Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Monster Hunter, only how the story goes. The characters and world of Monster Hunter belongs to Capcom. The only thing that I do own are the OC's of the story. I do apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: Time for an escape plan to be put into motion. This chapter is filled with plenty of action.
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Chapter Thirty-Two: Freedom at Sea
Part 1- Battle of the S.S. Captor
The sun was just about to touch the sea, indicating that another day would be over soon. Running through the halls of the Captor, Jacob, Floot and the red and black furred Lynian made it back to the Felyne's quarters of the ship. The three took a moment to catch their breaths and jumped when they heard the door opening. Jacob quickly moved to the side of the door, but it proved to be a bit of a mistake when the door swung open and smooshed him against the wall.
On the other side of the door, Joc and the rest of the Felynes who had left to do their parts of the plan came back in. Joc looked around and asked, "Where is the human?"
"You kind of smooshed him with the door." Floot pointed to the door while sweat-dropping. Jacob proved this point by groaning in slight pain. The Felynes closed the door and Jacob stumbled to keep his feet underneath him. Shaking his head to clear his mind, the teen then asked, "So, are we ready to get started?"
"Well, we are." Joc said when he gestured to him and the others. But then he pointed to Jacob and asked, "But I do have another question furr you…
"Will you be able to defend yourself from the crew, even if it means killing them." The Felyne asked him. The question did make Jacob pause to think about it. He knew that this would be a battle not only for their freedom, but also their survival. The teen from another world had grown used to fighting for his survival, but that was mostly against the large creatures of this world. The thought of killing another human being, even if they are cruel to the Felynes and Monsters alike, made him feel like he was going against his principles. But his gaze passed over the people who were counting on him, trusting him to lead them to freedom and safety. He knew that there wouldn't be a calm and talkative way off of this boat, and he would regret the lives he may end up taking. Jacob hoped that God would forgive him for it. Taking a deep breath, Jacob nodded, "It's not going to be easy for me, but I'm the one who got you all into this mess.
"So I may as well see it through." He stood firm. Joc looked into his eyes and could see that the boy was uneasy about such a task. The leading Lynian then said, "Very well. Now, let's go over the plan one more time."
"Sounds good to me." Jacob agreed with everyone else nodding. Gathering around Floot, Jacob and Joc the rest of the Felynes listened closely. Jacob kneeled down to their level and started, "The two of us will lead the majority of the Felynes in a distraction against the crew."
"While a couple of groups fire the ballista, light the gun powder and Joc frees the monsters." Floot finished that part. Joc was quick to say, "But we're going to need a way to signal me and the other groups."
"What about the gong on the deck?" Another Felyne asked from behind Floot. Joc nodded, "That could work. About five rings of the gong ought to be enough."
"What gong are you talking about exactly?" Jacob asked, feeling a little lost. Floot looked to the human and asked, "Didn't you hear the gong ringing as you were snooping around?"
"That was a gong? Sounded like a bell to me." Jacob said with a surprised look. That earned a few questioning looks from the Lynians as they looked to each other. Jacob shook his head and said, "Never mind that. Point is, it's something I can't miss, right?"
"It is right out in the open." A Felyne nodded. Jacob then said, "We'll need to hit the gong all five times without the crew noticing what we're doing. So we make the gong a priority without it looking like it."
"And how do we do that, exactly?" Floot tilted his head in confusion. Jacob shrugged and said, "If you have or can find anything to throw at the gong, then use that. Whatever you can find, it doesn't matter. And then on the fifth ring of the gong…"
"The final phase of the plan can begin." Floot nodded. Jacob listed the steps of the plan, "Stall the crew, prepare the explosives, get to the controls, ring the gong, sabotage the ships, free the monsters and escape from the ship during the chaos."
"Then let's get started, everyone." Joc said and everyone nodded. A thought crossed Jacob's mind and he asked, "I know that this is a bit of a last-minute question; but, what are you guys going to arm yourselves with?"
