Terg sighed as he finally spotted the port to Onica, grateful that this cursed journey was soon to be over. The airship was lowering to the long stone docks now, where a group of oni awaited. They were massive creatures, some standing taller than even his biggest crew member. There were a scant few oni that could be considered ‘short’, at least compared to humans. In fact, as they drew closer to the dock, he could see the tallest oni he’d ever seen.

  A woman no less, head and shoulders taller than the rest of her kindred. Strangely enough, despite being so massive, her horns were not visible from here. The others had their horns sticking out, blood-red and coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Terg considered recruiting some of these horn-heads for his crew, it had been a while since he’d gone on a proper raid and who better than the oni to help him do it? There were plenty of smaller islands around, ripe for the taking. All this delivery work was driving him insane, he needed a break.

  Things had only gone downhill since they left the shrine of Shenra. Food kept ‘mysteriously’ disappearing, his crew members no doubt raiding the larder in the small hours of the night. Strange thing was that even after he assigned men to guard the larder, the food still disappeared. Naturally he suspected the guards, but they had insisted that they hadn’t. So, a few nights ago, he’d kept guard himself, ensuring that no one could enter. He’d made sure it was empty before locking it up…

  But somehow, the food had still disappeared. It was baffling, and he soon began to suspect that his ship had some kind of rat infestation. Yet, no matter where the crew looked, none of the little rodents could be found anywhere. There weren't even droppings in the secluded crags where such creatures would nest. As a result… Their larder was almost empty, meaning that he and his crew would need to trade for as much food as possible before setting off. A good raid or two on a helpless village ought to replenish the losses and then some.

  “Set us down!” Terg shouted, maneuvering the boat to be parallel with the stone dock. As his men worked the deck, he looked over Onica, seeing the towering crimson bamboo stalks that occluded the valley behind them. They were taller than even his ship, and far thicker. It was hard to see how the oni had even managed to find the path here, for there were no trails or openings through the bamboo that he could see. He only knew of the valley beyond: He’d seen it before whenever he had to fly over the island, but he’d never been allowed to go in. Not that he would want to of course, the horn-heads might be liable to eat him.

  Once they were docked, the leading oni approached, with black horns like a bull. He wore gleaming armor of solid steel that contrasted with his dark red eyes. His face was hard like a rock, cut with sheer angles. He could have been, in all Terg’s days, the scariest looking oni he’d ever come across. Looking at the rest of them, they didn’t look all that much nicer… except the largest of them, ironically. Maybe it was because she was a woman?

  Sure, she had a few scars on her face, but she at least didn’t look like a sentient rock. Unlike the others, she actually had a good growth of hair on her head, lavender in hue. These others barely had any hair on their heads at all, or were just outright bald. Unlike the terrifying oni leader, her eyes were a cool blue, and held a sort of softness to them, it was shocking to see. As he saw from high above, her horns had not grown in yet, still being flesh-wrapped knubs. She clearly wasn’t an adolescent though, given her size… perhaps her physical growth had taken priority over her horns? Hard to say.

  They lowered the wide wooden ramp to the dock below, connecting his ship to Onica. He then let out a sigh and made his way over to the plank, removing his hat and bowing deeply to the gathered oni.

  “I’m captain Terg,” He introduced himself, standing from his bow, “I come with some supplies requested by you. I am the man who took the job. You wanted steel ingots, yes?” Terg asked the lead oni, the terrifying one.

  “That’s right.” The creature replied, voice like gravel, “I am Mekta, diplomat.”

  Terg had to resist the urge to squint. Why the hell would anyone ever appoint this hulking demon to be a diplomat? Maybe that was why… scare any visitors into behaving properly. Well, Terg wasn’t an idiot, he wasn’t going to go about misbehaving on Onica.

  “Yes good, we’ll unload it here. As for payment, we require some additional food, you may subtract the total of food cost from the gold you’ll owe us.” Terg said.

  Mekta nodded, “Very well, see it done.”

  Terg again glanced at the largest of the oni, considering asking her to join his crew. She was wearing some well-crafted plate armor after all, and he assumed she could swing a blade well enough, considering the large hilt sticking out from the scabbard on her back. She’d be good in a raid alright. Still, he’d not have it be a direct question… that may offend the gathered oni.

