"What the hell…" Zenith muttered, rushing up above the deck as soon as he was awakened by the crash. "Haylee!? Are you ok?!" He called out, looking around at the abandoned deck which was covered in a gentle scattering of fallen leaves and broken branches. All around himself, Zenith could see the dozens of fallen trees which had been toppled the moment their ship rammed into the forest atop the island.
"I'm over here," Haylee groaned from nearby, her body laid out weakly on the wooden deck below after she had fallen and hit her head as they collided with the land.
"Are you ok?" Zenith gasped, rushing over to help her up as Elez and Madison stepped out onto the deck and looked around at the carnage as well.
"The lighthouse is supposed to be lit," Haylee muttered, rubbing her head in pain as Zenith slowly placed her down against a wall nearby. "Why isn't the lighthouse lit?" She whined, her mind dizzy from the impact.
"Hey it's ok," Elez said, looking around one last time before crouching down beside her. "You rest here, we'll go and figure this out." He smiled.
"Yeah! Time to solve a mystery!" Madison grinned, running off below deck in order to gather her things and quickly assure Pip that everything was ok.
"I'll stay here and guard the ship and the injured." Elez said, no longer competing for the chance to spend time alone with his Captain. "Zenith, I trust you to keep Madison safe while you search." He said seriously.
"And I trust you to protect Pip and the others," Zenith smiled, walking off towards the front of the ship as Madison came quickly running to his side.
"Adventure!" She hummed, leaping down onto the ground below and glancing around at the moonlit forest which surrounded them. Every leaf atop every tree was lit by the sparkling light that shone down from above them, highlighting every minor feature with a beautiful silver glow.
Slowly, Madison and Zenith ventured deep into the forests of the island, leaving Elez to clear up the ship and tend to the wounded. As the Angel boy continued his work on the battered ship though, he discovered his natural ability to problem solve and build, slowly improving minor parts of the broken vessel. He was a natural shipwright, an avid inventor and creator of many thing. A skill which his old Captain would have never of let him discover.
"Look there," Zenith announced, pointing out past the trees and towards a towering lighthouse, one which was darker than the night's sky itself.
"Let's go," Madison smiled, pushing past a few more trees as she stepped up towards the old wooden door of the lighthouse, noticing the broken lock which had been shattered inwards by a powerful force. Humming slightly, she surveyed the damage, while Zenith reached out and held her shoulder, holding her back and preventing her from entering.
"There's voices inside," he whispered, leaning closer to the cracked door as he listened silently to the people talking from inside.
"Where is their Captain!!" A loud and demanding voice rung out, before the distinct sound of shattering glass could be heard from close by.
"I don't know!" A woman cried, her voice clearly signalling that she was terrified and hurt. "They haven't been here in thirty years! I only have their flag as a keepsake." She explained, before Zenith winced at the painful sound of a forceful hand slapping her face. The woman cried out weakly in pain while the loud voice of the man spoke up once more.
"Search the entire place for information! Burn everything useless to the ground! I want that treasure!" He growled, before stepping further away from the door through which Zenith had been eavesdropping. Madison too had heard his words, and smiled up at Zenith with a bloodthirsty glint in her eyes.
"Time to beat up some bad guys," she smiled, punching her fist into the palm of her other hand.
"Indeed," Zenith nodded, drawing his sword and kicking open the door to the building, revealing a ransacked home in which the pirates in question had invaded.
"Who the hell are you?" The captain yelled, his massively powerful voice being perfectly matched by his huge seven foot tall figure and jet black attire. The man was large and muscular, with slick black hair and clothes that matched the same colour scheme.
"My name is Captain Madison of the Nightshade Pirates! And you're going down for what you've done here!" She growled, reaching to her side in order to draw her sword as well, leaving Zenith to step forwards in the blink of an eye and analyse the room in a moment.
"Guillotine!" The swordsman yelled, slicing his sword cleanly through the open air as the shock wave of magic produced shot out and sliced through all of their standing opponents. The enemy Captain fell to his knees as blood seeped out from the deep wound across his chest, leaving his trusty men to fall to their knees as well with similar injuries.
"Dealing with them swiftly, I like it." Madison hummed, looking around at the small room that surrounded them, before stepping outside and transforming into her dragon form. Zenith understood what she was doing immediately, and stepped over towards the enemy and his groaning men. With a few simple movements, Zenith positioned them all closer to the doorway, as Madison peeked her large Dragon head inside and lifted the bodies up in her jaws.
"You're gonna throw them, aren't you?" Zenith chuckled, watching as a large grin formed on the Dragon's face, before she turned and whipped her head to the side, launching the pirates out into the forest and sealing their fates with death.
"That was fun," Madison giggled, transforming back into her human form as she stepped once more into the house and looked around at the damage done. "Elez can help rebuild some stuff here, and i can get the lighthouse back up and running." She began, before spotting the injured woman who lay shaking on the ground nearby, holding tightly onto a tattered flag and a small tropical bird.
"Are you ok, miss?" Zenith asked, walking over to her side and carefully leaning down to help her up. Slowly, she looked up at him with shimmering emerald eyes, while her perfect blonde hair was sticking to her tear drenched face.
"Who are you people?" She hiccupped, still holding her most precious items close.
"We're just here to help you," Zenith smiled, lifting her up into his arms and carrying her to a bedroom nearby, all while Madison was left to explore and wander around the lighthouse.
"My name's Alison," the woman began, letting her bird groom his feathers as she gently let go of him. "And this is Piku," she explained, gently petting their feathers as soon as Zenith had laid her down.
"My name is Zenith," he replied, looking around for a medical kit nearby and eventually stumbling upon one suitable enough to tend to her wounds. "Why were those pirates here?" He asked softly, not wanting to intrude on anything personal.
"They came in search of the Dancing Pirates' bounty." She replied, leaning back into the cushions behind herself and sighing softly at the comfort of the silence. "They came here thirty years ago and made a promise to return to us and visit… but it's been too long." She mumbled, looking away from Zenith while the swordsman covered up her minor wounds.
"They'll come back, I'm sure of it." He smiled, standing up as soon as he was done. "But you should rest for now, we will clear up the mess and fix anything that was broken."
"...Thank you." She muttered, looking up at him in amazement before slowly turning away. "And tell your Captain… I really like Dragons like her." She muttered, causing a small and happy smile to rise on Zenith's face.
"I really like her too." He replied, turning away to clean up and assist Madison in relighting the lamp at the top of the lighthouse.