The Paladin Knight who had stepped forward stood tall at the edge of the dock, his white and gold armor shining beneath the bright sun. The mechanical wings attached to his back remained folded but carried the quiet threat of sudden movement if needed.
The five other knights stood behind him in formation, remaining silent while their commander addressed the port.
"By order of the Demi-god Kleophan," the knight announced, his voice carrying across the harbor, "we order all to make their way to the Palace of Lament."
The dock fell quiet, though not in the obedient way a royal command might expect.
Pirates and sailors exchanged looks instead; some leaned against crates while thinking it over. One man spat into the water beside the pier. Another calmly lit a rolled leaf and inhaled before blowing smoke toward the sky. A third pirate took a swig from a bottle while someone else stood near the edge of the dock relieving himself directly into the ocean without the slightest concern.
The knights simply stared at them, and one sailor stepped forward after a moment.
He was tall and skinny with sunburnt skin stretched across his cheekbones and a long braided beard hanging over a patched black coat. A rusted saber hung at his side, and a missing tooth gave his grin a crooked and ugly appearance.
"You think you holy warrior people can just order us around whenever ya want?" he said. "Remember this wasn't yer' kingdom at first. Get that through yer' skulls."
Another pirate nearby laughed and chimed in.
"The king just so happened to fuck around and get the Axil and tried to kill everyone. Then you guys stepped in and killed him, and suddenly you're claiming the Confederacy for yourselves. You and your demi-gods…"
The Paladin Knight did not raise his voice.
"Yes. The demi-gods alongside us have claimed your kingdom, but only temporarily." His helmet tilted slightly as he addressed the crowd. "Since we arrived, you have not faced any trouble from other strongholds, have you? We defend your stench-filled land of pirates and degeneracy."
Several sailors muttered insults back, but the knights ignored them, and continued, "With the rise of those infected with Axil, we will cleanse much more if needed. When our duty calls us elsewhere, we will leave you to your land again. In the meantime, we have not changed your laws, have we? As we do not see only control. You all may murder each other as you see fit, and we do not interfere, do we?"
The knight's helmet slowly turned.
His attention landed on the three women standing among the bodies left from the earlier fight.
Kappa tilted her head at him.
"Look," she said, scratching the back of her neck, "me and my crew, the Golden Gun, aren't from this shitty place, so don't think I'm trying to speak for the confederacy, but what do you want us to head to your palace for? If you don't own them, why try and boss us around? What could be so important that you had to basically scream at us to go the palace?"
The knight responded, "I didn't scream."
A few nearby sailors blinked:
"That's their crew name…?"
"The Golden Gun…"
One pirate scratched his head. "But only one of them actually has a gun to be honest."
Behind Kappa, Lodis leaned closer to Fharess and whispered quietly.
"Did Kappa really just choose a crew name for us out of the blue?"
Fharess nodded once, her voice carrying that quiet edge.
"Yes. Without consulting either of us." She paused. "Perhaps I should dump the entire ocean on her and drown all of us. I had names in mind.."
"Please share them with me later."
The Paladin Knight continued speaking as though he had not heard them.
"An opportunity none of you will pass down. A chance to earn more gold than you have ever seen, and power. We are fully aware of how you greedy murdering sailors behave. This offer is perfectly suited for you." He stepped backward. "Now make haste!"
Without another word, the six Paladin Knights leapt into motion. Their wings unfolded with metallic snaps before they dashed down the harbor street toward the inner city as they disappeared into the growing crowd.
The dock fell quiet again, then movement spread across the harbor like a ripple of water in the ocean. Pirates began heading toward the city streets, the sailors grabbed their gear, and entire crews climbed down from ships to see what kind of opportunity might be waiting inside the Palace of Lament.
Whatever it could be…
In the middle of it all, Kappa suddenly jumped into the air.
"Money and power?!" she shouted.
She grabbed Lodis's hand with one hand and Fharess's with the other, her grin stretching wide across her face.
"And it's an offer from those dumb demi-gods themselves! Hell yeah! Let's go!"
Pirates streamed past them toward the streets, but Lodis and Fharess did not move.
So, Kappa pulled harder, but not as hard as she wanted to avoid hurting them somehow.
Lodis and Fharess stayed exactly where they were.
Kappa strained, teeth gritting. "Why…!" She pulled again. "Let's go!"
Then…Kappa stopped pulling.
She scraped across the dock as she released their hands and turned toward them with a tired groan. Pirates continued walking past in the background, heading toward the inner streets of the Confederacy, but the three of them remained planted near the edge of the port.
"Ugh," Kappa said, rubbing her forehead. "What's your issue?"
