Coming Aboard The Next Ship

Living The Life of a Pirate

Written by Israel Yabuki

Edited and Co-written by NineTailBeastBall

The sea was something you’ve been educated on since you were very young and you understand really well that it holds many mysterious and wondrous things. Such includes the dangerous creatures claiming the waters as their territory, as well as mythical legends which are dismissed by most. One thing’s for sure however, living most of your life by the sea was an adventure you’ll always treasure, especially with your father by your side.

Your father was the one who taught you a lot of about the wonders of the sea from his own experience as a fisherman and a former member of the coast guard. You’ve lost count of the times he’s told you of how before you were born, he spent most of his days rescuing people off-shore whenever their boats sprung a leak or if they crossed into dangerous territory.

He saved thousands of lives during his career, but there were some people who were less fortunate and perished in the ocean depths. Sometimes he even found the bodies when he was assigned to look underwater and he told you how it haunted him to see such a vile sight. For those he couldn’t save, he and his team held memorial ceremonies for all of their loved ones. The people were grateful for his honor and bravery.

But at one point, he grew terrified of the sea when a vicious hurricane storm nearly claimed his life. Almost half of his entire team was wiped out and he was barely alive when the storm sank his boat to the bottom of the ocean. Had it not been for his quick thinking, he’d be swimming with the fishes and you wouldn’t be here. It was then that he chose to officially retire from the coast guard and focused more on starting a family with the woman who eventually became your mother.

Now 26-years-old, you worked with your father, going out for fishing trips to not only sell some fresh fish, but take some home for dinner. Your father even taught you how to cook and go fishing so you could provide for yourself in case he wasn’t around. Aside from that, you were very talented at fighting due to the training you underwent from one of your neighbors, who was a martial arts expert and didn’t mind training you due to his friendship with your parents. With the addition of the strength and stamina you built from all that swimming and carrying ice boxes onto the boat, learning how to fight became 2nd nature.

Once you finished breakfast, you looked out the window to stare at the ocean, wondering if there would ever come a day where humanity would uncover all of its mysteries. You kept a journal, where you wrote everything you caught during your business with your father, as well as the adventures and rescue missions you went on. Sometimes when you’re on the job, you catch sight of an unfortunate soul drowning and naturally, you can’t just sit there and do nothing.

Today, both of your parents were out of town, spending quality time by having a nice dinner. And because they were busy, you had the whole day to yourself and you used it to go out and catch some dinner. Arriving at the docks, you untied your boat and jumped in with your gear before starting up the engine and sailing out into the deep blue. To be honest, this wasn’t the first time you went out fishing on your own, but you always felt better when your father was around. Since it couldn’t be helped, you hurried up and got to work.

“Such a nice day...” you sighed. Truth being told, you watched the weather channel before you headed out and there have been predictions of some pretty nasty weather for tomorrow. To think that such perfect, sunny weather would eventually change into a dreadful one. All the more reason to remember to wrap up your fishing early tomorrow.

Speaking of which, you just felt something tugging on your pole. “Alright! Looks like a big one!” you exclaimed, grabbing your pole. You couldn’t help getting so excited whenever you felt a fish take the bait, especially when it was a strong one. Desperately turning the handle, your diligence was soon rewarded when you pulled a healthy looking catfish out of the water. Grabbing ahold of it as it flailed around with its mouth pierced by the hook, you put the poor thing out of its misery by swiftly stabbing its brain with your harpoon.

Sighing as you watched the catfish stop flailing, you picked up the now lifeless body and put it away in the bucket at the other side of your boat before grabbing some more bait. You attached it to the hook and made sure to keep the hook as hidden as possible. Though, you soon became less focused on fishing when you thought about that catfish, as this was the first one you’ve caught since you were 16.

You and your father were out on the ocean. It was 4:00 P.M and he had a bit of trouble catching one particular fish on his own. It rocked him around the boat with ease like a rag doll. You gave him a helping hand to get this feisty fish out of the water and eventually, with one mighty yank, you pulled out a huge catfish that was much bigger than the one you caught just now. It was beyond your ability to figure out, but your father had better luck at catching these kinds of fish than you did.

Once again you felt the hook being tugged on, but you doubt it was another catfish. Though, it seemed you would never find out what was tugging, as it seemed that the storms were kicking in much earlier than you anticipated.

“Oh brilliant...” you grumbled and didn’t care much when whatever fish you caught stopped tugging on your pole, signaling it got away. “Guess I’d better dock the boat and wait until tomorrow morning.”

Getting to the steering wheel of the boat, you started it back up and began driving back to shore through the rough currents. There was no point in getting swept up by the storm for a few more good catches. Your father mentioned how a true fisherman never takes chances with the sea when a vicious storm is drawing close. You always took this advice to heart, but the problem is... you didn’t act quick enough.

In the distance, you saw these gigantic waves coming towards you. You panicked and tried to go faster, but the storm was getting closer and the waves were getting bigger. Looking at the enormous bodies of water, you became frozen with fear. And the worst soon hits you harder than a ton of bricks as the waves tipped your boat and you ended up flying out of it. You desperately shouted at the top of your lungs, hoping somebody would hear you, but realized it was no use as you landed in the ocean.

The force of the waves crashing right onto you, sank you deeper into the ocean and pushed you into a swift underwater current. Sore and barely conscious, you looked at your blue surroundings, unable to tell left from right or up from down. Naturally, running out of breath, you closed your eyes and began to drown in the very waters you’ve become so fond of.

“You think he’s still alive boss?” a high-pitched voice rang in your ears as you slowly started to regain consciousness. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so easy to move at the moment.

“If so, we’ll be in good fortune. The slave business has gone down now since the world is moving on from the Storm King, but this fella will still fetch a high price.” Unlike the first one, this one’s voice was deep and raspy.

This was quite a lot for you to take in. Looking around with one eye open, you could tell you were no longer in the ocean, but in a vast desert. ‘Wha-? How did I end up here? I remember my body being carried off by the underwater currents.’ You decided to stop thinking about your change in location when you thought about what you had just heard these goons say about selling you.

Turning your head the other way, you got a good look at who was talking and it caused you to cough out some of the saltwater from your lungs. Standing before you, were what appeared to be three bipedal rats whose sizes rivaled your own. You never were fond of rats, and the fact that these crooks didn’t look anything close to pleasant didn’t do anything to improve your opinion.

“Seems like he’s moving again, get the chains,” the deep-voiced individual ordered. Clearly underestimating you, the shortest of the trio walked over with some shackles in his filthy hands. This was going to take quite a bit of explaining for you to catch on on your situation, but one thing you knew for sure, was that you weren’t just going to lie there and let them chain you like a pet. The moment he was standing beside you, you swiftly pulled back your foot and kicked the rat in his leg with enough force to break it.

“Ooh, it looks like we got a feisty one here! You don’t get one of these nowadays! I always did like a good challenge when catching prey!” one of the bipedal rats said before coming at you. You remembered the training you went through and put your skills to use.

With the rat that tried to chain you lying on the ground clutching his broken leg, you ignored him for now and rolled on the sands toward your new target. It didn’t really matter that he was more muscular than his fallen accomplice. Once you stopped rolling along the sand and stood in front of him, he tried to take a swing at you, only for you to duck and retaliate by grabbing his shoulder and kneeing him in the gut. The moment he held the assaulted area, you took this chance get behind him, grab him by his tail, spin him around and threw him to the ground hard.

You still weren’t done with him yet. Grabbing him by the snout, you picked him up to his feet, turned him around and delivered 5 powerful punches to his stomach, followed by an uppercut to his lower jaw, then spin-kicked him to the ground again. It was a bit of a surprise how the rat who was in charge just stood there as you beat up his accomplices, showing he couldn’t care less about them.

It seems the rat whose leg you broke hadn’t had enough yet and foolishly limped over to try and attack you while you were focused on his partner. Quickly turning your gaze, you spinned and elbowed the charging rat in the chest, then grabbed him by the throat before tossing him in the air and kicking him straight in the face, knocking him backwards.

Just this once, you forgot one of your father’s lessons of never letting your guard down, for as you roughed up the two rats, you failed to notice their boss pull out a blow dart tube. The moment you turned to the only rat who was still conscious, a dart had made its mark on your neck. You nearly shouted loudly, but quickly stopped as your voice cracked.

“D-Damn it...! Not... again...” you stuttered, feeling yourself getting dizzy. You only had enough time to pull the dart out of your neck before falling to the hot sand, unconscious.

Your abductors weren’t generous enough to let you stay asleep and after you were none too gently awakened, you immediately noticed that you’ve been chained so you couldn’t cause anymore trouble. And just like any wild animal back where you lived, you were locked up in a steel cage being pulled on top of a wooden wagon.

“H-Hey! What the hell?” you asked, grabbing the iron bars. ‘Now I’ve seen everything: me, a grown human man, getting carted off by a couple of literal street rats. As if this wasn’t embarrassing enough, I had yet another blunder and let my guard down.’ you thought and squeezed the bridge above your nose in frustration. “If this is Hell, I don’t understand how I was sent here.”

“Aw pipe down, we’ll let you go...” one of the rats said with a sadistic smile. “...to the highest bidder, that is!” he laughed, but it was cut short as he felt the intense pain of his broken foot.

You decided not to waste any more words on such immoral creatures, since freaking out wouldn’t do you any good. Even as you looked down at these chains on you, you weren’t about to give up hope, as surely you’d find your chance to reclaim your freedom. For now however, you just sat quietly, looking through the bars at the desert which seemed to go on for miles.

‘I suppose a simple glass of water is out of the question,’ you sarcastically thought to yourself. If there was any joy out of this ride, it’s that they were the ones doing the walking and that rat who was laughing not too long ago, repeatedly cringed as he struggled to walk on his damaged leg.

Sitting quiet for about at least a half hour, you finally arrived at what was obviously these slave traders’ hideout. It was a depressing sight, as you saw dozens of cages of screeching animals, who clearly haven’t been fed properly. You could only imagine how long they’ve locked up in this vile place.

‘What I wouldn’t give to free these poor creatures and strangle those thieving poachers!’ you thought, as your calm expression was completely hiding your furious thoughts towards the rats and their boss. ‘If I get my hands on them, I will choke the life out of them and turn them into fish bait!’ you grabbed the iron bars even tighter, but restrained yourself from gritting your teeth.

You were chained pretty good, having your neck chained up, along with your wrists and unsurprisingly, your legs were bound as well. Deciding to open your cage, the rats must have thought that your calm expression meant that you’ve accepted your fate, but when the rat with the broken foot hopped towards you and grabbed the chain attached to your collar, you yanked back with impressive effort. Since he only had one good foot, it was so easy for him to lose his balance and ended up colliding with the steel cage bars. Finally deciding to smirk, you watched as the rat held his bleeding snout with rage in his eyes.

“Have fun while you still can, you hairless monkey. Chances are that once we sell you off, you’ll be wishing you were never born,” the boss said, once again showing his indifference towards his subordinate. You decided this wasn’t a laughing matter and your confident smirk quickly went away.

One way or another, you had to come up with a solution to escape. Sadly, even if you did manage to get out of this place, where would you possibly go from there? You got a good look at the desert on your way over here, and if this was indeed another world, you had no way of knowing where the closest town was. You didn’t want these rats to see it, but you couldn’t stop a lone tear from falling down your cheek.

