Ren understands that accepting the surrender of criminals is considered a great insult, almost as much as surrendering to those without honor. Granted, all of the [Captains] aboard the frigates were willing to do just that for the sake of the civilians they ferry.

  “They should have been slaughtered.” Ren says after a moment. “The [Druid] is much too kind.”

  Ichiro chuckles at the younger [Captain]. “Agreed, but what [Druid] would harm someone that refuses to fight?”

  “I know,” Ren grits his teeth. “The [Druid] had his second in command facilitate the surrender so as to save what face he could.”

  “In hindsight, I believe it partially may have been our fault that it’s come to this,” Ichiro says.

  Ren frowns. “I don't understand.”

  “We’ve sworn to fight against the [Pirates] and put our lives on the line. I imagine the honorable [Captain] Quasi did not wish to needlessly risk our lives in a conflict.”

  Ren grimaces at the slow realization. “We forced his hand. When he refused my assistance, I should have realized it was to protect not only his honor, but my own. I-I must apologize!”

  “And thank him for coming to our rescue,” Ichiro adds. He gets up and extends a hand, “Facilitating the surrender should be completed by now.”

  Ren accepts the arm. They both exit the to find most of the civilians huddled at the bow of the ship, gazing upon the masses of tied up and disarmed human [Pirates].

  Ren turns to one of his [Sailors]. “Has the [Captain] returned from his ship?”

  The [Sailor] nods. “Just recently. He went into the with a short human male.”

  “Good. We will go see him now. Await our return.”

  “Of course, [Captain].”

  Boarding the , their presence immediately innacts fear into the surrendered [Pirates], as though they expect to be executed on the spot. Which both Ren and Ichiro find appalling. Their surrender was accepted. Executing them now without proper tribunal would be a grave loss of face and honor.

  Ignoring the [Pirates], both Wolven rush to the current individual in charge. “[Sub-Captain] Irmgard, may we have a word?” Ichiro and Ren bow forward to the human women.

  She raises an eyebrow. “What do you want?”

  “We wish to formally thank your [Captain] for his timely intervention.”

  She tilts her neck to the Demures entrance. “Go ahead. He’s somewhere inside the ship with his [Quartermaster].”

  Ren and Ichiro bow again. “Thank you.”

  As they walk to the ship's entrance, both men can’t help but find the crew to be quite odd. They’re all generally low leveled in their job, but both Wolven get a feeling each one is very capable in combat. More so than the limited training they both have.

  They enter the and descend into the depths of the ship. And descend they do, for the [Captain] is at the bottom of the hold.

  “Nothing, really? First they refuse to fight, and now they don’t even have any good loot.”

  “I wouldn’t say any,” The short human taps a large cask of sake. One clearly produced in Kyoshi if the signature on the barrel is to be believed.

  The cat sighs and shakes his head. “I guess we’ll just take what we can. I’ll have Boriss or someone carry it back to the ship. But first,” The cat turns to Ren and Ichiro, “We have company.”

  Ichiro and Ren take that moment to approach and give the [Captain] their lowest, most respectful bow. “Honorable Quasi, we thank you for your timely assistance and apologize if our presence caused you to lose face.” Ren says.

  The cat rolls its eyes, “It’s fine. The [Pirate Captain] was a coward anyway.”

  “Has he been punished?” Ichiro asks. “I’ve not seen him with the other prisoners.”

  “He’s dangling off a rope at the side of the ship.”

  “Dead?” Ren asks, surprised.

  “I wish, but no. He’s just naked and dangling. I hope his balls freeze from the cold.”

  Ren glances at Ichiro to see what the older [Captain] thinks. Generally, prisoners should be offered a modicum of respect- though he’s not sure if dangling naked off the side of a ship is below that modicum.

  And considering the look Ichiro returns, the old man is not sure either.

  Regardless, neither would consider Quasi’s honor tainted by such an action.

  “Anyway, are you two the only [Captains]?”

  “That is correct. Our crew is divided into two ships so as to maximize our civilian capacity.”

  “Right. Your civilians comprise mostly women and children. I’m guessing there's a story to that?”

  Ren and Ichiro share a glance. Ichiro nods. “Yes, we come from Kyoshi. The city is… infected. The curse of Fenris has sprouted and the city is lost. The civilians you see are the survivors.”

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  “Kyoshi? As in the city with a tower on the island? It’s infected with Fenrimorphs?”

  Ichiro nods. He wipes the fur off of his left arm with a grimace. “We’re currently transporting the survivors to another city until the Inquisition arrives to cleanse Kyoshi of the curse.”

  “Shit. When did this happen and how long is it going to take for the inquisition to arrive?”

  “The city was overrun three days ago, which is the same time a [Courier Captain] was dispatched. I imagine the Inquisition should arrive in two or three weeks.”

  “And how long is this cleansing going to take?”

  “Weeks, maybe months depending on how much the curse has progressed.” Ichiro says. “Though you should not quote me on that. A [Samurai] would know a lot more.”

  Quasi pouts. “Damn. I don't have months to wait. Looks like I’ll have to fight Fenrimorphs again.”

  “You’ve fought them before?” Ren asks, surprised.

  The cat yawns. “Yup. I had to escape a city infected with the damn things. Barely got out in time.”

  Ren’s tail swishes back and forth. “If you’ve fought them before, maybe you can join Yuto and the others on a rescue mission.”

  “Ren, do not endanger an outsider in the city’s affairs.” Ichiro admonishes.

  “But he’s a [Druid]. He’s immune to the curse,” Ren counters. “And Yuto needs all the support he can get if he’s to rescue his brother and the clan heads.”

