The young elf girl sat on the drows lap. She kicked her legs impatiently as the large cookie in her hands occasionally found its way to her mouth. "Come on tell me the story. I wanta hear about the pirates pleeeeaasssseee?"

CKalb couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay my little one I shall tell you of the time I was a pirate, and our sinking of the Waters Spear war gally." The little girl couldn't help but squeal in delight and snuggle into her grandfathers arms.

It all happend a dozen or so years ago. I had come to a new realm and needed a new adventure. So I choose the sea. And what a choice I made and thanks to a pirate captian named Maia I had a grand adventuer.

Now don't let me forgbet to add the background. The realm I was at was ruled by a dread lord and ruled over everyone with an iron fist. It was told he worshiped the god of greed and death or of pain and suffering and got mystical powers from being cruel. And on the seas unless you hauled cargo for him or were one of his "protected" ships you were considered a pirate. So many people starved if not for the rebel runners who run cargo up and down the coast to illfavored towns and cities. Well to protect these runners they hired Pirates to battle and draw the war galleys from the cargo ships. Maia was one such pirate and with me as first mate we became quite a force on the seas.

Anyway the overloard found out our ships name, "Winds Talon" and sent there biggest War Gally to hunt us down the "Waters Spear." Anyway we did not know this until the last possible second when our look out spotted the huge galley on the horizon. The crew almost paniced if not for Maia. She was a strong human woman with sharp eyes, a rapier like wit and a sense of the sea that I have never seen in any other. She spun our ship through a narrow cast of islands and hid us there and when the "Waters Spear" sailed by we sailed after her. Coming out of some magicly created fog our mage Clinkstwojars made. We set up and suprised her getting in a catapult shot and two ballisti shots up one right after the other. But a magic barrier came up protecting the huge juggernaut from any more attemtps. See as we had a mage they had some too. And there rear catipult opened up on us but Maia spun the "Winds Talon" In such deft manuvers they never hit us. See while the bigger ship was faster then us we could out manuver her any day. And at that Maia position our starbord side toward the aft ship as she was mauvering and our priest Sunsmoon fired a brilliant blue dart from her hands. It hit there shield and ate it away like so much acid. More vollies of catapult and ballista fired doing some minor damage, but a fire ball from Clankstwojars set there aft sails on fire. This was becoming a nuesence battle for the "Waters Spear." 3 of her mages appeared on there aft side and two tossed fireballs at us and one tosed a sizzling lightning bolt. The fire hit our sails and fizzled as all our sails were treated with special die from that of red dragons that made them especially resistant to fire same with the deck. But the lightning bolt took a crewman in the right arm. Grostic, a hardy orc flew back against the mast actually saving the main mast from damage, but in the process it nearly cost him his life. Sunsmoon was there to help in immediatly. But we still fought on.

Now Maia had menuvered us into grappling range and our grapples flew out making for us to seem to board. But we had a trick. Me and a couple of the other sailors had a dimensional door. So as all the "Waters Spear's" crew members were waiting to be borded we snuck on to the boat behind them. We had one thing to do and that was to destroy the Masts. As the other two went for the Fore Masts I went to hit the main mast in the back. But I was caught by a huge Minotaur who bellowed out a warning and attacked with a huge battle axe. My short sword in hand and a throwing axe in the other I fended him off but as others came running I knew I was in trouble. For they had cut all the boarding lines and the "Winds Talon" was flying away from the ship. My two comrads had spacific orders too and once there magic mast destroyers were set they used the protal to get back to the ship. That left me all alone and the crew knew it. Apparently they were enjoying it letting the minotaur fight me alone.

The little girls face and eyes were totally commited to the story as she listened, " What did you do next Gran Pa? Did you die" CKalb laughed, "No little one I am here am I not." The girl giggled as the dark elf finished.

Well me and the minotaur went back and forth each scoring minor cuts but nothing vital and each of us were tiring greatly. So in a last deprite attempt I let him push me around to have my back to the main mast. He charged and ran up the mast and flew high over head landing a bit away. In the process I had switched hands with my throwing axe and as I hit the ground I threw it with all my might. The Minotaur laughed and ducked easily, the axe bit deep in the mast and everyone laughed including me. They looked at me funny but that is what I had been wanting to do for the axe was a very special enchanted axe. And as they stopped laughing to stair at me in disbelief at me laughing. I just narrowed my eyes and grined then closed my empty hand and mouthed the command word. The mast exploded in a shower of wood splinters and fragments. Everyone hit the deck as the other two masts exploded the axe being the trigger for them. I turned and with a deft leap, flew over the side of the ship and dove into the water. In the water a friend and fellow crew member waited for me. A water troll nicked name sponge. He grabed be and with incredible speed we caught up to the "Winds Talon" were she sat just out of range of magic and missles. Once aboard we could still see the crew of the great war galley trying to clean up its deck. We all waved at them wondering if they thought we were done. They apparently did as they tossed curses and words like setback and minor floated the breeze to us. That is when we activated the charges Sponge had set on the haul. His noisy and long work was easily overlooked by the loud battles that took place on board. And with a mighty rush of water and destruction the charges went off forever sinking the great War Galley "Waters Spear" to the bottom of the sea.

The little girl clapped, "OHHH that was great that was Great... What happened to the crew of the "Winds Talon" What about the evil overload did he get his cumupins! " The little girl swung her legs waiting. "No Pedal not tonight. Those are stories for another time. Now it is getting late and you and your dad have a long way to travel tomarrow." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and as big as hug possible, "Thanks for the story Granpa it was great. Good night" And she droped down and ran inside, with hopes of dreams of pirates and adventures.