The man wears a white bandana around his forehead, he looks at me with wide, wild eyes. “That's the alarm! We’re under attack!”

My mind starts thinking fast, the man throws a white scarf at me. “Take this! It marks you as an ally!” He then runs off, towards the top deck.

My reflexes activate and I catch the white cloth from mid air.

I start walking down the hall, wrapping the scarf around my neck. I’ve got to find Kamar.

There is a loud boom and the ship keels to one side. I brace myself against the right wall, barely managing to stand. Then The Sky Fisher rights itself and I start running down the now empty hall.

I stop at the stairs, looking up and down them. I can hear shouting from the deck, along with periodic booms.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I descend deeper into the ship.

As I reach the bottom of the stairs, the darkness is held back by the orange glow of a flame.

Kamar sits on a chair, looking tense. He looks me in the eyes, rumbling, “What’s happening?”

“We’re under attack. I’m not sure from what though.” I say, glancing at the contraption that houses the Sky Fisher’s heart.

The asper looks at it too, he says, “I’ll stay here, you go up and see what we are dealing with.”

I look at him, “Uh, what are you going to use to defend yourself?”

Kamar gets up from the chair, standing on two legs. His total height just barely comes short of the roof. He cracks his knuckles, “I’ve got these.”

He towers over me, reaching probably about 7 to 8 feet.

I nod and run up the stairs, my baggy and loose fitting clothing swishing.

The clothing I was given is best suited for temperate climates, baggy pants to allow easy movement, but thick enough to protect against cold wind. It was made for flying up at this altitude, where the temperature can be unpredictable.

Glancing down at my clothes, I realize that I have no armor to speak of. Can I summon the bone armor?

I stop on the stairs, focusing on my black bandage wrapped arm. I prod it with my will and try to start it up by feeding it Gray katra. It doesn’t work, the katra being greedily sucked up but it’s only enough to form the gauntlet around my hand. I stop feeding it katra and the gauntlet melts back into the bandages.

So I still don’t have enough for it to work. The thought is morbid to me, as I think of what happened to my last set of armor. The gambeson torn to bloody shreds. Here’s to hoping it’s not something with claws.

I start running back up the stairs, gripping my spear tightly. Reaching the top, I push through the door.

My ears are assaulted by noise, the sun is already halfway set, coloring the sky with oranges and reds.

Crew members run around the deck, many holding weapons and others ammunition.

Two large metal canons have been set up on the left side of the ship, 3 men operating each.

I watch as a cannonball is loaded into a canon. A Sky Pather then starts compressing Air katra into the canon, packing it all into the bottom. After about an entire minute, he releases.

The cannon ball explodes from the cannon, hurtling through the air with incredible speed.

The cannon jolts back, but ropes stop it from going to far. The crew of three men pushes it back into place, aiming another shot.

It is at this time I realize that there is a second airship. It is about half a mile from us, closing in from our left side.

The ship is smaller than The Sky Fisher, but that just means it’s faster. It has two masts, and at the top of the biggest one a flag flails in the wind. It is a deep, blood red, and I can make out what looks to be a skull wrapped in chains on it.

Are those… pirates?

The thought is ludicrous. How would any normal people get ahold of a Sky Gem to just raid House’s merchant airships. There has to be more to this.

I look around the deck, spotting Captain Corazon standing at the wheel of the ship, shouting orders at his men.

I dodge sailors going back and forth, reaching the stairs that lead up to the wheel.

Before I can even set a foot on the first step, a whistle pierces the air. Then the ship is shaking with an explosive boom.

Looking out at the Sky Fisher’s Air Shield, I can see that it is redirecting a massive amount of Flame katra, though some of it still gets through. It licks at the hull of the ship, but isn’t able to find purchase against the wood.

Was that… a Fireball?

I watch as bright flame forms on the deck of the pirate ship, slowly growing in size. I can make out four figures standing there, channeling Fire katra into a ball.

Oh four hells!

I scramble up the stairs, reaching the top.

Corazon is at the wheel, talking with his second in command, Adre. The captain is looking at the ship as it is closing in fast, and periodically shouting orders along with Adre.

I call out to him, bracing myself against the railing, “Are those pirates?!”

