"So, you choose your friends over your mission." The man sitting on the throne smiled as he slouched upon a mighty battleaxe. "As I knew you would. Still, I was expecting you to just save your friends and be done, not turn the entire city into an ice-blasted hell-scape."

"Do you think lesser of me for choosing to do so?"

Silence - as the room shifted and danced... into a generic apartment room in Perpetua City. The couch shifted into a beanbag chair. Finally, the mass of flesh and eyeballs sighed.

"No. It proves that you're becoming more human every day. "He smiled as he spoke - his unnatural voice echoing this way and that. "Still, I'd like to hear your explanation as to why."

"The situation changed." Yemhelch explained. "I figured we had to destroy the tower to prevent their experiments from coming to fruition."

"I know. And that's how I found something interesting."

"Oh?"

"Baphomatt's made his move. I smelled him pretty clearly in the wreckage."

"When was this?"

"About 2 hours after you finished moving the people of Vex Vinas to your friends' new town."

"Did you get an idea where he's gone to?"

"Unfortunately, my senses in that region are quite dull. Still, if no one is inhabiting the place, it could do well as a backup entropoint for me."

"It's pretty cold over there. The tower was apparently a buffer against some serious blizzards."

"No matter. I like the cold."

It was at that moment that a tiny, six-legged creature came bounding into the chamber. As if an ink-blot had been splattered in the shape of a hound - its red eyeballs placed on its elbows, and tendrils snapping this way and that emerging from the back of its neck.

"News?"

"Indeed" the young man playing a game boy nodded. "It seems that we've found a new, suitable host... and he was seen entering the Bandit Isles."

"A suitable host?"

"Correct. Bodies with sufficient magical stores that we can slip our consciousness into, allowing us to increase our senses."

"You're not gonna kill him, are you?"

"Would you stab your own eyeball?"

"No."

"Exactly." the figure smiled. "And right now, we need all the help we can get."

Silence - again as the shape shifted... into that of a middle-aged man in a sharp business suit. "Oh, and it looks like he was escorting your prosecutor friend out. I wonder what happened down there."

"Karliah... so, you'll be going there?"

"Indeed. I want to take a look at this situation myself."

"Well then, I'll excuse myself." Yemhelch replied. "See you 'round."

"I apologize for being such a lousy host. Next time, we'll play another game of Igo Soccer."

"Agreed."

-

He woke up - and looked at an incredible starscape. Was he still asleep? Groggily, he raised a hand to float, only to feel the cold stonework on his back. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he realized he was on the roof, and the dawn was beginning to paint the dark skies with a gentle hue of blue.

He had better get back to the lounge before anyone noticed that he had gone missing.

_________________

Philena had already woken up early and Mikkael smelled something... delicious rising through the floorboards of of their master bedroom. He got himself dressed again and nodded to the clan as they themselves were finishing their meal.

"'Ey boss, yer wife sure knows 'ow ta make an excellent breakfast." Ivor mentioned.

Mikkael gave Philena a kiss as she finished up his plate, setting it down in front of them. She also prepared a plate for Yemhelch as she figured he would be waking up soon. Mikkael ate heartily the ham and eggs prepared for him. Truly, he could get used to this. As he finished, Maxwell spoke up.

"Right, now that you two are done, I thought I'd discuss something with the two of you, given that I treat Miss Taltanis with equal regard to Mikkael here." He began, "We need more members. We should also look into something more than having Philena cook for us, although I do appreciate the food, and it really was quite appetizing."

"Please, Maxwell, you flatter my cooking skills too much." Philena stated, waving a hand. Mikkael gave it some thought.

"Seems like a cool idea. However, how would you suppose I do that?" Mikkael asked. This time, The Girl spoke up.

"Similar to how you fitted us with more suitable weapons, each of us has our own skills related to banditry. Ivor is excellent at interrogation techniques, I'm good at theft, and Maxwell is good at field work. When we head out, send one of us to recruit a member, if we're successful, that person will work under us. We may even spot people who are good at various life talents, and in doing so, make our bandit base better."

Mikkael nodded, "So, in that case, I should send one of you guys out to do some recruiting. In that case, I'll send out Maxwell. He's got the know-how to pick out some good recruiting spots, I think."

After Maxwell took his leave, Mikkael mentioned that he'd be going out to do his own interrogation and asked that Ivor join him. He wanted to let Philena and The Girl work together in helping make the place more homely.

They arrived at the door of a shipyard worker and his wife, Mikkael gave a knock to the door and the worker went pale upon seeing Mikkael. He desperately tried to calm him as the man fell over backwards, "N-No no! I'm just here to ask a few questions!"

After his wife had sat them down at the table, Mikkael began to talk about Sam Bellamy, "So what can you tell me? I know you are friends of his."

"Sam?" The wife asked, "He's a good friend of my husband here. He always would make sure payments were given to the ship workers on time, and advocated for the labour union in Selk."

"Really?" Ivor asked.

They found next to nothing out in the first home, and each person talked of Sam Bellamy with relatively high regard. Some people didn't agree with his methods, but they could agree that he was a great individual. Yet the common theme was that he actually cared for the workers, despite everything that goes with being a pirate.

However, it was once he reached the last home that Mikkael and Ivor found something peculiar. So peculiar, he wanted to see what Ivor could do about it.

"My name is Gregory, I manage the food shipments for all of Selk." The man stated, "What can I do for you two?"

"We wants ta know more about Sam Bellamy." Ivor stated directly. What caught Mikkael off guard was the man's response.

"Ah! Sammy! Yeah, he and I are the bestest of friends. Have been ever since we were kids."

"Really now?" Ivor asked, then turning to Mikkael before continuing, "What do ya think of the arrest they made?"

"Sammy has always been a very good friend, I can't imagine why the Cyndar guards would consider him a murderer. Even as a pirate, the leader of pirates, in fact, he has not once killed a person. I guarantee it."

Mikkael believed in the innocence of Sam Bellamy in terms of him being innocent of murder, but Mikkael considered a possibility. What if Bellamy killed the teller because he either had to or did so on accident?

Mikkael moved to ask, "Would you say Bellamy is an emotional fellow?"

"Sammy was always going off about how one day he'd like to make Selk a great city. However, that's all he ever got emotional about, he never really felt much of an attachment to others. Of course, myself and my wife he's always been friends with, but... That's the most he's ever really had any emotion over."

Mikkael gave it some thought, and was perfectly fine with everything he gathered, "Alright, thanks Gregory. We'll see what we can do about Bellamy's arrest."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that." Gregory stated, giving a wave. Mikkael took a look back to see him sitting at the table with his wife. He felt that this woman was important somehow, but...

When Mikkael arrived back with Ivor, they were quite pleased with that they saw. The girls had bought them new rugs and some new curtains, white with gold. Mikkael gave a very approving nod.

"I like it."

Philena then asked Mikkael if he'd like to see what she did to the bedroom. A blush came over Mikkael's face as she grabbed onto his hand.

"I... Suppose I'd like to..."

She began blushing as well, "Maybe there's something we ought to send everyone after, first."

