"This is bad" Jon said, his voice shaking slightly. "Is it though?" The old lady said, she obviously did not think the situation was as bad as the towns folk made it out to be, yet here they where. In the small little tavern after Elpheba had asked about the pirate crew whom had apparently laid claim to the island of Spider Miles. "No, its really bad, the crew is powerful, they aren't just your usual run of the mill pirates who you seem to be swatting away with ease, these guys, even their grunts are powerful. They come when they want and they take almost all of the scrap thats left, if they don't like whats left they......they make an example out of who ever they find, my son......my father, they executed him the last time they came." With that the tavern went silent. Elpheba counted to ten within her mind, not wanting to show disrespect for the passing of family. She herself knew all too well how that felt.

"Tell me about the pirates, Iv never really heard of them before, whose their captain?" The elderly marine said. "No one knows who their captain is, generally they simply send over a squad off four, the vice captain, a harpy known as Nana handles everything, we've never heard of or met their captain" Jon said softly, tears glistened in his eyes. "That Nani.....her talons......" Elphiba did not diverge further, not did Jon divulge any more information on what these fearsome talons could unleash. "So it would seem we have a fight on our hands, the marines will handle things from here"

It would be around two weeks before the pirates would eventually show themselves, in during Elpheba would head over to a near by island to gather as much information on the pirates as possible.

Two weeks had passed, she had yet to recieve word about the arrival of the Scrap Yard Pirates. Thus after her somewhat strange time in Flevance, the marine would return, yet the atmosphere of Spider Miles was vastly different, "Take to the skies, just in case" Elpheba said to the chirping sparrow perched gently upon her shoulder, the sparrow uttered a single chirp, pecked the lobe of hear ear and spread its tiny tiny wings, soon with a few mightly flaps it soared back the direction the duo had come from. Elpheba on the other hand would continue forward, her walking stick echoing through the empty town. "What is going on here" the oldlady mused as she walked.

This time of day, the valley of Spider Miles was bustling, but it was so empty, "Somethings wrong" she said to herself, it was obvious that there was some issue, for she had yet to see any of the marines whom had been stationed here, she had yet to see anyone. She hobbled along eventually coming to the square. "AAAAAhahaha, here she is the guest of honour" said a females voice. As Elpheba looked forward her eyes widened. A chair of scrap metal had been forged, sitting upon it a woman with wings instead of arms, with talons instead of toes. The marines whom had been around spider miles where tied to large wooden poles, "What is this" She asked, "RUN ELPHIBA" shouted Kujo, one of the marines whom travelled with Elpheba for the past few months. "Tut tut" The harpy said. A snapping sound could be heard, someone clicking their fingers, a roar...and then a scream.

A large lion had seemingly come out of no where, pouncing upon Kujo, Elpheba made to move, yet two other pirates countered her, their fists raised, ready to strike out. "Not so fast ya bat" the twins uttered in unison. "OUT OF MY WAY" Elpheba shouted as she brought her walking stick to the side, yet before it could strike them, the harpy moved with such speed that she managed to halt it in mid movement, curling around her talons. "This, this is the marine who deems to take our land" The harpy uttered as she pulled the Clima-tact from Elphebas hand, she threw it to the side unintentoinally striking Kuzco, whom was shaking, fear had taken him as she stared at the mauled body of Kujo, the large lion continued to eat the now silent body of the marine.

"Fuck you" Elpheba said as she aimed an old fist towards the harpy, yet a single kick was all that was needed to kick the old lady a few meters back. She skidded, but she was resiliant, her hands moved as her easel and brush appeared in her hand. The harpy laughed but the old lady painted upon her chest, a large symbol of white. as soon as it was complete the harpy and her entire crew screamed as they covered their eyes.. She moved fast, and soon enough the marines where free. "RUN GET OUT OF HERE" she shouted and they listened. Elpheba grabbed her clima-tact, Turning to face the pirates. There where two, the twins who with their stances where martial artists, a beast and beast tamer whom sat upon it, and a harpy. The harpy was fast....dangerous..

She had to be quick, she had to hold off the enemy so her friends could get away. IT was then that she heard it, her beautiful sparrow came soaring in, its small form an almost unseeable blur, yet she heard the familiar chirp. As it closed in, its form enlarged with a large light, its talons soon grew and snatched up a single opponent, one of the twins whom had halted Elpheba from saving Kujo. He screamed as he was pulled in to the air.

The harpy though gave a sighing sound. "Oh no you don't you bitch" Elpheba shouted as she brought her full formed Clima-tact forwad, in one quick motion a blast of orange light, shaped like an orb burst from her clima-tacts head. Erupting, getting larger as it blasted forth intending to strike the harpy. "Go Nana " the beast master uttered. His short brown hair, his white bandana flowing in the wind. His hands came upwards as the sun egg collided with him. His face contorted in pain, letting out a wince of pain, though he would whistle as he struggled against the egg and the lion charged for Elpheba.