His question caused every single one of the Felynes to smirk and they looked to each other with knowing looks. This only confused Jacob a little as he didn't know what was going on.
A minute or two later…
It seemed the celebrations on the main deck were just beginning as Jacob followed after the Felyne portion of the crew and they came to another door on their level of the ship. The human teen helped Joc and Floot open the door. When it was wide open, Jacob felt like he was back in the poacher's tent or even on the Celestial Pursuit due to the sight of all the clothing and weapons. Joc looked behind them and said, "Grab your weapons, fellas. It's gonna be a bumpy ride furr all of us."
The others quickly filed into the poacher's literal coat closet and grabbed weapons that seemed to be big enough for all of them to handle. Some wielded some big hammers while others carried swords. Jacob walked in to the room as some of the Felynes walked back out. For some reason, he felt as if some of the weapons were speaking to him in a sense. He came across a thin, curved sword covered in red scales. The handle of the weapon was a dark blue while the blade itself was a silvery color over the iron. Extending his hand towards the weapon, it was if Jacob could hear the final roars of multiple Rathalos. A look of sadness came over his heart before his face twisted into one of anger. He plucked the weapon off its perch and held it in his hand. He heard Floot say from his side, "That sword was made from the scales and blood of three different Rathalos. And it's supposed to be almost like a mix between the blade from a Sword and Shield and a Charge Blade."
"Why three Rathalos?" Jacob asked him, thinking it total over kill. Floot looked to the blade in the human's hands and said, "It is said that a weapon forged from the fires of three Rathalos, a red, an azure and a silver, will create a powerful blade."
"A silver Rathalos?" Jacob asked, and guessing that azure was what the blue colored one down stairs was called. Floot nodded, "It's said to be one of the most powerful of the subspecies."
"Well, I think it's been here for long enough." Jacob said and took the sheath for the sword as well. Placing the sword on the perch for the moment, Jacob tied the specially made sheath on his hip before placing the sword into it.
After stepping out of the room, Jacob stood between Floot and Joc. The leader of the Felynes said, "Tonight, we will furree ourselves from the tyranny of the Captor and walk as free Felynes."
Though no one could shout in agreement due to the crew over their heads, but they all looked seriously on board with the mutiny. Joc then added, "Though we feel as if we should give what our harsh and cruel masters what they deserve, we will not seek vengeance as our path.
"Nay, our freedom is going to be all we seek." This earned nods from a good number of the Felynes. Pumping his fist, Joc continued, "We fight for ourselves and our futures."
"Yeah!" The others agreed and pumped up their own furry fist. Joc then ordered, "Now let's get started."
The rest of the Felynes moved off to go and do their parts. Before joining them, Joc looked to Jacob and Floot and said, "I'm going to take a long way into the captain's quarters. Do your part to keep them distracted."
"Will do." Jacob nodded and he and Floot quickly moved to catch up to the others. When they came to the stair well, Jacob, Floot and the majority of the other Felynes went up for the distraction while the rest headed downstairs to sabotage the ship.
…
The last rays of the sunlight started to disappear over the horizon as the plan started. Jacob stayed low on the stairs while Floot led the others up onto the deck. The teen was glad that the stairs provided a little cover for him to stay down while seeing what was happening around him. He watched as the men were all eating the food that the Felynes had prepared for them. Jacob was a little surprised that they were carrying their weapons with them even though they were a crew.
Floot and his kin moved to stand on the outskirts of the crew. Up near the mast of the Captor, the captain had bitten off a piece of meat when he noticed the way that the Felynes were standing. Setting the hunk of meat down, the captain rose to his feet and in turn it made the others stop in their celebrations as well. As the crew looked to the cat people around them, the captain narrowed his eyes when he questioned, "What be the manner of you all just standin' around and doin' nothing, eh?"
