Author's Note

here's the 2nd chapter. Be sure to follow NineTailBeastBall for his amazing work on helping me out with this story so far. Anyways, thank you all for your patience and support and remember to stay tuned for more chapters and remember to keep bronying on.

Showdown at the Klugetown Hideout

During the last two weeks you spent on board Captain Celaeno’s ship, your skills in martial arts, as well as your determination to help end the slave trade were really put to the test. Each morning, you would be called out for a good spar against another crew mate and the only ones you were unable to bring down were Mullet and Captain Celaeno herself. Be that as it may, you were recognized as a valuable asset to the crew.

Besides training, your routine included descending to the ground so you and Lix Spittle could provide some tasty meals for everyone on board. Adventures can be hungry work, especially for pirates. And thanks to all of the food you had on deck, it was easy to come up with a few recipes. Apparently, during the years they’ve been forced into the Storm King’s servitude, they were only given one meal a day and the food wasn’t nearly as good as what they could eat now.

Speaking of servitude, Captain Celaeno has found the next place where the crew would attack for their mission to abolish the remaining slave activity. The desert civilization of Klugetown is no longer under the Storm King’s rule, but it turns out that unknown to the civilians there’s a big underground hideout just underneath the town. Rumor says that the one running this base is a naked mole rat crime boss named Verko.

At this moment, you were all gathered around the mess hall waiting for your captain to give you her plan for entering the hideout. At the same time, a decent meal was in order and you were all feasting on cooked fish with lemon seasoning with a side of some seeds and diced fruits. Once again, you saw Celaeno showing off her high tolerance for rum as she drank her third bottle. It was only after you were all stuffed, that she got up to explain her plan.

“Alright, listen up good mates as this next invasion will be a gamble. It makes sense that a slave operation in Klugetown would be underground since slavery is illegal in there. If that damn mole rat, Verko is indeed the one who’s pulling the strings we can expect an entrance to the base in his manor.”

She stopped and slammed her claws on the table and sighed. “Honestly, I hate relying on a rumor, but if this one proves to be true, we’ll have the chance to get some more recruits in preparation for the final battle. Get as much rest as you can as we make our move tonight after we hide the ship!” she announced.

“Aye aye, captain!” you all shouted and exited the mess hall. All except for you.

“I have nothing against liberating the slaves, but with all due respect, do you think inviting them to join our crew is a wise choice? Even if you guys were forced, you’ve been working for the Storm King for years. According to our rumors, some of the prisoners used to be the Storm King’s soldiers. If they recognize you, it most likely won’t be pleasant,” you said.

“That’s a fair point, mate, but if they turn against us, I’ll find a way to handle it. But right now, I can’t stand the thought of those bastards making those slaves’ lives a living hell. They’re crying for help and we’re gonna give it to them. Now off you go, I need you and everyone else rested and ready to fight tonight.”

“Very well. I hope you all enjoyed your meals,” you said, ready to leave.

“You kidding me? I don’t think my stomach has ever been this satisfied after eating a meal that big and tasty,” Celaeno said, flicking off a small remaining piece of fish from her face. “You gotta tell Lix Spittle how you cooked up something like that.” You considered the idea as you headed on off to sleep, but not before giving the parrot a smile to show you appreciated her complimenting your cooking.

After four hours of rest, Celaeno decided it was time to make your move. Naturally since it was almost midnight, it was dark outside and the first step to sneaking into Klugetown was to hide your ship. Even before the town was within sight, you made sure all the lights were turned out so you could blend into the darkness and when the time came to land, the ship was left at least a mile away from the town.

Walking through the city, you wore ragged cloaks hoping to hide your faces from anyone who might still be up. Though if the rumors of the underground business were true, surely there would be a lot of creatures still awake at this time. You and your crew mates eventually reached your destination upon coming to an impressive manor. However before you could get inside, two guards came up to you and pushed you back.

“Hey! You’re in the wrong place, punks,” one of them snarled.