Lodis adjusted the strap of her satchel, her expression thoughtful but definitely uneasy. "I do not trust this," she said quietly. "Anything related to the divine makes me uncomfortable. I would prefer not to be involved in whatever they are planning, if it can be helped that is…"
Fharess spoke next, her arms folding across her chest again while she watched the harbor water move against the dock.
"The Palace of Lament," she said. "Ruled by the demi-god children of Morcant, the god of light, reveal, and radiance." Her voice carried a disturbance that matched the subject. "And I am a witch devoted to the god of darkness."
Kappa shrugged. "But if they wanted you dead, they would have tried to fight you already, right? Since the god of darkness and the god of light are siblings who hate each other, right?"
Fharess did not answer immediately, she looked away toward the distant rooftops of the city. "…Maybe not their knights," she said eventually. "But those demi-gods. What if they aim to fight in their fathers steed?" Her voice grew quieter. "You know I still hear the whispers in my head, from the god of darkness…you also know I haven't slept in years because of the nightmares." She let out a breath and continued.
"I joined the two of you so I could travel farther, hoping the movement might quiet the voices or dull the dreams, and so I might find someone to break my pact with the dark god. All I want is peace…real peace. I told both of you before that making a pact with the deity of darkness was a mistake, my back was against the wall when I did it, and I felt like I had no other option."
Her fingers tightened slightly along her sleeve.
"But the god of darkness and the god of light are polar opposites. Morcant and the one I serve stand on completely different sides of existence. Walking into the palace of Morcant's children is not something I take lightly."
She turned back toward them.
"I do not want to die before reaching my goal. I know my limits sometimes."
Kappa watched her for a moment and let out a quieter response than usual. "Yeah," she said. "I know."
Lodis shifted her weight and spoke again.
"And me… my last encounter with a demi-god did not end well."
Her voice stayed calm, though something deeper sat underneath it.
"It troubles me that I still remember that day so clearly. Whenever the memory returns, I find myself sinking back into it. I lose focus, and I lose control of my thoughts." She clasped her hands together for a moment before continuing. "I have already lost too much of myself. That is why I travel with you guys. I am searching for someone strong enough to destroy me completely and reincarnate me into something new. I want to be reborn as something that has not been tainted the way I have."
Kappa stood quietly for a moment, she remembered these conversations; Fharess had explained her situation during a stormy night at sea two years ago, sitting near the ship's lantern while waves slammed against the hull. Lodis had shared her own reason for traveling during a long walk across a coastal road, speaking in the same careful tone she used now, but Kappa did not know the full story behind Lodis's situation with a Demi-god.
Fharess, on the other hand, simply wanted peace, that was all and to actually sleep for once.
Kappa scratched the back of her neck.
"Yeah, yeah," she said. "I know."
She shifted her weight and gestured toward the road leading into the city.
"I mean… you two could stay out here while I go in."
She pointed at them.
"Just promise you won't leave me."
Lodis and Fharess exchanged a brief look., then both of them started walking toward the city.
Lodis spoke first while passing Kappa. "I have to make sure you do not punch anyone important and get yourself killed," she said modestly. "You cannot be left alone by yourself." She sighed slightly. "I will endure this for the sake of the crew. But I will not be looking directly at the demi-gods when we enter."
Fharess followed beside her.
"I am coming as well," she said.
Her green eyes moved across the growing crowd of pirates heading toward the palace.
"If Morcant's children truly intend to gather the entire Confederacy in one place, then something significant is about to happen. I would rather witness it myself than learn about it through rumors afterward." She glanced briefly at Kappa. "And someone must make sure you do not accidentally start another war."
Kappa threw her hands in the air. "I can be left alone!" she protested. "I'm not that rowdy!"
Lodis answered immediately.
"You are."
The three of them joined the growing crowd walking through the streets of the Blacktide Confederacy. Hundreds of pirates moved together through the kingdom, boots walking across stone roads while the massive towers of the Palace of Lament rose ahead in the distance.
Whatever the demi-gods had planned, the entire pirate kingdom was about to hear it.
….
The streets of the Blacktide Confederacy grew more packed as more people joined the march, the noise of the port faded behind them until the entire crowd finally spilled out through the last gate of the pirate kingdom.
Beyond the walls stood the Palace of Lament, which was a pretty good distance away from the Blacktide itself.
The crowd gradually slowed, even pirates who had spent their entire lives laughing at danger found themselves staring up in awe, as the palace did not sit on land like one would imagine, it was literally floating.
