The Tem Pahlar Treasure

This is a short story for Ynot's contest. Hope you like it.


He stood about 7 feet above the ground. I remember vividly what he wore: boots, a tri-corn hat, a cravat, overcoat, a shirt underneath, and britches. His facial features seemed human, yet grotesque. He held a cutlass to my throat as my blue eyes looked straight up at him.

“I’ll ask ye one more time. Where is yer master?”

I spat on his left boot defiantly. I would never tell Captain Perseus, son of the nobleman Keichi, the location of Klak. At least on this planet, Air Pirates are a higher breed than Sea Pirates, so I refused to answer to such scum.

Perseus laughed.

“A foolish choice, Ghost of the Air.”

Before his cutlass was able to slice into my neck, I reeled to the right. Slamming against the wall of the ship’s wooden deck, I nodded towards the heavens. Next thing I knew, the mob of pirates carrying guns and cutlasses was suddenly being cut down by several flashes of light.

Captain Perseus’s eyes widened. They looked like white and black balls of terror that were housed in an equally frightened face. Fog began to enshroud us, and I only heard 5 bumps coming from around me. Kurenitsu’s fingers snapped, and the shroud disappeared. A smile crept onto my face. We got the salty sea lover.
Ynot, Hokagetsu, Kurenitsu, Asumaru, Sasuken, and Urimetsu stood in a semicircle around Captain Perseus. The Captain’s cutlass was already on the floor. The others had their weapons pointed straight at his head.

“The Makuta Anima and the famous warrior Urimetsu. I didn’t think ye all were working with Klak,” spoke Perseus, attempting to hide the tremble in his voice.

“He pays good,” answered Kurenitsu, “and the Anima are some of his favorite mercenaries. Now, why is it that you wish to bother him?”

“More specifically, what do you want from him? He’s not exactly the prettiest guy in the galaxy, if you know what I mean,” said Hokagetsu, trying to sprinkle the interrogation with his terrible humor.

“The Tem Pahlar treasure. He has the map. With the treasure, I can take over this planet with ease, and send all you air pirates to Davy Robert Jones’s Locker. And when it comes to intergalactic relations, well, I hear there are several organizations that a salty sea rat like me could deal with.” Captain Perseus cackled, and reached for his coat, taking out a cigar.

Ynot maintained his deathly stare at Perseus. He was not amused.

I gulped and kept looking up at them.

“You’re not going anywhere, punk,” said Urimetsu, “There’s a nice jail cell with your name on it, and I hear you have a lot of friends who would be very happy to see you.”

Captain Perseus gulped. “I’d rather not…and ye all belong in that cell too.”

Sasuken shook his head, “I have been cleansed of my sins. I am now the ship’s clergy, and we do odd jobs for cash to maintain ourselves. The jobs usually are for the good of the people. Would you like to-?”

“Don’t try to bloody convert me,” Captain Perseus rudely retorted, “I’m fine going down my path.”

Ynot emotionlessly thrusted his arm forward, stabbing into Captain Perseus. The villainous pirate keeled over and died.

I thanked my crewmen.

“What are you doing here, Trixtin?” said Ynot, finally breaking the silence.

“I was at a cantina, sipping some ginger ale. This bugger kidnapped me,” I explained. It was true. Except, of course, I was actually drinking milk. But I couldn’t tell Ynot that. He would laugh at me. Instead, I just told them that I had run into trouble with one of Klak’s enemies. This was enough to convince them to help me.

The Anima and I then left to the main airship. Urimetsu told us to meet up with Klak on Air Station Nine. Sasuken set course.

We all were happy to see that Klak was okay. He had a high price on his head because of his knowledge of the Tem Pahlar treasure. Any mercenary less loyal than the Anima or Urimetsu would shoot him in the face, or in the knee. I hear the last part is more painful for adventurers.
“Good to see you all, Anima. Now, Urimetsu told me it was Perseus who was after me. Interesting. I didn’t think he was interested in the treasure of the Tem Pahlars. Sea Pirates prefer things on land,” said Klak.

“On land? But isn’t the treasure on an island?” asked Hokagetsu.

“No,” responded Klak, “This map here shows that it is hidden in space, away from the hands of both the Sea Pirates and the Air Pirates,” he handed the map to Ynot, and continued, “If the treasure falls in the wrong hands, well, we’ll have a three way or even four way war on the horizon. The most dangerous group of people after it is the FreeLancer Pirate League. It is an alliance between both Sea Pirates and Air Pirates. Their leaders are Captain Zev Raregroove, and Captain Blackout. They are ruthless, and have no code of honor like we do. Do not underestimate them.”

