The Moon Idol of Crescent Island

The Moon Idol of Crescent Island

A Story by Ian Titian
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Two men with a thirst for adventure take up piracy but end up in all sorts of misadventures, encountering navy soldiers, undead pirates, and mermaids as they chase after a mystical treasure.

"

 

 The Moon Idol of Crescent Island

Prologue

“You summoned me, your majesty, the king?” Asked Admiral Blake Wood as he took a bow in front of King George the 1st of Great Britain himself.

He was a man of average built, rather young and clean shaven, polite, and well spoken, yet determined, wearing the full attire of the royal navy admiral complete with the hat (which he took off the moment he bowed in front of the king) and the white powdered wig.

The king, George I of Great Britain, was sitting merely a few feet in front of him, on the throne which stood on a higher platform, separated from the landing on which the admiral stood in a bowing position, by a few steps of stairs, at the end of the red carpet leading all the way from the very entrance of the throne room.

 

At the time, the room was guarded by two royal guards, who escorted Admiral Blake into the room, and two of the king’s own personal bodyguards, both dressed in grey formal suits and powdered wigs.

“Indeed I did.” Replied the king as he whistled and immediately, one of his royal servants who had stood beside him the whole time descended the few steps of stairs from the platform on which the king’s throne stood and onto the landing on which the admiral was bowing.

With his left hand tucked behind his back, the royal servant waved his right hand upwards and immediately the good admiral stood up, putting his hat back on as he did.

The royal servant then proceeded to hand him an old looking piece of parchment in the form of a scroll.

Quite puzzled, Admiral Blake took it and examined it for a few seconds.

“That, my boy, is a map that we have just recently acquired at sea. A map that appears to show the location of a mysterious island called ‘Crescent Island’.” Explained King George before Admiral Blake had to chance to ask.

Opening the scroll, Admiral Blake recognized that it was a map of the caribbean, with a large red X marking a spot southwest of the Bermuda island. Below it was written in very neat cursive, ‘Crescent Island’.

“Crescent Island, your majesty?” Asked Admiral Blake as he shifted his attention from the map and back to the king.

“Yes. Scholars have informed me that according to legend, Crescent Island is a mysterious island that supposedly holds a magnificent treasure called the golden moon idol, said to hold mystical and magical powers beyond even the wildest imaginations of man. It is said to be able to grant wealth, fame, fortune, and success.” Said the King excitedly.

“I see ...” Replied Admiral Blake as he shifted his attention once again towards the map in his hands.

“I want you to lead an expedition to that very spot on the map, and if you do find the golden moon idol, I want you to bring it back to me. Is that clear, Admiral?” Asked the king.

“Yes indeed, your majesty. I’ll make preparations for the journey right away.” Answered Admiral Blake as a large smile spread across his face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 1

The adventure begins

 

 

 

“Where are you Ahmed?” Sighed Daniel Lock as he stood outside his small wooden shack, which was located not very far from the port of Port Royal.

The cold night air made him shudder and he quickly wrapped his arms around his body. It was so cold that night that he could actually see his breath form into mist right under his nose.

He wiped his brown hair back as he looked up at the sky. It was nighttime, but he could barely see any stars or the moon as the dull, grey clouds rolled over them, covering most of them.

Daniel Lock used to be a travelling merchant, but his desire and thirst for freedom and adventurous exploration drove him to finally quit his job after months of contemplation, and his best friend as well as partner, Ahmed, followed suit.

 

Daniel was young man, 26 years old as of 1720, about 6’2’’ in height and sported a rough goatee and a thin moustache along with an unkempt brown hair. His usual everyday attire consisted of a brown vest along with a white long sleeved baggy shirt, unbuttoned all the way down to the stomach, as well as standard old boots and brown pants.

Danny looked on with boredom at the palm trees not so distant from where he was standing sway around peacefully in the cold night air. His eyes then darted over to the stretching seas visible from his home, stretching on to the horizon, before a voice suddenly called behind him, “Hey Dan!”

Startled, Danny quickly turned around and spotted Ahmed running towards him from the distance, carrying a lantern in his right hand, as well as two sheathed cutlasses in his left.

 

“Ahmed! Why did you have to shout so loudly!? Can’t you notice from the darkness that we’re in the middle of the night!?” Asked Danny in annoyance as his bumbling partner finally stopped in front of him.

“Sorry ... sorry. I’m just so excited, that’s all.” Said Ahmed as he gasped for air in front of Danny.

“Woo! We’re going to become pirates! Yeah!” He suddenly shouted with all his might, prompting Danny to slap him hard in the head.

“Agh! Ooh noock!” Exclaimed Ahmed as he dropped the two cutlasses that he was holding down to the ground.

“What’d ya do that for?” He protested.

Danny shook his head and raised both of his eyebrows before grabbing Ahmed by his forearms and turning him around.

 

“You see that?” Asked Danny as he pointed towards a large fort in the distance, looming over everything in the darkness, visible even from the spot they were standing on.

“Fort Charles?” Asked Ahmed cluelessly.

“Guarded tightly at all times by the royal navy.” Added Danny, still gripping Ahmed’s shoulders hard.

“So? I don’t see your point in holding me in this position.” Protested Ahmed.

“You just shouted ‘we’re pirates!’ as loud as you could when we’re actually not that far the most well guarded fort in all of Port Royal! There could be guards patrolling around here.” Yelled Danny in frustration, though unfortunately for both of them, royal navy guards were patrolling the area, and Danny’s shouts just happened to actually be louder than  Ahmed’s moments earlier.

“Who’s there?” Asked a sudden, unfriendly voice.

Surprised, Danny turned Ahmed around again to face him and whispered loudly, “Run!” before turning around and dashing off himself.

“Wait for me, Dan!” Yelled Ahmed as he grabbed the fallen cutlasses and immediately ran after his partner.

The two had not even made the corner at the end of the long road heading towards the dock not far from where they were standing when Ahmed accidentally knocked over a crate of oranges.

“Oh noock!” He yelled as rolled over in the ground along with the oranges, once again dropping the pair of cutlasses in process, this time along with the lantern.

“Goddammit!” Muttered Danny as he turned around and helped his partner back to his feet.

Just then however, the royal navy guard who had called out after them earlier caught up with the two, followed by his partner.

“Who the hell are you two? Can’t you tell by the darkness that this is the middle of the night?” Asked the royal guard harshly.

“Oh, we’re just ... idiots, sir, captain-sir.” Chuckled Ahmed as he dusted off his pants.

“Y-yeah, we’re j-just dr-drunk ... that’s all.” Added Danny as he forced a large smile on his face. The two then looked at each other, while the pair of navy guards still stood in front of them, examining them.

“Well, you’re causing a lot of ruckus, idiots! Keep it down. If wanna get wild this time of the night, head on over to the tavern. You’re disturbing the peace around here.” Said the royal guard after he finally decided the two were nothing more than just idiots. Him and his partner then turned around and left.

“Phew ... that was stupid.” Muttered Danny as he bent down to grab the cutlasses along with an orange.

“Here, I got you a flintlock too.” Said Ahmed as he handed him a flintlock he took from his belt, while at the same time receiving his cutlass that Danny handed over to him.

“Well, the lantern’s ruined. Thank god it didn’t start a fire though.” Commented Danny as he held up his flintlock pistol while looking over at the smashed lantern on the ground.

“Yeah ... oh well, let’s go to the port. Captain Dunhill must be waiting for us.” Said Ahmed as he took a step forward and grabbed Danny on the shoulder.

“Right ... well, just don’t you dare slip on these oranges. Watch your step.” Warned Danny before he began walking as well, with Ahmed following right behind him.

 

“You know, you haven’t exactly told me what the plan is. You just said you were gonna give us a lift to Tortuga and then we’ll join a pirate crew there.” Asked Danny while peeling his orange as the two men walked the paved, curving steps leading towards the port.

“Yeah, and well, I did, buddy. I got in a contact with a travelling merchant and hooked us up a lift to Tortuga this afternoon. He’s heading towards the Bahamas and said he wouldn’t mind giving us a lift. His name is Captain Dunhill.” Answered Ahmed.

Within minutes, the two could already smell the distinctive, fishy, yet refreshing smell of the sea so familiar to them. They had arrived at the port, and many ships were docked there.

One of them had an active crew hauling crates onboard. “That must be our ship. I recognize that man, he’s Captain Dunhill.” Said Ahmed as he pointed towards the a man looking over the whole process.

“Let’s go then.” Said Danny simply as the two quickly ran over towards the large ship.

Large though the ship looked from afar, it looked even larger up close, and as they got closer, Ahmed ran ahead to greet Captain Dunhill when Danny, captivated by the size and sheer magnificence of the galleon, suddenly slipped.

“Gah!” He muttered as his body got propelled forward, and as he tried to recapture his balance, he accidentally pushed Ahmed, who in turn lost control of his own balance and slammed into one of the piles of crates that Captain Dunhill’s crew had not yet hauled onboard.

Since the particular pile of crates that Ahmed had slammed into was placed so close to the edge of the dock, one of the crates, along with Ahmed himself, toppled over to the water.

“Holy ... what was that!?” Asked a surprised Captain Dunhill as he heard the sudden loud SPLASH.

“That’s one of our goods!” He yelled as he pushed Danny aside and looked over the dock.

“Jim!” He then called out.

“Yes captain?” Asked his crewmember named Jim, who ran to his captain’s side immediately. He was a tall, shirtless broad chested man wearing white capri pants and two gold earings on each ear.

“Go fetch it!” Answered Captain Dunhill in panic.

“The man or the crate, captain?” Asked Jim with a puzzled look as Ahmed rose back to the surface.

“What do you think, you idiot!? Yelled a frustrated Captain Dunhill.

With merely a nod and nay another word, Jim jumped into the water ... and quickly swam over to Ahmed, reaching for his shoulders.

“Ah no, I’m fine! I’m fine!” Yelled Ahmed in panic as Jim grabbed him.

“What!? No you idiot, the crate! I told you to grab the crate!” Shouted Captain Dunhill frantically from above them.

