Chapter 26 "Trouble in the Capital"

The day came for us to visit the royal court to have our medals presented to us. As the crew made their way there, a series of concentrated pops that blew so loud you could hear it from five blocks down. We knew these were weapon-type artifacts. You have normal guns, but then you have guns made by heaven's best blacksmith and blessed with a legendary dwarven rune smith.

As we made our way to the area where the shots were fired, hoping to provide assistance to the knights since they'd obviously need it (they don't need to ask us, we know how strong these weapons are), we were stopped by a knight named Gonzo. He exclaimed, "H-Halt! Please stop! Don't go any further! The Black Tails have docked at a nearby port! They have guns made by heaven's best blacksmith, and I saw runes that glowed purple, signifying that they were marked with a rune made by a legendary dwarven rune smith. They've already taken the knight captain, there's no hope for lackey soldiers like me, and you guys should run. Civilians are an easy target. Please run. If you are found dead, I don't know if I can handle the guilt!"

The crew was shocked; we stared at the frenzied knight and asked him to calm himself. Your Uncle Austria spoke, "You're a knight named Gonzo, right? You were one of the knights who assisted us in moving our treasures. If what you're saying is true, and I know it is – we heard the shots – everyone in the vicinity is in danger. This is quite the problem. We don't want to destroy city infrastructure, but we can't just let them go."

Gonzo looked at us and just realized who we were. "The Black Stone! I'm sorry I didn't recognize you! Look, you can charge in from there, that way you'll have them by surprise. Please be safe. I'm going to run, I don't want to die here." And just like that, the scared witless Gonzo ran off. We couldn't blame him, though. Those guns could pierce armor made of Mythril, only one of the strongest metals of the century.

We took his advice. We charged from the sides, dividing our group to attack from both the east and west sides.

The initial attack started off well. We caught most of the Black Tails, even the third mate and their on-board treasure accountant. However, the battle got progressively harder as more men kept emerging from buildings, as if there was no end to the wave of pirates. It's no wonder Gonzo ran off. One by one, my men got captured. First, it was Lord Haruki, then Lord Rukio. Lady Emi tried to save them, only to get captured herself. Jiro summoned a fleet of angels to aid us in battle, which they did, but they left the moment Jiro got knocked out by one of the highest-ranking members of the pirate crew, Kinny.

Your uncle and Kinny positioned themselves on rooftops, only to be beaten by the men who found them, as retribution for the trouble they'd caused. Our numbers dwindled as minutes passed by, but the waves of men started slowing down, giving us hope. However, during the final wave of pirates, Lilly, the only reason we could keep standing, got captured by the Black Tails' own healer. She didn't stand a chance. It was one against five; the healer had brought gunmen with him. They dragged her around the block on a horse they had taken from one of the fallen knights. All I could hear were her screams.

I began to worry for my own sister. If that's what they did to Lilly, what would they do to Zeth? My worry became my downfall. The world around me turned black and white, and the sounds of gunshots rang out, gradually becoming muffled. I was there, but I wasn't there at the same time. My mind was elsewhere until Zeth snapped me out of it. She hit me on the head and shouted, "THIS AIN'T NO PLACE TO DIE FOR THE LORD OF THE ISHIKAWA CLAN! SNAP OUT OF IT!" She kept fighting while scolding me, and I slowly came to, but a little too late. The remaining members of my crew were already downed – either captured, beaten and left in agony, or worse, dragged behind a horse. They seemed to enjoy doing it to women, those sick bastards.

I was overflowing with anger, but that anger turned to shock as I saw Gonzo jump into the battlefield on a brown horse with golden blond hair. Its saddle was fit for a captain. He took down every enemy that stood before him, saving me and my sister. My dear, I was so scared. This was one of the few times I lost my cool in a fight. I didn't like it. That shock, mixed with my anger and fear, created the perfect stimulant to beat every other foot soldier that posed a threat to my sister. She was my one and only focus at the time.