Mikkael gave it some thought before saying to the Girl, "Can you get into any other camps and tell us their current insights on our clan? Ivor, can you go ahead and scout out Cyndar for info on Bellamy?"

The two agreed, setting out. Mikkael and Philena were almost alone again.

_________________

Like a circus comedy act, he had fallen face-first into the ground. Perhaps attempting to enter through the window wasn't such a good idea. Getting up with a groan, he rubbed the bruise on his head - almost in the exact place of his self-inflicted wound in that other face once wore.

"Oh, the irony..." he muttered.

Dusting himself off, he decided to go for a quick walk to fire up his appetite. Passing by his new favorite bar - the Busty Queen. Gratefully accepting a bag of ice-cooled tissues from a pretty woman wearing a tiny string bikini and a stylized pirate coat, he walked towards the exit. Slapping one of the icy tissues on his head to cool his head down as he approached the gate, he spotted two figures in the horizon approaching.

"Is that...?"

_________________

Once Mikkael had ensured the house was empty, he locked the doors and closed the curtains. One child was on its way, but both of them had needs.

"You know, Mikkael, we probably should have waited until marriage..." Philena remarked, giggling and accepting Mikkael's advances.

-----NSFW-----

Spoiler: show

Once more, there they were in the bedroom undressing one another. Mikkael stopped at her bra and panties this time.

"I want to pleasure you." He stated with a smile. He sat on the bed and had her sit between his legs. She moved back against his crotch, feeling his hard member as she grabbed his hand which started its caress against her bared skin. Philena couldn't help but pull out his penis, pulsating between her cheeks and crying out to feel her touch.

As she rubbed his penis against her, Mikkael planted kisses down her neck as his hands reached into her underwear. He slipped a segment of a finger in and after pulling it out gave her love nectar a taste. He continued to do this as she found herself experiencing waves of pleasure of a varied intensity, and her hips began to move on their own. She licked her sharp teeth as she turned to face him, sliding his cock against her pussy before getting up.

"Against the wall. Make me your fucktoy, Mikkael." She demanded, pulling him close to her as she leaned against a wall.

Mikkael laughed, "You sure you're not the one getting carried away now?"

"I'm a girl with wants and needs, and I want to feel like your fucktoy right now." She answered with a wink. Mikkael gladly lifted one of her legs and inserted himself into her crevice.

"Nnngh..." Philena gasped, "That's it... Now show me what you've got.~"

Mikkael took hold of her hip with his opposite hand and began thrusting hard inside her. At first, mainly focusing on giving it to her as hard as he could, but soon, his pace began to quicken as she continued letting out moans. She began to feel exactly like she asked, as he began to feel a tug on his cock every time his hips moved back.

"Mmmnnn... My pussy is sucking on your penis, Mikkael..."

"It feels kind of weird... But I think I like it." He admitted, tensing up at the resistance. With each motion of their hips, she became more lewd, and wanted more of him. Eventually, he pulled out and she knew exactly what he wanted, getting down on her knees. At first, she started by using her hands on his slick cock, wet with her fluids. She then began cleaning it off with her tongue, focussion on the head and peeling back the foreskin with it. She planted a kiss on his penis and winked at him.

"How does it feel, Mikkael? Having my royal lips around your bandit cock? Do you like that?" She asked, wrapping her mouth around it. Her teeth scraped against the fleshy penis inside her mouth, which sent a tingling feeling up Mikkael's spine as he tried to answer, yet couldn't due to the wild sensation of banging a princess as a lowly bandit. He couldn't hold it in any longer, and let out his cum in her mouth. She lay back in the bed, swallowing it all as she put on a smile. Mikkael weakly smiled as well, resting his body.

He knew there would be no way to turn this girl down if she were to ask him for marriage.

After the quick round of morning sex, Mikkael looked down at Philena clinging to his chest. He then began to speak, "Philena, I'm going to be heading out to Cyndar Prison soon. I have a feeling that not all is as it should be with the case of Sam Bellamy."

She looked up to him with worried eyes, "How long will it be?"

The meridian gave it some thought, "I don't know, but I will do what I can to figure things out. In the meantime, you're in charge of this bandit clan. Alright? Then, when I get back, I'll take you out. Sound alright?"

Philena smiled, "In that case, I'll do my best."
--------------------------------------------------

Eiryk waded with Karliah through the southern desert for hours on end, and they finally made it to Selk. There, Karliah took a rest against the wall with the scholar.

"You know, Eiryk, this decision was foolish... Soon, they'll be after us." Karliah stated. Eiryk took a moment to catch his breath. Where Vex Vinas was notably cold, somethign he could tolerate, Selk was too hot for him.

Eiryk looked at his arm, still wondering what happened during his travels through Lake Forkheads to cause the anomaly to join with the mark and cause it to grow. Yet, despite this, he still felt perfectly fine, if not stronger for it.

He took a look around and noticed a distinctly different building from the rest. He gave it some thought and considered it to be where they needed to go.

"I think that's our stop." He finally said. Karliah held him back, stating that they should go to the Tavern first, learn about what has happened since her imprisonment, as well as go about buying her some new gear.

"After all, Selk isn't a safe town. We'll need to have some form of protection against unfriendly individuals." Karliah noted. Eiryk agreed and they stopped at the tavern before anything else...

--------------------------------------------------

Mikkael finished preparing his goods and brought Afalans out from the bank's stables. Philena gave him a kiss and asked, "I'll do what I can to make sure this clan runs smoothly in your absence, dear."

Mikkael nodded and then looked to Afalans who gave him a nod of approval, "Right then. I hope to make a quick return."

_________________

Spoiler: show

Operation 1: Get Localized.
Operation 2: A simple escort mission.
Operation 3: Ace Attorney.

Operation 4: Saving Privateer Sam

Karliah had walked right by him - probably fooled by his attire, a simple set of sandworm-dyed leather shirt and cotton trousers topped by a boonie hat. Or, it could have been the skimpy-dressed tissue marketer standing next to him that made her hurry past. However, it was the scholar that interested him the most. Even as the sun rose, he had continued to wear a large, loose-sleeved robe and he smelled... immensely familiar.

He closed his eyes, and remembered... home. Was he the 'suitable host'?

If he was - he'd probably cross paths with the scholar some time later. Now that he had made sure of what he needed to know, there was something that Mikkael had to hear about. Putting a spring to his step, he walked back to Mikkael's new home. As he entered the street, he spotted Mikkael walk out - with an expression of supreme satisfaction on his face.

"Oiisu! Mikkael. You'll never guess who I saw just now..." he waved at the Meridian.

_________________

Timmy walked towards the Pirate's Guild, the words of Godot still echoing in his mind. What did he really want to do? As a demon hunter, he knew he would be protecting people, but as a pirate, for the most part, he would be his own boss. He honestly didn't feel like being a clergy lap dog. As he started to focus back on the road, he noticed his new friend from last night. He approached Mikkael as it looked like he was getting ready to mount a large beast.

"Hey Mikkael," he shouted, "where you heading?"