“Where did your spirit go from earlier, monkey?” the boss asked, taking notice that you were crying, but of course you didn’t answer. This time you didn’t put up any resistance as they grabbed your collar chain to lead you out of your cage.

It’s been about four days since you were imprisoned and you didn’t see your predicament getting much better. Like the animals around you, you weren’t given much to eat. As far as your captors were concerned, one meal a day was enough for a slave. They also made sure you knew what kind of shady creatures have responded with interests in buying you by throwing photographs into your cage. Apparently, you weren’t the only human in this unfamiliar world, but it was very rare to see your kind out in this wasteland.

They’ve definitely taken your fighting talent into consideration, as the ones in the photographs were apparently looking for such skill. One of your possible buyers had a special spot for you in their underground battle arena. As talented as you were in fighting, you had no idea what kind of creatures they intended to pit you up against. Another customer intended to exploit your skills to aid him as his own personal bodyguard against anyone who tries to steal from him.

Besides being slimy thugs who didn’t mind taking in living creatures as slaves, another thing your buyers all had in common was that they lived hidden from the rest of society since slavery was outlawed in most parts of this world. It would work out so much better if you figured out some way to escape before the auction tomorrow, or you might be a slave for the rest of your life.

“Boss, I can’t wait to see just how much we’ll make tomorrow!” one of the underlings cackled, rubbing his hands together. It was the same rat who suffered from both his leg being broken and face being slammed against the cage bars by you the day you arrived. You couldn’t decide which of the three rats you hated the most, as they seemed equally despicable.

“We’ll need them to pay us through the nose since the business is drying up. Chances are in another year or two, the world will have completely moved on from the slave industry,” the boss instructed and slammed the knife he was fiddling with on his desk. “To the last hour, let’s find as many customers as we can. We want a nice, long auction!”

“Yes sir!” his subordinates shouted in unison.

At that moment, things got a little interesting, when the hideout began to shake slightly and the sounds of a ship horn blaring outside. You didn’t feel much better, as you thought that this just meant the customers had arrived early. Only when you noticed the confusion of the rats keeping you prisoner, did you grow curious.

“What was that!?” one of the rats asked.

“I know exactly what that sound is and it’s not good. You little runts take our meal ticket and hide him somewhere they won’t find him!” the boss ordered. Just like that, the two lackeys made a move to push you somewhere else, only to stop as large harpoons pierced the cavern walls. While you somehow doubted that you were about to be saved, you still paid attention as your captors got out their weapons.

The harpoons had left some pretty impressive holes in the walls and looking up as best you could, your eyes went wide at what was happening. Bipedal rats were one thing, but you thought that you saw everything when you saw bipedal parrots sliding down the harpoon chains.

“You three, apprehend the rats and their boss! I’ll get to work on getting these creatures out!” shouted the only female parrot in the group. She was dressed richly in a fancy red and yellow pirate outfit, with a matching pirate captain’s hat. If the hat wasn’t enough to convince you she was the leader, you got all the backup proof you needed as you watched how she gave out those orders.

Her first priority was getting you out of the cage. With one mighty swing of her sword, she sliced open the rusty chains and lock, causing it to fall off the cage lock hatch. Though, she became both surprised and confused when you didn’t budge.

“What’s the matter? I just busted you out of here, you should be glad you’re free,” she said, pointing a talon at you.

“Excuse me... we barely even know each other...” you said both crossly and weakly. “Besides... you should pay attention when someone’s trying to kill you...”

That little piece of advice saved the bird from getting her head cut off, as she quickly turned around and ducked as one of the rats swung a large blade at her. She retaliated by pulling back her pegged leg, which appeared to be made out of emeralds and delivering a hard kick to her adversary’s stomach. The rat backed away in pain from the impact, gripping his gut and was knocked out cold when the captain jumped in the air and delivered another kick to the back of his head.

Landing to the ground gracefully, the bird quickly looked around to see that her crew had taken care of the other two goons. “Good job, everyone! Now, once you’re done freeing the rest of the critters, gather up all the loot and food and load it onto the ship!” she ordered. That command however, caused her to return her attention back to you.

“You don’t have many options do you, honey?” she asked, as if mocking you. “You can stay here if you want, but the chances are they’ll just lock you up again.”

You gripped your fist, not at all fond of this tone. It was clear both by the way the parrots were dressed and how they climbed back up the harpoon chains with treasure that they were pirates. You never were fond of piracy and couldn’t believe it still exists both back home and apparently, in this world as well. Judging from how the she-parrot here was narrowing down your options, you had a good idea of what she was about offer.

“We came all this way because we’re trying to stamp out the remaining slave activity in these parts, but it can’t be helped if a prisoner won’t budge. You’d be surprised how fast the word will get out and you’re bound to get caught again sooner or later...” She stopped for a minute to offer you a hand. “Unless of course...”

“Are you implying that I join you?! AS IF I’D STOOP TO SUCH A LEVEL!” you shouted before losing consciousness again and falling to the ground. Honestly, it took a lot of effort to keep yourself awake as you watched the recent fight, Having not slept nor gotten proper nutrition these last couple of days, it wasn’t much of a shock that you suddenly fainted. The pirates obviously didn’t take you seriously, as they took advantage of your unconsciousness to load you onto their ship with all their goods.

You could only guess how long you’ve been sleeping in this bed, which was ironically the best you’ve had ever since you ended up in this crazy world. Judging from how much your growling stomach was killing you, you theorized you must have been out for at least an hour. Turning to the side however, you noticed a hot bowl of soup, signaling someone had been in this room not too long ago.

Normally, you would’ve refused accepting food from someone you didn’t know, but your stomach wouldn’t stop growling. Seeing no other choice, you grabbed the bowl and gave the soup a shot. Just like the bed, your meal turned out to be your best one in days and you felt the energy slowly return to your body.

Once you were done eating, you fell victim to your curiosity and got out of bed to open the door. You had to shield your eyes, as you got a good glimpse of the sun the moment you stepped outside. If these guys were pirates, they weren’t like any of the ones you’ve heard about. Not only because they were birds, but the moment you left that room, you noticed the ship wasn’t on the ocean, but rather in the air.

Walking over to the ship’s railing, you collapsed to the deck and held your head, unable to believe how much your life has changed since you drowned. First you woke up in a hot desert, then you found yourself about to sold as a slave and now you here you were on a pirate ship, even though you made it clear you wanted nothing to do with these parrots.

“Hey there!” You stopped holding your head and looked up to see a muscular green parrot with red feathers at the top of his head was walking towards you. “I’m the first mate of the crew. The name’s Mullet.” You didn’t return his smile, as you watched him hop onto the railing and cross his legs. “If you’re gonna join us, we might as well get acquainted.”

“Shut up!” you shouted, as he wasn’t doing anything to help with your headache. More importantly, the bird appeared to be jumping to conclusions, thinking you’re joining the crew when you didn’t even ask to be brought onboard. You put your head back into your palms hoping you’d get some quiet, but your outburst only made Mullet here chuckle.

“Are you always this grouchy when you wake up, or is it only with certain individuals?” he asked, but you didn’t answer and continued staring into the darkness of your palms. “Oh, do you want to know what happened when you were out cold? A few of those slave traders caught up to us and tried to take you back. Naturally, we beat them up.” For some strange reason, this didn’t make you feel any better.

“Never in my entire life have I experienced getting taken and sold like I’m someone’s goddamn property and get taken away by pirates... but I never thought pirates could sail the skies...” you said. You looked up at Mullet, having calmed down a bit, but you still refused to stop glaring.

“There’s a lot about us that you don’t know,” Mullet said. “So, I take it you’re feeling a little better now that you got some grub?”

“I... suppose. But, why would you go through all the trouble to save me? I hardly know you or the rest of the crew and how do I know I can trust you if you suddenly turn your back on me and make me “walk the plank?” you asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, we only do that to the enemy! As long as you behave, Captain Celaeno won’t see a reason to do such a thing,” he explained. You squint your eyes, wondering if that was supposed to be a threat.

“So, does that make me a prisoner?” you asked.

“That all depends on how you look at it,” Mullet replied, still smiling.

You had quite a few choices of how to respond to that, but before you could make a rebuttal, someone squawked in your ear in the most bizarre way you’ve ever heard. Gritting your teeth, your gaze met that of yet another parrot whose squawks went well with his appearance.

“Who the... uh...?” You thought the dizzy looking parrot would help you by introducing himself, but all he did was let out another one of his silly squawks. He had green feathers just like Mullet, but he was much skinnier. He had a lifesaver float wrapped around his neck, wore goggles over his head and this strange metal object on his upper beak. And he looked like he was slightly molting in certain parts of his body.

“Not much of a speaker, is he?” Mullet asked, rhetorically. “I’ll fill you in, his name’s Squabble. We don’t judge, but the mate had a bit of a birth defect that caused him to look and sound the way he is. Make no mistake though, Captain Celaeno herself can assure you he’s very resourceful as a pirate. She saw potential in him and took him in when nobody else wanted anything to do with him.”

“Where is Celaeno?” you asked, deciding the one who decided the crew’s objectives would be the best one to answer your questions.

“She’s up in her quarters right now,” Mullet answered before telling you how to get there. This made it clear he wasn’t about to do anything to stop you. The fact that he didn’t know why you wanted to see Celaeno, yet held his ground, implied that he must have been confident in his captain’s ability to take care of herself.

Remembering the first mate’s instructions, you headed upstairs onto the deck to locate the black door at the very back of the ship. It wouldn’t be hard to miss, since the door stood out because of its golden handle. With a sigh, you knocked on the door.

“Come on in, it’s open!” the loud voice that you recognized shouted from the other side. Since you had permission, you opened up and got a good glimpse of how Captain Celaeno spent her free time. You expected that as a pirate, she’d be counting the loot she got from those kidnappers and you were almost right, since many treasure boxes laid scattered around her bed. Instead however, she was passing the time downing a bottle of rum.

“I was wondering when you’d finally wake up, mate,” she said, wiping her beak with a smirk. “Judging from how tired you looked when I first laid eyes on you, you must have been forcing yourself to stay awake as you wondered when those rats were gonna sell you, huh?” Contrary to the barbaric, thieving pirates you’ve heard of in countless stories, she was a perceptive one.

“Why am I here?” you asked, though your question wasn’t specific enough. You got annoyed when the bird decided to take another sip of rum before answering you. Clearly she was fond of drinking and you noticed three more bottles on the nightstand beside her. Two of them were already empty.

“Let me guess, you have no idea how you even got here in this wasteland in the first place?” the captain chuckled. Apparently, she understood what your question was referring to. You slowly nodded and folded your arms, wondering if it was that obvious.

“Ah, lighten up. Just hang on for a bit and I’ll tell ya what you need to know,” she assured. “I don’t know how it works, but I’ve met quite a few of your kind who have all claimed to have come from another world. Some have died from rescuing others, others died from accidents, yadda yadda yadda. So what’s your story? Knowing how salty you smell, I’m guessing you drowned out in the ocean, right?”

You were baffled from how spot on she had guessed your death, despite being tanked. Of course, the real shocker was that more humans were in this universe with stories possibly similar to your own. If it was the truth however, then where are they right now? It was possible she was delusional from drinking, but you wouldn’t count on it, since she seemed perfectly fine.

