Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter and providing feed backs. Special thanks to Svampmannen for their review of chapter 21 which give me a lot to think about on this chapter.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
Cross posted on AO3, for anyone who prefer that site.
Itsuki didn't know what he expected from the pirate's damage on Melromarc's fleet. Probably something similar to the state of the big battleship he and Motoyasu left. So when the lifeboat the two of them boarded on stopped by a beaten up looking ship, he's a bit shocked to see the damage. Holes large enough to let people jump through (which is exactly what Motoyasu does), and wood burnt to black with ashes dripping from the edge of the newly opened tears. He quickly followed after Motoyasu leaping into the side of the drifting ship.
The inside looks and smells much worse. From the outside, the scent of smoke is much stronger, mixed with the smell of blood telling Itsuki the pirate didn't only cause property damage. Their attacks have killed people. Naofumi taught him through action the importance of not casting judgment on other people too fast. That being a hero is more about protecting and saving innocent lives than killing those he thinks are guilty. But the Bow Hero can't find any reason to justify the pirates' action. So much destruction, and likely death. For what? They were chased away in the end, probably didn't even find the time to rob any of the ships (unless some of the pirates boarded one of the wounded ships and took something while he's not looking, which he doubts). Itsuki frantically turns his head left and right, trying to find Motoyasu among the wrecked interior, rising smoke, and broken body parts... The Bow Hero does his best to ignore the last part. He hopes the end was at least quick for these victims of the pirates.
"FATHER! MITSUHA'S LEG HURTS!" The desperate wailing of a girl caught Itsuki's attention. The Bow Hero runs towards the crying sound, dodging splitters and still burning embers. As he rounded a corner through a half fallen wall into a cabin, the youngest cardinal hero saw a ghastly looking sight. A young looking girl in her early teens, with a pair of blonde twintails is writhing on the ground. Both her right leg and arm bend in a completely unnatural way, and part of her cloth around her wound looks almost melted into her skin. Her upper body is wrapped around what looks to be metal wires, likely someone's effort to limit her movement and not let her desperate flailing make her broken leg even worse.
"I'm here, Mitsuha. I'll make things better, I promise. Good job keeping your sister still, Mitsuki." Motoyasu is kneeling in front of the now named Mitsuha. He gives a quick nod of acknowledgement towards a girl kneeling by Mitsuha's head, who looks almost identical to the girl with broken limbs. From their conversation, Itsuki realizes the victim is one of Motoyasu's filorial 'children'. He doesn't know if this makes the matter better, or worse. While the girl looks, and acts like a young teen, she is technically only lightly over one month old from her birth.
Itsuki feels like he's intruding on something important between Motoyasu and his children. He is aware that he can't do anything to help in this situation. Unlike the Spear Hero, he had no affinity for any kind of healing magic, or miracles. And he only started learning the basics of medicine making from Rishia, and he doubts a healing balm is any good for broken limbs and very bad burns. But he doesn't know if he should back out of the chamber or not after barging into it. Thankfully (or unfortunately for Motoyasu and his children), someone came in behind him, and broke the awkward moment. "Motoyasu, Itsuki. Come back with me to the flag ship. Naofumi is going to chase after the pirates who did this. He'll need all three of us."
Motoyasu didn't say anything. The tip of his tongue pokes out between the corner of his lips, and slowly moves towards the center of his mouth before retracting inside. He... could simply feel his lips being too dry after moving through the inside of a ship that still had embers of fire not fully put out. The silence between them is broken when Mitsuha lets out a weak, shaking beg. "Please, Father. Don't leave me..."
"I want to stay with you till you get better, Mitsuha. But I have to go get the bad guys who hurt you. So they don't get to hurt anyone else. You sit tight and rest, your siblings will take care of you while I'm gone. And I'll be back for you and your siblings as soon as I take care of the bad men." Motoyasu gently places his hand on Mitsuha's head and gives her a few comforting rubs before slowly standing up. He slowly stands up from where he kneeled down, face looking serious and stern. "Let's go get them."
Ren looks at Itsuki next. The Bow Hero simply nods back to the sword hero. Any sense of doubt he might have about going after the pirates vanished after coming inside this ship with Motoyasu. Their spear-wielding friend might not be the brightest, but he is right this time. Someone who did this for seemingly no reason must be stopped.
Chapter 22: The Day Dread Pirate Robert Almost Escaped
Convincing the other two heroes didn't take much effort. The hard part was getting to Motoyasu and Itsuki when they had already jumped onto a small life boat to look for the Spear Hero's bird children while Naofumi was trying to convince everyone of his idea to go after the escaped pirate ship. Thankfully, none of his children were killed thanks to their high level (something can't be said for the marines employed under House Amelia), even if some did get hurt pretty badly during the ship to ship combat. Malty didn't go to take a look at the ships that's been heavily damaged by the Jackdaw herself, but from the solemn faces of Motoyasu and Itsuki, they were bad. Needless to say, Motoyasu was ready to get some revenge for his children, and Itsuki was eager to stop the pirate from hurting more people.
