Invasion of the Four-Fingered Pirates

Job Info:

Kameyama stared at the paper for a moment. It was a clipping, of course, beneath it was the actual job notice of some kind of pirate uprising in a small port town, but he couldn’t help stare at the notice from the head office. That was, the head administrative office of the Rune Knights. After completing the adventures with Serilda and Mythal, he’d received an open invitation to join the Rune Knights. This wasn’t really something he’d considered before the invitation, but it was definitely something that was appealing once it was offered. The Kameyama of three dozen years ago would have never even contemplated becoming something like this. But having spent the last few years building himself a full new life, why not strike out on something completely different? Perhaps the Raiji Kameyama of now was indeed a Rune Knight. Time would tell.

So he filled in the paperwork, leaving some details more vague than others, but was eventually approved and sent out on an official job. The official job being this. This was his first official job with the Rune Knights. Private Raiji Kameyama, reporting for duty. Probably the oldest in Rune Knight history, he would have to work twice as hard to advance in position and work three times as hard to make himself known as anything other than Grandpa Policeman or whatever they’d deign to call him. Well… first thing’s first.

“Optix,” He said, looking down at the little pendant on his neck. “Let’s get a ferry ticket, shall we?”

— —

The quiet rushing of waves played calming background music as the pair, a man and his necklace, rode their way to this small city of Dragonfly Bay. It was on an adjacent island which would, as he had been told, become apparent due to the fact that it was currently being blockaded by pirate ships. The current ship he was on would bypass the targeted island at such an angle that it would miss the blockade, but not enough that it wouldn’t get Kameyama close. He watched the sea for signs of the island. According to the briefing, the pirates had threatened to bombard the town within a week unless their needs were met, and Kameyama was to bring them to justice without letting the town come to harm. That would mean negotiation at first, and bringing the fight to the pirates second. However, killing a bunch of thieves on his first Rune Knight mission wasn’t Kameyama’s idea of a great intro.

“It’s a real shame about them. Just makes you wish you could do somethin’, right?” A voice said, shaking him from his thoughts.

“What’s that now?” Kameyama asked, turning to the speaker. Standing next to him now was an elderly man, nearly twice his own age and half his height. “Shame about whom?”

“The people of Dragonfly Bay,” The elderly man said, leaning against the lower tier of the ledge as Kameyama was leaning against the top fo the ledge. “Happened about a month ago. My family and I had left on vacation just a few days before those pirates came in. Now we’re unable to return to our home. We’re just on our way back in so that we can stay with my sister’s friends. Shuffling from place to place. You just wish you could do something.”

“Yeah,” Kameyama agreed, “You’re from Dragonfly Bay?”

“That’s right.” The elderly man said with pride, “My pappy and his pappy before him. It’s a nice little town. Not worth holding up, if you ask me. There’s gotta be some other reason for it. They won’t give in to demands, of course. I think these pirates might be serious about their threats. We need only wait for them to open fire. It’ll all be gone in a wink.”

“What can you tell me about the people?” Kameyama said. He turned around to face the old man, his back against the rail. Light mists brushed against his back as he listened to the man’s response.

“Nothing extravagant to tell, really. There’s nothing about them that can’t be said of others of the same stripe. Simple folk, but good folk…” He seemed to stare out past the waves for a moment, past the islands in the distance into the past itself. Watching with intent, Kameyama recognized the look of a man who was gazing at something he felt he may never return to. This was something that Kameyama himself understood. He waited with patience as the man reached into his past for the memories he wanted.

With a start, the man seemed to once more recognize that Kameyama was next to him. He shrugged offhandedly, attempting to downplay the ever-gaze, and looked at Kameyama with the same polite smile and repeated, “Simple folk, but good folk.”

“I think I understand you,” Kameyama said with a smile in return, and for a moment there was a shared look between two men who had seen more than their years. “I believe you have given me exactly what I need to help them.”[/color] He turned back to face the railing and said, “Look for the fireworks.” He nodded to the old man, “And begin dreaming of home.”

He leapt over the railing, using the same trick he had to run along the water when arriving in Pandaria. It was something a bit more scientific than his usual tricks, but as long as he moved fast enough, the charged particles would allow him to glide over water as though he was running on it. The elderly man looked on in bewilderment as Kameyama ran towards the red painted pirate ships.