“Are you sure there are others here like me, or is that just the booze talking?” you asked. You soon regretted that decision when Celaeno threw one of the empty bottles at you, which you instantly dodged.

“Watch it, buster! I’ll have you know I have a remarkable tolerance for alcohol, so I still have control of what words come out of my beak!” she yelled. “In fact, I have yet to hear any form of gratitude. If we hadn’t invaded that hideout, they’d probably be placing bids on you right now!”

“R-Right... Thanks... for saving my neck...” you said, facing away from her. Your curiosity and aggravation have both left you and all you were feeling right now was guilt. After all, Celaeno told you when she released you from your cage, that a human could be sold at a high price since it was extremely hard to find one. Who knows what kind of abuse you’d be enduring right now if these parrots didn’t come to your aid?

“Here! Catch!” Celaeno shouted, tossing you a bottle of her rum. “Tell me something, honey. You seemed pretty pissed when I offered you a spot in my crew. What do you have against pirates?”

“Back where I’m from, pirates have a history for being savage, murdering thieves. Even though you saved my life, I saw how you stole treasure and food that doesn’t belong to you or your crew,” you said, which did nothing to get Celaeno to stop frowning.

“Do you honestly think they deserve that loot, given you can figure out very easily how they make their fortune? The slave trade has been going on ever since the badlands grew impoverished from the Storm King’s rule. Even though the bastard is dead, there are still folks who aren’t ready to move on from such an immoral business. That’s where we come in!” Celaeno stopped to look at her bottle which was halfway empty.

“Who or what was this Storm King?” you asked.

“That’s an irrelevant question, mate. As a victim of the slave activity, I saw an interesting spark in your eye when I let you out of that cage. I could tell you were furious that a business like this exists and you probably want to do something about it, am I wrong?” she asked, getting off the bed and walking towards you. “If you stay with me, I assure you you’ll be able to make a name for yourself helping creatures who weren’t so lucky!”

“Well... I do know how to fight. And I would be lying if I said I was fond of being treated like an animal like I was earlier.” You felt a toast coming your way, so you opened the bottle of rum in your hand.

“Then you’d best prepare yourself, mate. This is only the beginning of your new adventure and new life... as a pirate!” she shouted, holding her bottle up high. “A toast... to the newest member of our crew!” At that moment, the door burst open and the rest of the pirates came in with bottles of their own.

This was still a whole lot to process, and you still felt skeptic about going from a humble fisherman, to exotic slave, to an official pirate. You weren’t sure how this was going to turn out, but you had no other place to go and Celaeno was generous enough to take you under wing, so what other choice was there? Who knows, maybe the life of a pirate won’t be so bad after all.

Showdown at the Klugetown Hideout

View Online

During the last two weeks you spent on board Captain Celaeno’s ship, your skills in martial arts, as well as your determination to help end the slave trade were really put to the test. Each morning, you would be called out for a good spar against another crew mate and the only ones you were unable to bring down were Mullet and Captain Celaeno herself. Be that as it may, you were recognized as a valuable asset to the crew.

Besides training, your routine included descending to the ground so you and Lix Spittle could provide some tasty meals for everyone on board. Adventures can be hungry work, especially for pirates. And thanks to all of the food you had on deck, it was easy to come up with a few recipes. Apparently, during the years they’ve been forced into the Storm King’s servitude, they were only given one meal a day and the food wasn’t nearly as good as what they could eat now.

Speaking of servitude, Captain Celaeno has found the next place where the crew would attack for their mission to abolish the remaining slave activity. The desert civilization of Klugetown is no longer under the Storm King’s rule, but it turns out that unknown to the civilians there’s a big underground hideout just underneath the town. Rumor says that the one running this base is a naked mole rat crime boss named Verko.

At this moment, you were all gathered around the mess hall waiting for your captain to give you her plan for entering the hideout. At the same time, a decent meal was in order and you were all feasting on cooked fish with lemon seasoning with a side of some seeds and diced fruits. Once again, you saw Celaeno showing off her high tolerance for rum as she drank her third bottle. It was only after you were all stuffed, that she got up to explain her plan.

“Alright, listen up good mates as this next invasion will be a gamble. It makes sense that a slave operation in Klugetown would be underground since slavery is illegal in there. If that damn mole rat, Verko is indeed the one who’s pulling the strings we can expect an entrance to the base in his manor.”

She stopped and slammed her claws on the table and sighed. “Honestly, I hate relying on a rumor, but if this one proves to be true, we’ll have the chance to get some more recruits in preparation for the final battle. Get as much rest as you can as we make our move tonight after we hide the ship!” she announced.

“Aye aye, captain!” you all shouted and exited the mess hall. All except for you.

“I have nothing against liberating the slaves, but with all due respect, do you think inviting them to join our crew is a wise choice? Even if you guys were forced, you’ve been working for the Storm King for years. According to our rumors, some of the prisoners used to be the Storm King’s soldiers. If they recognize you, it most likely won’t be pleasant,” you said.

“That’s a fair point, mate, but if they turn against us, I’ll find a way to handle it. But right now, I can’t stand the thought of those bastards making those slaves’ lives a living hell. They’re crying for help and we’re gonna give it to them. Now off you go, I need you and everyone else rested and ready to fight tonight.”

“Very well. I hope you all enjoyed your meals,” you said, ready to leave.

“You kidding me? I don’t think my stomach has ever been this satisfied after eating a meal that big and tasty,” Celaeno said, flicking off a small remaining piece of fish from her face. “You gotta tell Lix Spittle how you cooked up something like that.” You considered the idea as you headed on off to sleep, but not before giving the parrot a smile to show you appreciated her complimenting your cooking.

After four hours of rest, Celaeno decided it was time to make your move. Naturally since it was almost midnight, it was dark outside and the first step to sneaking into Klugetown was to hide your ship. Even before the town was within sight, you made sure all the lights were turned out so you could blend into the darkness and when the time came to land, the ship was left at least a mile away from the town.

Walking through the city, you wore ragged cloaks hoping to hide your faces from anyone who might still be up. Though if the rumors of the underground business were true, surely there would be a lot of creatures still awake at this time. You and your crew mates eventually reached your destination upon coming to an impressive manor. However before you could get inside, two guards came up to you and pushed you back.

“Hey! You’re in the wrong place, punks,” one of them snarled.

“Oh, I don’t think we are...” you spoke softly. They didn’t see it, but you had brass knuckles equipped on your right hand. In a swift motion, you grabbed his shoulder before delivering a hard punch to his face and then kicked him away from your reach. He was out before he even had the chance to yell in pain. Immediately, the other guard went and grabbed you, but you grabbed him by the arm and threw him over the shoulder and finished him off with an elbow strike to the chest.

Celaeno elbowed you in the side, agitated. “Keep it down. We can’t let them know we’re here yet, remember?”

“My apologies. Should we just leave them here or should we hide them while they’re knocked out cold?” you whispered back.

“We’ll have to keep them hidden and tied up, of course,” the captain replied revealing some chains and locks. “Hurry and hide them somewhere and then follow me.”

After giving the order, you got to work, making sure the chains would keep the two guards from slipping away in case they came back to their senses. Once the deed was done, you continued on towards Verko’s manor, preparing yourself for the immoral things you would surely see after going inside.

Searching the manor for any hints to an underground hideout, proved to be a tricky task. But in due time, you and the captain found the hidden staircase behind a huge shelf. All it took was to pull one of the items on the shelf back, and it moved to the side on its own.

“A hidden room concealed by a bookcase? That’s a new one,” you said sarcastically while rolling your eyes. You’ve seen this in so many movies, so you felt a bit stupid you couldn’t figure it out earlier.

“In any case, at least we know we’re on the right track. Follow me, everyone. Stay close and don’t cause any commotion until I say otherwise,” Celaeno whispered. You and the rest of the crew nodded and followed your captain close behind. Each step you took with extra caution making sure not to make a sound. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it took at least 20 minutes to reach the bottom.

Peering over the corner of the wall, what you saw was an outrage. Creatures of different shapes and sizes were being led around with chains on their arms, legs and necks. The sound of cracking whips filled the hideout as the slaves were loaded into large steel cages. No matter who you looked at, each one of the slaves looked both exhausted and ready to give up hope. Little did they know, things would be looking up for them if Celaeno has the right idea.

“Okay listen carefully...” she whispered while grasping her sword “It’s obvious since we’re outnumbered that we’ll need the slaves to fight with us if we want to get out of here. Mullet, Boyle and I will create a distraction by messing around with a couple of the guards. Squabble, Lix Spittle, I know I can trust you two to handle the locks on the cages.” Both of the parrots immediately saluted the captain.

“What about me?” you asked.

“You be sure to watch their backs and ward off any guards that might come after the slaves. You’d better keep it quiet this time,” Celaeno replied.

Since you all knew your roles, Celaeno, Mullet and Boyle started things off by getting out from behind the wall and hid themselves in the shadows of the different corners of the room. Maneuvering past a few of the guards near the center and approached the guards patrolling the outer area, Celaeno snuck up behind them, her face smirking and pulled one of their tails and spanked the other in the ass. With a growl, the guard turned around only to get punched by Mullet.

“Hey there, boys. Would you care to make a bet and see if my milkshake can bring all the boys to the yard?” Celaeno asked, smirking confidently with her arms crossed.

“I-INTRUDERS! WE’VE GOT INTRUDERS!” shouted the guard who had yet to be knocked out. Since you needed to divert the attention of the guards guarding the cages, Celaeno did nothing to stop him from calling for backup.

The moment the slaves were left unoccupied, Squabble and Lix Spittle rushed over to pick at the locks. “This is your chance to get back at the ones who treated ya like dirt,” Lix Spittle said after getting the door open.

You nodded in agreement. “Whatever you might have done to end up down here doesn’t matter. What’s important is knowing what you can do right now!” You threw both hands in the air. “Captain Celaeno will happily give you each a spot in her pirate crew so we can end this slavery bullshit!” By this point, the slaves were getting their spirit back.

“Are you serious?!” one of them shouted.

“Get us out and I’ll fight with you guys!”

“I’ll gladly join your crew as well!”

You had to give Lix Spittle and Squabble credit, as they sure knew how to open these cages with remarkable speed. It was a good thing too, since Celaeno, Mullet and Boyle wouldn’t last much longer on their own.

“HEY! What do you think you’re doing?!” You looked back to see that some of the guards have abandoned their attention on Celaeno and were running towards you very quickly. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to lock all the slaves up again by himself, but that didn’t mean you weren’t going to defend yourself.

Since your cover was blown, you finally discarded of your filthy cloak to reveal what you were wearing underneath. You truly have adapted to the life of a pirate, as you wore a dark blue frock coat which you left unbuttoned, revealing the white bard shirt you wore underneath. Moving down, you had on a pair of black pants, with a pair of matching black boots. You didn’t shy away from getting your share of jewelry either and had gold rings with sapphires and rubies encrusted in them on your left hand.

“I’m about to put an end to this bullshit by kicking you’re sorry asses! Squabble! Lix Spittle! Follow my lead!” you shouted before cracking your knuckles. You side-stepped the first guard who came at you before swinging your arm out at his neck area, making him flip him backwards and slam hard on the ground.