“Oh ... si, because my papa and mama always told me that life is more precious than any ...” Jim began to talk as he let go of Ahmed and turned around to face his captain while still doggy-paddling in the water.

“JUST GRAB THE GODDAMN CRATE THAT FELL OVER!” Yelled Captain Dunhill, really beginning to lose his patience.

“Wow, you’ve got a pretty incompetent crew, huh?” Chuckled Danny as he walked over and stood next to the captain.

Captain Dunhill merely looked at him with an open mouth and wide, angry eyes, prompting Danny to stop laughing instantly.

The whole of Captain Dunhill’s crew was watching when Jim finally resurfaced with the crate. At the same time, Ahmed was struggling to get back up onto the dock.

“Phew! Dan, you b*****d!” He muttered as he finally managed to stand again, his whole body drenched and shivering under the cold weather.

“Good.” Said Captain Dunhill as Jim finally managed to return the crate back onto the dock and easily climbed up himself.

“Yo ...” Said Danny as he slapped his partner’s wet shoulder when he walked over to him. Danny didn’t mind him though, he walked right past and greeted Captain Dunhill instead.

 

“Um Captain Dunhill, terribly sorry for all the ruckus, but uh ... you’d still give us a lift right? It’s me by the way, Ahmed. From this morning.” Said Ahmed to the captain.

“Yes, I recognize you. You have quite the funny face there. Lucky for you two, I’m used to bumbling idiots in my crew. Just help out the rest of my men hauling these crates onboard if you don’t mind, then we’ll set off.” Replied Captain Dunhill.

“Okay. Thank you very much Captain Dunhill.” Thanked Ahmed as he shoved Danny to the side.

“Let’s go.” He said as he grabbed one end of a large crate with Danny on the end. Together, they hauled the large crate up into Captain Dunhill’s ship along with the other crewmates, who had also resumed their work.

Not long after all the crates had been hauled onboard, Captain Dunhill himself climbed onto the ship.

“We set sail! Full canvas towards the Bahamas!” Yelled Captain Dunhill.

As the crew began to work and the ship began to move, Ahmed and Danny walked up to Captain Dunhill from the back.

“Don’t forget Tortuga.” Said Danny as he grabbed the captain’s left shoulder with his right hand.

“I know. Oh, and just so you know, we’re not making port at Tortuga.” Answered Captain Dunhill.

“What?” Asked both Danny and Ahmed in unison.

“These are rough times, they are! I’m not even comfortable just being off the coast of Tortuga, let alone docking there! I’ve had enough bad experiences with pirates!” Answered Captain Dunhill strictly as he turned around to face them both.

“By the way, why are you sea urchins looking forward to go there anyway? Don’t you know it’s even dubbed the pirate port? I say, a couple of clowns like you two won’t last long with the lot of ‘em. Mark my words.” He added.

Danny and Ahmed looked at each other before Ahmed finally said,“Oh, we’re just ... sightseeing.”

“Yeah, and don’t worry about us. We might look incompetent, but our skills with the cutlass is unmatched.” Added Danny as he patted his still-sheathed cutlass.

“Suit yourselves ... Just don’t expect me to make port there, that’s all.” Replied Captain Dunhill as he raised his shoulders and turned around.

“W-wait!” Called out Danny before the captain could get into his cabin.

“What now?” Asked Captain Dunhill as he turned around to face him and Ahmed once again.

“How are going to make it to Tortuga then, if you’re not going to make port?” Asked Danny.

“I hope you two are good swimmers.” Answered Captain Dunhill simply as he put his arms on his hips.

Danny didn’t reply. He raised his eyebrows and his eyes grew wide as he slowly turned to look at his partner, whose clothes hadn’t even fully dried yet.

“Shut up, that was your fault!” Said Ahmed irritably before Danny could even say a word.

Shaking his head, Captain Dunhill finally replied, “Fine, I’ll lend you guys one of our longboats...”

“Great! We’ll return it next time we meet, okay?” Replied Danny excitedly as he held a thumbs up.

Captain Dunhill just shook his head one more time before turning around and heading towards the captain’s cabin.

Suddenly, a scrawny looking fellow came over to the them carrying two mops and a bucket. He handed it over without saying a word.

“What, we gotta work here too?” Asked Danny as he grabbed the mop that was shoved his way.

“But we’re guests!” Added Ahmed in protest.

“But you’re not paying us, and we’ll accept your labor as payment. Your welcome.” Replied the scrawny cabin boy curtly before walking away from the pair.

 

Danny looked around and saw that most of the crew had already gone down below the decks, and the scrawny cabin boy was about to do so as well when Danny called out for him.

“Hey, where are you guys going? Aren’t you going to work as well?” He asked.

“Na-ah. We take shifts here, and most of ours are in the morning, and you won’t be here by morning, will ya? Get to work!” Answered the cabin boy before disappearing below deck.

“Pfft! Who does he think he is? Ordering us around like that? He’s not the captain.” Commented Danny.

“I know right, he was just the cabin boy! I ain’t mopping!” Said Ahmed before slamming his mop onto the deck.

Suddenly, a voice called out from above them, “You’re right, he actually doesn’t have the authority to order you guys around...”

Startled, both Danny and Ahmed looked up, and saw that the voice actually came from Jim, who turned out to be the quartermaster on the ship, and he was at the helm.

“There you go. You’re a good friend, Jim.” Said Ahmed with a broad smile as he flashed him a thumbs up.

“He doesn’t, but I DO! GET TO WORK!” Added Jim suddenly with a raised voice that both terrified and startled Danny and Ahmed.

“Aye sir!” Exclaimed Ahmed as he closed his eyes and gave a salute, before bending down to pick up his mop, while Danny had already begun splashing his own mop into the bucket of the water.

The two spent the next few hours mopping away as the ship moved closer and closer to Tortuga, their ultimate destination.

 

“This is really not exciting.” Muttered Danny as he laid back on rail of the ship, after he had finally finished mopping the whole deck along with Ahmed. Looking up, he saw that the sky was still dark and the weather was still really cold.

“Oh you just wait. Besides...” Before Ahmed could finish, a cry from above them startled them once again.

“Tortuga!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 2

The first raid

 

 

 

 

The skies were still dark when Danny and Ahmed arrived in Tortuga by the life boat were lent, however the town itself was anything but quiet. It was bursting with cries, cheers and even gunfire. It was very different from Port Royal. The taverns were bright and lots of drunkards came and went. Some windows were smashed and some barrels were thrown around. It was a complete riot, yet absolutely no one was in panic.

“Well, here’s Tortuga.” Said Ahmed as he put his arms on his hips while observing the wild, loud, and lively scenery before him.

“Indeed it is. Doesn’t look really ...” Danny was interrupted when three men from the nearest tavern, only a few meters from where they were standing, suddenly walked out carrying another man together, before flinging him into road and cheering as the man hit it hard. “...safe around here...” He continued as he watched the man struggle to get up.

“Ooh wait, before we go in, I’ve got something for us.” Said Ahmed as he pulled out something black from his pocket.

“Eyepatches?” Commented Danny curiously as Ahmed handed it over to him.

“Ha ... how do I look?” Asked Ahmed cheerfully as he posed after putting on the eyepatch.

“...That’s brilliant.” Answered Danny simply as he eyed his friend, before putting on his own eyepatch.

“I think we’ll need to act more like pirates so we could blend in and join a crew easily.” Whispered Ahmed as they began walking towards the tavern.

“Bah, how hard could that be?” Said Danny confidently. A large sign with the words ‘Eleanoire’s Tavern’ was hanging above the door, which Danny and Ahmed both kicked open when they entered.

“Walk the plank!” Shouted Danny loudly as the duo burst in. He also grabbed his flintlock pistol from his belt and pointed it straight to the ceiling before pulling the trigger.

A loud click, but nothing else happened. Everyone in the tavern fell silent immediately and looked in his direction.

“Shoot. I forgot, this thing’s wet...” Muttered Danny as he patted his pistol on his left palm repeatedly. “Check yours, Ahmed!” He whispered harshly, though it would seem that the whole tavern heard him.

Ahmed pulled out his own flintlock and pointed it straight into the ceiling as well, before pulling the trigger.

“Wet.” He commented flatly as the flintlock unsurprisingly failed to fire as well.

The silence in the tavern lasted a few more seconds until ... everyone burst out laughing.

“Hahahah ... look at those clowns!” Screamed one man as he dropped on the floor laughing, clutching his stomach.

“Hahahah ... they must be tonight’s entertainment!” Screamed another man.

“Somebody give ‘em a drink!” Yet another voice screamed, followed by someone actually hurling a bottle of rum in their direction. It missed Ahmed’s head by a few inches and smashed into a wooden post next to him. Ahmed squinted as some drops of the liquor splashed on his face. More cheers and shouts followed.

“Well, we certainly gained attention...” Whispered Danny.

Ahmed wasn’t listening, he was scanning the tavern for something before saying, “Look, over there!” while pointing at a table in the corner. Two men were sitting facing each other, and two other men stood in a neat line behind them, as if waiting to be interviewed.

“That guy must be signing up members for a crew.” Said Ahmed.

“How do you know that for sure?” Asked Danny.

“It sort of ... looks like it. Let’s ask.” Answered Ahmed before scurrying over to the table. Danny followed closely behind.

“Are you signing up men for a crew mate?” Asked Ahmed to the man at the table who was facing him. The man had a feather pen and paper along with a bottle of ink next to it on the table in front of him. The man actually had a bright face with a brown beard and equally brown hair combed neatly to the back. He was wearing a brown coat and a white cotton shirt underneath stained in what looked like rum, while the man he was talking to had a sleepy drunken look on his face and messy black hair.

“Stand in the line.” Answered the man curtly and simply as he continued to talk to the man facing him.

Danny and Ahmed did as the man said and stood in line with Danny in the back and Ahmed standing in front of him.

“Psst. Who or what are we signing up for?” Asked Ahmed to the man standing in front of him.

“Captain Brownhack. Haven’t you heard of him? One of the most notorious pirates around these waters. They say he never comes back from a voyage empty handed.” Replied the man. He, much like the man who was currently being interviewed, had a drunken and messy look on his face. His eyes were sunken, and some of his hair drooped over his forehead.

