You hop up the short winding staircase that transcends two more deck floors. As you reach the end of the wooden spire you spy the light from the overcast sky peeking through the sliver of glass paneling that rests on the door up ahead. The rest of the view is obscured by the back of some scaled lowlife's head, completely wrapped in a red bandana.
Jumping in sync, you and Polka charge the doorway and each plant a hard foot against it, completely knocking the simple wooden door sill off its hinges and onto the unsuspecting guardsmen. The beastkin squawks with raw discomfort as you and Polka step onto the now useless slab of wood with your entire conjoined weight. Your loud entrance brings several deckhands' eyes to you both, and more importantly, the attention of a certain green skinned captain.
"So what now, Captain Krol? Ready to face me like a man? Or do you want me to knock the rest of your goons overboard first?" You twirl Shining Comet twice in the air before letting it rest on your shoulder while you stride onto the main floor of the deck.
"I knew something was off about ye the second my eye spotted you with that Houshou wench." Krol retorts, mirroring your show with his own musket. "Tell me, human, what makes you want to risk your own neck and freedom for a bunch of strangers who are just living at their rightful place on the food chain?"
"Rightful place my ass." You spit. "Nothing natural about a bunch of bullies and thugs oppressing a perfectly peaceful people."
"For a lad who runs with lions, he sure has a lot to learn." Krol tuts. "Isn't it natural for the strong to control the weak? The powerful thrive, and the feeble perish. If you don't believe me, ask the kitsune next to you."
"So sometimes it's survival of the fittest. You're right. That's just how we animals are sometimes. Demi-humans, beastkin, humans, we're all the same deep down. We just wanna survive." Polka shrugs, but isn't showing any signs of folding to the crocodile captain's claim. "But! What you're doing to Shallah is just plain greedy! You just keep taking and giving nothing back. What do you think happens when you've stolen all you can from them, huh?" The fennec suddenly gets ablaze with passion and anger. "They'll wither away into nothing. Not able to help you, or even smile ever again! True survival, real coexistence, is about helping one another. Give and take. That's what a true partnership is made of. That's how I'll choose to live."
You get the feeling somewhere along the lines this became less about a fleet of assholes using their military might to enslave an entire country, and more about something more personal to Polka. While her words were always inspiring and helped pick you up when you needed it, this time feels different. It feels more…close? Something besides the natural fire you have to help others begins to burn within you, something specific to the fox at your side. This is a fiery blaze that demands a voice.
"That's right. Because I have Polka and all my other friends to back me up, I can live the way I want. I WANT to help the people of Shallah enjoy the freedom of the sea and sun again. I WANT to help make sure this world is a safe one where everyone I care about can live without fear and enjoy all the different places and people there are." You let your heart speak, getting louder and louder with every word that bubbles to the surface.
"And I also WANT to kick your fucking ass! Is that a good enough answer, you overdressed lizard?!" You extend your sword at Krol, your unconscious will envelopes Shining Comet's length with your natural mana that crackles with impatience.
Krol chuffs and takes a relaxed aiming stance with his musket, pulling the hammer back until it clicks, casting a chilling silence over the galleon's main floor.
If he thinks I'm going to back down and come quietly just because he's pointing that boomstick at me, he's got another thing coming! Your eyes glance over at Polka, whose confidence you can feel through her beaming smile. Correction. He's got TWO things coming! Flare is already taking on one of the headline captains, and I bet Nene is doing the same by now. I can't fall behind! Captain Krol, the SeaKroc Pirates are going to be the first crew to fall.
To answer the inner threat your eyes must portray, the captain's swamp green trigger finger squeezes his weapon's igniter to unleash a thundering boom from the mouth of his musket. From the sparks, a black iron cannonball streaks through the air towards you. You bring your sword low and rush forward to meet the speeding projectile, ready to slice it right in two. Shining Comet meets the metal sphere from below and grinds against it with unexpected resistance.
It becomes instantly clear that you cannot cut through the spherical ammunition, so you flex hard, bringing all your strength into completing your swing to send the iron ball up and away. You succeed in deflecting the heavy shot that now lobs overboard, but you can feel your arms and legs trembling from the effort. Another click from the rifle's hammer brings your attention back to Krol who lines up another shot, while his deckhands begin to approach you with sabers at the ready.
"Guess Marine isn't the only pirate who knows how to mix their mana with the arsenal." You say aloud as a warning to Polka.
"Yup. By how that looked, I doubt we can block bullets like that head on. We should clean up the deck too before focusing on the big guy. Anon, are you ready?" Polka asks as she shuffles forward to be just behind your shoulder, her eyes marking each one of your advancing enemies.
