In the wee hours of the morning, I was unceremoniously jerked from my peaceful slumber (and some extraordinarily lovely dreams) by a shout. Pirates!
I suppose it had to happen eventually; this world is not a peaceful one. Sadly, there was no time to don my armor, so I grabbed my mace and shield and headed to the deck. I quickly manned a cannon amidships. Cole Bay assisted Ingrid in making an incredibly daring (and graceful) leap from ship to ship so she could mete out some justice face-to-face. Unfortunately, she was far outnumbered and felt the lack of backup fairly quickly, despite all the damage we were doing to the ship. I switched over to a ballista to harpoon the other ship and create a line to traverse...just in time to be of no use -- the pirate captain calling for a duel.
Of course, Captain was amenable (even eager), so she swung over like a hero from a bard's tale and they faced off. It was truly an epic fight (though quick). In the scuffle, Captain's sleeve was burned away, revealing a distinctive tattoo. It took me a moment to recall where I'd seen it before. It is the same worn by the dread Black Blade! Captain Aveline! Holy Mother, that was an unexpected turn of events. It gave me a shock, that's for sure. But, just as we seek to reform the planet that nurtures us, we must allow people the opportunity to reform themselves as well. For all the dark deeds laid at her feet, there will surely be countless redemptive ones. No sooner had all that raced through my mind than she ran through her opponent. In that instant, the Storm Goddess herself boomed out, naming Captain her champion!
The rest of the day was almost a let down after all that excitement: turning in bounties, purchasing new gear, some experimentation to identify the button-ring. Definitely a day of extremes. Lady Bless!