  “I also am offering cabin space for any oni that wishes to join my crew.” Terg said, locking eyes with the large woman, “You’ll be well rewarded.”

  Much to his satisfaction, the oni girl seemed to consider this for a moment, hand going to the blue gemstone that hung from a matching… was that a collar she was wearing about her neck? Strange fashion indeed, but it was good that she was considering the offer.

  “Our warriors will not part Onica.” Mekta snarled, “Bring the ingots, now.”

  “Straight away.” Terg said, taking an involuntary step back at Mekta’s tone.

  Some diplomat he was. Why couldn’t the oni leave if they wished? Were they worried that some threat may be approaching? Perhaps, but then again oni were a rare sight outside their island, and the ones he did encounter out in the Skies were tight-lipped about the goings on of Onica. The girl looked slightly miserable as he backed away onto the ship… clearly she wanted to leave, despite what Mekta claimed.

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  Maybe if he could get her alone, Terg could convince her to come along? It was risky, but having such an impressive figure leading his raids could be quite lucrative. There was a problem though, how would he get her away from Mekta and her fellows? If he asked her in front of them, Terg was certain that a conflict would ensue, especially after being warned about it before. He looked her over one last time… quickly assessing her potential value in battle. She was tall of course, but compared to her kindred she wasn’t quite as wide. There were still curves beneath all that armor he was sure, but there was lean power in that frame.

  She was likely very quick with that blade of hers, and with her weight behind it, the edge may just be able to split armor. There was also the fact that she was an oni, their race was known for their great physical capabilities, and the fact that she’d been chosen to accompany Mekta and these other terrifying figures lent credence to his suspicions. They’d not send someone who couldn’t fight to meet with Terg. This girl certainly had potential.

  He turned away from them, looking to his men before ordering them to bring up the ingots from below decks. There were a dozen crates, all massively heavy for a human… but for an oni the may be easier to carry. An idea then struck him then, and he grinned lifting the first of the crates and receiving strange looks from his crew.

  “Sir?” One asked, “You don’t do the lifting around here… what’s going on?”

  “Gotta make sure my back stays strong is all.” Terg stated, “Now bring up the rest.”

  “Aye captain.” He replied.

  Terg struggled with the small crate, easing it down the ramp with shaky breathes. It had to weigh as much as he himself did, thank goodness that he wasn’t pencil-necked, otherwise this plan would be impossible. The oni below all looked unconcerned with Terg’s struggles, all save for one, the girl. Her eyes were wide with concern at seeing Terg struggle with the crate, and she approached, whispering something in Mekta’s ear. The diplomat sighed and urged her forward, and the oni woman approached, coming up the ramp and holding out her hands.

  “I can take that for you, if you’d like.” She said.

  “That would be mighty kind of you…” He replied, handing it over to her. When he was closer, he whispered, “If you want to join my crew lass, you are more than welcome. Give your answer quickly so they don’t grow suspicious.”

  “Yes.” She whispered back quickly, barely hesitating.

  Well, that was easier than expected, “I’ll grab another and bring it down to you again, we’ll talk more details as we pass them back and forth.”

  “Hurry it along!” Mekta shouted, “I will not stay here all day.”

  The oni woman nodded to Terg before turning around, taking the crate down to the dock.

  Terg turned back as well, taking another crate before meeting the oni once more.

  “I am Miyu.” She whispered, “How will we go about leaving?”

  “Once the trade is complete, rush up the ramp and pull it onto the ship, then we will leave. I’ll inform my men.” Terg said with a grin.

  Miyu nodded once again, taking the crate and depositing it on the dock. Mekta and his men then began unloading the wagon they had brought with them, containing crates and barrels filled to the brim with food. Supplies like this were often used to measure out differences if one party didn’t have the proper amount of gold for trade, the skies could be cruel sometimes after all, and a bit of extra food could go a long way in ensuring one's survival. As they had discussed, Terg informed his men about the oni joining their crew… to which he received mixed reactions. Some were for it, others against it, but this was his ship and it was his rules.