“Oh, I don’t think we are...” you spoke softly. They didn’t see it, but you had brass knuckles equipped on your right hand. In a swift motion, you grabbed his shoulder before delivering a hard punch to his face and then kicked him away from your reach. He was out before he even had the chance to yell in pain. Immediately, the other guard went and grabbed you, but you grabbed him by the arm and threw him over the shoulder and finished him off with an elbow strike to the chest.

Celaeno elbowed you in the side, agitated. “Keep it down. We can’t let them know we’re here yet, remember?”

“My apologies. Should we just leave them here or should we hide them while they’re knocked out cold?” you whispered back.

“We’ll have to keep them hidden and tied up, of course,” the captain replied revealing some chains and locks. “Hurry and hide them somewhere and then follow me.”

After giving the order, you got to work, making sure the chains would keep the two guards from slipping away in case they came back to their senses. Once the deed was done, you continued on towards Verko’s manor, preparing yourself for the immoral things you would surely see after going inside.

Searching the manor for any hints to an underground hideout, proved to be a tricky task. But in due time, you and the captain found the hidden staircase behind a huge shelf. All it took was to pull one of the items on the shelf back, and it moved to the side on its own.

“A hidden room concealed by a bookcase? That’s a new one,” you said sarcastically while rolling your eyes. You’ve seen this in so many movies, so you felt a bit stupid you couldn’t figure it out earlier.

“In any case, at least we know we’re on the right track. Follow me, everyone. Stay close and don’t cause any commotion until I say otherwise,” Celaeno whispered. You and the rest of the crew nodded and followed your captain close behind. Each step you took with extra caution making sure not to make a sound. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say it took at least 20 minutes to reach the bottom.

Peering over the corner of the wall, what you saw was an outrage. Creatures of different shapes and sizes were being led around with chains on their arms, legs and necks. The sound of cracking whips filled the hideout as the slaves were loaded into large steel cages. No matter who you looked at, each one of the slaves looked both exhausted and ready to give up hope. Little did they know, things would be looking up for them if Celaeno has the right idea.

“Okay listen carefully...” she whispered while grasping her sword “It’s obvious since we’re outnumbered that we’ll need the slaves to fight with us if we want to get out of here. Mullet, Boyle and I will create a distraction by messing around with a couple of the guards. Squabble, Lix Spittle, I know I can trust you two to handle the locks on the cages.” Both of the parrots immediately saluted the captain.

“What about me?” you asked.

“You be sure to watch their backs and ward off any guards that might come after the slaves. You’d better keep it quiet this time,” Celaeno replied.

Since you all knew your roles, Celaeno, Mullet and Boyle started things off by getting out from behind the wall and hid themselves in the shadows of the different corners of the room. Maneuvering past a few of the guards near the center and approached the guards patrolling the outer area, Celaeno snuck up behind them, her face smirking and pulled one of their tails and spanked the other in the ass. With a growl, the guard turned around only to get punched by Mullet.

“Hey there, boys. Would you care to make a bet and see if my milkshake can bring all the boys to the yard?” Celaeno asked, smirking confidently with her arms crossed.

“I-INTRUDERS! WE’VE GOT INTRUDERS!” shouted the guard who had yet to be knocked out. Since you needed to divert the attention of the guards guarding the cages, Celaeno did nothing to stop him from calling for backup.

The moment the slaves were left unoccupied, Squabble and Lix Spittle rushed over to pick at the locks. “This is your chance to get back at the ones who treated ya like dirt,” Lix Spittle said after getting the door open.

You nodded in agreement. “Whatever you might have done to end up down here doesn’t matter. What’s important is knowing what you can do right now!” You threw both hands in the air. “Captain Celaeno will happily give you each a spot in her pirate crew so we can end this slavery bullshit!” By this point, the slaves were getting their spirit back.

“Are you serious?!” one of them shouted.

“Get us out and I’ll fight with you guys!”

“I’ll gladly join your crew as well!”

