The ship was anchored just off the northeastern coast of the peninsula, a piece of rocky headland that stretched out for several miles before rounding about and curving inward, for which the coastal region known as 'The Winding Hook' got its name. The ship was named The Black Basilisk, the pride of the griffon pirates' ten ship fleet. It was a massive galleon, lined with fifteen cannon holes port and starboard, a pneumatic ballista mounted at its stern, and long masts that stretched toward the sky. Her sails were black as night, and emblazoned on each one was a white basilisk skull with two cutlasses clashing beneath them. It would have been suicide to fly The Black Basilisk's sails anywhere else, for Celestia's navy was vigilant, and her commanders had a reputation for sinking pirate ships on sight without so much as giving quarter a passing thought. But this was the peninsula, and her coast belonged to the carnivorous griffon pirates.
The Black Basilisk felt solid under Rozo's paws and talons as he landed near the bow. It felt good to have the deck of his ship beneath him again. It had been a long flight from the inland, and he was looking forward to relaxing in his cabin with a strong drink and a hot steak in his belly. Or perhaps some ribs, if there were any left. Ribs were his favorite, but they were also the favorite of everyone else in his crew.
Rozo paused momentarily to survey the southern sky from the bow. The air was chilly, the sky was a deep grey, and the darker clouds looming in the distance were slashing the tempestuous firmament with white and yellow bolts of lightening. Rozo then felt the deck beneath him rumble as a low growl rolled throughout the sky. A sudden gust of wind threatened to give his hat to the sea, but he snatched it back with cat-quick reflexes and reclaimed it. Storm's approaching, he thought, irritated that no one had thought to take down the sails yet. It would behoove the crew to lower them before the gales reached the ship. His captain was in mourning, and the last thing she needed was for the masts to snap, or for the powerful winds to break them of their anchor and dash them against the inward curve of the hook.
The pirate informed a passing subordinate on deck that the sails needed to be taken down, to which the griffon replied with a halfhearted "Aye, sir," which came out as half a groan and half a sigh. The salute he gave was compliant enough, but Rozo could feel it turning into a vulgar gesture the moment his back was to him. His duties prompted him to ignore the insolent little shit for the time being, so he made a mental note to beat some respect into him later.
Rozo knocked on the door to the cabin's quarters, and when the voice on the other side bid him entry, he gripped the dark iron ring and pulled the heavy slab open. The sound the hinges made was grading. The salty ocean air had long since caked them with a layer of rust, which made them scream in protest every time they were disturbed.
Captain Betha was a female griffon of middling age and height. She wasn't at all hard to look at with her honey-colored eyes and slender frame, which was usually hidden beneath the folds of her velvet red coat lined with golden buttons. It opened just above mid-breast to reveal the white satin scarf beneath her collar. The longer feathers on her head drooped with the weight of the tiny golden bells at the ends of them, and her beak was thrice pierced with golden studs that shimmered in the light of the candle near her. Gold was her favorite fashion accessory, and she wore it well. The color complimented her eyes.
"Report," was the only word of greeting Captain Betha had for Rozo as he entered her quarters. She was shooting him an impatient scowl from behind her lacquered wooden table that could curdle milk. Betha was a beautiful Griffon, especially when she smiled, but that gorgeous smile of hers had been nonexistent since her special one had been taken from her. Discovering the headless body of her favorite concubine had left her with an implacable rage and a thirst for revenge that soured her disposition toward anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with her.
"Yes, ma'am," Rozo responded. He took a moment to think of the best way to convey the information he had been gathering for the past thirteen days. None of it was good news.
"Well?" Betha said impatiently, drumming the points of her talons on the table in front of her.
Rozo knew she wouldn't hesitate to use those razer sharp talons on him if he delayed any longer. He cleared his throat and managed to find his words. "Ma'am," he began, "I've managed to track down the killer of your..." He almost let the word 'concubine' slip, but he knew Cassius was so much more than that to his captain. She might have even made him her husband if she hadn't found the concept of monogamy so unpalatable.
Captain Betha turned away from him in a vain attempt to hide the tear that was beginning to well in the corner of her eye. "Just say his name, you idiot!"
"Yes, my captain!" Rozo responded immediately. It's been thirteen days, and her wounds are still fresh. Rozo had to avert his eyes. It felt as if the emotional state his captain was in was something not meant for his eyes to witness. "Right. Cassius. I tracked his killer down. As you suspected, it was the work of a bounty hunter. An earth pony named Shantae."
Captain Betha's eyes narrowed. "Shantae," she growled the name as if she despised the very taste of it. She fingered one of the golden studs in her beak and said, "Have you been following him? Did you learn who put the bounty on Cassius's head?"
"I did, and I have," Rozo reported. "I managed to track him back to The King's territory, which was where he turned in his bounty."
"Sombra again!" Betha's talon clenched into an iron-hard fist and slammed it down on the table. "I'm sick of hearing that name. Why hasn't somebody taken that bastard out already?"
Rozo shrugged awkwardly, apologetic that he didn't have an answer for her.
