^^ 天空 - Princess Tiān-Kōng ^^

--- Tama Arashi-Kumo ---

I grinned heartily, darting around the ship, and taking in all the sights of the ocean and Harbor.

"Isn't it wonderful, Lee-Kahn?!?" I cheered.

He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows, nudging his chin towards the docks.

I turned away, towards the sea. "No idea what you mean."

He laughed and shook his head, sitting next to me. He signed carefully. 'You' 'have' 'fun' '?'

I smirked. "Yes, I did... are you enjoying the sea, Sora?" I looked up, to see the dragon curled around the masts, gazing over the sea.

He grinned savagely. "I see Sea Serpents. Perhaps I will battle one for the amusement of the Sailors?" He laughed loudly, and the sailors flinched, climbing over him to reach the tops of the sails.

"If you wish. I have no worry that you will triumph, should you chose to fight." I shrugged.

He hummed and flicked his tail for a few moments. "No, I will wait until one attacks us." He decided.

The smaller dragons, who were curled up around him, gazed down at the serpents in the water with interest.

"Usually, they do not come so close. They are curious about your dragons, Lord Tama." The Captain bowed, a few feet away.

"My name is Prince Tama Arashi-Kumo, sir. Don't worry-" he started bowing, and I sighed. "I am not offended, Captain. Stand. Your men should not see you bowing." I said softly.

He stood straight, and nodded. "Thank you, Prince Kumo."

I nodded. "So they are curious about Sora?" I asked.

He nodded slowly. "They are. They likely won't attack, until we're out at sea. These are the young ones. Curious, but not hungry enough to challenge us." He explained.

I grinned. "And the bigger, hungrier ones?"

He gazed at me steadily, then shook his head. "I hope you are as good a War-Mage as people say." He walked back to the stern, and retook the helm from the young boy he'd left in charge.

I grinned at Lee-Kahn. "You have a Spear?"

He shrugged and pointed at the hold.

"Go get two spears, one for each of you." I nodded at Ten-Moro. "And then get your light-armor on. If you fall over, I don't want you sinking. Swords won't do much good against a serpent, so get maybe an axe, or bow, if you have them."

He nodded and jogged away, leaving Ten-Moro with me.

"... are you expecting an attack, my prince?" Ten-Moro asked quietly.

"The captain seemed to think it a possibility. If it's possible, I want to be ready." I shrugged.

"Yes, My Prince!" He bowed.

I sighed. "We spoke of this, Ten-Moro."

"Y-yes, my prince... I am sorry." He murmured, standing up.

I walked to the captain, and stood next to him. "Are there any more situations that can happen? Pirates?" I asked.

"... it's possible, Prince Kumo."

"Your defenses?" I looked around.

"I have two weather Mages, six Oil Ballistae, and one Chase Cannon that I bought from a Chinese Pirate." He nodded.

"You got a Black-Powder Cannon? Why didn't I know of this? We should be reproducing them!" I blinked in shock.

"Well, I only bought it two days ago. I hope I get to use it." He grinned.

"I, as well, would like to see that... perhaps some firing practice?" I grinned as well, interested in the weapon.

He nodded. "Once we're out of the harbor, I'll send the Gun Crew to the cannon. It's hidden in the hold, so no one can see it until it's too late."

"You're chased often?"

"Often enough to want protection, especially with your passage so... public." He frowned.

"The suddenness of it does help you, though, yes?" I asked.

"Yes. The Pirates further away can't get here in time, but the ones closer by... well. It'll be an interesting two days on the ocean." He shrugged.

I nodded. "That it will, sir, that it will indeed."

---

We finally cast off, almost two hours later, and I sat with the small lookout, in the mouth of the dragon at the bow.

The small boy seemed shocked, when I crawled up next to him, but I simply ignored him for a while, and he calmed down.

"So, you're the weather mage, huh?" I asked him.

He blinked, then blushed. "I am, lord-Uhm-prince-"

"Just Prince Kumo will do, child." I said, looking through the nose of the dragon. "The ballistae go here?"

"Yes, Prince Kumo... and yes, I'm the Weather Mage. My master sold me to the Captain, when he realized I was Storm-born. Not much use at any Magic that doesn't involve weather. Only useful on a ship." He shrugged.

"Try rubbing lightning between your hands, and punching someone, sometime. You'll see how useful you are." I smiled.