"You bet! Let's show 'em their teamwork has nothing on us." You lead the charge, your sights set on a shorter, yellow scaled croc with a pair of sabers taller than him in his grasp.
The barrel of Krol's weapon booms again, sending another iron artillery shot your way. You drop to your knees and your momentum carries you along the ship's wooden surface for a few feet as the cannonball passes overhead, flicking the tips of your hair. While you avoid danger from one angle, it is all too happy to greet you from another; the pirate you singled out has both his blades lifted high overhead, eager to slam them down upon you as friction almost slows you to a stop. You look at the beastkin with who has murderous intent in his slitted eyes with absolute certainty that he will not find you to be an easy score, not while you have the best fox in the world at your back.
"Stellaruke!" Polka chants, and you use your granted speed to make a narrow escape to the side before the pair of blades can touch flesh.
With their target gone, both sabers lodge themselves into the slab of the galleon, unable to be rendered free by the crocodile's own strength. You leave the sitting croc to his fate at the hands of your partner to pursue a less helpless target; one whose brawn looks like it could shatter any stone he might put between his hands. Using your enhanced speed you get within sword's reach of the teal scaled beastkin before he has time to fully register your arrival.
In shared timing that would look like a street performance to onlookers, Polka hops and delivers a powerful stomp onto the pirate's head who was still trying to free his weapons, while you executed a flawless swing of Shining Comet's glowing steel across the exposed chest of the crocodile who had only just begun to move his arms for an attack. The circus magician moves her feet in quick succession atop her charge, flattening his simple bicorn hat into his scalp and forcing him belly first onto the ground. Then, while your own prey is stunned by the fact they have been sliced but can see no open wound, you bring your sword around for a second pass, pressing the flat of your blade into his abdomen to force him off his feet.
After your foe is sent rolling into the ship's side railings, your eyes quickly rescan the battle field; a half dozen underlings still remain, but your recent display looks to be testing their resolve. Krol aims at Polka and fires two shots. Her tail straightens upward, and her eyes widen at the sight of the iron spheres coming her way. Her body moves on her own unique instinct befitting the ringmaster of a circus; pointing her baton up towards one of the middle masts, a purple streak of light that flows like ribbon and wraps around the arm of lumber that helps hold the sail. A single tug of her magical tether yanks Polka off the ground just in time for the cannon ball to graze the soles of her pointed shoes. The fennec is then reeled up to the cross section of the mast like a fish on a line, where she secures her footing and gives a light curtsy to her audience.
With all eyes on her, you take the opportunity to charge Krol, reaching his dead zone before he can pull the trigger of his musket. His irritated eye twitches at the sight of your smug smile, but not before the flash of your sword streaks across his iris. Steel rings in the air when your edge meets the metal barrel of the croc's raised firearm. You lock eyes, seeing glimpses of perplexity, calculation, and murderous intent befitting a cold blooded beast. He's seen you defeat multiple of his underlings with your bare hands, deflect a heavy projectile, and even cut a large scar into his proud vessel, but he still does not shrink from combat with you. Your lips curve upward. Good, you want this bastard fighting his very hardest so when you take him down, it will be a victory worth writing home about.
The expression that Krol must interpret as overconfidence ignites his temper, causing him to buck his rifle towards you to end your clash. You immediately rebalance your sword and make an upward slash for his golden belly that lays exposed between his open peacoat; its tip grazing the leathery underbelly that feels as hard as iron. The beastkin steps backward to prevent you from making an actual cut along his form, and spins himself to the side to bring his tail across your body like a whip. The scaled appendage forces you staggering backward, and when you gain control of your footing, you are staring down the blackened mouth of Kroll's blunderbuss.
"Blackfin may want ya alive, but as we know on the high seas: Accidents happen." Krol's jagged teeth shine in a crooked smile as he squeezes the trigger.
The barrel of the oversized musket ignites, and the flash of gunpowder combined with raw mana makes you freeze; caught between attempting to evade to coming artillery, or to block it head on. Halfway in bringing your sword to a guarding stance, a strange sense that is both familiar but unusual triggers within what feels like your very soul. Pulling in your gut as you step backward, as if the mere fraction of a second that it will buy you will help, you watch the gyrating sphere almost meet your person, then, your point of view is suddenly lifted upward.
An arm around your waist secures you to your rescuer; a fennec freely swinging around the ship like she was a seasoned swashbuckler. With the binding of your book between her teeth, Polka gives you a hearty wink as you both pivot through the air thanks to a thick red ribbon that wraps around the cross beam along the mast. She gives a slight jerk of her head towards the colorful streamer and you immediately take the hint to sheathe your sword and grab hold. Polka then loosens her jaw to drop your spell book into her now free hand, and flashes an excited smile.