"We are tired of your abuse and not being treated as equals!" Floot shouted and jumped up onto a crate. The captain of the Captor looked to the Felyne as Floot continued his speech, "And we're here to tell you that we're not going to take it anymeowore!
"Hear us! We quit!" He yowled and the others pumped up a fist in agreement, "Yeah!"
"And where would the lot of you go, pray tell?" The captain questioned while the crew glared at the Lynians. He started moving around the gathering of his men and started looking about for some reason. Another Felyne spoke up to say, "Anywhere is better than here! Heck we can start our own place."
"Yeah!" Floot and the others agreed with him. The captain gave a small grin as he looked to those still loyal to him and asked, "What say you, gents? Should we let them go on their merry way, or should we remind them who are the masters and who are the servants?"
"Remind them!" The crew shouted in unison while Jacob carefully made his way out of the stairs. Floot and the other Felynes were a little nervous when the crew started to reach for their weapons. The captain then ordered with a wave of his hand, "Men! Show them what happens to those who step out of their place."
"Hey, fellas! Let's show these scurvy sea dogs what happens to those who are the abusive kind." Jacob countered after rising to stand before the stairs of his hiding place. Everyone, men and Felyne alike saw the teen standing there and the captain took a step closer before questioning, "And who might you be? Some stowaway from the Argosy? Or a member of the Guild, come to stop us, perhaps?"
"Neither I'm afraid." Jacob shook his head and placed a hand on the hilt of the sword he took. Then he admitted with a nod to a certain fact, "Well, I am a stowaway that happened to stumble upon you earlier.
"And two of your men did happen to notice me." He added, causing the tall and short poachers to nervously gulp. It was heard by other members of the crew when one looked to them and questioned, "You saw someone running around and didn't tell us?"
"In our defense, we thought we were seeing things." The tall one said with a shrug. The captain moved to stand on a table, looked to the two and said with narrowed eyes, "I'll be sure to deal with the two of you and your lack of responsibility later, but first…
"What to do with our new, little friend?" He asked with a grin and stroked his beard when he turned his gaze over to Jacob. His grin didn't falter when he said, "I give you praise for sneaking onto me ship and evading my crew for as long as you did.
"And seeing as how you aren't with the Guild, I don't see why this needs to get bloody." The captain shook his head. Then gesturing to himself and the crew he offered, "What say you be a part of our crew?"
"Really? You're offering me a job?" The teen asked in amazement. Floot and the others looked a little worried like their friend was considering it. The captain gave a slight nod when he said, "Of course you'll have to start at the bottom."
"You mean start out as your cabin boy?" Jacob asked with arched brow. He pretended to think about it when Gesturing to the Felynes he said, "Cabin boys are usually treated like they've been treated.
"But then again…" He slightly laughed, earning a few confused looks from men and Felyne alike. Jacob adopted a serious look when he said, "I think I've already made up my mind. So no thanks."
"Such a shame to waste talent." The captain shook his head. Looking to his men he shouted, "Men! Draw your weapons!"
With a battle cry, each of the poachers and the captain drew their swords, hammers and axes. Jacob retorted by reaching for his weapon while saying, "Don't think that you're the only ones armed!"
(Cue Jack vs Barbossa from POTC: COTBP)
He pulled the Rathalos blade from its sheath and the silver coated blade gleamed in the fires of the lanterns. The poachers seemed to be awed by the gleam of the sword in his hands. The Felynes responded in kind by drawing their weapons. The captain of the Captor said, "I'll give you and your furry friends one final chance to surrender."
"Not likely." Both Jacob and Floot shook their heads. The captain scowled, "So be it."
