"Don't just stand there ya yellow bellied dogs! Magic can come apart just like anything else. Blast the thing!" He orders, taking out a simple pistol from within his inner coat. A concert of gunfire then begins, but Nula does not flinch. A barrage of lead, some laced with very thin traces of mana, pass through the lioness' illusion and collide with the unfurled sail that stands behind it. Even though the aqueous queen of beasts does not ripple from the physical assault, the pirates do not seem to register this, and continue to frantically try to fell the threat to their ship. The chorus of gunpowder soon ends, encored by the soft clicks of the desperate who have run out of ammunition.

"I will give you all a choice." Nula announces with fierce determination. "Surrender and answer for your crimes. Or be washed away and drown." To then further bolster her threat, the lioness' brow furrows, and the azure image above her bares its fangs, and begins to step forward, claws outreached and hungry for blood.

The sound of metal thudding against the wooden deck performs in concert, as Redbeard lets his mighty weapon fall. The dwarf then drops to his knees with a heavy sigh. Still shaking, he holds his two wrists up in submission. You smirk at how your victory was soundly achieved by a slightly unexpected player, but you couldn't be more proud of her, and by the way she looks right now, she might just share your sentiment. You kinda wanted to add another captain to your own notches, but you are more than happy to give Nula full credit for this one. Wait till the others hear about this.

Having learned your lesson the hard way already, you proceed to bind each pirate's wrists together and lock them all in the ship's lower brig. After closing the last barred door shut, Captain Redbeard decides to leave you with a few parting words. He explains that while Blackfin is a madman of a demi-human, you're a fool if you think a few battered ships and some fancy tricks will be enough to take him and his war-galleon down. You keep your back turned to the dwarf, so he cannot be allowed a window to see how his words hold some weight over you. This battle had not gone how you planned in the slightest. You were betting on marooning the ocra himself on the sandbar and challenging him to a duel. You'd win, and then the rest of the fleet would either fold, or be bombarded by Marine. Having to fight through several crews just to get him, all in the span of one day, is making you reluctantly accept the fact that you won't be fighting him at one hundred percent. Still, you won't back down. You gather your resolve and state that the dwarven captain NOR Blackfin has seen what you can truly do. With that, you leave your prisoners to ruminate on their fate.

Back topside, you find your three lionesses seated on the flat of the deck, taking a well deserved break. Bransha and Bree are both still commending their meeker packmate on finally instilling true fear into her prey. You want to join in on the comradery, but you need to stay focused. There will be time to share in the spoils of victory with your pack later. You then ascend to the upper deck where the helm sits, Undine poised at its wheel. From this higher vantage point you both can see outward to sea, where you can find two naval bodies connected to one another by a long boarding plank. It seems that Marine wasn't able to sink her foes before the fight became a melee. Thankfully the winds are in your favor and ferry you to the pair of ships at a comfortable pace.

Before long Undine relays to the lionesses that they need to furl the sails for their arrival. The three follow the water spirit's orders, and with nothing catching the wind along with a smooth turn of the ship's wheel, you are soon brought to a bumpy, but safe stop against the side of the enemy ship that sits parallel to the Crimson Quarter. You prepare yourself for anything, but before you can board either vessel, a cheery voice calls out to you.

"Ahoooyyy! Cabin Boy!" Marine gleams from the enemy's deck, her foot planted on the back of three defeated men, and tapping her trusty saber over her shoulder. "Your captain requires your presence! No dilly dallying~"

Your slight relief over the Houshou Captain's safety is immediately overshadowed by her playful posturing. You let out a small chuff and proceed to help Bransha and Bree set up the boarding plank to allow you to climb aboard the ship belonging to the Finder's Fortune crew, or rather, the ship that now belongs to Captain Marine. The Houshou in question stands at the end of the wooden pathway, she bows softly and offers you her hand to aid your arrival. You deadpan at the gesture of a gentleman coming from this rather crass woman, unsure which of two evils you would rather partake in; accepting her hand and inviting more forwardness from the garnet haired degenerate, or declining and coming off as ungentleman-like yourself. Thankfully, Undine comes to your rescue and sideskirts past you to take the captain's hand.