  The detractors wouldn’t dare rat out Terg to the oni, for it would be their heads on the line as well, so they kept their mouths shut. Once the crates were all deposited on the dock, he and his men began loading up on the food the oni had layed out. Miyu positioned herself by Mekta, looking like a tall willow next to a short, wide oak tree. Once all the supplies were loaded and the gold received, Terg locked eyes with Miyu and nodded.

  Like lightning, the woman charged up the ramp, her and Terg quickly pulling it up onto the deck and leaving Mekta and his men with no access to his ship. The diplomat stared with wide-eyes, stunned by what had just transpired. The other gathered oni too looked shocked, staring at Miyu with jaws agape. Interesting… this truly was something that they had not expected of her to do.

  “Princess!” Mekta shouted, “What are you doing!?”

  It was Terg’s turn for his jaw to drop, turning to stare at Miyu.

  “I want to live my own way, Mekta. Farewell!” She yelled with a wave, “I’m not coming back!”

  “We’ll see about that!” Mekta growled, “To the valley! We must give chase!”

  Terg paled, putting a hand over his mouth as he and his men stared in shock at Miyu.

  “You be a princess!?” Terg shouted, “By The Overseer, we need to get out of here now!”

  This was not good, this was not good in the least. All of Onica’s navy would give chase now, armies of horn-heads would be coming after him now, all because he picked the wrong one to recruit! It was too late to give her back now, if they re-docked they’d all be slaughtered. Their only hope now was to run and pray that they were never found. These skies were vast, and there were plenty of places they would be able to lay low in… Damn it all. He’d been expecting the oni to give chase, but with only one of their ships. No commoner was worth chasing to the ends of the Yulon, but a princess? That was a different story.

  “Let's get out of here men!” Terg shouted, pausing to glare at Miyu, “You had best be worth all this damn trouble, girl.”

  “Probably.” She said with a shrug, “We have time, it’s going to take them a while to return to the valley.”

  Terg didn’t waste any more time speaking with her, racing up the steps and taking the helm, “Raise the anchor!” He shouted, seeing the Oni men running back to the valley.

  It was good that they kept their ships in the middle of their island, if they had them at these docks they would have been doomed. Oni were thankfully paranoid about their airships, keeping them secure and only utilizing them if necessary. Dock-pirates were a very real thing, hijacking docked vessels before flying them off to Overseer knew where. Terg found himself thankful that those pirates had made the oni so paranoid.

  Now that they were floating away, he needed to pick their next destination. They would need to lay low for a while, so finding a distant island and docking there would be optimal. They would raid it of course, keeping the locals from leaving for a few months while they changed the appearance of his ship. He’d need to change the name and flag too, for the oni had certainly seen them. What would be a good new name and flag? He shook his head, plenty of time to think on that later.

  His men all seemed to glare at Miyu as they performed their duties, no doubt upset that all of Onica was soon to come after them. The oni girl for her part, barely seemed to care, she was not afraid of this new environment, in fact, she seemed to adore it. Miyu spent a great amount of time inspecting the ship and looking over the side, her eyes wide with wonder. It would warm his cold bitter heart if he wasn’t so furious with her. She’d better pull her weight in these coming months.

  He considered abandoning her at the nearest island, but doing so likely wouldn’t get Onica off their backs. To them, Terg had basically kidnapped her, even though that wasn’t what happened. By their laws he and his entire crew would need to be executed, getting rid of Miyu now would be pointless. His crew however, didn’t seem to understand that. Already he could see his men whispering to one another, no doubt scheming some way to be rid of the oni. Well, Terg wasn’t going to allow that to happen, after going through all this trouble, there was no way he was giving her up now.

  Maybe he could seek refuge by swearing fealty to the Blood-Fang pirates? That was an option… but would he really want to work under a vampire lord? He heard that captain Kain was brutal and cruel to his crew, more so than the worst of pirates. Terg supposed that came with the territory of being a vampire. Suffer beneath the Blood-Fang’s banner, or be slaughtered by oni? Which one was worse? After some deliberation, Terg decided he’d rather be hunted than be ‘safe’ working under Kain.

  The vampire ruled these skies, but that didn’t mean that every merc ship worked beneath him. There were other pirate lords he could seek out if necessary. Terg wanted to remain independent though, and he’d not throw that away unless his life depended on it. Thanks to Miyu however, he may just have to do that.