Mikkael turned and gave a wave to Timmy, "Ah, hey, I'm just heading off to Cyndar." Mikkael tried to quickly make up some excuse, "I'm going to be talking with a certain friend, although it looks like it will be a difficult matter."

Timmy was relieved. If his friend let him tag along, it might be faster than taking a boat and he'd save a few legens. He was going to have to go there soon anyway, might as well get it out of the way now. He was closer now so he didn't really have to shout, "I'm headed that way too, mind if I tag along?"

Mikkael nodded, jumping off the large creature, "Sure, here, just approach Afalans slowly and be careful when getting in the back seat. The Barioth is a very proud creature after all." Mikkael helped guide Timmy onto the creature's back as Mikkael himself mounted once more. Afalans began to run down the main road of Selk before taking off with great speed.

Within mere minutes, the two of them landed in Cyndar. Mikkael felt no need to keep Afalans around, so he had the creature sent home via the bank's pet services. The meridian and Timmy noticed Jesse Fire in town, who came up to Timmy.

"Oh hey Jesse, what's up?" Timmy asked, imagining Jesse had news about what the guards said regarding the concert they have planned for the prison.
Jesse gave a thumbs up, "We're cleared to enter... Hey, isn't that the meridian everyone's talking about?"
Mikkael rubbed the back of his head, "Ah, yeah, Mikkael Altans. I never knew Timmy had connections with Jesse Fire though."

Jesse laughed, "Yeah, Timmy and I go back quite a while."

Mikkael then added, "So wait, what's this about being cleared to enter? Are you saying there's a place even Jesse Fire can't go?" The meridian was sharp. No wonder he was accepted as a spellsword before his banditry.

Timmy motioned for his friends to come in close, "Remember the beautiful woman I told you about while we were at your home? The one from the story? She or her double is somewhere in that prison. Now I'm a fantastic shot, but I don't have the skill to break in there and get her out right now. So I figure, Jesse's my friend, he's a musician, why not get in by doing a performance for the prisoners? Then, use that time between songs and after we're done to scope the place out for when I come in to save her."

Mikkael smiled, "Reeeeaaaaallly...?" His smile kept growing as he had a sinister look in his eye, "I have a better idea. Before you guys go in, grab a room at the tavern. We can get this girl out tonight."

Timmy had a huge smile on his face, "Seriously!?" he exclaimed, "Okay Jesse, you might want to be the one to get the room since you're well known around this area. They will probably give you a nicer room than they would give some random asshole, and they probably won't think twice about a young woman going up to visit you."

Mikkael then continued, "I'm going to do a little clothes shopping for you, Timmy."

After the two of them settled into the room, Mikkael came back not five minutes later, joining them.
"Alright. So we're all basically entering the prison. Timmy, you're going to be playing the role of Jesse's manager, I got this outfit from the local tailor, saying it was custom-made for you. Should fit pretty well, and since it's brand new, you'll look the part of a businessman. The plan is as follows..."

Mikkael cleared his throat and began his explanation, "First, Timmy, you will be entering to scope out the prison, and map out the area leading to your girl. I want you to take a clipboard and charcoal, drawing every hallway and every turn, including every staircase. Make it seem as though you are taking notes, inspecting the safety and whatnot. I want a complete set of maps brought back. I also want you to mark two cells. First, mark the one with this girl of yours, and second, mark the one with a meridian pirate. If anything, the man probably has his own cell, and the captain of the guards will probably even showcase it to you. Bring the maps back, and then I'll talk about step two."

As Mikkael gave Timmy the clipboard with ten pieces of parchment, he mentioned one final detail, "Actually take notes too. All guard positions, the location of where they'll have the concert, everything needs to be written down. Draw a map, write notes, draw the next floor's map, write notes. I expect the place to have around four floors, so you should have more than enough parchment. Also, goes without saying, but give them a fake name. Understood?"
Timmy smiled confidently, "Got it, just so we're clear the name I will give the guards is James Majors. He's someone from back home. I can't stand him and people I know keep showing up here. This way, if I get found out but escape in time, if he ever shows up here, he gets charged for it."

Mikkael nodded, "Whatever you have to do."

Timmy exited the tavern, keeping the clipboard close to him and walking towards the prison with a fake aura of smug entitlement. "Excuse me," he said to the guards. "I'm Jesse Fire's manager. I'm here to inspect the prison."

The guard forced a smile, "Right, but before we let you in, we need your name please."

Still keeping up a selfish aura of smug entitlement, Timmy became falsely outraged, "Wh-what!? Do you mean you don't know who I am!? I'm James David Majors! I'm a God among managers! No one can manage like I can! I'm the greatest manager who ever lived!"

"Right, right..." the guard said, looking slightly annoyed, "We just need your name... Nothing personal. Right this way Mr. Major-pain-in-my-ass."

"What was that!?" Timmy responded, knowing full well what he actually said, but asking for the sake of keeping up appearances.

"I said right this way Mr. Majors..."
Timmy was led into the dark prison, at first it was a long stretched out hallway through Castle Soraen's east wall, lit only by a series of torches. The brick pathway then descended into a long circling flight of stairs.

"It gets narrow here. Makes raids impossible." The guard mentioned, keeping ahead of Timmy. It was almost too easy. Then, they entered the main prison and the guard continued, "Here is block A, the concert will be restricted to criminals housed here and block B. They're the ones who never did anything that serious, generally petty thievery, drunken brawls, and so on."

There was no clear sign of any females in any of these blocks. The passage then split in two, with a sign stating the direction to the guard's lounge and the cafeteria. The cafeteria, also dark, was still surprisingly well lit with the torches, and the area was also fairly clean, with people sweeping the place as best they could. The guard continued his explanation.

"This is where the concert will take place. Guards will be posted at the doors of both the kitchen and the entrance, with a specialized troop of knights in the kitchen in case of emergency." He noted, walking Timmy, or, rather, James, out of the cafeteria.

"That's all. Down the passageway is block B, and the entrance to floor two, which contains blocks C, D, and E. However, this is all you need to see, correct?" The guard asked, wanting to get the inspection over with as soon as possible. Timmy had the entire area of the first floor mapped with no sign of any women, let alone meridians. He had to somehow get the guard to show him the second floor.
Timmy marked where he saw guards with a "G" and the special ones with crowns. The only way Timmy was going to get into the other floors was by going into super bitch mode. He knew because of who he was, eventually the guard would have to either give in or kill him, but he couldn't do that because he was famous. Thus, he had to get under the guards skin.

"No!" he snapped, "I need to see the ENTIRE prison to make sure my client is safe."


Clearing his throat, the guard said, "Sorry, but your client is about as safe as safe can be. You're surrounded by guards and even if something were to happen, any riots or harm that might come to your client would be stopped and/or dead by the time they got to you anyway."

Timmy shouted louder, putting on a fake whiny tone, "I don't care! I need to see the rest of the prison! I need to see it now!" The guard didn't have much of a choice, and just giving him would have been better been listening to "James" whine and other second.