"Uhm... you're a mage? I heard it, but I didn't know if it was true."

"I am Storm-born as well, boy. My name is Jade Storm-Cloud for a reason, after all." I chuckled.

He blushed again. "I'm not... well... that's very interesting, but my name is Lee-Ting."

I blinked. "You're a girl? My apologies, the assumption was very rude of me..."

She was quick to wave her hands. "No, it's fine, I'm not offended or anything! Captain makes me dress like this to keep me safe. Lots of pirates would do much worse than kill me if they knew I was a girl." She shrugged pragmatically.

I nodded. "True. Do you like living on a ship? Or would you like to live on land? As a servant of the Imperial Court?"

She blushed. "Well... it would be rude to refuse, but I owe the Captain quite a lot of money, still... and other debts, besides..."

"There are other ways to pay those debts, and the money doesn't bother me. But a Storm-born who doesn't know her own worth should at least be taught what you can learn." I shrugged.

She bowed her head. "I'll give it serious thought, Prince Kumo."

"Good, a political answer. I like you more and more, kid!" I patted her hair, laughing.

She smiled, and ducked her head, looking out of the nose as well, watching for anything the lookout in the crow's nest wouldn't see, as was her job.

I hummed and took her dagger, after a moment of thought, and then enchanted the blade to never break. "Another Magic you can likely learn." I said, and then hummed at the dual-stringed ballista behind us, which would fire two bolts at a time. "Do you crank this?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. Sometimes one of the others comes up and cranks while I load and aim."

I nodded. "Interesting."

She looked through the nose again, and then gasped, pulling a cord next to her. The bell at the bottom started ringing, and a gong was heard. I grinned. "Are we under attack?"

She shrugged. "There's a ship with no flags. That means pirates or smugglers."

I nodded. "Alright... I'll go help the crew, then."

She smiled at me, then pushed forward the ballista with a grunt, and started cranking it slowly.

I slid out of the lookout, and then looked at Lee-Kahn. "Is your sword sharpened?"

He frowned.

"Right; your sword is never dull. Ten-Moro? Are you ready for combat?"

He set his jaw, and nodded.

"Captain! My orders?" I called out.

He blinked slowly, then grinned. "Can you make waterspouts? Little ones?"

I nodded.

"Then send about a dozen at their rudder! We'll handle the rest!" He laughed and whistled up his sailors, who armed themselves with the discipline of imperial guards.

Within seconds, the entire ship was bristling with ballistae and the other weather mage, a woman as well, I could tell, stood next to the wheel, her eyes glowing violet as the winds started shifting in our favor.

I blinked at her terrible technique, and took control, surprising her into falling on her bum, then sending the waterspouts like I'd been asked. The winds followed his command at my request, and we gently picked up speed.

The ballistae were lit, and then the one in the lookout fired a warning shot at their keel, as they got closer.

The waterspouts suddenly made themselves visible, sucking water up the vortexial shafts of hard wind.

The sailors on the pirate vessel shouted in confusion, and fear, and the captain deftly avoided the first three with some hasty maneuvering, but the next eight slammed into his rudder with a grinding crash, and then dissipated, their job finished.

The captain cheered. "We've got her, boys!!! Prepare to board!"

I drew my sword, and grinned savagely. "Sora! Give them a Roar!" I shouted over the sailors.

He snarled and then expanded his lungs, and roared, their masts catching the wind and being ripped right off, spiraling away.

The Pirates took a good look at him, each of them likely counting his teeth, and then slowly laid down their weapons. The captain tried to shout them back to war, and his first mate slugged him across the chin, silencing him.

Our captain blinked. "Well... never won a battle that easily! A dragon is a handy thing to have around, eh? Thank you, Lord Sora!"

"You are most welcome, Captain Sosuo. I found the experience rather pleasing." Sora grinned.

One of the Pirates began praying, calling upon what he seemed to call '风暴龙', the 'Storm-Dragon', which I assumed was a local god of some sort.

His fellows shushed him harshly, beating him into silence.

"What did he say?" I asked the captain.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "He called Lord Sora the 'Storm-Dragon'. An Asura-like entity that is said to rend ships from bow to stern, and blind all who see him with his luminescent white hide, if he is angered."

"Asura?" I asked for confirmation.

