The Path to Dreams: Chaos Storm

On a bright sunny day on the Vicious Rosebay, the Moon Swallow Pirates plus Princess Willow of Diancam (and her pets Pip and Ssssssssal) are on their way to Diancam to stop a coup. Dark storm clouds begin to cover the sun blocking out any light.

“Storms coming,” Cray shouts from the crow’s nest.

“That can’t be right. It has been bright and sunny all day,” Ash looks at her barometer and then back at the clouds. “That makes no sense! Where did these clouds come from?”

Willow steps out onto the deck. Her eyes go wide. “Oh no.”

“What’s oh no? Oh no, is never good, whats oh no?” Arthur shoots back in response.

Luna shrugs, “What’s the big deal? A little water never hurt anyone.”

“This won’t be water! It’s a chaos storm! Everyone take in the sails now and drop anchor, then take cover below; this will be a rough ride!” Willow shouts. With this, everyone gets to action: Cray and James tie down the sails, Arthur and Luna strap down loose items on deck, and Ash and Willow move Stubbie, Ssssssssal, and Pip below. Everyone quickly climbs below deck, James shutting the trap down behind him.

Pip had somehow fit under the couch despite being a massive magic winged cat to hide from the weather as the ship began rocking. Stubbie snorts something everyone assumes is glow pig for scaried cat.

“Princess, you might want to get your cat,” Cray suggests to Willow, hopping into his hammock and hanging his swords on the hook nearby.

“Don’t tell her what to do, Sonny,” James scolds him.

Cray rolls his eyes, “Stop calling me Sonny, Pin Strip.”

Ash gives them a death stair, “Both of you cut it out right this instant. Now is not the time got it.” Both of them stop mid-insult, knowing Ash would gladly throw both of them into the storm.

Arthur sits down and sighs, “Willow, what’s going on exactly? What’s a chaos storm?” 

She gently strokes Ssssssssal’s scaly head as he wraps around her arm and stretches his bat-like wings. Willow explains, “It’s a Shattered Seas thing. Random, unpredictable storms that come out of nowhere, and the storms can be anything.”

“When you say anything?” James raises an eyebrow.

Willow nods, “If there is a lot of something in the sea, it can fall from one of these storms. I once got stuck in one made of left shoes, only the left shoes.”

“First that damned mountain, then that annoying dragon, and now storms of anything: I knew it was a terrible idea for us to come to the Shattered Seas! This place is a death sentence!” Arthur stresses.

“So it could be raining money or treasure above us right now?!” Ash asks, not even trying to cover her growing grin.

“Or delicious food?!” Luna adds with the same excitement. “This is so awesome!”

“Do none of you see the problem with this?!” Arthur protests. “It could be raining sharks right now, and you two are excited about it!”

Cray rocks in his hammock. “There is not much we can do about it. We might as well wait out whatever it is and clean up the aftermath later.”

James nods in agreement. “For once, I agree with Sonny.”

“Don’t call me that!” Cray protests, glaring at him.

James casually gives Cray the bird and continues, “Like Sonny said, all we can do right now is- Luna, what are you doing?”

Everyone turns to her to see that she is climbing the ladder. 

“I am seeing what it’s raining. Don’t tell me you don’t want to know?”

“Luna, that can wait. We’ll figure that out once the storm is over,” Willow explains, knowing it will do no good.

“Luna, if you open that trap door, you’ll let in whatever crazy thing is raining out there,” Arthur protests, ducking under the couch with Pip. Stubbie squeals what everyone assumes is glow pig for chicken.

“Just let her look,” Cray interjects claimly. Stubbie glows green and oinks in agreement.

Arthur pokes his head out of hiding. “How do you not see the problem with this.”

“Let her get it out of her system, a curious Luna is worse than Luna doing something dumb,” Cray explains. Stubie continues to oink in agreement.

“I am just going to do it.” Luna pushes the trap door open just enough for a knife to ricksha off of the deck and into the trap door pinning Luna’s hat to it. Luna quickly ducks back below deck.

“Knives!” Luna shouts trying to pull the knife out of her hat.

“What?” James asks looking up at her, hoping that she is joking.

“It’s raining knives!” the knife pulls free causing her to nearly fall off the ladder but catching herself with her third arm. “Pretty cool right?”

“Hell yeah!” Cray looks up at her. “We got extra weapons.”

“Why are you two like this?” Arthur groans (still half under the coach).

As both are about to answer jokingly the trap door flies open and a red blur jumps into the room with several knives sticking into the masts and ladder before Luna can close the door. Everyone turns toward the red blur: from her mismatched shoe, mangled face, red eye, torn ears, scared and tattooed body, two tekko-kagi at her side, short mail knight skirt, and no pants.

“Pen!” Everyone shouts at once.

Cray hops out of the hammock grabbing his sword, James picks up his bo staff, Ash pulls out her tonfa, Willow bardish her jittes, Luna falls the ladder then summons her shield, whip, and katar; and Arthur slides back under the couch.

“Why are you here?” Ash demands, “You said you were done chasing Luna’s bounty back at Autumncoln Isles.”

“Did you not see the knife storm?” Pen points to the ceiling, “I was nowhere close to any land and my row boat was snicking. This was my last resort.”

“Okay. If there is nowhere for you to go not much for us to do,” Ash shrugs, “We can drop her off at the next island that has a town.”

“Alright,” Pen shrugs, “If that’s fine with your captain.”

Everyone turns to Luna who shruggers, “If you want you could join up.”

“I’ll pass,” Pen laughs.

*Next Chapter*