While the poor fool was gripping his throat in pain, you moved on to your next target. This guard also sprinted towards you, but you prepared yourself and roughly and swiftly grabbed hold of his upper left leg. You used his momentum against him and very similar to his accomplice, flipped him in mid-air for a split second before he landed.

You pretty much had things under control so with the released slaves right behind them, Squabble and Lix Spittle charged over to where the captain and first mate were fighting. Even after the time they spent being abused in this hideout, the slaves quickly proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.

However, something caught your eye; you saw that amongst the guards, there was one you recognized all too well. He was none other than the leader of the rat trio who attempted to enslave you the day you arrived. Seeing the chance to get revenge, you wasted no more time and rushed over to him.

“I’m about to lay down the smack down on your sorry ass, you piece of shit! You won’t be putting me in a cage a second time!” you shouted as you sped towards the rat leader. His attention was brought to you once you got closer. As he turned his whole body towards you, you stepped on his knee and performed a backflip kick to the face. The leader stumbled a few steps back upon the heavy impact of the kick, and his beating only got worse from there.

“Alright mates! It’s to soar out of here!” Celaeno announced before she kneed a guard in the stomach and then shoved him aside.

You heard your captain loud and clear, and began making your way to the exit while fighting off the slave traders at the same time. Unfortunately, escape wasn’t going to be as easy as you thought, as you noticed the guards were pulling out blowdart tubes, and you knew from experience what they do.

“Captain, heads up!” you shouted. Too little too late though, as the darts were sent flying your way. You moved as fast as you could to avoid getting hit by most of them. While this plan seemed to work in your favor, some of the slaves were not so lucky and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

You watched with rage as some of the slaves ignored this and proceeded to the exit. “Where do you think you’re going?!” you seethed and just like that, they didn’t take another step. “Seems you weren’t listening to what we said before about forgetting the past! In exchange for joining our crew, you will learn life on board isn’t every creature for themselves! We're in this together and if they’re not gonna give you your freedom, then we have to fight for it!”

Mullet and Boyle couldn’t agree with you more and they ended up blocking the exit. “You heard him mates, nobody is to be left behind! We’re gonna see to it that all of you get out of here!”

The slaves, though they were scared and hesitant at first, had then agreed to go back in order to help those who had fallen asleep from the darts. Everyone's fists clenched hard and every slave put on their best brave face. Some had no fear, others were still frightened, but no one attempted to abandon their fellow prisoners a second time.

“Now everyone... ATTACK!!!” Captain Celaeno shouted, raising her sword up in the air. Battle cries rang throughout the underground hideout as you all waged an all-out battle royale against the slaves’ former captors.

“The ship is just straight ahead keep running and don't look back!” Mullet ordered from his place at the back of the crowd. The crew was staying remarkably loyal to Captain Celaeno’s order of making sure not a single prisoner was abandoned. You could see your crew mates who were unconscious either from tranquilizer darts or injuries, being carried, regardless of how heavy they were.

“Is that everyone?!” Celaeno asked with her back touching yours.

“Yeah, that’s the last one! Let’s board the ship so we can get the hell out of here!” you said as everyone was headed in the right direction and some have even gotten onboard the ship. As tired as you were from practically fighting all night, you sprinted out of Klugetown as fast as you could and soon, you could see Mullet and the others waving at you from above. You and Celaeno were the only crew members still on the ground.

“Everything is ready, captain! Get onboard!” Boyle shouted.

“We’re on our way!” the captain shouted back just as loudly.

“Don't let them escape, dammit! Get me back my merchandise now!” Verko shouted. “Get out here, CROSS STRIPES!!!”

Just as you were about to climb onto the ship, Celaeno screamed as a muscular arm grabbed her head and threw her backwards. She tried to get up, only for the stranger to place his foot on her, keeping her in place.

“Sorry little birdie, but you’re not going anywhere,” the guard who appeared to be a bipedal tiger growled. “From what I heard, you pirates like to stick together. I doubt your crew will leave without its captain.”

"Nngh! Let go, or I’ll slice your damn arms off!” Celaeno snarled, but the tiger refused to back off.

“It can’t be helped then,” Cross sighed and then reached into his pocket to pull out a blowdart. Your anger surged and then yelling like a madman, you ran up to the guard and tackled him to the ground.

The tiger’s quick reflexes kicked in, kicking you off of his body. Both of you rose up to your feet and faced each other. Just looking into his eyes as you removed your brass knuckles and took on a fighting stance, you could tell that this tiger, who was apparently named Cross Stripes, was different than the other guards.

“As long as you’re down here, your crew won’t set sail. I can see you’re no match for me and it’s only a matter of time before the boss calls in reinforcements,” Cross said as he too took on a fighting stance.

“Then I guess I’d better make this quick,” you countered. For the moment, there was silence. And the next, Cross Stripes charged in and jumped up in the air and launched two kicks at you, which you quickly guarded. When that failed and his feet touched the ground, he performed a roundhouse kick, aiming at your stomach area and spun again to deliver another aiming at your chest. Even though you dodged both kicks, it was a bit of a surprise to find out that he had martial arts training just like you.

‘Finally, a worthy opponent,’ you thought.

Getting onto the ground, you decided it was time to retaliate. You spun on your hand, trying to deliver a kick to Cross’ legs, but he anticipated your move and backed away quickly. You quickly stood back up and delivered another kick, which this time, Cross failed to block or dodge as it got him in the stomach. However, before you could pull your leg away, Cross Stripes held it in place in order to trap you and then brought his elbow down hard on it before doing the same to your face, making you fall onto your back.

Both you and Cross felt the animosity between you increase as the fight continued. The tiger grabbed your arm, forcing you back onto your feet before punching you across the face. You used the momentum of that blow to pull back one of your arms and elbow Cross right in chest, then retracted your elbow and aimed it at his face.

“Get onboard already!” you heard your crew shout and you made your move to grab Celaeno. It wasn’t that easy, as Cross had recovered and you barely had enough time to duck as he ran up to you to deliver a roundhouse kick to your face. Letting out a snarl while showing his fangs, your new rival made it clear he wasn’t finished with you.

“I already told you, you’re not going anywhere!” he growled. That set you off and with a yell, you turned around to face Cross and kicked him hard in the chest. Knocked a couple of feet back because of the kick Cross Stripes walked up to you, his claws still barred and ready to go. With that intense glare still on your face, you took up your fighting stance again.

You watched carefully at what he was about to do. Cross attempted to slam you with a right punch, which you quickly avoided and locked his arm, placing your palm on his chest. You made a mistake there, as just as you were about to strike him in the face, Cross gets you in the rib cage with a punch of his own, followed by a quick full-bodied slam to the ground. He then turned you around and wrapped his arm around your neck, trying to strangle the breath out of you.

This time he was the one who made a mistake, as you elbowed him in the chest to loosen up the grip just enough for you to break free. You then spun on your heel attempting to deliver yet another roundhouse kick, but when he managed to avoid it, you manage to strike him with a surprise left hook as the follow-up. You felt the solid impact from that punch and watching him stumble sideways felt satisfying.

Once the tiger recovered and wiped the blood off his lip with an annoyed expression, you went in to try and deliver another kick and then a punch when your kick was dodged. Cross made his irritation obvious when he grabbed your arm and went in for a swift elbow strike to the back of your neck. Still having a good grip on your arm, he got you twice in your chest and then grabbed your frock coat in order to throw you to the ground.

Not allowing him to pull you back onto your feet like he did before, you got up on your own and rushed at him with a punch from your right hand, which Cross caught easily. He ended up falling for the fake-out, giving you the chance to deliver some hard punches to his side, before you made your way up to his face, causing him to let go of your hand. You lost the upper hand again however, when he swatted you away with his claws still barred. Making contact with your arm, Cross’ claws not only tore up your clothing, but they also sank into your skin, causing you to shout in pain. Instinctively, grabbing the area, Cross took advantage of the few seconds of distraction to deliver a heavy kick to your leg, making you fall onto your knee.

Next thing that happens is Cross Stripes grabbing the top of your head and bringing his knee to your face, knocking you to the ground. Things weren't getting any better when Verko bursted out laughing. Cross then rolled you onto your stomach and held you down with one of his hands and used his other to pull your arm behind your back.

“I’ll make you remember this...” he said, making his cruel intentions clear. Naturally, you weren’t going to make it easy for him to break your arm. With a burst of adrenaline, you yelled and slipped out of his grasp, but just barely. Just enough for an elbow strike to the back of his neck and a kick to his liver to throw him off-balance. You go for the gusto and land an aerial spin kick to his face, knocking him back and sending him falling to the sand out cold.

You finished it a good time, as Verko had just started bringing his reinforcements. Since the only obstacle to freedom was now unconscious, you turned over to Captain Celaeno, slightly annoyed that she was wide awake.

“You just sat there... and watched me play around with this tiger?” you questioned, holding your bleeding arm.

“I didn’t want to ruin your moment of glory,” she said with a mischievous shrug. “Besides, I can’t get enough of a guy who’s a skilled fighter. However, what really impressed me is how you saved my tail feathers. Look forward to your big reward.”

You rolled your eyes, confident she would be offering you treasure or maybe some rum, after all, you managed to grab some of Verko’s loot while you were fighting your way out of his mansion. Of course, you didn’t see any reason to prolong an irrelevant conversation about rewards when there was a large number of henchmen charging towards you.

Climbing the ropes that your crew threw down for you and Celaeno, you bit your lip at how much pain you were going through as you boarded the ship. Looking down as the ropes were brought back onto the deck, you saw Cross Stripes was slowly waking up and his gaze met your own. Even though you won this one, it was clear that this rivalry was just beginning.

Once everyone was aboard, there were cheers roaring for you and the rest of the crew. It was only after the ship had ascended and Cross was completely out of your sight, that you used the little strength you had left, you raised your arm up, declaring victory. But after that, your vision became blurred and you felt yourself collapse to the deck.

“Don’t think you have to sleep tonight! Feel free to eat and drink to your heart’s content, mates!” Mullet announced raising a cup of rum. Just about everybody else followed the first mate’s lead, raising their own drinks into the air while cheering.

“I thought I was going to be slave the rest of my life!” one of the recruits exclaimed.

“I’ll be a pirate over a prisoner any day!”

“Same here! It's been years since I experienced freedom!”

You were amongst the few who wasn’t out drinking, as instead you were getting your wounds checked out by one of the new doctors on board. The claw marks on your arm had to be stitched up, but of course, that wasn’t all. Your ribs took a massive blow, leaving you unable to do any fighting for a few weeks.

“Thanks again for your help, doc. I’ve never fought against anyone like that before," you said, gently placing a hand over your scratch wound.

“You should consider yourself lucky. If that tiger scratched you any deeper, or if you didn't have this wound treated sooner, you wouldn't be breathing. Of course, I should also be thanking you and the rest of the crew for saving us.”

It was at that moment that Captain Celaeno came in, clutching a bottle of rum, which didn’t even remotely surprise you. Since you were all patched up, the doctor decided to leave before things got awkward.

“Well captain, it looks like I’m out of the fighting business for a while. You done drinking already or what?” you asked.