With a yell he and his men charged forward. With a war cry and yowls from Jacob and his friends, they went into battle. Swords clashed against one another, hammers bashed against the deck and axes were swung. Floot clashed his small sword against a Long Sword made of bone from one of the poachers and was pushed back from the bigger man. But Jacob rushed to his friend's aid when he swung down at the Felyne. Jacob blocked the man's sword with his own blade while Floot came back up and stamped on the man's foot. The man yelped and Jacob used the guard of his blade to punch him in the face. The captain managed to hold two back while swinging his large Great Sword at them. One of the Felynes picked up a picked clean bone and hurled it towards one of the poachers. The man ducked to avoid being hit by it, but as part of the plan, the bone sailed high above them and nailed the gong. The sound of the gong rang out over the entire deck.
…
Down below, the Felynes who were to fire the ballista were waiting when they heard the first ring of the gong. They scrambled to get the arrows and rope. They began tying the rope to the back end of the arrows before placing them onto the ballista. Each Felyne strained and struggled to pull the ballista arrows back. When they heard the click that they were in place, the Felynes relaxed their grip. They made sure that the lines would be long enough to help sabotage the boats they weren't going to use. All eight ballista on the level were ready, and they were hoping that the Felynes on the other haulers were getting ready to do their part.
One of the Felynes moved to a port opening and used his knife to see if the Felyne on a hauler to get ready to move. He could see a red and white Lynian standing on the side of the ship and waved to the Felyne in the window. The Felyne on board the Captor could see his fellow Lynian give a thumbs up. They both watched as a Mernos from the hauler took off for the main ship. The sounds of more Mernos taking flight made them look to see the men from another ship taking off.
Seeing that the plan was working, the Felyne aboard the giant vessel waved for his friend to go and get ready. But before the Felyne could get ready with the others, they heard the sounds of a door opening and looked to see one of the poachers coming in. When both sides looked to each other, the poacher became confused to see the ballista armed while the Felynes were worried about him ruining the plan. One Felyne looked to another and asked, "What should we about him?"
"I say we get him!" The other shouted. All the Felynes became wild looking and yowled at the poacher. The man had mixed feelings of worried and weirded out given his comical expression. But it turned to fear when the Felynes jumped into the air with their claws stretched out. The man raised his arms and screamed as they landed on him and knocked him off his feet.
…
Further below, one white Felyne was rushing to get back to the cargo hold so he could light the fuse. He had been voted to be the one to do this task, even though he was completely nervous about the whole thing. The sounds of the monsters starting to grow agitated above and below didn't help the poor guy's nerves as he ran. It wasn't long when he reached the door to the hold. The Felyne struggled to open the door and strained as he gave it all his might to pull. He managed to open it wide enough for him to slip in and out.
Entering the room, the little cat-man looked about for the horn that the others had been talking about. He finally spotted it on a stack of crates and huffed from the climb. But he sucked it up long enough to start climbing to get to it.
…
On another part of the ship, Joc was sneaking around by shimming on the outskirts of the railings of the main deck of the ship. Every now and then he would glance over to see how the rest of his people and their human friend were doing in the fight. On one particular glance, he saw one of the younger Felynes stab his little sword at a poacher and the man made it to where it missed his legs. But the sword ended up striking the gong. Beginning to worry a little, Joc whispered, "That's two already. I need to pick up the pace."
He got back to focusing on his shimming and moved to keep going.
…
Back on the main deck, Jacob and the majority of the Felynes were still going at it. Jacob happened to look to his right to see the captain of the Captor coming at them with a glare on his face. Looking down to Floot he warned, "Their boss is heading our way!"
"What do mew want me to do about it?" Floot asked as he parried a sword strike from one of the poachers. Jacob grabbed the arm of one and kicked him in the chest, causing him to drop his weapon. Jacob then used the pommel of his blade to bash against the guy's face and it sent him stumbling away.
Jacob then gawked when the captain came forward with a large axe in his hands. With a comical look he questioned, "Who needs an axe that big?"
Both he and Floot and a few of the poachers close to them yelped when the captain effortlessly lifted it over his head and threw it in their direction. They all scrambled to move out of the way and the giant axe crashed into the ship's floor boards. Jacob turned his head to the weapon and repurposed his question, "Correction: Who throws an axe that big?"
