"Wake up, Elez." Haylee said, gently shaking the Angel boy's arm while she attempted to wake him from his slumber. Slowly, the boy groaned and sat up straighter in the chair upon which he had passed out in, only to hiss as his back clicked and his body ached from the awkward sleeping position.
"What's wrong?" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he tiredly looked around at the candle lit room, all while Kaylo was left sleeping lifelessly in the bed that stood beside them.
"I see a ship on the horizon," she explained. "Pip can stay here with the others while me, you and the Captain go to search for help."
"Sounds good, let's go." Elez nodded, adjusting Kaylo's blankets before he slowly left the darkened room, stepping out into the equally dim hallway.
"Ready?" Madison asked, her stance already closed off and violent as she stood stoically just in front of the door to Zenith's room. After seeing her crew hurt and dying, her happy smile was no longer present. She was prepared to do whatever it took to get them help.
"Yes, let's go." Elez nodded, walking up the stairs nearby and stepping out onto the foggy deck. It was only a few hours after midnight, so the sky was still filled with stars, while the ocean was coated with a thick blanket of heavy silver fog. It obscured their vision down into the water, but they could still look out over the horizon and see the silhouette of an approaching battleship.
"Hop on," Madison said, transforming into her Dragon form as Elez and Haylee nodded and climbed aboard, holding on tightly while the Shellshock rocked from the force of her take off. She flew low, just above the fog, but high enough to allow the depths of the sea to stay peaceful.
"What's the plan?" Elez asked, leaning down to stay close to Madison's body while the Dragon girl swooped skillfully around the ship and searched for a good landing spot.
"We infiltrate and ask peacefully for the Captain, if they refuse, then Madison will cause a distraction while we search for the healing potions." Haylee replied, gripping tightly onto Madison's spines while she feared a fall from such a fast speed and height.
'We will be fine.' Madison replied to them, her voice soft and comforting when she spoke in her Dragon form.
"Yeah," Elez nodded, having already prepared his plans if something was to go wrong. Reaching down into the satchel which he had gathered before they left, he slipped his hand inside and pulled out strips and pieces of metal, before silently clicking them over his hands.
"Land there," Haylee instructed, pointing to an open space atop the ship where no guards were currently patrolling, allowing them to board without being shot down. Gracefully, Madison landed atop the ship, rocking the vessel with the weight of her Dragon form and quickly gathering attention.
"Who are you?!" A guard yelled, pulling out a longsword while they held it up towards Madison's neck. The Dragon growled furiously with anger, causing the guard to back up in fear and call out for help from others.
"Please don't be alarmed!" Haylee called out quickly, leaping down from Madison's back as she carefully approached the guards. "We come in peace; we only wish to know if you have any healing potions that we can buy, we need them urgently for our friends." She explained, looking towards them with a scared and frightened expression, once again using her natural charm of deception to sway them.
"Lower your weapons," the lead guard ordered, forcing the others to stand down while he began approaching Haylee with no weapons drawn. "My lady, we would love to offer a gem like you such a service, but please, you must come meet our Captain first. Maybe we can protect you all with the offer of joining us," he suggested, looking towards Madison with a soft smile. "Your Dragon is impressive, we could use a strong force like them."
"Your words are so kind, but I'm already part of a crew," Haylee admitted. "I would love to consider the offer though, but I really wish for the healing magic first, if you would allow it?" She asked, looking up to him with large pleading eyes.
"Men, gather some food for this Dragon and keep them happy, I will escort the lady to Avon." He ordered, waving away the other men while Elez stayed hidden atop Madison's back.
"Change of plans, I'll watch from the shadows." Elez whispered to Madison, sliding off down her back and leaping over the side of the ship, before stretching out his wings and flying down to the lower part of the hull, slipping inside through a large open window.
"Thank you," Haylee smiled to the guard, following him down below deck while Madison growled and turned to look at the guards that were left to care for her. They all backed up in fear and terror, but threw food in her direction in an attempt to calm her. It was insulting in Madison's mind, she hated being treated like an animal, but for the others, she would do anything.
Slowly, she lowered her guard and sat down on the deck, ignoring their offers of food and snapping at any one who came close, all while Haylee was treated like a royal guest, and led happily towards the pristine Captain's quarters.
"Captain Avon, I have a request to make, sir." The lead Guard announced, tapping his hand lightly against the wood of his door before a strong voice called back to him.
"What is it?" They asked, making no attempt to open their door.
"I have a woman here with her Dragon, she's asking for healing magic. May I please provide her with some?" He asked, waiting in silence for a few moments before the door was pulled open in an instant, revealing a large monstrous man standing in the doorway.
"A Dragon?" He asked, raising his eyebrow in curiosity, before his eyes fell to Haylee's small shaking figure. "This woman tamed a Dragon?" He chuckled.
"It's fascinating, isn't it?" The guard smiled, unfazed by Avon's size and sheer influence.
"I can gift her some of my magic, but I want both of them on my crew." He replied, stepping back into his room in order to gather a few items, most importantly his sword.
"I-I'm sorry sir," Haylee stuttered, keeping up the act of an innocent lady. "But I'm already part of a crew."
"No matter," he said, turning back towards her with a smile. "I'll let your entire crew join, aren't I such a saint?" He grinned, receiving a nod of approval from his lead guard.
"Come, my lady, I'll lead you to our potion stores, you can take what you need while Avon gracefully invites your crew to join us." The guard smiled, gesturing for Haylee to follow him down the hall. She hesitated and Avon stared at her in surprise.
"Is something wrong?" He asked, looking down upon her much smaller figure. "My armada can easily wipe them out if you don't wish for them to join you." He explained, striking pure fear directly into Haylee's heart. An armada of ships would be far too much for them to handle, she must have missed the smaller ships while she was scouting, and now they were surrounded by an unknown quantity of fog covered vessels.
"No, no, I'm just really worried about my child." She lied quickly. "I left him alone with the others and I should really return to him, would you be able to deliver the potions to us?" She asked, wanting to run away and warn Madison as quickly as possible. The moment she looked up into Avon's eyes though, she noticed the curious glimmer of joy that sparked through his eyes.
"You know, you remind me so much of your father." Avon chuckled, thrusting his hand forward in a moment as he grabbed Haylee by the neck and slammed her into a nearby wall. "Jevelyn Park," he hummed, recalling Haylee's father's name and causing her to freeze. "The trickster of the seas; I would know those eyes of yours anywhere." He said, squeezing her neck with an unimaginable force.
"Sir!" The guard called out, rushing to his side while he tried to pull him back. "Please sir, she just wants help."
"She's a trickster," Avon growled, dropping Haylee to the floor as she gasped for air and quickly thought over her options.
"Destroy her ship and kill everyone on board. Shoot down the Dragon and capture them in a cage, and finally, throw this weasel in a cell." He growled, walking off above deck and leaving the lead guard to handle Haylee, all while Elez was standing silently behind a corner nearby, peeking around as he watched the action.
"Looks like it's up to me." He mumbled.