"Fine! Fine! Right this way... Just stay away from the bars." The guard stated, leading him to the heavily armored guards blocking large steel doors. Once more, they went down a winding, narrow stairway, and were on floor two. Timmy didn't think the prison could get any darker, and yet it did. The design was similar to the first floor, but there was no cafeteria on this second floor, just three hallways in total. There, as they walked by, the prisoners reached their arms out, either attempting to stick something sharp at them or grab them in general.
"We have special rules on this floor. Cafeteria food is brought down for these prisoners, as we don't risk letting them go for even a minute. However, we don't let anyone go further."
Timmy looked at the next door leading to the third floor, the guard continued, "The door, as you can see, has six combination locks and three paladins guarding the opening. No one is allowed down here without proper credentials. It's the final floor of the prison, and is maximum security."

He hadn't seen the girl he was looking for, nor did he see any meridian. The races were getting mixed a lot more now, but there was no particular cell in question that matched either of the targets. Dare he try to access floor three?

Timmy had to get in this room, even if they got all the way down here they would still have to deal with the guards. Then, once they killed them, they needed to know the combination. Regardless, and with the guard already at his breaking point, all Timmy had to do was apply a little bit more pressure.

"I have to get in there." Timmy said.

"No, you don't." The guard replied.

"Yes, I do." Said Timmy again, "Jesse Fire is one of the best artists in Jungalore, if there is even the slightest possibility of any kind of threat, I need to know about it."

The guard was so annoyed, he just said "Alright, fine."
It was incredibly dark, but Timmy still had something that could produce light. His MP3 player that he brought from the Earth. The guard was so annoyed, that he didn't even notice as he was entering the code that Timmy was writing it down.

Down a final flight of stairs, they found an incredibly small cell block. There were no bars, only steel doors. One was opened, but the others were sealed shut. Each lock required two keys, and Timmy jotted this down. He couldn't see clearly, but the area was outright carved from the bedrock. It seemed to be leaking water here and there, too. Clearly, conditions weren't the best, and Timmy could barely draw with all the objects he was handling.

"Only the worst criminals are kept here." The guard finalized, "As you can tell, this place is as secure as any. Food is outright delivered, and they say the people who spend too long down here go insane... Now, is everything to your liking, Mr. Majors?"

"It certainly is. Thank you for your time. Jesse Fire will be with you tonight." Timmy finished.

He followed the guard back out of the prison. The walk back seemed much shorter than the walk in. The light of the setting sun hit Timmy's eyes, damn near blinding him as he walked briskly back to Jesse's room. As he opened the door and carefully shut it, he exclaimed, "I'm a god damn genius! I got you an entire layout of the prison and the code to get in the maximum security wing! Now who is the mother fucking MAN!?"

Then Timmy noticed Mikkael sitting in the room with about twelve bandits and a corner full of explosives. Jesse was scratching his head.

"Welcome back." Said Mikkael.

Timmy walked towards the Pirate's Guild, the words of Godot still echoing in his mind. What did he really want to do? As a demon hunter, he knew he would be protecting people, but as a pirate, for the most part, he would be his own boss. He honestly didn't feel like being a clergy lap dog. As he started to focus back on the road, he noticed his new friend from last night. He approached Mikkael as it looked like he was getting ready to mount a large beast.

"Hey Mikkael," he shouted, "where you heading?"

Mikkael turned and gave a wave to Timmy, "Ah, hey, I'm just heading off to Cyndar." Mikkael tried to quickly make up some excuse, "I'm going to be talking with a certain friend, although it looks like it will be a difficult matter."

Timmy was relieved. If his friend let him tag along, it might be faster than taking a boat and he'd save a few legens. He was going to have to go there soon anyway, might as well get it out of the way now. He was closer now so he didn't really have to shout, "I'm headed that way too, mind if I tag along?"

Mikkael nodded, jumping off the large creature, "Sure, here, just approach Afalans slowly and be careful when getting in the back seat. The Barioth is a very proud creature after all." Mikkael helped guide Timmy onto the creature's back as Mikkael himself mounted once more. Afalans began to run down the main road of Selk before taking off with great speed.

Within mere minutes, the two of them landed in Cyndar. Mikkael felt no need to keep Afalans around, so he had the creature sent home via the bank's pet services. The meridian and Timmy noticed Jesse Fire in town, who came up to Timmy.

"Oh hey Jesse, what's up?" Timmy asked, imagining Jesse had news about what the guards said regarding the concert they have planned for the prison.
Jesse gave a thumbs up, "We're cleared to enter... Hey, isn't that the meridian everyone's talking about?"
Mikkael rubbed the back of his head, "Ah, yeah, Mikkael Altans. I never knew Timmy had connections with Jesse Fire though."

Jesse laughed, "Yeah, Timmy and I go back quite a while."

Mikkael then added, "So wait, what's this about being cleared to enter? Are you saying there's a place even Jesse Fire can't go?" The meridian was sharp. No wonder he was accepted as a spellsword before his banditry.

Timmy motioned for his friends to come in close, "Remember the beautiful woman I told you about while we were at your home? The one from the story? She or her double is somewhere in that prison. Now I'm a fantastic shot, but I don't have the skill to break in there and get her out right now. So I figure, Jesse's my friend, he's a musician, why not get in by doing a performance for the prisoners? Then, use that time between songs and after we're done to scope the place out for when I come in to save her."

Mikkael smiled, "Reeeeaaaaallly...?" His smile kept growing as he had a sinister look in his eye, "I have a better idea. Before you guys go in, grab a room at the tavern. We can get this girl out tonight."

Timmy had a huge smile on his face, "Seriously!?" he exclaimed, "Okay Jesse, you might want to be the one to get the room since you're well known around this area. They will probably give you a nicer room than they would give some random asshole, and they probably won't think twice about a young woman going up to visit you."

Mikkael then continued, "I'm going to do a little clothes shopping for you, Timmy."

After the two of them settled into the room, Mikkael came back not five minutes later, joining them.
"Alright. So we're all basically entering the prison. Timmy, you're going to be playing the role of Jesse's manager, I got this outfit from the local tailor, saying it was custom-made for you. Should fit pretty well, and since it's brand new, you'll look the part of a businessman. The plan is as follows..."

Mikkael cleared his throat and began his explanation, "First, Timmy, you will be entering to scope out the prison, and map out the area leading to your girl. I want you to take a clipboard and charcoal, drawing every hallway and every turn, including every staircase. Make it seem as though you are taking notes, inspecting the safety and whatnot. I want a complete set of maps brought back. I also want you to mark two cells. First, mark the one with this girl of yours, and second, mark the one with a meridian pirate. If anything, the man probably has his own cell, and the captain of the guards will probably even showcase it to you. Bring the maps back, and then I'll talk about step two."

As Mikkael gave Timmy the clipboard with ten pieces of parchment, he mentioned one final detail, "Actually take notes too. All guard positions, the location of where they'll have the concert, everything needs to be written down. Draw a map, write notes, draw the next floor's map, write notes. I expect the place to have around four floors, so you should have more than enough parchment. Also, goes without saying, but give them a fake name. Understood?"
Timmy smiled confidently, "Got it, just so we're clear the name I will give the guards is James Majors. He's someone from back home. I can't stand him and people I know keep showing up here. This way, if I get found out but escape in time, if he ever shows up here, he gets charged for it."

