The Fleet of Barbary ceased their movements. All sitting on the waves. Barnaby himself still out on the deck of the Osmium Leviathan
"Sir. The Red Sash Pirates are on a direct course toward Hard Rock island." Spoke a corsair. Much like the rest, he had a head dressing wrapped thick around his top, a feather coming out the tip. The man had a long curling mustache and thick stubble on his face. Print pelt over his shoulder that clasped together with a brooch in the middle
"Good. Very good, all is going according to plan. The Horde has been released into the wild lands out front of the Castle, yes?"
"Yes." The Corsair confirmed. "And the rest of the crew has been spread throughout the Island?"
"Yes. They are all in separate places, and are prepared to divide up the crew and take them out one at a time."
"Good. Once that's done with I'll have no problem in taking out the rest of them along the way. Give word to the rest of the fleet. Barricade the island with the ships spread out, the Osmium Leviathan will dock through the back and I'll take it from there."
"Aye Aye, Lord Marshal Barbary." The Corsair gave a bow and rose his hand to signal the ships to begin moving.
The Ember had slowly floated towards the bay, the buildings growing closer. They looked to be in a poor state. They were gothic in look, many made of brick and stacked stone with intricate pillars along elevated floors. Windows with struts through their frames.
Where usually such architecture would be seen as a stunning display of creativity, the compact and ruinous look to them all gave it all a sad air to it.
"Jeanne?" Leroy began "Do you see anything off about this place?"
The Markwomans looked around, trying to see if there were any jolly rogers around the buildings, she then looked far off to the volcano, but couldn't see anything "The terrain's too rugged to see anything far inland, but my gut says that this place isn't to be trusted…"
"Yeah. I think so too." Kirk added.
"Well we don't have anywhere else to go. If we keep sailing, we may just end up even more lost than before. Our best bet is to hold up here, and if they come. We'll take them down."
"Aye aye." Kale said in a brief word as he stood from leaning on the rail, hand on the hilt of the ruined Sujikiki. The swordsman was donned in a large black double breasted fur collared coat with baggy pants and boots.
"Sounds like quite the rushed plan." Noir suspected "But it's as best we got if we want to take down this Barbary guy. If he can get ships out to our position as quick as he did, that means that somehow he or his crew has got a way to track us. Meaning we'd never survive out on the open sea…"
"Exactly." Leroy confirmed his thought process, eyes still locked on the buildings. No one was out in the streets of the slums.
The crew disembarked from the deck. There was no proper docks in the bay, so they made do with the extending stairs onto the cobblestone road that lined the water of the bay
Their shoes clacked against the mossy stone. Each having a different look of suspicion as they wandered the village.
"Where is everybody?" Cali asked, scratching her head with the mechanical finger of her prosthetic "It's like a ghost town here."
"I wouldn't say it's a ghost town." Spoke a voice nearby. The crew spun around to where it came from. "Maybe a bit mad, and not very lively however…" A top one of the branches was, a cat?
The cat was large and furred. Dark grayish blue fur with stripes of deep violet across its back. But unlike normal cats, its hands were dextrous as it curled one of its fingers in a circle like one would do in boredom.
"Who are you!" Dezzi spoke in an exasperated tone, flinching back slightly. "Who I am is of no real concern. All you need to know it that I am on your side in this feud."
"I know that Barbary is after your heads, and given you plan on taking him down by laying low on this Island and waiting for him."
Leroy's brow furrowed. "What's you game, cat?"
"My game?" A large smile came across its face, like that of a humans but stretched further than normal, literally ear to ear, with rounded thin teeth. It flipped onto its back, and let its head hang "My game is ensuring your victory."
"You see, I'm tired of Barbary. I'm tired of this island, and his reign." It flipped back "I've waited for years for someone strong enough to come along and put him in his place. Free everyone under his grasp…"
Leroy's look softened. "Alright…So you've been watching us. How do we know we can trust you at all? Sure, if we beat barnaby you're free or whatever…But why come and talk to us exactly? Why not just stick to the sidelines and wait?"
With a hop, the Cat leapt from the branch and onto the road "I'm a part of Barnaby's crew. I'm the scout for this island, and I work alongside another, she sees all on Hard Rock. She knows I'm here right now."
"But she won't tell Barbary anything when he returns. Because I am not the only one fed up with being forced to fight for him. And that's why you can trust me. And Because I'm willingly sticking my neck out to talk to you."
"As for why I won't sit and watch. That's the simple fact because without my help, you won't know what's coming for you if you try to go anywhere beyond the town of Kaninchenbau."