"Keep your head in this." Floot advised as he got up again. Jacob was quick to rise back up too and pulled one of the Dual Blades just as the captain readied his own sword. Jacob blocked the captain's weapon with the Rathalos blade and swung his Dual Blade. The captain jumped back to avoid the slash, but his focus was diverted when a Felyne came swinging on some rope and had to quickly duck down to avoid being kicked in the head. Jacob took the opportunity to rush at the captain and knock him over with his shoulder. While the captain's on the ground, Floot took the opportunity to remove a small knife from the captain's person and flung it at the gong. The knife spun through the air and struck the gong dead center. Like the last two times, the ring of the gong echoed throughout the entire ship.
…
The third gong rang to the cargo hold of the ship just as the Felyne in charge of lighting it made it to the top of the crates. He panted from all the climbing and grasped the horn in his paws. The sound of the gong faded in his ears and he turned his head towards the stacks of barrels. With a determined look, he jumped down from the stack of crates one at a time. When he made it to the floor, the Felyne made a rush for the barrels.
…
On a couple of levels above the cargo hold, a dazed poacher lay at the feet of the Felynes. His face and arms were covered in scratches and a big bruise covered his left eye. Though he had managed to put up quite a fight due to a few bruises here and there, the man was no match for all the Lynians who had worked together. When they had heard the gong, one said, "It's almost time."
"We better signal the others to get ready." Another nodded before some of them rushed off.
…
After reaching a window at the back of the ship, Joc managed to open it enough to where he could slip in. When his feet touched the floor boards, his ears twitched to the sound of the gong's third ring. The Lynian leader knew that he needed to work fast to find those controls. He pushed a few chairs out of the way before moving to look somewhere else.
…
Up on the main deck, the fight still raged on as Jacob and Floot and the Felynes managed to hold their ground against the poachers. The poachers were starting to gain ground on the group as the teen and his new friends were bearing cuts and bruises on their persons. The fighting had intensified a great deal due to the arrival of the poachers from the haulers. As he parried a stroke of the captain's sword with his own, Jacob hoped that the others were ready with their parts. A glance to his side just as Floot managed to stab a poacher in the foot with his blade, and the teen could tell that they were beginning to tire from all the fighting. His glance away from his battle cost him greatly when he received a boot to the gut from the captain.
Falling onto his rear, Jacob glared up at the man who stared down at him. The captain of the Captor had a grin upon his face when he nodded, "I'd say you put up a good fight, but you and these furballs are well out of your league."
"Don't be counting us out just yet." Jacob disagreed with him and rolled out of the way when the captain swung his blade down. Rising to his feet again, Jacob delivered a swift kick to the man's face. The blow knocked the man back and Jacob twirled the Rathalos blade while placing the single Dual Blade back on his back. The captain stood straight and wiped a little blood from his lip and looked to Jacob. He glared when he said, "You really know how to tick someone off, don't you."
"It can be a gift." Jacob grinned. He became serious again when the captain swung his sword and their blades clashed. The captain then said, "You have no right to that sword. It be belonging to the man who paid for it be made after gathering the materials for it."
"Then he should have been the one to get it." Jacob retorted before headbutting the captain. The blow sent the captain staggering back. Taking the opportunity while he was distracted, Jacob looked around for something to hit the gong with. He saw a cutlery knife and thought that would do. Picking up the knife with his free hand, Jacob applied it to his slinger. A yell from behind made him look to see a large man with a large hammer in his hands coming his way. Jacob moved out of the way when the man swung. The blow caused the deck to splinter a bit and the two squared off with one another. While Jacob moved one way, the large man moved in the same direction. When Jacob stopped the man stopped. The teen lifted his slinger and quickly fired the knife the man. The man simply tilted his head to the right and the knife flew right by his head. But underneath his mask, Jacob smirked when the knife struck the gong again for the fourth time.