"DROP HIM ETZA" shouted Elpheba, thankfully the bird heard her, the harpy was faster than the sparrow, closing in fast. So she released her talons, the martial artist fell, falling through the sky screaming, until the harpy caught him. Elpheba on the other hand struggled to tame the lion. Her clima-tact zapped at it, but its hide was too thick. It only seemed to feel a minor shock.

Elpheba would soon find herself moving, fleeing through the town, each turn she had to avoid a swipe of a claw, the talon of a harpys foot, the fists of a fighter. Until she got to the edge of town, the sea behind her. The old woman huffed and panted. She was exhausted, her clothes bloody, wounds littered her body. Her little sparrow tried to get to her, but Elpheba screamed for it to leave. She knew this would be the end. Her clima-tact......her clima-tact lay shattered having been used to block one of the harpies attacks. She was now armed with her paints, but she doubted the same trick would work twice. There now stood the twins, one of them cyborg like, female, with dark skin. She was the stronger one, the beast master and his beast together, the harpy smiled while levitating her wings flapping. "This is the end" Nana said, her voice could barely contain the excitement.

Grading note:

"NOT YET" shouted a mans voice, followed by the bursting explosion of a rather powerful gun firing. Elpheba tried to duck, but it was the harpy who moved first. She did not even care to try to defend her crew, instead she chose to go the old lady. She soared through the sky as a missile struck the lion head on, creating a massive explosion that rocked everything.

The blast pushed the harpy forward even faster, this meant Elpheba had no chance of escape. Pain burst through her abdomen as the harpys large talons penetrated her. Blood erupted from her mouth as bullets rained forth from the marines guns. "TYLA" shouted one of the twins, the weaker twin had used her body as a shield, holes now riddled her body.

The last thing Elpheba saw was the cyborg like twin vanishing, all she heard was gun fire and screams before the harpy screeched. "Now, now you die". Then she pulled her feet back, Elpheba fell, having risen with the Harpy in to the sky, she fell fast. Feeling the wind flowing around her. Blood also flowed, her wounds were painful, she wondered how she had fallen so far, ironic when she was actually fallen.

Had she been younger, back in her prime, had she her old powers, then these pirates would have been slaughtered in minutes, but here she was. Weaker, cursed, defeated. Then she hit the water, pain erupted through her body. Water filled eveything, blood flowed, turning the water red. Surely this would call the creatures of the deep. Her body would never be found. Not that she knew this, darkness had taken her after striking the water. Was this the end of The Paintress.

task:

"Is, is this heaven?" her voice said, but she hardly recognised it. It was so clear, the reverb of her voice made her shudder, only light danced around her vision, different colours moving, splitting in to more new lights, as if a disco ball was multiplying over and over again. Her voice had such an echo that it had yet to die down, even after she had been silent for what she felt was about five minutes. No this was not heaven she realized. Her vision adjusted, the lights where not simple lights. They told a story, moving along as a pattern, her vision seemed to zoom out allowing her to see the whole picture. A sob caught within her throat. She was staring at what seemed to be pictures, but that was impossible, no pictures had been able to capture the awful moment, she was looking at a picture, a picture of the worst day of her life.

In front of her, an image of her family, broken, blood covered the floor of their house, in the corner lay an old woman, her face.....elpheba tried to look away but found she could not, as if something was holding her head still, she tried to close her eyes, but everytime she tried some invisible force pulled them open. Forced to look at a miserable old face, horror, disgust, anger, the face she stared at held all these emotions, but something else shown through....utter defeat. This old woman, with blood covering her, wounds littering her body. Was cradling something in the corner, holding a bundle of clothing. Her grandson. The last surviving member of her family. When they came....the yonko crew....they slaughtered everyone, and in her decrepet old form, Elpheba...had been powerless to stop them. Why had they let her live? the baby? Apparently killing old ladies holding on to babies was the line this crew had not yet crossed.

"This is hell" she whispered. The lights faded and darkness covered her vision.

"You need to wake up mom"

That sob that had been in Elpheba's throat, it could no longer be contained, a voice she had been so worried about forgetting, a voice she had feared that she was forgetting rang so perfectly within the darkness. Elpheba could not see her hands, she could not feel anything, but she tried to cover her face.

"MUM WAKE UP"

Elphiba woke with a stir, covers fell from her body, she was wearing oddly large clothing, her hair was no longer in its bun, she looked around, panting, shaking, sweating. Looking around she was in a house that she did not know off, it was all strange to her. Her clothing hung on a clothes horse, still wet. How long had she been out. "Your awake" A voice said from the corner. She looked around and there was Jon, his pet sat beside him, eyes intently looking at Elphiba. "I'm....I'm alive...." she whispered. It had all been a dream...but she could still hear her daughters voice in her ear. "My marines.....did they..." Jon shook his head.....silence followed.

