Duke’s, Jane’s and Gloria’s ships formed the spearhead. Jabu’s and Hugo’s ships made up the shaft, while Raymond and Laurence brought up the rear. Kagiso’s fleet vanished and appeared near the middle of the formation.

The pirates watched as the lush island came into view. They peered over the taffrail and raised a single eyebrow at the eerily empty waters. The reefs and kelp forests were devoid of life. There wasn’t a biological energy signature for hundreds of kilometers. The air around the Whale Ships sparkled, the bright blue waters shimmered, and a gentle breeze blew across the jungle canopy.

“Bace for impact!” “Collision in…” “…3…” “…2…” the bridge officers counted down, before they held onto their seats and grit their teeth. Duke opened his eyes. He, Gloria and Jane let their Astral bodies burst out of their bodies. The glittery ghosts enveloped their ships and swung their fists.

The air around the specters’ fists sparkled and the Whale Ships’ shields crashed into the barrier, with a world-shaking impact. The invisible dome wobbled, and the sky cracked open.

The spearhead forced its way through the barrier and a deafeningly loud shattering noise washed over the island. However, nothing happened. Not a single wing flapped away from the treetops and the villages poking out of the foliage did not sound their alarms. The jungle island and its three mountains were completely silent.

“They are here. Yet I do not feel a single soul.” Duke reported with surprise, and Jane’s eyes glowed red. “Aye, and whatever they are, they make my skin crawl. I haven’t felt this since we were children. That hungry gaze. That lust, and malevolence.” She replied, with an eager chuckle.

“Demons.” Gloria whispered, and the jungle shifted. Bushes and shrubs rustled, before shadows hid behind the tree lines. “Impossible. That would mean they have anticipated our arrival.... No matter. This beach is where we set our base camp. Deploy the legions. Do not let the enemy drive us off this beach.” Raymond instructed, and Kagiso’s eyes glowed blue.

“What have you led us into?” the two-horned man asked, and the breach in the barrier sealed itself quickly. A monstrous roar sent shivers down the civilian crew’s spines. “A pivotal moment in our people’s history.” The three-horned man replied. The hairs on the back of their necks stood on end, before the alarms blared.

“Incoming fire!” the analysts reported, and a storm of bright white arrows, spears and bullets erupted from the forest. The ground trembled, and the trees shook violently. The Whale Ships approached steadily, while the projectiles disassembled the foliage and shattered against their dense crystal plates.

The Eraser Bullets, Bolts, Arrows and Spears were no match for the Draconic shields. A faint rumbling noise, like the thundering of a thousand hooves, grew louder and the shadowy bodies climbed up the trees.

“Hmph. Flush them out.” Jane ordered impatiently. “Flatten the terrain!” the bridge commander barked. The two-horned woman’s ship charged ahead of the others. The Whale Ship wrote four magical circles in front of its nose and the spells printed crystal warheads in their centres.

“Fire!” the bridge commander ordered. The four Atomic Spells fired crystal warheads, with a blindingly bright flash. “What in the Universe do you think you’re doing? Are you trying to irradiate the entire island?” Laurence asked angrily and the crystal warheads cracked open. The atomic bombs detonated, and the explosions illuminated the malformed creatures momentarily.

The seas of white-hot energy engulfed the beach, and the shockwave cleared a large swath of the southwestern jungle. The waves of radioactive dust rolled across the coast and crashed into the invisible wall over the horizon.

“I have grown tired of waiting and it seems they have as well.” Jane replied, and her eyes glowed eagerly. “You may have forced them out of hiding, but you have also destroyed any evidence there may have been. Stay in formation and guard the camp. My pirates and I will investigate the structures in the distance and any others we find along the way.” Kagiso suggested, and Raymond’s eyes glowed purple.

“We do not take orders from anyone. You have ferried us here, Party Leader. Your role in this play is done. I will see you all on the battlefield.” Jane replied and her Whale Ship opened its mouth. The legions of soldiers cocked their guns, raised their banners and started their engines.

“Any with a thirst for combat and glory are more than welcome to join us.” Hugo said, and he broke out of the formation as well. Jabu’s ship peeled away and opened its mouth.

“Bloodthirsty fools. Did I not say that we were quicker?” Kagiso rumbled maliciously. The pirate ships appeared in front of and above the charging monsters. “Slaughter them!” Bokbaard roared as he leapt overboard.

The pirate ships fired their cannons and the glittery white spheres punched perfectly round holes in their targets’ bodies. The old pirate cackled madly, and his crew followed him overboard, with a deafening roar. Crane strolled towards the monsters.