Adre takes notice of me, he is a short and stout man, a eye patch over his left eye. He has large, white sideburns that contrast with his ruddy face.

He pokes Corazon, pointing at me.

The Captain looks at me with a strange glint in his eye. “That’s a Rua Airship, lad! And from the flag they be flying, their from Clan Tuskite!” He flashes a wild, silver toothed grin.

“Clan Tuskite?” I say confused, looking at the red flag the ship is flying.

Adre responds this time, “Slavers!”

That word makes my blood run cold, slavers.

Slavery is outlawed by The Empire, but that doesn’t stop other countries from practicing it. One of the reasons the Empire was able to to gain control of Auren centuries ago was through the freeing of slaves.

They came well prepared too. And The Sky Fisher is only a merchant ship! The thought of 1,000 gold zeni worth of goods comes to my mind. And the Sky Gem, it has to be worth at least 3 times as much as the cargo.

Corazon is back to shouting at his men, glancing at the Tuskite ship.

I look at the small, but speedy airship. It has now greatly closed the gap between us, flying parallel to the Sky Fisher.

This isn’t good.

I can see all the men stuffed on the Rua airship’s deck, and they are all armed to the teeth. From what I can see, there are at least 40 of them.

Then I notice they don’t have their air shield on.

They have gotten too close for the cannons to fire safely, letting them drop their shield.

Why are they doing that?

Corazon laughs and starts screaming even louder, “All laddies to battle stations! They’re gonna try to board us, so we’r doin’ it first! Hold on!”

The red feather in his hat flops as he cranks the wheel to the left.

I hold onto the railing in a white knuckled grip, my black clothed hand clutching my spear.

The Sky Fisher bashes into the side of the smaller airship, sending a jolt through the deck. There is a loud crack as our Air katra shield connects with the side of the pirate ship.

I stumble, watching as the pirate ship is forced further away from the Sky Fisher.

Corazon is smiling maddly, hooting at the top of his lungs. He spins the wheel, hand over hand.

The Sky Fisher curves, leaning precariously to the left as it cuts off the path of the smaller ship.

The Captain yells at the top of his lungs, “Go, laddies!”

Sailors at the railing, who were holding on tight, hurl themselves off the Sky Fisher and onto the pirate ship’s deck below. At least a dozen go leaping through the air, many propelled by either cloud or air katra.

They let out roars as they land in the middle of the pirates’ ranks, causing havoc.

The Sky Fisher finishes it’s bank around the pirate ship, quickly righting itself.

I look at Corazon in horror and amazement. That actually worked!

The sailors on the enemy ship have bunched up, tearing through the enemies in the confusion, but I can already see the pirates recovering.

Corazon spins the wheel, coming around for another hit. If only this wasn’t a merchant ship, then we might have better weapons than just two cannons!

I look at the man, his coat is flapping in the wind and he is smiling devilishly. My eyes are drawn back to his plain scimitar, the light of the setting sun catching on the hilt. Silvery scripts run the length of the hilt, only appearing when the light hits them just right.

My eyes go wide, Is that-

I am interrupted from my thoughts by Adre, who is screaming and pointing over the opposite edge of the ship. “THERE’S ANOTHER ONE!”

I catch a glimpse from over the railing from the right side of the ship.

Out from the banks of clouds below a ship bursts, clouds trailing along nose of the airship. The prow is adorned with a screaming skull, made of silvery metal.

The second pirate ship passes straight through our Air shield, not even budging a bit, the air rippling around it. The slaver ship slams into the side of the Sky Fisher, reverberations and a crunch resounding through the sky.

There is the screech of metal hitting metal.

Corazon grimaces, holding onto the wheel. He shouts in anger and disbelief, “They hit the starboard generator!”

I can see the airshield flicker, then wink out. They hit one of our generators.

Corazon is steering the ship wildly, and I glance over the back. I can see the pirate ship, which is righting itself. It’s about as big as The Sky Fisher, with a front coated in metal plating. They used the front as a battering ram.

The other ship had been a distraction, while the real pirate ship snuck up from beneath to take out our air shield. It can fire on us now without anything stopping the shots.

The thought runs through my mind, as I watch the large metal skull adorning the front of the ship light up in a blaze.

I scream at Corazon, “They’re firing!”

I watch as a massive ball of fire blasts from the mouth of the skull, hurling towards us.