Once again, piercing wind begins to blow into Malty's face like hundreds of blades. She tightens her cloak wrapped around her head, but holds fast on phoenix Kael'thas' back. From the side, Naofumi wraps his shield arm around her shoulder, using his legendary weapon to offer her some more protection against the element. Kael'thas isn't the only one who is carrying them, his two Siltvelt prince colleagues are trailed right behind him across the sky. But even with three spirit birds, their capacity is very limited and the four cardinal heroes didn't bring their full party with them. Aside from the four heroes themselves, Malty is obviously here because her [Clairvoyance] is how they are tracking down the pirate vessel. A fully recovered Yatsuhashi is also sitting behind Naofumi even if he's not suited to fight on a ship, because he doesn't want to entertain the possibility of his charge getting hurt while he's not present. In addition, Blake and some of her best sea tribe warriors (including Theresa, obviously) followed them in case the pirates put up a fierce fight.
Among those who stayed back on The Golden Wind is Raphtalia, who volunteered to 'take care of Big Sister Sadina', even if it should have been the other way around. This would be a situation where Raphtalia's very incompetent bodyguard would have been very helpful with her fighting prowess and her ability to transform into a large marine animal. Which of course, means she's not available because she's passed out drinking that whole barrel of rum by herself. The Throwing Weapon Hero had some fierce protest being left behind, and for a brief moment Malty wondered if someone had to knock him out again. Thankfully his white tiger companion convinced him to listen to Naofumi this time. With words, not his fist.
"They have slowed down after escaping from House Amelia's fleet, Master Naofumi." As Malty tries to talk, she instantly feels cold air filling the inside of mouth, lungs, stomach... It's not a pleasant feeling to say the least. Her spell doesn't give her actual vision per say, but she does see a trail of white smoke leading into the distant horizon. In addition, she's now also seeing what seems to be a blip of white shining light. That's something she never experienced before when using her [Clairvoyance], and she wonders if the effect came from her father's wand, or if it's something she earned herself by practicing with her magic since she became a companion of the Shield Hero. Regardless, it allowed her to gauge the distance between themselves and the pirate ship they are chasing down, and they are getting closer to their target.
"Don't speak. Concentrate on directing Kael." Naofumi gives a light, but encouraging pat on Malty's shoulder. The former princess nods, and begins to run her finger on phoenix Kael'thas' back to adjust his direction. Of course, it goes to reason that the speed (and agility, but that's less important when a ship is trying to create distance from their initial target) displayed by the Jackdaw during their sea battle is not normal even for the most advanced ship built with the finest material and enchanted technology. Their fire users need to rest to recover their strength, so do the devices on their ships to not get damaged.
It's hard to keep track of time when they are flying through the sky, but it feels almost like an instance. The next time Malty opens her eyes, something other than endless blue sky and dark water comes into her sight. A single boat in the distance under them, flying the black flag of a pirate. They have caught up with their target. Malty hasn't done anything other than pointing Kael'thas towards the direction of the Jackdaw. But she admits, it's a nice feeling to be the predator chasing down a target, rather than a prey constantly worrying about getting caught.
"Brace yourself, my king. The ride is about to get rough." The Phoenix Prince accelerated, clearly intended to crash down on their enemy and limit the time their range attack could hurt him, or his passengers on his back. Malty looks back, and sees the white phoenix and the dark Bennu do the same. To the pirate's credit, they clearly see Kael'thas coming as fireballs begin to launch at them like a flurry. There are also loud snapping sounds, and bolts as large as fully grown trees soar through the sky at them. It seems like the pirates weren't content to simply sit around and let their fire user do all the work defending their ship. A naval cannon isn't the best kind of siege engine for fire defense, the same thing can't be said for Scorpio Ballista. The Phoenix Prince flaps his flaming wings and waves around. Easily dodging all the attacks. The ride becomes even tougher for Malty as Kael'thas warned, but she manages to hold on as she and everyone around her leans down on Kael'thas' back. As they get closer to the ship, sounds of firearms going off can also be heard. Other pirates have joined in the effort of their mysterious fire user to defend their ship. Although the effect seems to be negligible since the phoenix prince doesn't seem to put any more effort into his dodging attempt. "COMING IN HOT!"
Malty could feel her body, or rather, the body underneath herself suddenly jerks to a stop. The sudden movement almost makes her vomit, and she wonders how the Phoenix Prince would look if she actually does puke on him. Thankfully, the effect didn't last long. The next time Malty opens her eyes, she sees they are on an unfamiliar deck. Ruined wood and ash on the 'ground' where Kael'thas made his impact that's closer to a bombardment hit than a simple landing. All around them, rough looking people in baggy, open chested dark jackets and white pants surround them holding guns and cutlasses.