You had to give Lix Spittle and Squabble credit, as they sure knew how to open these cages with remarkable speed. It was a good thing too, since Celaeno, Mullet and Boyle wouldn’t last much longer on their own.

“HEY! What do you think you’re doing?!” You looked back to see that some of the guards have abandoned their attention on Celaeno and were running towards you very quickly. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to lock all the slaves up again by himself, but that didn’t mean you weren’t going to defend yourself.

Since your cover was blown, you finally discarded of your filthy cloak to reveal what you were wearing underneath. You truly have adapted to the life of a pirate, as you wore a dark blue frock coat which you left unbuttoned, revealing the white bard shirt you wore underneath. Moving down, you had on a pair of black pants, with a pair of matching black boots. You didn’t shy away from getting your share of jewelry either and had gold rings with sapphires and rubies encrusted in them on your left hand.

“I’m about to put an end to this bullshit by kicking you’re sorry asses! Squabble! Lix Spittle! Follow my lead!” you shouted before cracking your knuckles. You side-stepped the first guard who came at you before swinging your arm out at his neck area, making him flip him backwards and slam hard on the ground.

While the poor fool was gripping his throat in pain, you moved on to your next target. This guard also sprinted towards you, but you prepared yourself and roughly and swiftly grabbed hold of his upper left leg. You used his momentum against him and very similar to his accomplice, flipped him in mid-air for a split second before he landed.

You pretty much had things under control so with the released slaves right behind them, Squabble and Lix Spittle charged over to where the captain and first mate were fighting. Even after the time they spent being abused in this hideout, the slaves quickly proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with.

However, something caught your eye; you saw that amongst the guards, there was one you recognized all too well. He was none other than the leader of the rat trio who attempted to enslave you the day you arrived. Seeing the chance to get revenge, you wasted no more time and rushed over to him.

“I’m about to lay down the smack down on your sorry ass, you piece of shit! You won’t be putting me in a cage a second time!” you shouted as you sped towards the rat leader. His attention was brought to you once you got closer. As he turned his whole body towards you, you stepped on his knee and performed a backflip kick to the face. The leader stumbled a few steps back upon the heavy impact of the kick, and his beating only got worse from there.

“Alright mates! It’s to soar out of here!” Celaeno announced before she kneed a guard in the stomach and then shoved him aside.

You heard your captain loud and clear, and began making your way to the exit while fighting off the slave traders at the same time. Unfortunately, escape wasn’t going to be as easy as you thought, as you noticed the guards were pulling out blowdart tubes, and you knew from experience what they do.

“Captain, heads up!” you shouted. Too little too late though, as the darts were sent flying your way. You moved as fast as you could to avoid getting hit by most of them. While this plan seemed to work in your favor, some of the slaves were not so lucky and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

You watched with rage as some of the slaves ignored this and proceeded to the exit. “Where do you think you’re going?!” you seethed and just like that, they didn’t take another step. “Seems you weren’t listening to what we said before about forgetting the past! In exchange for joining our crew, you will learn life on board isn’t every creature for themselves! We're in this together and if they’re not gonna give you your freedom, then we have to fight for it!”

Mullet and Boyle couldn’t agree with you more and they ended up blocking the exit. “You heard him mates, nobody is to be left behind! We’re gonna see to it that all of you get out of here!”

The slaves, though they were scared and hesitant at first, had then agreed to go back in order to help those who had fallen asleep from the darts. Everyone's fists clenched hard and every slave put on their best brave face. Some had no fear, others were still frightened, but no one attempted to abandon their fellow prisoners a second time.

“Now everyone... ATTACK!!!” Captain Celaeno shouted, raising her sword up in the air. Battle cries rang throughout the underground hideout as you all waged an all-out battle royale against the slaves’ former captors.

“The ship is just straight ahead keep running and don't look back!” Mullet ordered from his place at the back of the crowd. The crew was staying remarkably loyal to Captain Celaeno’s order of making sure not a single prisoner was abandoned. You could see your crew mates who were unconscious either from tranquilizer darts or injuries, being carried, regardless of how heavy they were.