“Well, I’m in.” Said Danny excitedly, having heard the man.

“Yeah, me too!” Replied Ahmed excitedly.

As soon as all the guys who were standing in front him had been interviewed, Ahmed immediately jumped into the seat at the table.

“Wait, aren’t you guys the clowns from earlier?” Asked the interviewer. Neither Ahmed nor Danny responded, they just looked at the man flat-faced.

“I’m Mr. Smith by the way. Nice to meet you both, what’s yours?” Continued the interviewer, Mr. Smith, as he shook Ahmed’s hand.

“I’m Ahmed.” Answered Ahmed simply.

“Well, state your current occupation and position if you have one.” Said Mr. Smith as he wrote down Ahmed’s name.

“I’m currently unemployed, and I’ve got nowhere to go, nothing better to do.” Stated Ahmed as he raised both of shoulders.

“Aha, perfect! One final question though, what’s with the eyepatch?” Asked Mr. Smith.

“What about it?” Asked Ahmed back as he raised both an eyebrow and his shoulders.

“Welcome onboard. You’re now a part of Captain Brownhack’s crew.” Said Mr. Smith with a large smile on his face as he once again shook Ahmed’s hand.

A little confused, Ahmed stood up and patted Danny on the shoulder as the latter sat down.

Before Mr. Smith could even say anything, Danny raised both of his legs and casually rested them down on the table. “My name’s Daniel, and I’m in for any and all sorts of adventures and journeys. I just got bored of my old life and decided to give piracy a shot.” He exclaimed.

Mr. Smith blinked a couple times with an open mouth before nodding and saying, “Hah, I like your spirit. Welcome onboard, Mr. Daniel.”

“Thank you Mr. Smith.” Danny nodded and smiled back as he shook Mr. Smith’s hand. Standing up, he noticed that more people had come and formed a new line behind him.

“Well, that was quick.” Commented Ahmed as Danny walked over to him. They both then walked towards the counter of the tavern and sat down.

“Doesn’t really matter actually, the important thing is that now we’re both a part of a pirate crew. Let’s have a toast to celebrate.” Replied Danny as the bartender gave both of them a mug of rum.

“You’re right. To a life of piracy!” Said Ahmed as he raised his mug.

“To a life of freedom and adventure!” Replied Danny as he raised his mug and toasted with Ahmed, before gulping the rum down.

After about an hour of drinking, Danny and Ahmed joined Mr. Smith and the rest of their new crew hauling crates in the dock.

“So, uh ... where’s the captain?” Asked Danny to one of his new crewmembers, an old sailor with graying hair and beard.

Before the old sailor had a chance to answer, a heavy voice suddenly boomed from the deck of the large ship they were about to haul some crates into. A large brown-bearded man of enormous height and terrifying presence stood wearing an all black pirate attire.“So ... you rusty old landlubbers and inexperienced sea urchins are the ones who will join me in me next voyage? Well I gotta warn the lot of ye, you join me crew, you prepare for death! It ain’t gonna be easy ... we’ll face hard waters and cannon fire and storms and other unimaginably deadly obstacles both from nature and from our enemies, hurled at us. There’s absolutely no guarantee you’ll make it to the next port alive! On my ship ye’ll all do what I say, and whether or not ye survive, that’s all up to yourselves, and whether or not ye’ve got enough guts, wits, courage, and strength needed to. Now, for those of seadogs who are tough and ready to face the risks, say AYE!” He beckoned.

“AYE!” Shouted everyone excitedly in unison, except for Danny who just stood quiet with sparkly eyes, admiring the presence of the large pirate captain before him.

“You lad, with the eyepatch, you got a problem?” Asked Captain Brownhack suddenly as he sharply shifted his attention to Danny.

“No sir, not at all.” Answered a startled Danny immediately as he still kept his eyes on the pirate captain.

“Aye! There’s a good lad. Speed up your work, we’ll be settin’ off soon.” Replied Captain Brownhack before turning around and heading back towards his cabin.

As soon as the captain left, everyone resumed hauling the remaining crates into the deck of the large frigate.

“I figure that was probably the captain.” Snapped the old sailor suddenly before hauling his crate onboard along with his partner.

After all the crates had finally been hauled onboard, Captain Brownhack shouted, “Right then ye seadogs, set sail! We head north towards Nassau, and we’ll rob any ship that are unlucky enough to get in our way!”

“Aye!” Shouted everyone heartily as they began to work, opening the sails and manning the capstan while some climbed the rigging on the sides of the ship. Danny was handed a rope by a fellow crewmember and heaved along with the others, with Ahmed behind him, setting full sail. The sun was already rising when the ship began moving.

Looking up, Danny saw the captain standing on the deck above the captain’s cabin, in front of the helm. To his left was Mr. Smith, while to his right was a beautiful young lady with long brown hair. Danny’s eyes grew wide just looking at her.

He wanted to ask around and find out who she was, but he decided to hold it off.

The next few hours passed rather uneventfully for Danny and the crew. After they had finished with the sails and the ship was already moving steadily, they were handed mops and buckets of water.

“Not this again ...” Muttered Danny while looking over to Ahmed as the cabin boy of the ship handed him a mop.

Ahmed just shrugged and they both began mopping. It wasn’t until the sun was already high above them that something interesting finally happened.

“Merchant ship off the starboard bow!” Yelled someone suddenly from the crow’s nest.

Immediately, all the crewmembers, including Danny and Ahmed scurried over to the right side of the ship and held on to the railing, leaning over to see the approaching ship the man on the crow’s nest had just announced. It was only barely visible from where they stood.

Meanwhile, Captain Brownhack took out a telescope and spied in the same direction.

“What is it? A merchant ship?” Asked Mr. Smith.

“Aye ...” Replied Captain Brownhack before descending down onto the main deck of the ship and shouting, “Battle stations, that be our first target for the day! Man the cannons, prepare yer’ weapons and hoist the colors!”

“Aye!” Everyone screamed in unison before scrambling all over the deck.

“Get below decks! Man the cannons!” Shouted a crewmember amidst the hustle.

“Our first raid, Ahmed.” Whispered Danny as both he and Ahmed joined some of the other crewmembers go below the decks.

“Ha, and they say ...” Before Ahmed could finish, another crewmember handed him a cannon stick and shoved both him and Danny towards the nearest cannon.

Next to it were some cannonballs, and seeing as everyone else were already busy managing their own cannons, Ahmed just shoved one of the cannonballs inside without another word.

“Oh now they’re putting on eyepatches ...” Muttered Danny to himself as he witnessed some of the crewmembers were starting to put on eyepatches.

Above them, Mr. Smith was still at the helm and Captain Brownhack and the girl Danny saw earlier were standing next to him.

“They’re trying to run away ...” Commented the girl as she observed the merchant ship they were targetting trying to turn around.

“They’re not going to make it, Vanessa ... the wind’s on our side.” Replied Captain Brownhack as a large smile spread on his face. “Besides, no ship’s faster than my baby here, the Black Hurricane.”

Vanessa smiled back in return.

“Tell the men below decks we’re coming in close and steady. Make sure every cannon is already manned.” Ordered Captain Brownhack. “Oh, and tell them to be cautious too though, the enemy ship’s equipped.”

“Aye, captain.” Replied Vanessa before heading below decks.

“Everyone, we’ll be side by side with them any moment now, but be careful, their ship’s also got cannons.” Said Vanessa as she stood on the stairs below decks.

Her voice immediately caught Danny’s attention. He quickly turned around from the cannon and looked at her straight in the eyes.

Vanessa noticed him and was quite startled by his meaningful stare. Her eyes grew wide, but she immediately shook her head and focused back on her surroundings.

“Pistols and cutlasses at the ready!” Captain Brownhack’s voice beckoned from above them, and merely a few seconds later, he shouted, “Cannons ready ...”

Danny’s attention quickly shifted back to the cannon before him as a large shadow suddenly blocked the light coming from opening in front of the cannon. The large merchant ship had come side by side with their own ship and were ready on the cannons as well.

“FIRE! FIRE ALL!” Captain Brownhack’s voice boomed from the decks above.

“FIRE ALL! NOW!” Vanessa repeated the orders.

Danny lit the fuse of the cannon while Ahmed covered his ears, and at the same time the cannon fired, all the other cannons fired as well, and not only the cannons on Captain Brownhack’s ship the Black Hurricane, but from the merchant ship as well.

Loud, deafening blasts filled the air as the crewmembers above the deck roared and cheered. The wall right next to where Danny was standing burst as a cannon suddenly plowed through, as did the walls next to his fellow crewmembers.

Danny immediately ducked and took cover while Ahmed reloaded the cannon with a worried look on his face. His eyes were wide open and sweat was dripping down from his cheeks.

Some of the other crewmembers screamed and shouted as some more cannonballs plowed through the ship, before firing back their own cannons. Amidst the smoke and debris, Danny saw that Vanessa had returned up to the deck with a cutlass in hand as another crewmember dropped down the stairs. It was the old sailor he talked to earlier. Danny grabbed him by the arm and shoved his cannon stick at him. “Cover for me.” He said before heading towards the stairs.

“Yo, where are you going!?” Screamed Ahmed in disbelief as yet another cannonball plowed through the starboard, causing him to nearly lose his balance. Thankfully, the old sailor was quick to grab his arm and prevent him from falling down into the waters below.

“Two seconds mate.” Shouted Danny back before making his way up the stairs into the decks above.

It was no better up on the decks. There were two cannons, but they were both already manned. Some of the other crewmembers had also boarded the merchant ship and were battling ferociously on there with their cutlasses. Meanwhile, Captain Brownhack had already taken over the helm as Mr. Smith was busy sniping down the merchants on the merchant ship using a rifle. Some more cannonblasts narrowly missed him but wrecked parts of the rigging.

He scanned around for Vanessa, and saw that she was heading towards the railing of the ship carrying a rifle. Looking across at the merchant ship, Danny noticed that a merchant was just ready to fire a cannon in her direction.

“Duck!” Screamed Danny as he quickly bolted towards her and grabbed her, forcing both of them to fall flat onto the deck. Just then, a cannonball blasted through the railing. Had Danny not made a move, it would’ve obliterated Vanessa.

