[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjk2LmFkZDhlNi5USFZ1WVNCT2IzZy4w/sundae-ice.regular.webp[/img][/center] [hr] By the time they reached the ship, the fighting had already broken out. Bodies of enemy pirates lay scattered along the harbor on the way to the ship and large, clay footprints dotted the ground here and there. Luna rounded the last corner and saw that Aquila stood at the stern of the ship, rifle against her shoulder as she fired shot after shot at the encroaching pirates and golems, putting each one of the former down with a well-placed shot, though her attempts were fruitless against the latter. Rufus ran up and down the line of fighters, restocking their ammunition while he gave orders, and though she couldn’t see him, Luna knew Galen was below deck, tending to the wounded. Meanwhile, as the rest of the crew fired into the approaching enemies, the ship had drifted away from where it had been docked, making it more difficult to be boarded. However, Luna could see that the golems had begun merging at the edge of the dock, their bodies combining to create a bridge reaching out toward the ship. Luna moved to rush in, but stopped when she felt Josiah’s hand on her shoulder. She looked back and saw that not only did Josiah follow her, but at least six other rebels had joined her. “We’ve got enough gypsum between us to keep a handle on most of those golems. We’ll distract them while you get to your ship and get out of here. Don’t worry about us, don’t worry about the island, we’ll–” [color=lightblue]“Oh, come on,”[/color] Luna grumbled. [color=lightblue]”You guys aren’t gonna throw your lives away so I can run off. I’m done hiding and since they’ve already got wanted posters of me out there, there’s no point in it, anyway.”[/color] She took the jar Josiah had in his hand and crushed it between her hands, soaking them in the mixture. Her nose wrinkled at the scent, but she ignored it as she added, [color=lightblue]”Besides, there’s no way in hell I’ll let someone like this Sam Clay guy keep ruining this place. I can tell this used to be a beautiful island and I want it to be one, again.”[/color] Josiah looked at Luna for a long few moments, then let out a sigh. “By the look in your eyes, I guess there’s no talking you out of it, huh?” He then gave her a smile and added, “Alright, then. I’ll be honored to fight by your side, my Princess.” With that, the small band charged at the pirates and golems. Caught between the gunfire from the ship on one side and the approaching enemies from the other, the Clayfist pirates were slow to react, but the golems didn’t have that problem. One swung its arm at Luna, who ducked out of the way and countered with a straight punch to the golem’s knee. The gypsum-covered fist sank into the golem, causing it to fall over as its leg crumbled, but Luna didn’t stick around to make sure it stayed down, knowing she would only be wasting time. A few of Clay’s pirates turned to face her, a pair of rifles leveled at her. The guns went off with a roar and Luna, letting instinct and reflex take over, sidestepped the shots at the last moment. Before they could get another shot off, Luna’s hands closed over their faces as she leapt at them. Using her momentum and body weight, she drove the pair to the ground, the back of their heads cracking against the hard ground. Continuing to use her momentum to her advantage, she brought her legs over her head, using the pirates’ faces as a foundation, and launched into a dive kick. The man felt something in his chest crack as Luna’s feet crashed into him before he was sent flying into the railing that ran along the port. The princess took a moment to breathe and glanced around. Josiah and his men were holding their own, but the golems were gradually advancing toward them as their stock of gypsum started to run low. She turned her attention back toward her crew and felt her eyes widen as a golem trudged along the bridge, now within arm’s reach, its soft body effortlessly eating the rounds shot at it. She was moving before she knew it, the familiar tingling sensation of her electro springing to life, almost unbidden. Luna closed the distance quickly, weaving between enemies as she pushed herself to move faster, her desperation to get to her crew urging her to ignore the pirates and golems she ran past. She felt a splash of pain every time a sword or bullet grazed past her, but all that mattered to her was to make sure no one else died because of her. The golem had just stepped onto the deck of her ship by the time she reached the bridge. She watched as it raised a misshapen fist, but not at any of her friends. Instead, it was aiming straight down, as if it intended to punch straight through the deck. [color=lightblue]”Oh, no you don’t, you lumpy bastard!”[/color] she yelled as she sprinted, then leapt, at the golem. She lashed out with a devastating right cross, but to no effect. Her fist, the gypsum mixture having dried, sank harmlessly into the golem, nearly up to her elbow. She grabbed her forearm and tried to pull herself free, but she was stuck fast, her feet sinking into the golem’s back as she tried to leverage herself out. Luna watched as the golem’s fist swelled and tried again, then again to get free. [i][color=lightblue]Are you kidding me?[/color][/i] she thought as time seemed to slow. [i][color=lightblue]This is how it ends? Everything I’ve been through, everything I’ve lost, every[i]one[/i] I’ve lost, and I’m about to drown, stuck to a gods damned mudclod?![/color][/i] Sol’s face as she remembered him flashed through her mind and she felt her fuse reignite as the golem’s fist came down. She grit her teeth as a spark of electricity jumped from her shoulder. She felt her desperation, her irritation, her [i][b]rage[/b][/i] build. [color=lightblue]”Fuck that!”[/color] she roared. Her electro roared to life with her defiance, her body sparking like an active thunderhead. She let go of her forearm and slammed her left fist into the golem’s body. [color=lightblue]”Marcus didn’t sacrifice himself so I could die here and I sure as hell couldn’t look my parents in the eye if I went out like this! Not before I’ve found Sol! Not before I could stop him from marching to his death!!”[/color] The golem’s fist suddenly slowed, then stopped altogether, inches shy from the deck of the ship. Its mushy body began to harden and crack as its color dulled. With another defiant roar, Luna spread her arms and legs, blasting the golem apart from the inside, rendering it to little more than dust and clay rubble. She stood in place, catching her breath as her electro calmed down, though it continued to spark around her arms and shoulders. She then turned, facing the battle which had stopped when they noticed Luna’s lightshow. She cracked her knuckles and growled, [color=lightblue]”Who’s next?”[/color] [hr] Meanwhile, in the previous governor’s mansion, Sam Clay stood in the study, peering at the sea from one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that adorned the wall. He was a man of average height, with shoulder-length, dull red hair, similar in color to the clay he controls, small, dark brown eyes and a rather thin build. A red cloak with gold trim, taken from the old governor’s closet, rested on his shoulders, covering his otherwise bare torso. Though he couldn’t physically see what was going on at the dock, he chuckled and crossed his arms. “Well, well,” he mused in his raspy voice. “How interesting. I guess it really is that half-Mink on those wanted posters, huh?” He placed his hand against the window, steadying himself as a wave of weariness washed over him, accompanied by a dull headache. He thought for a few moments, then smirked. “Alright,” he muttered. “Let’s make things a bit easier on myself, then…” [hr] The remaining golems turned around and began to trudge away from the docks. The Clay pirates watched them, shocked and confused, then glanced back at Luna, still wreathed in electricity, before following suit, most of them grateful for the excuse to run away. It was only when the last pirate was out of sight did Luna relax. No longer fueled by her anger and adrenaline, Luna swayed on her feet, only to be caught by Rufus. “Easy there, Captain,” he muttered as he helped her sit down. [color=lightblue]”Thanks,”[/color] she muttered. With a chuckle, she added, [color=lightblue]”I haven’t had to use Electro like that in a [i]long[/i] time. Wore me out more than I expected.”[/color] Rufus chuckled, then regarded Josiah and his men as they picked themselves back up. “We’ll let your new friends on board, then we’ll talk about what to do next after you’ve rested up and had your wounds looked after.” He waited for Luna’s reply, but when none was forthcoming, he looked down to find her fast asleep. With a chuckle, he walked down the clay bridge to greet their new allies.