Chapter 2

“Captain Arwin, the hull is damaged, and the shield is almost down! It will take at least half a day to charge back to maximum!” One of the Night Rose crew reported.

“Everyone repairs the ship immediately! We are leaving now before we receive more hits! Load the motors at maximum and hold on!” Arwin, the Night Rose Captain, ordered while trying to rescue what’s left off her airship.

However, before she could do anything, they were already surrounded by small and medium-sized airship wyvern patrols that are backed-up with knights’ airship from the kingdom. 

Some of the small airships suddenly crashed on their side, causing an explosion, which further damaged their hull and shield even more. 

“Night Rose, this is your last warning! Surrender now, and we can promise quick and painless death for you! For those who can give the Captain and the information about the Bloodied Fang Bandit Group will be spared and will be given a chance to live as slaves! Otherwise, you will perish at the Royal Army of Crego!” the leader of the Royal army said, his voice amplified by magic wielded by the rest of wizards behind him.

“He is speaking the truth! You will be spared! Do you all remember me? I am Lars! They spared me when I gave the information they needed. Yes, I might have the brand of a slave, but that is better than death!” An average height man with a sly face shouted out. He was Lars, the information provider of the Night Rose.

The knights of Crego had captured him, and through his help, they were able to set the ambush for the Night Rose.

“Lars, you traitor! I curse you and every succeeding generation of your family! How dare a bastard like you betray us? You should know the punishments waiting for you. When the Bloodied Fang got their hands on you, you’ll wish that you never lived!” Arwin cursed out loudly, “Being a slave is worse than death, you of all people should know that!”

Lars tried to convince the rest of Night Rose’s crew, “Come on guys, join me, stop serving that woman! All your journeys will be perilous. Give up now when you still have a chance! You should always know when to give up!”

The rest of the crew fell silent and stepped forward; they smirked and announced, “You better wish we don’t make it out alive or you’re dead.”

Lars cowers, hiding behind the royal guards.

 Captain Arwin abruptly turned her ship around, aiming at the Royal Army of Crego.

“Unload everything we have against them! You have permission to shoot everything you find from the ship and its spatial storage.” She firmly commanded her troops, “It’s playtime boys. Release chaos.”

They answered loudly, “Aye, Captain!” 

The crews then immediately started to load, and the first volley of cannonballs and ammunition began to head towards the royal army.

“Everyone! Battle formation now! Prepare for the coming battle, and let’s eradicate the Night Rose today!” The leader of the Royal army commanded while the wyverns tried their best to avoid the cannonballs. The airships started to shoot out, as they believed that their shields will withstand the incoming cannonballs. 

The air is full of flying cannonballs, and the smell of black powder dominated their noses. 

Still, many wyverns and some airships were shot down, making loud noises as they crash through each other. 

“Shoot them! Let’s show what the Night Rose is made of. Kill as much as possible before we fall! Let’s make our last stand and let the enemy suffer for making us their targets! Let’s make their lives a living hell,”, Arwin shouted while watching out the situation to unfold.

The crewmates were smiling around as if no worry could be seen on their faces. Now, it was finally their time, and the god of death had their names written on a paper. Their hourglass had finally run out of sand. So they just all smiled and waited for the cannonball to come and destroy their ship.

At this very moment, Arwin could not help but remember a lot of things.

 “Heh. You really do think of stupid things when you are nearing death.” Arwin muttered to herself silently, “I wondered what they were all thinking moments before they died.” 

She remembered a girl who was raised in a small city that was known for its repair shops for airships. 

The girl’s mother passed away when she was young. Because of this, she could not clearly remember her mother’s face. She remembers fragments of how elegantly her mother’s hair flows as the wind brushes past it, her mother’s golden brown eyes and freckles always seemed like the perfect pair for Arwin, and she recalls her mother’s soft voice calling her name.

It was such beautiful memories.

Her father, on the other hand, raised her as well as he could.

With the help of her father, the girl learned everything she should know about airships and how to steer them. She was always silently following and helping her father in his work, to the point that she was bullied and was called names for being her father’s shadow. Arwin had always admired her father, she got her mother’s elegant face, but she got her father’s barbaric ways of handling airships.

Since the girl’s father was not used to taking care and raising a little girl, she started to wear baggy men’s clothes in order to help her father around the shop without feeling insecure about her gender and her petite body frame. Arwin remembers how her father had a hell lot of trouble going to a girl’s clothing store just to buy her first dress, but instead, Arwin continued to wear her father’s shirt. This became a habit that also saved her life. 

The girl can still vividly remember the day when a band of robber came to the city looking for parts for their airships and recruits to their camp. At this time, the girl’s father already passed away a few years ago, and she already inherited the shop.

When the bandits saw her, they thought that she was a young boy and a skilled mechanic as the rumors circulated around the whole town. And so, the men kidnapped her and brought her to their Captain. That day, her life as a robber started. It was the beginning of her legacy and end.

The girl was lucky as when the former Captain of the bandit ship learned her secret; the Captain was kind enough to have adopted her to protect her identity as a female. She was also taught everything about weapons and the proper way to handle an airship. She learned everything that made her who she is from the best.

So one day, the Captain gave her permission to create her own crew. The girl was given a chance to have her own airship while sharing fifty percent of the loot they’ll acquire with the main camp.

Arwin grinned softly as she remembered it. This was how her story started as a captain of the infamous Night Rose.

She looked at her crew as they wait for their death; they were also staring at her as if words were no longer needed to convey gratitude and loyalty. The only regret that she has in her life was never being able to tell them her secret: That the Captain and the leader of the group of thieves, is a girl.

She had always wondered what their faces must look like if they knew. Would their loyalty remain unwavering, or would they leave and betray her?

She mutters to herself as she chuckled softly, “I guess I’ll never find out now.”