Asumaru retored, “They better not underestimate US!”

No one laughed or responded. I should have taken that as an omen. Oh how foolish we were in the days of our youth.

Klak smiled and nodded, “Good luck. I would help you all, but sadly, I am disabled.” He walked away limping on his peg leg.

Suddenly, an explosion rocked the station. The Anima and I rushed outside, and saw what was going on. Several airships were shooting lasers and missiles at each other. A volley hit the building Klak was in. The ensuing blast launched us back. I think I blacked out after that.

When I woke up, I saw that the Anima were all together, save Urimetsu and Hokagetsu. Ynot rushed to my side as I got up. There was rubble all around me.

“What the…?” I asked Ynot, bewildered and confused.

“The Freelancers attacked us. They killed Urimetsu, Hokagetsu, Klak, and countless others. It’s a wonder we survived,” Ynot said, quietly.

“And…the map?”

“Safe,” said Ynot, “For now. We have to find this treasure. Whatever it is, these people were willing to destroy an entire Air Station…. an entire village in the air…for it.”

Oh how we underestimated them. It was only going to get worse for us.

A wonderful story, a true joy to read.
Only wish it had competition to compare to, this probably would have out shined them.

Chapter 2:

Urimetsu, Hokagetsu, Klak. All dead. The shock on my face was, for lack of a better word, shocking. Ynot and the rest of the Anima were waiting on a ship. We were lucky it didn’t get destroyed.

Asumaru said, “We got to find that treasure, and kill Blackout and Zev!”

Ynot responded, “Sure. But we have to get more reinforcements. Our crew is scattered. We’re the only ones left. We can’t take on the entire Freelancer crew on our own.”

I simply stared at the floor. Call it fear. Call it shock. Something compelled me to be in my own little world. I couldn’t respond to anything, yet I heard everything.

“Amareta. And Captain Yon. They could help us,” said Sasuken.

My mind filled with the images. Amareta was an infamous Sky-pirate. Yon was a pirate that liked to use both planes of our world. But he never really stole anything. He was nice to all of us, regardless of our affiliation with the law. The only thing he was intolerant of was evil.

Ynot nodded, “Xeno is with them, along with Shika and the Idiotas crew that help Amareta.”

“They will be a credit to our team,” said Asumaru, cheerily.

No answer from me.

It was settled. We reconvened and got on our ship, flying to the nearest cantina. Yes, a cantina. Cliché? Of course, but it’s the truth. You either take it or leave it.

When we walked in, we saw pirates of all kinds of all planes, singing and dancing. Their smelly and putrid alcohol breaths filled the place.

One of these miscreants, Juracule Mihawk, walked up to me and asked me to state my business in broken English. I asked for Yon, and he pointed at a red-haired and red-bearded human with an eye patch. Yon could only see out of one eye, but was very jolly. He was proud of it in fact. So proud that he wanted to make a Yonolution full of one-eyed creatures and people.

He was flirting with Amareta while Blade, Shaern, and another person laughed. I knew all of these people, and yet, I would understand them even more in this journey.

Amareta turned away from Yon in apparent disgust, and saw Ynot standing in front of her. He was not happy. Come to think of it, Ynot was never happy. Hokagetsu always said it was because of his past, or what led him to become a pirate.

Amareta smiled at him, trying to lighten up the mood, “How are ya, Attelav?”

Oh yes, that’s right. She was one of the few who called Ynot by his last name. It’s not that it was unknown; it’s just that a lot of people preferred saying Captain Ynot or Ynot.

Emotionlessly, Ynot responded, “Peachy. Amareta, Blade, Shaern, Yon, I need your help. You can bring your friends too. We must find something.”

Yon smiled, “And what could that be Atttelav old sport, a girl?”

“No,” I said, tersely, and then whispered, “the Tem Pahlar Treasure.”

Yon, Blade, Shaern, and Amareta’s eyes widened on cue.

Yon then shivered as he spoke, “Let’s…. let’s all talk outside. Y-yeah. Outside.”

They all got off the table, and gave a few gold coins to the waiter. A man complaining about his hunger called the waiter away.

Once outside, Yon put on his coat and stared at Ynot and I. Amareta eyed the rest of us.