Kameyama darted between ships as he neared the blockade itself then activated a final burst of speed to land on the beach before anyone knew where he’d come from. Any other mages of a higher rank would have seen an electric blur speed past, but judging by the lack of general awareness, it seemed as though he had arrived without anyone being the wiser.

Once he arrived on the island, he sought the shelter of the townspeople. What he found was a town that had been raided at least once or twice, windows boarded up and doors haphazardly sealed. Walking through what seemed to be a ghost town, he shouted towards anyone that could hear him, “Hail, people of Dragonfly Bay! My name is Raiji Kameyama, of the Rune Knights. I bring aid in this time of need.”

There was silence.

After what seemed like a full bell’s time, a door opened and someone peered through. “A single Rune Knight against the entirety of the four finger pirates? Is Dragonfly Bay so unimportant?”

“Or is this one mage enough,” Kameyama responded. The bravado was enough to make him wretch at any other time, but it was necessary here. “Give me a handful of days to solve this problem, but I have need of the townspeople. We shall work together for three days.”

“What can you do in three days?”

“In three days, we can build an army.”

——

On dusk of the third day, Kameyama stepped back onto the beach and called out to the pirates, magnifying his voice magically. A simple spell that most mages likely knew. “Captain of the Four Finger Pirates. On behalf of the Rune Knights, I challenge you for this land. Defeat me and all plunder is yours. Lose, and your men’s freedom is forfeit.”

There was a deathly silence in the air.

Clank. Clank. Clank.

A single humanoid form appeared on the deck of the foremost ship. Before Kameyama knew what hit him, a thunderous roar heralded a gunshot, which slammed into his chest.

The aging mage went down, as the form grew closer and closer. A burst of fiery energy carrying him onto the beach. “Is that all the Rune Knights can send? This’ll be easier than I thought.”

Kameyama slowly rose to his feet, dusting the sand off of his clothing. “That was cheap.” He murmured.

“I’m a pirate.” The Captain responded in a deadpan tone.

“Touché,” With that, Kameyama sent out a sudden burst of electricity at the pirate captain, shocking him into a stunned state for just long enough that the Lucky Flash Mage elbowed him in the chest. As the Captain regained himself he fired a stream of magical fire just past Kameyama’s head, singing his hair ever so slightly.

The aging mage responded in kind by throwing a set of dice behind his opponent, allowing them to magically spin momentarily before they erupted in an electric explosion of white hot energy. The burst wasn’t aimed at the captain himself, but rather at the sand, sending an upward explosion that heated the sand into an ugly, malformed glass.

With a double fisted punch into the Captain’s chest, Kameyama sent him flying through the glass and onto his back, shattering the fragile material and sending blades scattered around and in his opponent.

The Captain wasn’t done, as a hand sized cannon appeared over his arm and fired a burst straight into Kameyama’s arm, an unsettling crunch signaling a definitely broken limb.

However, Kameyama had the high ground here, and released a torrent of cards lit with intense energy around the captain. “Concede,” He murmured.

“Or what?” The Captain said, starting to stand as a harpoon formed on his other arm.

One of the cards exploded, taking a chunk of sand with it.

“Touche,” The Captain said. Although the battle had lasted only moments, the two warriors were clearly exhausted. “I’ll just have to call in the cavalry.” He raised his arm to signal his pirates, but nothing changed. After a moment’s silence he said, “… the hell?” Before looking towards the ships. The men had filed out, hands above their heads. “Why would they…” The townsfolk were disarming them and binding them together appropriately.

Kameyama motioned towards the city. As the Captain could see, a regiment of warriors stood ready to attack on the roofs of the buildings. “It seems my army is bigger than yours. And your men are not fools.”

“… But you said it was only you,” The Captain stared in awe.

“Oh,” Kameyama nodded, as fireworks illuminated the background, “It is.”

——

As the real cavalry arrived and picked up the pirates one officer asked Kameyama, “How did you do that? We didn’t assign any other officers here,”

“Thankfully, you didn’t have to,” Kameyama said, “With ample time I was able to build an army myself. Well, with the help of the townspeople. I’m not good with painting.”

“… Painting?”

Carefully, as he was still on the mend, Kameyama picked up a stone and hurled it at one of the troops on the roof. With a clang, the tin soldier fell down. A mere stand-up prop that was visibly fake from nearby. From a distance, however, it would fool someone who didn’t look very closely. “The people of Dragonfly Bay now have a standing army. Provided the winds don’t blow too hard.” He smirked.

TWC: 1849.