FSE

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"Fast was the voidspawn's movement, but not fast enough to outrun the hunter's arrows. The projectiles' blessed heads sunk deep into the monster's flesh, tearing through muscle and viscera, crippling the foul beast and bringing it to its knees. Falkrie, the greatest of void hunters, approached to claim his prize for the day, bow now slung over his shoulder in favor of his blade. Soon the beast would be dead, and the villagers would be safe to--"

"Taci!" Lore's whining voice broke the immersion the fox had finally achieved in his reading, "Taci, I'm bored!"

"That's wonderful." Tacitus groaned, taking his bookmark and slipping it between the pages he would undoubtedly be leaving off on, "So the obvious choice is to take it out on someone who's clearly concentrating on something."

"That's the idea!" the gecko plopped down on the bed next to him, beaming happily and bouncing up and down.

Taci closed his book and set it aside, turning to face his energetic friend and putting on his best sarcastically-ecstatic expression, "Well then, since you clearly feel you must monopolize three quarters of my day--the other quarter focused almost solely on things every basic living thing needs to ensure it wakes up the next morning--what can I do to entertain you, Lore?"

"You didn't have to say it like that." she pouted, crossing her arms under her chest and poking out her tongue, "Why are you so grumpy?"

"Sorry, I was just... in the zone."

"Well now you're in the Lore Zone!"

"Gee, how thrilling." the sarcasm quickly returned, complemented with a roll of his eyes, "So I ask again: How can I entertain you?"

"You need to loosen up, Taci." Lore's expression turned sly, and she slithered into the confused fox's lap, straddling him and tugging at his tunic, "I'll show you just how you can 'entertain' me."

"L-Lore..." Tacitus' cheeks blazed beneath his fur. What had brought this on? Despite wanting to push her off and escape this horribly awkward situation, his hands remained at his sides, paralyzed by her sudden assertiveness.

Lore grinned and leaned in close, brushing her lips up against his ear and giggling playfully, "Just kidding."

"W-What?"

"You should see how red you are!" the gecko quickly vacated his lap and kicked off her slippers, ready to cling to the ceiling, should he become displeased.

Tacitus blushed furiously, hands balling up into fists and gripping the bed sheets. He let out a heavy sigh and curled up on the bed, pulling the covers over his head, "That's a low blow."

"D'aww, I'm sorry." Lore giggled again and crawled up onto the bed, flopping atop the vaguely fox-shaped bulge in the sheets, "Shame on me for teasing a pent-up fox."

"I'm not pent-up."

"Oh, sure you aren't. You have sex all the time, right?"

Only an irate grunt came in response.

"Just what I thought." Lore snickered and snuck her tail beneath the covers, tickling at one of the fox's feet and chasing it around when he tried to pull it out of reach, "Come on, stop moping."

"I will mope for as long as I please." he squirmed beneath his reptilian friend, biting his tongue to keep away the giggles brought on from her tickling. No matter where his foot went, her tail could reach.

"So you think." Lore's hands attacked his sides, fingers poking and prodding at his ribs, bringing a loud yelp from the blanket-covered fox. She smirked, using her body weight to keep him from escaping, poking at ticklish spots while her tail continued to chase his foot, "You won't be scowling for long!"

Indeed, the fox's lips were quickly curling to an unwilling grin, his teeth clenched as he tried to keep himself from laughing. His hands pushed out from the covers, trying to grab at Lore's wrists to stop her, but failed to reach them in his awkward position, "L-Lore..! Stop!"

The gecko snickered and switched targets, her hands slipping under him to reach his belly, at which point Taci lost his struggle against laughter. Lore gloated in her triumph, nuzzling the back of Taci's head and curling her tail around his waist, finally giving up on his foot, "Success."

"S-Stohohohop!" the fox managed to plead for release between bouts of laughter, "Ok ok I'll stop moping! I'll stop! Just stop tickling!"

"Mmm..." Lore hummed, thinking it over, fingers still dancing across her friend's belly. Finally she nodded, stopping the playful attack and just sprawling out on top of him, "Ok."

Tacitus heaved a sigh of relief, panting softly and trying to hide his face in the sheets, "Damn you."

"You love it." the gecko snickered and rolled to the side, reaching over to rub his ears, "I just wanted to see you smile, is all."

"Well you succeeded." Taci huffed and steadied his breathing, leaning into the rubbing hand, "Now, if someone ever kills me after immobilizing me with tickling, I'll blame you."

"If someone ever did that, you'd be too ashamed to admit it to blame me."

The fox coughed, "Touché. Never mind the fact that I'd be too dead to do it."

A knock at the door broke that train of thought, and Tacitus got up to answer. A young man--barely old enough to be called an adult--stood in the doorway, "Tacitus Bren?"

"Yeah, that's me. I guess the Hand has a job for me."

"Yes. Number One wishes to speak with you." the boy leaned in and peered around the doorframe, spying Lore on the bed, "Lore Alandra?"

"Present!" the gecko's voice came from the side, cheerful as ever.

"Number One has also requested your presence. Separate from Tacitus'."