"Thank you very much, Senchou. You are a worthy seafarer if I do say so myself." She politely remarks as she steps off the connecting lumber, and the gratitude from a paragon of Marine's faith has her so starstruck that you are able to hop onto the main deck without having to navigate the Houshou's awkward waters.

Around the ship's main floor are several beaten and bound pirates of all shapes and sizes. Roxy can be seen putting her boot down on a gruff man's backside as she pulls to tighten the rope that keeps him hogtied. Frala leans next to the door frame that leads to the ship's lower levels, she gives you a welcoming nod and flashes her teeth. The toned lioness' body is covered in fresh cuts along her impressive biceps, but she wears them with pride. Kiara and Pomu both sit idly, likely taking the opportunity for a slight reprieve. Both girls are equally covered in fresh battle scars, but when Pomu notices your gaze and waves to you, and you notice that her normal bow has been replaced by a bandana that covers the top of her head. Kiara merely scoffs at you and continues to cross her arms. You recognize some of the Shallahan people amidst the ranks apprehending the Finders Fortune crew, some of them are definitely worse for wear, but a refreshing wash of hope covers their sweat soaked faces.

"Not bad at all, Captain." You congratulate your ally, now feeling brave enough to look her in the eyes…or rather, eye. Marine now wears a black eye patch over the eye that you recall to be dark yellow, and her hair was now tied into two feminine tails that drop from the sides of her head. A rather strange look for her if you are being honest. Was the eye patch really necessary if she can see perfectly well out of both eyes? And why was her current hairstyle so…cutesy? Regardless of how she looks or what she wears, the woman can still fight with the best of them, and that's more than enough for you right now.

"You didn't do so badly yourself, Cabin Boy." Marine chirps back. "Sorry if we were late by the way. We ran into a little snag back at the port that needed to be taken care of first, but just like I thought, you managed just fine."

"Considering the whole plan was trying to go to shit at every turn, yeah I think we did alright." You exhale as your body catches up to your mind telling it that you can finally ease down from full alert. "So what kind of 'snag' did you run into?"

"Just some of those harpies." Marine shrugs. "Alvina's crew was not all too happy that their captain was taken down by your fairy friend, so they came flying to the port like a pack of hungry seagulls. We couldn't risk trying to shove off with them circling us."

"But no sign of Blackfin?" You ask, to which Marine shakes her head. "So that bastard really is on that island still…Man I really don't like this."

"Me either. We may be playing his game again, but at least the odds are a little less in his favor." Marine grows serious, and invites you to walk with her as she inspects the final comendearing of the ship.

"If we're plotting a course to his home base, I want to send the people from Shallah back to shore." The Houshou Captain lets you hear the battle plan she's beginning to form in her head. "There are still bound to be people who need shelter in the northern mainland, as well as potential stragglers from the Sunflower or RockyRoads. Thankfully we have two extra ships now. We'll send them back with our prisoners, and they can evacuate as needed if things get really bad." Marine's cheeks harden with the thought of a worse case scenario.

"Whatever that insane orca has in store, I promise I won't let him harm the people who live here." You say with burning resolve. Marine stops and looks into your eyes for what could be an eternity for her, she searches you, and what she finds, makes her let out a short laugh.

"Man. You're something else. Some of the toughest pirates don't have half the dick you must have. There's not a doubt in your mind is there?" She stiffles another chortle with the top of her hand. When her minor laughing fit ceases, her garnet gaze burns with a new light of passion and determination. "Alright, I'm gonna bet the whole hoard on us coming out of this alive and on top. Let's get these two dinghies on their way and take the Crimson Quarter to its finest hour."

"I've got your back, captain." You raise a closed fist upright, inviting Marine bump the bottom of her own fist against it. "Let's go pay that whale back for everything he did to you."