…
The fourth ring of the gong made the Felynes with the ballista rush to their stations. Before they manned the harpoons, the Felynes signaled those on the haulers to get ready. With a little effort, they moved the ballista into range of a hauler, but made sure to leave one for an escape. They moved to the back of the ballista and got ready to pull the trigger.
…
In the cargo hold, the Felyne carefully poured the gunpowder in a line as he moved away from the barrels. He seemed a little nervous when he said, "Ooh, this will give me about sixty seconds or less to get out of here."
But he knew that his friends were counting on him and continued to make the line as he walked backwards to the door.
…
Up in the captain's quarters, Joc finally found the controls as he pushed a really big chair out of the way. There were a few emergency levers to release the beast's cage doors to the outside world. A twitch of his ears made him look to the doors to the captain's quarters when he heard the gong's fourth ring. Joc flexed his fingers and readied his paws to pull on the levers. Not taking his eyes off the doors just yet, Joc whispered, "Come on, boys. Don't keep me waiting furr mew."
…
Back on the main deck, Jacob slashed the arm of a poacher who was wielding another big sword. The man cried out as he dropped the handle of the giant blade while clutching his injured limb. Behind him, Floot and another Felyne were tag teaming against the captain as one blocked the man's sword while another made him jump back from a swing of the hammer. Jacob shoved his guy away before parrying the swing of another sword. As the two entered a standoff, Jacob happened to notice something behind the poacher. A really short poacher came up from a flight of stairs with a gun that looked a little too big for him. The teen became worried when the short man took aim and he shouted to his Felyne friends, "Everybody, hit the dirt!"
Just about everyone saw what was going on and those in the man's line of fire quickly dropped down or moved out of the way. Jacob pulled Floot and the other Felyne out of the way just as the little man opened fire. The force of the shot sent the man flying backwards and he ended up falling onto his rear. A large projectile hurtled across the ship and exploded against the bow of the ship. The captain of the Captor looks over to him and growled, "Watch where you're aiming that thing!"
"Sorry, Cap'n." The poacher quickly apologized. The fighting across the ship started up again when the danger had passed. His boss then ordered, "Quickly reload and aim correctly this time."
"Aye." The poacher with the large gun nodded and moved off to reload the weapon. The captain smiled for a moment before having to move aside from a hammer's swing from a Felyne. From where they stood, Jacob got an idea and looked down to say, "Help me get that big gun."
"Aye." The two Felynes nodded in agreement. Jacob then said, "Cut him off and get that gun away from him."
The two Lynians rushed off to find the poacher with the gun while Jacob turned his focus back to the battle. He placed the Rathalos blade back in its sheath and removed the Dual Blades from his back. The teen from another world turned to face off against the captain of the Captor as they now had room to do their battle. Both of them narrowed their eyes and readied their weapons. With a yell, Jacob and the captain rushed for each other. When their weapons clashed, the ring of metal echoed throughout the entire ship.
In the chaos of the battle, Floot and the other Felyne had split up to try and stop the poacher. They found him underneath the stairs that lead up to the helm of the Captor. The poacher was fiddling with the weapon as he had opened it up to reveal a big slot for a special kind of ammo. With a grin he pushed the round into the gun. But the man stopped when the two rushed up to him. The poacher pulled out a knife to defend himself while the two Felynes readied themselves. Floot looked to him when his friend said, "Get the weapon when you have an opening. I'll stall him."
"Right." Floot gave a reluctant nod. His friend charged with his small sword raised and the man swung his knife. While the Felyne did jump back out of the way, he turned his weapon to where the non-sharp end was facing the poacher. With a forward motion of his arm, the Felyne was able to daze the small man for a moment as he stumbled back. Floot took the opportunity to rush forward and grab the gun. He managed to snap it shut and dragged it away from his friend and the poacher. The short man happened to notice this and yell, "Hey!"