"Sweep the place clean, Anon! Stellaruga!" Polka chants, the shine from your book streaking light over the wooden deck below you.
A spiraling beam of starlight funnels out of your free hand, hammering the ship's exterior floor as you gyre through the air. The pirates on the ground scramble to evade your spell that rains on them like judgment from the heavens. A stronger looking SeaKroc decides to test his mettle against your spell, giving his gigantic arms a hard flex before creating a cross guard with them. Your spell smashes into the beastkin, pressuring him backward until your aerial passing releases him from the center of your blast. A half circle is drawn into the wooden surface, leaving an impression that looks like the poor lumber was brutalized with iron hammers, and several pirates taken out of commission.
You and Polka kick your legs forward to keep your swinging momentum as you circle the center mast, ready to let loose a second helping of your spell book on the enemies below. The SeaKroc captain however is not about to let that happen a second time. With deadly precision he fires his weapon and nails the ribbon a few feet above where your grip lies. The fabric is stretched and shredded apart from the wind shattering force of the iron ball, severing you from the mast. As you fall towards a small group of eager crocodiles who form a swarming circle around your likely landing place, Polka reveals her baton and takes aim.
With a magical "poof", a cloud of pink smoke appears and evaporates to reveal a cushioned landing pad; an appealing array of blues, reds, and whites create a kaleidoscope pattern along its surface, and a simple star stands out at its center. The two of you touchdown, pressing upper limits of the fennec's conjured landing pad. You bend and extend your legs in sync, letting the elastic force then flip you both forward. You draw your sword in midair, Shining Comet's steel sings alongside the wind that blows against your skin. Battle clarity shines in your eyes and you swing your blade as you come down from your arc. A satisfying chorus of shoes meeting the sturdy wood of the deck plays when you land. As you rise, a body falls behind you with a loud thud.
The canines of Polka's teeth glisten as she grins beside you. Her showman's spirit is now fully awakened, and you can feel that it's time for the next stage of this act. You leap towards the closest target; a mid-sized beastkin with a battle axe in his two hands. He raises the face of his weapon just in time to catch your swift blade, and amidst the clash you hear Polka already engaged with at least two other pirates, cracking her baton against steel swords and wooden clubs. You slide your blade free and begin to land blow after blow against your opponent's guard, the ringing of metal fulfilling some unconscious fantasy to be engaged in some real swashbuckling.
"Now, Polka!" You shout as you drag your foe's ax towards the ground along with your sword, holding a single palm forward at his now exposed chest. Polka shouts the spell's name proudly into the air, enabling your unique energies to come to the surface, blasting the poor croc back and marking another foe downed.
"You crocs are so serious and stiff! Have some fun!" Polka then snickers with a hint of malice before thrusting her baton head first past the raised guard of one of the two pirates that attempt to combat her. From the little hat that adorns her staff's ornament, pops a cloud of confetti and sparkles. While his teammate staggers back, trying to wipe the foreign substances from his eyes, the other croc steps forward and tries to take Polka's head with his saber. He won't catch this fox with such a clumsy and obvious attack, and he is about to be punished for it.
Polka ducks, and from her pinky and ring finger appear a set of metal rings. She twirls the silver hoops around her digits, then with movements that would be undetectable to the naked eye, the rings leave her hands and are now connected to one another around the pirate croc's ankles. The fennec giggles with anticipation as she rockets from the ground, and with her baton now nestled under her arm, uses her free hand to tip her hat to her audience as she walks backward. Not knowing his ankles are now bound, the croc tries to give chase, but immediately topples over, falling so hard that his pointed snout punctures a hole right into the flooring.
Three loud bangs then roar, announcing the arrival of a barrage of cannonballs that are spread in an attempt to box you both in. Polka stands firm behind you, pouring her strength from within into your spell book. She shouts the words that will your body to create your unique celestial barrier in front of you. The iron sphere strikes its center, lodging itself within your magic. The other two shots fly past you on both sides, nailing the bodies of two unfortunate pirates and sending them hurling into the ship's side railings.
Seeing the cracks form around the point of impact along your shield, Polka let's the spell fade so that you can better see your opponent's next move. Krol has just made himself that much more dangerous. To deliberately fire on his own teammates like that, and not even batting an eye when they get caught in the crossfire, is the mark of a madman.
"No more games!" Krol demands, thrashing his musket in front of him. "I don't have time to waste with a couple of gypsies! I be bringin' ya to Blackfin, and then I'm gonna find the scurvy dog that roasted some of me mates last night. No one gets away with attackin' the SeaKroc pirates, and lives to tell the tale."
