It's the next morning. Ren and Niddler are asleep below deck. The former stirs, yawns, stretches, and sits up, smiling at the sight of Niddler, who's sprawled on his stomach, smiling in his sleep. Ren stands and walks over to the window, looking out, but his happy expression disappears as he sees two of Bloth's scout ships trailing behind them. Striding back over to the cot, he pulls his sword off of the wall, shoving it into his boot, and ordering Niddler to get up and prepare for battle; the monkey-bird had lifted his head sleepily. The ship shakes from a blow as Ren sprints up the stairs to the top deck, and Niddler goes back to sleep, dismissing it as a realistic dream.
Ren emerges on the deck, but immediately dives out of the way as another huge rock smashes into the door where his head was. He looks around and Ioz grabs him by the nape of his neck, ordering him to take the wheel. Ren does so, demanding to know why they're so off-course. Ioz starts cursing in the Merese language, and Tula says it's all "the master navigator's" fault, meaning Ioz. He tried to lose the scout ships with a lot of fancy moves but instead drew the attention of a few more. Ioz glares at her and demands to know if she could do any better. She glares back, and Ren intervenes, telling them to save their fire for the guys chasing them. Ioz agrees, and Tula cries, "Let's knock the tops from their winds!" before she and Ioz take off down the deck.
Commercial break.
Ren, in a burst of cockiness, declares that the men chasing them can have them, and swings his ship into the path of another, making it crash into them and fall apart. The prince yells a fiery cheer, but suddenly an unseen villain throws a rope around Ren, tightening it. It's Konk, who chuckles and pulls the prince overboard, dragging him after his (Konk's) ship. Tula informs Ioz of the proceedings, just as two VERY big, burly men swing off of Konk's scout ship and toward the Wraith. Tula grabs a small disk from an unseen pouch on her back and tosses it. It cuts through one of the men's ropes, sending him flying of his own momentum past the Wraith--just barely. Tula ducks to miss him.
The other man, however, is more lucky. And Niddler picks that moment to pop open a small trap door in the deck, demanding to know what all the racket is. The man lands on the trap door, forcing Niddler down with a squawk. He advances toward Ioz, who sees he's running toward a loose board. Ioz kicks down on his end of the board, making the other end jab into the man's endless abdomen, holding him there. Using the plank, Ioz throws the guy overboard, plowing through the center of a school of fish.
Konk's firing arrows at the Wraith. Niddler reappears from the trap door, this time wearing a huge metal bowl over his head. One of the arrows ricochets off of the bowl and Niddler quickly takes cover again. Meanwhile, Ren's been climbing the rope. He gets onto the platform Konk's on without the little piglet seeing him. (Then again, the piglet isn't very smart.) Declaring it's Konk's turn, Ren shoves Konk into the sea, swinging back onto the Wraith from the rope. Both of the burly men have climbed onto a scout ship, and they grab Konk from the water. Niddler reappears yet again, looks around for a second, then climbs onto the deck, declaring it was about time they finished all that. Tula's spotted a huge, uh, island, and Niddler, peering around, declares that their path is blocked. Tula suggests they go north, to catch the early wind, and turns the wheel in that direction. Ioz blatantly shoves her aside (or tries to--she puts up a fight) and declares they'll go south, to put the rising sun in their enemies' eyes.
From a distance, the Wraith's weaving back and forth. One of the two big burly men is sitting on the bowsprit, calling out directions: "Hard to port, brother! No--wait! Hard to starboard! No, port!" CRASH. They collide with another ship and get into a heated argument with the crew of that ship.
Meanwhile, Ioz and Tula are still at it: "I tell you, north is our only chance!" "Give me that. A woman doesn't know north from south!" Anyway, Ren breaks it up, saying they'll follow the compass's beam. It leads north, and Tula gives a very smug look to Ioz, who just glares. But then Ren realizes he's made a mistake as he sees Bloth's ship, the Maelstrom, emerge from the fog on the other side of the island-thingie. Bloth and his commander, Mantus, are gloating over their catch, and Mantus orders full-speed. It's then that Ren makes a very wise decision: "Uh, I think we should go south now." They turn, and then Ren swings the wheel again, to avoid a wave of scout ships. Ioz curses himself for not having seen Bloth's trickery the night before. Ren suddenly grins and declares that Bloth hasn't won yet, and maneuvers into one of the many caves that leads to the interior of the island. Ioz questions Ren's sanity, but the prince assures him he knows what he's doing. Suddenly, the crow's nest hits a low outcropping from the cavern's ceiling, breaking off and crashing onto the main deck. Ren just kind of chuckles sheepishly. "Uh, we never used that crow's nest much anyway..."
Bloth and his men have surrounded the general area that the Wraith's disappeared into. Bloth roars for an update, and Konk admits that the Wraith could have entered any of the caves there. Bloth crossly orders him to go in there and get Ren, but Konk swallows and tells him that they're at the Island of the Pale Warriors. Enraged, Bloth grabs a shield from one of his crewmen standing next to him and slings it at Konk (who barely dodges it), yelling that he knows where they are, and orders Konk VERY viciously to go in there and get the boy and the Treasure-- "...unless you want to be thrown to the Constrictus! AGAIN!" Konk apprehensively glances down at his metal peg-leg, remembering the last time, as the shadows and darkness of the cave consume them.