Floot didn't stop as he carried the weapon as best as he could. He could see Jacob and the captain's battle from the edge of the crowd. Jacob had managed to block the captain's sword with both of his Dual Blades and blocked the captain's knee with his own when the poacher tried a sneaky move. Both of them cried out and stumbled away from each other. Jacob would have continued the battle, but a sharp whistle from behind made him look back to see Floot standing there with the large gun in hand.
With a small grin, Jacob looked back to see the captain readying himself again for another attack. But the teen managed to confuse him by rushing backwards. The captain quickly followed after him and swung his sword at the boy. Jacob managed to block the blow with one of his Dual Blades before pushing him back. The rest of the Felynes happened to notice the weapon in Floot's furry hands and kept fighting while moving back to their friend.
With a kick to the gut, Jacob sent the captain stumbling back. He and the other Felynes joined together as Jacob took the weapon from Floot. It was a lot heavier than what he was expecting it to be when he tried to lift it. Glancing back he saw the crew of the Captor starting to close in around them. With one big heft, Jacob pointed the gun at the poachers. It caused them all to stop with worried looks on their faces.
(End of track)
Lifting the gun as best as he could, Jacob opened fire and the projectile sailed over the poacher's heads. The shot collided with the gong and knocked it off the bar and destroyed the wooden supports holding it up. A single ring echoed throughout the entire ship. The crew looked back to the ruined gong and the captain turned back to the group. With narrowed eyes questioned Jacob's motives, "You had that thing aimed at the lot of us and you waste your one and only shot?"
"I wouldn't say that I wasted it." Jacob disagreed with a grin. The tall poacher looked around his captain and asked, "What makes you think that?"
"A fair question." Jacob agreed with the poacher. Glancing to Floot he dropped the gun and asked in return, "Don't you find it odd that they didn't do a head count on the lot of you?"
"That would have been pretty tough during the fight." Floot pointed out to him. But the question did get most of the poacher's pondering. Jacob nodded in agreement before turning his head back to the poachers. Though they couldn't see it, Jacob was grinning underneath the mask as he asked, "Tell me, fellas. What do you get when you have a bunch of angry Felynes and a bunch of opportunities?"
While the rest of the crew seemed lost on the question, a look of realization quickly dawned on the face of the captain of the Captor. He snapped his head to his men and ordered them, "Get below! They're going to-"
Everyone was nearly knocked off their feet when an explosion went off and rocked the ship.
…
A moment earlier…
Down in the cargo hold, the Felyne caused a small flame to erupt on a torch. The final ring of the gong reached his ears and he dropped the torch. The powder instantly caught and the flames quickly spread. The Felyne seemed greatly proud of his accomplishment before noticing how quickly the flame was moving across the gun powder. He quickly turned to run to get out of there. The flame soon reached the stack of barrels. A moment later, the cargo hold erupted in an explosion that knocked the Felyne off his feet just as he exited the hold.
…
A moment earlier…
On the level above the Flying Wyverns, the Felynes up there were getting trigger fingers as they were waiting for the signal. They didn't have to wait for much longer as the final ring was heard. They took aim and fired the readied ballista arrows. The arrows flew through the air and struck the floorboards of most of the haulers. After a brief scare, the Felynes on the haulers fired their own ballista arrows back at the Captor. The arrows embedded themselves through the hull of the ship and wound up stuck. Those on the Captor soon felt the explosion underneath their feet and stumbled to keep their feet under them.
…
A moment earlier…
Up in the captain's quarters, Joc heard the gong and moved to pull the levers. Though there was a little effort, Joc managed to pull each one. He was satisfied when he heard the click and he knew that the cages were opening. The leader felt the ship rock when the explosions went off. With his work done, Joc rushed out of the captain's quarters.