Without waiting for a rebuttal, Krol starts to wildly fire his blunderbuss once more, creating a thundering chorus of cannonballs. A mental exchange between you and your partner has her handing over your spell book so that you can safely secure it within its pouch at your side. Polka takes the lead and runs directly towards the speeding projectile as she flips her hat of her ear and holds its base outward. The jester's headwear inflates to a comically large size and inhales the cannonball whole. Having taken the accelerated projectile within the confines of its magical space head on, Polka is blown backward from the sheer force of the act. You step forward and support the fennec with a firm hand on her back to keep her from skidding further.
"T-Thanks Anon." She says, her brow furrowed as she focuses her magic on shrinking her hat back down to normal size. It was clear that the clown's unique way of neutralizing projectiles would not be the way to close the gap with this enemy. Krol is also not a man to give you the luxury of time to devise a strategy, with another lineup of cannonfire already heading your way.
You and Polka split up, she taking a frontal charge, and you heading diagonal towards the ship's starboard. The fennec builds her resolve, and when the iron shell comes near, she jumps, and as the bottom of her shoe brushes its surface, she springs forward. You opt to narrowly dodge by spinning your body just before the grapeshot can take you for a ride, all while concentrating the essence of water into your free hand. You then end your movement with a firm flick of your wrist, sending the azure star you created towards the croc captain who only fires one shot at Polka before your interference strikes him in the arm, throwing off his aim and snatching his attention away from his primary target.
Polka hops once more, using the coming sphere as a springboard to send her even higher. The circus magician's gutsy assault along with your supportive coverfire now has her right above the croc's head. She brings her baton up high, and with gravity aiding her, she slams its head right on Krol's.
You bring a burst of wind to your heels to boost you to the croc while he reels from the thwacking he just received. Polka hops backward to make way for your coming onslaught, you'll finish this with one more blow. As you just begin to begin your upswing, Krol's eyes shoot open; irritated red veins shine and pulse in time with his cold heart. He brings his rifle forward to catch your blade, and then he flicks a small switch that hangs along its stock. The firearm begins to make a small hum, and the next thing you know, a blast of wind erupts from its muzzle, blowing you and Polka back.
After rolling far enough along the deck, the pressure from the isolated wind tunnel the SeaKroc captain created weakens, allowing you to regain your bearings and stab your sword into the floor to halt yourself. You rise to one knee and face the crocodile beastkin again who looks to be fiddling with the butt end of his firearm. You do a cursory check for Polka, who is also refinding her footing.
"Try that again ya bilge rats!" Krol taunts, aiming and firing another round at you. As the sphere flies, your eyes widen when what look to be metal spikes sprout along its surface. All you can do is dive out of the way, but the extended reach of the barbs catch and claw your shoulder and back. Hot pain flashes along your skin, but you breathe deep and don't let it control you.
"Anon!" Polka gasps after she sees your brush in with that last attack, but you hold up a hand to ease her concerns.
Another bang comes from the other end of the ship as you rise. Another desperate plea from your mana gives you a gust of wind below your feet that propels you high above the incoming spiked ball just as it would have collided with you. Your eyes focus again on your enemy that happily lines up another shot while you are defenseless in the air. When panic threatens to envelop your heart, hope fights it away, sparked by the soul and will of another. Something wraps itself around your waist, and yanks you back down towards the floor of the deck, again having just escaped possible manglement.
You are brought right into Polka's caring arms, who beams brightly at your arrival. That look in those star shaped pupils of hers tells you that she has something big concocted in that fun filled brain of hers. Sensing your determination and agreement, she gives you a fierce nod before letting you hop out of her arms. A snap of the fennec's fingers produces a small pink ball, which she then promptly pelts into the space between her feet, its breaking unleashing a thick cloud that conceals you both.
The covering Polka created seems to give the SeaKroc Captain pause, but even so, you keep your guard up. While you cannot see past the vibrant pink veil around you, you can feel Polka's magic hard at work; the presence of objects being conjured in quick succession floods your immediate senses until a tap on your shoulder from the fennec herself clues you in on how you might be able to assist her. You can just barely make out the shapes of what your kitsune has created, but you can feel as though you can guess her plan with utmost certainty. You go to where she leads you and wait for your cue, eagerly anticipating the next action.
When the smoke naturally clears, Polka is standing behind a battalion of red circus cannons that she presents with her arms raised high.
"It seems our audience would like us to skip right to the fireworks!" Polka begins to announce, earning a curious glare from the SeaKroc Captain. "Omaru Polka aims to please and she is more than ready to deliver on whatever flavor of performance will make you smile!"
"More circus antics!? You should save 'em for the idiots who even show up to whatever big top you crawled out from." Krol says sourly. "It doesn't take a genius to know that the boy is hiding in one of those. No matter how fast you plan to fire him at me, I'll bast him right outta the sky!"