The captain grimaces, his silver tooth flashing. He yanks on a lever, pulling it upwards.

I can feel the hum of the ship stop, the Sky Gem no longer keeping us lifted in the air. Then I feel weightless as we start falling, plummeting towards the clouds bellow.

The Sky Fisher starts to quickly fall, diving head first towards the clouds.

A scream rips itself from my throat. We’re all going to die!

Then the fireball passes over my head, striking the crow’s nest of our highest mast. It explodes in a brilliant flash of oranges, whites and reds.

A few seconds later we are righting ourselves, Corazon flicking the Cloud katra generator back on. He spins the wheel around, and The Sky Fisher lets out a groan as it starts turning back to face the second pirate ship.

Gravity comes back, the pit in my stomach falling down to my gut. I fight back the urge to vomit, my nausea and newly discovered fear of heights hitting me in the diaphragm.

I stand myself up on shaky knees, looking at the insane merchant ship captain. There are worried creases in his face, along with anger and a hint of fear. He glares at the pirate ship, and I can barely hear what he mutters, “The Ghastly Skull.”

Now that our air shield is gone, I can feel the full force of the wind. It whips at my dark hair, dragging strands in front of my eyes. I brush them away from my face, yelling, “The what?!”

My words are carried away by the wind, not even reaching my ears.

Corazon is yelling at the top of his lungs, pointing at his men and telling them where to go. Six men start reloading the cannons, preparing another salvo.

A fireball from the enemy ship goes flying past us, barely missing The Sky Fisher by a few feet.

I grip the railing, trying to think of what to do. There’s nothing I can do. I don’t have anyway to attack them at range and I don’t think I can fight an entire crew of slavers and pirates.

The white scarf I have tucked around my neck is whipping in the wind and I tie it tighter and a glare at the second pirate ship, The Ghastly Skull.

It is closing in fast on us, but Corazon yanks the Sky Fisher to reel around to the left side.

Then there are the booms of compressed air and cannon balls go flying through the air. I watch as they hit the enemy ship’s air shield, being redirected downwards.

But the Sky Fisher’s crew had taken that into account.

The heavy balls of iron fling downwards with even more increased speed, splintering the deck of the enemy ship.

Cheers rise up from our deck as another salvo is loaded up.

Maybe we can win this.

My hope is dashed away with the wind as I see multiple spots of fire forming all along the deck of The Ghastly Skull. Squinting, I can make out sacred artists working together to form giant balls of Fire aspect katra.

They’re condensing it around something, then flinging it with great force. They aren’t using the cannons on the deck, but at this point I don’t think it matters. They can just set fire to our ship from a distance.

I glance up at the crow’s nest at the thought of fire. It is completely gone, bits of charred wood all that remain of it. I don’t see any fire though. The fireballs must be made more of kinetic force than anything, the fire only adding a flair to the projectile.

Corazon is yelling at the tops of his lungs now, and there is another blast from our cannons as two more cannonballs are fired.

Then the salvo of fireballs is flung towards us, burning through the air. One hits the front of our ship, sending us off kilter. Two hit the left hull, blasting holes in it. A fireball hits the middle of our second mast, causing it to snap and fall over onto our deck with a groan.

The destruction is massive, the crew yelling in fear and running about to take cover from debris.

The Sky Fisher is drifting slowly through the sky, smoke dispersing in the wind from the small fires that have started on the deck.

I look at The Ghastly Skull as it approaches, a blood red sunset silhouettes it from behind. The deep red flag with the skull in chains flaps, and when I look at the skull on the prow of the ship, I can’t help but get the feeling it is laughing at me.

It looks like death incarnate.

The pirate ship is closing in fast on us.

Corazon shouts in frustration, kicking the now dead wheel, “They took out our propulsion! We’re sitting ducks!”

I look at our deck, the broken mast hanging off the right side of the ship, flame blooming along its length.

The sailors are scrambling about, many drawing their weapons for a last stand and putting out the fires.

Corazon points at Adre, “Get the crew organized! We need to be prepared for when they try to board us.”

The small man nods, running down the stairs and starts yelling at the crew.

Corazon looks at me, “You and the asper guard my girl’s heart with your lives. Understand?”