  “It’s a suicide mission, Ren. Everyone but Yuto knows this. That’s why Hekima refuses to allow him off the ”

  “That’s not true. Hekima will allow Yuto to depart if he can convince enough people to join him.”

  “Which isn’t going to happen,” Ichiro counters. “Nobody in their right mind would willingly enter a Fenrimorph infested town. Even Yuto wouldn’t if his brother wasn’t on the island.”

  “Well,” Quasi interrupts the two, “It’s a good thing I’m not in my right mind. I just have to talk to Yuto and this Hekima guy, promise assistance, and then I’m off to the island, right?”

  “Honorable Quasi, with all due respect, entering Kyoshi is suicide,” Ichiro warns. “Wait for the inquisition to arrive. They exist precisely to fight the curse wherever it may be.”

  “Yea, but that takes too long.”

  Ichiro stares at the cat for a long moment, only now remembering that the person before him is a [Druid] - one of the most respected, beloved, and empathetic classes in the empire. If lives are at stake, they are always the first to offer support, even if it comes at the detriment of their own lives. Clearly, waiting for the Inquisition to arrive is too much for the honorable [Druid].

  Ichiro sighs. “I understand. When you arrive near Kyoshi, Raise a white flag and ask to board the , then speak with Hekima. If you mention my name- better yet, I’ll write a letter, I’m sure he will allow you to offer assistance to Yuto.”

  “Ichiro…” Ren starts, but Ichiro gives him a smile. “Who am I to get in the way of Quasi’s honor?”

  “Riiiggghhhttt. Honor. I’ll go with that. In the meantime, do you guys want this ship? I’m not sure if you have enough crew for it, but I imagine it’s a lot more spacious than your frigate.”

  “You’d offer us this ship?” Ichiro asks, surprised. “Are you sure? What of your prisoners?”

  “You can keep the prisoners alongside the ship.”

  “The civilians would be more comfortable here,” Ren says. “Between the two of us, we have enough to create a skeleton crew.”

  “Then we’ll do that,” Ichiro nods. He turns again to Quasi and bows. “Truly, your honor and kindness knows no measure.”

  The short human snorts as he suppresses a chuckle. The cat gives the man an annoyed side-eye.

  “Alright,” Quasi stretches and then turns, “let's head upstairs and get that letter on the way. I want to be on my way to Kyoshi in the next hour.”

  _________________________________________________________________

  A day's travel is all it takes for the to reach the island of Ruuku. The island is quite large, with a central hill consisting of only the top portion of a tower- with the entrance hidden underground. On one side of the island is the town of Kyoshi, and on the other is a lake surrounded by flooded fields used to grow what looks like rice.

  None of this interests Quasi as he sits upon Myers' shoulder. Instead, his eyes are focussed right off the port of Kyoshi, where a single ship hovers in the way.

  “Huh, so that's the . Honestly, for a Battleship class it doesn’t look impressive at all.”

  Myers glances at me with a frown. “Have you ever seen a Battleship before?”

  “Well, yea.” My tail flicks left and right. “Valentine’s ship is classed as a Battleship, and it’s significantly more impressive.”

  Myers sighs. “The is a Cored Battleship created and designed for a [Prince], by a nation who fight leviathans for a living. The is a mass produced Battleship designed for territorial defense. The two are not close to being the same in regards to quality.”

  “How much do you think it’d cost to buy something like the ?”

  “Tens of millions at the minimum-”

  “That’s not too bad.”

  “-Without runes and cannons. With them, the cost reaches into the hundreds.”

  “Nevermind, that’s expensive.”

  Myers chuckles. “Battleships are incredible force multipliers. A single one like the can decimate a fleet of destroyers with ease. Even a fleet of Cruisers would find it incredibly dangerous to face a lone battleship.”

  “How much of that price is inflated precisely because of its combat potential? Like, how much would a Barge or Capital ship cost in comparison?”

  “A barge is about a half to a third the price of a Battleship. Whereas a Capital ship is never for sale.”

  “And if it was? What number would you put on it?”

  “Billions at the least. Same with Valentine's ship.”

  “What about a Carrier?” I ask.

  The old man sighs. “Trillions.”

  “You just added three digits to the price!” I whine. “I’d like a bit more accurate of a number.”

  “I’m being as accurate as I can. Carriers require a sixth tier core like the one in your possession to even function. Combine that with the required materials, time, space, and classes to build the ship, the price increases to the point that generally only major nations can even hope to afford them.”

  “You just said generally. Are there exceptions?”

  Myers nods, seemingly annoyed that individuals could own a Carrier class. “Two exceptions. The first is Sliver Prodest, the Master classer known as the TycoonMagnate.”

  “And the second?”

  Myers grimaces as though just the thought brings him pain. “The second was stolen by the leader of the Gambinos a long time ago.”

  I perk up and grin, my tail wagging like a dog excited for treats. “Aight, now you’ve really got my interest. How does something that large and expensive get stolen?”

  The old man shakes his head. “I’ll tell you later. We’re nearing the now, so I want to just give you a bit of a warning. Me and Clay are going to stay hidden inside the the entire time you’re here.”

  “What? Why?”

  “The wolven may have [Inquisitors] on their ship. And [Inquisitors] have the skill [Perfect Sight], which allows them to see an individual's class and job regardless of a person's level, class, or items.”

  “That’s fine.” I hop off his shoulder and land atop the crystal ball. “Head inside and tell Irmgard to come here. I’ll have her pilot the ship in the meantime.”

  Myers nods and disappears into the ship. While I wait for Irmgard to show up, my mind wanders to my last day in prison. Specifically in regards to the odd voice ordering me to submit.