"Our guest thinks he can beat the odds and nail his prize dead on, folks!" Polka plays right into the taunting. "He's absolutely right about one thing! My lovely assistant is hiding in one of these five fine works of magical conjuration, and will be fired right at our volunteer player. It's time to see which will prevail; Captain Krol's aim, or Anon's luck! I know who my moneys on!"
The ring mistress then snaps her fingers and the long braided fuses on her artillery ignite. Krol straightens his shoulders and begins to take aim, his eyes darting between each individual cannon and the sparking at their hind sides growing smaller and smaller. Then, the heat reaches the end of its journey and ignites the arsenal into action. Dark blue barrels painted with stars, hearts, spades, and diamonds arc through the air, all rotating at a near identical speed.
Krol's face becomes strained with indecision. Each barrel is on a clear trajectory to land close enough to either strike him or unleash the potential warrior inside who is as much of, if not more of a threat. With no physical tells to rely on, the crocodile can only trust his trigger finger, and his luck. He aims at the farthest barrel on the right and fires. A spiky sphere crashes straight through the wooden cylinder, but only the shredded remains of rubber chickens fall to the ground. He quickly fires again, this time at the second barrel from the left. Another iron slug obliterates the wooden container mid-flight, but his only reward are streams of sparkling lights made from magic that trace shapes into the air before fading away.
With three barrels mere feet away, Krol's composure breaks. He turns tail and desperately tries to put distance between himself and the landing spot of the coming payload. The wooden canisters hit the ground with a loud thud, bouncing once off the wooden surface. Krol laughs maniacally as he turns and blasts the middle one to smithereens. The dust from the blast covers his immediate proximity, as he strains his eyes to look ahead.
"Did I get him? I think I got him. I definitely got him." He says to himself as his snout curves with a crooked smile. The smoke then clears thanks to an unnatural gust of wind, blowing the croc's confidence along with it. A barrel lays on its side with its lid opened. The captain's body tenses and shudders at the realization when he follows the trail to find you within sword's reach on his right side.
"Three out of five shots and you still missed? Guess I really am lucky!" You snicker as you get right in Krol's face, Shining Comet already in motion to become very well acquainted with the captain of the SeaKroc Pirates. Your blade streaks across his golden belly, drawing a thin trail of blood. The beastkin steps backward clutching his fresh wound, and his one eye bulges as it detects you immediately following up with a slash aimed for the arm that holds his weapon. The crocodile whips himself around, slapping your waist with his tail to stagger you to the side. With your sword catching nothing but air, you gather mana in your other hand and send a blast of air at the ground to stabilize yourself.
Krol plants his feet firm and aims his rifle at you once more, collateral damage to himself be damned. You meet his gaze with fire in your eyes that gives him pause that will prove to be his downfall. Another firm pulse of your mana helps you create a small cyclone from underneath the searfaring crocodile. It is not enough to send him into the air as if he were a leaf, but it was more than enough of a surprise to wrestle his blunderbuss from his grip.
A brutal swing from your sword bats the midair firearm away from its owner and sends it skidding along the deck. As he was being disarmed, Polka arrives on the scene and gives your foe another hard whack from her baton right across his spine. Krol jumps up and yelps in pain at the sudden assault, and has his cries cut short but a hard uppercut from your mana empowered fist.
Unable to mount a proper assault, Krol can only shore up his defenses in the face of yours and Polka's teamwork. While the crocodile is able to guard against blows from your sword meant to put him out of commission, he leaves himself wide open for another hard pummeling from the fennec. You and Polka then begin to gather raw mana in your weapons, and with a synchronized swing, you both nail Krol right in his raised crossed guard, sending him hurling backwards. The captain lands with a loud groan and rolls over onto his belly.
You let Shining Comet rest on your shoulder as you and Polka take a much needed breather. It wasn't a decisive blow to be sure, but you definitely have this croc on the ropes now. You step forward with the intent to finish this battle and move on. Krol's body then jerks and flails violently; he slams his palms against the ground and in a rapid movement, lunges toward you with jaws unhinged.
Polka's hand on your shoulder whisks you backward just before the pirate's teeth can snap your leg in two. The fennec then swoops in front of you to deliver a hard bash to the captain's snout with her staff. Again the beastkin's jaws chomp in time with the extension of his neck forward, just missing Polka's hand. It was your turn to retaliate. This beast had gone completely feral, and one clench from those horrific jaws of his could likely crush bone. If a bludgeoning won't knock him back to his senses, maybe a spell will. A quick swap of your equipment brings out your spell book, shining and ready to help you counterattack.
