Kain squinted through the driving rain, his soaked hair plastered against his forehead as he gripped the wheel of the Crimson Serpent. The past two days had been miserable—clouds rolling in without warning on their first night with the new ship, followed by increasingly violent weather that showed no signs of relenting.
"This is getting worse," he called to Talon, who was working to secure a flapping sail. The wind carried his words away almost immediately.
The Soggy Weasel bounced violently in their wake, straining against the tow ropes with each swell. Twice already they'd had to reinforce the lines when the smaller vessel threatened to break free. Kain was beginning to wonder if they should have scuttled the sloop rather than drag it behind them.
Redd emerged from below decks, drenched within seconds. "Hull's still sound, but we've got water coming in around the gun ports. I've stuffed them with spare canvas."
Kain nodded, fighting the wheel as another wave crashed against the port side. "Where's Ash?"
"Crow's nest," Redd shouted back, pointing upward. "Said he'd rather be up there than bailing water."
Kain shook his head. Typical Ash—choosing the most dangerous position during a storm.
A distant shout carried down from above, barely audible over the howling wind. Kain strained to hear, but Ash's words were lost. Then came the sound of Ash sliding down the rigging at dangerous speed, landing with a wet thud on the deck.
"Ship!" Ash yelled, rushing toward them. "Massive vessel, maybe half a mile southeast!"
Kain's muscles tensed. "Navy?"
"Can't tell," Ash said, wiping rain from his eyes. "Too far and too much spray, but it's big—much bigger than us."
Talon joined them at the helm, water streaming from his clothes. "Could be a merchant galleon."
"Or a Marine battleship," Redd added.
Kain considered their options. Their ship was flying no flag—they hadn't decided whether to pose as merchants or display the captured pirate colors. The Crimson Serpent was recognizable as a pirate vessel to anyone familiar with these waters.
"We need to identify it before it identifies us," Kain decided, adjusting their course slightly. "Redd, get the spyglass from the captain's quarters."
As Redd disappeared below, Kain felt the familiar division of his consciousness—part of him here on the Serpent, part with Talon. It was a comforting sensation after years of practice, like stretching a muscle that had grown stiff.
"What do you think?" he asked Talon, knowing his other self would understand the situation differently.
Talon's eyes narrowed against the rain. "If it's Marines, you and Redd could claim you captured this ship. If it's merchants, we leave them be. If it's pirates... well, the ship looks a little too big for us to mess with."
Redd returned with the spyglass, handing it to Kain. Despite the rain and the pitching deck, Kain managed to steady himself enough to focus the lens on the distant ship. Through the sheets of rain, he caught glimpses of a massive hull, at least three times the size of the Crimson Serpent.
"I see something," Kain muttered, adjusting the focus. "It's…"
He immediately knew that they were either safe… or screwed… it all depended on the mood of the Celestial Dragon.
****
Saint Charlton Roswald's nostrils flared inside his bubble helmet as he gazed through his gold-plated spyglass. The pristine air he breathed—filtered and perfumed to his exact specifications—couldn't mask the disgust on his face as he studied the approaching vessel.
"Hendricks," he called without lowering the spyglass. "What is that... thing?"
The head butler materialized at his side, posture perfect, expression neutral. "A small vessel, Your Holiness. Records indicate it might be the Crimson Serpent, formerly operated by pirates."
Charlton adjusted the diamond-encrusted focus ring on his spyglass. The ship had no pirate flag, but its crude lines and weathered hull told him everything he needed to know.
"Filthy," he muttered. "Even from here I can smell the commoner stench."
The Divine Seraph, his personal galleon, cut through the waves with imperial grace. Three times the size of the approaching vessel, its pristine white hull and gold trim gleamed even in the overcast weather. Twenty-four long cannons lined its sides, not including the specialized weapons that could reduce most ships to splinters with a single volley.
"They appear to be on an intercept course, Your Holiness," Lieutenant Commander Voss reported from the doorway, standing at rigid attention.