Mikkael nodded, "Whatever you have to do."

Timmy exited the tavern, keeping the clipboard close to him and walking towards the prison with a fake aura of smug entitlement. "Excuse me," he said to the guards. "I'm Jesse Fire's manager. I'm here to inspect the prison."

The guard forced a smile, "Right, but before we let you in, we need your name please."

Still keeping up a selfish aura of smug entitlement, Timmy became falsely outraged, "Wh-what!? Do you mean you don't know who I am!? I'm James David Majors! I'm a God among managers! No one can manage like I can! I'm the greatest manager who ever lived!"

"Right, right..." the guard said, looking slightly annoyed, "We just need your name... Nothing personal. Right this way Mr. Major-pain-in-my-ass."

"What was that!?" Timmy responded, knowing full well what he actually said, but asking for the sake of keeping up appearances.

"I said right this way Mr. Majors..."
Timmy was led into the dark prison, at first it was a long stretched out hallway through Castle Soraen's east wall, lit only by a series of torches. The brick pathway then descended into a long circling flight of stairs.

"It gets narrow here. Makes raids impossible." The guard mentioned, keeping ahead of Timmy. It was almost too easy. Then, they entered the main prison and the guard continued, "Here is block A, the concert will be restricted to criminals housed here and block B. They're the ones who never did anything that serious, generally petty thievery, drunken brawls, and so on."

There was no clear sign of any females in any of these blocks. The passage then split in two, with a sign stating the direction to the guard's lounge and the cafeteria. The cafeteria, also dark, was still surprisingly well lit with the torches, and the area was also fairly clean, with people sweeping the place as best they could. The guard continued his explanation.

"This is where the concert will take place. Guards will be posted at the doors of both the kitchen and the entrance, with a specialized troop of knights in the kitchen in case of emergency." He noted, walking Timmy, or, rather, James, out of the cafeteria.

"That's all. Down the passageway is block B, and the entrance to floor two, which contains blocks C, D, and E. However, this is all you need to see, correct?" The guard asked, wanting to get the inspection over with as soon as possible. Timmy had the entire area of the first floor mapped with no sign of any women, let alone meridians. He had to somehow get the guard to show him the second floor.
Timmy marked where he saw guards with a "G" and the special ones with crowns. The only way Timmy was going to get into the other floors was by going into super bitch mode. He knew because of who he was, eventually the guard would have to either give in or kill him, but he couldn't do that because he was famous. Thus, he had to get under the guards skin.

"No!" he snapped, "I need to see the ENTIRE prison to make sure my client is safe."


Clearing his throat, the guard said, "Sorry, but your client is about as safe as safe can be. You're surrounded by guards and even if something were to happen, any riots or harm that might come to your client would be stopped and/or dead by the time they got to you anyway."

Timmy shouted louder, putting on a fake whiny tone, "I don't care! I need to see the rest of the prison! I need to see it now!" The guard didn't have much of a choice, and just giving him would have been better been listening to "James" whine and other second.

"Fine! Fine! Right this way... Just stay away from the bars." The guard stated, leading him to the heavily armored guards blocking large steel doors. Once more, they went down a winding, narrow stairway, and were on floor two. Timmy didn't think the prison could get any darker, and yet it did. The design was similar to the first floor, but there was no cafeteria on this second floor, just three hallways in total. There, as they walked by, the prisoners reached their arms out, either attempting to stick something sharp at them or grab them in general.
"We have special rules on this floor. Cafeteria food is brought down for these prisoners, as we don't risk letting them go for even a minute. However, we don't let anyone go further."
Timmy looked at the next door leading to the third floor, the guard continued, "The door, as you can see, has six combination locks and three paladins guarding the opening. No one is allowed down here without proper credentials. It's the final floor of the prison, and is maximum security."

He hadn't seen the girl he was looking for, nor did he see any meridian. The races were getting mixed a lot more now, but there was no particular cell in question that matched either of the targets. Dare he try to access floor three?

Timmy had to get in this room, even if they got all the way down here they would still have to deal with the guards. Then, once they killed them, they needed to know the combination. Regardless, and with the guard already at his breaking point, all Timmy had to do was apply a little bit more pressure.

"I have to get in there." Timmy said.

"No, you don't." The guard replied.

"Yes, I do." Said Timmy again, "Jesse Fire is one of the best artists in Jungalore, if there is even the slightest possibility of any kind of threat, I need to know about it."

The guard was so annoyed, he just said "Alright, fine."
It was incredibly dark, but Timmy still had something that could produce light. His MP3 player that he brought from the Earth. The guard was so annoyed, that he didn't even notice as he was entering the code that Timmy was writing it down.

Down a final flight of stairs, they found an incredibly small cell block. There were no bars, only steel doors. One was opened, but the others were sealed shut. Each lock required two keys, and Timmy jotted this down. He couldn't see clearly, but the area was outright carved from the bedrock. It seemed to be leaking water here and there, too. Clearly, conditions weren't the best, and Timmy could barely draw with all the objects he was handling.

"Only the worst criminals are kept here." The guard finalized, "As you can tell, this place is as secure as any. Food is outright delivered, and they say the people who spend too long down here go insane... Now, is everything to your liking, Mr. Majors?"

"It certainly is. Thank you for your time. Jesse Fire will be with you tonight." Timmy finished.

He followed the guard back out of the prison. The walk back seemed much shorter than the walk in. The light of the setting sun hit Timmy's eyes, damn near blinding him as he walked briskly back to Jesse's room. As he opened the door and carefully shut it, he exclaimed, "I'm a god damn genius! I got you an entire layout of the prison and the code to get in the maximum security wing! Now who is the mother fucking MAN!?"

Then Timmy noticed Mikkael sitting in the room with about twelve bandits and a corner full of explosives. Jesse was scratching his head.

"Welcome back." Said Mikkael.

Mikkael gave a fist bump to Ivor and The Girl. He didn't think their recruitment efforts would turn out to be so good. Mikkael greeted all his new members as well welcoming them into his clan. Before Timmy arrived, he also made a trip to the Lumen Mines to grab some iron. After all, a prison break means dealing with locks, and so he'd need to buy for himself a few picks. With an order of explosives also being requested just in case they needed to make an emergency exit for themselves, he went ahead and used the item shop to start stocking up on lockpicks.

ROLL: 26 - 19 - 57 - 45 - 43 - 96 - 71 - 67 - 10 - 17 - 7 - 100 - 39 - 7 - 47 - 21 - 54 - 26 - 4 - 59
Drops: Gold x4, Iron x54

He made for himself a full pouch of makibishi to lay out in case of need and used the extra funds to buy a hundred lockpicks. More than enough, he figured, but if not now, they would surely come into use later.

When Timmy came back, he had everyone settle down.