"Aww, I don't get to go with him? No fun." she hopped to her feet, bouncing a couple times and nodding to the messenger, "I'll be in after Taci's been briefed."

"Of course. Excuse me." the boy bowed his head quickly and shut the door.

"So much for quality time, huh?" Lore sighed and bounced her way over to Tacitus, hugging him around the waist and planting a kiss on his cheek, "Be careful, huh?"

"You too." Taci returned the affection, patting the girl's head fondly, "If you go and die, I'll really mope."

"Well we can't have that, now can we?" Lore snickered and gently pushed herself out of his arms, "I'm going to go back to my room and change, so I'll see you once you're back from your job."

"Right. Lock up when you leave." Tacitus grabbed his cloak and daggers, then headed out for the Silent Hand's chamber. Somewhere out there in Farlan, another sapient being's blood was chosen to be spilled, and his daggers would be the means to that end.

Number One turned at the sound of the chamber door opening, his cloak obscuring his face as always, "Ah, Tacitus. Punctual as always."

The fox looked left, then right, noting the lack of the other four Hand members, "Am I early?"

"No, no. I just seem to be the only one who didn't decide to retire early this evening." the head assassin mumbled something, then continued, "On to business then. The one who commissioned this task wasn't exactly part of our average clientele."

"Really now?" Taci leaned against the large table in the center of the room, "Who was it?"

"A representative from the Kingdom of the Sea. Merfolk."

"Uh huh." Taci raised a brow, "With all due respect, sir, I'm not exactly built to deal with matters of an... aquatic variety."

"You won't need to be if you do your job right." Number One tossed a cloth pouch across the table, the sound of coins clinking together meeting Taci's ears as it landed before him, "The target is aboard a vessel scheduled to dock at the port city of Rue's Landing. You will smuggle yourself aboard the ship and wait until they shove off before you emerge. Pay the harbormaster and he'll give you your way in."

"Hold on." the fox held up a hand, "Wait until they shove off? Why? And furthermore, the merfolk are more than capable of sinking a ship."

"Of course they are." Number one seemed to smirk beneath his hood, "And that's why these... individuals... have taken a more cunning approach to keeping the merfolk off their backs. The target isn't who you need to kill, Tacitus. It's who you're going to save."

"So I'm on a rescue mission." Taci sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Wonderful."

"Oh, don't whine. The merfolk are paying handsomely for this, and you're my top assassin. I know you'll get the captive home safe."

"Your faith in me is mildly comforting at best." he idly unsheathed one of his daggers, turning it over in his hand, "Any defining features on the captive that I should look for?"

"Apart from the big, blaringly obvious fish tail?"

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, sir."

Number One laughed a low, almost humorless laugh, "Ask a stupid question..."

"Yeah, yeah." Taci waved it off, "Anything else?"

"Nothing further. You'll need to head out tonight. Time is of the essence, Tacitus. Do not fail us."

Rue's Landing was a seven hour cart ride from the Hollow, and a bumpy one at that. The road between it and other cities were used often, holes and bumps worn into the cobblestone and dirt paths causing the cart to jump and rattle every so often, leaving little time or comfort for sleep. Many other carts passed them along the way, their goods concealed in large crates and barrels, many smelling heavily of salted fish. If nothing else, Taci would be eating well before shipping out to sea with a band of murderous pirates.

The cart crossed the gate into town, and Taci hopped off the back and paid the driver. He took in a deep breath and savored it, the heavy scent of salt water lingering in his nose. The fox hadn't been to the ocean in such a long time, and he thought it a shame that he'd have to spend the occasion killing people.

The city itself was large, as expected of a port, and possessed a definite nautical feel. Old vessels had been repurposed as shops and lodging, decorative anchors and steering wheels hung on the walls of shops and homes, and practically everything smelled of the sea. Tacitus grabbed a quick bite to eat, knowing he'd need the energy later, and made his way to the harbor.

Immediately he could see the vessel he would be infiltrating. The "Scar of the Sea" was armed to the teeth; cannons sticking out of her wooden hull, harpoon guns on her deck, and a crew of scurvy-ridden sea dogs carrying curved swords. The Scar's hull was pocked with impact marks, likely from rifles or harpoons, and the wood was rotting in places. Along the lower part of the hull where the ship met water, Taci could see larger indentations and broken tridents stuck in the wood from what appeared to be a merfolk attack.

"Guess they really wanted their girl back." the fox thought aloud as he wandered along the harbor, looking for his contact. A string of loud shouts caught his attention, leading him to a raised platform off to the side. An old badger was yelling orders to the dockworkers across from him, directing them to a warehouse back up toward town.

"Hey, are you Pete?" Taci asked, half-unsheathing his dagger and then sheathing it again, as instructed.

The badger noticed the gesture and took a look up at the Scar, "Guess you're Tacitus."

"That's right."

"You got the gold?"

Taci produced the pouch from his belt and handed it over, "Naturally. How long 'till the Scar shoves off?"

"Couple hours. I'll set up your box."

"Box?"