“Are you bonkers, boy-o? My eye, that cantina is filled with Blackout and Zev’s agents,” Yon said, whispering hurriedly.

“Sorry,” I said, quietly.

Ynot retorted, “I have no problem with letting Blackout and Zev know that I’m coming after them. They killed my comrades, practically declaring a race to the Tem Pahlar treasure and war against the Anima. Where are the rest of the Idiotas, and Xeno?”

Amareta responded, “Tem Pahlar Treasure, eh? Well, it’s not usually my thing to use both the skies and the waters, but if it’s pay…they’re on the ship. Come with us.”

We began walking to their ship, which was conveniently parked near ours.

What I had foolishly failed to notice was the man watching us. He was bald and wore sunglasses. He took pictures, then left.

Very interesting story unfolding. Sad that Hokagetsu is dead, he's supposed to be the Joker, like Lewa.
Though, I suppose killing the Joker is the best way to set the tone for a serious story.
Kudos.

I really, really like this so far! I'll have to read more tomorrow to form a better opinion and write a review, but you've done wonderfully so far! ^u^

EDIT: I've gone back and read it. I love your descriptions, your word choice is lovely, and I adore your re-casting of everyone's characters! I certainly hope to read more in the future. Please, do continue this tale!

and please include namah :u

Thanks for the reviews!

The Elementalist wrote:Very interesting story unfolding. Sad that Hokagetsu is dead, he's supposed to be the Joker, like Lewa.
Though, I suppose killing the Joker is the best way to set the tone for a serious story.
Kudos.

Indeed. I wanted to only keep slight moments of subtle humor in this story, while having an overall serious tone. What better way to do that than killing off 3 characters in the beginning?

And Hello! Zev wrote:I really, really like this so far! I'll have to read more tomorrow to form a better opinion and write a review, but you've done wonderfully so far! ^u^

EDIT: I've gone back and read it. I love your descriptions, your word choice is lovely, and I adore your re-casting of everyone's characters! I certainly hope to read more in the future. Please, do continue this tale!

and please include namah :u

Thanks a lot Zev, and thanks for the suggestion!

I have already written the 4th chapter, and I'm working on the fifth. Here's the 3rd!


Chapter 3:

“No, No! N-uh! NO!” Said Xeno as we tried to convince him to join our escapade.

“I am NOT following all of you deranged idiots into a suicide mission for a treasure we don’t even know exists!” he explained.

Was this a prophetic whisper, or a skeptic’s rambling? I would know soon enough.

“Then do it for us, Xeno. We saved your girlfriend Shaern from death,” pleaded Blade.

“Aye, and it’d be a good and paying job!” added Yon.

Amareta didn’t say anything, but instead looked out the door, waiting for someone.

Ynot slammed his fist on the table.

“If you don’t want to help us, that’s fine. Just make sure to keep quiet about this, Xeno. I don’t want everyone and their mother running after the treasure.”

Xeno frowned. “Fine…I’ll play along,” he said, “But the moment things go too crazy, I’m out. Treasure or not.”

Ynot, and everyone one else smiled. I didn’t do anything. He wasn’t a stable ally. Why should we rejoice?

Sreda, Shika, Sonia, Vultran, and Kami were much easier to convince than Xeno. They would gladly assist Amareta and Yon till death. They were their best crewmembers, after all. Especially Vultran. He had a way with machines. Could build them out of thin air, just like his father Coro. That must have been why Amareta told them before we walked into the room Xeno was in.

In walked a strange woman. She was tall, about my height, and fuschia skinned with pink hair. She had a tail that wasn’t that long, but still very noticeable. She was wearing a purple overcoat, and strange pants. Overall, a weird person.

Amareta smiled. This was whom she was waiting for. “Namah! Glad to see that you have arrived! How are you sweetie?”

“Slightly uncomfortable that you called me that, Amareta.” She shook Amareta’s hand and smiled.

Yon glared at her with jealousy.

We all looked at her bewildered.

“Oh, hello. I’m Namah. I used to work with Captain Zev. But he forced himself upon me. Now I’ve dedicated my life to informing anyone who is against his wretched crew.”

Wow. Interesting story.

“Nice to meet you, Namah,” said Ynot. “What info do you have?”

Namah grinned, “Captain Zev and Captain Blackout are 3 steps behind you. They are still looking for the map. Do you have it?”