Ren and his crew go deeper into the island, darkness all around them. Niddler comments what a cheerful spot it is, and Ren orders him to stop. Ioz declares that they'll lose both Bloth and their way in the maze they're in. Suddenly they hear something splash softly, and in a dark crevice, see red, glowing eyes. Niddler hears something else, and an arrow whizzes past Ren's ear, knocking the torch from its stand and putting it out. Ren leaves the wheel and fumbles for his spare torch, lighting it. Niddler follows him, and Ioz and Tula sort of back up so they're flanking him. The prince lifts up the torch--and sees an entire army of red-eyed, tall, pale, skinny warriors with weapons leveled at him and his crew. One, obviously the captain, warns them not to try anything.
The four are taken as prisoners to the royal palace. There's mountains of gold all around; Ioz is very well-entertained. He stops to rub a plaque hanging on a wall, making Niddler crash into Ren, who turns around and angrily orders Ioz to use his head, so that the natives would let him keep it. He just ignores the boy. Tula, meanwhile, notices a storeroom full of maps. Then they're brought before a high throne, and the captain announces the occupant of the throne as His Majesty King Obrik, lord of the Atani. (Sorry if I completely mess up the spellings.) The king asks the captain who was the one who made the outrageous claim, and the captain motions to Ren. The king orders sternly for him to approach the throne, saying that posing as the son of Primus is a bad joke. Ren assures him that his means may be poor but his mission is noble and true, explaining that Primus, with his last breaths, charged Ren to find the Thirteen Treasures of Rule so that Octopon could be reborn. The king, disbelievingly, muses that the Treasures are said to be lost. Ren tells him, not lost, but hidden throughout the realm of Dark Water. It's then that the king questions his being in his kingdom in the first place, uninvited and unannounced, and Ren replies that Bloth forced him to take refuge there. The king doesn't buy it and asks the captain to escort "this liar and his friends" off of the island. Ren, in desperation, yanks out the Treasure. The king finally realizes that Ren's telling the truth, and offers them one night there, and repairs made to his ship, then declaring, "Tonight we feast!" (I'll bet that certainly caught Niddler's attention, didn't it?)
Later, on their way to the dining hall, the king tells Ren and the others of his misfortunate encounters with Bloth since the "Black Tide"--the emerging of the Dark Water. Bloth had plundered ships bringing supplies to them so brutally that nobody dared trade with the Atani anymore. But Bloth's men couldn't cause harm in the caves outside of the main kingdom. The king declared that any help to get rid of Bloth was more than welcome. It's then that they arrive at the dining hall--and the enormous feast. The boys and the monkey-bird dig right in, but Tula just watches. Then she sneakily backs up and retreats down the hall, to the storeroom of the maps, pausing outside. Only Niddler notices her absence, and she waves it off as admiring the carvings around the door. Then, seeing nobody looking her way, she sprints into the room, lighting a small lantern. She looks at a couple of maps, then notices a glass shelf with a rolled-up parchment inside, and pulls it out. Reading it, she grins, satisfied.
Commercial break.
The next morning, the Atani are finishing repairs to the Wraith. Silently, making barely a splash, Konk glides through the water, climbing up onto the side of the ship and onto the deck, crawling until he reaches a trapdoor to a below-deck storage compartment. There, he lifts his head and signals for his two "bodyguards", the two burly men, to follow. They glide through the water just as soundlessly as he did, and a satisfied smile crosses his face.
Presumably after their morning meal, Ren, Ioz, Tula, and Niddler are walking toward their ship with the king. Ren looks pleased, Tula mildly satisfied, Niddler very satisfied (then again, he has a bowl of fruit in his hand and is munching the contents), and Ioz humble. He's slightly bent forward, wearing a robe, his arms over his torso. Niddler, sitting on a ledge by the gangplank, inquires about Ioz's robe. The pirate falters and then replies that it was a gift of the king's. King Obrik, meanwhile, is wishing good fortune to Ren and his crew. "May the sea have mercy on you," he declares, "and may Bloth feel its wrath." Ren replies that the grace of the sea will be with His Majesty, always, and they cast off. Just as they sail out of reach of the dock, one of the captains sprints onto the dock and reports that Ren and his crew have stolen from the palace. The king, irked, orders him not to make false accusations, but the captain assures him that these aren't false. The king becomes very angry, and orders for his men to "Make them pay!" The captain calls for the fleet to be launched, and more soldiers sprint forward.