Her saviours, they had died.....she had underestimated her foes, her years as an admiral, they did not protect her from time, her old body could not hold the power she once had, yet she felt her name, her old title....all of those would strike fear, she had been foolish. "My weapon....they shattered it" she said, her voice....it was so defeared. "You already lost, what good would a weapon do, you can't win. The marines have no power here, we told you that...you can't win" "You saved me?" Elphiba asked. Jon only nodded. "Why"

Jon looked up, a sad smile upon his face. "You...you remind me of my mother" he said in a soft whisper. "She used to be a famous hunter, worked with the marines a lot. She.....she used the same fighting style you do, but" Jon went silent. "but what?" "The scrap heap pirates, they ambushed her when she was out with me.....i was a kid, she left her weapons at home, spider miles never got attacked, so she thought we were safe, she always took her Clima-tact with her..but i begged her, just for one day to be without it.....she died fighing, she took the crew with her,, all but that harpy" he said, tears in his eyes.

"Im going to kill them" Elpheba whispered. She looked down, only to notice on the bed, dried out, crisp but still viewable a picture. Looking at the picture, a fire built up within her. She held it close, the last picture she had of her and her daughter.

"But you can't.....you can't fight them, your were...." Jon stopped speaking. The old lady had looked at him, smiling at him so sweetly. But her eyes, her eyes where filled with determination. "I have an oath to keep, a promise to my children, to my family. If i can't get through this hurdle, then I don't deserve them, cheering me on from the other side, If i can't avenge them then whats the point of all this" She said standing up. "Do you still have clothes....of your mothers.....I need something a bit younger" she said. Such a strange request thats for sure but it was needed. Jon would say nothing yet he stood up.

Returning with a strange looking outfit, he was kind of blushing. "She was....excentric" he said. "Its perfect" the old lady said, Jon would leave her to change and she would meet him in the lounge. Her paintbrush and easle had been recovered thankfully. Its all she had. "Will you fight? You and your pet would be amazing back up" she said hopefully, she would go regardless but having someone like Jon and Leaf on her side, it would make her feel better. "I cant......they.....they already have ransom against me, they carry him here whenver they come to remind us....my friend and pet, Blaze"Jon said in a whisper. "I understand" Elpheba said as she began to head for the door.

As her hand reached around the handle, Jon would speak. "Wait" again he stood. Elpheba had already taken care of her wounds while getting changed, Jon had done wonders, she wondered if his plant creature had the power to make medicinal herbs, all she had to do was salve it and bandage them, they where almost as good as new. As she waited Jon returned with a large box. "I dont....I dont think you can win". "Thats ok, I know i can" Elpheba said turning to leave. "But regardless....If you do....I want...I want my mother, to help you" he said opening the box.

Within were three long segments, beautifully kept, a small note hand written within it. "My mum...she wanted me to learn her way of fighting, but... i was never great at mapping out weather or anythign like that, my affinity lay in taming animals, i promised to hand this to my kid if they took up navigation, but.....i think you could use it more" Elpheba's hand moved without thinking, she felt a pull to the weapon, but managed to stop herself. "Thank you Jon, but i couldn't" she said. "Please, please take it, my mum, she deserved better, if she had this she wouldnt have died...let her spirit be with you....please" the last please cam eout as a whisper, and Elphebas heart broke. "How does it work" Elpheba asked, it looked different than her previous one, the power it gave off....was on a different level. "Everythins written in the letter" he said handing it to the old lady. She pened it and read, her eyes widened. "She perfected it....your mother....she made the Sorcery Clima-tact" she whispered, she had heard rumours of such a weapon, the insturctions were simple to follow for a seasoned navigator aswell. With a smile Elpheba took the weapon attatching the three segments to her belt. "I'll save Spider Miles, I'll avenge your mother and save your friend" the old lady said.

Now she would leave, hobbling with no walking stick, determination filling her, granting her some sort of aura. "She's going to die" Jon said softly to himself watching the old lady shakily walk. Yet as he watched a small sparrow landed upon the old ladies shoulder. She patted it upon its head, then Jons eyes widened. The sparrow pecked her cheek softly, the old lady continued to walk, a blue aura flowing from her body. Time danced backwards as the old lady stood tall, her grey hair gently changing, revitilizing, a nice jet black flowed in the morning sky. her body filled his mothers clothing, the sparrow flew as the womans walk became more composed, more life like.

"Maybe she can" Jon thought to himself, perhaps not all was lost.