Mistic Pets

Many o' you landlubbers know o' t' great Captain Jack Skillow only when he pulls into port once a year. You hear tales o' his great deeds from afar, but you never know about t' great adventures this Haruba has on a day t' day basis. T' Black Pyre has laid anchor on every shore o' Mistica and then some, and Capt Skillow himself has met every sin'le specie known in t' world. This be clear when he brought them all, invited or not, to t' royal weddin' between Joel and Princess Alana.

However, don't you wonder just how he came t' make such strange acquaintances?

Captain Jack Skillow had weighed anchor and set sail from Mistica Kin'dom, crossin' t' straight t' visit Klareis City t' trade with them as was his custom. But a gale arose from t' south, drivin' him torwards t' iceberg-filled waters o' t' Diamond Glacier Domain. Waves swept over t' sides o' t' Black Pyre, causin' even t' most sure-footed o' pirates t' be swept against t' railin'. Capt Skillow himself took t' helm, his strong arms strainin' t' regain control.

“Be brave men!” he bellowed. “It'll take many a storm worse than this to sink my ship!”

Rallyin' behind their leader, t' assortment o' scarred, weather-beaten Harubians, Mandorans, and Yehxil secured t' riggin' and waged war against t' forces o' nature itself. They narrowly missed icebergs several times, but as evenin' broke t' clouds parted and they were able t' lower their anchor in t' shallows. 

However, their joy was short lived.

“Capt'n!” called a bulky nocturnal Mandoran. “I hear somethin'! And it's below the ship!”

“Below? What do you mean below?” echoed Capt Skillow, drawin' his sword as a precaution. “Bugger!”

His concerns were immediately answered when many sets o' long, pale, webbed hands began t' reach over t' side o' t' Black Pyre. Pale-blue Kelpies with coral cutlasses and daggers drawn began t' lay siege t' t' pirates' ship; t' pirates immediately respondin' by engagin' them in combat.

“Blast! Get your slimy hands off of my ship!” yelled Capt Skillow, leapin' from t' helm to t' main sail, then droppin' in on t' invaders from above.

“Sir! We must have been blown towards the Kelpies' river!” shouted t' Mandoran, usin' his strength t' lift and throw an enemy overboard. Not that t' ocean bothard t' Kelpies any.

“Bugger!” growled Capt Skillow again. He always made it a point t' avoid t' Kelpies' territory; they were highly possessive o' their waters. “All hands try to set sail! They'll leave if we leave!” He focused Kelpie he was fightin', his sword locked with a curved coral dagger. 

“They've got out anchor!” cried a riverside Yehxil with a scar across his cheek. He peered over t' side, lookin' up at t' faces o' a dozen Kelpies still in t' ocean, t' Black Pyre's anchor firmly within their grasp. That made him easy prey and with a great shove, a Kelpie caught him from behind and sent him a topplin' into t' seafoam with a small cry o' surprise.

“There's too many of them!” cried a small Haruba as he and several other crew members were cornered on t' starboard side. 

“Stand strong men!” cried their captain. But it was for naught as seconds later t' Kelpie disarmed him, Skillow's sword embeddin' itself point down on t' bow o' t' ship. 

Within minutes, t' entire crew had been overrun and pushed together, their hands bound securely behind them. As younger Kelpies kept them at weapons' point, t' leader approached with his arms crossed, a tribal tattoo adornin' his bicep. Without a warnin', he punched t' pirate captain squarely in his good eye.

“I don't think I deserved that,” he said with a small groan. 

“Why do you, strange-faced one, destroy our homes?” demanded t' leader o' t' Kelpies. 

“Destroy your homes?” echoed Captain Skillow, confused. “We only entered your waters a few hours ago. Savvy?”

“See for yourself, strange-faced one,” t' Kelpie leader replied, grabbin' Capt Skillow roughly by t' collar o' his shirt and draggin' him to t' railin'. He pointed firmly out across t' ocean. 

Capt Skillow blinked a few times with his good eye, but could see nothin' worth pointin' to. "There's nothing there but water!”

“Look harder,” demanded t' Kelpie. 

Captain Skillow then looked under t' surface o' t' water. His eye caught t' movement o' even more Kelpies, strugglin' t' move massive pieces o' coral and shell. It took a moment for his eye t' adjust, but then he realized that they were movin' pieces o' broken buildin's.

“The Pyre must have dragged bottom in the storm!” he mentally cursed. T' Kelpie leader, seein' t' realization on t' pirate's face, threw him back with his crew. “I may have deserved that,” Skillow murmured.

“You owe us homes!” demanded t' Kelpies' leader. His follows cheered in agreement.

“I...owe you homes,” repeated Captain Skillow, a bit bewildered.

“This home,” t' leader said as he pointed downward.

“This home? This home! My ship?!” cried Capt Skillow.

“Our ship! Our ship! Our ship now!” chanted t' Kelpies, all pointin' their weapons menacin'ly. Capt Skillow found himself sweatin' as a dagger was pressed uncomfortably close t' his neck.

“Y-your ship,” he agreed with much stress.

“Our ship! We're going on adventures now!” exclaimed a young Kelpie.

“You're going on adventures? Excuse me?” 

“Strange-faced one will take us on adventures to repay for our broken homes,” insisted t' Kelpie leader.

Captain Jack Skillow looked around at t' faces o' his captive crew and then at t' Kelpies. After a moment, he hung his head in defeat and let out a sigh. “I know I don't deserve this.”

“Oh yes, you definitely deserve this,” interrupted t' Kelpies' leader with a victorious smirk.

“Aye!” exclaimed t' Kelpies in a manner so much like a pirate it caused several o' t' crew t' jump. 

“Aye, Aye!” they shouted 'n unison.