"How'd you think we'd be smuggling you aboard?" Pete grinned and shook the bag of coins to guess at its weight, "I'll say it right now, though: If I'm one coin short, I'll tell the pirates you're hiding in there."

"I'd highly recommend against that, harbormaster." the vulpine assassin pulled his cloak back a bit, the light of the sun glinting over one of several throwing knives held inside, "Don't know if you want to take a guess as to how many weapons I've got on me right now, but I'll give you a rough estimate: Enough to kill every pirate on that ship and still have at least one for your heart."

Pete laughed, clearly trying to be humorous about it, though Tacitus could hear how nervous he was, "Hey, it was a joke, fox! But I guess that serves me right, joking around with your sort."

"Quite. So, show me to the box."

The harbormaster complied without any further joking. The box was small and cramped, as Tacitus had expected, and smelled heavily of fish. The pirates would be none the wiser to his presence unless he moved or made too much noise, or at least that was what Pete said.

"They think they're carrying bullets for their new toy."

"What new toy?"

"Ah, you didn't see it." the badger pointed up at the ship, "They're getting a new deck gun. Some kind of super rifle that shoots real fast."

"What a shame." Taci started to climb inside the box, savoring his last few breaths of fresh air, "If I have it my way, they'll never use it."

"Well the other seamen will be happy if that happens. We can't arrest Captain Lars because he doesn't make trouble in our ports, and the mercenaries have yet to take him down. He's a right pain, though. Mucks up business and makes life difficult for everyone."

"Well maybe there will be some bonus pay in this mission then." the fox grabbed the lid of the box and pulled it half-shut, "I'm ready. Take me to the loading platform."

A couple of poorly-educated pirates carried the fox's box to the loading deck next to the vessel, making the most horrible, sexist, racist and all around offensive jokes back and forth as they brought crate after crate aboard the Scar.

"All the more reason to kill them." Taci thought, resisting the urge to groan at every sentence exchanged, "I'm doing the world a favor, ridding it of such stupid people."

Minutes later, he felt his box lifted again, holding onto the sides as best as he could to avoid tumbling around and becoming suspicious. He felt a slight diagonal shift in his orientation, and the sound of heavy boots hitting wood told him he was being brought up the ramp. So far, so good. He just needed to stay in that stinking crate for a little while longer. He'd almost become used to the smell by now, but it still burned his nostrils, and sitting in the same curled up position for so long was giving him a major cramp.

"Not much longer, fox." he thought, feeling the orientation of his box change again as the pirates reached the deck, and again as they made their way below. Finally things evened out and his crate was dropped on the floor. Tacitus rubbed his neck, free to move again without suspicion. He had such a pain, being hunched over like this.

"Alright lads, that's the last of 'em!" he heard one of the deckhands shout, "Someone go tell cap'n Lars we're all set!"

"Aye!" a chorus of excited pirates called out, all hands apparently eager to ship out to plunder some more.

The ship came alive with songs and shouts, and after a while, Taci could feel the familiar sway and shift of a ship at sea. The Scar had left port, and it was time to begin his mission. He kept a firm ear out for any pirates in the room, slowly lifting the lid of his box to take a look around. His crate had been strategically and unwittingly placed at the front of the stock by the pirates due to it being nearly the last ammunition box to be loaded. The harbormaster had passed this off as having "forgotten" the last box, and the idiot pirates were none the wiser.

The fox decided that he was alone, or at least secluded enough to find a good place to hide. He pushed the lid up and quietly stepped out, stretching his arms and legs and arching his back, limbering up before taking a position by the stairwell leading deeper into the bowels of the ship. The crew's quarters were a deck below, the cannon room just off to the side, and the powder room right next to that.

"Now if I were a captive mermaid, where would my captors keep me?" he wondered, tapping his chin in thought, "Somewhere hard to get to. Captain's quarters? Probably not, unless he's decided to keep her to himself... and the crew wouldn't like that."

Taci knew how pirates were; essentially they were sailors with more weapons, and that typically meant that their female contact totaled in at 'very little' until they got to port. The captain hoarding the one female on board to himself would almost certainly cause discontent within the ranks and lead to a mutiny. Pirates were simple-minded creatures like that.

The fox decided to head down and see if he could find some clues as to where the mermaid hostage was being kept. On his way down he heard footsteps, and it was too late to run back up. A pirate carrying a large, half-drained mug of ale lumbered along toward the stairs, peering up just in time to see Tacitus' foot plant against his face. He hit the wall behind him with a thud, slurring something and trying to swing a fist at his attacker, only to catch air with his knuckles. Tacitus nimbly stepped around the man and pressed his dagger to his throat, walking him to a corner and whispering, "Where's the mermaid?"

"L-Lemme go, I din' do nuffin' to you!" the pirate tried to wrestle out of Taci's grip, but the fox held steady, pressing the blade closer.

"I'll ask you again: Where's the mermaid?"