"Get back you slimy croc! Stellaruga!" You shout, letting loose a drilling beam of starlight that sends the rabid captain all the way into the back cabin of the ship, smashing through the exterior wall and revealing a lavish dwelling. You can't afford to lose any momentum, you cast the second spell to enhance your body, and draw your sword once more. Polka nods, ready to follow you anywhere, which fills you with steadfast confidence.
The two of you charge into what can be evidently seen as the captain's quarters; portraits of SeaKroc captains of both past and present line one side, while the other holds various firearms, swords, harpoons, and other weapons against wooden plaques. At the far end of the room, the captain himself groans and picks himself up from the butchered table he fell on. He shakes off the minor disorientation, and places his hat that sits among the rubble upon his head. The red in his eyes flares to near nauseating levels. He turns his back to you and reaches for a blunderbuss that is on display on the wall behind where his desk once stood. From what you can tell it's a similar build as the last one, with the distinct difference of a large teal crystal built into a holding place along the top of its frame. Krol strokes the gem and it begins to shine and hum with the radiance of raw mana, and an unhinged sneer contorts his face. The man has probably abandoned all notion of taking you alive.
With a mad cackle, Krol fires his weapon with unrestrained fury, sending a barrage of cannonfire from its muzzle. Your body that begins to move on instinct is forced to second guess itself when you see how the approaching projectiles move. The spiked slugs are actually bouncing along the floor as they travel! Creating an erratic flight pattern and leaving no clear path to reach your destination. Each skip the barbed ammunition makes against the flooring leaves a noticeable indent, tearing apart the foundation bit by bit. You HAVE to put a stop to this, now.
Polka then takes your hand and runs with her body lowered slightly, and she leads you both through the deadly storm. While you are not normally as agile as the circus magician, for some reason your movements feel so fluid and your mind seems to know where Polka wants it to go without her uttering a single word or physical direction. You hop over one ball that just made its touchdown, avoiding its ascent by mere fractions of an inch. The next takes a small bite out of both of you; drawing blood along your stomach, when you pivot to its side to avoid full on contact. Polka then pulls you down to where both your bellies are flat against the floor, as one more cannonball glides overhead.
Krol shows no signs of wanting to stop, the barrel of his musket glowing with the same teal hue of the gem that might be empowering his arsenal. You grip Polka's hand as you bolt to your feet. With a single spin followed by a mighty heave, you launch the fennec through the air, high enough to bypass the moving obstacles in your way. You are forced to throw yourself to the ground to avoid another cannonball, but not without it grazing your leg and arm. Polka continues to arc through the air, and as she flies she channels her magic between her two hands; its purple light crackles and thickens as her creation begins to take shape. A black headed mallet materializes in her grip, and Polka readies herself.
Krol looks up at the elated fennec who holds her creation over her head, his eyes dilated as the blackened hammer rains down on him. Polka swings down in time with her fall, the flat of her maul ringing the croc's head like a gong. Polka's weapon was only good for one swing, as it flickers into the mana that helped create it as Krol flounders on his own two feet.
You take the chance to follow up, sprinting to your enemy and delivering a hard slash across his left arm, creating a thick wound through his scaled hide and giving Shining Comet its second taste of blood for the day. Krol howls in pain, fueling his anger and somehow focusing his predator's nature and bridging himself back into focus. The SeaKroc captain makes a sweep with his rifle that you block with your sword, but the strength of it still sends you back and out of striking range. Another worrying glow emanates from the stone atop his gun, and Krol's clawed finger flicks a switch along the frame's underside.
Another pull of the trigger clicks in the air, but instead of iron ammunition erupting from the blunderbuss' muzzle, a puff of violet gas emerges. You hold your free hand over your face, but you can feel the foreign vapors already penetrating your pathways. A deep dread sets in. What did you just inhale? Is it poisonous? How long might you have?
You put such thoughts away for now. In a battle, it does not matter what MIGHT happen, but what WILL. You'll end this fight and treat yourself afterward. Taking an offensive position, you step forward and begin to bring your sword around for another strike, but your sword arm stays where it rests along your side. You look at your opposite arm; currently in motion but with no sword in its grip to speak of. When you examine your footing, your confusion is doubled by how you meant to step with your left, but your right leg is the one taking the lead. Are you experiencing some sort of metal shock from the battle?
Krol's laughter harmonizes with the blast of another round from his rifle, landing an iron sphere straight into your gut. You are blown backward and smack against the creaking floor. Groaning, you count your blessings that you were so close that the metal spikes did not have time to properly extend themselves before you were hit, and that the stellaruke spell undoubtedly prevented your ribcage from being broken.