"The four Cardinal Heroes, was it? A good display of your strength and unity. Bravo, bravo! Please, allow me to welcome you all to the free nation of Jackdaw." An aloof and surprisingly cultured sounding voice comes from the helm of the pirate ship accompanied by slow, but loud claps. Malty squints her eyes to get a better look at the legendary dream pirate Roberts. She doesn't know what to expect. This mythical figure that has been terrorizing the sea for centuries. To the point that some people have suspected him to be some kind of demon. Maybe a giant of a man that would rival someone like the dead (and very much unmourned) Battle Saint of the Four Heroes' Church, Roger of Ajax. Or the late (and very much mourned) Pope of the Three Heroes' Church Biscas Tiberius Balmus, but probably with the addition of a terrible, or magnificent beard of either pure black, or pure white.
Malty finds the actual figure of Dread Pirate Robert to be very underwhelming. His stature isn't exactly short, or tiny. But perhaps he would actually stand out more if that was the case. No, the captain of the Jackdaw happens to have a very standard height and build. His skin is very tanned and looks to be more than a bit rough, probably due to the constant exposure to the element as the captain of a pirate ship. He has dirty blonde hair dripping to the side of his head, with unclean stubble around his face instead of a beard or even a mustache. He also looks fairly young, as he can't be more than his early thirties. All in all, his appearance doesn't look very remarkable aside from the fact that his face apparently belongs to the legendary pirate captain who took down countless ships and fleet, while escaping justice till this point.
"Did you think it's all fun and games when you hurt my children?! I'M GOING TO FUCK YOUR FACE IN!" The furious roar of Motoyasu came down together with someone else's desperate scream. Malty, and most of the pirates look up. Atop the crow's nest, Motoyasu is dangling a pirate upside down by holding his ankle with one hand, and his spear pointing down at the deck of the pirate ship underneath his feet. Besides him on the mast, the white phoenix of Prince Cleose's beast form perches. Clearly, the flippant attitude of the pirate captain easily enraged the Spear Hero. Looking angry enough to do anything between skewering the legendary dread pirate to blowing up his entire ship.
Above him, the dark Bennu form of Prince Mohammed Avdol flies in circles around the pirate ship. The four Cardinal Heroes decided to come after the pirates in an attempt to subjugate them. And this is the strategy they settled on: Naofumi and Ren would land right on the deck to negotiate the pirate's term of surrender, and possibly be beaten down on those who decide to resist. Motoyasu would stay on one of the masts with the threat to sink their ship if the pirates try to overwhelm Naofumi and Ren with numbers. And Itsuki would stay in the air as their final safety net.
Naofumi stayed on Kael'thas' back. He silently held his arm up in the direction of Motoyasu to stop him. Probably trying to remember the Spear Hero that they are trying to take the pirates in alive so they can be used to fight the current Wave of Catastrophe.
"Hold for now, Motoyasu." Blake, Theresa, and the few Cal Mira Island marines jumped down from Kael'thas' back and got into their respective fighting stance. The two Cardinal Heroes and Malty stayed on Kael'thas, in case they needed to escape into the sky in a hurry. The pirates clearly looked agitated at their uncloaked aggression, but didn't do anything much other than twitching around, and shifting their weight in their own fighting stance. For a group of unruly criminals, they are surprisingly well-disciplined to not instantly devolve into chaos when boarded by the four Cardinal Heroes and their retinue. The Shield Hero looks at the pirates and begin to address them next. "You already know our identities, yet decided to raid and rob the fleet we are on? Are you that confident in your power, or did you think we were easy targets?"
"Well. To be fair we didn't expect any of you to be on the Melromarc fleet. I think we got suckered by our informant." Dread Pirate Robert shrugs his shoulders. Besides him, the masked pirate slowly shifts his legs, while holding his chest with his left hand. His right hand is the only one that's holding up the hilt of another claymore.
On the other another, another severe looking young man is in his own fighting stance, his bare hands each holding a bundle of burning flame. It seems like Malty found the identity of the pirate's flame user. His features are grim, but surprisingly delicate looking. Malty would almost call him pretty if they are not enemies with each other. As the situation is, she leans closer to the Sword Hero and whispers into his ears. "You see that guy holding fire in his hands, Master Ren? If a fight starts between us, immediately use your restricted sword art on him and go after him. He's probably the most dangerous one."
Ren doesn't say anything back to, or even look at Malty. He merely bobs his head up and down a few times as an acknowledgement that easily been overlooked by everyone. The Sword Hero clearly knows the importance of keeping their immediate battle strategy a secret. Thankfully Dread Pirate Robert doesn't seem to have super hearing, as he continues monologuing his explanation to the heroes. "Feminus told us that all the Cardinal Heroes had been taken away from Melromarc, and this is a great opportunity to plunder their ship for riches, maybe even take their queen and crown princess for a handsome ransom. Granted, we didn't exactly verify if her information was accurate or not before we did our raid. But hey, what did you expect? We are pirates, not one of those fancy spy organizations used by the big nations. And we did leave you guys alone immediately when we started seeing the weapon arts of all your Cardinal Heroes. Doesn't that deserve some consideration?"
