Headed by a Snake

Bob began to explain the rules of the \'match\' to Mina. Though the mermaid initially protested, her voice grew quiet... then nonexistent. Eventually, she unsummoned her weapon, dismissed her levitation effect, and \'knelt\' down on the deck to listen obediently.

"Inter-esting," Krysaos rubbed his chin, devious thoughts surely racing through the gentleman\'s mind.

Tycondrius shook his head. Mina had displayed a glaring weakness... one that gave Captain Krysaos great advantage.

She was... easy to bully into submission by persons with... insistent characters.

...Nearly every crewmember of the Neptune\'s Revenge, including her Captain, spoke without neither tact nor care for a secondary party\'s willingness.

"She\'s a pushover," Krysaos explained. He wore his customary shite-eating grin-- even wider than usual.

"...Aptly stated," Tycon nodded.

Mina levitated over to the improvised arena square, "You\'re saying that... should I require assistance... I would go to my corner... and tag? my partner?"

"Dat\'s roight!" Catshit shouted, flexing his stony muscles, "Once ya git gud and bloodied, you tag ME in! And den we\'ll give \'em a thumpin\' dey\'z never \'ad in their loife!!"

"An\' don\'t worry yer pre\'ty li\'ul \'ead \'bout gettin\' \'urt," Doc reassured her. "We\'ll patch you\'z up real nice, if\'n anyfing breaks in-- or breaks off, hurr hurr hrrr~"

"I... I am not so certain about... these rules," Mina grimaced. "Would not single combat be more ap--"

One of the Coral Boys began to ring a metal triangle-- one that Tycon thought had been lost. It was the signal to start the match.

"Give \'em SEVEN \'ELLS, GIRLIE!!" Catshit slapped Mina on the back, propelling her forward against her opponent... Wonderboy.

Mina summoned her mana weapon, but still had a look of uncertainty about her. The crowd shouted at her to fight... and though Wonderboy was one of the smallest Coral Boys, he still outmatched her in both size and strength.

The young woman grit her teeth and clenched her opposite fist, "I... I will not falter in my quest."

Bravery, however, was no substitute for combat prowess.

Wonderboy slammed his meaty forearm in the woman\'s face, dropping her to the deck.

...The attack was slow enough that it might have been staged. Yet... the way the young lady\'s head bounced ensured it was real.

The clunk was loud enough to make Tycon take a deep breath and Krysaos visibly wince.

The ordeal was a one-sided beatdown.

After Mina fell, she could not regain the concentration to keep her mana-weapon\'s form. Her close combat abilities might have been decent... but dazed as she was, and against multiple, larger, heartier opponents, she was unable to cause any meaningful damage with her tiny fists.

Thankfully, the Coral Boys were... horrible at hand-to-hand combat. Their maneuvers were garish and spectacular... and painful, but lacked lethality.

Wonderboy and his team were consecutively tagged in, performing great feats of agility and showmanship... spinning, leaping and belly-flopping atop the young lady... taking the girl and lifting her over a shoulder for complicated angle slams.

Bob suplexed the woman through the rotten table... the rotten table that Tycon had previously seen in the Captain\'s private quarters.

Catshit was so excited that when Mina finally dragged herself to her corner... the peach-colored Coral Boy began to beat his partner.

After Captain Krysaos declared the... \'match\' over... Tycon and Ishmael dragged Mina to safety.

Her face was swollen severely and she\'d dislocated both arms.

Nothing seemed to be broken... which, at first glance, seemed nothing short of miraculous.

Tycon nearly believed that the Coral Boys knew Mina was not a threat. If that was so... they purposely did not act with the same lethal intent they previously displayed in cutting down a Leviathan wang.

However, that would mean the Coral Boys\' logical processes were far more complex than merely \'fight and kill.\'

That thought was... troublesome.

"I... I could not retrieve my tiara," Mina pouted... as she groaned in pain, "I... I have failed. And with that... the Amphitrite Reef Tribe is doomed."

Tycon placed the flat of one of the Coral Boys\' dull iron blades against her bruised face. To reduce the swelling, the cool metal was the best he had access to.

As for her tiara... Catshit had claimed it as his own. Mina had lost the right to wear it.

"Young lady, for what reason do you need a combatant so... pure of heart?" Tycon asked.

"It\'s... for my tribe..." The mermaid squeaked, "I was sent... to seek help... but we have nothing to offer. The Priestess... she prophesied the Chosen One would come to save us... and all Chosen Ones are pure of heart... Right?"

Tycon twisted his lips, "Being prophesied as a savior and being pure of heart do not necessarily correlate."

"I got what\'cha need!!" Krysaos raised his voice.

As the Captain walked towards Mina, he tried to shove his way past the kneeling Tycon.

However, Tycon was quite steady and did not budge. Krysaos stumbled slightly but otherwise took the blunder in stride before crouching in front of his newest victim.

"I\'m pure of heart," Krysaos lied. "Tell me what I can do to you."

Mina\'s eyes shot open in shock and a tinge of fear, "(You... dare?)"

"I believe he means to say... \'for you\'," Tycon explained.

"Right, s\'what I said," Krysaos lied. Again.

"Is this true?" Mina whispered... "You do not seem-- no, nevermind. I cannot discern if your words are true without testing you in martial combat."

"You are in no condition to fight, young lady," Tycon scolded.

"Weeeeellllll~" Krysaos took a deep breath, "I\'m the Captain of this ship... and you fought my crew..."

"Each Corallidae, of the purest of hearts," Mina nodded.

Tycon averted his gaze, taking a deep breath. That seemed... wrong, somehow.

"So by proxy, I am also pure of heart," Krysaos grinned. "Else why would they all listen to me?"

His teeth sparkled in the sunlight-- whatever magic in them likely affecting Mina.

The mermaid tried to meet the Captain\'s gaze, but looked away, "Well... alright... If you say so."

"If you got a whole tribe of hot fish girls," Krysaos grabbed her hands, "I will do everything in my power to SAVE THEM."