"We have to get to the Merpearl!" the Emperor coaxed his troops.

"Sire! More Company!" Junayd called. His brow was furrowed as more boats came toward them with their crews rowing feverishly.

Very soon, a fourth and fifth ship lashed onto the ends of the other three, making a long undulating battlefield. With extra pirates to fight, Devrim's soldiers were beginning to get overwhelmed. The Emperor, seeing his advantage slipping, was now leaving more pirates dropping to the deck instead of falling to the water. Junayd likewise was having to fight more fiercely against the increasingly bad odds.

Two pirates, one with a wavy dagger and one with an ornate longsword, ganged up to finish off the Emperor. Having no shield or armor, the grey-eyed man had to use all his skill to keep the men back. The two men were far more used to brute force than the nuances of sword play, and when one opened up his body thinking he was safe to strike, Devrim cut into his side and sent him crumpling to the ground. In the following second he stomped on the pirate with the longsword's foot and pushed into him to free his sword.

Where the one pirate fell, two more sprung up in his place, making it a three-on-one battle with an exhausted Emperor.

"What are you? Lemmings?" he heaved. The three looked at each other to see who would strike first. "Not all at once," Devrim joked, secretly thankful for the reprieve. His arms were beginning to ache from all the day's activities, and he wished he had spent more time building up his arm muscles while riding. His life quite literally depended on it now.

At last the furthest man to Devrim's right took a quick jab with his club and the Emperor was just a hair too slow to block the blow. His upper arm received the full force and caused him to grunt. He resisted the urge to nurse the newly forming bruise, and kept both his hands firmly on his sword.

Emboldened by their friend's success both the other's joined the third in his attack. Devrim was able to block the longsword, but the club bashed into his thigh. Although he avoided the dagger of the final pirate, he was slammed with a gut punch as a follow up move.

"That hurt," he said involuntarily. His sword lowered to protect himself and cut the final man's arm. The punchy pirate fell back in pain. Unfortunately, the club flew at him from his blind spot, and the hit made him see stars. He leaned back against the railing, knowing that if he didn't clear his head, he would lose it momentarily.

But the dizziness did not end quick enough, and the Emperor could see the long sword coming at him. He closed his eyes and instead of feeling steel, he felt a splash of water. All across the deck, Imperial soldiers that had been sabotaging the other ships popped up from the sea.

Devrim waved at the selkies and merfolk for retrieving them and recovered his head in time to see the pirate and longsword go plummeting into the not so friendly water.

The fresh imperial soldiers brought new life to the fight, and a small glimmer of hope rose in Devrim that they might actually win. Having finally caught his breath, he leapt into the fight once more to get to the pirate captain.

Junayd was much closer to that goal as he rammed his body against a wiry little pirate to send him sailing over the railing. However the small man was deceptively strong, and he clutched on to the general to try to steady himself. They both fell over the side.

Junayd hated the sensation of uncontrollably falling more than anything else, and so he was glad when a waterspout stopped his descent and pushed him back on deck. His orange glasses were slightly damaged, but this was not what concerned him.

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"My sword!" He called to the merman with coral-colored hair. The general ducked under an incoming dagger and punched the offending pirate across the jaw. When his sword came sailing through the air and back into his hand, he stopped the pirate once and for all.

Now Junayd had only one goal: get to Xander. The pirate held a special sword with a hole in the hilt just above the cross guard. The Merpearl was fit neatly into the space so that the Captain could both entrance his enemies and kill them. Xander never imagined that he would actually need the blade to fight, but he was happy to have it now.

Junayd, along with a trio of Imperial troops, approached the pirate captain with the intention of ending the battle and the Merpearl's reign. The three subordinates watched the general's back and flanked him to keep anyone else from approaching.

"Time is up Captain." Junayd raised one eyebrow. "This is your final voyage." He swung his blade across at the pirate's torso, but the other man blocked the strike as their swords locked at the crossguards.