"And?" Charlton lowered his spyglass, raising a perfectly manicured eyebrow.
"Should we alter our heading to avoid them?" Voss asked.
The young Celestial Dragon's face darkened. He rose from his velvet chair, the white robes rustling around him as the two CP0 agents flanking his quarters tensed imperceptibly.
"Alter course? For commoners?" Charlton's voice dripped with incredulity. "Do you suggest I, a descendant of the creators of this world, should inconvenience myself for that floating garbage heap?"
"No, Your Holiness, of course not," Voss backpedaled. "I merely—"
"Destroy it now," Charlton declared, turning back to the window. "Captain Talmadge!"
Kain gripped the wheel tighter as he studied the massive vessel through the spyglass. His stomach sank like an anchor.
"Who is it?" Redd asked, water dripping from his sandy blonde hair.
"Celestial Dragon," Kain said, immediately spinning the wheel hard to port. The Crimson Serpent groaned under the sudden change of direction, rigging creaking in protest.
Ash clutched a rope to steady himself. "What are you doing? Why change course?"
Kain shot him a furious glare. "Did you forget everything Garik told us? The Celestial Dragons are a bunch of self-important parasites who think commoners are less than dirt beneath their boots. They believe they're gods walking among insects—and they have the entire World Government backing their delusions."
"So what?" Ash challenged.
"So they'll kill us without a second thought," Talon cut in, already adjusting the sails to catch the wind at their new heading.
The Crimson Serpent lurched forward, picking up speed as they changed course. But it didn't matter.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The thunderous reports of cannon fire echoed across the water. Geysers erupted around them as iron balls crashed into the sea.
"They're firing on us!" Redd shouted, bracing himself against the railing.
Kain spun the wheel again, attempting evasive maneuvers. "Everyone to stations! Talon, trim the mainsail! Redd, secure anything that might go overboard! Ash, cut the Soggy Weasel loose—it's slowing us down!"
"But that was supposed to be our starter ship!" Ash protested, even as another volley of cannon fire splashed dangerously close to their stern.
"It's either the ship or our lives!" Kain shouted back.
A direct hit rocked the small vessel they were towing. The Soggy Weasel's mast splintered, and water began pouring into its hull.
Talon grabbed an axe and leapt to the stern. With three powerful swings, he severed the tow line. The Soggy Weasel immediately began to drift away, taking on water rapidly.
"Sorry, little ship," Ash muttered as he watched their first prize disappear into the fog.
The Crimson Serpent surged forward, freed from its burden. The storm intensified around them, waves crashing over the bow as visibility dropped to almost nothing.
"Are they still pursuing?" Kain called out, struggling to see through the sheets of rain.
Redd peered through the spyglass. "I can barely make them out... they're turning away! I think they've decided we're not worth the trouble in this weather."
Kain allowed himself a moment of relief before focusing on navigating through the tempest. The wind howled around them, pushing them deeper into the fog bank.
"We need to find shelter until this passes," he said, straining to see ahead.
"Kain!" Talon's voice cut through the storm. "There's something ahead!"
Too late, the dark outline of an island materialized through the fog. Kain spun the wheel frantically, but the current was already pulling them toward the shore.
"Brace yourselves!" he shouted as the Crimson Serpent ground to a halt on a sandbar, the impact throwing them all forward.
When the chaos settled, Kain picked himself up from the deck. "Everyone alright?"
Three groans answered him as his brothers staggered to their feet.
"Well," Redd said, surveying their situation, "looks like we've found our shelter."
Ash leaned against the railing, looking at the misty shoreline. "At least we're not at the bottom of the ocean."
"Or in the hands of a Celestial Dragon," Talon added grimly.
Kain nodded. "We'll wait out the storm here. Once it passes, we'll check for damage and continue to Ironhearth."
The four brothers looked toward the mysterious island, shrouded in fog and rain. For now, it would have to be their sanctuary.
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