“Is that everyone?!” Celaeno asked with her back touching yours.

“Yeah, that’s the last one! Let’s board the ship so we can get the hell out of here!” you said as everyone was headed in the right direction and some have even gotten onboard the ship. As tired as you were from practically fighting all night, you sprinted out of Klugetown as fast as you could and soon, you could see Mullet and the others waving at you from above. You and Celaeno were the only crew members still on the ground.

“Everything is ready, captain! Get onboard!” Boyle shouted.

“We’re on our way!” the captain shouted back just as loudly.

“Don't let them escape, dammit! Get me back my merchandise now!” Verko shouted. “Get out here, CROSS STRIPES!!!”

Just as you were about to climb onto the ship, Celaeno screamed as a muscular arm grabbed her head and threw her backwards. She tried to get up, only for the stranger to place his foot on her, keeping her in place.

“Sorry little birdie, but you’re not going anywhere,” the guard who appeared to be a bipedal tiger growled. “From what I heard, you pirates like to stick together. I doubt your crew will leave without its captain.”

"Nngh! Let go, or I’ll slice your damn arms off!” Celaeno snarled, but the tiger refused to back off.

“It can’t be helped then,” Cross sighed and then reached into his pocket to pull out a blowdart. Your anger surged and then yelling like a madman, you ran up to the guard and tackled him to the ground.

The tiger’s quick reflexes kicked in, kicking you off of his body. Both of you rose up to your feet and faced each other. Just looking into his eyes as you removed your brass knuckles and took on a fighting stance, you could tell that this tiger, who was apparently named Cross Stripes, was different than the other guards.

“As long as you’re down here, your crew won’t set sail. I can see you’re no match for me and it’s only a matter of time before the boss calls in reinforcements,” Cross said as he too took on a fighting stance.

“Then I guess I’d better make this quick,” you countered. For the moment, there was silence. And the next, Cross Stripes charged in and jumped up in the air and launched two kicks at you, which you quickly guarded. When that failed and his feet touched the ground, he performed a roundhouse kick, aiming at your stomach area and spun again to deliver another aiming at your chest. Even though you dodged both kicks, it was a bit of a surprise to find out that he had martial arts training just like you.

‘Finally, a worthy opponent,’ you thought.

Getting onto the ground, you decided it was time to retaliate. You spun on your hand, trying to deliver a kick to Cross’ legs, but he anticipated your move and backed away quickly. You quickly stood back up and delivered another kick, which this time, Cross failed to block or dodge as it got him in the stomach. However, before you could pull your leg away, Cross Stripes held it in place in order to trap you and then brought his elbow down hard on it before doing the same to your face, making you fall onto your back.

Both you and Cross felt the animosity between you increase as the fight continued. The tiger grabbed your arm, forcing you back onto your feet before punching you across the face. You used the momentum of that blow to pull back one of your arms and elbow Cross right in chest, then retracted your elbow and aimed it at his face.

“Get onboard already!” you heard your crew shout and you made your move to grab Celaeno. It wasn’t that easy, as Cross had recovered and you barely had enough time to duck as he ran up to you to deliver a roundhouse kick to your face. Letting out a snarl while showing his fangs, your new rival made it clear he wasn’t finished with you.

“I already told you, you’re not going anywhere!” he growled. That set you off and with a yell, you turned around to face Cross and kicked him hard in the chest. Knocked a couple of feet back because of the kick Cross Stripes walked up to you, his claws still barred and ready to go. With that intense glare still on your face, you took up your fighting stance again.

You watched carefully at what he was about to do. Cross attempted to slam you with a right punch, which you quickly avoided and locked his arm, placing your palm on his chest. You made a mistake there, as just as you were about to strike him in the face, Cross gets you in the rib cage with a punch of his own, followed by a quick full-bodied slam to the ground. He then turned you around and wrapped his arm around your neck, trying to strangle the breath out of you.