"This is about more than just what he did to me." Marine replies, opening her hand and prying your own open so she can clasp it with resolute strength. "This is about putting down a bastard who doesn't give a damn about the freedoms of others. He has no respect for what it means to be a true pirate. I owe it to Captain Morgan and all the Houshous before me to show everyone what a real pirate fights for."

You and Marine share the building fire you both hold within. Whatever uncertainty you had earlier about your ability to face the mad orca and whatever weapons he may possess has evaporated, and is replaced with the burning trust and confidence that this garnet haired captain instills in you. You may be achy and worn, and you might even stumble in the battle to come, but with people like Marine watching your back, you know you can emerge triumphant. Speaking of fatigue, your captain releases you from her grip and points to the deck of her own ship.

"Now get aboard and find a spot to relax. That's an order, Cabin Boy." Marine commands, but she can clearly see you are not one to accept such an order so easily, not when there is work to be done. "Your Senchou will take care of the rest, and get us to that island. Get some of those wounds looked at too. One of your lion girls seems to have a pretty good handle on healing magic, she's been helping out everyone who's gotten scrapped so far."

You get the strong inkling that no matter how many arguments you could present telling how you are still fit enough to help with preparing the ships, somehow Marine would shoot them all down. Your own pride doesn't let you readily admit that you could very well do with some downtime, no matter how brief it may be, so you simply nod to your captain and carry yourself aboard her ship. A pair of passing men from Shallah greet you with relieved expressions, and then go on to say most of your party took up Marine's offer to rest in the beds below deck. You give a simple thanks for the direction and continue to wander the ship's exterior floor absent mindedly. Undine's distinct presence can be felt below, so you can feel yourself relax slightly at the idea she is likely helping others with their wounds. Even so, you can't shake the mild restlessness you feel. It has been one battle after the other, with only the briefest of rest in-between. You try to think back on the knowledge your dad and uncle have given you when it comes to listening to one's body in times of war, but also never letting one's guard fall completely. It was a balancing act that even the most seasoned veterans have trouble perfecting, but your uncle had once mentioned a method that never failed to help him in such times; Find a spot with a view.

After a little bit of casual sightseeing along an actual pirate vessel in the light of day, you wander to the bow of the ship, the sound of the soft caress of the building waves against its hull loosens some of the tension that grips your senses. The sight of the outline of Shallah's southern shores off the port side fills you with a twinge of childlike wonder. You are actually aboard a ship sailing on the seas! And for the first time, you aren't in immediate danger of being sunk or run through. You take an invigorating breath, savoring the salty sea air entering your lungs, its taste, its smell, its comfort, makes you feel like you were just given a new lease on life. Your pace quickens to reach the front most point of the ship, where you find a trio of familiar faces.

Botan, Frala, and Korla all stand as close to the guardrail of the ship as they can, their gazes pointed straight outward, and their individual tails sway with a calm metrognome. Over the alpha lionesses shoulder you can barely see a speck on the horizon that marks the pack's home. The three lionesses look on with eyes of longing, but also deep reflection. Only a twitch from one of Botan's rounded ears acknowledges your presence, and you silently take in the view of the ever endless ocean that holds the promise of arriving on the lion's own ancestral grounds.

"After we were ran out, I never thought we would get to set foot on our home ever again." Frala breaks the heavy silence, crossing her arms and leaning against the side railing. She looks at you with an almost downcast expression, her eyes not deeming themselves fit to look directly into yours. "To us, the strong push out the weak. If you're the one being pushed out, that means it's over for you."

"Even if you lived to fight another day, when you were so outclassed like we were." Korla continues, her own face heavy with the memories of their eviction. "Your only choices are to submit, or run and start over…that's the world we lived in."

"The thought of coming back, having a fighting chance, it never felt like an option for us." Botan then takes her turn, looking over her shoulder at you, a mix of gratitude and apprehensiveness etches her smooth features. "I just kinda accepted that our end was gonna come soon."

