Pirate's Fortress (Tsubori/El Fuego)

Walking through a busy port town just on the shore of Hyrule Bay, Harena Tenebris walked hurriedly along the road, ignoring all who passed her. She had to get to a boat now. She'd heard the rumors of a group of Gerudo being in the port, but she didn't think it meant anything until one of them attacked her. She fended the assassin off, but it was now clear they were there for her. 

Some people? They'd run. Try to escape their attackers. Or try to strike up deals. No such tactic for Harena. This woman was scorned, and would face out to meet them. The waters were fairly calm on this day, and Harena could see the large structure in the distance; The pirate's fortress. The first thing was to find someone willing to bring her there. She then saw something familiar docked in the port, with a familiar man next to it. She walked up, a friendly smile on her face. "Ah, the Athena. I have good memories of your service, eh, captain?"

Marcus was on his way down to the docks to check on the Athena, which was supposed to be ready that morning. The shipwright company the captain entrusted his ship with was supposed to be the best around, but he would be the judge of that. The damage to his ship was just enough so it wasn't seaworthy, and getting it fixed had cut into his sailing time, not to mention he was unable to find a first mate in the off season. While Marcus is fully capable of sailing it solo, everything is always easier with more hands.

As soon as he arrived at the company, Marcus found Grayson, the old man in charge. The captain paid the outlandish fee that Grayson refused to negotiate and the young man was told where the Athena was docked. After a short walk Marcus found his father's boat. As he was examining the quality of the repair job a vaguely familiar voice sounded from behind him.

Marcus turned around to find a red headed gerudo woman. The captain didn't recognize her but she knew who he was, and from what she had said, must have been a client at some point in the last couple years. He didn't know what she wanted, but he assumed it was passage somewhere, seeing as she was down at the docks.

"What can I do for you this morning?"

Harena leaned on a nearby post, taking down her hood and smirking a bit. “Not remembering a well paying client? A shame… I was going to ask you for another short passage, but I was looking forward to someone who knows me more.” She was of course joking, but she was a good deceiver. The Gerudo shrugged plainly. “As for what I want… You’ve seen the pirate fort out there right? What say you give me a lift there? I’ve… unfinished business with those girls.” She extended a hand to him. “Again, Captain Hawke, Harena Tenebris.”

"Well if you've got the money I'll be more than happy to take you wherever." Marcus replied to miss Tenebris. The captain sized her up bit more and found that the woman had to have been Gerudo. While Marcus had no problem with transporting her, he didn't want to get caught up in any business she had with anyone.

Without waiting up for his client, the captain boarded his vessel. The sensation he got when sailing was unlike any other and he already feel it building up. The Athena looked perfect now that it she had been fixed up. Marcus took his post on the bridge. "Well shall we set off then?"

Harena walked up onto the ship, taking off her cloak now that she was at least on slightly safe ground. In crowds... They could come from anywhere. She walked up and handed Marcus a bag containing 25 rupees. "That should cover it." She looked around the boat, seeing a few of the men lifting things and seeming busy. 

"Ah, as with every ship, a crew without a womanly touch. A shame." She was smirking while saying it, though it was true that most ships had exclusively men on board, leading to many leers and renarks towards any passengers who happened to be women. 

She looked at the pirate's fortress in the distance, her eyes darting from edge to edge of it, trying to think how this would work. She still had a while to think on it, but she wanted at least an idea. Maybe... Was there a passage under the surface? Only time would tell... "So, how's the mighty captain doing since our last meeting?"

Marcus looked out to the fortress and noted the wind before instructing one of his crew to untie the boat. The captain wasn't sure, but he figured it would be about an hour or so to the destination, taking in account for any shift in the wind. He just hoped the three man crew he scrounged together the previous day were at least comfortable on a boat so they wouldn't get in the way. The captain realized he had neglected to answer his client's questions for a while, leaving an awkward pause in the conversation.


"Well, it's been what? A year since I last sailed you around? Not quite I suppose. Anyways, in the off season I typically hang around Lon Lon Ranch. I was up in the Northern Hills for a couple weeks though." Marcus said only half looking at Miss Tenebris. "What I'm wondering is why you want to head out to this fortress?"

With a nod, Harena was glad Marcus had started to remember her. "Yeah, about a year, if not a bit less. I remember most of the voyage, though, it was fun." She said, smiling, though the smile dropped off gradually as she saw the fortress again.

Harena then smirked at Captain Hawke's curiosity. "Oh, what did I tell you on our last trip, Captain? Never pry into a lady's affairs." She then shrugged. "Oh well, this one isn't that bad. The pirates at that fortress have started coming after me for something I did back home. Not coming after me in the "Come back home!" way either. Like... We're talking swords and stuff." With yet another gaze at her destination, she squinted at it. "I just figure, would it not be a good idea to get the jump on their base while most of them are out searching for little harmless me?"