I finally smiled. “Yes we do,” I said. Inwardly, my mind was screaming at me, saying that I should not have revealed such info to a possible traitor. I then reassured myself. If she were riding with us, it would be more difficult for her to speak to Captain Zev.

Everyone in the room chuckled, and we all set out to different positions in the ship, each making sure it was ready. We set off, and flew towards the surface.

The massive skyboat and its crew prepared for landing onto the water. It was a smooth transition to two very different surfaces. The crewmembers each went back to their positions. I was one of the lookouts. Ynot, Amareta, and Yon all tried deciphering the map that Klak gave us.

Meanwhile, Asumaru swapped the deck with Shika below. Shika enjoyed it. Asumaru did not. Cleaning wasn’t his strong suit. Don’t believe me? Try smelling him.

I remember hearing the captains’ mumble something about an island called “The Cabana”. It supposedly contained the first clue to the location of the Tem Pah Lar treasure. Of course, this was true. Absolutely true. What I was not aware of then was that it contained doom for some of our crewmembers.

Nice, Klak.

Thanks, DRJ, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 4: (SFW, but a bit violent compared to the other chapters)

The Island was there, I could see some mountains in the distance. I screamed in joy…

“LAND HOOO!!”

Everyone on the ship rushed around, putting him or herself to good use as we neared land.

Suddenly, two massive airships landed into the water and fired at us. There was no warning. No forethought. The cannons and lasers tore through the ship and rocked it like a cradle. Everyone below started to rush to combat positions. Some went to the laser cannons below the deck. Others actually grabbed their own weapons, like laser pistols or cutlasses. Any crewmember with powers immediately activated them. Ynot floated above those who have powers, and pointed at the ship. Meanwhile, Yon gritted his teeth and swung his sword, facing one of the ships with the cutlass men. Amareta aimed her gun at the other ship with the musketeers.

All three commanders screamed in unison, “ATTACK!”

Suddenly, the enemy ships came alive. Swarms of enemies poured out and swung or flied onto our ship. Our crew fought back, and soon, our deck was a battlefield. I was stuck on the fore topmast. I tried to fly downward, but something, or rather, someone, crashed into me. At first, I thought it was a corpse, but then I realized it was a member of Captain Zev and Blackout’s crew. His name was Keichi.

We immediately began clawing at each other mid air. Keichi’s hands scratched into my arms while I punched his face. If only he couldn’t fly. I would have dropped him into the sea. I formed a ball of energy in my hand, and smashed it into his face. He screamed in pain, and fell towards the water. I pulled out a knife from my boot, and dived in after him.

The water was a mixture between the marine blue above me, and the darkest black miles below my feet. I looked upward, and saw Keichi swimming like a maniac towards me. His eyes, despite our setting, blazed with hatred, anger, and determination. I swam towards him, and inched to my left, getting out of his way. Luckily, he had not yet turned his back towards me, and I was able to make my move. I stabbed into his back. I kicked the knife inward, and reeled myself to the surface, leaving him to die.

Once I flew out of the sea, I noticed that the battle had gotten worse. The ships were firing at each other, even while there were crewmembers scattered across all three, killing each other. I threw volleys of plasma at certain pirates whose names I remember hearing.: Barricade, Zeta, Turel, Serrator, DiSalvatore. All of them were singed, but only the latter two fell out of the boat and into the water.

Barricade ignored the attack, and aimed his gun at Sasuken. He fired, and our clergy, the kindest man in all of our crew, crashed to the ground. He smiled, and silently muttered a prayer before dying. I angrily swooped into the bloodshed, and grabbed Barricade by his neck, dashing upwards into the air. He wriggled, but could not shake my grip. My anger and lust for vengeance was guiding me, not the voice of Sasuken, which would have convinced me to be merciful. I gripped harder, and harder. I then turned around, and dived into Captain Zev’s deck, crashing into it while retaining my hold on my enemy. I then kicked him away as we reached one of the floors of the ship, and flew upwards. I looked down, seeing him gawk up at me wearily. I lost count of how many volleys of plasma I threw at him. All I know is, Barricade was dead, and I had killed him.

The battle ensued. So many of the Toa Idiotas were being cut down. Some of the Anima had disappeared in the chaos. Ynot himself was having difficulty holding off the enemy. Suddenly, he spotted Captain Blackout, and they began to duel with cutlasses. Ynot’s style had fury, while Captain Blackout’s was filled with regality. Both were evenly matched. A large cannonball smashed into me when I wasn’t looking, knocking me into Amareta’s ship, and knocking me out. Luckily, the FreeLancer Pirates thought I was dead. I, too, thought I was dead for a while.