“Hmph. Show off.” Feng whispered behind her mask. The spectacled captain sheathed his sabre and a dusty tornado erupted around him. The glittery tube of sandy winds carried the mutilated corpses, severed limbs and decapitated heads into the air.

Crane drew his sword and swung once. He disrupted the flow of the air currents, halted the tornado and scattered the dust-clouds. The soldiers and Candidates were shocked by the sight.

The civilian crew stared at the monitors. The spectacled pirate stood in the centre of a shower of malformed body parts. Their enemies were bipedal creatures that resembled the magical animals and mythical beasts they had heard stories of as children.

Horned werewolves with metal bristles for fur, hairy trolls with lascivious smiles and scaled women with forked tongues made up most of the first wave. Smaller humanoid creatures lurked in the jungles further north and bat-like women took to skies above them.

“Yokai?” Feng wondered. “These things are demons? I expected more.” Crane said, with a hint of disappointment, and he adjusted his glasses. “Ha! The fun has just begun, laddie!” Bokbaard shouted, and he threw his great-axe. The heavy weapon broke the sound barrier, with a loud boom, and spun through the air like a wheel.

The great-axe crushed the yokai charging towards the spectacled captain. He swung his sword and fanned the dust cloud away. The old pirate landed next to his axe, with a ground shaking thud. Bokbaard adjusted his fur coat and straightened his hunched back.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The old pirate watched the demon’s leg twitch, before he drew his pistol and fired a supersonic shot. The booming bullet obliterated the werewolf’s head and its leg stopped moving.

The pirate captains, and their first mates, landed in the dusty clearing. They dashed forward at supersonic speed, while the rest of their crew descended slowly. Feng flicked her wrist and the dust clouds sparkled. Sandy swordsmen formed quickly, and they cut down dozens of demons, with a single swing.

Marauder tapped his staff on the ground, and hundreds of mosquitoes returned to him. They projected holographic monitors, and he downloaded the test results. The pale pirate captain gripped his staff tightly and the mosquitoes turned around. They flew back to the demons and injected the back of their necks.

The monstrous bodies stopped moving. Lumps formed on their skin and their magical cells self-destructed. The pirate crew landed on the ground and charged as soon as their feet touched the irradiated soil.

“Why aren’t they setting up a perimeter?” “They’re amateurs. What would they know about formations and tactics?” “They're fighting like they’re boarding a merchant ship.” “This isn’t a battle, it’s a brawl.” The soldiers commented between laughs, but the officers knew better. A second volley of projectiles erupted from the foliage, when the rest of the Whale Ships halted their approach and opened their mouths.

"Focus!" “Tight formations!” “Bunker down as soon as we hit the ground!” “Squad leaders, keep those lines open!” Reed, Avalon, Dumas and Farah shouted, and the legions marched forward. They crossed the watery veil that split the cargo bays in two, and the turbulent winds pushed them around on the other side.

“Halt your charges. I have just received tissue samples from my forces.” Kagiso reported, and he sent the results to Raymond, Duke, Laurence, Gloria, Jane, Hugo, Jabu and Mei. “You mean your pirate mercenaries.” The two-horned woman replied snidely. “Interesting. The same hands that raised the sea monster made these so-called demons.” Laurence deduced, when he had noticed they had the same medical facilities and similar genetic traits.

“It doesn’t matter. Their energy signatures are pathetic. These things are no match for our legions. Commence with the attack.” Raymond replied, and Kagiso clenched his fist angrily. Drop ships that resembled train carriages levitated and drifted alongside the legions. They crossed the veil, left the Whale Ship’s mouth and performed evasive manoeuvres immediately.

The legions broke out into a jog, before they sprinted a short distance and leapt over the edge. The waves of heavy bodies poured out of their ships like water. They plummeted to the ground and thousands of heavy boots came crashing down on the demons around the pirates.

“Shields up!” Dumas roared and the bannermen and women planted their flags. Watery spheres, with a fifty-metre radius, ballooned and the yokai were driven back. The drop ships opened their sliding doors, while the projectiles cracked their shields. They fired bright white harpoons at the tree line and the heavy gunners mowed down the approaching hordes.

The barriers continued to expand until they passed through each other and reinforced one another. Duke’s forces landed to the west and protected their left flank, while Gloria’s legions defended the east. Jane’s, Hugo’s and Jabu’s warriors landed in the northernmost position, in front of the pirates, and erected their barriers. With the perimeter set, Ramond and Laurence’s legions landed behind the four barriers that cut the forest off from the southern coastline.