“Oh ...” Said Vanessa, still in shock on the floor with the Danny above her.

“Hi, I’m Daniel.” Said Danny as a smile spread on his face while the light debris of wood made by the cannonblast rained down on both of them.

“Vanessa.” Replied Vanessa simply as a smile too, spread across her face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 3

Vanessa

 

 

 

 

 

The battle continued as Danny helped Vanessa back to her feet.

Danny opened his mouth to talk, but Vanessa shut him up and said, “We’re in the middle of a battle. Draw your weapons. Now.” Before making her way back to the rail and crouching next to one of the cannons to begin firing her rifle at the merchants on the other side.

Danny was about to pull out his own cutlass when Mr. Smith suddenly appeared next to him and said, “Board that ship! We need more boarders!” while handing him an axe.

“B-but...” Danny stammered, but Mr. Smith quickly pushed him towards the edge of the railing.

Nearly losing his balance and falling off the ship, Danny quickly grabbed one of the nearest things he could grab, which coincidentally happened to be a rope.

Before he knew it, he was already swinging over to the merchant ship, screaming as cannonblasts raged below his feet.

“Whoa!” He said as he made the landing on the merchant ship. One of the merchants who had noticed him quickly came over and swung a poleax in his direction. Fortunately, Danny managed to block the hit with his own axe. Still holding it in his left hand, he grabbed his cutlass with his right hand and quickly made a cut at the merchant’s stomach.

“Aaarh...” Screamed the merchant as he crumpled over to the deck.

“Sorry ‘bout that...” Muttered Danny before another merchant quickly plunged at him, but using the same technique, Danny was able to dispatch him rather easily as well.

The battle around him still raged on as one of Danny’s crewmembers  suddenly burst out of the captain’s cabin of the merchant ship carrying a large wooden chest.

 A merchant tried to attack him with a sabre, but he managed to block the attack using the wooden chest, before slamming the chest back into the merchant, causing him to lose his balance and topple overboard. The pirate then quickly grabbed one of the ropes hanging from the mast above the railing and used it to swing back to the Black Hurricane, carrying the wooden chest with him.

“Look out!” Screamed someone from behind Danny suddenly, followed by the sound of a sword slashing. Startled, he turned around and saw that one of his crewmates, a bearded indian man wearing a dark yellow coat and a pirate hat had dispatched a merchant who had tried to attack Danny using a sabre.

“You’re welcome.” Said the indian pirate before turning around to face yet another merchant.

 

Danny himself then proceeded to dispatch two more merchants onboard the ship and looking around, he saw that the pirates had mostly taken over. There were not that many merchants left, and the ones manning the cannon on the deck had already been killed. The ship had also stopped firing away cannonballs even though the Black Hurricane continued to do so, further wrecking the merchant ship.

Some more of Danny’s crewmates suddenly burst out from below the decks, and they were carrying barrels, bags, and crates. They successfully swung over back to the Black Hurricane.

Suddenly, a bullet whizzed right past Danny. It missed his head only by a few inches. Looking at the direction from whence the bullet was fired, he saw that a merchant was aiming a rifle at him. Danny’s eyes grew wide instantly. He wanted to draw his own flintlock, but he had forgotten to change the wet powder and bullet from the previous day.

Thinking for a split second that his life might end right there, he was surprised when the merchant who was aiming right at him suddenly dropped dead on the deck, dropping his rifle. At first, he expected another eccentric crewmember would say ‘you’re welcome’ to him, but as he looked over to the Black Hurricane, he saw that it was actually Vanessa who had killed the merchant with her own rifle.

She winked as Danny looked in her direction, and Danny only sighed and smiled in relief seeing that.

Before he could do anything else, three more of his crewmates got out from below the decks and shouted, “The gunpowder’s been ignited, come on!” before grabbing some ropes left over from the rigging of the wrecked ship to swing back over to the Black Hurricane.

Some other crewmembers joined them, and the indian pirate from earlier patted Danny on his shoulder on his way.

After looking around the ship one more time for a split second, Danny quickly followed him and the other crewmembers and swung over back to the Black Hurricane as well.

Everyone was already standing on the decks when Danny finally made his footing on the Black Hurricane, although not before slipping and knocking Ahmed off his feet.

As the two struggled to get up, a deafening explosion was heard. It shook the whole ship, causing both Danny and Ahmed to fall flat on their chests again. The explosion was followed by celebratory cheers of the whole crew while debris of splinters rained over the whole ship.

After finally getting back to his feet, Danny saw that the merchant ship he was just on moments prior had already been obliterated into nothing more than chunks of smoking, burning wood, floating in the sea.

 “Alright then ... now the lots of ye ...” Muttered Captain Brownhack suddenly from behind Danny. Startled, he looked around and noticed that the captain was walking in front of some of the surviving merchants, whom he just realized, had been brought onboard the ship.

“So there’s survivors ...” Asked Danny. There were six of them.

“Yeah, I think they jumped overboard during the battle and some of them only after the gunpowder had been lit.” Answered Ahmed.

“Quiet you two.” Snapped Captain Brownhack before turning back to the surviving merchants. “Had you just hoisted the white flag and given us your loot earlier, this battle wouldn’t even have happened.”

The surviving merchants just whimpered and shivered in fear. Danny actually felt sorry for them, reminiscing the times he used to be a merchant himself.

Much to his relief, Captain Brownhack said, “Now, I’m not like the late Blackbeard, no ... and I’m not Davy Jones either, and I won’t  force ye to go to his locker if you agree to join me crew. How about it? Are ye willin’ to give up your boring merchant lives for the hearty life of a pirate, robbin’ yer own kind later on, or at least, what used to be yer own kind...”

Completely helpless and seeing no other choices other than that or walking the plank, the six survivors all nodded in agreement.

“Great. Though ye’ll all still need some time in the brig though. Ajeet, Lantern, escort them to the brig.” He ordered.

“Aye, captain.” Replied Ajeet, who was the indian man in the yellow coat that saved Danny earlier. Him and his partner, Lantern, a moustached Jamaican native with dreadlocks wearing a dark green coat then proceeded to lead the six merchants down into the brigs below decks.

As soon as all of them had gone down, Captain Brownhack exclaimed heartily, “Now then sea urchins and seadogs, let’s bust these crates open and see what awaits us ...”

“Aye!” Cheered all the crewmembers, including Ahmed heartily as they all began to huddle around the crates and chests they had obtained from the merchant ship. Danny was about to join them too when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

“Oh, Vanessa.” He said as he turned around to see whose hand it was.

“Thank you for saving me earlier.” Said Vanessa softly with a smile.

“Well, you saved mine too. I’ve noticed.” Replied Danny.

“Look at all this loot, Dan!” Yelled Ahmed from behind him, but Danny didn’t respond. His focus was entirely placed on Vanessa.

“Yo Dan! Pearl necklaces!” Yelled Ahmed once again. Getting mildly annoyed, Danny turned around and flashed his friend a thumbs up along with a forced smile.

Ahmed smiled back as he put on the pearl necklace. “Ha ... how do I look?” He asked as he did his signature pose, bending his legs and raising both shoulders.

Danny just nodded, and before he turned around to continue talking to Vanessa, she was already standing beside him. “It’s okay, go join your friend and the others in the celebration, I just wanted to thank you, that’s all.” She said before beginning to walk away.

“Well ... in the words of my friend, Ajeet ... you’re welcome?” Replied Danny as he raised his shoulders. Vanessa chuckled before continuing to walk away.

“Wait ... aren’t you going to check out the loot along with the others?” Asked Danny before she got too far.

“No ... even though I’m a girl, I’m not really interested in pearl necklaces, unlike your friend there.” Answered Vanessa as she looked over to Ahmed, who was putting on another layer of pearl necklace. He winked at her as she looked in his direction, and Vanessa left for the captain’s cabin shortly, which seemed kind of mysterious for Danny, especially since the captain of the ship himself was still busy checking out the loot along with his crew.

“Mr. Smith ...” Called Danny as he approached Mr. Smith, who was cracking open yet another chest along with some of the other crewmembers.

“Aye?” Replied Mr. Smith as he turned around.

“I need to talk to you in private ...” Said Danny as he took a couple steps back.

“Aye ... just a second now ...” Replied Mr. Smith as he handed his crowbar to another pirate next to him before following Danny.

“What is it, lad?” He asked.

“You’ve been on this ship for a long time haven’t you? As I understand it, you’re Captain Brownhack’s first mate, are you not?” Asked Danny as he leaned close to Mr. Smith’s ear, being careful so that the other pirates won’t hear their conversation.

“Aye, that is true ...” Replied Mr. Smith.

“Now, what about that girl ... Vanessa? Who is she really? What’s her position on the ship?” Whispered Danny.

Mr. Smith looked around before answering, Danny noticed that he seemed kind of hestitant about it. “To tell you the truth ... I’m not sure myself lad ...”

“What!?” Asked Danny. “But you’re the first mate here!”

“That girl really is shrouded in mystery though. I’ll tell ye that much.” Replied Mr. Smith.

“Fine, how about this then ... tell me everything you know about her...” Whispered Danny.

Once again, Mr. Smith seemed kind of hestitant about answering his question, but he did anyway. “All I know is, she’s been on this ship longer than I have, and she seems to have a personal bond with Captain Brownhack too. I don’t know what her position is, but the captain seems to treat her like his own family even.”

“Is she?” Asked Danny curiously.

“I don’t know, lad. Once I tried asking Captain Brownhack about it, but he dismissed me immediately. Who knows, she could even be his own daughter.” Answered Mr. Smith as he sighed and raised his shoulders lightly. “Me and her, we’re already like close friends since we’ve been through so many voyages together, yet I don’t even fully understand who she is. Weird isn’t it lad?” He added with a chuckle, before returning to the stash of loot.

“That so ...” Muttered Danny to himself while rubbing his goatee, before finally joining the other crewmembers as well.

“What was that all about?” Asked Ahmed curiously as Danny approached him.