Still good. I like that you used Barricade and Zeta.

Another Splendid chapter of this enthralling tale.
Sad face at Dead Sasuken
Confused face as to why he was a Clergyman...

Pond wrote:Still good. I like that you used Barricade and Zeta.

Thanks! I want to eventually use as many characters as I can here.

Death wrote:Another Splendid chapter of this enthralling tale.
Sad face at Dead Sasuken
Confused face as to why he was a Clergyman...

Thanks for your comments. As for him being a clergyman, call it a stylistic choice.

I had the chapter ready, but I'm surprised I never got around to posting it. Here it is, a short one:


Chapter 5:

I finally woke up. The battle was over. Dead bodies littered everywhere. Sonia sobbed lightly, and noticed me waking.

“He’s alive! Trixtin is alive!”

I noticed that several Anima members and other crewmembers rushed to my side, and began asking questions. A medic or two put me on a gurney, and rushed away while I slipped into sleep.

I woke up in a bed with a nurse attending me, and Ynot sitting to my left. Ynot smiled, one of the first times I ever saw him doing that with pure joy.

“I’m…I’m alive…. what happened?”

“They left,” Ynot responded, “We held them off long enough, and I scratched Blackout’s eye. Both leaders of the FreeLancers told their crews to get onto their ships, and retreat. We won, because they flew away and didn’t even think of going towards The Cabana, probably because we took out so many of their crew. Of course, it was a pyrrhic victory.”

“Wha…We lost so many…” I said, frowning.

Ynot nodded and said, “Most of the Toa Idiotas are dead, save Blade and Sonia. Sasuken’s dead, Asumaru’s dead, and so is many of Amareta’s crew, including Karrasaliss and Cicero. Their deaths will be mourned tonight as we bury them on the island.”

“How close are we to The Cabana?” I asked, trying to keep things positive.

“An hour. Do you think you’ll be fine then?” said Ynot.

The nurse interrupted, “He needs his rest, Commander. But I’m sure he will mourn in his own way.”

“All right. We won’t explore until you get better, I know you want to know about the treasure,” Ynot winked at me and turned to leave.

I weakily retorted “I did…. but the cost…we’ve lost so many for this stupid treasure.”

“Trixtin, they would have wanted us to continue.” said Ynot, with a hint of comfort in his usually angered voice.

Why didn’t I say something?

Ynot left the room with the nurse. I stared up at the ceiling, and pondered our entire quest. What did the treasure contain that so many were willing to kill for it? Klak, Hokagetsu, Asumaru, and so many more, all recklessly killed by the FreeLancer pirates. My premature mind was still having difficulties wrapping itself around the power of greed.

However, there was one concept I grasped fully. It was vengeance. Whether that meant getting to the treasure before the FreeLancers do, or killing every single one of them, my desire for vengeance had to have been extinguished. Like a fool, I did not crave justice. I craved pure vengeance.

The FreeLancers were going to die. Every. Single. One.

Excellent! I liked this. "We held them off long enough, and I scratched Blackout’s eye." :D

Very well played.
Those last words literally gave me chills.
I hope Trixitin gets his vengeance.

I wrote this chapter months ago. I hope to actually finish this fic.


Chapter 6:

I remember Amareta telling me that it was a very moving memorial ceremony. All the victims of the previous two battles were either buried on the island or commemorated. Ynot, and several others spoke of the bravery of the dead, and how they will be greatly missed. I remember hearing many of the speeches from my quarters, and being astonished at how eloquent a band of pirates and misfits could be; especially Yon, who bawled over twenty times in his speech.

Anyways, I was soon ready to explore the island with the crew thanks to the wonders of medicine. The expedition team was formed shortly thereafter. I was to go with Ynot, Amareta, Sonia, and Shika. We each carried more than one weapon, and made our way to the mountain, where legends say the first key to the treasure, not a clue as I had originally (and foolishly, seeing as we had a map) thought, was located.

The island was much larger than I thought, as it took us hours to get to a mountain that seemed to be only minutes away. We stopped to rest for a few minutes near a cave, and found quite the surprise.

Out of the cave walked four women, each some sort of hybrid. Two were cat-girls, and one whose form I cannot fully describe. They suspiciously approached us, each carrying a stone, as if they were formidable weapons. Our only reaction was the lift of an eyebrow or two.

