Melody surveyed the damage to the ship that Venomheart was occupying. They had managed to get away somehow after inadvertently enraging the Deep Blue Kings by poisoning the sea and killing their krakens, and now, a couple in-game days later, they were way out in the Northern Seas, beyond Paradise Island. Exactly how was I to know the dragon was an illusion-spell? Maybe I could have thought about it a bit longer, but that guild has done so many ridiculous things that I wasn't going to take any chances at all of it being a fake! And now we have to try and renegotiate our position again... we still have their ship; does that make us pirates, now? Melody wondered with a wry grin.
“How long until we can really get going again?” she asked.
“Looks like a day,” Cobra shrugged. “I saw Squidclaw's ship going after the fleet; he's probably gone and tried to use his ultimate on them.”
“Hmm.” Melody nodded.
“The NPC crew doesn't care who's in charge, as long as we have coin,” Jana reported.
“Good.”
“Mel, I--” Clara said, then softly clenched her hand, turning away.
“I told you to do it. It's my responsibility.” Melody said softly. The other girl vaguely nodded in reply. “Cobra, Merc; can we make this thing move faster with some sort of alchemy or device?”
“Maybe...” Merc said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Pity that diving trick is only effective on ships with them on it.” he remarked.
“Never mind,” Melody said in answer to that. “Just get us moving as soon as you can, and get us northbound.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“You're gonna try and get through those currents without the charts?” Cobra wondered.
“Something like that,” Melody nodded. “Or, wait... Rackham might still be amenable to helping us... Cyan,” she turned to the necromancer, who nodded at once and headed into the cabin with his leader.
“Think she'll talk him into it?” Cobra wondered.
“Rackham respects people who are clever.” Jana said with a shrug. “Mel was nothing if not clever in getting us away from those pirates after we inadvertently killed off their overgrown squids. And Rackham won't likely be favorable to Squidclaw; I'd bet anything Lana's fleet got away.”
“'Lana's fleet'... hah.” Merc said, spitting over the side of the ship as he muttered some unsavory words about the girl in question.
“Merc, get your head out of your arse,” Clara said as she walked over, firmly kicking him in the seat of his pants.
“What the--?! Hey!” the alchemist spluttered as he was knocked off balance.
“Clara's right.” Jana said in support. “That was really disgusting, even for you.” she continued as Merc got to his feet, scowling.
“Yeah, whatever. Let's lose to them a few more times, see how you feel about it then.” he quipped back as he went back to work on one of his devices.
“We'll get one over on them, at least one, before this competition's over.” Cobra said with a wide grin.
“Of course we will.” Melody said as she and Cyan reappeared.
“How'd it go?” Jana asked her.
“He's on our side with this one. Their fleet will be ready to join us soon; apparently they found what they were looking for,” Melody said with a darkly triumphant smile.
“Hoo-hoo-hoo-hooooo! Then it's time to play Revenge Match!!” Venomy crowed as he landed on the deck with a cackle.
“Yes, yes it is,” Melody said, a gleam in her eyes as she and the others began helping the NPC crew repair the ship.