Again the pirate tried to escape, far too drunk to be of any use. The fox scoffed and slit his throat without another word, covering his mouth until he sank into unconsciousness. He left the body in the corner and cleaned his blade on the man's shirt, rounding a corner into a hall lined with doors. The crew's bedrooms, no doubt. He crept along, pressing an ear against each door as he went, listening for even the faintest sign of life. Opening any of them would be too great a risk, so he decided to leave it as a last resort.

Fate, on the other hand, had other plans. Just as he reached the middle of the hall, the door he leaned up against opened, and he jumped back just in time to avoid a grabbing hand. A short, brown-scaled lizard hissed threateningly at him and drew a cutlass, "Intruder sssss!"

Two more doors opened, and Tacitus soon found himself blocked in three directions. The lizard, plus a rat and a human, covered the exits with their swords drawn. The rat snickered, inching closer and giving a threatening poke forward with his blade, "You got on the wrong boat, stowaway! I don't think he'll like what we do to stowaways."

"Well since you all have been so amicable thus far, I'd be honored if you could show me just what it is that you do." Taci crouched, daggers at the ready, "Do you have the guts?"

"What is that? 'Amicable'? Is that even a word?" the lizard hissed and shook his head, "Hell with it, lads! Kill him!"

The pirates charged, lunging forward with their cutlasses. Tacitus' daggers flashed through the air, metal striking metal as he deflected their attacks. He used the momentum from his spin to push himself into the air, flipping over the human on his right and sticking a dagger in his kidney. The pirate had just long enough to cry out in pain before he was kicked forward, stumbling into the lizard and knocking him down. The rat pirate jumped over his comrades and swung his blade at Tacitus, metallic clanks ringing out as cutlass met dagger, the duel proceeding down the hall as the assassin was seemingly pushed back.

The lizard joined in on the attack, stepping alongside of his fellow pirate, two blades now matching Tacitus' dual-wielded daggers. Still, he blocked, dodged and parried each strike, until he saw his opportunity to counterattack. The trio came into an open room--the dining area from the looks of it--where Tacitus had more room to maneuver. He led his opponents into the room and let them get on either side of him, deflecting attacks from two directions now. For any other warrior, this would have been a death sentence, but for Tacitus it was his saving grace.

He slowed his movements and made a few sloppy blocks with his left hand, and the rat took the bait. The pirate went in for a lunge, thrusting his long sword forward to try and pierce through the fox's ribs. Tacitus sidestepped the thrust, grabbing the rat's arm and using his momentum against him, throwing his attack at the lizard and sinking the cutlass deep into his reptilian chest.

"You bastard!" the rat pirate withdrew his blade from his comrade a moment too late. Taci followed up with a swift strike to the throat, cutting into the artery in the pirate's neck, severing it. The rat's rapid heartbeat would be his undoing, blood spurting from his neck and splattering onto the floor. He stood for only a moment, collapsing from shock and letting out a pained gurgle.

By now Tacitus could hear heavy booted footsteps coming from above, headed toward the staircase. Apparently someone had heard the commotion and alerted the entire ship. He spotted a doorway at the far end of the room and went for broke, running inside and heading down another flight of stairs.

The smell of fish hit his nose again, but it was far less rancid than his box had been. Apparently he'd found himself in the provisions storeroom. Voices from the floor above came muffled through the ceiling, and it seemed the pirates had found their dead comrades. Not that Taci had made it very hard, of course.

"Well, this mission just got a lot more irritating." he sighed and cleaned off his daggers, pressing himself against the wall closest to the stairs and pausing when he heard something peculiar. The fox held his breath and shut his eyes, ears pointed toward the wall so he could listen. He could hear someone crying through the boards.

"Must be her." he figured, following the wall and stopping again when he heard a male voice.

"Cap'n says he gets first dibs." the man said lowly, a snicker preceding his statement, "But shit, you ain't gonna tell 'im nothin', right?"

"Well I sure hope your dick's bigger than the last one's." the female, presumably the mermaid, remarked firmly, despite the sobs trying to break through to her voice, "If I'm to be used by surface world scum like you, I'd at least it to be a real man."

Tacitus peered around the corner slowly, seeing one pirate and the captive mermaid in the otherwise empty room. She was tied to a post, a dirty piece of cloth wrapped around her eyes and one sitting at her waist, presumably removed from her mouth after the pirate had entered. The pirate, another human, was fumbling with his belt buckle.

"Well lass, I'll let you be the judge 'a that. 'Course, it won't mean nothin' to me." the man laughed again and stepped forward, "Shame we can't be seein' your pretty face. But we know what you fish people are capable of."

Tacitus had seen and heard enough. He crouched and made a running start toward the pirate, grabbing him around the throat and twisting hard. The man never saw it coming, his head turning with a sickening snap. Tacitus pushed the body aside, letting it slump wherever, "Always wanted to do that."

"What, you couldn't wait your turn? Typical man." the mermaid sighed and flipped her scaly tail against the floorboards, "Get it over with."

"You misunderstand me, miss." Taci knelt and removed her blindfold, "I'm not here for a fuck. I'm getting you out of here."