The drop ships evaded and returned fire. However, the shower of projectiles was too much for their shields. The hexagonal crystal plates cracked, before they shattered, and dozens of drop ships exploded. The rest survived the flight and nosedived towards the arena sized barriers, made from many translucent bubbles.

The drop ships touched down behind the tens of thousands of warriors, and the heavy gunners leapt out. They lined up behind their comrades, took aim and waited patiently.

“Open fire!” the commanding officers roared, and a symphony of supersonic booms erupted from the barriers. The crystal fifty calibre slugs shattered bone and ruptured soft tissue. The translucent bullets chewed through their targets and crystal shrapnel mowed down anything behind them.

“Hmm. So, their close quarters combatants drop in first, then their shooters fall in behind. What of their magical units? Do they have spell casters in their armies? How many of them know how to use Mana?” Crane wondered, and he adjusted his glasses.

“Switch to Eraser Rounds!” the commanding officers roared over the gunfire and their voices washed over the battlefield. The firing squads shot the same bright white bullets the enemy had fired at them. The deadly projectiles disassembled their fleshy bodies and chopped down the trees a few kilometres behind them.

“Something is off.” Gloria said, and the Candidates grew restless. “I agree. Demons should not be this easy for humans to slay.” Duke added and Jane laughed. “Then we are in luck. My legions will clear the hordes within the hour.” She boasted and her brothers laughed as well. “If they do not flee from my warriors first.” Jabu said arrogantly, which riled up the Candidates even further.

The legions charged in unison, and the heavy gunners repositioned themselves at the very edge of the barriers. The waves of heavily armoured warriors crashed into the tattered armies of demons and swung, with all their might. The few that knew how to coat their weapons in Mana cleaved through their enemies. The rest grouped up and cornered the yokai, before they time their attacks carefully and brought them down together.

“Forward!” “March!” the commanding officers bellowed and the bannermen and women raised their flags. They advanced four hundred metres and the barriers ballooned once more. The powerful swings kicked up dust clouds and cleared them away again. They sent heavy bodies flying into one another, only for them to be pilfered and cut down by a shower of supersonic gunfire.

“See? It is only a matter of time now.” Hugo said confidently and the Candidates’ eyes glowed furiously. “This is boring.” “We could clear this area in minutes.” “Demons aren’t mortal, right? So why should the mortals be the only ones fighting?” “Indeed, I did not come here to watch a mock battle.” “True. They flaunt their underlings' power and force us to watch. I will not stand for this.” A few Candidates grumbled and complained, before they vanished.

“Hmph. Spoil sports.” Goldjack muttered, with a grin. “I don’t mind sitting back and enjoying the show.” Feng said, and she smiled behind her mask. The Candidates appeared before the legions of warriors. They charged and a violent slipstream nearly swept the mortals off their feet. The Candidates ripped, pummeled, burned and crushed their enemies swiftly.

The pirates finished off the yokai inside of the circle of barriers. They turned their backs on the jungles and vanished. The Candidates glanced over their shoulders furiously. The pirates appeared near their captains and smiled from ear to ear.

“We have done our part and taken one step closer to completing our first quest.” Goldjack said theatrically and Crane scoffed. Light spilled from the pirates’ eyes and they tracked the Candidates’ high-speed movements.

The monstrous corpses inside of the circle of barriers spontaneously combusted and the soldiers glanced over their shoulders as well. The battlefield seemed to stand still. The pirates gathered and knelt before the two-horned man standing on the beach. The scene resembled the Candidates gathering before the Dragon Guard and tempers flared.

“You have slain the first of my enemies and delivered as promised. I have chosen well. The Pact is Sealed. Fly freely under my banner.” Kagiso rumbled proudly. “Rise! Raise the flags!” he rumbled, and the pirates raised their heads. They stood up, stared at their benefactor, and their ships appeared above their heads.

The crew raised the new black flags. The Draconic skull smiled, and the crossbones shifted. The tapestries changed slightly, and every jolly roger decorated itself differently. The Miliana’s flag flashed its spectacles and the Shenlong’s red horns grew longer. Goldjack puffed out his chest at his, when a second flag was unfurled beneath the black tapestry.

The clan symbol for the oldest house in Dragon society fluttered in the wind, and the pirates were awestruck. They gawked at the golden tree, the spiral on its canopy, the eight Draconic symbols arranged around it and the symbol in the very centre of the circle. A glittery barrier ballooned around the fleet and the projectiles passed right through the Ghost Ships.