I nod, moving towards the stairs that lead to the deck. Walking down the steps, I stop before entering the lower decks of the ship.

Looking up, I watch as the pirate ship creeps up on our right side, lowering its air shield. The pirates on the other side are hollering for blood, brandishing their weapons.

A man wearing a coat similar to Corazon’s stands at the front. He has a close shaven, blond beard and long golden hair. I can see that his face is sharp edges, giving him a predatory bird like appearance. A scar runs along his eye, curving down to his lip, a eye patch over his the socket the scar runs over.

He waves forward at use with his hand, the pirates bringing planks of wood out. The boards stretch the gap between our ship and theirs, clunking down on our side.

Our sailors start trying to push them back, to prevent them from getting onto The Sky Fisher, but there are just too many of the boards to deal with.

The slavers flood over, hitting our already dwindling crew hard. I watch as a few go toppling over the edge, screaming. Some do come back up, crawling along the hull of The Sky Fisher.

I’ve got to do something. I start gathering Gray katra in my hands, preparing to fight.

Then a shout rises over the din of battle. “Felton Zeddicus, I challenge you for your ship in the right of duel!”

Corazon leaps from the raised area of the wheel while shouting out his challenge. He unsheathes his sword, silver scripting glowing along its length.

The captain doesn’t fall though, he hovers in the air, gales of wind keeping him aloft.

The scarred man from the pirate ship walks onto one of the center planks, smiling cockingly, with his arms spread wide.

The din of battle halts, as both sides watch the exchange.

Corazon lands gently on the opposite side of the plank from the blond man, holding his scimitar out in front of him.

The blond pirate smiles wickedly, “Corazon! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? What?” He starts counting on his fingers, stopping at 4. “It’s been four years since you betrayed me and stole my artifact, Volans!”

Corazon doesn’t say anything, the wind whipping at his coat tails. Wisps of cloud float up from the bank the ships hover on.

I try to decide what to do, whether to help him or not. He looks confident.

Looking at the sword he has in hand, I can see the scripting flash in the setting sun. That’s an artifact?

I glance down at my bandaged arm, the silvery scripting on the cloth having faded to being barely noticeable while not powered.

Felton draws his cutlass, holding it out in front of him. “You challenge me to a duel? Then so be it, what are your terms?”

Corazon mirrors Felton’s stance, “If I win, I get control of your ship and you let me and my crew live.”

The pirate captain nods, “My terms are that this be a duel to the death! If I slay you, I get your sword, your ship and your crew. I’ll turn them all into slaves and sell them to the highest bidder, and I’ll dismantle your precious airship, too! Ahahahaha!”

Corazon nods, “I accept your terms.”

Felton holds up his sword in an underhand position, “I accept yer terms! Now, die!”

The pirate bursts forward in a display of amazing agility and speed, slashing at Corazon.

The captain leaps back and off the plank, floating in the air. He stabs at Felton’s shoulder, but the blond man twists around it. He laughs, “Two can play at that game!”

Dark clouds form around his feet, legs and back. He leaps off the board, floating into the air, his cutlass ready to slice.

Corazon deflects his strike, kicking at the pirate.

Felton grunts and goes flying back, spinning head over heels. Then he twists and stops his momentum, righting himself in the air. He blocks a slash from Corazon, moving under his guard.

The Sky Fisher’s captain twists around the sword stab, a slice appearing in his shirt, blood staining the cloth.

They keep trading blows, zipping around in the air at amazing speeds. Sparks fly every time their swords clash, the sound of metal hitting metal being whipped around with the wind.

Corazon flies back from Felton, putting distance from each other. They breath heavily, glaring at the other. They both are covered in slashes, blood staining their wool clothes.

Felton yells, “I see you haven’t lost yer touch! And here I thought you’d be rusty!”

Corazon grins, his breathing heavy. He brandishes the Artifact sword. “And you haven’t gotten any better, brother. Now, it’s time to finish this!”

The silvery runes along the length of his scimitar start to glow. White lightning crackles along its length from the scripts etched into the blade of the sword.

The clouds bellow where Corazon hovers start to swirl in a spiral up towards him, growing darker. He grits his teeth, shouting, “I call upon the Source and power of Volans, summon a mighty storm to protect me from all blows! Empower me with your vicious strength and lend me your merciless rage! Allow me to strike down my foe in a flash of destruction and death!”