Polka cries out for you, and then turns her vengeful gaze onto the crocodile, who laughs madly while flicking another switch. He fires again, this time the gas that leaves his barrel is of a blood red hue. The fennec holds her breath and hops backward, but even a sniff of the strange vapor is enough for its effects to set in. Polka's expression drops when her body noticeably slows down. A move of her arm that should take a second now looks to take five times as long to complete.
Krol fires another blast, this time a blue cloud envelops Polka, and her body stops completely. The SeaKroc Captain laughs with deranged delight. "Now you got a front row seat to watch me blast every bone in your precious human's body to dust! I bet when I wave his bloody body over my bowsprit it'll tame those beasts that decided to follow 'em."
"I ain't done yet!" You spit through your teeth, screaming internally at your body to move how you tell it to. Only through using both arms at the same time do you manage to pick yourself up off the floor. The act of just standing is almost disorienting. Right goes left. Up feels down. Even your vision threatens to not obey you. "I don't know what the hell you did to us, but it's not gonna keep you from getting your ass kicked, Krol!"
"The lad still has some bark after falling victim to my reversing gas AND taking a slug to the gut. Blackfin was right, ya got spunk." Krol bellows, aiming his musket at you once more. "But I'm afraid spunk don't count for shit when you're in pieces."
Dammit! He's gonna blast me again. What do I do!? My body seems to do the opposite of what my brain tells it, and that last attack blew the Stellaruke spell right out of me. I could try magic but-
"Anon!" Polka seems to shout, but when you look at her she is still frozen in place. She struggles against the mysterious compound that has rendered her immobile, but those eyes of hers demand your attention. You can suddenly feel something tugging at you from a place you can't pinpoint. The sensation has a similar vibe to when Polka is about to partake in some of your soul, that brief instant where she somehow grants herself access to your very essence. You consciously let whatever it is in, and feel instantly awash with the presence of something very warm, but also very invigorating.
The bang of Krol's rifle resounds in the air, sending another punishing sphere towards you. As its spikes extend, you try to coordinate your thoughts with your body so that you may evade, but they are quickly overpowered by the will of another. A simple step to the side, not of your own volition, takes place, getting you out of the way just enough so that the iron barbs can only take a small lick of your shoulder. Krol looks at you in mild disbelief, and you can say the feeling is mutual. You look down at your hands that are brought up without the need for your own mental instruction. A light; barely visible but purple in tinge creates a thin overcoat around your body. You look up and see the same glow around Polka's body. A word appears in your head to explain what this is: Aura, Polka's Aura.
While you adjust to what feels like a second mind directing your thoughts and actions, Krol winds up another blast. He fires twice, this time the projectiles loop through the air as they travel, creating an ever moving barrier that cannot be dodged by a single step to either side. With only seconds to act, you urge your body to move, letting the voice of another give the instruction your muscles need.
"I'm jumping you right through the middle, Anon! Just like it was a ring of fire! Imagine you're center stage at one of my famous shows! We can do this!" Polka's voice calls out to you, and your body obeys. You crank your legs down and spring yourself right through the empty space between the two gyrating spheres. You tuck your arms in close to your body as you fly, spinning slowly and watching the spiked cannonballs pass by you. Something begins to swell inside you; you let Shining Comet's steel become its outlet and a brilliant mix of purple and silver-white light dances along its length like a proud fire.
You land and lock eyes with Krol, his battered jaw looks as though it will fall right off his face and puncture a new hole in the floor. Polka has you step forward, you channel your mana into your blade as she instructs the correct arm to move with all its strength. A crescent of pure and radiant mana slashes the air in front of you, completely overtaking the crocodile beastkin within its light. The sounds of his weapon shattering plays in the background to his anguished howling. When the gem that empowered his firearm shatters, a bright teal flame erupts and Krol burns brightly like a wick on a candle.
You shield your eyes from the blaze that dies down as swift as it came to be, and from its flickering embers stands Krol; clothes blackened, singed scales chipping off his body, and all fight beaten out of him. He coughs a combination of soot and blood before falling flat on his face.
You let out a relieved and exhausted sigh when you can safely confirm that the trigger happy croc won't be getting up any time soon. With the battle done, you can feel Polka's aura take a back seat behind your own, and control of your body is handed back to you. You sheathe your sword and look over at the fennec, whose body jostles ever more slightly with each passing second. She puffs her cheeks and flexes hard to break free of the debilitating state that strange gasses had put her in, and she breathes in a hearty supply of oxygen.
"Anon, hey, you alright?" Polka wastes no time rushing over to you.
"I've been better." You chuckle, but the strain on your face is probably clear as day. "What about you? I think whatever that weird gas did to me is wearing off. I'm guessing since you're able to move again you're all good?"
"Yup. It took some time for me to shake it off, but everything seems to be moving like it's supposed to." Polka cranks one of her arms for a few passes just to be sure. You give her a simple smile, but then your body shudders. The fennec jolts to you and places a supportive hand on your chest to keep you from falling over.