"Alright, the plan is simple. First, I want Ivor and The Girl to go in with Jesse Fire. You will be bodyguards. Review what Timmy here wrote on the notes really quick."

They took a look through the notes and each of them nodded. Mikkael continued, "Now, when you go in, there should probably be a torch or something near the staircase of the first floor. Use a stick of charcoal and make a marking if anything is different, be they guard positions, or layout. Rotate the letter regarding the change ninety degrees, just to make them wonder, but do so in as inconspicuous a manner as possible. If nothing is changed, just leave a horizontal line."

Ivor nodded, "Gotcha boss."

"Ten minutes following, I am to meet with the guard captain regarding a talk about the evidence regarding the case of Black Sam. This is all to get weapons and such, so I'll only be in for about ten minutes." Mikkael turns to Jesse Fire, "In that twenty minute span, I want the songs to start out fairly loud, but they need to get louder, because five minutes after I enter, I want Timmy to lead an assault. The music should be too loud for anyone to hear the rest of the team coming."

Mikkael also adds, "When you kill the guards, take their armor and wear it. Hide the bodies however you need. Then, when I come out, I'll simply walk down the halls to floor three, where we either open the door or blow it open."

Timmy added, "We could also put pillows over any guns. They'll work as silencers."

Mikkael nodded, "A fair point. If any of you want to keep your guns quiet, fit them into pillows." Mikkael gave everyone a look then smiled, "So, is everyone ready?"

_________________

Mikkael and the newcomer, Timmy had left Selk - giving him an important task. He was to make sure that the headquarters was well defended. After making sure Karliah wasn't sneaking around to find them (she had entered into a grounded tenement and rented a room; standard fare for poorer folks or rookie bandits), he returned to the building that Mikkael had bought out... and then he smelled something good from inside.

One thought smashed through - FOOD!

_________________

Timmy cleared his throat, "One last thing - three things, actually - that I forgot to add to the notes. One, when we get down to the maximum security wing, the people in the cells will try to grab at you or even stab you... It's kind of creepy. Second, for some reason, one of the cells in the place where they're probably keeping everyone we're looking for, it was opened. I have no idea why and it seemed too simple a thing to ask without blowing my cover. Lastly, the guard told me most of the people that stay down in the bottom of the prison for too long tend to kind of lose it. So don't be surprised if either of the people we're looking for aren't exactly stable when we find them."

Mikkael nodded, "Everyone got that? Then, let's get going!"

Jesse entered with Ivor and The Girl, they had looked the part perfectly, especially with the rock-star vibe Ivor gave off. Ten minutes followed, and every second that passed felt like an eternity. Timmy seemed to become more nervous the more he waited, "Guys, I don't feel so good."

Mikkael patted him on the shoulder, "You can do it, I believe in you. If you're as sure about this as you say you are, then buckle up. You have ten more minutes to wait, then, you can grab the girl."

Mikkael walked up to the entrance, talking to the man in front. He was lead inside, and in the ten minutes that followed, Timmy watched as the seconds ticked down...
"Okay, Timmy..." he thought to himself as he tried to gather up the courage, "Focus. Focus on what matters, and everything else will fall in place." He closed his eyes tight and he saw her. The same kind, warm, beautiful woman that could make in feel weak in the knees yet give him nerves of steel. As he came back to reality, with the nausea gone, he said to himself in a confident cocky tone "Let's fucking do this!"

The team charged in and the music was blazing from the caeteria. Mikkael was still occurpied it seemed, presumably with the evidence. The whole of the guards were missing from blocks A and B, and thus, they ran up to the stairway and...

"LOCKED!" Shouted one of the bandits, trying to beat the noise.

With the same cocky tone visible in Timmy's voice, although everyone else was hearing it for the first time, "Well pal do to that door what Mexican food does to your ass... Blow the son of a bitch apart."

Lighting a fuse leading to a powder keg, everyone rushed away from the door. A few seconds later, a loud explosion resounded, though barely making any sound. The whole brick wall was blown apart at the doorway, and rushing up in the narrow stairway were fully-armored paladins.

Already, the bandits moved in line with rifles.

"On your command, sir!"
The first paladin ran to the top of the stairway, his head in view. Timmy took a deep breath giving the paladin just a second to get closer, "Ready... Steady..." he stated as two more came into view. Timmy then shouted, "Fire!" with all his might, keeping his hand on his own blade. It was nothing compared to the guns, but nevertheless, Timmy was ready to fight to the last breath.

Already, in the span of a few minutes, they killed twelve paladins, most of which simply stumbled over each other on the stairs and were finished in that instant by a bullet. The difference in weaponry made a huge impact, and the strength of the long stairways worked against them in the end. The group donned the suits of armor as they went and took position, hiding the bodies in the cells near the entrance, given that no one would need to walk there.

However, the guard captain's expression was horrible as he noticed the hole in the wall, with Mikkael at his side.

"Wha-WHAT!? HOW IN THE NAME OF OBLIVION DID- AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"Sorry, but I don't actually agree with your church." Mikkael stated to the man as he walked down the stairway. He motioned for everyone to follow, one after another, until Timmy and he met up again at the door with the combination lock. They had just entered the last number before winding down the pathway and into the cavern of the third floor.

"Rather dark, isn't it?" Mikkael noted, pulling out a torch and lighting it on a nearby one. They descended down the long flight of stairs with the torch providing them light along the way. They finally could see everything about the cavern. Only ten cells in block F. One opened.
Mikkael looked around and noted one cell with a meridian. "Sam Bellamy? Arweinydd môr-ladron?" Mikkael asked, speaking in fluent meridian. The white meridian with black streaks stood up and turned to Mikkael, who was barely visible through the small slot in the door.
In a raspy tone, the man spoke, "Un arall o'r mer? Beth yw eich dylwyth?"

"Altans." Mikkael stated, "Yr wyf yn aelod o dylwyth Altans. Yr wyf yma yn y gwasanaeth o urdd y llofrudd yn. Un funud, gadewch i mi fynd â chi allan o'r yma."

Mikkael turned to Timmy, "I found my guy. Here, Timmy, take the torch and find your woman. I'll get her out next."

Timmy knew he didn't have much time, he walked at a brisk pace but his legs had an obvious nervous jerk to them. He looked in the first door, a little scared of what you might find. It was a male, rocking back and forth. He had numbers carved into all the walls. Best to turn around and check another.

As Timmy approach the next cell, he had an idea, some way to get her attention. Timmy always hated this song but he might get a reaction out of her. He hummed her favorite song, Ever Dream.

Nothing. He didn't see someone who looked like her in the next cell, either. Mikkael was finishing up on the picking of the lock, and had gotten Sam bellamy out, also picking the lock on his cuffs. The other meridian shook Mikkael's hand and Mikkael gave him his four silver pistols, saying, "I believe these are yours."

However, he had no time to waste, he looked in the third cell, and there he saw a woman. Long flowing blonde hair, she opened her eyes to the light shining into her cell, revealing a brown hue. She spoke not a word, but Timmy knew it was her. He finally found her.
Timmy just stood there and stared. He spoke after a few seconds. "... Annabelle...? You have no idea what I went through to get here..."