The woman's deep blue eyes opened slowly, gazing upon the fox's obscured face momentarily, then tugging at her restraints, "Blessed spirits... You really aren't one of them."

"I think I speak a lot more eloquently than a pirate." Tacitus began to cut away at the ropes binding her, "You aren't injured, are you?"

"No. Well, unless you count my pride." she shuddered and made a face, "I've had to put up with their... urges."

"I'm sorry." one of the loops of twine split, the fox's dagger cutting as quickly as possible, "I can only hope their deaths bring you some satisfaction."

"Plenty." the mermaid grinned a twisted grin, squirming around as her ropes loosened. Finally she managed to get one arm free, the other following it shortly. With one final cut, the ropes fell away, leaving her unbound once more. She closed her eyes, apparently concentrating, a dull white light overtaking her tail and forming it into two long, slender legs. "So you won't have to carry me. Just don't go too far ahead; I'm not exactly used to using my legs."

"Right. I'll get you to the cannon room, and you can slip out into the ocean from there."

"Wait." the mermaid approached him, reaching out with delicate hands, fingers tracing the fabric of his hood, "Before we go... I'd at least like to see your face."

Taci did a quick check out the door, noting the lack of any nearby pirates. He gave her a nod and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Make it quick."

Again her hands came up, pushing his hood back and brushing his hair away from his eyes. Her smile turned to one of bemused happiness, brows raised in surprise, "Oh, spirits... It's you!"

"Me..?"

"Yes! You remember, don't you? At the hot springs?"

A momentary look of confusion crossed his face as he puzzled over where he might have met her. He'd never been to any...

"Oh... Ooooh." his cheeks burned and he averted his eyes. Yes, now he remembered. She was one of the two mermaids that had helped him... relax. He'd been so in the 'kill everything around me' zone that he'd completely shut out anything quite so wonderfully distracting.

"It's... Tacitus, right?"

"Yes. I'm surprised you remember."

"I wish I could say the same, but chances are the memories are a little fuzzy, mmm?"

"Y-Yes." the fox cleared his throat and he checked the corner again, "I apologize, but your name is among those fuzzy details."

"Mina." her bright, almost disarming smile was certainly familiar, "I never expected you to be quite so heroic, little fox."

Tacitus gave a humorless chuckle at that, unsheathing his daggers and taking another look through the doorway, just to be sure, "I'm far from heroic. Hey, maybe if we get out of here alive, I'll get to tell you just how opposite of that I am."

"You've got yourself a deal." Mina stepped up behind him and shifted from foot to foot, "What should I do?"

"Anything you can to stay out of my way and out of the line of fire."

"Aw, but that's no fun." she pouted playfully, "Give me a chance and I'll show you what I can do."

The fox gave her a wary look, leading her out the door and up the stairs slowly, "If you see an opening to take the heat off of me, feel free, but not at your own expense."

"Oh, please. You're obviously a skilled assassin. I bet you've killed lots of these guys already."

"Yeah? What's your point?"

"My point is: How many could possibly be left alive?"

Tacitus pushed the door to the dining area open, the pair greeted by two dozen pirates, give or take. The assassin sighed, turning back to her and remarking dryly, "You just had to ask."

"Sorry!"

"Out of the way, lads!" a voice from the back shouted, parting the crowd of pirates down the middle. A tall, imposing human with a striking black beard and a trademark three-pointed hat stepped in front of the other men, grinning around a wooden tobacco pipe clenched in his teeth, "Well now, isn't this interesting? A cloak 'n dagger from the Silent Hand."

"You're well informed." Tacitus moved forward a couple paces, keeping Mina behind him.

"I had me suspicions from the start. No other mercenary group leaves men quite so efficiently dead without a right proper commotion. And while ye did stir up me men, ye gave 'em all the slip pretty good. That was more 'n enough fer me to take a guess."

"How observant. I'm almost ashamed of myself; giving away clues that someone of a child's reading level could pick up."

The pirate boomed a laugh, his crew joining in with him before he waved his hand to silence him, "Aye, I'm a wee bit daft in the academics, lad, but that don't mean much out here. Ya see, the high seas have but one rule: Don't get caught. And it appears to me that ye've gone and broken that rule, foxy boy."

Tacitus took another step, crouching low and holding his daggers steady, "Guess it's a good thing that I'm not exactly a law-abiding citizen. I'll give you one chance to let the lady and I go. After that, every one of your lives are forfeit. How's it sound, captain..?"

"Lars! Lars the Plunderer!" the tall pirate grinned, motioning for his men to move forward, "An' it will be the last name ye ever hear, assassin! Kill 'em, boys! But don't go killin' me mermaid, or it's the plank!"

The pirate crew drew their blades and began to slowly approach, clearly appreciative of the assassin's skills. Taci and Mina had a few extra seconds to make a plan.

"Hey, duck." the mermaid whispered.

"What?"

"Just do it!"

"You're the boss." Tacitus knelt low, praying to whatever god was listening that she knew what she was doing.