"We don't care about what made you raid the fleet we were on. Or if you get deceived by someone else. You caused a lot of damage, and you hurt and killed a lot of people. My buddy's children included." Naofumi points his thumb at Motoyasu, who lets out a muffled growl to help emphasize the point. "We can do this two ways now that we chased you down. You can come quietly and face the sentence of your past actions. Fight the rest of the Waves for us as a punishment for all your past crimes... or we fight and like the Melromarc queen said - end all of you today."
"Go ahead and refuse! I dare you! Give me a reason to nuke all you fuckhead from orbit and end you all!" Motoyasu added from atop the mast, perfectly playing the rule of the brutal thug following the order of a more sophisticated and reasonable leader.
"Very well. We accept your turn and surrender to you revered heroes." Dread Pirate Robert's acceptance of their punishment is so fast, it nearly made Malty trip her feet on nothing. Motoyasu did trip on his feet and fell over the mast. He would have plunged down with his captive if it wasn't for Katarina immediately grabbing onto his own ankle. The Spear Hero was clearly looking for any excuse to pick a fight with the pirates so he can avenge his bird children. The pirates surrounding the heroes all look back at their pirate captain for one brief moment, clearly as confused by the situation as everyone else. But they didn't immediately start a mutiny at his decision that would put them all into indentured service. They didn't even voice any objection, once again showing the discipline more expected from elite soldiers than a group of unsavory rabble.
"That was fast. All of you do realize we aren't going to take your word for it, right?" Itsuki's incredulously sounding voice rains down from the sky. He is probably raising his eyebrows at the pirates. Maybe someone should have stopped him from explaining Naofumi's exact term of demand to the pirates. But perhaps letting them know what's expected of them clearly from the start would be better for everyone now they are at an isolated location. Better to have them try something dangerous when they have nowhere to run and could sink into the bottom of the ocean if they resist, than risk them escaping into the wild and continuing to hurt more people. "I don't like the idea. But all of you are criminals. We are going to have to use that murder seal on all of you to make sure you don't try anything funny."
"GO DIVE OFF A CLIFF!" The fire user screams out before the pirate captain has a chance to respond. The orange fire in his hands instantly turns blue. Malty turns back to look at Kael'thas. Sure enough, the eyes of the phoenix prince are narrowed into a slit. "I'd rather go down fighting than get turned into property and sold out by opportunist scum like you!"
"GLADLY!" Motoyasu didn't let his current dangling state stop him. Still holding his spear in a way that has its tip pointed at the helm of Jackdaw. A ruby colored energy sphere begin to gather in front of his spear tip. Looking ready to launch his heaviest hitting Spear Weapon Art at the pirate leaders. Naofumi stops him once again with an arm wave. Motoyasu turns his head slightly to the side to glare at the Shield Hero, but he steps back without saying anything.
"I'm not looking to profit off your lives! I hate the whole slave trading business as much as you do!" The Shield Hero also takes a step forward, his narrowed eyes twitching with fury. From his previous actions, and witnessing how the whole slavery system had been abused by decadent nobles and zealous church, it must be tearing his inside apart that he's now willing to participate in the same action. "What I need all of you for is to fight the waves. Because most of those so-called 'world leaders' treat this world ending threat seriously. I was told by a demi-god that this wave isn't like most others. There is this 'Burning Legion' from outside this world ready to conquer and destroy this world. I personally fought two invading goddesses back to back in the last two Waves! But none of those so-called leaders treat it seriously. They act like I'm joking, or making up stories because I'm a little boy who doesn't know better! That's why I know I can't count on them to fight the Legion, and I need to find good fighters elsewhere. And if you survive the fight, I'll consider your past crimes paid and release all of you. Until I catch any of you trying to rob another ship again."
"Sounds like how those social elites act, alright - only getting off their lazy behind when there's something to gain." The unnamed fire user actually waves off the fire in his hands, and then crosses his arms in front of his chest. His body posture still looks rigid, but no longer in a battle ready stance that could toss fireballs at Naofumi at a moment's notice. It seems like they have found a common ground in their mutual hatred towards the self-serving nobility. The fire user narrows their eyes at Naofumi in a glare though." But what type of guarantee can you even give that you'll release us when all this is over? What's stopping you from simply keeping us all as your personal slaves to attack others?"
Malty can't help but think the fire user is being too presumptuous, if they think they are in any position to negotiate. Their only other option is to fight all Four Cardinal Heroes to the last man and somehow win or die. But from the look on the fire user's face, they seem fully committed to it.
Naofumi flinches in response, probably realizing that he has no way of guaranteeing that. But he does try at least. "I'll give you all an official pardon. I'm the King of Siltvelt technically, I'm sure I can get you all a pardon of some kind."
"King in name only…" The fire user rolls his eyes at Naofumi, he seemed decidedly unimpressed by the Shield Hero. Or perhaps he is simply too knowledgeable about Siltvelt's backward power structure. Kael'thas did allude to him being from the Azure Dragon clan after all.
"That's the best you guys are going to get. Take it or leave it." Ren stepped up to support Naofumi.