Xander frowned, "I have been told that many times, yet I always sail again. I will add you to the long list of those who taste death at my hands. It is a glorious tradition." The pirate shoved him away and cut at the general's legs. Only Junayd's skill helped him avoid the debilitating blade.

Seeing their Captain in trouble, pirates swarmed around them and engaged the small detail with Junayd. With the battle intensifying, Junayd was on his own to face Xander. The men quickly found that they were each skilled and their techniques easily countered one another. Each strike was perfectly matched by the other's parry. It was almost like looking in a mirror.

As the fighting raged on, Junayd could feel his glasses were going looser around his head. He would have to adjust them in between slashes, and it messed with his rhythm. It did not help that most of Xander's strikes were aimed at the general's head.

Blocking the Captain's latest jab, Junayd shoved with all his might and knocked Xander against the railing. Stepping into a swabbing bucket, the pirate tripped and nearly lost his sword over the side. He windmilled his hands and managed to stabilize himself.

Angered, Xander kicked the bucket off his foot at his opponent. The general blocked the weakened wood with his arm, only to have it shatter and send shards shooting into his face. The force of the little pieces were the final straw, and the hinge on Junayd's glasses finally failed.

The orange lenses flew free from his face and clattered to the deck. However, the general never saw them. His full attention was on the beautiful orb ensconced in Xander's sword.

The pirate captain disarmed his opponent easily, and with a sly grin, he stabbed Junayd in the abdomen with the sword. A brief moment of recognition flashed in the burly man's eyes before they closed and he slumped to the floor.

Devrim was still fighting his way toward the captain when he saw his personal guard and most trusted friend fall limply to the deck. He let out a mighty scream, taking down his opponent and finally clearing a path to his goal.

Xander raised his sword as he eyed the newcomer. "You are the Emperor, right?" he asked with indifference. "Are you ready to join your man there?"

Devrim was too angry to respond. All of his fatigue left him as the adrenaline pumped into his system. The Emperor swung and connected with Xander's weapon with such force that it vibrated through his opponent's arms and forced him to step backwards to brace himself.

Two more strikes put the Captain on the defensive and a third managed to pierce the Merpearl and knock it from its setting. The glowing orb rolled along the deck, pausing only shortly before falling into the water.

As the pearl fell into the hands of a mermaid, the spell of the few still in its trance was broken. The beautiful silver-haired lady made a fist and turned the Merpearl to dust. She blew carefully and the fine powder covered the water in a shimmery film.

Back on deck, Xander worked to stop the onslaught of the Emperor. Each hit was stronger than the last. The pirate could not help wonder at his strength. The fire in his eyes was frightening.

Just when Xander felt that his grip would not stand up against the ruler, he heard a mighty sound of rushing water.

Beyond the ships, Wai had rinsed the soap from her body and had returned for vengeance. She came full speed at the ships with a mighty wake behind her. Ramming against the closest of the boats, Wai caused the entire floating battlefield to lurch.

Even with his sturdy sea legs, the pirate was not ready for the sudden sway. He fell against the railing, bruising his back. At that moment, Devrim was going in for the death blow, but instead struck his sword deep into the wooden rail. Coupled with the other scores and strikes, the handrail gave way, and Xander went with it.

The Captain splashed into the water and the waiting arms of a beautiful mermaid. Unlike his last encounter with the creatures, Darya's smile was filled with malice. "You are the owner of the Merpearl? Let me show you what it feels like to lose control of your emotions. It can be very frightening." Darya's eyes shone as began to sing her haunting song into his ear.

On deck, Devrim ran to Junayd's side. The Emperor ripped his tunic and stuffed the wound. There was so much blood. "Did we win?" The General asked barely above a whisper.

The Emperor looked up and saw the greedy look in all the swashbucklers' eyes. With their leader gone, there was now an opening. Each wanted to come out on top with the largest body count to claim the prize. Devrim shook his head sadly.

"I think the battle is just beginning."