I watch as the lightning crackles along his hand, his veins bulging with white light. They crawl up his arm, reaching his neck and spreading onto his face. His eyes glow a electric white, sparks flying off them.

The dark spiral of clouds reaches him, crawling up his pant legs and coat, forming around him. It curls around his arms, legs, chest and head, settling down into a thick, gray mist.

It’s armor.

The mist forms a dark, ghostly armor. It has a rigidity and solid look to it, but I can tell that it also allows for easy movement. A helm with a full faceplate forms around Corazon’s head, two eye holes glowing with the white light.

He holds out his scimitar, which crackles with lightning. The captain of The Sky Fisher speaks, his voice ringing with power. “Behold Volans! The caller of storms and destruction!”

The Sky Fisher’s crew is cheering now, shouting calls of excitement and encouraging Corazon on.

He bursts forward with so much speed that he blurs, charging straight at Felton.

The pirate captain is smiling wider. He shouts, “That’s it!”

Then he meets Corazon’s charge, deflecting the first blow. White lightning crackles along his cutlass, striking his arm. But it disperses without hurting him.

They trade a flurry of blows, neither hitting the other.

Flying back from each other, and slowly spinning in a circle in the air, Corazon speaks in disbelief. “How?! You should have died!”

Felton grins cockingly, he reaches up a hand and tears away his eyepatch. From where I stand, I can see his eye, or what rests in his eye socket.

It is an orb that glows with a deep green, a vortex swirling inside it. The skin around his eye is shriveled and scarred heavily.

The pirate captain shouts over the wind, “How do you like my new trinket? It’s funny that you taking my eye allowed me to get it! It was a gift from a partner of mine, you could call him a sly fox of a man! I am completely immune to Volans’s lightning now!”

Corazon growls, bursting forward in a flash of white lightning.

Felton deflects his first strike off handedly, stabbing at Corazon’s helm.

Now there is cheering from the pirates, as they watch the dual from their ship.

This isn’t good. I try to think of something I can do, but can’t. They are far more powerful than me, that is clear. I don’t think I will be able to even catch up to Felton, and I can’t fly.

The only hope lies in if Corazon beats Felton.

I watch as they zip through the clouds and over the ships, sparks and white lightning clashing.

Felton’s mouth is moving, and the orb in his eye socket is glowing brightly. I can’t hear what he is saying.

Then there is a flash of light, and a loud explosion. I squint against the bright green tinged light, and my eyes lock onto a dark form flung from the blast. It lands onto The Sky Fisher’s deck in a shower of splinters.

What was that?

I blink the spots from my eyes, looking at the crumpled form of Corazon. He groans, climbing to his feet. His armor looks thinner, the mist less thick.

Felton floats down from above, his cutlass held out to his side. He lands on his feet gently, staring at Corazon.

“Had enough yet?”

Corazon’s helmet disperses and he spits a bloody blob to the side. “Never!”

They fly at each other, swords clashing.

The combatants fly back over the large crack between ships, trading blows rapidly.

Felton’s eye shines again and green veins spread out from it, bulging with the strange katra aspect. He lets out a shout and his cutlass glows green.

Then he is under Corazon’s guard, and his stab hits the Sky Fisher’s captain in the gut. The cloud armor bursts, the green sword cutting through it and sinking into Corazon’s gut.

The pirate captain smiles, running Corazon through.

Corazon gasps for air, clutching at the sword in his gut. Blood spews from his mouth, as he looks up at Felton. “You… bastard...”

The pirate captain laughs, “I’m a right bast’rd aren’t I? But so are you!” He twists his blade, and Corazon gasps in pain.

The dark cloud armor disperses in the wind, the white lightning fading from Corazon’s skin and his eyes returning to their bright blue color. The life ebbs away from them.

Felton’s grin twists into something cruel. He lets go of Corazon, grabbing the inscribed scimitar from his hand.

I watch as Corazon’s body falls, consumed by the clouds tinged red by the setting sun.

There is cheering from the pirates, and a grim silence from The Sky Fisher’s crew.

The Captain of The Ghastly Skull raises the artifact scimitar up into the air, shouting, “I have won by right of duel! Now surrender or die!”