"Hindu Demon/Gods. Not evil, but not benevolent, either. Most are connected to War, which the Hindu see as a necessary evil." He nodded.

I nodded slowly. "Hmm... Sora, they think you're a Demon/God, 'Fēng Bào Lóng', who rends ships asunder, and blinds men with his gleaming white hide."

He blinked slowly, and then laughed thunderously, leaping onto the enemy ship, and leaning close to the man who'd spoken, and speaking in Chinese, which surprised me. "I am flattered, little Pirate, but I am no god. I am Lord Sora, the Great Sky Dragon. And I do not waste good ships, or blind men at all, unless they offend me."

They all bowed, kneeling before him swiftly.

He smirked at me. "I think I have conquered them. Quite swift, was it not?"

I laughed. "Indeed, Lord Sora. We are all mightily impressed by your display of power and nobility. The young dragons will hold you in higher regard forever!"

They dove amongst the Chinese as soon as I mentioned them, sniffing and investigating everything.

The Pirates looked confused, and one even tried to pet one of the dragons, a girl, and she hummed at him, then turned away. "Unworthy." She snapped, and flicked him with her tail dismissively, flying away in a huff.

The captain laughed. "Your young dragons are interesting."

"Mm... they're not mine, they're his." I gestured at Sora. "His little cousins. The eggs are his siblings."

He nodded. "Indeed. Well, men, go take all the black powder they have, and their cannons, and all their weapons, then anything useful, but leave their rations!"

The men swarmed over the Chinese pirate vessel, and in a few short minutes, had stripped her bare of ropes, metals, and weapons, and scored four more small Cannons, which they'd never gotten the chance to fire.

Then the Pirates were set adrift back towards Japan, with the word 'Pirate' cut into their hull, and we went on our way.

---

Sora did, in the end, get to wrestle a Sea-Serpent, who tried to founder us on a reef. He dove into the water, (which originally worried me, until he assured me he didn't need to breath,) and then wrestled it to submission, when it darted away into the deeps.

His fur puffed up with heat, and he nodded. "A difficult opponent for any normal dragon... only a worthy one for one such as myself." He declared the mighty beast, much to the Captain's chagrin at having been proven wrong.

The docks of Hangzhou came into view a few hours after that, and I gasped, unable to control myself from the riot of colors and amazingly detailed art-flags everywhere on the docks and thousands of merchant ships.

I stood at the Bow, and Sora flew around the ship a few times, then landed behind me.

The people in the boats knelt in a wave of color as we came into the docks, and then the Chinese Ambassador came towards us, smiling widely.

We exited the ship slowly, and he kowtowed swiftly, with a practiced ease. "My Honored Prince Tama Arashi-Kumo, allow me, Ambassador Ten-Sung, to be the first to welcome you to my Home Country, the Great Opal Empire of China, Mongolia, Taiwan, Nepal, and Siam."

I bowed my head. "I am honored to be here, Ambassador. Your Harbor is absolutely beautiful, I must commend you and your people. Is this colorful display normal?" I asked, smiling at the bright colors, most yellow or red.

He smiled as well. "It is, yes, Prince Kumo. A bit more energized, today, to be honest, but yes."

I nodded. "Well, I will not be bored, at the very least."

"I'm sorry?" He asked, unable to hear me over the waves clapping against the docks and shore.

Sora growled, and then breathed deeply.

I flinched and looked up at him warningly, but the sound that exited his chest was not a destructive roar, but a soft, cosmic sound, which rolled across the entire harbor, and in the blink of an eye had completely flattened all the waves, silencing the harbor.

I straightened myself, and acted normally, smiling inwardly at the ambassador's awed look. He bowed deeply. "And Lord Sora, I apologize for not greeting you properly."

Sora snorted. "Indeed... who is that?" He turned his nose towards a woman of around 20 years of age, dressed in silver armor, (well-used, but still shiny,) walking towards us with purpose.

The ambassador knelt, and the woman stopped next to us.

I bowed deeply. "Prince Tama Arashi-Kumo gives his greetings." I said in Chinese.

Sora bowed his head a bit. "Lord Sora gives his greetings. The young lords and ladies also greet you." The little dragons peeked over his head.

She gazed at us all impassively, and spoke in Japanese. "I am Princess 'Tiān-Kōng'. I welcome you to my country. I am to escort you to the Palace. This way."