Pirates For The Mainland

"That's a damn shame," Nog said, taking a swig from her personal flask.

"But completely expected," Dart added.

She picked a blue flower from a tree trunk nearby and tossed it into the gully filled with dead crewman. It was a gruesome scene to behold, but one that the pirates were quite used to. The smell was always too much for them to get over, however.

"Was hoping they would last a bit longer than the others," Neko said. "So much for those fancy weapons."

"And you said Kitsune was on the beach?" Nog questioned her mate. "I can't imagine what the crazy bitch is after in all this."

"Maybe she wants the mainland back too," Dart suggested. "But I don't see why she hasn't done it herself if she's so damn powerful. She'd squash us like ants in a fight. I'm glad she isn't pissed off about the Emperor."

"I bet she is," Neko said. "She's probably just toying with us. Does this mean she was hiding on our ship the entire time and we never noticed her?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," Nog answered. "She can probably turn invisible for all we know."

Nog took another long drink of her flask before deciding to put it away. The day was still young and they had already lost a great deal.

"The old girl is smashed up good, isn't she?" Nog asked her mate.

Dart rubbed her face in frustration and looked up at the light stabbing through the leaves above.

"Yes, she's smashed," she answered.

The captain clenched her fists in hot rage and tried to keep her calm. There was much to be done and it would all be easier with a level head.

"But Kitsune killed all the Cray on the beach?" Neko asked.

"Hey, I killed a lot too," Dart replied. "But, yeah. The Cray are all dead, at least."

"There better be plenty more in our way," Nog said. "I'll raise the level of the sea with their blood for hurting my ship."

Keen on making progress, the captain ordered Neko to climb up and get a good view of the surrounding area. It took the muscular pirate only a couple minutes to reach the top of a great tree and breach the thick canopy. The island they had found themselves on was quite large. The jungle continued on for many miles ahead of them and hugged the side of a large elevated area of enormous jagged rocks. The other side of the island couldn't be seen.

Wanting the use of the jagged rocks for further viewing, the pirates made their way through the trees and heavy growth with no pleasantries. The heat and humidity bothered them greatly but Dart and Neko didn't want to playfully complain in the middle of an important task. However, their caution seemed to be unwarranted.

"It's so damn awful in here," Nog said. "I want to burn this jungle to the ground."

An hour or so of uncomfortable travel finally allowed them to emerge from the trees. The climb up the slope through the intimidating rocks wasn't much easier but certainly a lot less humid. Standing at the tip of a giant rock spearhead that poked out into the air above the jungle, Nog took off her hat and enjoyed the cooler air.

"Is that what we're looking for?" Neko asked, tossing a rock lazily.

Deeper into the heart of the island, a massive clearing and a giant building stood. A pyramid of red stone emerged from the dense plant life of the island to make itself known for miles. The building stood as four giant staircases meeting at the top to hold a stone carved head of the Cray god: the giant shark known as Blackheart.

"Well, shit," Dart said with a laugh. "That looks like an important Cray temple if I ever saw one."

"At least we still have our stupid good luck," Nog said.