Mina raised her arms, wooden and stone mugs suddenly falling on their sides, barrels of water bursting at the seams as their contents came to life. The mermaid's fingers curled and bent, tugging on invisible strings and collecting the water in the air above the pirates. With a dramatic thrust downward, she brought the globe of liquid down on them, swinging her arms from side to side in an elegant dance. The weight of the water was enough to bowl over several of the pirates, knocking them into one another and inciting chaos and confusion.

That diversion was all Tacitus needed. He leapt into action, diving headlong into the crowd of buccaneers in a flash of steel. Two fell right at the start, disoriented by their former captive's aquatic assault, the fox's daggers claiming their throats. The assassin followed through, no sooner removing his blade from one body than he was sinking it into another, disemboweling one pirate and gouging the eye of another. A man came forward with his blade extended, forcing the fox low. A spinning leg sweep tossed the attacker off balance and under the feet of another scurvy dog just in time for them to meet the fox's daggers as well.

Mina kept up her watery attack, tossing the pirates around like the very current of the sea, walls of water slamming against their bodies like waves. She swept the torrent across a table, picking up mugs, plates and utensils, assaulting her captors' bodies with debris and sharp objects, keeping them off balance and away from her vulpine savior.

Somewhere in the back, Lars the Plunderer cursed his men's incompetence and retreated to the stairs leading to the deck. Tacitus could hear him shouting at what remained of his crew, even as those below deck were cut down and beaten by the merciless freshwater tide. As one pirate after another fell, the ranks began to split, and soon there were men running after their captain for the deck, too afraid or too smart to continue the battle any longer.

"Come on, cowards!" Tacitus shouted after them, groaning in pain as he took a shallow hit to his ribs. He repaid the strike in full and with interest, gutting his attacker and pushing him into another charging pirate, whose neck was quickly cut.

"Tacitus, don't provoke them! Now's our chance to escape!" Mina collected her watery weapon in front of her, pushing it out forcefully and knocking over the last of the pirates who'd been brave enough to remain in the fight.

Tacitus quickly finished the dizzied men off, cleaning off his daggers and rubbing the wound in his side, "Alright. Let's get the hell out of here."

They headed up to the next floor, back into the hall where Tacitus had begun his mission. He eyed the storage room where he'd been brought aboard, then the cannon room across from it. "I've got an idea." the fox said, slipping into the storage room and checking some of the crates. As he expected, plenty of them were filled with gunpowder.

"What are you doing?" Mina watched the door warily, "They could regroup at any second."

"Making sure this ship and its crew never come back to haunt us once we're gone." Taci got to work, opening another crate and grabbing a hemp rope. He began to fray it with his dagger, tying the fibers into a long string, "We'll set this room to blow, and you can slip out through a porthole."

"And you?"

"I'll be right behind you. Don't intend on getting myself blown up." he tied the fuse and grabbed a match from his pocket, striking it against the floor and lighting the rope, "With any luck, this flame won't go out. Room's pretty dry, so I think we've got a good chance of putting these bastards out of business for good."

Mina bounced uneasily on her heels, "Alright, so let's go!"

"Hold your seahorses, lady. We're going." the fox slipped around her and led her into the cannon room. To his dismay, all the portholes had been sealed, a cluttered mess of cannons blocking their way, "Well shit."

"Now what?"

"Guess there's no choice. We're going back on deck."

"With all those pirates up there?"

"Do you see another way out?"

Mina sighed and clung to the assassin's arm, "Alright. I trust you, little fox."

"Good." he pulled away gently and readied his weapons, leading her to the stairs that would bring them up to the deck, "If you trust me, you'll listen to me, right?"

"Of course."

"Then the moment we get out on deck and I clear you a path, you take a dive into the sea."

The mermaid stopped in her tracks, hands on her hips, "Excuse me? We're in this together."

"According to my contract, no, we are not." Taci was moved by the woman's camaraderie, but it would only mean more trouble for him if she stayed. "My job is to get you out safely. By now, there should be at least twenty other merfolk beneath the ship, waiting for you. I'll need you to tell them to clear out before the powder kegs explode."

Mina's resistant scowl melted away into defeat. She sighed, giving a resigning nod and stepping up behind him, "Fine."

"Good. I'll be ok. Don't worry." Taci tried his best to smile. He knew the odds were against them now, and he was working against the clock. He made his way up the stairs, Mina a few steps behind him, pushing open the cabin door and stepping out into the light of a setting sun. He could make out the shadows of the men surrounding the cabin, their blades shining in the sunlight, the imposing figure of Lars the Plunderer standing at the front of the largest group.

"Bet ye thought ye could escape from below deck, didn't ye, fox?" the pirate captain said with a grin, "But old Lars is smarter than ye think. I won't be losin' me mermaid to somethin' so simple."

"No, instead you'll be losing your life, your ship, your crew, and the girl." Tacitus stepped out of the cabin, motioning for Mina to stay back, "You've waited all this time for me to emerge. Well..." he held his arms out at his sides, "Here I am."