“Just some digging into a private matter of curiosity regarding my mutual interest in a person of the opposite sex, without much success other than the extended knowledge of how mysterious said person is ...” Replied Danny as he eyed the stash of cotton, pearl necklaces, and other loot laid out on the deck before him.

“Huh?” Asked Ahmed after a few seconds of wide-eyed bewilderement at the sudden complexity of his partner’s vocabulary.

“Never mind, instead, check this out ...” Said Danny quickly as he grabbed a pair of golden earrings, changing the topic.

Ahmed just shrugged in response.

That night, while everyone was fast asleep, Danny found himself unable to do the same. He closed his eyes many times, hoping the darkness would drift him away, but it just wouldn’t, and the cramped space in which all the crewmembers slept on hammocks tied to the posts below the decks wasn’t exactly comfortable either, especially with all the snoring of the other pirates filling the air.

Feeling restless, Danny jumped down from his hammock and headed towards the stairs to get to the main deck above. At first, he was being careful by tiptoeing his way amidst the sleeping pirates, trying not to wake them up, but after judging by how loud they were snoring, he decided that normal steps wouldn’t even bother anyone.

After climbing the stairs up onto the main deck, he headed towards the stairs leading to the poop deck. He walked slowly by the rail and finally sat down on the lowest staircase.

After looking out to the sea for a few minutes, enjoying the gentle night breeze and the view of the moon casting its brilliant reflection in the water, he suddenly heard a door to his left open, the door to the captain’s cabin.

“Vanessa.” He said as Vanessa walked out of the captain’s cabin.

“Oh ... you’re here too ...” She replied as she closed the door back. “Why aren’t you sleeping?” She asked.

“I don’t know ... I just can’t. Some deep thoughts were running in my mind, and the sound of constant snoring didn’t help it calm down, so I thought I’d come here and get some fresh air first ...” Answered Danny.

“Deep thoughts ... such as?” Asked Vanessa as she walked closer to Danny and sat down next to him.

“A lot, but ... well, you’re one of em.” Answered Danny as she looked the girl in the eyes.

“Me?” Asked Vanessa with a half-puzzled, half amused expression on her face. “Why?”

“Pardon me for being so forward, but you’re so ... how do I say it ... well, mysterious and intriguing to me.” Said Danny.

Vanessa didn’t reply immediately. She just raised her eyebrows and her pupils dilated. “Are we women that intriguing to you sailors? Look, I know it’s not often...”

“No no no, that’s not what I meant.” Interrupted Danny as he shook his head. “Not women in general, but you specifically.” He cleared out.

“Oh ... well, this just got more interesting. But still, why?” Asked Vanessa as she straightened her wavy brown hair.

“Let me just put it this way ... and once again, pardon me for being so forward, but ... who are you really?” Danny finally asked after a few moments of thinking.

Vanessa’s eyes widened and as she pulled her head back a little, she asked back, “What ... are you talking about my full name or ...”

“Well ... mostly your origins, and what your connection is with Captain Brownhack.” Replied Danny.

“Oh ... well, that is a long story ...” Said Vanessa as she stood up and grabbed the rail behind her.

“It’s okay, I’m staying up all night too.” Replied Danny.

“Well to tell you the truth, I’ve been asked this question before, but never this enthusiastically, and so I never answered.” Said Vanessa as she looked over her shoulder at the seas.

“Well, maybe it will be nice to open up to someone after all.” She whispered.

“Go on ...” Said Danny as he too, stood up and laid his back on the rail right next to Vanessa.

“Well, I was born in 1696 in Spain where I lived the first five years of my life. My mother died when I was only three, and In 1701 my father, during the prelude of the War of the Spanish Succession, realizing that things were getting more and more tense and controversial in Spain, sent me away to a small town in the Bahamas called Port Veronica. I lived there all through my adolescence helping out at the local tavern. It was a depressing life, and everyday I wished my father would return from the war, but he never did. Even after the War of the Spanish succession ended in 1714, I still hadn’t heard news of him. Depressed and heartbroken, having nowhere else to go, I left the tavern I was working on and decided to take up a life of piracy.” Explained Vanessa.

“And your connection with Captain Brownhack?” Asked Danny.

“Well, at first I just wanted to sail the seas, so I tried asking some of the merchants who were around if I could be a part of their crew, but all of them declined, claiming every single time it was bad luck to have a girl onboard during a voyage. I had nearly given up on life, but one day, while I was drinking alone at the tavern in the corner, a large man with a brown beard came up to me. Surprisingly, he told me I was pretty and asked who I was. I noticed that he wasn’t drunk, so, seeing no reason not to, I told him my whole story, nearly breaking down and crying while doing so. I was so surprised that when I looked up, I saw that he was genuinely listening to my story and that he wasn’t just some random creepy pirate who approached me just because I was a woman in a tavern. He then proceeded to offer me to join his crew, and even though he said he was a pirate, I still accepted his offer nonetheless.”

“That’s so, huh ...” Muttered Danny.

“I’ve been with him ever since, and this is my fifth year on this very ship. Over the time, our relationship just grew and grew, and now ... I think of him almost like a father. Captain Brownhack also told me once, after I’ve spent like a year on this ship, that I actually reminded him of a precious daughter of his whom he had lost, and that was the actual reason why he recruited me.” Finished Vanessa. “I didn’t mind and I still don’t, though now, thinking back ... I haven’t been to Port Veronica in five years, and I kind of miss it there. I’ve been to one port then the next, but I’ve never been home again since.” She added.

“Well, why didn’t you just ask Captain Brownhack to take you there then?” Asked Danny.

“I have, but he wouldn’t let me. He even scolded me that one time I asked. Truth be told, I don’t know why...” Replied Vanessa.

“But you really want it though? To go back to Port Veronica, that is?” Asked Danny.

Vanessa just nodded, and at that moment Danny patted her on the shoulder and said, “Well, how about I take you there, then?”

Vanessa looked at him immediately with a puzzled look on her face. “You? How?”

“Well ... I’ll figure out a way, I always do. That’s my knack, actually. If you want, we could jump ship at Nassau and then find another ship to board there, one that’s heading to Port Veronica.” Explained Danny. “But there’s the thing ... we’ll have to abandon this crew. But if you want to go to Port Veronica that badly, that’s the price you gotta pay. I mean, it’s not forever, I’m sure we’ll meet them again.” He added.

Vanessa seemed to be quite taken aback by Danny’s offer. She thought about for a few moments before finally saying, “Okay, let’s do it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 4

Trip to port veronica

 

 

The Black Hurricane arrived at Nassau two days later early in the morning. “Aye, let us now party and drink our heads off, ye rumheads!” Beckoned Captain Brownhack as soon as they dropped anchor, followed by the thundering cheers of the crew.

“Let’s wait behind ...” Whispered Danny as he tugged Vanessa by the arm while the rest of the crew all shoved and pushed each other off the ship.

“Yo, Dan!” Shouted Ahmed from the docks below them while Danny and Vanessa still held on to the rail of the ship.

“Go ahead, we’ll meet again later.” Replied Danny as he flashed Ahmed a thumbs up.

“Suit yourself, mate.” Said Ahmed as he raised his shoulders before following the lot of the other crewmembers to the town.

“Mr. Smith, I trust you would organize the exchange of these crates of cotton for actual gold?” Asked Captain Brownhack from behind them. A few crewmembers were still left on the ship, they were preparing to haul the crates of material loot into town. Among them were Mr. Smith, and the old pirate Danny had met during the beginning of the voyage.

“Aye, captain.” Replied Mr. Smith.

“You coming, Vanessa?” Asked Captain Brownhack as he prepared to descend the plank to the dock.

“Go on ahead captain, I would like to stay here for a while first.” Replied Vanessa.

“Fine ... suit yourselves lads.” Said Captain Brownhack as he flashed Danny a sharp glance before descending to the docks below and going into town.

“Let’s go, now’s our chance.” Said Danny as soon as the captain was out of sight.

“Pierre, grab that one, we’re gonna haul that one to the market.” Muttered Mr. Smith to the old man from behind them as Danny and Vanessa began descending the plank down to the dock. “Lads, where are ye off te now?” He asked them.

“We’re going sightseeing.” Answered Danny simply as he turned around.

“Oh, well since I was wondering if you two could ... uh, maybe ... help me with ...” Said Mr. Smith as he looked down, but by the time he raised his head again, both Danny and Vanessa had already vanished from sight. “Barnacles ...” He muttered before returning back to his work managing the crates of material loot that were still onboard.

“Phew ... that was close.” Said Danny as he walked along the docks with Vanessa. He then proceeded to finally take off his eyepatch that he had on since the very first night he applied to become a pirate.

“What? There’s nothing wrong with your eye, and only now do you take that off?” Asked Vanessa with a chuckle.

“What, something strange about it? I thought that’s what pirates do.” Said Danny as he rubbed his eye that had been covered by the eyepatch for so long.

“So that’s it ... you and your friend, you two are just very amateur pirates, that’s all, huh? And I thought you two had eye problems.” Asked Vanessa.

“H-how do you know we’re amateurs?” Asked Danny back.

“Haven’t you been paying attention to the other crewmembers at all while we were on that voyage? None of them wore eyepatches unless they were preparing to board a ship. The very function of the eyepatch is so that one’s eyes would adjust to the darkness so that one could see below decks when boarding a ship.” Explained Vanessa.

“Oh ... well, to tell you the truth ... this was my first voyage as a pirate. Before I joined Captain Brownhack’s crew, I was a merchant.” Confessed Danny.

“What!? You were a merchant? Why did you desert that position and become a pirate then?” Asked Vanessa in disbelief.

“Well, being a merchant is not as easy or fun as you would think, trust me. It was boring, and I felt no sense of freedom or adventure as a merchant. That’s why I chose to desert it for the pirate life.” Answered Danny.

“Oh ... and now, you’re going to just throw it away, just to take me, a girl you had just met to her home in Port Veronica? Hah, and you said I was mysterious and intriguing. You’re no different at all. What’s your motive, really?” Asked Vanessa.

At first, Danny didn’t reply, but Vanessa pushed him into speaking. “Well? Out with it, I’ve told you my story, so it’s only fair.” She said.

“Well ... if you want the truth, I might as well say it ...” Muttered Danny.