“Are you crazy!? When it comes to rum, I can never stop drinking after one bottle!” Having said that, Celaeno opened the fresh bottle and took a nice long sip. “Anyway, I’m here to talk about something much more important than my drinking habits. Do you remember that instant when you not only saved me, but also fought in my place?”

“Still burned into my mind,” you assured, giving her another glare. Like you said before, she could have done more to help. Celaeno knew exactly what was annoying you and met your glare with an impish smirk.

“Oh, don’t give me that look, honey. I’ll remind you as many times as necessary that it was your moment not mine. As the captain, I want to make sure each member of my crew has the chance to show what they’re truly capable of.” She stopped to take another sip of rum. “That aside, don’t think I’m not grateful to you for sticking up for me,” she said, pinching your cheek. You felt your face getting warmer as she commended you.

“Well, I... I couldn't let him take you. I just did what I would do with you and anyone on this ship if they were in the same position,” you darted your eyes back and forth.

“Right...” Celaeno responded, slowly, as if implying you had other reasons. “You actually like me, don’t you?”

“Okay, now you stepped over the line. We’re not having this conversation,” you said rolling your eyes and facing away from your captain. Even without looking at Celaeno, you felt like she was still giving you playful eyes.

“Well, if you’re not going to explain the urge to be a hero, why don’t you stop sitting there like some lame-ass loner and come join the party? It just doesn’t feel like a party if the whole isn’t out there,” she said, patting your back.

Slowly standing up and listening to the noise coming from outside, you smiled as your captain had a point there. “I guess after all that fighting, I could go for a stiff drink,” you said.

“Now there’s the Falcon I know. It figures it wouldn’t take much convincing to get you to come out here!”

Naturally, you were confused by what she just called you, but any questions you had died when Celaeno opened the door. When she said the crew was celebrating, she wasn’t kidding. A lot of the rescued slaves were chugging down mugs of rum while some are singing happy songs. And of course, they were also eating their fill after starving for so long. Lix Spittle helped you in the kitchen, but it was obvious there would be more helping hands from now on.

“Look alive, everyone!” Celaeno called out before grabbing a new bottle. “The fun has only just begun and we’re gonna party hard! You might not know everyone onboard just yet, but starting tonight nobody on this ship will find themselves bound in the shackles of slavery ever again!”

“HERE! HERE! HERE!” everyone shouted and only quieted down when the captain finished taking a sip of her rum and got ready to speak again.

“This is just the beginning, we’ll be getting more recruits soon enough! And we’ll fight to give them the same choices we gave all of you! The choice to join in the fight to end a business that is nothing more than a damned disgrace to all living things! In time however, I think it’s about time to really liven up this party with a little music! Mullet, Boyle, head down below deck and get the instruments out here!"

“Aye aye, captain!” both birds shouted in unison and quickly ran down and in a few minutes, brought up a couple of instruments. Said instruments included a piano and some violens.

“Nice hustle there! Now then, who here has a song they’d like to play?” Celaeno asked. You sat there watching happily at how many suggestions your crew mates brought up. To your surprise, some of the songs they asked for were songs that originated from your world. Then, one of the new recruits went and played a song you were quite familiar with. A few of the other crewmates also joined in and played along with each other, singing.

The party continued with virtually no signs of stopping. Even if you still felt a tiny bit of pain, you pushed it aside as you listened to your crew mates move on to the next song. Just like Captain Celaeno said, as huge as tonight’s victory was, this was only the beginning. And you were ready for whatever lies ahead for you and your newest recruits.

The Treasures of the Future

View Online

It’s been 3 months since your successful raid on Verko’s underground hideout, but your mission to stamp out the slavery business had only gotten harder. Turns out the naked mole rat wasn’t just another slave trader, but was the mastermind behind all the slave trade in the badlands. Naturally furious that you successfully raided his hideout, Verko retaliated by upping his security and set a bounty on you and the rest of the crew. He was out to get you, but it didn’t matter whether you were dead or alive.

During the last 3 months you only fought Verko’s top employee, Cross Stripes one time and believe it or not, you lost. You would’ve been captured too if it hadn’t been for Captain Celaeno and her new crew members stepping in. This was the first time she’s ever stepped in to save you from the tiger, but it was the second time she saved you from enslavement.

Anyways, from that one loss, you realized you had to step up your game, so every day for the past three months, you trained hard while Verko’s army grew numerous. This would have lead to a series of complications had Celaeno not saved her brand new crew members. With some help from you and the rest of the original crew members, you all trained them to become lean mean fighting machines.

When you weren’t battling off slave traders or training, you were putting up with Captain Celaeno’s seduction. The crazy bird kept on insisting that on the day you saved her from Cross, you had a thing for her and that you wanted to take her to bed and make her squawk. Sometimes, the other crew mates would make fun of you and joked about how they could hear the wedding bells. It made you agitated, but not to the point where you’d want to pulverize them.

As one of the highest members of the crew, you learned to keep your anger in control and rebutted by warning them that you could convince Lix Spittle to serve the crew less food when it was dinner time. After all they’ve been through during their imprisonment, Lix Spittle’s cooking was probably the best they’ve had in a long time and the thought of getting served small rations gave them a good scare. Captain Celaeno laughed at how you were able to take charge of such a large crew. This only made her like you even more and become more straightforward with you.

You weren’t training any of your crew mates at the moment, only yourself. Punching and kicking the punching bag in front of you, you used the thought of your defeat from Cross Stripes to inspire you to get stronger. If you didn’t know any better, that tiger was probably training as well, since your rivalry has been made clear.

“You got a second, Falcon?” Celaeno asked, trying to work her natural charms for the umpteenth time. “You know... if you happen to kick that big kitty's ass like you did back then, I might have a special surprise just for you...” she whispered into your ear before leaning in to nibble on it, softly. The act made you shiver a bit.

“Captain, I... uh...” you tried to say, but you just couldn’t finish the sentence. Celaeno didn’t help you because while you were stammering, she kept you from saying anything else by letting go of your ear and capturing your lips. Jolts of static electricity coarsed through your spine when your lips touched her beak. You couldn’t explain it, but you didn’t put up any resistance or pull away from the kiss. It lasted for a good minute or two before she finally broke away.

“Later, mate...” she whispered as she headed out the door. Once she was gone, you sat on the bed, unsure of what to say or think.

It was already past midnight when everyone on board was called out for what was perhaps your most important meeting yet.

“Alrighty, pipe down mates! Turns out we’ve made the mistake of underestimating our enemy. Being the most influential broker in the slave market Verko even as we speak, is using his influence to reach out to as many of his associates as possible. Since there’s no telling when someone will jump us, we must be on our guard at all times. Sooner or later, we’ll come across someone who can tell us where he’s relocated his business,” Celaeno addressed her crew.

“How will we get in?” you asked.

“After all the mess we’ve caused during the last riot, there’s no doubt that Verko has tightened the security. Once we get one of his associates to tell us the location of his base, an additional task would be learning the easiest way to get inside. Needless to say, the one we interrogate has to be easy to break.”

You nodded and decided to give your own instructions. “Once you've searched the base and found him, let me know and I’ll follow you. Wherever he is, he surely won’t be alone, so I’ll deal with his best bodyguard, Cross Stripes,” you said. “The battles up ahead are where your training will be put to the test. Regardless if we’re outnumbered, we’ll give them a fight that will be impossible to forget! All clear?!”

“AYE AYE!” everyone shouted, throwing their hands into the air.

“Okay then, let’s-” you were interrupted as the ship began to shake violently. You had a few good ideas of what was happening, as the shaking only got worse. Commotion was drawn from your crew members who hurried up to grab their weapons.

You made your way outside as fast as you could with all this shaking and even though it was pretty dark outside, you found out what was going on. Two airships, both of them about the same size as your own, were crashing into you and you could hear sinister laughter coming from the shady figures that were onboard each one.

“Split up and prepare for battle!” Mullet shouted, “We’ve got company!”

You and the rest of the crew prepared yourselves as the combination of bounty hunters and slave traders barely gave you enough time to split up as you were told before some of them slide down the ropes connected to the harpoons that pierced your ship. Taking a good look at your opponents, it didn’t seem like you’d be getting any new recruits. Ergo, you didn’t have to hold anything back on these guys.

Looking left and right as a couple of the slave traders were coming at you, you braced yourself for what was doomed to happen. Your closest target was a bipedal vulture who you kicked a barrel at to slow him down. You succeeded in knocking him off his feet before you were grabbed from behind by one of his accomplices. Not taking time to find out what kind of creature it was, you elbowed them to make them let go and once you were free, you spun to kick him hard right in the face.

"Falcon, heads up!” Lix Spittal exclaimed, throwing his trusty frying pan at you. You catch it just after the vulture got back up and lunged at you. When he turned around, you smacked him hard in the face with Lix’s frying pan. The vulture spun around in a daze before falling hard on right his tail feathers.

You didn’t drop the frying pan as more of Verko’s henchmen confronted you. Using it as a shield, you avoided getting punched and countered by slamming Lix’s pan into their faces and one under their chin. One of the two was still conscious so you put him down by kneeing him hard in the gut before smacking him in the back of the head.

You weren’t the only one fighting as hard as you could and because of that, an all-out war has broken out in such a small area. Punches and kicks were thrown and battle cries rang throughout the nighttime air. Interesting enough, even though Verko sent so many henchmen after you, Cross Stripes was nowhere to be found.

It was difficult to fight and defend the ship at the same time. Most of the enemies have been knocked back so hard, they’ve broken the railings on the ship. There were also slash marks on the masts and floor boards. More importantly, the two enemy ships crashing against you were firing their harpoons at your ship, desperate to bring you down even if it meant sacrificing some of their own soldiers in the process. After a few more of them actually managed to hit, you were no longer able to risk staying on the ship and the battle led you to jump aboard one of your enemies’ ships.

Kicking down the door to the room where the ship was being steered, you quickly dropped to the floor to avoid the darts being shot at you. ‘This is getting so pathetically predictable,’ you thought and jumping back onto your feet, you sidestepped what seemed to be one of those diamond dog creatures from Equestria. Kneeing him in the stomach, you grabbed the back of his head and forced him to the hard floor.

Mullet came onto the ship as your backup and had reached out to grab the arm of could have possibly been the diamond dog’s twin brother. Regardless, he knocked him out twisting the arm and kicked him hard in the back, causing him to crash into some wooden boxes.

Now that you were sure the room was empty, Mullet ran over to the steering wheel. Normally, he wasn’t the one who worked on steering, but there wasn’t time to argue. Grasping the wheel, the first mate made a sharp turn to the right, attempting to pull this ship away from your own. Since this was causing the ship to tilt over, you had trouble keeping yourself from falling to the side and swiftly grabbed one of the swords that was lying around and stabbed it into the floor in order to hold yourself in place.

Looking out the window, you saw that the roped harpoons that Verko’s henchmen had fired into your ship in order to come onboard, were roughly being pulled off. You realized that once this battle ended, the ship would need some serious repairs, but it was still in a condition good enough for it to land safely. And seeing how the enemy ship from the other side was beginning to descend, told you that Celaeno not only had the same idea, but had also taken care of the slave traders onboard.

“Let’s hurry up and land her, mate,” Mullet said, regaining control of the balance of the ship and flying it much more steadily. There was no longer any need for you to depend on the sword that you stabbed into the floor and you kept looking at the window at the other ships as you felt yourself slowly descend.