"Ye can talk all the rot in the world, lad! It's all just rot in the long run." Lars drew his cutlass, taking his pipe from his mouth and tapping it against the mast of the ship before slipping it into his pocket, "Ye might have been successful in killin' me men down below, but the aces are all in Captain Lars' hands now. Ye see, even with yer fancy assassin fightin' skills, yer still no match for the beauty of modern weaponry."

The captain motioned to the fox's left with a nod of his head, directing Tacitus' attention to the largest gun he'd ever seen. It was mounted on a metal stand, a crank on the right and a large wooden box on the left, presumably filled with bullets.

"So you've got a fancy new toy." Taci knew he was in trouble, so he tried to bluff, "You really think one of your pea brained deckhands could hit the broad side of a barn, let alone a little fox like me?"

"Well lad, that's just what we'll be findin' out, now isn't it!" the Pluderer pointed his sword forward, shouting at the man behind the mounted rifle, "Show 'em what's what!"

Tacitus gritted his teeth as he watched the crank begin to turn, and he looked around for cover. There was plenty, but not enough time to dive for it. Still, he took the chance anyway, running straight ahead for a stack of crates, his foot hitting the deck just as the first bullet left the rifle's chamber. It hit the deck right where he'd been standing only a split second past, and each long stride was matched by another shot. The fox felt tiny splinters hit his fur as he ran, his heightened senses picking up on every tiny detail as each shot whizzed past his body. Just when he thought he was home free, a sharp pain in his upper leg brought him to a halt, tripping him up and sending him tumbling to the floor, just out of the gunner's reach.

The sound of Lars' booming laugh hit the fox's ears, "Not quite fast enough! But I had me doubts for a moment. I really thought ye could outrun it! But yer an assassin. Ye've been outrunnin' death for years now, haven't ye?"

Tacitus groaned and held his leg, grinding his teeth together and ripping part of his cloak, using the scrap to apply pressure to the wound. He couldn't tell how bad it was, but it was enough to keep him flat on his ass. He looked back at the cabin, spying Mina's horrified expression. The fox's mind raced, trying to think of some way to take that gunner out of the picture.

"Lads, go take back the mermaid! Leave the fox to me!" Lars approached the wounded assassin as his men went to apprehend Mina.

"Fuck..." Tacitus slowly began to get to his feet, hiding behind the stack of crates to avoid the gunner, holding his daggers at the ready as the pirate captain drew nearer, "Come on Tacitus, you can do this. You've been wounded before. Shake it off, fox. Shake it off!"

The Pluderer's sword pointed at his throat silence him. Lars grinned a wide grin and gloated over his victory, "Bet yer wishin' ye took the time to find another way out, aren't ye? Or maybe that ye'd died down below deck? It'd have been faster than what I'm about to do to ye."

"You know, captain, I'm getting real tired of that stupid accent of yours."

"Defiant in the face of death. I like that in a man! Ye'd have made a fine pirate, assassin. But alas, fate decided a wee bit differently."

"Yeah. Right shame, isn't it?" the fox grinned, waiting for an opening. It was a long shot, but he might have a chance at reversing his precarious position.

"Aye, it is. But enough chattin'! It's been far too long since I got to properly enjoy a kill!" Lars pulled his blade back and aimed low, possibly for Tacitus' other leg. It was the chance the fox had prayed that he'd get.

Metal scraped against metal as Taci brought up his dagger, deflecting the pirate's sword and forcing it to stick into the crate behind him. He went for a kill shot to the throat, but Lars retreated and withdrew his blade. The pirate growled and went in for another hit, only to have it deflected once more, "Yer a little too persistent for my taste, fox! Why don't ye just lay down and die!"

"Sorry captain, but I have more dignity than that!" Taci brought up his uninjured leg, kicking the Plunderer to the side and following after him, only to be narrowly missed by a shot from the ship's mounted gun.

"Hey, you idiot!" Lars shouted after the gunner, "Mind yer captain while yer shootin' that thing!" he retreated a few paces from the fox, pointing his sword at the crates, "Now shoot! I don't care what's in those boxes, just kill that bastard assassin!"

A hail of gunfire assaulted the fox's cover, and he ducked down to try and avoid being hit again. The sight of Lars' arrogant grin made his blood boil, and he began to wish he'd packed a gun of his own. He decided to use the next best thing, grabbing a throwing dagger and chucking it in the captain's direction. The blade hit him in the shoulder, sinking in deep and bringing a loud scream from the pirate's throat. Lars began to shout something, but his words got caught in his throat when the ship suddenly jolted. "What the hell was that?"

There was a long moment of silence. Even the gunner had stopped firing. The sound of bare feet hitting the deck came to Tacitus' attention, followed by a familiar voice, "Tacitus!"

Mina had somehow eluded the pirates sent after her. She joined the fox's side, a knowing smirk coming to her lips when the ship jolted again, "Help is on the way."

"Help?"

"My kin have arrived."

A tall wave rose up from the sea, seemingly out of the blue. It washed over the deck, toppling many of the pirates overboard. Merfolk warriors clad in coral armor leapt from the crest, landing on the deck and wasting no time in taking the fight to the remaining pirates. Mina tugged Taci's arm and pointed in the direction the wave came from, "Let's go!"