"Hey, as long as your heart is still beating, and you got someone at your side, or someone who you can help, it's never over." You reflect upon your own thoughts from when things seemed at their darkest for you, when you seemed to be out and down for the count. The negative emotions that raged on like a fire within the souls of your pack have plagued your own soul at more than a few points in your life. Even when straits couldn't be more dire, you always remembered one important thing; "Not unless you want it to be over. As long as these legs of mine still work, I'll keep getting up every time, no matter who or what tries to knock me down."

"Yeah, I've seen that first hand." Botan giggles and makes a soft jab at your side, which flairs a bit more pain through your body than she probably intended. "You definitely flipped our world right on its head, Anon, but I'm really glad you did. Ya know, you may be a human, but I think you got the heart of a lion."

"I've certainly felt like I have a few times today, that's for sure." You rub your side as you think about your latest foray into your own constellation magic. The idea of using Leo's magic against Blackfin gives you some degree of assurance, but your mind can't help but wander slightly into uncertainty over that inevitable showdown. "I hope I feel more like it again soon…I know I gotta face that nutcase head on, but I don't really know what I'm fully up against."

"The fact that the whale didn't even come to get his prey himself is strange. Hard to believe a guy as big as he is, is an even bigger coward." Frala remarks.

"He must be holding something back." Botan begins to ruminate, her gray eyes trace back to the rolling sea. "Everyone was talking about some monster of a ship that would make this one look like a toy. If he has something like that, why hasn't he used it yet?"

"As far as I could tell when I was at the shipyard last night, it might not be ready to sail." You answer, leaning forward on the frontmost railing and sharing a comfortable proximity with Botan. The alpha's general air gives you a strange sense of calm, perhaps since she seems so comfortable and level headed even in times of battle? Come to think of it, Botan seems to operate from a state of eternal tranquility, and thankfully sharing this view with her seems to be allowing some of that to rub off on you. "That's not to say he hasn't been working anyone under him to the bone to get it operational ever since I gave him a scare. It might be close to seaworthy by the time we reach the island."

"Then we should hit him before it has a chance to hit us." Botan says cooly, straightening herself upright and turning towards the opposite end of the ship. "I got an idea. Let's go find Marine and see what she thinks."

You both leave Frala and Korla to continue resting, and leisurely stroll the ship as you search for the Houshou Captain. Along your walk the lioness does not speak, but her posture is incredibly relaxed. Her eyes only seem to trace back in your direction every couple of steps, as if by some involuntary impulse, but when you do manage to catch those mysterious grays of hers, you do not find any hint as to what she might be thinking. You then climb the steps leading to the upper deck, and find Marine manning the helm of her ship.

When she sees that you and Botan have something to discuss with her, Marine waves over Roxy and a man, bushy haired, generally unkempt, but physically fit enough, who looks to be around your age.

"Roxy, we're heading to my quarters. It's time to discuss our options." Marine moves one step around the ship's spoked wheel, and eyes the man her first mate brought with her. "I recognize you, I think." Her attention startles the tanned man slightly as her face contorts to force some sort of flash of memory to take place.

"This is Mako, Senchou. From the fishing docks?" Roxy speaks up with a degree of jitters that makes you second guess yourself on if this is really the same Houshou Pirate who has had nothing but a silver tongue since the moment you met her.

"Oh right!" Marine snaps her fingers. "Yeah I remember you now…but didn't you used to be taller? You got a lot less hair and muscle than what I remember seeing too."

"T-That was probably my father." Mako replies, and immediately his face travels downward, restricting how much pain he lets out for the world to see.

"I see…" Your captain utters regretfully, but focuses back on the matter at hand. "Have you steered a ship before?"

"He has! He's a natural sailor." Roxy answers for him with a little more enthusiasm. "Mako has been using his family's boat for a little while now."