Even though you had been outnumbered in this battle, you still emerged victorious and upon landing, you proceeded to tie up your enemies before the questioning began. The large beast-like creatures who formerly served the Storm King, proved their usefulness once again by holding down the henchmen who were the hardest to subdue until you had them safely secured in chains.

Celaeno walked from left to right, debating who would be the quickest to spill their guts. She finally stopped upon coming to a bipedal raccoon, whose left eye was swollen shut from his recent, harsh defeat. “We both know you didn’t attack us for free. Where’s Verko hiding?” she demanded. Disappointingly however, the fool turned his head away.

“I-I don’t h-have t-to tell you anything!” he stuttered, trying to sound brave. “T-There ain’t nothing you can do to make me!” You and Celaeno looked at each other and you begged to differ.

All you had to do was snap your fingers and Boyle and Mullet came up to the raccoon and forced him onto his feet. Gripping his arms, the muscular parrots asked their captain if she wanted them to beat him up, but she had a more efficient idea and they were ordered to bring him onto the ship. Even though it was damaged, it would still hold together for a quick trip to the ocean where the sharks were especially... active at this late hour.

Looking down and watching as the raccoon was hanging above the ocean by a rope, his cockiness had quickly been replaced by fear as he looked at the hungry sharks circling below him. Each time a minute passed without him giving in to your demands, you lowered him closer to the water.

“Your choice, runt. Either tell us where Verko is, or you can consider yourself a late night snack,” you said calmly so you could let him know it wasn’t an empty threat. “A little lower if you’d please, Boyle.”

“No! No! No! I’ll talk! I’LL TALK!” Smiling, you cocked your head to the side, gesturing for Boyle to pull your terrified prisoner back onto the ship. “After you trashed his business in Klugetown, Verko mined out a new and better hideout in the Forbidden Jungle!” he confessed, but you were going to need more than that and so Boyle brought him back to his predicament. You would spend the next couple of minutes getting as much information as you could out of the raccoon, including where specifically Verko’s hideout was, how many guards he had, and the best way to get in. Captain Celaeno definitely made the right decision choosing to interrogate this coward.

No longer affiliated with the Storm King or Verko’s black market dealings, you were able to trust Klugetown to put away Verko’s henchmen when you paid them a late visit. Once that was done, you could focus on destroying the mole rat’s surviving business which he has moved on to the Forbidden Jungle. Getting there wasn’t too difficult, but your arrival was only finishing half the battle.

Once everyone got off the ship, they crept through the jungle, carefully navigating and following the right path. Everyone had their weapons out in case some creature tried to lunge at them. Soon, you all came across a clearing and found the entrance that you were looking for. Just as the raccoon said, Verko stepped up his patrols, as he wasn’t gonna go down without a fight. That was fine with you, because you still had a score to settle with his bodyguard.

“What do you think, Falcon?” Mullet asked, ironically turning to you for orders instead of executing his authority as Captain Celaeno’s second-in-command by giving the orders himself.

“It looks like the left side of the base is the only blindspot. When one of the guards gets underneath the balcony, we’ll knock him out with one of these,” you said, showing the tranquilizer dart attached to the crossbow. “Stealth team... when we get inside, that’ll be your cue to subdue the guards out in the front. As for the backup team, once the captain and I are in, you’ll join us inside at the safest opportunity. Captain Celaeno will then take the chance to lead the search team to check the perimeter inside and find where Verko is hiding, while the rest of us stay with the backup team. Our backup team and our search team can’t be too far apart, as since this is now Verko’s main base of operations, his top bodyguard with is around here somewhere. I have a score to settle with that son of a bitch, so I’ll take care of him while Celaeno takes care of Verko,” you explained.

Once everyone understood the plan, you put it into action by sneaking around the bushes, keeping a safe distance, but also close enough to get a good shot. Once you found a good position, you aimed your crossbow at the guard who had just moved to search underneath the left balcony. You waited for the other guard in the back of the building to move far away enough and then fired. The dart shot at high speeds and hit the guard under the balcony straight in the neck. He had no time to scream and passed out on the ground.

“Alright, let’s go,” you whispered making your way to the left side entrance, which was now unguarded, at least for now. Once you reached the small door to the basement, Squabble came into play with his incredible lock-picking skills. With a click, the door opened up, and Squabble turned back to you with his goofy smile. You gave him a thumbs up and crawled through.

Suffice it to say, this was the worst way you’ve ever had to enter a building, but at least it actually worked. It turns out that raccoon wasn’t lying as Verko left the basement unoccupied and that would soon be his undoing. Now then, back on the subject at hand, you turned to the doorway and gestured your crewmates to come down with you. Each one got through with ease... except for Lix Spittle.

“Uh... a little help here mates?” he asked sheepishly as his hips got stuck. Of course, you weren’t going to laugh and hurried up to help your friend get loose.

“Alright, on the count of 3, we pull. Ready?” you asked your crew. They all nod. “Altogether, 1... 2... 3... Pull!” you and the crew quickly pulled hard and got Lix out of his tight spot. “You okay?”

"Yeah, thanks a bunch, mate,” Lix said. Just like you all had planned, both the search team, led by Celaeno and the backup team led by Mullet was inside. The stealth team would remain outside the building to take care of the guards who would be called out to as reinforcements once the fight began. You snuck up the stairs and carefully placed your ear against the door. You listened carefully to hear if there were any guards close by or if any of them were talking.

So far, there was no noise. You took it as a sign to quietly open the door and boy did you get one hell of a surprise. Most of the guards inside, were patrolling and checking the inside of the building for any break-ins. Others were keeping watch of the new slaves who were imprisoned and waiting for a future auction. They have yet to notice the guards outside being subdued. However, you knew it was only a matter of time before someone knew you were here.

“Listen up, even as we speak our stealth team is taking care of the reinforcements they can call on from the outside. Remember your training and stick together. No matter what the circumstances are, no one is to be abandoned,” you said putting your hand on the knob. “Ready?” In response, your crew mates showed you their weapons. “Alright... LET’S GO!!!”

It didn’t take long for you and the crew to charge through the door and into battle. You had the element of surprise as Verko’s henchmen were trying to process how you managed to break into their facility. Snapping out of it, you noticed one of them rushing upstairs and you heard a speaker being switched on.

“Security breach! Security breach! This is not a drill! Intruders have broken into the base! I repeat: INTRUDERS HAVE BROKEN INTO THE BASE!!!” Jumping into the air and kicking down a bipedal hamster in the face, you knew they were wasting their breath calling for backup, as all the guards outside should have been knocked out by the stealth team by now. Even so, you didn’t get cocky since there was still quite a number of henchmen to deal with.

Leading some of the most muscular fighters in your crew, Boyle kept one of the bigger guards busy, blocking the attack and then countered with a couple of kicks to the ribs and the face. Meanwhile, raising his beloved frying pan, Lix Spittle brought it down right in between his opponent’s eyes. Left dizzy from the assault, Lix finished him off by hitting him again in the side of his head.

You looked through the crowd, as there was one henchman you had your eyes on more than anyone else and after flipping a large bipedal owl, your gaze met with exactly what you were looking for. At the same time, you were enraged by what was happening, as Cross Stripes... was choking Captain Celaeno. Naturally, your crew mates rushed over to try and save her, but Cross quickly put them in their place.

“ASSHOLE!!!” you shouted, running up to the tiger and jumped to bring a powerful kick to his chest; it was enough to make him let go of your captain. Throwing him a few feet back, Cross snarled as he found that his arch-rival had returned and got back up in time to block your drop kick.

You succeeded in angering the tiger but you couldn’t really take advantage of that since you were angry as well. After he dodged you kick, he jumped up to his feet and swung a right hook at you, which connected with you hard. When Cross went in for a left hook, you blocked it and dodged his next right hook by ducking underneath. That allowed to get behind the tiger, and the moment he turned around, you kicked him in the chest. You closed the distance you made during that kick by running towards Cross and locked your arm with his own, then landed three punches to his solar plexus.

While you were fighting, you overheard Mullet calling out to any available crew members of the backup team to get the cages opened. You couldn’t risk looking away to see if their attempts would be successful, especially since Cross Stripes had just shoved you to the ground. Struggling to get up, the tiger brought his knee to your side with great strength, but when he tried to do it a second time, you rolled out of his grasp and kicked him away.

You could only consider that kick a lucky shot, as things didn’t get any better when you got back onto your feet. Cross shoved you before kicking you twice. The first kick got you in the gut, but you managed to block the second one, which aimed at your elbow. After blocking it, you grabbed his leg, which proved to be a bad idea. Cross acted quickly by leaping with his other leg and kicking you in the face, causing you to lose your grip on his other leg and then got kicked in the chest.

Celaeno went through with her role in the plan while you were fighting, as in the corner of your eye, you saw her leading a couple of crew mates upstairs to find Verko. Unfortunately, Cross noticed it too and after kicking you into the wall behind you, Cross decided to focus on stopping Celaeno from getting to Verko and ran up the stairs. You weren’t having that and once you recovered, you rushed over to the railings and leaped over it so that you were in between Cross and your friends. Using the momentum to spin while your hands were still on the rail, you performed a roundhouse kick, which grazed Cross’ cheek as he leaned his head back to avoid the full blow.

With his attention focused on you like it was supposed to, he through a right punch, which you caught and then hit him hard with an elbow strike to the face, then his chest and finally, you put your legs to use again to deliver a kick hard enough to bring him back down the stairs. Chasing after him and watching him stand up, you kicked him again to bring him further away from the staircase, making it clear he’d have to defeat you in order to get to his boss.

It seems Cross Stripes got the message. Running towards you, he jumped and pushed away from the wall with his foot in order to kick your arm while in midair. Enduring the pain, you raised your leg high, almost managing to kick him in his chin, but since he managed to dodge, you took some risks by closing the distance and grabbed onto his arm. Pulling him closer, you swiftly elbowed him hard in the cheek before flipping him hard onto his back.

“You could have avoided that if you hadn’t become such a coward!” you shouted, as the tiger looked up at you snarling.

“I would never!”

“Then why did it happen?!” you demanded, prompting Cross to charge at you yet again. Finding Verko would be much easier, since you were keeping his top associate occupied. What’s more is that this time, the slaves that you had set free didn’t need much convincing to join your side in the fight. Finding yourself making contact with the wall again, you rolled out of the way to avoid another of Cross Stripes’ kicks.

“Forget alive! After I knock your ass unconscious, I’ll make sure Verko sells you out into the world stuffed!” he seethed. That was all it took to get you to stand up again and this time, you kept your eyes locked on his, preparing to anticipate his moves. Cross pressed on with one of his predictable kicks, which you deflected with ease. However, your concentration temporarily broke when he brought his heel down especially hard on your shoulder. Shouting in pain as you heard something crack, Cross then swept your legs, making you fall.

There was no mercy, not even for a second. Grasping your throat with one hand, Cross punched your dislocated shoulder again and again, showing no concern about how much you were suffering. You finally managed to stop his assault by grabbing his fist just as he was about to punch your shoulder again and hit him in the side with your knee. As he grunted in pain, you kicked him in the chest to get him off of you and stood up. You grasped your damaged shoulder, you stared intensely at Cross, drowning your anger out and keeping your mind focused on your opponent.