"Very well. We'll take your offer." Dread Pirate Robert nods his head and opens his arm up in a shrug. The silent, masked pirate beside him puts his weapon down first, and then slowly sits down on the floor. Once again, the gathered pirates all look back at him for a brief moment, clearly questioning his decision. But after a brief, silent, and tense moment, they all put their weapons away without much resistance.
"That was easy... You better not be trying to play some tricks!" Itsuki's voice rains down from the sky once again. Ren narrows his eyes, and Motoyasu grits his teeth and lets out a loud growl atop the mast. The Bow Hero might be the one who voiced the question, but he clearly isn't the only one who doesn't trust the pirates.
"Maybe they are, but it's not like they can do anything once we get slave seals on them. Still, better keep them all together under heavy guard till that happens..." Naofumi dips his head low as he mumbles to himself, his eyes focused on a piece of slightly chipped wooden board in front of him. For someone as usually kind hearted as Naofumi to come up with solutions that's more in line with a callous and cruel aristocrat, the Shield Hero is as suspicious of the pirates' response as his fellow heroes.
"Ah. I know what all of you revered heroes must be thinking. Why would a group of freedom loving seamen, who choose to brave the waves rather than kneel down to a liege, so readily swear themselves to you?" The pirate captain of the Jackdaw puts his right hand under his chin, and his left hand under his right elbow in a mock thinking gesture. He began to pace the helm of his ship left and right. "The reason is very simple, my legendary friends: the four of you. You heroes still carry some very valuable prestige to everyone in the world. Those fat elites may not take your demands seriously and only want to fatten their own pocket, but they can't openly become an enemy of you in the fear of giving their rivals and enemies an excuse to take them down. We, on the other hand... unfortunately did just that because we were lied to by our informant. Which means the other nations now have extra incentive to go after us in addition to the bragging right of taking down the legendary Dread Pirate Robert. Which of course, means serving you to fight the Wave is probably the best deal we can get out of this terrible misunderstanding. We are freedom lovers who enjoy unrestricted lives, not idiots with death wishes."
"I told you that the mark was too good to be true. That shady Feminus was trying to pull one over us. But no, you have to 'take the risk for the greatest opportunity'." The still unintroduced fire user turns his head around to glare at his captain in clear annoyance.
"Oh well. You win some and you lose some. That's part of life." Dread Pirate Robert lets out a shrug once again as he brushes off their impending sentence nonchalantly. "Besides, Oku - I don't hear you complaining about Feminus when we do hit some high value target when her leak comes through for us."
Feminus... it's a bit of a ridiculous name. Malty is willing to bet this pirate informant didn't contact them with her real name. Though come to think about it, that makes sense. From the conversation between Robert and (the now named fire sorcerer) Oku, they implied that they have hit quite a number of valuable targets thanks to information from her. Which implies they are someone who has a high position in society. Not just some rich merchant, or even a noble who is far from the center of power in any nation's court. No, this has to be someone who holds a high enough military, or administrative position to know a lot of secrets. Possibly even someone who was present in Cal Mira Island during the recent Hero Conference.
Which begs the better question. Why did Feminus lie to, and manipulate Dread Pirate Robert to attack House Amelia's fleet which was carrying the heroes back to Melromarc? It can't be that she's trying to have them kidnap the heroes or else she would have revealed the truth to them in case they kill one, or multiple heroes during the naval battle by accident. Was this 'Feminus' short sighted, or insane enough to try to get the heroes killed, consequences be damned? Was she a greedy, but incompetent opportunist? Or was she some doom cultist who actively wanted the world destroyed? Possibly even an agent working for The Burning Legion? If that's the case, it reminded Malty of one person: Zeke, that Faubley Unspeakable who has the ability to construct a giant ape body. Regardless of their motivation, their actions certainly have similarities. Does this mean that 'Feminus' was Zeke himself (even if Robert and his pirates believed Feminus to be a woman), or perhaps his ally or accomplice who shared similar goals? So many questions, possibilities... none of them good for the Cardinal Heroes, or the world of Medea. She needs to share these thoughts to all four Cardinal Heroes next time they have some privacy, even if she doubts they have enough information to come to any conclusion. They need to be fully aware of all the possible risks involved with this Zeke, and this Feminus character. Assuming they are two different people, of course.
"I'm not going to bullshit you. It won't be easy fighting the Wave for me. Most of you probably won't live till you get released from slavery." The eyes of the Shield Hero rises back up, he scans through each and every pirates' face. "The goddess we fought from the Fourth Wave could melt people into ash. Who knows what other abominations we'll be facing in the future? But I will promise you this: as your master, I won't sell you like property. I won't use you like cannon fodder. I need warriors who are willing to fight, and die to defend this world. Not unthinking tools to be used and thrown away. And for those of you who do survive in the end, I'll consider your past crimes paid and return your freedom to you. And as you might know, I am one of the heroes. That means I'm entitled to the noble rank of a duke. For those of you who fight valiantly to defend the world, I will not act miserly for reward. Maybe I could even reward some of you a little bit of land for you to rule over."