"T-Thanks." You breathe hard. "I know I took a beating in that fight, but I shouldn't be spent just yet…"
"It's not just from that." Polka shakes her head. "You're just….adjusting, to what I did just now."
"By the way, what was-" You start, and Polka immediately cuts you off.
"That is something only we can do." The fennec starts as she puts one of your arms over her shoulder and leads you to the far wall so that you can slump against its surface. She lets out a sigh that is mixed with both relief and apprehension. "I guess I really do need to start being more open about this stuff with you…if you didn't trust me completely, if you didn't know what I was trying to do…it might not have worked. What if-"
Now it was your turn to interrupt. You place a gentle finger on Polka's lips to silence her, which is oddly satisfying. You can definitely see the appeal. "Enough of that. We don't need to worry about the what ifs. I DO trust you completely, Polka. I know you always have my back. I wasn't able to explain it, but from the second we got on this ship, I've felt more intertwined with you than ever as we fought. Like I knew what you were going to do, or how you were going to move. The last time you fed on me felt a little different too."
"That means we're…progressing." The fennec says with a red flush forming on her cheeks. "Look, I promise to talk to you more about this later, but right now you need to focus on resting for a few. Your body just had my own aura basically invade it. Even though we're imprinted on one another, it still takes a toll on a normal human like yourself. I got more than enough mana, so here."
Without waiting for your potential protest, Polka sits down beside you and forces your head down onto her lap. Her fingers caress and comb through your hair as the warmth of her healing magic begins to seep into your body. You let out a relaxed sigh as the pains of your hard won battle begin to diminish little by little.
"Okay can we at least talk about how cool this was?" You speak up. "We just boarded a pirate ship and took out its captain. That thing with the cannons you did, that was so fun!"
"You could have been blown to bits." Polka laughs. "But I was serious about who my money was on. You are an extraordinarily lucky guy."
"As a man who is being pampered by a beautiful fox with his head resting on probably the most comfortable thing on this earth, I have to agree with you." You grin, feeling more playful as your aches subside.
"I guess that means you're fine now." Polka gives your cheek a playful and soft slap.
"Yup! Your turn." You say with a full toothed smile, and before the fennec can dissuade you, you roll over so that you face her front. The slightly exposed area that showcases her button is streaked with blood from the wound she suffered earlier. You bring your hand against it, letting your healing water embrace the hurt and wash it away. Polka shudders at the cooler temperature touching a normally unexplored area, but she melts into your touch as the wound is mended and the pain is sent sailing away.
"What should I call that last attack?" You absently say as you continue to funnel your magic into healing your friend. "Foxfire blade?"
"There wasn't much actual fire to it though." Polka answers, stroking the side of your head tenderly. "We kinda pooled our natural mana into one big burst."
"Which by the way, felt pretty amazing. Your aura? Our auras together? It felt so…so…" The words escape you, or rather you try to accurately describe the intense spiritual experience you just had.
"Us?" Polka finishes for you, and smiles at your bright affirmation.
"Yup! Which is exactly why our finishing move needs a name." You ponder your latest obsession with childlike excitement. "Oh I know! What about Aura Blade?"
"Simple. To the point. Easy to say in a pinch. Yup. I think that'll work." The fennec nods. She gives you a warm smile before removing her hand from your head and taking your wrist to halt your treatment. "Alright, that's enough for now. Save some for Nene and Flare too."
"Oh crap, you're right!" You are brought back to the fact that you are in the middle of a war, and both girls in question are likely fighting against other captains right now. You try to force yourself up, but you still feel a tad floaty.
"Woah now, your wounds are doing better, but you're still recovering from your unique Polka experience." The fennec helps you to sit upright, but doesn't seem intent on letting you rush off into battle. "You can afford to rest for a little longer. You haven't heard anything from Undine yet, have you?"
"No. Which means things must be going smoothly enough down there. But…" You try to stave off the anxiety you feel.
"Hey. They're all going to be fine." Polka takes your cheek and turns you to her. Within those radiant purple pools of hers, you see her truths, and having connected with her on a level you didn't even know was possible, you feel the certainty she has. She then gives you a sly smile. "Wanna check out what kinda stuff this guy has stashed away?"
The promise of pilfering some valuables from a rotten bastard like Krol perks you up immediately. You DO need to make sure you can secure enough treasure to pay off Kiara after all, and with a woman with a bottomless hat at your side, you can carry all this ship has to offer. Polka seems to always know just what to say to get you grinning from ear to ear. The way her own grin shines with its own brand of fennec mischief makes your heart aflutter. Now, time for some plundering.