“I’m all ears ...” Replied Vanessa.

“Hold it!” Said Danny suddenly as he held out his right hand in front of Vanessa. His eyes had suddenly darted to a ship not so far from where they were, where some crewmembers were, as it seemed, preparing to set sail.

“What is it?” Asked Vanessa impatiently.

“I know that ship ... let’s go!” Replied Danny as he suddenly bolted towards the direction of the ship, while a confused Vanessa could only keep up.

“What is this!?” Asked Vanessa harshly as she ran beside Danny.

“Hold it ... wait, wait ...” Said Danny as he once again, to Vanessa’s surprise and frustration, held out his right arm in front of her while stopping suddenly.

What!?” Asked Vanessa, growing more and more impatient at Danny’s sudden and unexplained moves.

“You’re a girl!” Said Danny as he grabbed Vanessa by the arms.

“Huh!?” Replied a bewildered Vanessa, before Danny dragged him away to hide behind some crates.

“Look, I know that ship ... I’ve been on it before ...” Explained Danny as soon as he made sure that Vanessa was out of sight and hidden behind the large wooden crates. Once again he darted his eyes from Vanessa back to the ship, only to make sure what he thought earlier was correct, and he was relieved. The ship was Captain Dunhill’s ship, the same ship he rode with Ahmed to get to Tortuga days prior. “Jackpot ...” He whispered to himself.

“Care to explain further?” Whispered Vanessa harshly as she tugged at Danny’s shoulder.

“You said earlier that you never got accepted into a merchant crew because they were superstitious about having a woman onboard, right?” Asked Danny.

“Yes. Are you saying ...” Before Vanessa could finish, Danny interrupted.

“Change your clothing! Right now! I don’t care how, but just change while I talk to the captain of that ship. He’ll be our ride to Port Veronica, okay? Just trust me, and change quickly, go!” He said before bolting towards Captain Dunhill’s ship.

“B-but, change!? Now!? How ...” Protested Vanessa, but Danny didn’t listen and kept running. Just then, a sailor suddenly grabbed the crate Vanessa was hiding under, and was rather surprised to see her there.

“Who are you? What are you doing?” Asked the sailor with a puzzled look on his face as he lifted the crate.

Vanessa, seeing that it was the perfect opportunity, immediately stood up and smiled. “Umm ... could you help me? I need your help with something ... over there ...” She said in her most seductive tone while gently brushing her left index finger across the sailor’s chin, while pointing towards a dark alley not far from the docks with her right.

The sailor’s pupils instantly dilated as he dropped the crate he was lifting onto the ground. “Y-yeah ... sure ...” He stammered.

Meanwhile, Danny called out to Captain Dunhill before the latter could get onto his ship. “Captain Dunhill, wait! It’s me!” He shouted while waving both of his hands.

“Y-you again!? By god ...” Muttered the surprised merchant captain as Danny finally caught up to him.

“Remember me sir?” Asked Danny while catching his breath.

“Of course I remember you! You’re the young fellow who asked for a ride to Tortuga just a few days ago. How’d you get here so fast? And more importantly, where’s the longboat I lent ya? Did you use it to get here?” Replied Captain Dunhill.

“Nevermind the stupid longboat, it’s still in Tortuga, probably stolen by this point. More importantly though, I need to ask you, where are you heading off to now, captain?” Asked Danny.

“Towards San Juan, Puerto Rico, why do you ask?” Asked Captain Dunhill back.

“Perfect, then you’ll be passing Port Veronica on your way, wouldn’t you?” Replied Danny.

“Yeah, but don’t tell me ...” Before Captain Dunhill could finish, Danny interrupted.

“Excellent! Because I need another ride.” He said simply.

Captain Dunhill just rolled his eyes along with his head. “Hey, let him join captain.” Said Jim, who was already on the ship, suddenly from behind him.

Danny snapped his fingers and pointed at him with both hands while smiling. “My man ...” He said.

“Yeah captain, he’s really good at mopping the deck!” Said the cabin of the ship, who was standing next to Jim.

“Yeah, that’s the only reason though ...” Added Jim.

Danny’s smile faded instantly, but he quickly shook his head and said, “Fine, whatever, I’ll mop the damn ship, what do you say?”

“Alright, fine ...” Said Captain Dunhill finally after a few moments of contemplation.

 

“Yes!” Uttered Danny as he did a fist pump. “But, I’m not alone though, say ... do you mind a woman going onboard your ship? Are you of the belief that having a woman onboard a ship during a voyage is bad luck?” He then proceeded to ask.

“Heck no! I don’t believe in any of those silly superstitions!” Replied Captain Dunhill.

“I am.” Said Jim.

“Shut up Jim.” Snapped Captain Dunhill without even turning around to look at him. Just then, Vanessa suddenly appeared and ran up to them, already clad in the full attire of the male sailor she had tricked into the dark alley earlier, consisting of a blue shirt with a brown jacket to cover her breasts, dark brown baggy pants, and a large black hat, in which she hid her long hair.

“My name is Vergo, I am his partner.” She greeted in a poorly-imitated male voice.

“Hahahah ... she’s just playing around.” Said Danny as he knocked Vanessa’s hat off her head, immediately revealing her long brown hair as it fell down to her shoulders.

“What!?” Mouthed a confused and surprised Vanessa as she raised her shoulders.

“He said he didn’t mind women onboard, besides, your male voice is so horrible, it’d blow your cover immediately.” Whispered Danny, though rather loudly. He forced a smile as he saw Captain Dunhill’s unamused face.

“Well, you’re always fooling around, aren’t ya? Where’s that other partner of yours, the poor swimmer ... what’s his name - Ahmed, was it?” Asked Captain Dunhill.

“Yes, well, uh ... he got dragged away to the bottom of the ocean by ... sea turtles.” Answered Danny.

“Just get onboard, lad.” Replied a still unamused Captain Dunhill.

After two days being onboard Captain Dunhill’s ship just mopping, they finally arrived off the coast of Port Veronica two days later, just after midnight, and once again, Danny persuaded the good merchant captain into lending him another longboat, albeit grudgefully.

“If I ever see you again, you will pay me the price of two longboats.” Said Captain Dunhill as Danny lowered the longboat down into the water.

“Yeah, gotcha mate...” Replied Danny as he flashed Captain Dunhill a thumbs up before climbing down into the boat, followed by Vanessa.

“Oh, and lad, one more thing ...” Said Captain Dunhill from above him as Danny was about to begin rowing away. “Beware of sea turtles, you don’t want to get dragged down into the bottom of the ocean like your friend.”

The whole crew burst into laughter as they returned to their positions while Danny began rowing. He didn’t mind them and just forced a sarcastic smile.

“Doesn’t it just look beautiful under the moonlight? It’s been so long since I’ve been here.” Commented Vanessa as she looked in awe at the relatively small port they were rowing towards.

“Yeah, it is ... truth be told, I’ve never been here before in all my life.” Said Danny. He too, was rather captivated by the sight of the town. It was quaint, and the streets, illuminated by the lighting of lanterns coming from the houses, were decorated with potted flowers, put against the walls of the simple houses.

As soon as they reached the port, Vanessa immediately jumped off the longboat and ran towards the quiet streets. She held her arms outstretched and did a little spin while looking at the starry night above.

“Enjoying yourself much, young lady?” Asked Danny with a smile as he tied the longboat to one of the wooden posts.

“Hahaha ... oh, very much so.” Replied Vanessa . She ran towards Danny, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to follow her. “Let’s walk around.” She said.

“It’s awfully quiet around here, isn’t it? Is it always like this?” Asked Danny. “It’s really quaint and peaceful though, I like it ...”

“Yeah, this area of town is usually quiet, especially at night. Not that many ships come here, since, as you might already know, Port Veronica is by no means the most active port in the Caribbean. Also, this is no place for people to enjoy their hard earned gold either, there’s only one tavern and one marketplace.” Explained Vanessa as they walked the quiet streets under the moonlight, with the cold wind brushing against their face.

“So it’s no place for business, nor vacation then ...” Commented Danny as he looked around.

“Yeah ...I guess that’s why pirates such as Captain Brownhack rarely come here and refused when I asked him to. On the flipside, that makes things around here a lot more peaceful and comfortable though. A good place to live, that’s why I miss it so.” Said Vanessa. Danny just nodded and smiled in reply.

“Wait ... you haven’t gotten a chance to tell me the real reason you brought me here though.” She suddenly stopped and reminded him. “I completely forgot to ask you these past two days while we were on that merchant ship, perhaps because we were told to mop so much.” She said.

“Ah, yes ... well, where was I? And what was your question again? Pardon me, but it’s been two days, and I’ve forgotten.” Replied Danny.

“You’ve told me you deserted the merchant life and took up piracy because the former was so boring, and yet when you finally got the pirate life, you deserted it just to take me here, to Port Veronica. That is what I find curious, and would like you to answer.” Said Vanessa as she looked Danny in the eyes.

“Oh right, well ... like I’ve said then, I deserted the merchant life because it was boring. It lacked freedom. That’s the reason, and the reason I took up piracy is that I felt I would be more free and could do more of what I wanted to do that way.” Explained Danny.

“And ... you deserted that for me, why?” Asked Vanessa as her eyes glimmered under the moonlight.

“Because I saw you, and you intrigued me, and so I wanted to know more about you, and when I did, I decided to take you here because I just felt like it.” Answered Danny.

“You felt like it?” Asked a somewhat puzzled Vanessa.

“Yes. Since what I seeked was freedom and adventure, and since going with an intriguing girl to a land I’ve never been to before is exactly that, I chose it, even if I did have to abandon my position as mere crewmember on Captain Brownhack’s ship.” Explained Danny. “Personally, I don’t really care about the loot, all I wanted to do was do whatever I want to do. I don’t plan them ahead, I just do something when that something seems like a good adventure. That’s basically it, the summarized version of my motive.”

“Oh ... well ...that’s new and interesting ...” Said Vanessa. She remained quiet for a while thereafter, but stopped as they passed a tavern. “Oh, look! The tavern I used to work for all those years ago!” She said before dashing towards the door, tugging Danny by the wrist, though he resisted.