The Shield Hero did learn something from his previous experience. Now, he no longer seems to reject the future where he would join the rank of nobility. And he seems to have been inspired by the act of Count Balgruuf rewarding Gaston with the village of Balafon to be his personal fief. Malty has no doubt that the Shield Hero would make good on his promise. He had already proven to be able to establish villages with his knowledge, and his hero abilities based on what he did with the group of refugees turned bandits in Whiterun County. All he has to do is to repeat a similar process with these pirates to hopefully turn them into future loyal subjects.
"You look down on us, Lord Shield Hero. We are pirates, freedom seeking men on the high seas. We normally bow down to no lieges or masters. That means we understand the burden of true freedom. Anything we do to others, those who are stronger has the same to render unto us. And I can assure you, dying from a cannon ball doesn't look, or feel any less painful than melted into ash by foul magic. But I shall hold you to your promise. Come on, boys. All those who are brave enough to fight the Wave of Catastrophe for a handsome reward shout AYE! All those who are too cowardly to defend our world alongside the legendary heroes whimper NAY!" The pirates raise their weapons once again to cheer alongside their captain. The masked, unintroduced and likely wounded pirate didn't say anything, but he did raise his sword up as a response. As for the (likely Azure Dragon) fire sorcerer Oku... he turns his face away and rolls his eyes to show much more pessimistic thoughts. But the sorcerer didn't openly say anything to challenge Dread Pirate Robert's decision either. He might know their end wouldn't be as bright as the Shield Hero painted for them, but he also realizes they would all sink into the sea now that the heroes show they have the ability to chase them down from the sky. As a fellow user of fire, Oku would know how deadly it is to ships.
Motoyasu jumps down from the mast onto the deck, and walks through the crowd of gathered pirates to reach Naofumi. Not the smartest thing to do... but none of the pirates tried to hurt him. To Malty's surprise... It seems like their surrender is genuine. Likewise, Mohammed Avdol also slowly descends till he lands on the front of the ship not far from Kael'thas, allowing Itsuki to walk over as well.
"Psst... Naofumi. So we really are going to let these fuckers join us without even a slap on the wrist?" Motoyasu whispers to the Shield Hero, his usually silly looking face scrunched up and twisted with anger that reminded Malty of a certain dead and unmourned Four Heroes' Church Battle Saint. The princess turned slave wonders what he witnessed on the other ship to have the normally childish, but good natured hero act with this much vindictiveness. Hopefully, none of his bird 'children' were killed by the pirates. They really don't need to have the buried hatchet come out and cause an infighting during the more critical time. Because the already concluded Hero Conference showed them one simple fact: The Burning Legion aren't the only enemies they'll be facing. Most, if not all the greedy social elites from the very world they are trying to protect are all ready to use them, and stabbing them in the back. It reminded her of a saying she heard from someone who she couldn't recall the name of. Fear not your god like enemies, but be very fearful of your pig like allies.
"I know you weren't there on the other, smaller ships. And you didn't see how bad things got for them. But can we truly trust these criminals just because they act like everything's fine and games?" Like the Spear Hero, Itsuki also voiced his own concern. So far, the only Cardinal Hero who hasn't openly said anything about adding pirates to their own forces is Ren. But even the Sword Hero looks grim with his arms crossed in front of him... or maybe he's just being his usual sulking self. "Motoyasu's children got hurt badly. I saw one of them get her leg all bent wrong. But at least she survived. There's a lot of people who didn't. I know... because I saw torn up body parts in the ships that've been hit by cannon balls from these pirates. If anything, the way they act all flippantly is concerning, because it's clear they don't care about the atrocities they committed, and don't treat it as a serious offense."
"Like I told these pirates. I'm not rewarding them, and I especially don't trust them. I'm having them fight the toughest battle, even going up against invading outer gods. I doubt many of them will even survive the next Wave battle. That's why I'm putting slave seals on them, even if I hate the practice and still want to abolish slave trade. Better to risk the lives of these criminals to fight The Burning Legion than honest folks like the villagers from Lute, or Balafon. Besides, we can't exactly force the law-abiding citizens to go up against their own lords if we have a disagreement with those greedy, self-serving nobles. Well... we can. But then we'll be no better than those bad nobles." This time, the Shield Hero fully turns around to face the vitriol filled Spear Hero and gives him a few comforting pats on the back. "Look, Motoyasu. I understand you hate them because of what they did to your children. I'd feel the same thing if they hurt Raphtalia, Firo, Lial or Lori. Leave these criminals to me, you don't have to do anything with them. Just pretend they don't exist."
