The Tables Turn

The arrival of the fighter ship turned the chaotic scene into outright pandemonium. Pirates scattered, their triumphant roars turning into cries of panic as they were mowed down by the strafing ship. VenomJaw and a handful of his crew managed to dive for cover, retaliating with scattered blasts of their own.

In the ensuing chaos, I spotted a shard of metal lying nearby. My hand closed around its sharp edges and with Ravager's help, we sawed through our bindings. Our conversation was a rapid exchange of plans and reassurances, a testament to our camaraderie.

"I'm not leaving Elara behind, Moe," Ravager stated, determination etched in his voice. "I told her to hide in the hills with her family. They're the ones who blew up the barn. It was their distraction."

The words sparked a grim pride in me. We were in this together - all of us.

As we navigated the winding city streets, we faced down pirates, each encounter ending with us standing and them sprawled out cold. But then the fighter ship roared overhead once more, and a rain of rubble separated us. We'd have to survive on our own.

"Meet at the north gate!" Ravager yelled, his voice reaching me over the newly formed walls of rubble.

The route was a treacherous one, sneaking past pirates and skirting danger at every turn. But as I neared the rendezvous point, my heart sank. It was empty. A sense of dread settled over me just as a figure was violently flung from a nearby door, sprawling across the open area. It was Ravager and he was a bloody mess.

VenomJaw stepped out from the doorway, a cruel grin on his face as he addressed Ravager, who was trying to rise, bloodied and beaten. "Your last few moments are going to be so much fun," he chuckled, brutally assaulting Ravager.

Ravager was thrown around like a ragdoll, the disparity in their sizes too evident.

"Is this the great captain they tell stories about? It can't be. I see nothing but a piece of meat that thinks he's more than he is," yelled out VenomJaw as he continued to kick Ravager in the stomach. "You are nothing. You have never been anything and you are going to die a decrepit shell of a man who used to have some dignity."

Yet, Ravager managed to get back up, his face a bloody mess, defiance shining through the pain. A bloody spit flew from Ravager's mouth, landing squarely on VenomJaw's face.

VenomJaw, enraged, pulled a knife and was about to deal the killing blow when I sprang forward. It was now or never and then I felt it, still in my pocket. The shard we'd used earlier to escape! I jumped up and ran at VenomJaw, as he was turned and facing Ravager. I felt like I had the strength of Hercules as I drove the metal shard so hard into his temple, the sharp point emerged from the other side. VenomJaw stood for a moment, his brain struggling to comprehend the fatal blow, turned to look at me and then slumped to the ground, finally defeated.

Seconds felt like hours but the day wasn't done. When one captain goes down, another emerges. If we wanted to be rid of this problem once and for all, we had some looses ends to tie up.