After the pirate ships disappeared into the swampy forest, Tower’s fleet abandoned its pursuit and returned to the mountain.
Slade guided his followers to the crash site, where a pirate vessel entangled with a trade ship fell.
“Why did they let the pirates escape?” Slade asked.
The answer came from Violet, who knew the most about Tower. “It’s difficult for Tower’s carriers to deviate from their optimal height. Moreover, this pirate raid might be a diversion to attack this mountain range, so they cannot chase carelessly.”
Most creatures had distanced themselves from the startling tremors that followed the fall of the ships. The greatest threats of the swampy forest stayed in their territory. And thanks to the scouting of the harpies, Slade already knew which places to avoid. As a result, the party encountered little hindrance.
They reached their destination after an hour of travel. What awaited them was a blimp pod tangled with a shattered frigate. Fortunately, they didn’t land inside the lair of a difficult enemy.
Slade could hear the moans and cries of pain from the shipwreck. He approached the fracture boat, attracted by the desperate pleas.
A sorry sight of devastation welcomed his party. Charred chunks of meat produced a morbidly fragrant scent of fish cooked by the chain lightning. Other unfortunate fellows were crushed by crates and canons or had simply splattered on hard surfaces.
From a glance, Slade estimated that the pirates lost two thirds of their initial body count.
“Captain, hang in there!” A teary mermaid shook the shoulder of her incapacitated leader, not knowing how to provide any medical help.
Another mermaid sat in a corner, surrounded by unconscious crewmates. She whined with her forehead buried in her palms. "Fuck, we're screwed… we're so done…" she repeated.
The captain groaned and swatted the mermaid's hand away. Perhaps because he looked like a hybrid between an octopus and a man, he proved to be quite resilient. He picked up his hat and covered his hair made of tentacles. "The witches! The sea witches! Where-"
His raving was interrupted by Slade's approach. Startled, he reached for his pistol and aimed at the harpy pawn.
"We come in peace. Do you need help?" Slade stopped his group and stood in front.
“Help? Pirates like us?” The captain scoffed at Slade’s preposterous offer. His grip tightened around the firearm, warning Slade to cut his bullshit.
Hekalys was a deeply racist world, where different intelligent species barely coexisted as they tried to spread their preferred biome. Acts of generosity and goodness was strictly reserved for fellows of the same faction.
Slade shrugged. “Alright, you got me. I am hostile to the Tower just like you, and that’s enough of a reason for me to help. I am a healer, so I can save your dying crew but not for free. So what do I get if I save you?”
He eyed the ships and the cargo, as well as the pawns. He would settle for half the pawns and the cargo, but he decided to keep silent.
The captain lingered on the offer, prompting Slade to walk away to check the blimp.
The captain hastily replied, because the mermaids urged him and he mistook Slade’s leave for disinterest. “Everything! I’ll give you my ship, the cargo, the pawns, but not our lives! Save us please.”
Slade got more than what he wished for. Asking further would lead to long term problems and waste time for the rescue. “Alright, that will do. Metiva?”
The matriarch nodded and sent the gnoll carriers to check the state of the wounded. She spellweaved a cure to stabilize the deadliest wounds.
“Start by the sea witches, they can heal too,” the captain advised. He limped, guiding Slade to a bloody, charred woman, and held her hand affectionately.
The patient head was covered by a squishy translucent bowl that looked unmistakably like a jellyfish. Several similar looking women were similarly hurt.
Violed chimed in. “The flight spell enchanting the boat might have been woven with their help. Without them, the pirates may not be able to sail the rivers.”
To the pirate’s surprise, the slime melted from the harpy’s skin, returning to its original round shape. Then, Slade jumped on the sea witch and spread itself across her body.
“I can share my regenerative ability like this, you see?” Slade explained the worried captain.
“I-I see. Can you please stop touching weird parts, though?”
As Slade focused on healing the jellyfish hybrid, the other harpy pawn that guarded the area let a warning cry. “Unidentified agents coming out from the pod.”