This time he was the one who made a mistake, as you elbowed him in the chest to loosen up the grip just enough for you to break free. You then spun on your heel attempting to deliver yet another roundhouse kick, but when he managed to avoid it, you manage to strike him with a surprise left hook as the follow-up. You felt the solid impact from that punch and watching him stumble sideways felt satisfying.

Once the tiger recovered and wiped the blood off his lip with an annoyed expression, you went in to try and deliver another kick and then a punch when your kick was dodged. Cross made his irritation obvious when he grabbed your arm and went in for a swift elbow strike to the back of your neck. Still having a good grip on your arm, he got you twice in your chest and then grabbed your frock coat in order to throw you to the ground.

Not allowing him to pull you back onto your feet like he did before, you got up on your own and rushed at him with a punch from your right hand, which Cross caught easily. He ended up falling for the fake-out, giving you the chance to deliver some hard punches to his side, before you made your way up to his face, causing him to let go of your hand. You lost the upper hand again however, when he swatted you away with his claws still barred. Making contact with your arm, Cross’ claws not only tore up your clothing, but they also sank into your skin, causing you to shout in pain. Instinctively, grabbing the area, Cross took advantage of the few seconds of distraction to deliver a heavy kick to your leg, making you fall onto your knee.

Next thing that happens is Cross Stripes grabbing the top of your head and bringing his knee to your face, knocking you to the ground. Things weren't getting any better when Verko bursted out laughing. Cross then rolled you onto your stomach and held you down with one of his hands and used his other to pull your arm behind your back.

“I’ll make you remember this...” he said, making his cruel intentions clear. Naturally, you weren’t going to make it easy for him to break your arm. With a burst of adrenaline, you yelled and slipped out of his grasp, but just barely. Just enough for an elbow strike to the back of his neck and a kick to his liver to throw him off-balance. You go for the gusto and land an aerial spin kick to his face, knocking him back and sending him falling to the sand out cold.

You finished it a good time, as Verko had just started bringing his reinforcements. Since the only obstacle to freedom was now unconscious, you turned over to Captain Celaeno, slightly annoyed that she was wide awake.

“You just sat there... and watched me play around with this tiger?” you questioned, holding your bleeding arm.

“I didn’t want to ruin your moment of glory,” she said with a mischievous shrug. “Besides, I can’t get enough of a guy who’s a skilled fighter. However, what really impressed me is how you saved my tail feathers. Look forward to your big reward.”

You rolled your eyes, confident she would be offering you treasure or maybe some rum, after all, you managed to grab some of Verko’s loot while you were fighting your way out of his mansion. Of course, you didn’t see any reason to prolong an irrelevant conversation about rewards when there was a large number of henchmen charging towards you.

Climbing the ropes that your crew threw down for you and Celaeno, you bit your lip at how much pain you were going through as you boarded the ship. Looking down as the ropes were brought back onto the deck, you saw Cross Stripes was slowly waking up and his gaze met your own. Even though you won this one, it was clear that this rivalry was just beginning.

Once everyone was aboard, there were cheers roaring for you and the rest of the crew. It was only after the ship had ascended and Cross was completely out of your sight, that you used the little strength you had left, you raised your arm up, declaring victory. But after that, your vision became blurred and you felt yourself collapse to the deck.

“Don’t think you have to sleep tonight! Feel free to eat and drink to your heart’s content, mates!” Mullet announced raising a cup of rum. Just about everybody else followed the first mate’s lead, raising their own drinks into the air while cheering.

“I thought I was going to be slave the rest of my life!” one of the recruits exclaimed.

“I’ll be a pirate over a prisoner any day!”

“Same here! It's been years since I experienced freedom!”

You were amongst the few who wasn’t out drinking, as instead you were getting your wounds checked out by one of the new doctors on board. The claw marks on your arm had to be stitched up, but of course, that wasn’t all. Your ribs took a massive blow, leaving you unable to do any fighting for a few weeks.

“Thanks again for your help, doc. I’ve never fought against anyone like that before," you said, gently placing a hand over your scratch wound.

