While we were free from the pier, we still had to navigate out of the harbour, and all the while, we were still in range of both a furious pirate militia and the cannons of the Nightmare Ascendant, moored just opposite us. And as our ship turned, the deck was pelted with bullets and insults, and I took away a rather painful hit, and retreated into the relative safety below deck.
From below, I heard more shots, more shouting, and the familiar voices of Sira and Carlton, who had managed, against all adversity, to find a rowboat, approach our ship and climb aboard. The ship, meanwhile, was manoevring sharply, and the Captain tried his best to avoid and outrun both our pursuer, the Nightmare Ascendant, and the Dawn Raider, approaching the town at the least opportune moment. Cannon were fired from both sides, and as our ship was hit several times, I heard debris from the rigging rain on deck.
Our ship was damaged and bereft of its top speed, but so were our pursuers, and after moving out of cannon range, the Captain set a course to the south, in order to outrun them. The Sanguine, however, was not prepared to let go, and it was only on the third day, having surrounded the western tip of Torath-Ka, that we shook him off our trail. I had had ample time to cure my own wounds, and those of the Captain, and when we were in full capacity to act again, we pondered our options.
Early on, Equias had requested us to go to the Teeth, a place in the southeast of Torath-Ka, where she wanted to continue her research on the phenomenon of the slowly rising water levels. We did not stock enough provisions for such a voyage, though, and our ship had sustained damage, so we decided to sail to a hopefully friendly port first, and set course towards Azy Cay.
While, from his favourite spot in the crow's nest, Carlton once again spotted the sails of the Nightmare Ascendant on the horizon, we could evade them, unnoticed, and reached the town without further issue. Master Krastus ascertained that the repairs would take a minimum of three days' work, and while staying in port was recommended for that, a craftsman of his obvious skill might even manage to coordinate the repairs while anchored at sea. We were not prepared to endanger and alienate our remaining friends in the Cay by exposing them to the danger the Captain's dreadful shadow posed.
So I went off to quickly purchase a larger supply of provisions, and I managed to procure just the necessary amount of lumber during the day, quite a feat in a town as small as this. And so we were well on our way when night fell, hopefully keeping the town safe from the vile influence that travelled with us. We anchored somewhere near the southeastern end of Perck, and indeed, over the course of the following days, Master Krastus and our crew managed to put the ship into good condition again. Thus prepared, the Captain set an eastern course again.
Somewhere on the open sea, Carlton spotted another ship, and quickly identified it as the Dawn Raider. While the ship had been our primary target, this was of rather little consequence, as they were very interested in a confrontation themselves, and the two ships quickly closed. A couple of volleys were fired from the cannon on both sides, but there was no decisive hit, and our opposition, intent on boarding us, went alongside with a crash.
Our crew readied for the inevitable confrontation, and the enemy jumped and swung aboard in numbers far higher than ours, and within but a heartbeat, pandemonium had erupted on our deck. They had a duo of wind mages who assaulted us with bursts and jets of wind, and a large force of trained pirates, who charged at our crew with force. On our side, Carlton sniped from the crow's nest, Sira discharged her impressive collection of pistols, while Master Krastus flanked the enemy force and unleashed torrents of flame on them.
The battle was a carnage, frightening and confusing, and while I tried to hold my own and help my comrades to my abilities, it was their effort that turned the tide in this battle. And thus, in the end, we prevailed, albeit at a terrible cost. The majority of our crew had perished, among them our old friend Miguel. And as we, the surviving few, surveyed the aftermath, I could but wonder what would happen next, and if it would ever have been worth all this.
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