"It's just a small sailboat, Roxy…" Mako tries to temper expectations, but you can see a mild delight carve its way around his cheeks from the girl's praise.

"Good enough." Marine nods. "We're on a direct course for the island anyway. All you need to do is keep her steady. Just keep that wheel from turning too much, and yell if anything goes wrong. Can you do that? Good."

Leaving the young fisherman to his duty at the helm, Marine leads the three of you down to the main deck, and to her quarters. As the last person in, you close the simple wooden door behind you, and are immediately hit with the wafting smell of a room that had been abandoned for quite some time. While the Crimson Quarter might be considered a home by the Houshou Captain, this room can be said to be her personal sanctuary within it. In the far corner to your left there is a simple white sheeted bed nestled into the wall under a set of hanging shelves that hold things such as books, goblets, and even a few small lockboxes. A lavish armchair for one, that could likely snug in two comfortably, sits in the opposite corner next to a pair of end tables, and you spot a large soaking bucket in front of its feet, the ideal reading nook for a wandering seafarer. The final most notable piece of this abode is the large desk that rests against the back wall, where the light of the outdoors can illuminate any sort of project through the raised window pane. Marine stands with authority behind her work station and nods for you to join everyone.

"I'll be happy to give you a full tour some other time, Cabin Boy~" Marine teases you to bring you back to full attention, which works a little too well for your liking. "Now" she says, placing her hands firm against the wooden desktop and looking back and forth between Botan, who makes a little space for you to stand next to her. "What do you two have for me?"

"Anon thinks Blackfin is trying to get some huge warship ready." Botan begins, which is met by confirming nods by the rest of the party. "I say we remove its legs before it has a chance to run."

"Good idea, but if that thing is armed even half as much as Roxy says, the Crimson Quarter won't last more than a few seconds in her current condition. I also doubt I'll be lucky enough to pull off a surprise attack with enough punch to impair it even a little bit." Marine argues, though she wishes she didn't have to.

"I might have some things that can help with that." Botan then offers, causing more than a few intrigued looks to come her way. "I have a stash hidden away at home that should be able take Blackfin's ship down a peg or two."

"Are you saying you have a cache of explosives? Just sitting around?" Marine tries to confirm, still unsure how seriously she can take the lioness demi-human.

"The best I've ever made." Botan's smile turns to the picture of smugness.

"We can also raid the main base Blackfin put in the middle of the island." Roxy cuts in, offering her own take on the idea. "They have enough stored there to level a couple buildings."

"I don't think Blackfin is just going to wait for us to grab his own ammunition and use it against him." Marine counters, but is still weighing the options.

"Probably not, but I think he's expecting me by now. Either in chains, or a sword in my hand." You chime in.

"I'll have to ask you to hold off your reunion just a little longer." The Houshou Captain says, having seemed to have come to a decision. "I want you and Botan to find that cache of hers, and do whatever you can with it. I'll get you close enough to the island to send you over by lifeboat. That way your chances of being seen by one of Blackfin's lackeys are a little lower."

"Sounds good to me, but what are you gonna do meanwhile?" You feel compelled to ask.

"We're going to split off and raid that bastard of a whale by land and sea." Marine answers, her faith in her plan becoming more concrete with every word she utters. "I'll drop your lion pack and anyone else who volunteers off so they can attack the main hub. Meanwhile I'll bring the Crimson Quarter around and hit that shipyard with everything I got. Hopefully by the time I get there though, you'll have done your thing. It'll be risky, but I think it's the best plan we got."

"Do you really have enough to blow a hole in a galleon class ship?" Roxy poses the question to Botan. "How are you two even going to carry it all?"

"We might need to get Korla and Frala's help then…" Botan sees a potential flaw in her plan. "They're not going to be too happy about missing out on any of the hunt…and I don't feel great about Korla not being close in case Watame gets hurt."

Watame specifically huh? Your eyebrow arches as you take in the lionesses who goes deeper into thought. I suppose Botan is already finding herself ensnared by Watame's fluffy charms. It's not exactly easy to resist, and to be honest, I'd feel better with Korla and Frala with her as well.