Far above the cliffs of the Confederacy rose an enormous tower of white stone that climbed toward the sky, the structure spiraled upward through dozens of massive levels, each ringed with carved balconies and long windows of shining crystal that held the sunlight and scattered it across the sea below. The entire tower drifted high in the air as if it learned to fly, making everyone who looked at it think the palace was actually some ancient being that was alive.
But the most unsettling feature was not the height itself but the wings on the palace; enormous wings spread from the sides of the palace. Dozens of them. Massive feathered structures attached directly to the stone itself, each one large enough to eclipse entire ships. They stretched out across the sky in layers, some folded against the tower while others hung open across the air like the limbs of a colossal celestial creature.
Every feather glowed with a golden radiance that shimmered under the sun, the palace looked less like a building and more like a divine beast hovering above the kingdom.
Kappa leaned forward, staring upward with her mouth open.
"Whoa…!" she said. "It's even bigger up close!"
A pirate beside her leaned his shoulder against hers with a crooked grin.
"Want to see something of mine bigger up close?"
Kappa turned. "NO YOU FUCKING HORNDOG!"
Her fist moved instantly, the punch landed square across the pirate's face with a loud crack, launching him straight upward into the sky. His body spun wildly through the air while his boots kicked helplessly above the crowd.
A sailor crossed his arms and looked back up at the floating palace.
"Still though… look at that thing."
Another pirate scratched his beard.
"Feels like we're ants standing under a damn god's boot."
A third pirate spat into the dirt.
"I hate places like this. Too clean."
Nearby, Fharess stood quietly while staring toward the tower, and a line of blood slipped from one of her nostrils.
Lodis noticed immediately.
"Oh dear," she commented on it.
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a folded napkin before gently handing it over.
Fharess accepted it and pressed it against her nose.
"Thanks."
Lodis tilted her head slightly.
"You can still hear the god of darkness in your mind? Is it louder here?"
Fharess nodded.
"Yes."
She wiped the blood away slowly.
"It is louder now that we are closer to this palace. The voices do not like this place. He is telling me I should not be here…I can feel his rage." She glanced between the Kappa and Lodis "I also did not want to be alone with them. When the whispers get worse, they fill every empty corner of my thoughts."
Her eyes moved toward Kappa.
"She is loud enough to drown them out." Then she looked at Lodis. "And your modest behavior is hilarious to watch. That is the primary reason I came, I can't be left alone with these voices."
Lodis gave a small embarrassed chuckle.
"I do not behave that way intentionally."
Fharess smirked slightly.
"Any man would be completely entertained by you if you ever decided to have one."
Lodis shook her head gently.
"There is no point in falling for anyone when I am searching to be reborn. I would only ruin their life eventually. Or worse, break their heart." She folded her hands in front of her, and gave a slight bow. "That would be terribly inconsiderate."
Fharess nodded. "I cannot get involved with anyone either." Her voice carried that dark edge again. "I am a walking disaster. Anyone who grows attached to me would only be stepping into the middle of my mess."
The sky suddenly moved, and above them, the massive wings attached to the palace began to unfold.
Stone groaned across the air as the enormous structures stretched out like an eagle. Every feather expanded and caught the sunlight beautifully, releasing a blinding burst of golden radiance that spilled across the entire kingdom and the ones watching.
The glow poured downward like a wave, and the pirates immediately began shouting.
"H-Hey!"
"What is this?!"
"Stop panicking! You're gonna make me fucking panic!"
The light consumed the entire crowd, and for a brief moment, the world vanished away from them…then the light faded.
The pirates stood somewhere else, hundreds of them appeared together inside a colossal sanctuary chamber within the palace itself. The floor beneath them was smooth white stone embedded with large circular weird and mysterious runes that spread across the entire chamber. Massive pillars rose toward a distant ceiling so high it nearly disappeared into golden mist.
Long banners of white cloth hung between the pillars, each bearing the symbol of Morcant: a blazing sun surrounded by wings.
The chamber stretched far wider than any cathedral most of the pirates had ever seen.
At the far end of the sanctuary stood a raised platform, and upon it were three figures.
The demi-god children of Morcant:
Kleophan stood at the center, the firstborn son.
Beside him stood Nepherel, the only daughter.
And the third was Yeshe, the last son.
Surrounding the edges of the enormous sanctuary were rows of Paladin Knights in white and gold armor, standing perfectly still like statues created from divine steel. And near the platform itself stood several additional knights who clearly carried far greater authority than the rest.
Three high-ranking Paladin Knights positioned beside the demi-gods, and the entire chamber fell into a tense silence, hundreds of pirates stared toward the front of the sanctuary, and the three children of Morcant looked down upon them all like they weren't shit.