King Sombra had become somewhat of a boogyman to the inland brigands since he had begun his bloody campaign some six moons ago. The pirates of the hook, however, never considered him a threat to their operations. He was seen as just another would-be conquerer that would rise and fall within the turn of a fortnight, like so many of his predecessors before him. But every day seemed to bring new songs of his conquest, and he was building a reputation that was now causing once-fearless clans and bandit factions to think twice before raiding or plundering his territories. The King was known for mercilessly slaughtering any who opposed him, and enacting swift retribution upon any group who besieged his people. The inland brigands were now migrating north in search of sanctuary and new pillaging grounds, while others were laying down their arms and surrendering their land in hopes of joining him. His army as well as his reach was growing by the day, and that was beginning to disquiet the seafaring brigands of the coast. If this King Sombra were to build a navy, he might become a problem for them as well.
"It was this king who posted the bounty on Cassius, madam captain. I'm sorry to have to be the one to report this to you, but that swine Shantae was well rewarded for his butchery. He's also offed Jonquel-The-Mad, and he went through Foxhelm Harbor to knick Loki short a head as well. He got to them before I started following him, though. I'm guessing Cassius was the last one on his hitlist."
The captain looked at him for a long time before she finally rested in her seat, her claws digging deep lines into the arms of her chair as she slid back. "This self-appointed king," she finally said, "it's about time someone put an end to him. He's overstayed his welcome. The one who put the bounty on Cassius, as well as the bounty hunter himself. I want them both. I'll mount their heads above the crows nest for the gulls to shit on. Do you have anything more to report?"
"I do, in fact," said Rozo. "It seems this king has a couple of concubines of his own. One of them, pegasus, goes by the name of Fluttershy. Pretty little thing, if I'm to be perfectly honest. She appears to have a bun in the oven."
"She's with foal?" The expression on Betha's face was the closest thing Rozo had seen to a smile since she gave her lover's headless body to the sea. "I want her as well. I'll rip the little whelp out of the bitche's belly and show it to her as she dies, and I'll make this so called 'king' watch as I do it. You said there were others?"
"There's only one other one, captain. A unicorn, goes by the name of Starlight Glimmer. Their relationship may be an illicit one. I haven't seen them trade public displays of affection the way he does with the other one, but they're seen together enough for one to make the connection. I heard it from one of Sombra's very own village locals that they were seen entering a tavern together just a few night's ago. A guy doesn't just buy a girl a drink and expect nothing in return, if you catch my meaning. None that I know, anyway."
"Concubine," Betha mused. "This Starlight Glimmer, she sounds more like a paramour, that one."
"That could very well be the case. I apologize if my information is lacking. I couldn't risk getting too close. If you could see this king for yourself you'd understand. He struts around clad in heavy steel gauntlets like they're woollen socks, he's built like a brick shithouse, and he's always surrounded by guards. I doubt he's anything a well-thrown bomb or a cluster of grapeshot couldn't take care of though. To say he's a big guy is a bit of an understatement, but hey, if it bleeds, we can kill it."
Betha glowered at the flickering candle in front of her. The polished bells hanging from her feathers glinted in the light. "I don't care how I have to do it. Shoot him. Blow him to pieces. Stab him. Slice him to bloody ribbons... I don't care how I have to kill him, so long as I get to be the one to do it. That bounty hunter, too. As well as those two little pox-ridden whores he likes to keep around. Equines are naught but cattle to us, and it's about time we reminded them where their place on the food chain is." The Captain's eyes caught the firelight in a way that made them look like beads of molten honey. "This Sombra, he took something precious from me. So now, I'm going to return the favor ten fold." Her eyes then snapped to Rozo. "Do you remember the location of his hold?"
"Of course," Rozo said. "It's a palace towering over a small village, approximately a four hour flight west-by-southwest."
Betha nodded. "Good. What I need you to do now is assemble my fleet to our location. I want all my ships to report in by evenfall on the morrow."
"The fleet?" Rozo repeated incredulously. "As in, the whole fleet?"
"Yes!" Captain Betha replied in a sharp tone that implied he was a simpleton for asking. "The Winter Mist, The Bleeding Kraken, The Blood Boiler, The Weeping Widow, The Foaming Tide, The Red Dawn, The Strident Swimmer, The Lickspittle, The Crusty bloody Crab! All of my ships. Bring my command to them to rendezvous with the Black Basilisk. We're going ashore."
"But, captain, a storm's coming."
"You're damn right, a storm's coming."
"No, I mean a literal storm. It's coming in from the south. There's no way I can reach all nine ships in one night. Captain, a town raid hardly calls for the entire fleet. It would be like dispatching an entire armada to sink a skiff."
The Captain glared at him in a way that hinted she was in no mood to be balked. "This is no mere raid we're amassing for. This is war. I'm going to raze that village to the ground. And that bounty hunter, that false king, and his wives, or concubines, or whatever the hell they are to him, I'm going to kill them all myself. This is personal. A debt made in blood can only be repaid in blood, and I'll be bathing in it by the time this is all over. Now, you get your ass back out there, and you bring me my ships. Take a few crewmates with you and spread out so you can cut down on time."
Rozo had to restrain a sigh of reluctance. He was tired and hungry, but he dared not voice is displeasure. Something inside his captain's mind had snapped when she discovered the decapitated body of her favorite lover splayed out on the deck of their ship - as if his killer had meant for it to be found, just like how a cat might do with a bird or a mouse. Whether it was meant as a taunt, a threat, or a cruel jape, Rozo couldn't be certain. How an earth pony managed to achieve such a feat and escape their ship undiscovered was still a mystery to him. But he did know one thing: In the black mood that Betha was in, it was either obey or die. And in the back of his mind, Rozo couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for this stallion who called himself a king.