"I think I have a better team in mind for this mission." You speak up as a brilliant idea flashes in your mind. When the three sets of eyes traverse over to you, you continue. "We'll bring Polka, Nula, and Pomu with us." You go on with a grin. "Undine will come along with us too, of course. Hard to go too far without her anyway."

Botan's eyes search you curiously for only the faintest of seconds, but then she seems to completely accept your suggestion as she shrugs her shoulders. "Fine by me."

"I have no problems with that either." Marine grins and slaps her palm against the desk. "Now go get your crew and get ready to depart. We only got one chance, and you'll only have a little bit of time before we lose the element of surprise."

"Yes ma'am!" You give Marine a firm salute.

"And I thought I told you to get those wounds looked at." Your captain scolds you. "I want those cuts bandaged, treated, anything! You aren't stepping one foot off this ship until you do, got it!?"

"Y-Yes captain!" You stammer, taken slightly off guard by her commanding attitude, scurrying out of her quarters with Botan close behind you. You can hear the lioness still snickering when you both close the door behind you.

"Looks like Flare isn't the only woman who knows how to boss you around. Maybe I should ask for tips." Botan says, and her tail brushes against the side of your leg amidst her giggling.

"Marine is just a natural leader. It's easy to get swept up in how she can take command." You try to save face.

"So that's your type?" Botan follows up with a smug showing of her frontal canines.

"I'm not answering that." You deadpan.

"That's a yes."

"THAT is me not answering the question since it's off topic. Marine knows how to run a ship, and has lots of experiencing leadin-"

"You like to be led along, got it."

"And your packleader wants you to drop this subject. Now." You say more firmly.

"Then can we pick it back up later?" Botan gives you a mischievous batting of her eyelashes.

"Is there a reason you're trying so hard to get a rise out of me right now?" You ignore the question once again, but Botan's body language is another story. You can feel the heat already rising to your cheeks.

"Because" Botan steps ahead of you towards the doorway that leads down below. As she passes she places her hand upon your head and ruffles it vigorously for a few swigs, before smoothening your hair back out with a gentle brush of her hand; her nails dig ever so slightly into your scalp, making your spine tingle. She then turns around and looks at you with a beaming smile. "You're the leader for not only my sisters and I, but for the rest of your friends. If you can go into battle with a smile, they will too. A light heart makes for lighter footsteps, right?"

To your own astonishment, the lioness is right. Your mind and heart feel considerably less heavy having let them wander elsewhere for even a short time. You're still very much aware of the severity of your coming mission, and make no delusions about how the coming battle might be the toughest so far, but you feel more ready to take them on than you did a few moments ago. The people who follow you through this life you chose also need you to believe in yourself and them. Botan seems to be able to see more of you than you give her credit for, and she smiles again.

"And it was funny. Now c'mon. Let's get the others and then finally go get my stuff back." She waves you along with her, and her lips curve to something bordering troublesome once again. "Then once this is all over, we can celebrate. I think you would enjoy how we lions like to do that. Lot's of food, swimming in the best pools, retelling the best parts of our battles, and of course, something more intimate. Like what you and Watame did after you defeated me. "

The thought at what could be considered the spoils of your hopeful victory fills your belly with a hormonal eagerness that almost makes your mind race unrestrained with all the "rewards" you wish to partake in. Confidence now coats your face at the idea of sharing yourself with your beloved sheep once more. Other fantasies involving some of your other loved ones also push their way to the forefront of your mind, which reminds you of something you've been meaning to sort out for yourself before acting on any of them. Thankfully before you can spiral too deep into that potentially very complicated problem, your stomach rumbles to demand your attention. The mere mention of food was enough to trigger the recognition that you need to refuel yourself. Alright, time to fill up, bandage up, and group up. Next stop, Botan's home. It's time to end that mad orca's plans.