“Back off! This rock hurts a lot!”

“Shut up, Ferret. They have guns. We’re expletived.”

“Would you two idiots stop arguing? We’re being invaded!”

I was confused, to say the least.

Ynot broke the ice, “We’re not invaders. We’re here to look for the key. I am Commander Ynot, that is Commander Amareta, over there’s Trixtin, she’s Sonia, and that’s Shika.”

One of the catgirls, with black ears, perked up.

“Hi! I’m Mink! Nice to meet you!”

Her twin looked away and responded, “And I’m her sister Ferret. I’m also sad that there’s no invasion.”

The third, looked at all of us suspiciously while saying, “MY NAME IS DIRU, ARE YOU GOING TO STEAL MY IDENTITY?!”

Amareta muttered, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Diru gasped, “Was that a yes?”

Mink facepalmed.

“No, you idiot, she said she wouldn’t dream of it,” said Ferret, rather tersely.

Mink cleared her throat, and spoke, “Pardon my compatriots. They suck at first impressions. You said you were looking for a key, yes? We can take you there.”

Sonia narrowed her eyes, “How do we know you’re not tricking us?”

I silently nodded.

“Another paranoid one? I like you, Sonia,” said Diru.

Ynot nodded, “Sonia’s got a point. How can we trust you?”

Amareta added, “And don’t say it’s because of your good looks.”

Ferret rolled her eyes, “Well, it’s not like you actually know where you’re going, right? Plus, Diru’s sister is one of the key’s guardians. We’re your only damn chance of getting it.”

She grinned.

Ynot’s eyes narrowed. “Fine, but first sign of trouble, and we leave you three to die.”

Mink nodded nervously, and led our group forward into the cave.

We were there for only a few minutes when we noticed a light at the end of the tunnel. It seems as though the key lied on the other side. The closer we got to the light, the more I felt a sense of eagerness. At the same time, however, there was that lingering sense of dread.

A small lizard broke my trance as it darted close to me. I turned around, and saw it staring at me from the ground, trying to act all tough.

“Beware! For I am Denni-”

I interrupted the dumb reptile with a plasma blast, scaring it away.

We continued walking, and made it to the other side. Instead of the lush island landscape that I had expected, there was a massive desert. No lush vegetation, just a long expanse of sand. Not far from us, however, there laid a tan, tall girl, cradling a green and yellow glowing lance in her arm. Her back was turned to us, so I could only tell that she had red hair in a bit of a mess. She rocked back and forth as we approached her. Mink, Ferret, and Diru walked a bit slower than before, and the rest of us decided to do the same. I then noticed she was a fox-girl, with red orange ears tipped and black, and two tails with the same color fur, save for a thick black border between the white tuft and the orange.

She turned to us, and her silver eyes stared straight at me. I was startled, as I was expecting something completely different. Her face, which had several markings, was quite long. Her thin lips twisted into a smile, then to an expression, which I can only describe as full of greed and insanity. I have never in my life seen an expression of greed in the face of any pirate, Sea or Air.

Ynot raised an eyebrow, while the rest of the expedition team walked backwards a bit in fear. Even Ferret, the one who seemed quite strong out of the three, gulped when she spoke.

“K’Theenya…Is…Is Kithlara nearby?” she said, her voice slightly trembling.

K’Theenya looked down at the lance.

“You want the precious, don’t you?” she said in a voice that was much calmer than I had expected. “This shiny is mine. Mine.” K’Theenya stood up, and walked towards Ferret confrontationally.

Out of nowhere, Kithlara walked up to us with a distraught look on her face. She was tan with mint colored hair.

“Oh gosh, hi you guys, sorry about K’Theenya” she waved at Ferret and her friends, and looked at us. “Though maybe you guys sort of intimidated her or something?”

“Believe me, the only one intimidating here is her,” I said.

“Sorry to interrupt everything,” said Amareta, “But we need the Spear of Rahksha. It is important that we get the Tem Pahlar treasure before the FreeLancers do.”

“The what?” said Kithlara, Ferret, and Mink all said in unison. K’Theenya didn’t say anything as she stared into the lance.

“Are we going to die? I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” Diru screamed.

“Important thing that bad people want. If they get it, we’re doomed. Pretty simple, I think,” said Ynot.

Mink looked as if she was still puzzled.