She shook her head. What did she mean? He didn't hesitate and motioned Mikkael over.

"So that's the girl, huh?" Mikkael began to pick the locks, "Don't worry, we'll get you out of here in no time."

He went through four more picks in order to get the cell unlocked, and then another two in order to get her cuffs off. He handed her a sword.

"Right, we're getting out of here." Mikkael stated. Bellamy spoke up.

"I hope ye have an escape plan, mate."

Mikkael took a moment to think and then nervously laughed.

"Woops." Mikkael laughed, "I kind of do. Just follow my lead, alright?"

Timmy himself left one final message as Mikkael took a look in the cell that was opened. He picked up a piece of cloth he found inside, knowing exactly who it belonged to, but more important was what he found carved into the nearby corner of the cell. A diagram. When everything was set, though, they left the prison with Jesse Fire and the others in the group. Everyone quickened their pace as the ground underneath them shook and the earth began to give way in certain areas. Landscaping would be necessary to help with the droops in the courtyard of Castle Soraen. Mikkael took everyone aboard a ship when they eventually reached Wynd Bay, and they set off for Selk.
Timmy was a little saddened that this wasn't Annabelle, but he smiled at her as they sailed off. He put on his serious face as he began to speak, "You can't speak, correct? When I first got here I overheard one of the guards say something about your tongue being cut out."

The blonde girl nodded, she took a nearby piece of charcoal and began writing on a piece of parchment, "My name is Ahnbein. I am the daughter of the previous king though no one believes it."

"Well, Ahnbein, my name is Michael, all my friends call me Timmy. I came here from very far away. It's very nice to meet you." Even though this wasn't Annabelle, he was still just as mesmerized by her.

Mikkael was talking to the captain with Sam Bellamy, who directed them away from the regular course. They rested the boat at a nearby island, a place no one had seen yet. Mikkael had taken note of it, and Sam bellamy went down to speak with the crew on board the ship.

"Right lads," Bellamy began, "Mr. Altans and I had a bit of a conversation. We be thinking we'll try the traitor pirate in a Velian court. Thus, we'll have us a bit of a raid on our hands. Are ya up for it, lads?"

The bandits all collectively cheered. Mikkael gave a nod to Bellamy who nodded back. The ship captain brought them away from the island and back on the course of their regular journey...

"You're good..." Yemhelch panted as he slumped over the table - an empty plate between his elbows. "... my rival."

"You... you're not so bad yourself..." Philena sat on the opposite end of the table, pushing away a similarly empty plate. "I didn't think you could finish the Grandmammoth Cut steak in one sitting."

"I'm full of s-surprises..." he grinned back. "It seems like we have a draw this time."

"Next time I cook, it's.... it's a rematch..."

"You're on. Next time... next time I'll defeat you for sure!"

"Ha-ha! Bring it!"

With some effort, Yemhelch stood up and walked to the window for some fresh air. That's when he saw the young man with a bag full of papyrus rolls hawking his product. "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Tower of Vex Vinas collapses! Sabotage by the Arch-mage? Get the Selk Standard here!"

He smiled.

_________________

Natsuki laid her head down on the comfy carriage couch as she gingerly read the newspaper - the Cyndar Dispatch. Again and again, she read the front-page article and the interviews with several witnesses and she rubbed her temples.

Did her former traveling companions have anything to do with this?

No, it was impossible. That level of sorcery could only have been wielded by someone who had trained well for decades on end. She read the part about the witnesses seeing massive, white-hot boulders spinning around the tower before smashing into the stone walls - their massive temperatures vaporizing large sections of brickwork to the point the whole tower had collapsed onto itself, leaving Vex Vinas proper exposed to the horrible blizzards from the North.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember the details. Philena stood out as a summoner - but even she could barely create fireballs. Mikkael was more of a spellsword - more capable with buffs and debuffs than with raw assault spellwork. Yemhelch? He had attended a Magus Guild orientation class along with another initiate, but aside from that, she always noted how he would prefer bows and daggers over spells.

If they didn't unleash that horrific spell... then who did?

"Ay, lass. Had friends up in Vex Vinas?" Paladin Khal'shaar called over. "Ye be lookin' horrible worried there."

"I... I suppose."

"Well, ye in luck. When the tower collapsed, word went out and rumor now has it that some newly minted mayor from the Selk region offered ta' take the folks in."

"That's nice, I suppose..."

"Will ye be goin' there?"

"I probably will."

"'fraid I can't let ye go wanderin' alone again, lass." the gruff paladin responded, his smile fading away. "We got trouble."

"What?"

"There's been a break-in at the Cyndar prison. The witness said a black-cloaked figure jumped a guard and got a necromancer's stool pigeon out."

"The shadowman..."

"It all makes sense, now, doesn't it? I figure that was 'is original goal all along. The way I see things, dem necromancer's been a'worry about the barricade we set up 'round Dreamer's Hill, so they sent in a revenant from their new base o' operations to Cyndar."

"I see..."

"Well, and those two are trapped in the countryside - I reckon a Revenant is a real dangerous player, so I really don't recommend ye be wanderin' out the walls anytime soon."

She signed. "I suppose."

As they turned the corner, they saw the familiar walls of Cyndar appear into view... and smoke coming from one of the inner keeps.

"What in blazes..." Paladin Khal'shaar muttered, climbing to the top of the carriage for a better view.

As they approached the gates, the news was revealed - TWO break-ins, timed in 5 hours!

"We... we've been tricked..." Paladin Khal'shaar gasped as he realized what had happened - how he had led the first search party from Cyndar... reducing the prison's staffing to search for the Revenant... "...NO!"

"Lady Natsuki, I must depart immediately. There seems to be a riot - and if it is not controlled..." his voice trailed off as he leaped from the carriage, weapon in hand, joining up with several knights now trying to stop the prisoners.

Mikkael sat beside Bellamy, who was quite curious as to what events have transpired since his arrest many many months ago. He explained the raid of Vex Vinas, and the establishment of his bandit clan in Selk. Mikkael also covered the discovery of Avalon.

"Is that so? You must've gotten quite famous from that alone." Bellamy remarked. Mikkael nodded in response.

"I'm probably going to move the clan there afterwards." Mikkael continued, "After all, I think a villa would look good on one of the cliffs overlooking the Chaos Desert. We could set up some pretty cool things around Avalon."

The boat rocked as they made their way through the waves, the captain shouted, "Coming up on Selk!"

Mikkael nodded to everyone on board as Bellamy began to instruct, "Right, no waiting, we're storming the place as soon as we can. Aim to maim, but do not kill! We're taking the guild alive!"

Turning to Bellamy, Mikkael uttered, "Actually, on the subject of Mr. Teach, I did keep one other document when I took on this job... A citizenship document for the current leader. Let's make efforts to capture Blackbeard alive as well."

Bellamy nodded, adding on, "Our main target is Blackbeard! We are to capture him alive! Is that understood?"

