[center][img] http://i.imgur.com/PXheJ60.png [/img][/center]

[center]The flapping sails turned downward at some point as time on the ship seemed to sink like sand. 
To and fro the sailors went as the sun came down to play in the sea. 
With the glistening of the falling star the crew worked silently. 
And the ship was brought about, with it’s lights all turned out. 
Everyone fell into place with their order in hand. All the cannons were manned, every gun had a hand, and one should pray that they wouldn’t all jam. [/center]

[hr]

Emilio was handing out a pistol when Alana came from the bow. 

“We’re close yet, and we may be in luck for it looks like a heavy mist is coming in.” She said with a distant gaze, and an even further off smile.

Emilio looked at the sky with some amazement. “Was this you then?” He asked.

“No,” Alana responded with a revitalized humor. “I can take no credit for what Nature does herself.” 

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I feel you may have won my trust today.” Emilio stuck out his arm to shake, she took it and they shook and smiled. “How long do you think you’ll be staying with us?”

“Not very long,” she said, distantly again. “I want to catch up with Luna, don’t you?”

Emilio smiled, “yeah, but I’m afraid you’ll beat me to it. Have you forgotten that I have a task to accomplish?”

“No. Have you?” She asked in her dusky voice. 

“How could I?” Emilio responded with a gesture to his blouse, the scar underneath. 

“There are many ways to forget, Pirate.” She said over her shoulder as she walked away, back to the bow. 

At that moment a trio of bodies came from below deck. New leather holsters held brandished firearms on the collection of forms emerging from the wooden floor. Epu cleaned and tested the edge of one of his throwing axes as Artemisia came behind him with her new armament. She was sandwiched between the Native and the darkly clad Inquisitor Omero. Epu handed the girl the axe he held as if in accordance with a plan. 

“Don’t lose it,” whispered the American as they walked up. 

“Very nice!” Emilio applauded as the trio came up. “How does this strap fit you?” Emilio asked as he heedlessly pulled on the belt which kept the holster strapped to Artemisia’s body. “It fits pretty good,” he answered himself as he looked over at Epu, who concurred with a nod. “I thought maybe she’d be too thin.” The Captain noted to his first mate as he pulled and prodded at different parts of Artemisia’s newly modified outfit. 

“She has plenty of muscle on her bones, enough to protect them from breaking at least.” Epu reported with a huff. The trio had been doing some exercises below deck. Learning how to fight with a gun, learning safety techniques. It wouldn’t be enough to make Artemisia a fighter, but she could hold her own and that’s what mattered. 

“Alright, head over to the dingy. Your men are waiting for your orders, Epu. I’ll be over to lower you down in a moment.”

As Epu led the trio away toward the Starboard side, set against the inky darkness of the star-speckled sky above and beyond, a thumping came again from where the deck gave way to the stairs below. A gruff, splintered set of fingers grasped on the sodden wood as they heaved the body underneath above the deck. Singed, curly beard hair splayed under a fresh white bandage upon the tanned olive skin. Leonard moaned as he rolled his shoulder like the waves underneath, half his face covered in a tight bandage. In his other hand was clutched the flintlock carbine which he’d trotted across the world, and he checked it as he crossed the deck. 
“I’m ready, Captain.” He said with a little grogginess. 

“Not quite,” Emilio responded, only slightly exasperated. “You should stay below deck for this one, old man.”

“I can still shoot, you damn boy.” The carbine sat snugly under his shoulder, “So I’ll shoot.” And with that Leonard hobbled his way over to the stern as he checked his sights. After a few moments the signal came from the crow’s nest, it meant a ship was approaching. A low whistle jostled everyone on the ship into a nervous gear. Emilio couldn’t help but chomp on his lower lip as the aweigh team was lowered into the brine. They had their orders, as did everyone else. The pirate ship would need to burn. 

As the dingy crashed into the water Epu could still make out the orders Emilio screamed out above deck. “Pull the rutters!... Don’t touch the main sail yet! Load the cannons!”

Two of the sailors who’d come along rowed the boat away from the ship, they hummed gently as they did. Epu stared intently at the space between the wood that made up their vessel as they came around the bow spirit of the Burnt Bitch. As they broke through the mist they could hear murmuring and movement coming from the opponent ship. They crossed the chasm of water and now water lapped around their boat as Epu stood with his boarding hook. He spun it briefly, then let the rope fly from his hands and wrap around the banister perfectly. His leather boots thudded against the hull of the ship as he began to climb. Arduously, the group of six climbed their way up the side of the hapless vessel.  Once aboard Epu waited behind barrels as the others made their way up. Within moments of the last man coming aboard the sounds of cannon fire rang out. It struck true on the hull of the enemy ship and shook it viciously. As Epu rose with his axes in hand he saw, through the mist, puddles of blood pooling around the creases and cracks in the deck. Epu made out an arm holding a sword, gore, a torso with a huge gaping bloody hole in it, and at his feet, near the barrel, was what seemed to be a half eaten human head. It was hard to verify, but it seemed as though a great deal of the crew had been eviscerated.

Another cannon crossed the misty darkness and struck at the hull again, this time driving everyone to the ground, tilting the ship very slightly, tossing barrels and boxes toward the port side. Epu was launched end over end and hit his head against one of the fastened crates. When he gained consciousness again he saw a fire engulfing the stern of the ship, torn and burning pieces of human flesh strewn across the floor. A figure emerged from the stern stairs and was backdropped by the rising flames. It’s body was that of a women, Epu could make that out clearly, but her lower torso and legs were indistinguishable. The fire danced off of her lower half like they were playing off of gems, their light reflecting majestically. Epu lost consciousness again. 

This time waking to the screaming of familiar voices, frantic bootfalls and shooting as he was lifted from the ground. Looking behind him he glimpsed Omero and Artemesia embroiled with a human-like serpentine figure, which he now recognized as a monster of some sort. Epu was lifted from his weak feet and transferred over banisters before being placed on the wet ground again. 

When Epu woke for the third time he saw Leonard’s bruised and bandaged face hovering over him in concern. “You’re going to be alright.” He said in English, slapping the American’s face. Epu rose and looked about the deck. No fire, no monsters, no enemy ship. He found Omero and Artemisia among the group and noted their blackened, soot covered faces. 

“What happened?” Epu asked with a cough. 

“The ship was harboring a monster of some sort.” Leonard answered as a mother would. Making Epu lay back down, he spoke as smoothly as his voice would allow. “They were dead before you even got aboard. If it weren’t for the twins over there,” Leonard gestured to the recovering Omero and Artemisia as he referred to their new nickname, “We may have all suffered the same fate.”

“I suppose I should be grateful.” Epu said with a sigh as he tussled his hair. 

“And not just to them. Alistair helped bring you aboard, we all held the beast off while we escaped. The Captain made some quick calls leading to your rescue. You might want to think of seeing him.” Leonard added.

Epunamun tried to chuckle but ended in a painful moan. “He’ll just say he told me so.”

Leonard could laugh, so he did. “He said you’d say that.”

There was a chuckling among the slightly rattled crew as the Bitch slid across the ocean surface, ever nearer to their destination in Morocco.