“I’ll need to go get some gunpowder and bullets first, you go on ahead.” He said as he broke free of Vanessa’s grip and walked towards the gunsmith shop not so far from where the tavern was. Even in the dead of the night, there were still lights from inside the shop.

“Meh, suit yourself.” Muttered Vanessa before entering the tavern by herself. Inside, the bartender, a large, balding, bearded man immediately noticed her and his eyes lit up the second that he did.

“V-Vanessa? Is that you?” He stammered as he slammed the large glass he was wiping onto the counter.

“Jose! You’re still the same as ever!” Replied a smiling Vanessa as she walked towards him. The large bartender himself then quickly stepped out from behind the counter and proceeded to hug her with all his might, while laughing all the while.

“Umph!” Squeaked Vanessa as she chuckled and struggled to free herself from the enormous and heavy hug.

“Hahaha! Ma! Look who it is!” Called out Jose to the counter as he finally released Vanessa.

“What ...” Responded a middle-aged woman with red wavy hair as she stepped out from the door behind the counter, leading to the back room. She didn’t get to finish her sentence, and much like Jose, her eyes also lit up the moment they were laid on Vanessa. “By God ... is that ... is that really you? Vanessa!?” She said as she quickly walked towards her and Jose.

“Nice to see you again, Rose.” Said Vanessa.

“Oh, how nice indeed!” Replied Rose as she hugged her, albeit softly unlike Jose. “Come on, head on over to the counter, I’ll get you a free drink and we can catch up.”

Vanessa glanced around the tavern before replying, “Yeah, sure ...” Everyone in the tavern was looking at her, there weren’t that many people, but those that were there had their curious stares fixed on her.

“Yeah, you haven’t even told us how or why or on what occasion, or with whom you got here, in the middle of the night like this. Hah!” Said Jose as he directed Vanessa towards the counter along with Rose. Before she could even sit down however, the door to the tavern suddenly burst open and Danny stormed inside, with pistol in hand. He had a worried look on his face. Instantly all the eyes within tavern shifted from Vanessa to him instead.

“Yo, Vanessa! There’s a massive ship with torn sails surrounded in white glowing mist heading towards this town!” He yelled. Vanessa opened her mouth to respond, but before she, or anyone else for that matter could even say a word, a loud cannon fire was heard, followed by a massive explosion that shook the grounds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 5

Attack on port veronica

 

 

 

Everyone in the tavern fell to their feet the moment the explosion was heard. Some of other tavern customers gruntled and groaned as they struggled to get back to their feet, and they hadn’t fully done so when yet another cannon fire was heard and another explosion shook the grounds. Soon after, screams of terror were heard from the streets outside.

“What is this!?” Asked Vanessa frantically.

“Didn’t you hear what I said? A large-”

“It’s the legendary ghost ship! Run! Take cover!” Screamed someone outside suddenly and frantically.

“Yeah, that.” Finished Danny.

“The ghost ship ... this can’t be ...” Muttered Jose as he quickly dashed towards the door, followed by Rose, Vanessa, Danny, and pretty soon everyone else inside the tavern as well.

As they all scrambled outside, they saw the citizens all running wild in the streets, screaming and yelling, and in the distance, with its magnificent size and ghastly aura, the ghost ship was visibly approaching the town, about to make port while continuing to fire away.

“The ghost ship ... I’ve heard about this before ...” Muttered Vanessa as she looked on in horror. The port and the area around it, the very place she and Danny were on less than an hour prior, had already been engulfed in flames.

“I’ve heard about it before too, but I always thought it was ... you know ... not real ...” Said Danny next to her.

“Nooo! My ship! My ship!” Wailed one of the sailors who were in the tavern suddenly from behind them. He pushed Danny and Vanessa aside and stared in horror as the ghost ship fired at one of the few ships that were docked in the port. He dropped down to his knees as his sloop was blown apart.

“We gotta fight! Grab a weapon! Citizens, we’ve got no choice but to fight!” Screamed one of citizens suddenly. Looking around, Danny saw that it was the gunsmith he had just bought some gunpowder and bullets from minutes prior. He was giving away free rifles and pistols, tossing them at the frantic citizens.

“He’s right! I’ll go grab my musket ...” Muttered Jose before returning back to the tavern, followed by his wife, Rose.

“You sailors got weapons?” Asked the gunsmith as he reached the group of sailors who were in the tavern with Danny and Vanessa.

“Damn right!” Replied one of the sailors as he pulled out his pistol. The other sailors also pulled out their weapons, mainly flintlock pistols.

“I know you’ve got a pistol, lad.” Said the gunsmith as he got to Danny, but he seemed surprised when he saw Vanessa.

“Mr. Waltz ...” Greeted Vanessa as the old man stopped in front of her.

“Vanessa ... how ...” He was cut short when more loud screams were heard. Looking back at the dock, they all saw that the ghost ship had already made port, and rows after rows of ghastly skeleton pirates all scrambled to the docks and the area around it, carrying torches and cutlasses, screaming inhuman screams while doing so. “By god ... just survive Vanessa, here, take this clockwork pistol.” He said as he gave Vanessa a fancy multi-barrel clockwork pistol before dashing off to hand out more weapons to unarmed citizens he passed along the way.

“This can’t be real ...” Commented Danny as the ghastly skeleton pirates continued to advance through the town. Navy soldiers on horses began to run past him while he was still in a state of shock.

“Defend the town at all costs! Protect the unarmed citizens! Prioritize the unarmed citizens!” Yelled one of the navy captains amidst the chaos. More and more soldiers swarmed past them to head to the docks and fight the skeleton army, while unarmed citizens, mostly women and children ran the exact opposite direction, trying to get as far away from the battlefield as possible, all while screaming and crying.

“Pistols are not enough! Grab the cutlasses to defend yourself!” Screamed a frantic man among the running citizens as he himself ran in the direction opposite of the docks whilst throwing cutlasses onto the ground.

“We’re not unarmed! Let’s go boys, let’s fight those skeleton b******s!” Yelled the sailor in front of them suddenly after picking up a cutlass as he got back up to his feet after kneeling down in terror for some time.

“Aye!” Screamed the group of sailors as they all whipped their pistols and newly acquired cutlasses before running with the navy soldiers in the direction of the docks, ready to join the battle. Not long after that, Jose and Rose returned to the street and joined Vanessa and Danny. Jose was carrying a musket and Rose was carrying a hand axe.

“I’m armed, let’s go!” Said Jose. “Wait ... cutlasses, these’ll be handy!” He added as he spotted and picked up one of the cutlasses on the ground. “Rose, I really think you should just join the unarmed citizens in running away from the docks...” He said as he grabbed his wife by the shoulders.

“Don’t say that! You’ve seen me fight before!” Snapped Rose in protest.

“Too late to argue folks, here they come!” Added Danny suddenly as some of the skeleton pirates finally reached where they were.

“KILL THEM ALL!” Shrieked one of the skeletons.

Fortunately for Danny and his group, a group of navy soldiers happened to still be in the same area as them. “Shoot!” Shouted one of the navy soldiers, and thus the battle began.

Both Danny and Vanessa quickly whipped out their cutlasses as two skeletons approached them. “I’m still not believing this is real you know ...” Commented Danny as he prepared his stance.

“Shut up!” Replied Vanessa as she swung her sword at one of the skeletons, though the skeleton managed to parry her attack.

“Hyeahh!” Shrieked the other skeleton hoarsely as he made a cut for Danny. Fortunately, he was also able to parry the attack, and while holding the skeleton at bay with his sword on one hand, he used his other one to quickly fire his pistol at the skeleton’s stomach.

The skeleton shrieked and got thrown back a couple feet, but it didn’t die. “Oh right ... you don’t have a stomach ...” Muttered Danny before quickly lunging forward and cutting the skeleton’s neck clean. It made another cry as the head bumped on the paved ground beneath their feet. “Screw you!” Screamed Danny before pulling his leg back, and with all his might, kicking the head as far away as he could. The head smashed into another skeleton who was fighting a navy soldier. The skeleton stumbled backwards and nearly fell, giving the navy soldier a chance to run the blade of his bayonet through its rib cage.

Meanwhile, Vanessa continued to parry with another skeleton before she finally managed to slash its skull. The skeleton made a high-pitched cry as it toppled back and dropped its cutlass, prompting Vanessa to grab it. Now with two swords, Vanessa cut the skeleton’s cranium and pushed its body back with her feet.

 

Behind them, Jose was also parrying against another skeleton, but he also used his musket to help him parry, giving him the advantage. As the skeleton tried to slash Jose’s chest, he blocked the attack using his musket, thrusted its handle at the skeleton’s chin, and then proceeded to thrust his cutlass into the skeleton’s rib cage. Next to Jose, Rose also managed to dispatch a skeleton by burying her hand axe in its skull.

The navy also managed to dispatch a lot of skeletons in the area, but some of them were also harmed in the battle. “Arrgh!” Screamed one of the soldiers as a skeleton ran him through. Another navy soldier immediately took his place and battled the skeleton using his bayonet.

“No!” Screamed another navy soldier in plea. He had been thrown to the ground by a skeleton, and had lost his weapon. He put his arms up to beg for the skeleton not to finish him off, but it ignored his plea and stabbed him.

Being distracted by the horrible sight, Danny lost his guard for a second as a skeleton lunged at him with a sword in hand. Fortunately, Vanessa noticed just in time and ran the skeleton through from the back. Danny then quickly turned around slashed the skeleton’s skull and cut his neck. “Whoa ... that was close ...” He muttered.

“Don’t let your guard down!” Said Vanessa as she pulled her sword from the skeleton’s body.

“Duck!” Yelled Danny suddenly, and with widened eyes, Vanessa ducked down immediately as another skeleton slashed at where her head was had she not ducked. Danny quickly leapt forward and parried the skeleton’s sword, while Vanessa, still in a crouching position, turned around and slashed its leg, cutting it clean off.

“Whoa ... that one was close!” She gasped as the skeleton toppled to the ground.