"Fine. But I don't want them anywhere near my children. You tell them to stay away, that I'll skewer them all if any of them dare to look at one of my children funny." Motoyasu throws a dirty look at the pirates before looking back at Naofumi. The Spear Hero might act like a silly child all the time, but just like a child, he has his own moment of cruelty. Likewise, the other two heroes didn't say much
"Bring out the good rum, boys! We'll have to welcome the heroes to the Jackdaw to show there's nothing personal between us and them!" Dread Pirate Robert doesn't seem to be aware of the animosity the Spear Hero (and probably the other heroes) has towards them. Or perhaps the legendary, possibly unnaturally long lived pirate captain does know, but chooses to underplay it to not cause a mutiny from the cutthroats under him. Regardless, neither the heroes nor their supporters took his jovial attitude at face value. All of them still have their hands on the hilt, or shaft of their respective weapons. The three Vermili princes still remained in their great bird form, likely ready to snatch the heroes and fly away at the first sign of danger. Regardless, neither side chose to come to blows with each other. Naofumi needed warriors who aren't loyal to any of the established social elites to fight for him, and the pirates want to continue to live after painting the biggest target on their own backs. So very soon, a small party began to take place on the Jackdaw's deck. The pirate captain brought out the best fresh sea delicacies, alcohol, and even some preserved fruit out. Dread Pirate Robert likely knows that he won't be calling the shots of his ship for long, so he took out the good food to have one last feast to make sure none of his current subordinates decides to take off his own head.
"Why the long face, Lord Spear Hero? Like I said, I didn't mean to hurt one of your children. I'd have told my men to turn our sail and run if I knew you four were in that House Amelia fleet. That's a complete accident." While the pirate crew of Jackdaw are busy having one last drink and feast before their official incarceration (enslavement), Dread Pirate Robert walks up to the Spear Hero with two mugs of rum in his hands. He pushes one mug against Motoyasu's arm, seemingly not caring if this action would cause the Spear Hero to make good of his promise and skewer him to death. "Have a drink of our spirit, eat some of our food, be merry! And then we'll consider this horrible misunderstanding water under the bridge."
The Spear Hero didn't say anything back to the pirate captain. He lets out an annoyed grunt, but takes the mug of alcohol in his hand and downs it in one go. Motoyasu moves onto some of the food brought out by the heroes, but instead of stuffing his own face, he puts some of them into his spear. Maybe he's going to bring them back to his children. Although knowing what Firo was like... this food probably isn't much when dividing them among over a hundred filorial birds.
"What is your relationship with the Azure Dragon Great Clan? Or better yet, its main branch?" The grim voice of interrogation from Kael'thas takes Malty's attention away from the Spear Hero. She looks at the Phoenix Prince, and sure enough the flaming bird is glaring down at the comparatively small fire sorcerer Oku. "The last Azure Dragon to use the azure fire was Lord Ozai's daughter Princess Azula, but she's been dead for over a decade now. At least that's what the Azure Dragon Great Clan stated publicly. What game is Ozai, or Lung playing?!"
"Ozai can pretend there's something inherently superior about his bloodline all he wants. But there's nothing special about it. Any Azuli could use the azure fire if they go through the effort of rigorous training." Oku didn't answer Kael'thas' interrogation directly. Instead, he scoffs and spits at the dragon lord mentioned by the phoenix prince.
For a time, Kael'thas didn't say anything back to the fire sorcerer. The large flaming bird and the young (probably older than he looks due to Azure Dragon clan's slow aging) man glare at each other in complete silence. The Phoenix Prince finally breaks their staring contest after a good while. "I'll be watching you."
"We are approaching the Melromarc fleet now, my captain!" Someone from up the crow's nest shouts down at the pirates who are partying below. Because even as the merriment continued, they were slowly making their way back to the fleet they raided a moment earlier. Perhaps not the best idea since someone from House Amelia might be trying to take revenge against the pirates for their earlier crimes. But the heroes still have to officially report to Queen Mirellia about their success to pacify the crew of Jackdaw and incorporate them into Naofumi's retinue. As long as the pirates have done everything to show their lack of hostility, they should have nothing to worry about. "They are shooting at us!"
The warning came just as a huge pillar of water blew up from the side of the ship. Not harming the Jackdaw or the crew, but giving all of them a good splash that doused whatever good spirit they might have from before. Malty looks up at the mast of their ship, wondering if they were still flying the black flag of the pirate. But to her lack of surprise, they are flying a white flag of parley instead. Their ship was also moving at a slow speed to show that they do not bear hostile intention. Did some sailor from the House Amelia fleet fire a shot at the pirate on their own, or did her mother command their remaining ships to try and take the pirate ship down.
Her answer came quickly when more cannonballs started to fly at the Jackdaw. Naofumi quickly erects multiple shield weapon arts and miracle barriers in front of the pirate ship. They didn't last long against the barrages of fire, but the time was enough for the pirates to leave their drinks and food to jump back into their battle stations and have their ship to accelerate back to full speed fit for naval battle. They may be drinking rum for a while, but they still look sober enough to fight. Regardless, a good number of them are throwing dirty looks at the Shield Hero and his companions for this sudden attack. They probably think Naofumi has lied to them. And to a certain extent... he kind of did. Since his promise of taking them into indentured service and then releasing them if they redeem their past crimes through fighting the wave was never talked about, and has been acknowledged by the high queen of Melromarc... or any other authority figure for that matter. And while he is entitled to the noble rank of a duke, none of the heroes have been officially recognized as a noble with their own fiefdom yet.