…
A moment earlier…
In her cage at the bottom of the Captor, the Lagiacrus laid in the middle of the floor and awaited what fate had planned for her. The sounds of battle could be heard even from her cage. Then she heard the five ringing sounds above and wondered what in the world was going on. She raised her head and roared in surprise when she felt the ship rocking. And like when she had been stuffed into her cage, she heard the gears to her cage moving and the doors started opening. The iron plating and the wooden boards on the outside soon cracked open and she waited for just the right moment. The doors seemed to be moving to slow for her liking and she lunged her head forward. The metal dented from the impact and the wooden boards on the outside splintered and cracked. Soon the opening was wide enough and she and the other beasts that were held captive quickly escaped.
…
On the main deck of the Captor, everyone managed to regain their footing. But they weren't quite out of the woods just yet when multiple shapes flew out of the ships. Jacob didn't look up from the multiple Rathalos and two he hadn't seen before flying away when he said, "I think it's time to go."
"Probably furr the best." Floot and the others agreed with him. With a motion of his arm Jacob shouted, "Get to the Mernos!"
"Come on!" Floot shouted too and they all started running. The captain of the Captor shouted, "Stop them!"
Jacob and his friends stopped in their tracks as the poachers stood in their way. But before the poachers could even think about attacking them, multiple fireballs landed between the two groups and exploded. Large flames from the blasts started to eat at the wood of the ship and everyone looked up to see the two red Rathalos flying overhead and shot another fireball. One landed against the crow's nest while another landed at the back of the ship. This was enough to make just about all the poachers turn and run for safety. Jacob then advised the Felynes, "Hurry and get to the Mernos! On the double! Watch each other's backs!"
(Cue Android 16 from Dragon Ball Z)
The Felynes made sure to keep their heads down as they ran forward to get to the Mernos. Above, the two Rathalos made another run for the ship and shot another two fireballs that exploded against the side of the Captor. Floot looked up to Jacob and said, "We can't leave without Joc or the others."
"And we won't." Jacob promised him with a nod. They heard a familiar voice say from behind, "Wait furr me! I'm coming!"
They looked back to see Joc running out of the captain's quarters. The older Felyne was making a dash for them. But Joc was a yard or two away when a loud bang went off and he yowled in pain as he fell to the ground. The injured Felyne groaned and clutched his side. Jacob and Floot shouted, "Joc, no!"
They rushed to him and Jacob looked to see the captain holding another one of those guns in his hands. They knelt down next to Joc as the Felyne hissed from the pain in his side. Jacob carefully lifted the fabric the Felyne was wearing and saw a good bit of blood staining his clothes. Lifting his gaze to Joc's eyes he said, "You're gonna be fine.
"Look at me. You're gonna be fine." Jacob insisted, not wanting him to close his eyes. From the side, the captain dropped the gun and slowly made his way over to the three. Joc tried keeping his eyes open as he looked between the two and said, "Both of mew need to get out of here. Right now!"
"Not without mew." Floot shook his head. But Joc shook his head, "It's too late for me. He hit me pretty badly. I'm not going to last much longer."
"We can fix you right up." Jacob assured him as the captain came closer to them. Seeing the approaching danger, Joc urged them, "Go! Mew must lead the others on, Floot."
"But I-" Floot started to say. Tears welled up in both of their eyes as Joc smiled, "I have no regrets in this. I'd do anything for our people, and for those willing to fight the good one.
"And I'm honored to have met a human like mew." Joc said to Jacob. Tears rolled from the teen's eyes as he was both touched and hurting. Joc's eyes slowly closed and he released his final breath.
(End of track)
But before either of them could properly mourn the loss of their friend, the sound of boots made them look up. The captain of the Captor stood before them with a maniacal grin on his face.
\_|_/
Author's Note: I hate to end it here on such a sad note, but the finale to the battle is coming in the next chapter. I made sure to give the Lagiacrus a little screen time once again, and I know that once again is kind of short, but in the next chapter it'll be quite different. And tell me if I am doing better with how the Felynes are speaking, please. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See all of you next time.