“You should consider yourself lucky. If that tiger scratched you any deeper, or if you didn't have this wound treated sooner, you wouldn't be breathing. Of course, I should also be thanking you and the rest of the crew for saving us.”

It was at that moment that Captain Celaeno came in, clutching a bottle of rum, which didn’t even remotely surprise you. Since you were all patched up, the doctor decided to leave before things got awkward.

“Well captain, it looks like I’m out of the fighting business for a while. You done drinking already or what?” you asked.

“Are you crazy!? When it comes to rum, I can never stop drinking after one bottle!” Having said that, Celaeno opened the fresh bottle and took a nice long sip. “Anyway, I’m here to talk about something much more important than my drinking habits. Do you remember that instant when you not only saved me, but also fought in my place?”

“Still burned into my mind,” you assured, giving her another glare. Like you said before, she could have done more to help. Celaeno knew exactly what was annoying you and met your glare with an impish smirk.

“Oh, don’t give me that look, honey. I’ll remind you as many times as necessary that it was your moment not mine. As the captain, I want to make sure each member of my crew has the chance to show what they’re truly capable of.” She stopped to take another sip of rum. “That aside, don’t think I’m not grateful to you for sticking up for me,” she said, pinching your cheek. You felt your face getting warmer as she commended you.

“Well, I... I couldn't let him take you. I just did what I would do with you and anyone on this ship if they were in the same position,” you darted your eyes back and forth.

“Right...” Celaeno responded, slowly, as if implying you had other reasons. “You actually like me, don’t you?”

“Okay, now you stepped over the line. We’re not having this conversation,” you said rolling your eyes and facing away from your captain. Even without looking at Celaeno, you felt like she was still giving you playful eyes.

“Well, if you’re not going to explain the urge to be a hero, why don’t you stop sitting there like some lame-ass loner and come join the party? It just doesn’t feel like a party if the whole isn’t out there,” she said, patting your back.

Slowly standing up and listening to the noise coming from outside, you smiled as your captain had a point there. “I guess after all that fighting, I could go for a stiff drink,” you said.

“Now there’s the Falcon I know. It figures it wouldn’t take much convincing to get you to come out here!”

Naturally, you were confused by what she just called you, but any questions you had died when Celaeno opened the door. When she said the crew was celebrating, she wasn’t kidding. A lot of the rescued slaves were chugging down mugs of rum while some are singing happy songs. And of course, they were also eating their fill after starving for so long. Lix Spittle helped you in the kitchen, but it was obvious there would be more helping hands from now on.

“Look alive, everyone!” Celaeno called out before grabbing a new bottle. “The fun has only just begun and we’re gonna party hard! You might not know everyone onboard just yet, but starting tonight nobody on this ship will find themselves bound in the shackles of slavery ever again!”

“HERE! HERE! HERE!” everyone shouted and only quieted down when the captain finished taking a sip of her rum and got ready to speak again.

“This is just the beginning, we’ll be getting more recruits soon enough! And we’ll fight to give them the same choices we gave all of you! The choice to join in the fight to end a business that is nothing more than a damned disgrace to all living things! In time however, I think it’s about time to really liven up this party with a little music! Mullet, Boyle, head down below deck and get the instruments out here!"

“Aye aye, captain!” both birds shouted in unison and quickly ran down and in a few minutes, brought up a couple of instruments. Said instruments included a piano and some violens.

“Nice hustle there! Now then, who here has a song they’d like to play?” Celaeno asked. You sat there watching happily at how many suggestions your crew mates brought up. To your surprise, some of the songs they asked for were songs that originated from your world. Then, one of the new recruits went and played a song you were quite familiar with. A few of the other crewmates also joined in and played along with each other, singing.

The party continued with virtually no signs of stopping. Even if you still felt a tiny bit of pain, you pushed it aside as you listened to your crew mates move on to the next song. Just like Captain Celaeno said, as huge as tonight’s victory was, this was only the beginning. And you were ready for whatever lies ahead for you and your newest recruits.