"Queen of Melromarc. The pirates have all been pacified by the four Cardinal Heroes, and their former vessel Jackdaw has also been taken over by the heroes with all of them onboard! Cease this act of aggression against the four Cardinal Heroes IMMEDIATELY!" Malty doesn't have time to explain the situation to the heroes, or to the pirates. She needs to take charge of this situation before things deteriorate further due to mother's attempt at snubbing the Shield Hero (and herself). Switching the form of her wand to the one with voice manipulation, she uses it to amplify her voice and blast her warning over the entire House Amelia fleet. "Any further act of aggression will be considered aggression aimed at the four Cardinal Heroes!"
Normally, Malty would not dare to openly challenge her mother even as a personal retainer (slave) to the Shield Hero. But this time things are different. Be it true negligence or pretention (because Naofumi certainly didn't ask for the queen's permission, or even send her a message when he made his plan up to recruit the pirates), her mother had opened fire on the Cardinal Heroes, in full view of the liaisons from other nations. This would have been a major offense Mother committed in her attempt at snubbing Naofumi's influence, Something her political rivals from other nations would be more than happy to take advantage of.
The silent waiting for her mother's response feels long. At least the lack of more cannon balls flying their direction feels encouraging. After who knows how long, Queen Mirellia's voice can be heard from the Golden Wind. She lacks the convenience of a hero weapon's abilities, but she certainly doesn't lack highly skilled mages. "The Shield Hero does not have the right to pardon criminals on Melromarc's behalf. Dread Pirate Robert's aggressive actions have caused damage to Melromarc property and personnel. The Cardinal Heroes are required to leave the pirate vessel immediately, so as not to be harmed when we punish the pirates according to our law."
"Request denied! What the four Cardinal Heroes did have legal precedence as recent as The Great War." Malty can feel both the heroes, and the pirates looking at her as she continues her confrontation with her mother. "Archduke Wales Arc in his youth, have recruited criminals to fight Siltvelt occupation army. Same for the former king regent and Wand Hero Aultcray. Said criminals who survived the Great War were later incorporated into Melromarc Free Fighters to work off their sentence in service of the crown. Nobles recruiting criminals to fight a great crisis is part of Melromarc tradition. As all Cardinal Heroes are legally entitled to the rank of a duke, and the Wave of Catastrophe is the greatest threat our world would face, the Cardinal Heroes have acted according to Melromarc law. Something even the high queen of Melromarc could not override without holding a grand council with the rest of the nobility to have the law changed!"
Once again, silence reigns over the space between Jackdaw and the Amelia fleet. Malty's mother could still try to force them to abandon the crew of Jackdaw by resuming the bombardment. But she would be painting herself as an unstable tyrant in front of the liaisons of the other nations. Malty feels grateful for Kal'thuzad's suggestion. It really was a good addition to make sure her mother can't step too much out of her line. After a while, the voice of Queen Mirellia can be heard from the Golden Wind once again. "Very well. The former pirate vessel Jackdaw may join our formation. But we will be watching you closely. And make no mistake, this is not a pardon from the crown. The pirate crew, as well as Dread Pirate Robert will work off their sentence through indentured service."
Malty lets out the breath she's been holding back, and she feels proud of herself. She had a lot of external help, and she took advantage of the situation. But for the first time, she openly challenged her mother, and made her mother blink first.
End Note:
Funny story. I originally asked my fellow writer Angel Wraith for Azula's first personal appearance in this story, since I don't know her too well and all my knowledge of her come from second hand fanfiction writing and seeing people talk about her. I still wrote all her actions and dialogues to give Angel Wraith an impression on how I wanted her to act in this chapter... he barely changed anything. Guess my impression on Azula was somewhat accurate, at least for the version of her in my story according to him.
XD
So, as everyone already guessed. It's Azula... because you know, the fake name she's using is Zuko spelled backwards without the z. Congradulations on everyone, although I suppose I wasn't exactly being subtle with the hint.
:P
Just to be clear, her not immediately revealing her real identity is more of a case where I don't immediately blow my loud and have the character reveal everything about them (which yes, is a non-intentional flaw from Ambition I'm trying to get better at), than me genuinely trying to hide Azula's identity.
Also to the guest reviewer. Yes, the current Dread Pirate Robert is Eddy. Adewale is probably also on the ship, even if he doesn't make an actual appearance.
Regarding the contribution of Svampmannen, I rewritten a portion of this chapter because I thought about of their critique on the heroes acting too impulsive. Originally in my first draft, all of them landed on Jackdew's deck to face the pirates. And in this version, the heroes had a more verticle mix up to pressure the Jackdaw crew into subjugation. Hope this shows that they can still use strategy, even if they are more willing to take risks due to their growing desperation.
Much like the heroes getting a win from the other world leaders. Malty gets a win from her mother at the end. The first one she got from her mother... unless you count her outburst at the end of Ambition of the Red Princess. Which temporarily made her mother speechless and apologize to her. But regardless, it's the first political victory she got from her mother publically, so it's a good cause for celebration.