‘This ends now,’ you thought taking a fighting stance once again, and Cross Stripes did the same as well. “You want to finish this?!” you demanded.

“Get over here already, you piece of shit,” he retorted.

Clenching your fist, rushing over at Cross and vice versa. Both of you put in the last ounce of your strength into one last attack. Cross threw one last left punch, while you struck with a right counterpunch. Time seemed to slow down for the two of you. Soon, both punches landed, but it was your punch that cut the deepest. It had struck home, breaking a few of his teeth and his nose, too, while his punch only succeeded in hitting your dislocated shoulder. Indeed, you were in a great deal of pain, but it didn’t matter, as you saw the tiger lose consciousness and fall to the floor.

‘I... I won...’ you thought looking down at Cross with your mouth agape. Backing away slowly, you looked around, having virtually forgotten about the rest of your fighting crew mates. You recognized members of the stealth team who have apparently come inside to join the fight with Boyle to lead them, and giving commands as best as he could through shrieking, Squabble led the slaves who he had freed from their cages. Everything was working to your favor and only got better after you felt somebody playfully shoved you from behind.

“Why are you spacing out, mate?” Turning around to confront the mischievous voice, you saw your captain had just come back downstairs with the rest of the crew’s search team. In their arms, they held Verko, who had been beaten to a bloody pulp, tied, and gagged. All he could do was squirm helplessly as your crew kept a tight grip on him. Not that it would do him much good, as all his henchman have been defeated.

“So honey... you gonna help me load the cargo?” Celaeno asked, gesturing to the beaten and humiliated mole rat. Though, she felt foolish asking that question when she saw the condition of your shoulder and instead let the crew mates who were already carrying Verko and his treasure, to continue their job. You took one last look at Cross Stripes before closing the door on him and the rest of his fallen associates.

The crew didn’t hold back on making sure Verko wouldn’t get away. Once all your crew mates climbed aboard the ship with all the loot you managed to steal, you took the crime boss to the lowest room of the ship. Here, his arms and legs were bound with chains that were connected to the walls and for extra security, Captain Celaeno sent a different guard to watch him every hour. After all the immoral things he’s done as the head of the slave trade, the only sympathy Verko got from you, was getting his wounds healed before you chained him up.

Even though the shift changed every hour, only one crew mate was watching Verko at a time; The rest of you were celebrating as if there was no such thing as tomorrow. Today was a great day for everyone. With Verko getting carted off into custody, the slave trade business was just about over. Everyone on board was downing rum and stuffing their faces with Lix Spittle’s delicious cooking.

Having developed a high tolerance for alcohol, Celaeno and the other top crew mates were the only ones who weren’t getting drunk, but that didn’t mean they were going to shy away from making noise. Before you knew it, Boyle and Mullet brought out their instruments to prepare a song that was suited to your victory. Even if there were a couple of crew mates who weren’t familiar with the lyrics, it didn’t stop them from at least trying to sing along.

As the party went on, Celaeno tugged on your shirt to get your attention. “I need to have a word with you...” she whispered and grabbed hold of your hand so you could sneak away from all of the celebration. Leading you up the stairs so you stood in front of the door to her room, the captain took one last look at the crew who still haven’t noticed your absence and then opened the door.

“What’s this all about?” you asked as you were suddenly, but gently pushed onto the bed. What’s more is that Celaeno not only joined you on the bed, but began nibbling on your ear like she did the day before you attacked the hideout.

“It’s time for Captain Obvious to strike again. You beat Cross Stripes and settled the score, didn’t you?” she asked with a smile to let you know how proud she was of you.

“The oversized feline messed up my shoulder. If it wasn’t for the doctor, I’d be out one less arm. But yeah, I did beat him,” you confirmed.

“Then I guess now, I can give you that special reward I told you about, big guy. So take those rags off, that’s an order!” she demanded with a slight hint of sweetness in her tone. Your face was burning up, as you slowly pieced together what your “reward” was supposed to be. Even so, you weren’t one to disobey orders after everything Captain Celaeno has done for you.

Not wasting time taking off your clothes, Celaeno watched you undress while at the same time getting up from her bed to go over to her door and lock it. Then, she got undressed herself, starting with her coat and captain’s hat. It was when she was done undressing that you took interest into her body for the first time, since your respect for your captain kept you from thinking about her in a sexual manner due to how much you respected her. Since your relationship was taking a turn, you found it much harder to look away from her F-cup bust as they bounced with every step she took walking back to you.

Celaeno blushed a bit as she stared into your eyes and brought a hand to your cheek. “For the record, hot shot, this’ll be my first time. How about you?” You tried to turn your head away, but the beautiful parrot forced you to look at her again. “Well?”

“N-No, it’s my first time as well...” you admitted. As if she was rewarding you for being honest, Celaeno leaned in and passionately kissed you. Adjusting to the kiss, you closed your eyes and pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss. You decided to lay back on the bed with your captain still in your embrace and could feel her feathery breasts squished against your chest as you held her.

“Tell me... how would you like to be the captain for the night?” Celaeno asked, reaching to the floor to pick up her captain’s hat and offered it to you with an eyebrow arched. You decided to play along.

“I only have a question for you... do you like large popsicles?” you asked as your boner made itself known, poking at her. Even if it was just a game, you felt a great deal of pride as you put on the captain’s hat and therefore, you didn’t see a reason to feel ashamed of your erection. Plus, it wasn’t like anyone was going to notice, as you could still hear the music from outside. “Be a good girl and give your captain’s cock a good suck.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Celaeno complied and turned over so that she was staring right at your throbbing erection. You inhaled deeply, watching Celaeno take in your member. However, as you felt her tongue swirl around the base of your shaft, you became more interested in her rear, which was swaying from side-to-side. You decided to see just how long you could restrain yourself from grabbing ahold of her ass.

Celaeno got more kinky and even without you ordering her to do so, she placed your cock in between her bosom. She continued to suck you off while rubbing her breasts together. “Do you like that, captain? I just couldn’t resist,” she said before giving the top of your manhood another lick. No matter how innocent she tried to act, it was obvious she was teasing you on purpose.

“You’re gonna get what’s coming to you soon, my dear. You’ll be singing like a canary when I’m through with you,” you said, smirking. You could no longer stop yourself from reaching out to grab onto Celaeno’s beautiful rear and squeezed both of her ass cheeks tight enough to make her moan. You marveled the nice, feathery texture you felt against your hands as you got a good grip of the parrot’s lovely rear.

What happened next was something you couldn’t explain, but you suddenly lost interest in dominating Celaeno with your pretend role as the captain due to the sudden urge to get closer to her. Letting go of her rear, you made her yelp as you got up to reach around her waist and brought her down so that she was laying on your chest.

“But before that, your captain wants to take a moment to prove just how much...” you couldn’t stop what came out of your mouth next “...he loves you.”

“Y-You... You love me...?” she asked, watching as you took of the hat so you could speak to her as an equal rather than as her pretend captain.

“That's right. It's taken me awhile to figure it out, but I can no longer deny it. I guess all your teasing and flirting played a role in making me feel this way, but that’s not all. I’ve been indebted to you ever since you broke into those rats’ hideout and cut me out of that cage. Of course back then, I wouldn’t have imagined thinking of my captain in such a way, but you didn’t seem to shy away from expressing the feelings you’ve developed for me after I kicked Cross Stripes’ ass.” You shared a laugh after that last sentence.

“You’re a mean one, you know that? It’s been killing me to have to wait for you to give in to my advances!” she playfully complained, but then squirmed out of your embrace so she could look at you from above. With a smirk, Celaeno closed the distance with another kiss while at the same time, grabbing her captain’s hat and putting it back on your head. “Well now, that you’ve confessed, what thrills does the captain have in mind for his naughty crew mate tonight?”

You gripped your new lover’s rear again, feeling high and mighty now that you were wearing the hat again. “I will tell you this: I’ve got plenty of ways... of making you squawk,” you assured and moved your other hand to grab one of Celaeno’s breasts. You kept the hand that was groping her bosom where it was, while suddenly removing the one that was playing with her rear. Then you brought it back down on her ass hard. All the while, Celaeno bit her lower beak in order to stifle her moans.

“Fight it all you want, but I can do this all night,” you assured, getting aroused by her strong will. While you were being nice and gentle playing with her F-cup breasts, you showed no mercy when it came to slapping her bubbly ass. You were convinced that this bizarre combination would let Celaeno know you still adored her despite the rough spanking, and judging from how she stared at you with her mesmerizing, bedroom eyes, you haven’t failed.

This time, you poured on the pleasure by rubbing the base of your cock against her now dripping wet pussy. Celaeno was doing everything she could to keep in control, but it was getting way too good for her. You heard her muffled moans clearly. You smiled knowing your plan was working. You pushed her even further, picking up speed with your teasing thrusts and smacking each of her ass cheeks even hard while playing with her sensitive breast nipples.

“F-Falcon... AH!” she screamed after you gave her an extra hard slap this time. You then turned her onto her back and held her arms against the mattress. Looking at those magnificent eyes of hers, you could see the excitement and curiosity caused by wondering what you were going to do next.

“That’s Captain Falcon to you, my sweet...” you whispered, ironically sounding more affectionate than reprimanding. How could you help it? Even though she was submitting to you like you were actually her captain, you still felt a whole lot of love and respect for her since she went through all that trouble to save you that fateful day. You reached down to stroke her cheek and watched her blush. “Remember that so I won’t have to punish someone as beautiful as you too much.”

“You’re... too kind... my... my captain!” she moaned, feeling you squeeze her nipple again. You then decided to repeat what she did earlier as you sat on her to put your manhood in between her bust. Smirking a little, she didn’t need an order to grab both breasts and squeeze them around your shaft. “Comfortable captain?”

“Plenty. And for that, I’m gonna give it to you good,” you whispered and began moving in between her feathery breasts. You thought from the warning you gave her earlier, that there wouldn’t be any more witty remarks, but you were proven wrong at the next minute.

“Really now, captain? Is that the best you can do? I thought you were tougher than that, but I guess I was wrong,” she said, flashing you that cocky smirk of hers once again. Your eye twitched from her sassy remark.

“Oh, that’s it. No more Mr. Nice Captain!” you exclaimed, getting up. Celaeno barely had enough time to lick her lips lustfully before you grabbed her head and slammed your cock down her throat and fucked it really hard. Celaeno was now trapped in a throat-fuck with no way out other than to take in the punishment until you were ready to blow. You could tell it would be soon due to how warm and soft her mouth was.

Pulling out of her beak, you watched rather impressed as she managed to swallow every last drop of your seed. “Well I’ll admit you earned some points by not spilling anything, but I don’t see any reason to hold back the REAL fun any longer...” you whispered and decided to be comforting since it would be a painful experience for her to lose her virginity. “We’ll start things off slow Celaeno, okay?”

“T-Thank you, captain...” she replied softly. Like you thought, her attitude had changed to a nervous one. Laying back on her back, she spread both her legs to reveal her virgin pussy and you slowly got into position placing your manhood in front of it. She nods, giving you the go-ahead to push it in.

You slowly ease it in and held her hand, giving her some comfort. You felt the resistance the more you pushed your shaft through her walls and before you knew it, you pushed past her hymen, ending her virginity. She squawked in pain and pleasure after taking in your shaft. She looked up at you with a calm smile.

