As the raft skipped across the waves, Ram once again marveled at their speed. As difficult as it was to believe, he knew this small boat- which had been little more than a folded bundle in Oliver's arms just a short time before- was probably the fastest thing on these waters...

Possibly the fastest thing currently on his world, though there were parts of the world he knew little or nothing about- and who knew what existed there?

"Poli gave you the run down, yeah?"

Oliver's voice broke him from his wonder, and he nodded slowly. "More or less. I'm supposed to guide you along the route as we dart from island to island... and, at the islands, we switch to some sort of carriage you possess- though she was vague as to what it was, other than fast- and we scout from the cover of the terrain. Simple enough, really, even if it is a bit hard to believe."

"Pretty much, though I'll also keep Poli informed of everything so she can tell the Captain." Oliver chuckled, then clicked his radio. "We're about to hit the first island, Poli. Gonna take a second to introduce Ram to the Scrambler before we move."

The boat slowed under Oliver's control as they approached the black sand of the beach, his eyes roving across the lush greenery just a few dozen feet from the water's edge. The emerald leaves of trees and ferns he had no names for spreed out in all directions... including up the gentle slope of the towering mountain that dominated his view.

"Any threats I need to be aware of?" He asked as the pair hopped out of the raft, which he promptly stored away in the Warehouse.

"I can't be entirely sure." Ram shrugged. "There are some large cats on some of the islands, but they usually only attack people when they are starving and desperate... But most of the islands haven't been fully explored, so it's impossible to say for certain."

"Good enough, I guess." Oliver shrugged as the Scrambler appeared beside him, and he couldn't help but smile at his ride- the sleek, glossy black finish of the bike seemed right at home in the gloom of this world, and it's studded tires looked ready to kick up some dirt. "Ok, so this is the Scrambler- it probably won't be the most comfortable ride, with both of us piled on it, but I guarantee it will be fast."

Ram's eyes rove across the bike skeptically; it looked nothing like he had expected- he had imagined some strange carriage, perhaps collapsible like the boat, what he got was this odd, two-wheeled... whatever it was. "I thought you had a carriage or wagon of some sort... How does this thing even stand with just two wheels?"

"Trust me, this is so much better." Oliver chuckled, throwing one leg over the bike... which deepened to full laughter when Ram's eyes went wide from the pitch black form of Lita oozing up out of his clothes to cover Oliver's head, leaving just his eyes and mouth uncovered. "Now, a few basics to keep in mind for safety..."

After a brief explanation of what to do- and what not to do- when riding, Oliver patted the seat behind him. "Now, hop on and let's get rolling... and make sure to hold on tight."

Ram hesitated only for a second before climbing on the bike. Once the large demon was properly situated, Oliver started the bike... and sighed in regret; while it looked a lot like a motorcycle, the engine was drastically different- instead of the throaty growl most people would have expected, it gave off what could only be generously described as a low purr.

While he already knew from testing just how fast the thing could be, it lacked some of the presence he had hoped for... But that was also to his benefit, as the quieter ride was definitely better for there scouting mission.

With a twist of his wrist, the bike shot off into the brush, and Ram yelped in surprise.

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Darting and weaving between trees, while trampling over bushes and ferns, Oliver felt a jolt of excitement course through him. After being cooped up on the ship for two weeks, finally being out in the open and free to move felt exhilarating- not that he regretted having that time to spend with Poli, but sometimes he just wanted to move, to do something...

"Is it wise to be going so fast!?" Ram shouted, an edge of panic creeping into his voice as a tree whipped past within arm's reach of them.

"Nope!" Oliver cackled with a manic grin as they shot up the gentle slope, rocks and foliage being kicked up in their wake.

"Everything looks clear so far." The radio in Polina's hand crackled with Oliver's excited voice. "Moving on to the next island."

"Copy that, hon. We're moving into the gap now." She replied simply, a bemused smile on her face at the shocked reaction of Captain and crew alike.

"They have already cross the island?" Captain Sterling asked in surprise.

Poli nodded, suppressing her laughter. "I told you it would be fast; Oliver's bike is easily three or four times faster than the best this ship can manage, even in the rough terrain of the island."

"And we're going even slower right now to avoid the hazards." Sterling nodded slowly, still trying to comprehend exactly what was going on- these strange people brought even stranger things with them, and his view of the world was clashing with the reality in front of him. Sighing, he shook off the wild thoughts and turned to his crew and began barking orders. "Enough gaping like fools! Eyes out and back to work!"

"This... bike... you mentioned," Jal spoke softly from Polina's side. "They are common on your world? Are they all so fast?"

A small smile flitted across Poli's face as she tenderly patted the girl's head. "Yeah, they are pretty common... Not all are fast, but some are. I'm not really sure how they measure up, but Oliver's is special..."

"While we wait for his next report, how about I try to teach you some of our language? Does that sound like fun to you?"

Jal's eyes lit up at the suggestion- learning a new language from another world? It was unbelievable!

…And, if she did go with them, she would need to learn it anyway. Since that was what she wanted, why not give it a shot?

A riot of colors flashed by Oliver as they skipped from island to island: emerald green leaves and ferns, black and white sand, fruits and flowers of every shade and hue... Blood red birds, burnt orange cats- which Ram said were called panters, and were the size of a large dogs, though they ran off within seconds of being spotted- and even small, silvery rodents...

He had never seen anything like it, and certainly hadn't expected, given the dark sky and general gloom of the world from his first impression...

But the simple joy of the ride could only last so long.

The pair sat just within the tree line of the twelfth island, peering out over the black water through a pair of binoculars at the ships that appeared to be laying in wait. To their north, one ship sat anchored around the bend of the island where it would be out of sight of any ship following their route, while to the south another ship lay within the mostly obscured cove of another island...

"Fuck!' Ram cursed quietly. "How do they even know this route? Or know that we are coming this way?"

"It's possible they don't know we're coming this way." Oliver responded softly. At Ram's skeptical look, he shrugged. "If they knew we were coming this way, don't you think there would be more than two ships?"

Ram sighed helplessly before nodding. "Aye, probably. Still, what are we going to do about them? It's obvious they plan to pinch the Isadora from both sides... and trying to detour around them would be difficult, since the paths aren't as thoroughly mapped out."

"I've got an idea..." Oliver muttered, a grin stretching across his face as he clicked on his radio again. "We've got trouble, Poli... But I think me and Ram can clear it up."

Sweat broke out on Ram's back at the wide-eyed look that was turned on him... and Oliver's words only made it worse.

"I'm guessing those ships have cannons, too... That means a lot of powder, right?" Gesturing down at the ship hidden in the cove, Oliver chuckled darkly. "Think we could blow up a pirate ship?"

"Are you MAD?" Ram hissed, disbelief written clear on his face "You want just the two of us to attack a pirate ship? And you want to blow it up!?"

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