Pirates For The Mainland

The next morning the crew of the Red Jewel was up and about as soon as dawn hit. A large amount of men had come under Redstone's order and began to work with the crew in order to repair and reinforce every aspect of the ship. The harbor was soon filled with a great deal of noise, far more than was normal.

"Hell's bells, what is going on?" Nog questioned, holding her pillow over her head.

The trio had yet to get up from their place of rest atop the bridge roof and no one had dared wake them for fear of consequence. Redstone, however, was not afraid of such.

"Good morning!" he addressed the three from the deck. "I suppose I should have mentioned that we were going to start the day early!"

"Yes, you should have!" Nog replied, sitting up and rubbing her head.

"Well, you can eat breakfast on the train!" Redstone said. "I'd like to get over to my facility as soon as possible and the sprinter train takes an hour to get us there!"

"Okay, I'll wake up these sleeping beauties and we'll be right down!" Nog replied.

Redstone gave her a curious look and it gave a bit of energy to Nog's mood.

"I suppose I should have mentioned I'm bringing my mates with me!" she said.

With the other two up and grumpy, the trio road along with Redstone in his fancy steam-powered car and found themselves on his sprinter train before long. It was a luxurious train of the most modern design. Incredibly efficient steam engines powered it at high speed to race along from city to city. It wasn't a luxury most cities could afford and this particular model was privately used by Redstone alone.

The cabin they enjoyed surrounded them in soft furniture and crimson shades of color. The windows were lined with golden trim and the curtains were a fine silk of black and red. The chairs and couches were of the same color scheme, plushy and comfortable. It was a far cry from normal trains that your average wage worker used.

The trio hungrily ate their fill of food, taking every advantage of the kitchen's stock. The eating area of the cabin with the long table had been completely covered in a selection of fresh cooked food and it stood no match for their appetites.

"I'm glad our train is well stocked," Redstone said.

"Killing machines require a vast amount of fuel," Andrews commented.

Andrews had come along, ever watchful of the safety of his employer. He sat in an easy chair, reading a newspaper but keeping one eye on the pirates.

"Mind your manners, Andrews," Redstone ordered. "These are our guests and business partners."

"Just don't put the world at their fingertips," Andrews warned. "They have the capacity to destroy it."

"How flattering," Dart replied, having just finished a mouthful of food.

"If you're going to be so unpleasant, Andrews, I'll have you sit in a different car," Redstone said.

The pirates couldn't help but giggle at the threat. They greatly enjoyed the misery of the navy boys.

"My unpleasant nature is warranted," Andrews said. "These three are far more diabolical than you know."

"Yes, yes," Redstone said, becoming increasingly irritated. "I know they are former soldiers of the emperor. They are former enemies of our goddess and heretics and blah, blah, blah. I've heard the stories of the war and it bores me to death."

"Death?" Andrews questioned, looking at his employer quite grimly. "You know nothing of death. These three are not simply soldiers of a dead enemy. They are abominations created by the false god emperor using the blood of the innocent. They are undoubtedly responsible for deaths of hundreds of lives that defended our peaceful and moral way of life.

"No. These are not soldiers. These three are special. They were referred to as 'Reapers' during the war. Carefully placed on the battlefield and key sh.i.p.s, they waited for the bloodshed to start and sat idle, filling their lungs and heart with the dead that saturated the air. They thrive off the fallen, growing stronger with every life lost. It's no wonder they threw two crews into the mouths of the Cray. They needed their deaths to survive."

Redstone seemed a bit more cautious than when they started. He sank into his comfortable chair a little more as he nervously looked at the floor. The three pirates stared blankly at Andrews, having decided to stop their meal and listen.

"That's a very chilling story," Redstone said to Andrews. "But aren't you a specially powered soldier as well?"

"Yeah, Andrews," Neko said. "Don't go spinning lies about others when you're just a puppet of a young girl playing god."

Faster than a blink, Andrews disappeared from his seat and stood before the shirtless pirate with his sword drawn. The navy man's eyes were filled with rage.

"You do not get to speak of our goddess in such a manner," Andrews said with much hatred. "Stand up, demon, so that I may test the might of your power without the stolen souls of the dead in your veins."

"That's enough!" Redstone yelled. "The goddess specifically forbade the hunting of the emperor's people! You cannot behave in this manner! She may be listening!"

"Indeed I am," a woman's voice said.

Sitting in what had previously been a vacant chair was the woman mankind viewed as their god. A young woman of long blonde hair and fair skin, she sat smiling in the easy chair wearing a dress of white that was overly frilly and showy. The sight of her put both Redstone and Andrews into a state of absolute fear, but for very different reasons. They quickly bowed their heads and waited to be addressed.