As the streets went silent, the only remaining sounds were Lilly crying and Lady Emi trying to comfort her while bleeding profusely herself. Your uncle helped Kinny up, and they made their way down the building together. Everyone regrouped in the middle, and as Gonzo came running to us on his glorious steed, a bullet whizzed by and hit him. He fell off his horse, and it ran off. My body froze for a few seconds before I came to my senses and ordered everyone to hide in a nearby building. We had snipers in the area. I dragged poor Gonzo into the building as well and couldn't think of any orders to give.

The dying knight saw my panicked expression and spoke in a weak yet calming voice, "A captain must always keep his composure, yes?" I collected myself for a moment before letting out a confused, "Huh?" He smiled, "You're Captain Rei Ishikawa, right? Lord of Clan Ishikawa and the Captain of the Black Stone Pirates. The people who are in this building right now follow you and your command, Captain, just as I followed Captain Emily's orders. She's probably still alive on their lead ship, being held as a prisoner due to her high rank." He stopped, coughing blood onto my already velvet red presentation uniform. Despite knowing he was dying, he smiled, "Captain Ishikawa, you've got a duty – to lead your crew to victory and to grant me a final wish, maybe two."

My eyes started to well up with tears as I nodded, letting him know I'd do everything I could to fulfill his final wishes. He once again smiled, "Captain, please save Emily. Truth be told, I was so in love with her, but a coward like me never stood a chance. Tell her my feelings for me, would you? We all know I'm not making it out of this alive. I'm only still talking to you right now because of, well, because of your sister's blessing." I looked at him with tears running down my eyes, "Your wish is my command, you brave bastard." He laughed through the pain, "Brave… I never expected to hear that today. Just a few moments ago, I was running for my life, practically soiling myself, begging you to run. But I guess 'brave' is a fitting word for what I was out there. I'm glad to know I was brave, even for a moment in my pathetic life."

I slapped him, shocking everyone. "Your life was not pathetic, Gonzo. You joined the knights knowing you could die, like you are right now. You've done more than what most would do already." He looked to the sky, "Oh, what a beautiful sight. The gates shine of gold. One prayer for those who suffer, raise a glass or two for the fallen, three cheers for the survivor, and four days for our loved ones to remember our sacrifice. Oh captain, oh captain, how the mighty have fallen." And just like that, his body went limp, the color faded from his eyes, a dust lifted from his chest.

His passing made a sense of justice grow in me, a desire to bring his killers to justice. Being the only one capable of fighting in the crew, I stood up and gave my order, "Stay." That's all it took, and the crew all nodded, "Yes, Sir." I walked out of that building a different man than the one who entered it, before a man dressed in black and purple armor came down from the ship on the docks. "Captain Rei Ishikawa of the infamous Black Stone Pirates, the bastards who killed my best general in Tinwati, Gwendolyn, remember her! She's gone because of you, and you dare call yourself a noble captain of a noble crew of pirates! How's that knight we shot? Is he dead? If he is, it's all your fault! We wouldn't be here had you not Invaded our lands on Tinwati, and now the knight captain and all the people we killed here, including that pathetic knight, will pay the price of your invasion."

I walked closer, which shocked him. "Gonzo was everything but a pathetic knight. He's a goddamn hero if I'd ever seen one! Hell, he's more of a hero than I am! His death will pave the way to yours. The Black Tail Pirates, associated with cats, with the color black representing death and mystique. Well, guess what, Captain Shite-for-brains, nine lives you're out, and the Reaper of the Stone has come to collect!" I rushed the captain without asking for his name, the greatest dishonor an emperor's most trusted could present to a man. He threw Knight Captain Emily and blocked my attack, but I was still outnumbered. He let out a smile as one of his goons was about to strike me down from behind, but that smile was wiped off his face when that goon fell before he could strike me.