“Ah,” said Ferret, nodding, “Well, it’s gonna be hard to convince K’Theenya to give us the lance, and seeing as you ARE going to be rich soon, maybe you could…oh I don’t know….”

Mink’s eyes widened, and she nudged Ferret in the gut. “Ferret! We’re not bribing them!”

“Oh come on!” Ferret said, “They’re pirates! They’re used to this sort of thing!”

Sonia grabbed three money pouches, and threw them to the ground.

“Now, how do we get the lance from her?” she said.

Kithlara shook her head. “Oh, no, no, no, it is not so easy as that. The lance has corrupted her. We both were supposed to be its guardians, but somehow, its power drove K’Theenya insane.”

K’Theenya stood up and approached me, holding the lance to my throat. If I could perspire, I would have been sweating bullets.

K’Theenya smiled, and said quietly, “Maybe we can all have a fight over the lance. The last one standing keeps it.”

Ynot smiled, and cracked his fists, “I thought you’d never ask.”

Diru began running away, and Kithlara ran up to K’Theenya, trying to convince her to stop. Amareta, Sonia, and Shika prepared their weapons while Mink and Ferret both sat down and pulled out bags of popped corn.

K’Theenya then transformed into a massive beast, and pushed Kithlara out of the way. She charged towards Ynot.

Nice, Klak! Diru is funny.

Also you've probably noticed this by now but you said "Out of the cave walked four women, each some sort of hybrid." when you should've said "three women".

Oh crap, you're right. XD Thanks for pointing it out, I should have checked it through. I wrote this months ago, late at night.

Thanks for your comments!

Wow, Klak. Just wow. I love seeing others play Ynot, I really do. The aspects of his personality that are picked up in the subtleties of this are quite remarkable.
Trixitin's point of view doesn't cease to be amusing. Though, I must say, by now, he's very different from the Main Universe incarnation.
Ferret's characters ring true, S'far as I can tell, as well. Kinda disappointed that K'Theenya isn't the dunk she normally is.
Quick Q, how did a Makuta of The Green learn how to use Plasma bolts?

I love seeing others play Ynot, I really do. The aspects of his personality that are picked up in the subtleties of this are quite remarkable.

Thanks! I'm humbled that you find it remarkable!

Ferret's characters ring true, S'far as I can tell, as well. Kinda disappointed that K'Theenya isn't the dunk she normally is.

Yeah, I'm changing several details to make them...different from their Main 'Verse counterparts. But K'Theenya will try her first pint at some point in the series.

Quick Q, how did a Makuta of The Green learn how to use Plasma bolts?

O.o Good point. I'm going to be honest and say that this inconsistency is due to "Did Not Do The Research". But I think plasma is a basic Makuta power, so it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that Trixtin has some proficiency in it. If it is not a basic Makuta power, I will have to work in a way for something like that to make sense. Good plot hole spotting, though!

Thanks again for your constructive criticism, gentlemen.

Np man, its wbat i do. cant wait for the nte chapter

Back after a year's hiatus! This is short, but hopefully it'll lead to bigger things.

Chapter 7:

Let it be known that Ynot was the bravest pirate who ever lived.

K’Theenya was inches from his face. He pulled out his blaster at the last second and pointed at her face. Neither of them flinched.

K'Theenya grinned. She was about to have fun. Ynot smiled back at her. Things were about to get ugly.

The beast slashed at Ynot, tearing into his arm. Ynot grunted and fell back, firing his gun into her mane. K'Theenya screeched. She grabbed Ynot, flung him into the distance, and sped towards him in a split second.

I saw the slashes in the air. I saw blurs clashing against each other. I saw blood. I saw sand.

My instincts kicked in. Sonia and Amareta screamed. I remember hearing Kithlara run after me. It's still a wonder that I outran her. Before I knew it, K'theenya's face was before me. There were bleeding wounds on her face. Time slowed down. Ynot was gasping for air, and not just he was injured. Kithlara stopped following me. I heard her breath carefully.

I held the lance to K'theenya's neck. Her precious was now turned against her.

A sound ripped through the air.

"Now, now, ladies. We shouldn't treat our guests like that!" said a mysterious voice.

"Oh no," Kithlara said, quietly, "Osseron."

---

Diru told me that while all this was happening, she made her way towards our ship. She saw another vessel docked near it. Its name was imprinted on the port bow: The Akzer. A blue-armored lizard was on deck. He was followed by a cabal of mercenaries. The lizard jumped onto our ship.