Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

Xing Dao, Captain of the Gold Monkey Pirates, raised his saber up high before pointing it at the sky ship. 

"Such a wonderful ship is sure to have a few treasures and beauties! Come men, let\'s have us a good time!"

Every ship he lead met his words with shouts and hoots of excitement. Quickly, they scattered and began their operation, looking to surround the sky ship. 

"Move the power towards the cannons! Fight them off!" 

The captain of the Heaven\'s Gate sky ship began shouting orders as everyone took to their positions. It was not long before the cannon fire started. From the sky ship, booming beams of light arced throught the clouds as the hull revealed numerous cannons. However, the pirate ships were swift avoiding a fair number of shots. 

Ming Yue left her room with Hei Yue and Xiao Yin and ascended the deck, where several members of the crew memebers prepared to fight. 

"Wait! Please return to your room, it is not safe here."

One of them stopped in front of her, directing the trio back but she did not budge. Instead, Ming Yue showed her medallion to them, identifying herself. 

"I am a disciple of Heaven\'s Gate. Let me help you defend this ship."

Of all the things to happen, she did not want a pirate attack to delay her like this.  A much older man heard her and approached Ming Yue with a somewhat relieved expression. He wore steel armor and had spiked guantlets for weapons. 

"Hello there, I am the vice captain of this ship, you can call me, Boss Hang. It is good to have some more aid, especially from one of our own. To think the Gold Monkey Pirates would strike! What bad luck!"

Ming Yue was confused. Her only experience with pirates had been the first time she rode a sky ship, fighting against the Skulldrop Pirates. 

Was there something unique about these pirates?

If anything, the Skulldrop Pirates sounded more intimidating than them. 

"Are they incredibly dangerous? Boss Hang", she asked. 

Boss Hang nodded. 

"Very. Their fleet is relatively small but that is because they capitalize on their speed. They do not depend on cannons or any of that to rob ships. Rather, they use harpoons and ropes to board the ship and take it over as quickly as possible. The name of "Gold Monkey" stems from this as they are fast and nimble like monkeys. More than that, every one of them howl like beasts as they board the ship."

He looked around, checking to see if everyone was fully armored and prepared to fight. 

"If I remember correctly, there should be a few others from the Institution that are also helping out. In any case, we have to keep them on the deck and away from any entrances to the lower levels. That is the only thing I will say."

From afar, the ships of the Gold Monkey Pirates came closer. The sounds of howling and whistling grew louder. The fleet had all split into different directions. With their swift, they managed to avoid the cannon shots with a few scrapes. Only one or two had slightly more damage but the enire fleet moved forward, looking to surround the sky ship. 

Ming Yue looked around, taking note of all twenty ships before making a move. 

"I wonder if they\'re fast enough..."

She muttered before wind gathered above her. They gathered and spun, growing in power before fully forming into twenty of her Blasting Gales. 

With a thought, she sent them out, soaring through the skies as each one went to their own target. Compared to the ships, they were small and none of the pirates seemed to even care. Xing Dao noticed the lances but was the same as his crew, he thought little of this attack.

It was so much so that he yelled out, insulting those on the sky ship. 

"Is that it? A little bit of wind? Is that going to stop the Gol-"

All at once, the lances met their target and exploded, shocking the fleet as they all tried to keep the ship balanced. While the Blasting Gales did not manage to make a hole, cracks had formed and the hull was creaking. 

The captain of the Gold Monkey Pirates, steadied himself and eyed the sky ship. 

"Speed up! Avoid the attacks! Another twenty seconds and we can board the ship!"

He turned serious and barked out ordered before retreating from the front of his ship. Walking down, he moved to the sides and grabbed one of the harpoon guns on the floor. 

One by one, the ships grew closer and the men at the sides of the ship readied their harpoons. 

"Here they come! Everyone, prepare yourselves!"

Boss Hang yelled out, shaking his hands ready and curling them into fists. 

Ming Yue did not take out her sword, in fact, she didn\'t seem very tense. 

"Are they really that dangerous?" she thought.

From the skies, numerous harpoons flew up in the air, flying down towards the ship deck and the sides.

"They\'re more annoying than anything..." Xue Yue spoke out and Ming Yue moved. 

Under her control, she formed a wall of wind that slowed the harpoons and threw them off course. Of the hundred or so harpoons, only six managed to reach the ship, piercing the wood flooring. 

As more and more ships arrived, the number of harpoons grew and wave after wave, they came. Ming Yue could not stop all of them and the boarding commenced. 

"Forward! Overrun them!"

Xing Dao pointed his saber forward and his men ran up the side of their ships. They sprinted over the ropes tied to the harpoons with ease. 

"Hmph!" 

Ming Yue threw forth another blast of wind, shaking the ropes and pushing some of them off. But true to their name,, they grabbed onto the ropes and continued, moving along like monkeys climbing vines. 

They jumped onto the ship in droves and rushed those defending on the ship. 

"Get them! Run for the lower levels and grab whatever looks shiny!"

Some of the pirates cackled out loudly as they brandished their weapons. 

"Fight them back! Hold your ground!" Boss Hang yelled out before jumping into action. 

The vice captain was quite monster in battle, as he took on multiple pirates. With his spiked gauntlets, he punched and threw his fists around, causing small shockwaves with each attack. The others followed, dressed in armor, they fought the pirates with swords and sabers. 

"Hey there, pretty girl! Are you looking for a husband yet? How about this big brother here?"

Ming Yue found herself surrounded by several pirates, all of them looking at her lustfully. One of them walked forward, a pot-bellied man in his twenties with an impish face and a gold cutlass, a short and rather gaudy weapon. 

"Come on, I don\'t think you need to fight, right? Just come over an-"

Unable to finish his words, he dropped to the floor, convulsing as he choked on his own blood and died there. Ming Yue didn\'t move from her position, rather a single wind needle did the work. It pierced his neck and obliterated it. Outside, it was a singular hole with the thickness of one centimeter and within, it was a bloody mess of destruction as the needle tore through it. 

"What the fuck?!"

The other stepped back out of fear, they could not understand what had happened for they saw nothing. 

Ming Yue looked at them and took out her sword. Unsheathing it, the long blade released a melodious ring as she held it in her hand. As her opponents were still in a state of shock, she ran forward and swung her blade. 

In one horizontal swing, Drifting Sky cut through them all.. Six lives had been taken in that first move and it had only just begun.