I turned to look at what happened. There he was, your uncle, shooting his gun with one arm as his left arm was broken from the beating he received. He shouted, "YOU CAN'T HAVE ALL THE HONOR, YOU DAMN HONOR HOG!" I smiled and let out a stupid laugh, "HEUGHHUUH, THAT BASTARD NEVER CHANGES, ALWAYS HUNGRY FOR HONOR, YA KNOW, CAPTAIN SHITE-FOR-BRAINS. HE'S BEEN LIKE THAT SINCE WE WERE KIDS!" The face that captain gave me was beautiful. His eyes were riddled with fear, as though tears were about to fall from its ducts. His arms grew weak as what seemed to be a psycho battle-hungry captain swung his sword at him frantically, but with such great strength, he was backed into a corner.

I let out another stupid laugh before changing my expression from this to that. My facial expression changed from a wide smiling battle-seeker to a stoic captain blessed by the gods. That seemed to finish off the bastard captain, as he fell right on his back. I used a hand sign Gant taught me, and the world around us became dark. He looked around in panic. He stood up, grabbing his sword, swinging it around, looking for me. He heard my movements and he sliced wherever I went until a singular light was lit, and it was directed at me. "Welcome to the darkness, Captain Shite-for-brains. I hope you enjoy your stay here, as my offering to Gant. You won't last long, don't worry. Gant's dogs bite, and they bite hard."

He ran to me and knelt down, "Please don't leave me here, please! No, no, no, no!! Don't leave me here!" But just like that, I was gone, like a shadow.

I like to think he's still suffering in that dark room to this day. Anyway, when I came to, I was in the Royal Infirmary at the Emperor's Palace. The whole crew was there on their own hospital beds, resting. The only one able to move was Zeth, since she didn't get hurt during the battle. And I have Gonzo to thank for that; he saved so many lives that day. I'm still saddened by his death. Every New Year's, I visit his grave to light fireworks with the crew. I like to say he's one of our own through the grave. But yeah, when your auntie noticed I was awake, she ran to me and gave me the tightest hug she'd ever given me. I couldn't even blame her. If the roles were switched, I'd have done the same thing. She slapped me before speaking up, "You idiot! Don't you ever try to be a hero like that again! I almost lost you there. Remember, we have nobody left. It's just us and Lilliana left in our family's name. I can't lose you, not after Mom and Dad." I smiled, "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, sis. I'm about as tough as you are. I just attract injuries like a magnet during battle, but it's better me than you, so it's always fine with me." She scoffed as she pressed one of my wounds, "Yeah? Is that so? It's fine with you, huh? So you're okay with leaving me alone in this cruel world? You scum. Oh, by the way, Knight Captain Emily is here to see ya as well." Before I could open my mouth, she ran in, "Captain! I'm so glad you're ok! You're my hero. I heard what you said about Gonzo. Is it true? Is he…?" I nodded, "He wanted you to know that he loved you oh so very much, Emily. He actually came back to save you; he saved us in the process too. He was brave in his last moments. He's a hero, Emily. I found this on his body," a ring with the words "Will you marry me?" on the box. "He was planning to propose to you eventually. He just couldn't shoot his shot before he did…" She took the ring as it was still in the box, "I told him not to die before the end of the year… I was actually planning to do the same thing as he was." She pulled the exact same ring and box; it seems they know each other's tastes very well. I asked to borrow it, and I grabbed a red chain from my side table and made it a necklace with the two rings on it. "A red necklace made of steel with your rings connected to It. This way, the red string of fate connecting you two will not sever, even after you both pass. You'll find him in the next life with this, I promise." She cried as she put it on, "Thank you, Captain. Emperor Takeshi has been panicking non-stop when he heard of your heroism. Something about telling you to be careful. I'll tell him you're awake. If you'd excuse me…" I smiled as I waved her goodbye.

And that's how that whole fiasco came to an end, my dears. Gonzo is here with us right now; I can feel his spirit. It has always had a very distinct feeling when it's around. It seems like he's waiting for Emily to pass, so that they can move on to the next life together – the sweet bastard. Anyway, my dears, it's 1 am, a little later than usual, so go to bed now. You have classes tomorrow.