The crew gave a collective "Aye!" as the ship pulled into the dock of Selk. Mikkael gave a loud whistle as Afalans charged out from the bank stables. He hopped onto the Barioth and followed the lead of Bellamy.

The raid of the Pirate's Guild was beginning.

_________________

He rolled the scroll into the glasswork rollers embossed with the Selk Standard logo and smiled. Word of what happened to the Tower of Will had spread, and most of the witnesses had seen the meteor spell that had gone awry. The only suspect they had was Mikkael's grandfather - the one in the unusual armor that he had escaped from.

Apparently he was missing as well. He recalled how his commander mentioned Baphomatt being alive - perhaps they had joined forces?

"No witnesses, no case." he chuckled to himself as he put the scroll on the table. "I'm safe... for now."

That was when he heard a commotion from outside. Rivals attacking their base? A quick peek into the courtyard proved him wrong - a small mob of pirates were running away from the building he was ordered to protect.

"Perhaps Karliah's buddies decided to drop by?"

_________________

Bellamy lead the raid team to the entrance of the Pirate's Guild, and opened it up, he marched down the steps with Mikkael in tow Timmy seemed to be behind, tending to the woman, but Mikkael paid no mind to it, he knew that there were times for man and woman to share moments together. Bellamy glared at the receptionist, who looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"S-Sir Bellamy! H-H-How are you still here!? A-Alive! I thought... We thought you dead, sir!"

Bellamy grabbed the man by the coat, "Ye'd wish that, wouldn't ye, mate? Where is me crew!?"

"S-Sir... I did not... I was hoping you'd finally return, it-it's Blackbeard! He and his crew were there! Not I! Y-Your crew was sent to work at the Selk Church!"

Bellamy nodded to Mikkael, "Tell them that the tide has come in."

Mikkael nodded, and in a few moments, half of the Selk demon hunters had joined them. As if they'd been waiting months for that message to come in. Bellamy had already started his raid with Mikkael's clan in the mean time, and Mikkael gave the order to charge.

"Do not kill, but shoot anything that moves to attack you!" Mikkael ordered.

Entering the guild showed a whole market underneath the city in the sand, with vendors selling every kind of item, or, at least stands without vendors given that they had retreated. The Sand Sharks were clashing with Blackbeard's crew near the vaults, with two large black-iron doors and ten locks each. Bellamy himself was wielding his guns with true skill, swapping between all four of his silvery pistols until he could finally open the vault's ten locks to reveal...

"IT'S GONE! ALL OF IT!" He shouted. Even as he said this, Blackbeard's men looked in horror. The entire guild vault had been emptied.

"Damn it..." Bellamy uttered, slamming his fist against the door, he continued to pound it as he shouted further, "DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!"

"Wh-What of my pay! Blackbeard promised me a raise!"

"How am I to propose to my dearest Julia!"

"Forget you! How am I to feed my family at this rate!"

Mikkael turned to Bellamy and smiled. As if understanding exactly what he meant, Bellamy grabbed the only two items remaining in the vault; His old pirate captain hat and coat. Putting them on, he shot his pistol.

"Silence! I am Black Sam Bellamy! I am the captain of this guild! I was framed for killing an innocent banker, and I seek revenge! Clearly, we all have been cheated, but I refuse to accept this twist of fate!"

"But it seems as if you will have to." A voice came from behind them. There, Blackbeard stood, and in his arms were Gregory and his wife. He had a pistol pointed to both their heads. Everyone tried to move, but Blackbeard prepared to shoot both of them, "Stop! If you dare to move, both of them will die here."

Bellamy was frozen in place as well, and Mikkael had to keep Afalans calm as he sat on the Barioth's back.

"Bellamy, you never learned, all I wanted was money, piracy is about theft, and yet you continued to aid the people of Selk. What matters here is not oaths or bonds, but the results." Blackbeard pushed the pistol under the wife's chin, "SO, TELL US, BELLAMY, WHY WOULDN'T YOU GIVE YOUR ALIBI?"

"Blackbeard... Ye'd best leave those two out of it..." Bellamy threatened, "They have nothing to-"

"OH, BUT I'M SURE THEY DO... GO ON, TELL GREGORY ABOUT HOW YOU BANGED HIS WIFE BEHIND HIS BACK!"

Bellamy gritted his teeth, enraged as Gregory looked to him with weak eyes, Blackbeard pushed the pistol to Gregory's chin, "Do not, and I will end his life here and now. Go on, tell him every detail about how you helped his wife break a most sacred of bonds."

"I... I..." Bellamy barely managed to speak, but in that moment, he rushed through the crowds, delivering a shout and calling out the name of his nemesis.

"N-No! Bellamy!" Mikkael tried to shout after him, but it was too late, Blackbeard fired off both guns, killing Gregory and his wife instantly. Blackbeard was then shot multiple times in the chest by Bellamy, falling over.

Yet, when he fell, the Nekor merely laughed, standing right back up. Pulling from a sack on his back a sceptre of platinum and gold, adorned with diamonds and other precious gems.

"Th-That's...!" Bellamy gasped.

"You know, Bellamy, you never planned ahead like I did." Blackbeard chuckled, "Yes, I obtained the Scepter of Selk, a royal artifact of great merit."

Mikkael looked to Excalibur, "But... That's impossible! It is not up to the Pirates alone to determine who gains the scepter!"

"Foolish blade, do you think I was given it willingly? I wonder... How much would someone be willing to buy this?" Blackbeard gazed at the shining scepter as his wounds healed themselves. He then snapped his fingers as a Qurupeco came out from the guild's stables.

"It has been fun, Bellamy, but this is where it ends."

"Not if I can help it! Afalans! Get that damned Nekor!" Mikkael shouted as the Barioth charged forth, then being shot by a blast of fire from the Qurupeco.

"Mikkael, you fool... I am Blackbeard! Pirate Captain! I will not fall to the likes of you!"

Blackbeard flew out of the guild, with the rest of the raid team and Mikkael following. Mikkael took his Barioth to the skies as Mikkael swung through the air with his Buster Sword. high above the clouds, they sat upon their mounts.

"I see... Tell me, bandit, why fight for Bellamy?" Blackbeard asked.

"Because, Blackbeard, you cheated him out of his true title, you are nothing but a fraud. Under your rule, Selk has only gotten worse... I cannot allow scum like you to run that guild."

"You would do better?" The Nekor asked, "In that case, you'd better be able to fight me off. Otherwise..."

The Nekor drew his blade and a gun.

"I SHALL HAVE YOUR HEAD!"

-----STORY BOSS: Blackbeard-----
Special Conditions: Cannot run. Results in NPC death if the player wins. Enemy and player are in flight, mount death means crashing to the ground for 1000 bash damage!

Attack Order:
1. Mikkael (430/232/40/102)
M. Afalans (210/150/165/185)
Life: 8500
Will: 3100
Familiar Life: 25300
Familiar Will: 3000

2. Blackbeard (210/126/55/42)
M. Qurupeco (60/30/90/80)
Life: 9950
Will: 2450
Familiar Life: 6000
Familiar Will: 400

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