The entire crew stopped what they were doing and listened as the roar of the cannons continued in the distance. Vivi shuddered as a sense of dread crept over her; she couldn't help but remember another thieves' guild ship, the Dimma—how it had been blasted to pieces by cannon fire right before her eyes and mercilessly plunged into the abyss.

Aenwyn rushed to the railing, likely motivated by the same memory. "Everyone back to the ship!" she roared, waving for her crew to follow her—the usual calm in her voice replaced by a sudden terror. "It's time we made ourselves scarce!"

The crew did not need to be told twice and set off towards the Ajdaha in a blind panic, but before anyone reached it, a monstrous shadow emerged from the mist: a great warship, its decks lined with cannons, its towering masts disappearing up into the fog, and its wing sails casting both of the smaller ships into shadow. Vivi instinctively backed away from the railing, cursing as she stared up at the ship in disbelief.

"What is that?" she hissed. "Did they send the whole freaking navy after us?"

Before anyone could answer, there was a flash and a deafening report as the warship cut across the Ajdaha's bow, firing its guns into the smaller ship one by one as it passed. Vivi instinctively threw herself to the ground as debris flew over her; she covered her head with her arms as the cannons fired again and again—it seemed like it would last forever. When it finally ceased and she looked up again, what remained of the Ajdaha was already listing beyond the point of no return. The centaur's ship rocked violently as the Ajdaha's mast crashed into its hull before it finally rolled over and plunged like a rock into the void. Pulled down by the boarding hooks of the falling ship, the centaur's ship swung around and the still-set topsail caught the wind, jerking the ship into motion.

"Cut us loose!" she barked, directing her crew with a quick gesture and rushing to the helm as she recovered from her shock. "And set all the sails you can! We can still escape on this ship!"

Sergius and Caio made short work of the lines, and Vivi and Owen set to unfurling the port wing sails as far as they would go while Faelyn took care of the starboard side, sending the ship into a steep climb.

"What about the cannons, captain?" Sarjeon asked urgently, looking more panicked than Vivi had ever seen him before. "They're bound to come around for another salvo!"

Aenwyn pointed out to the stern of the warship, which was quickly disappearing back into the fog below them. "The Rettlaeti—sounds like an Eskiholti vessel... We can only hope they value the lives of their countrymen enough not to fire upon one of their own—" She cut herself off as the warship made an impressively quick maneuver, climbing sharply and putting itself parallel to the centaur's ship; Aenwyn, evidently not eager to unnecessarily put her theory to the test, immediately took evasive action with a violent turn to port and brought them behind the warship's stern.

"We're screwed," Vivi groaned, struggling to keep her footing as the ship yawed and rolled from Aenwyn's more and more forceful maneuvering. "What are we supposed to do against cannons? If only those cowards would stop shooting and fight us man-to-man, we'd at least have a fighting chance!"

"Careful what you wish for," Owen chuckled, seeming a lot less nervous than the situation called for. "Besides, Captain Aenwyn is the best pilot there ever was—that big thing won't keep up with her for long."

As Aenwyn continued to evade the warship, it seemed Owen would be proven right—with every twist and turn, every stomach-churning dive and breakneck climb, it slipped further behind them—but suddenly another shadow appeared out of the fog right in front of them. Vivi stared up at the second warship with renewed horror; it was not quite as big as the first one, but it was still much too big and carrying far too many cannons for her taste. Aenwyn threw the wheel hard to starboard, trying to avoid a collision, but the warship had other plans.

Vivi instinctively dove for cover below the quarterdeck as the sound of cannon fire rang out, followed by a horrible crunching sound as chain shot ripped through canvas and shattered wood all across the ship. She stumbled as the ship yawed violently—Aenwyn must have lost control—and moments later the warship crashed into them with devastating force, knocking her completely off her feet. Before she could regain her bearings, the ringing in her ears was replaced by war cries, the clatter of grappling hooks, and thundering footsteps: they had been boarded.

Vivi looked around as she struggled back to her feet, her mind racing to come up with anything resembling a plan, but before anything came to her, a hulking figure appeared in the doorway. Vivi drew her knife, but the Eskiholti had a gun, and that wasn't even remotely a fair fight. He leered as he pulled the hammer back, speaking in broken Common:

"Any last word?"

Vivi squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the gunshot, but to her surprise, she didn't feel any pain. Deciding to be optimistic and concluding that she had, in fact, not just died, she opened her eyes and saw her would-be killer lying sprawled on his back, blood flowing from the wound in his chest. She was almost afraid to turn around, and she didn't know who to expect standing behind her.

It certainly wasn't Morwen.

The raven-haired girl was already reloading the pistol with the swiftness and casual air that came from years of experience, but Vivi couldn't help noticing she was clutching the ramrod so hard her knuckles had turned white. She stood frozen for a few moments, looking at Morwen as she finished priming the gun—she never met Vivi's eyes, and once the gun was ready, she flipped it around in her hand and handed it to her.

Vivi didn't know what to say, so she just muttered her thanks and accepted the weapon. She quickly noted that it was Aenwyn's own pistol; the handle had an ornate silver inlay she recognized in an instant. She didn't dwell long on this, though, instead making her way to the doorway to peek out on deck. By now, the fighting had almost died down—it had been a quick but brutal affair, from the look of things—and the Eskiholti crew had swarmed all over the ship.

"Attention, pirates!" barked their leader, a tall, red-scaled dragonborn who was holding a frighteningly large pistol. "In the name of the Eskiholti Confederation—lay down your arms and surrender."

Aenwyn, standing right in the middle of things with several Eskiholti wounded around her, just wiped the blood off her sword and stared at the dragonborn with contempt. But her crew was hopelessly outnumbered, and they both knew it.

"I won't ask again," he snarled, pointing his pistol at the captain. "Do you want to die today?"

Not having the luxury to take the time to figure out a proper plan, Vivi took one step out onto the deck and pointed her gun at the dragonborn—the most important-looking person she could find—trying her best to stay out of the line of fire of the other Eskiholti.

"No," she said, pulling back the hammer. "I want to live."

The dragonborn slowly turned his head towards her; the look in his blood-red eyes sent chills down Vivi's spine.

"Then drop it," he growled. His eye twitched as if he was inwardly cursing himself for letting her sneak up on him in the first place. "Or do you have enough bullets in there for all of us?"

Vivi's hand trembled slightly—she knew very well Aenwyn's old flintlock only had one shot. She glanced up at Aenwyn, waiting for her to take the lead and resume the fight... but the fire had all but gone from her eyes.

"You heard the man," she mumbled, looking around at her crew—nearly all of them had by now been subdued—and dropped her sword.

Vivi flinched as it landed on the deck with a cold, metallic clatter, feeling the panic building inside her. She hesitated for a few more seconds—but she knew there was no point. She dropped the gun.

The dragonborn made a quick gesture, and two of his crewmen roughly grabbed onto her shoulders. "Take the prisoners and line them up on the main deck," he ordered, walking up to arrest Aenwyn, who only gave him a look of disdain. "And free the centaur and his companions. The captain will want to speak to them later." The crew hurried to carry out his orders, and, after having her hands securely bound, Vivi was pulled up onto the deck of the warship.