"At least you have the brains to do that. I've seen some people charge headlong into their demise looking for revenge." Marcus was remembering a man he and his father sailed from South to North Hyrule, and as soon the Athena was docked the man went to go stand up to the debt collectors he had been running away from. Needless to say the man ended up back in the harbor, though this time not on a boat.

Before the captain could say anything else, he noticed that the three crew members had them totally off course. Marcus was outraged. The men had told him that they had some sailing experience, which obviously was a lie. He told the least competent one to go to take inventory of all of the Athena's supplies. The young man took over most of the duties that his crew was supposed to be taking care of.

"Sorry for that. When we get back to port I'll have to find a much more competent crew." Marcus said to Miss Tenebris, realizing he interrupted their own conversation.

"Oh, not a problem at all. I rather like you yelling. Definitely declares you as the captain, and not this riff raff. Besides... It adds to the conversation when you're angry, more likely to say what you're actually thinking before putting it through a moral filter, and isn't that more fun?" She said with a smirk.

Harena then stretched her arms above her head, and leaned her neck to both sides. "But alas, I think I think I'll be getting a small nap in before the bloodshed. Helps keep the stabbing arm limber, y'know?" She smirked, doing a finger wave to Marcus before going below deck and hopping into the bed she found in the guest area. It was a pretty nice bed too... 

Back above deck another problem arose. From the port, there was another boat, and it was coming right for the Athena, flying the gerudo flag. Once it neared close enough, about a half dozen gerudo could be seen on board, all armed. 

The one that was undoubtedly in charge due to her more extravagant saber and the fact that she looked prettier than the others walked towards the rail, waving Marcus down. "Ahoy! Allow us to board and talk out why you're heading into our waters or we'll come and make you sorry you did, accident or not. Pick your and your crew's fate now, Captain."

After Miss Tenebris had gone below deck, Marcus gave his full attention to sailing the Athena. Occasionally he would have the two incompetent crew members hold a line, or turn the wheel. After only a few minutes one of his crew pointed out that a smaller vessel was sailing straight for them. Marcus went to get a look for himself, and he found six gerudo women, all brandishing some weapon or another.

The woman who seemed to be in charge demanded that he either let them aboard, or make him sorry he didn't. Marcus felt as though this was just an empty threat, but as a precautionary measure he called for Miss Tenebris.

"It's not my fate I'm worried about, Gerudo woman." The captain called in response to the demanding woman.

Harena was far beyond noticing anything Marcus said, and was obviously entirely oblivious to the gerudo outside. She wiggled occasionally in the bed, but her eyes were closed and for the most part, her body still.

Back out on the deck, it kept becoming more and more obvious that Harena wasn't coming up. This stalling just maddened the Gerudo. "Stop wasting our time, Hylian! Choose now or we'll rip you and your boat to shreds."

Once it was evident that Miss Tenebris wasn't going to be coming back up, Marcus did the only thing left to do. The captain called for two crew members to get their weapons, and the third to man the wheel to make sure they didn't end up too off course during the melee which was about ensue.

"You shouldn't board a ship without a captain's permission." said Marcus has he unsheathed his broadsword.

The Gerudo captain barely contained a smirk. She wanted him to fight back. “Maian!” She said, pointing to one of the girls on board with her. “You look below deck for T’Sara! I have an idiotic captain to slaughter…” Their ship was definitely close enough for boarding, so they used ropes to swing over. Immediately, the Gerudo who’d been ordered below deck to look around sprinted to the lower area of the ship where Harena was. The captain Gerudo and 2 others also swung over to attack Marcus and his crew.

Below deck, The Gerudo stalked around, looking for someone. As she got to the room Harena was sleeping in, she chuckled. “Found you…” She walked closer. Sleeping? In Gerudo waters? How foolish was she? She seemed to be making some noise, perhaps nightmares… And now she’d live there permanently. Raising her saber above her head, she was about to plunge down when Harena quickly swept her right hand from under her pillow, throwing the knife directly into the woman’s throat.

She shuffled around for a moment in the bed before getting up and pulling her knife from Maian before sawing the knife back and forth, decapitating her. The last thing she did was wipe her hand on the dead woman’s shirt before walking towards the deck, head dangling by the hair. She emerged into the light of the day, seeing Marcus and his crew in combat. She had her knife in hand, and the woman’s head. “Marcus, I’m disappointed.” She said with a smirk. “You must have really let the security slip to let a whore like this get at me.”