“Thanks for taking it slow...” she whispered, feeling you begin your steady rhythm through her tight confines. To double to pleasure you leaned down and began to kiss and suck on her neck, not minding the feathers that threatened to invade your mouth as you did so. Though you kept your word and started off slow and gentle, you made sure to increase your thrusts every few seconds or so. All the while, your avian lover was giving out sounds of bliss, only to silence herself when you captured her lips again.

“Are you still... disappointed with what your... captain can provide?!” you demanded.

“Y-Yes! I know y-you’re holding... b-back on me...! S-Stop stalling or so help me, I’ll snatch that hat and take charge!” she shouted in a provoking tone. “You haven’t... forgotten stealing is a pirate’s specialty, have you-AH!” As tight as her walls were still, you took her threat seriously and began thrusting as fast and hard as you could. At the same time, you reached down to grab both of her breasts which had been bouncing out of control and showed this sassy, squawking bird who was in charge.

“Captain here is going to teach you to know your place, parrot!” you said in a cold tone, smirking. Celaeno moaned and squawked like crazy as you rammed your lover, seeing how long it’d be before she’d submit to you. It was only a matter of time, since you saw how she was drowning in pleasure with her rolled back eyes and lolled out tongue. You decided to accelerate the process by pulling on her sensitive nipples.

She squawked and her body shivered from your rough handling of her breasts. Her legs twitched every time you slammed inside her tight quarters and after another hard thrust, she finally gave you what you wanted to hear. “I-I take back what I s-said...! There is no way I can doubt your skills!”

“I’m glad you see things my way,” you replied. You continued stirring her inner walls roughly and with even greater speed. Before you knew it, the pressure in your balls was building up. You were ready to blow at any second. “Crap! I’m gonna cum!”

“No! Not inside! Let me drink it down my throat, hurry!” she panicked. You didn’t know what had gotten into her all of a sudden, but you decided not to shy away from another blowjob. Her mouth was almost as good as her pussy. Pulling out you quickly moved to her beak and used all your strength to hold back your release so you could enjoy her warm mouth as long as possible.

After pulling out of her pussy, you crawled up to her and thrusted your cock down her throat as fast as you could. Once again, the pressure built up, but it was quicker. And eventually, you came inside her warm mouth. She gulped down another huge load in big gulps, once again managing to keep any of it from escaping her beak.

Before you knew it, you were laying on your side with your arm wrapped around Celaeno. Even though the fun was over, she hadn’t taken her hat back yet.

“So... what was that all about?” you asked, wondering why she wanted you to pull out.

“Things... Things are going to change in our crew...” she said snuggling further into your embrace.

“Well, yeah. Sooner or later they’ll find out about our relationship,” you said.

“That’s not all,” she said, but before you could ask what she meant, she went on. “As loyal as they are to us for freeing them, there’s no denying that we have crew mates who wish to reunite with the families they were separated from upon enslavement. We have no right to deny such a noble wish. Furthermore, I’ve been a pirate for a while and have gathered enough treasure to have retired long ago... but I haven’t found a reason to do so until now...”

You leaned down to kiss the top of Celaeno’s head as you figured it out. “Putting the desires of your crew before your own, you didn’t want to get pregnant before all is done, am I wrong?” you asked with a smile, prompting Celaeno to kiss you back.

“Our first priority is to deliver Verko to the Equestrian capital, Canterlot. With the mastermind behind bars, we’ll be able to suck out all he knows and in time, the slave industry will collapse. Our friends won’t have to worry about spending another day in a cage.” Celaeno stopped and let out a big yawn before turning over so she could nuzzle her beak against your chest. “Our future begins afterward...”

You stroked her feathery head over and over until your beautiful lover was finally asleep. You saw no reason to keep yourself awake and with your arms still wrapped around Celaeno, you went to sleep as well.

The royalty of Equestria was more than happy to take Verko off your hands, but like Celaeno said, your mission didn’t end there. One way or another, the ponies managed to get Verko to spill the details of all his shady connections and black market dealings. Furthermore, with wanted posters being released to the public, more of Verko’s acquaintances were finding themselves in prison with each passing day. Cross Stripes was among the few who the authorities had no information on.

After another 2 months of traveling the globe, you reunited your last crew mate with their teary-eyed family, which meant you could focus on what was next for you and Celaeno. Saying goodbye wasn’t easy as not everyone on board was ready to let go of the pirate life. While you and Celaeno decided to get off the ship upon arriving at her homeland, Ornithia, Mullet with a heavy heart, decided to continue on the journey as the new captain. Even so, he said he could never measure up to Celaeno and even refused to take her captain’s hat. Oh, how hard it was to hold back the tears as your friends prayed for your happiness before taking off.

“Still daydreaming, baby?” Celaeno’s playful voice snapped you out of memory lane, and allowed you to notice as she wrapped her arms around your shoulders.

“I was, but not anymore,” you chuckled before staring out the window. Ornithia was definitely a sight to behold. It was a beautiful village, albeit a windy one. There were some houses that were built on ground level while some were built on strong tree branches, as expected since it was mostly a bird village. The village also had these healthy fruit trees that bore fruits of all sorts of different varieties. Some were common, others were exotic.

And to top it off, there was a cliffside just north of the village where the villagers would get some flying practice or just enjoy the view of their hometown. Their village also had a large lake that produces fresh water and has tasty fish. This definitely worked to your favor, since you still haven’t abandoned your love for fishing.

“I’ve been away from home for many years and couldn’t do anything when the Storm King invaded since I was forced into his service. Back then, just the thought of drawing his wrath was too much to handle,” she explained with a sigh. “But there’s no doubt that they got their spirit back when they heard he got his ass handed to him.”

“No one deserves a life submitting to the rule of that damn tyrant. Thank goodness you managed to escape his oppression, as we’d never be able to be together if that bastard was still alive,” you said kissing her deeply, but not before shutting the curtains. You’d definitely need the privacy for what you sensed was about to happen.

“You know... there’s really no reason to... you know... restrain ourselves anymore...” Celaeno whispered, making you turn to her.

“You mean...?” you asked, earning a nod from your feathered lover. She had already begun to undress, expecting you to hurry up and follow her lead. You did so, throwing off your own clothes, getting completely naked with her before picking her up bridal style. You could feel she was already getting wet as her juices dropped onto your legs as you carried her to the bed.

“You’ve already proved to be wonderful at many things and a father will soon be another accomplishment, Falcon...” Celaeno said with happy tears welling up. You too began crying a little as you got into position. “But... that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be reminded of how ferociously you can fuck... Don’t you dare hold back on me!”

“I never do, Celaeno... I never do,” you replied. Aligning your shaft with her dripping folds, you made sure it was just right and then slammed home, bottoming out inside of her. The moment you were all the way inside, you draw out all your strength to go straight to a series of very hard and fast thrusts. With a loud moan, Celaeno locked you in place by wrapping her legs around you as you pounded her pussy without mercy. It was as if she was afraid you would have second thoughts of impregnating her.

“H-Harder baby...! HARDER I SAY!” she screamed at the top of her lungs and reached around to dig her sharp talons into your back. You twitched your eye a little from the pain, but as she continued scratching you, you decided to play her game by biting down hard on her neck. You managed to complete two tasks at once, as your strong thrusts didn’t slow down as you bite and pulled on her neck like the animal you were named after.

Celaeno was lost in a sea of pleasure, but could still very much speak and you lost count of how many times she demanded you go faster. You didn’t know how it was possible that you were thrusting as quickly as you were now, but at the same time, you didn’t care. Though the demands did encourage you to punish her even further and you unable to turn down such an opportunity, you reached underneath Celaeno to yank on her tail feathers.

“H-Here it comes...!” you warned before unleashing your load into her pussy. After Celaeno screeched louder than she ever did before, you suddenly chose to change things up. There was no way your fun was going to end after releasing your seed just one time. Laying on your back, you had brought Celaeno to where she was now sitting on top of you. It was time to see how fast SHE could move this time.

“You ain’t tired, are you sugar?” she asked, understanding what to do in this new position.

“The fun’s just getting started, I just don’t want to hog it. So start riding me right now!” you commanded, delivering a spank to her rear. Licking her lips, she lifted herself until only the tip was still inside and slammed back down hard enough to make you grunt. She did it once again, but after that, she raised and lowered at a fast pace. Laying there, you frowned when you realized that in this position, you wouldn’t be able to admire the sight of her bouncing F-cup melons.

Unable to lie still any longer, you reached out and glided your fingers against her feathery, wide, baby-making hips. As you did so, you started imagining how beautiful the children will be when the time came for your mate here to lay her eggs. The thought thrilled you more than anything and you were unable to stop yourself from humping upwards.

“E-Excited, aren’t we?” she asked, but the adrenaline was getting to you and instead of answering Celaeno’s question, you pulled her off as you decided to retake control. You felt a bit like a hypocrite, since you said you wanted to share the fun. Bringing the parrot onto her knees, you eagerly shoved back inside her so the two of you could continue the fun in a doggy style position. Throaty moans emitted from your lover as she was being reduced to the same slutty mess she was during the first time back on the ship.

“I... love you my sexy parrot...!” you managed to say with all this excitement. Leaning onto her back, you grabbed both of her melons and as you played with them, you soon felt your second release approaching.

“I love ya too, you rugged stud. Keep going! Mess my pussy up more!” she ordered through her moaning. Still resting against her back, you moved your head next to Celaeno’s in order to give her a hungry kiss while doing everything you could to speed up your thrusts. At the same time, you used the energy to hold back your release simultaneously and managed to prolong it for at least 3 more minutes.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Keeping a tight hold on her marvelous breasts as you pounded away, you finally shot another stream of seed, filling her pussy to the brim. Celaeno screeched like she did before, spraying her sweet nectar all over your crotch and the bed. With her midsection expanded from all you sprayed into her, the former pirate captain’s world had been rocked to its core and it had completely tired both of you out. You finally felt the fatigue come at you at full force and once your manhood was free from her stuffed pussy, you slumped down onto the bed, laying next to each other.

“You’ve... outdone yourself... once again... Falcon...” Celaeno pants, reaching over to trace her talons along your sweaty back. She was being far more careful than she was before, mainly because she was spent.

“Right... back... at ya, sweetheart,” you pant, gently stroking her cheek. “What... do you think... the others will think... when they come back... for a visit?”

“Don’t tell me... you’ve forgotten what they... said before they left.. They want our future... to have as much happiness as... possible...” Forcing her exhausted body to sit up, Celaeno decided to move and gestured for your to roll over onto your back so she could lay on top of you rather than beside you. “You’d better... prepare yourself Falcon... as it doesn’t take long for... a parrot’s eggs to hatch...”

“I assure you... I’m gonna make sure our kids... are properly raised when... they arrive,” you replied, rubbing Celaeno’s belly. “I love you very much... Celaeno...”

“I love you too... Falcon,” she whispered before passing out on top of you. You sighed and held her close as you fall asleep with her, hitting the dreamland while thinking about a brand new journey you plan to go on in the near future with your mate... and a few adorable hatchlings. Your only regret was that your mother and father couldn’t see you right now. Oh, how proud they would’ve been to learn they were about to be grandparents.