Book IV: Chapter 2 | Pompanianus et Piratae

“Come on, put your back into it, grya!”

The cry is heard, the crack of a whip. “Paddle faster, nya! We can’t let them get away, fshh!”

“Do you see it, Yuma-nyan? It’s so big and it doesn’t look— it looks like it’s made of wood. Maybe it’s got gold, maybe even kelp.”

“Don’t get too excited, Yumi-chan, ne! It doesn’t look that wealthy. It’s probably just got some food in it and maybe some slaves, nya.”

“Well, it’s always got slaves on it, nya. That’s good, though. At least some of these are starting to wear out a little bit, ne.”

“Speaking of which…” she turns around, cracks the whip. A large, human-like creature with a single foot, exhausted, hopping on the paddle back and forth as it pushes it.

“Please, mistress, I can’t—”

“Shut up, fsshh! It’s your own fault your feet are like this now, ne! Faster, grya! We need to charge!”

The strange wooden ship ahead of them seemed all but deserted. The sails were furled. It was left as if it was drifting. Two men were standing on the stern of the deck, a flight above, towering over their small ship.

“ChiChi, nya, fire a warning shot at them.”

“What are we warning them of, neeya?”

“Warning them what’s going to happen next, nyan!”

So she fires the warning shot with her bow, and the ship drifts ever closer to the wooden craft. There’s still no response. The two figures above deck look on, their armor gleaming in the sun.

“Well, that looks shiny, sha sha!”

“I called dibs on his hat, Yuma-nyan!”

“No, I’m the boss, fshh! and I get the hat, grya!”

The white and light green boat, long faded from the sun, had a large figure inscribed on the bow of the ship. Standing on the bow, faded from the sun, its orange coloring of the fur had turned faded, and the white had turned yellow. Its large, bulging eyes and menacing grin towered over its oversized head and a body half of its size, and its fingers made a sort of blessing gesture, two fingers out, the others crossed in, each one upraised.

Yuma grasped onto the idol as she waited for the ship to approach the wooden craft, which it finally did, with a strange, hollow thud. Yuma jumps on board, sword in hand, and runs to the top, climbing up the stairs to the half-bow where the two figures were. She turns to the man standing by the foot of the stairs.

“Shield up, sword out, nya! This ship is mine now, so hand everything over, fsshh!”

Behind her, another man, clean-shaven, Roman, and also in attire, pulls out his whistle and blows. Suddenly, just as the other pirates were coming out, a squadron of twenty elves emerge from below decks, all equipped with shields, all equipped with javelins. They circled around the seven pirates. Another one on the mast, another one being prepared to try to unfurl the mast to take the boat away, has its hand broken by a bolt or as a dart lands on it; it cries out in pain. A figure swings onto the ship and grabs its sword in hand.

“Where do you think you’re going, fshh!”

Feline, now with her hands trapped, could only look helplessly as the wooden ship captured the rest of the crew. The crew in the middle of the ship were now surrounded by shield-bearing elves with their helmets on and their shields out. They formed a wall around them, threatening to push them into the sea.

“Give up, grya! Don’t make me use this, nya!” Yuma swings her sword at them. It gets caught in the thick wooden shield. The elf then tugs it forward. The sword, now trapped in the shield, remains. Yuma is now defenseless.

“Listen, we can just talk, neeya. It’s fine, nya. We can make terms, nyan.”

“No, you can’t make terms, fsshh! You’re not Captain anymore, nya! I’m Captain now, grya! and as Captain, I’m willing to make terms with you, fshh!”

“I said, Kuro-nyaaaa! You’re not my Captain, fsshh! I’m the Captain of this vessel, nya! and I will be making terms with you, grya!”

The rest of the crew, with feline ears and a tail, all picked their side as to which Captain they were following. The elves did not pay too much attention to this. They simply locked their shields and moved forward, spears out, pushing them all into a circle together. They couldn’t run to the ship; it was on the other side and through a shield wall. Their only option was to surrender or to taste the seawater.

“Watch where you’re pointing that thing, fshhh!”

The spears pointed outwards, poking at them, prodding at them. They continued to huddle together in a circle as they approached the water.

“Okay, okay, we’re done, nyaaaa. We’re done, ne.” Yuki drops her sword. Kuro also drops her sword.