Marus paid no mind to the Gerudo who went below deck. He figured that Harena was more than capable of handling herself in a one on one situation. Besides, the young man had his own problems to deal with up on the deck. The Gerudo captain had targeted him, leaving his two crewmen to deal with the other two who had boarded. Marcus wasn't worried whether he could defeat the woman, but with how much damage the Athena would take.

The Gerudo captain was the first to make a move, charging straight for him. Marcus sidestepped her downward slash and then countered, catching her under the ribs. It was then that Miss Tenebris appeared on deck holding the head of the woman who went in search of her. She let loose some wise crack about the security on his ship, but he was too busy trading blows with the other captain to pay her much attention. Marcus had the upper hand, and finally knocked her off balance; with a kick the other captain was in the sea, barely able to keep herself afloat.

"Just throw the head overboard and help out one of these incompetent men." Marcus said to Harena now that he was free. "And you, start cleaning up the blood." The third crew member turned the wheel over to Marcus and went below deck to get a bucket.

Harena smirked, lobbing Maian’s head into the waters below. “Ai ai captain.” She said, putting away her dagger. She preferred using her hands anyway… so much better… She saw that one crewman had just been stabbed in the chest by his feminine foe, and using this opportunity, Harena went up behind her, grabbing the back of her head and bending her backwards before she could pull her saber out of the crewman. Now with the Gerudo entirely surprised, Harena placed one hand on the forehead and the other on her throat, letting loose a flame choke that detonated the poor girl straight down into the deck. Be it the explosion itself or the impact on the deck, Harena’s enemy had breathed her last.

Figuring the other crewman and Marcus could take on the last Gerudo. Harena began scaling the rope ladders up to the crow’s nest. From here, she glanced at the Gerudo vessel, and saw the remaining fighters panicking over what to do. She’d take away the option now. Raising her foot over her head, Harena began to focus her energy into her foot, making flames swirl around it. After about six seconds, she propelled herself from the crow’s nest over to the Gerudo ship.

The momentum built in her fall, and the fact that the pirates never saw it coming led to a devastating blow. She let loose an explosive heel right into the middle of the girls, killing many outright and injuring the others. It wasn’t an attack on the Gerudo’s though. With the force of a powder keg built into her attack, most of the ship had been annihilated and was sinking fast. The bow of the ship tilted up, allowing Harena to run along it and jump back onto the Athena.

From there she calmly walked up to the steering captain, leaning on the post just behind the wheel and giving him a smirk. “Gotta love a good ship battle, huh caps?”

Marcus was impressed with Miss Tenebris' acrobatics. While she was busy with her assault on the enemy ship, the other crew member finished off the last Gerudo on board. The young captain ordered him to join his fellow mate in cleaning the blood and bodies off of t he deck. As he was ordering them around, Harena landed back on the Athena.

"Honestly I prefer a battle where my ship isn't in harms way." The captain responded to his passenger. "By any chance did you know these women? Or were they just some headhunters who knew you were on my ship?"

Harena shrugged. “Yeah. I knew them. Maian, that chick I decapitated? She was a friend of mine growing up.” She looked back at the fortress, getting closer and closer to it. “No big deal though. Bitch tried to stab me.” The Gerudo then smirked at Marcus. “Hey caps… Want to have some real fun?”

She walked over to him, leaning on the railing next the man. “… You want to help slaughter a whole fortress full of snooty, thumb-up-their-ass Gerudo? You can loot whatever you want. After all… The Athena may be fixed…” She stroked her hand along the rough railing. “Maybe a paint job? Extravagant captain’s quarters?” She looked at the crewmen. “Slightly more competent monkies?”

Marcus had gone into this contract not wanting to get involved, but after the recent skirmish the captain wanted to really be able to stretch his muscles. It had been a while since the young man had gotten into a real fight and now that Marcus had a taste he wanted more.

"I'm not usually one for pillaging, but it's been a bit too long since I've had a good fight." The captain replied. "I'm in."

The Athena was now nearing the Gerudo fortress, and Marcus ordered the two remaining crew members to take her in slow.

Harena smiled when Marcus agreed to come with her. "Excellent." She r   then looked at the fortress, seeing that the front gate was open. They were probably expecting the ship Maian had been on. "Well, getting in won't be a problem. We'll have to get off the ship as fast as possible when we get in. The longer we stay here, the higher the risk of the gerudo damaging the Athena."

While Marcus made preparations, Harena was looking at the fortress walls. They were certainly easygoing... Nobody on top of the wall... Barely any actual defenses... "Damn, it sure is a good thing these girls chinced out and didn't get any cannons or we'd be fucked, eh caps?"