On the ship, Niddler has the map and is trying to give directions, ordering a double-left. Tula crossly informs him that the direction is port, not left, and Niddler squawks back indignantly. Ren, obviously relaxed, turns around and comments to Ioz that their coming there wasn't such a bad idea after all. Ioz mentions that it's more rewarding than he'd ever imagined. Ren then turns his attention to the other two as well. "We have a week's food and supplies, a map out of this maze, and a jump on Bloth." He chuckles. "Things couldn't be--" An arrow, followed by a dozen more, whizzes through the air as a warning that they're being followed. Ioz, running for the ropes that control the sail, declares that that double-crossing monarch has betrayed them. Tula suggests full sail, saying that they can outrun the king's forces. Ren is surprised, saying that the king is a man of his word. He ducks as one of the rope-pulleys swings overhead, and it smashes into Konk, who'd emerged to clobber Ren. Konk falls back below deck, the trapdoor slamming shut, and Ren gives it a curious look. On the captain's order, the soldiers fire three arrows at the Wraith. Ren ducks and narrowly misses them, and Tula dives out of the way. They turn--and see that one has pierced Ioz's chest. He's just standing there, and staggers one step--Niddler notices that nobody's steering the ship--then, with a grin, Ioz opens the robe and pulls out a golden goblet that has the arrow protruding from it, proclaiming it's just a flesh wound.
Ren and Tula exchange a knowing look as Ioz barks off directions--and drops a plate. Ren steps forward and picks up the plate, telling Ioz he dropped it. Ioz takes it, saying it's a gift from his mother. Very suspiciously, Ren yanks the robe almost completely open and more gold eating utensils tumble to the deck. Ren angrily accuses him of being the reason why the king's chasing them. Ioz, putting the golden plates and cups back underneath his robe, defends himself, saying he's a pirate and the only reason he signed up for the "noble adventure" was for the treasure. Niddler, from the wheel, asks them if they can settle that some other time, but Ren and Tula are thinking otherwise. The prince asks how Ioz could do that, and Tula echoes his question. Ioz, lazily, replies that since the soldiers are trying to kill them on sight, there's not much they can do about it. Ren snorts, saying that's what they think, and sprints for the wheel, starting to turn around. Ioz and Tula run after him, trying to stop them. The soldiers have noticed the scuffle and King Obrik tells them to pull alongside the ship and not to fire until his order. Ren, meanwhile, manages to throw Ioz and Tula off onto the deck below. Tula protests that it isn't worth it, and Ren, with a knowing grin, yanks out his sword and cuts the rope that's holding the sail up. It crashes down on Ioz and Tula. They get free of the sail, and Ioz snarls that they had open water. Niddler contradicts them by pointing out that the ship had circled around and cut them off. The king and his men board the Wraith.
Ren steps forward, raising his arms in surrender. The king asks why he's surrendering, and he replies that he's no thief. But suddenly he hears a *clink!* and turns around, glaring at Ioz, who accidentally dropped a cup. Gruffly, the captain orders them to return the gold and the library scrolls. Ioz, genuinely confused, asks what scrolls they're talking about. Ren, annoyed, tells him to stop arguing and give them the gold. Ioz grudgingly agrees, but mutters that he didn't take any stupid scrolls. With a sigh, Ren turns to Tula and orders her to give the scrolls back. She pulls a couple out from underneath her--uh, what the heck is that thing she's wearing? Tunic? Shirt? Well, she pulls the scrolls out from underneath the thing she's wearing over her upper body, slaps them into the bag of gold the captain's holding, and nonchalantly gestures. As the captain turns and walks back up to the wheel, where King Obrik is standing, Tula shoves down a very tiny parchment scroll into her boot where it isn't visible. Obrik says that they have very severe laws and punishment and that the culprits must be turned over to them. Ren walks over to the king and kneels, saying he'll bear any punishment Ioz and Tula have earned. After a moment, the king buys it and orders that they must never return to the island again. Ren nods and backs up, as the king mutters under his breath, "He may be the son of Primus, but he has a lot to learn about picking a crew."
Konk picks that moment to attack. He leaps onto the king's shoulders, sword in hand, telling them he wants Ren's compass and treasure and then he'll let the king go. Ren says no, because Konk can't be trusted, but the captain orders him to give the treasure and compass to Konk. Ren, angrily, does, and then Konk forces the king onto one of the other ships, ordering the men off. He climbs on, still on the king's shoulders, and tells them they should have listened to Ren--they'll have to pay ransom to get their king back. Ren, acting quickly, grabs a plate from the bag and tells Konk he forgot it, throwing it like a frisbee. It hits Konk in the back of the head, making him fall off of the king's shoulders. Obrik jumps into the water and the soldiers on the other ship pull him out. Meanwhile, the Wraith's taken off after Konk and his ship. Obrik calls for them to take a left at the second tunnel, and Ren calls back that the sea shall bless him. Obrik calls back, "Now be gone, Son of Primus! You and your troubles!" Dropping his voice, he adds, "May the sea have mercy on you."
Konk's cleared the island, and a scout ship spots him and sounds the signal. Bloth and Mantus see that Konk does have the Treasure of Rule. Happily, he orders full speed. Meanwhile, the scout ship's men are yelling that Bloth will make Konk admiral for that, when suddenly they're cut off by the Wraith, who smashes into the back of their small ship, slicing it in half. Konk sees them and immediately turns around, muttering that they'll have to meet Bloth in Janda-town. Bloth sees that Konk's taking evasive maneuvers, and thinking that Konk's taking the Treasure for himself, goes into a rage. He orders his men to make speed, because Konk and Ren are both getting away.
To be continued in the next episode...