"Yeah, good idea." the fox stopped mid-stride, however, when he saw Lars running toward the front of the ship, where the life boats were. Tacitus pulled away from Mina and gripped the hilts of his daggers, "You go. I'll be right there."

"You idiot, you're injured!" the displeased mermaid tried to grab him, but he pulled away again, "You're going to get yourself killed! In case you don't remember, you set the ship to explode!"

"I do remember! But I'm not letting that arrogant bastard escape."

"Don't be stupid!" Mina stepped in front of him, holding her arms out at her sides, "I don't care about your contract. Do you think I want this hanging over my head? What if you do die, Tacitus? I'll have to live with that!"

Taci watched her for a long moment, letting out an irate sigh and watching Lars drop one of the lifeboats into the sea. He gave her shoulder an apologetic pat as he pushed past her, "Sorry."

"Wh-- Really? After everything I just--"

"I kill people!" the fox called over his shoulder, "If you think the words of one woman, who I only remember because she fucked me, are going to keep me from killing one more worthless sapient, then you're gravely mistaken!"

Mina sighed and shook her head, calling after the fox, "You'd better not die, land-dweller!"

The fox rolled his eyes, waving back briefly and making his way toward the front of the ship. Lars appeared to be just about ready to lower himself down into his life boat. "Going somewhere, captain?"

The fleeing pirate spun around, holding his sword out in front of him, "Ye don't know when to quit, do ye? What, gonna fight me with that bad leg of yours?"

"I could have two bad legs and two bad arms and still be enough to beat you. Besides, I thought it was pirate custom for the captain to go down with his ship!" Taci wasted no time, taking initiative and delivering a flurry of quick strikes with his daggers, putting the pirate off balance and pushing him back.

"Yer good, fox! I won't deny that! Maybe even good enough to join me new crew!"

"After seeing how much you appreciate your old one, I think I'll pass. Besides, the Hand pays a lot better!" the fox's next strike knocked the sword from the pirate's hands. He approached slowly, reveling in the sadistic pleasure of turning the tables on the arrogant sea dog, "What's a pirate without his sword? His crew? His ship?"

"Now hold on there, lad." Lars stopped just before the edge, inches away from a deadly plunge into the drink. "Don't be doin' anything hasty just yet. Ye like money, don't ye? And ye have yer mermaid! Ye don't really have to kill me, do ye?"

"Do you know the answer to my question, Lars the Plunderer?" the fox waited a moment, but the pirate said nothing. Taci grabbed his opponent's jacket and pulled him forward, sinking a dagger into his chest and whispering, "Nothing. We're all nothing in the end, and your end has come none too early."

Lars' corpse took its final plunge into the sea, his blood leaving a faint red trail as he sank into the abyss. Tacitus cleaned off his daggers and sheathed them, taking a look back at the ship. The deck was empty; all the pirates had been killed, and the merfolk had evacuated with Mina. A job well done, it would seem.

"Well, time to go--" the ship jolted violently, and Taci was deafened by the roar of exploding gunpowder. He had a split second to watch the ship's hull rip apart beneath him before the blast threw him from the deck. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the rush of water around his ears as he plunged into the sea, a finned figure filling his vision before everything went dark.

Tacitus awoke in a daze. He could still feel water around him, but something was different. He took a breath, held it and let it out. He was breathing just fine. Was he dead? The fox opened his eyes, seeing that he was, indeed, still beneath the waves. It was a surreal feeling, sitting under the water and looking up at a distorted sun, almost like a... mermaid.

"Hey, welcome back." Mina's familiar voice met his ears. That was the next thing he noticed: he could ear just as well as he could up on the surface. New sounds touched his ears--the sounds of whales singing in the distance, the shuffling of a horseshoe crab through the sand. Only Mina's voice rang any bells down here.

"Hey... Did I die or something?" it was the first logical question that came to mind.

"Nope!" his mermaid friend giggled, petting his cheek gently, "I've given you the gift of gills. It's a little bit of magic we came up with to avoid drowning all those sailors we seduce."

Taci couldn't help but laugh, despite his confusion, "So some of the old stories are true then."

"Oh, plenty of them are." Mina slipped away from him, flipping her fins gently and settling down across from the fox, "I've treated your wounds. You'll be fit to travel within a week."

"A week? Am I going to sit down here for all that time?"

"Think of it as a cross-cultural exploration between land and sea!" Mina's friendly smile turned devious, and she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "And besides, it's not like you'll mind being around me for a week, hmm?"

"Well, I..." the fox's mind curled inward, as it always did in these situations.

"Of course not. You know how relaxing I can be." her fingers brushed gently over his chest, "Besides, I need to thank you properly for saving me... and maybe punish you for being a stupid, typical man and chasing after the bad guy!"

Taci's cheeks burned, despite the chill of the water around him. It was going to be an interesting week... but at least he was alive, and in good company to boot. All in all, he felt he could chalk up another successful mission. Some time off wouldn't hurt anyway... right?