“Cut their heads off! Blow and cut them off!” Shouted a navy soldier from behind them amidst the clashing of weapons. Some more skeletons shrieked and cried as some other navy soldiers dispatched them, doing as they were told by cutting off the skeletons’ heads.

Over at the docks, the battle was also still raging, and the ghost ship was still firing away at the houses, shops, and any other thing within its range. Danny saw that more navy soldiers had arrived at the scene from different parts of town.

“Shoot them!” Yelled another navy soldier from behind Danny, only his voice was accompanied by the sound of horses running. A whole new group of navy soldiers had arrived from the capital of Port Veronica and were heading towards the docks. While passing, they trampled and shot down a lot of the skeletons that were in the area, greatly helping Danny and the others who were fighting them.

Suddenly however, the ghost ship turned towards their direction and fired. The cannon blast knocked everyone in the area, including Danny, off their feet. It also destroyed a house on the other side of the tavern, killing some of the navy soldiers who just happened to be standing around that particular area, while also blasting some skeletons to oblivion. Some of the navy soldiers who were riding on horses heading towards the docks were also halted. A few of the soldiers fell off their horses, while a few other horses collapsed.

“Holy ... I didn’t think their cannons would even reach this far.” Muttered Danny as he struggled to get back to his feet. However, it didn’t end there, for before Danny could even properly adjust his footing again, more and more cannons were fired straight at the area, shaking the grounds and obliterating some of the houses, making it somewhat impossible for anyone to fight there, even the skeletons.

“Oh no ...” Whispered Jose as a cannonball whizzed past his head and destroyed his tavern with a deafening explosion, only a few feet from where he himself and Rose were standing. The explosion was strong enough to blow them back a few feet, and the debris rained over everyone in the area.

While Jose and Rose groaned and squirmed on the ground in pain, one of the navy soldiers shouted amidst the smoke, “Head out! For the docks!” Him and his subordinates then proceeded to leave the area and head for the docks while Danny and Vanessa rushed to aid Jose and Rose.

“Are you two okay?” Asked Vanessa as she helped Rose to her feet, while Danny helped Jose.

“Not really ...” Groaned Jose.

“We better head out to the docks as well if we wish to continue fighting ... do you?” Asked Danny to the group.

“Of course!” Yelled Vanessa. “Jose, Rose, can you two still fight?” She asked.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s no problem ... let’s go!” Replied Jose as he finally managed to properly stand up again.

“I’m fine too, little wounds here and there are to be expected during a battle like this. It’s nothing I can’t handle, let’s go.” Said Rose. With that, the group of four then made their way through the smoke and debris to the docks.

Along the way, they dispatched some more skeletons who were burning some of the residents’ houses and fighting some armed civilians and navy soldiers.

“Whoa!” Yelled Danny as a skeleton narrowly missed his head. He lost his footing and fell down to the ground, but immediately used his feet to kick the sword that was in the skeleton’s hand, before getting back to his feet and cutting the skeleton’s spine.

“When did I get so good at this?” He muttered as he held up his cutlass in front of his face and looked at it for a few seconds.

“Hyaah!” Yelled Vanessa next to him as she chopped off a skeleton’s jaw before pushing it off the pavement and into the waters below. Meanwhile, one of the armed citizens who were fighting in the same street was overwhelmed by one of the skeletons and got slashed and smashed into one of the windows of the building closest to him. He screamed as the skeleton tossed him inside. Jose then quickly took over and easily dispatched the skeleton after a few parries.

“Come on, let’s go!” He yelled to Danny, Vanessa, and Rose. After dispatching a couple more skeletons in the area, the four of them continued to make their way to the docks. It didn’t take very long before they finally arrived, finding themselves in the heart of the battle. The sound of gunfires, swords clashing, and people yelling and screaming filled the air.

Immediately after they arrived at the scene, a horde of skeletons ran towards them while brandishing their cutlasses. There were six of them, but Vanessa quickly whipped out her clockwork pistol and shot down two right in their skulls, knocking them down to the ground while the others prepared to attack.

As one of the skeletons charged at him while laughing maniacally, Danny quickly reached out his left arm and grabbed the collar of the skeleton’s tattered pirate shirt, pulled him closer, and smashed the heavy hilt of his cutlass onto its skull, cracking it and breaking its neck before it even had a chance to swing its sword. “Yeah, hahaha ...” He mocked as he pushed the skeleton’s ‘body’ to ground.

“Oh God ...” Gasped Vanessa next to him right after she slashed another skeleton’s head off. Danny saw that she was looking out to the sea, and turning his head, he immediately saw what she had gasped at.

Rowboats were closing in on the docks, each one of them filled with more screeching skeleton pirates, only this time they weren’t just carrying torches and cutlasses, but also grappling hooks and some even pistols.

Among them, in one of the rowboats, was a large figure, towering over the other skeletons, wearing a full pirate attire, complete with the tricorne hat and longcoat, albeit all tattered. Hanging from his belt were two swords, one broadsword with a magnificent glowing hilt, and the other one a silver cutlass shimmering under the moonlight. His bony, skeletal face was half hidden under the shadow of his hat, but his eyes were bright yellow and glowing, and illuminating parts of his head, revealing that he still had white scraggly hair attached.  

“Dear lord ... could that be the dreaded ghost captain of the legends himself, Captain Bonescar?” Muttered Jose in horror at the ominous sight.

“That being the ghost ship and a crew of the damned and all just off shore, I’m willing to bet it is ...” Replied Danny weakly. Just then, the skeletons reached the port and immediately ran wild, gunning down and killing all of those who stood in their way with relative ease. “That’s it ... I give up.”

“What ... what did you say?” Stuttered Vanessa.

I mean it, let’s go! Look at them!” Replied Danny as he grabbed Vanessa by the arm while running towards the rubble of a nearby building while the newly arrived skeleton army continued to march forward, completely overwhelming the navy soldiers.

“The boy’s right ... let’s go now or we’ll be killed!” Said Jose before he, along with Rose, followed Danny and Vanessa. While the four them hid behind the rubble in terror, the cries of the navy soldiers continued along with the maniacal laughter of the skeletons.

“Head right for the capital! Burn everything you see!” Bellowed their huge captain, Captain Bonescar as he too, finally stepped on the docks. The sounds of gunfire and swords clashing continued to roar, followed by several sounds of explosions.

Witnessing everything, every moment from behind her hiding place as more and more skeletons continued to kill more soldiers and armed citizens while at the same time wrecking the town, Vanessa could only stare in shock. Her eyes were wide with fear and terror, but her gaping mouth didn’t make a sound. “Why ...” She finally squealed out after some time, and not long after that, a deafening explosion was heard, one that was louder and more terrifying than the ones before. Vanessa nearly fell over, but Danny quickly grabbed her, even though his own legs were somewhat shaking.

“Oh no ... they’ve destroyed the capital.” Muttered Jose in horror as he peered into the distance, in the direction of the capital.

A large cloud of smoke could be seen, rising high into the sky above the fiery area where the capital building once was. The loud cries and screams of the horrified citizens could be heard all the way from where they were.

Hahahaha ... We did it boys! Bid farewell to this miserable place and let’s return to the ship!” Beckoned Captain Bonescar before turning around and heading back to where his ship was.

“Aye!” Cried out all the remaining skeleton soldiers before following their captain.

Soon after, as the ghost ship began to sail away into the distance, Vanessa slowly walked out of the ruined building in which she was hiding and into the wrecked and smoky area which was once the quaint and quiet docks of Port Veronica. “Why ... what were they ... why did they do this ...” She whispered miserably as tears began filling up her eyes.

 Danny, who couldn’t say a word and was still shocked himself, just went ahead and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but Vanessa immediately turned and sobbed into his chest. Both Jose and Rose were also still shocked and speechless as they began walking around. Corpses and bones littered the ground, along with the rubble. Some survivors, including the sailors who were in the tavern earlier, soon also began walking out of their hiding places and looked around.

Everyone was speechless and quiet, except for the sobbing Vanessa, but quite suddenly spoke out, surprising everyone. “I know everything ...” Instantly, everyone who was in the area turned to see where that voice came from, and was rather startled to see it was a very old  and short voodoo priest with dreadlocks carrying a large wooden staff with a skeleton on its top end.

“Pardon me ?” Asked Jose with a confused expression on his face.

“I know Bonescar’s story, his origins, powers, and even weaknesses. I will tell you all about it later, but first I must tell you, he is pure evil, and really powerful too. If you wish to exact revenge upon him, you will need a special artefact. I can help you get it if you wish, but only if you all are willing to go out to great lengths to do so.” Said the old voodoo priest.

Everyone remained silent for a while until one of the surviving sailors asked, “An artefact? To defeat Bonescar?”

“Yes. It is called the golden moon idol, and it is located in an uncharted island called ‘Crescent Island’.” Explained the voodoo priest, prompting everyone else in the area, including Danny and Vanessa, to look at each other in curiosity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 6

The treasure map

 

 

 

 

“What’s the matter lad?” Asked Pierre the old pirate as he approached Ahmed, who was leaning on the rail of the Black Hurricane.

“I still can’t believe Dan would just leave like that, I mean ... who does that even? He just left his partner behind without even leaving a note, just to run away with a girl he just met!” Answered Ahmed bitterly.

“Ah ... he’s just smitten lad, young love that is. You’ll eventually find someone yerself, someone who you just know is perfect for you the first time you see her.” Said Pierre, trying to cheer Ahmed up as he patted him on the back.

“What, I’m not jealous about that! I just thought Dan would’ve at least left behind a note for me, that’s all.” Replied Ahmed. “By the way, I haven’t seen Captain Brownhack in a while, where is he?” He asked, quickly changing the topic.

 

“He’s been down, just like you, since he found out that girl left with your partner there. Mr. Smith is in his cabin right now, trying to cheer him up, just like I’m doing with ye.” Replied Pierre as he lightly shook his head.

“Oh ... who is that girl, anyway? I mean, what’s her position on this ship? Is she like, the captain’s daughter or something?” Asked Ahmed.

“I don’t know, lad. I don’t know.” Answered Pierre as he once again shook his head, this time while rubbing his white beard.

“Oh ... speaking of which, you said I would eventually find love myself, a girl that I would know is perfect for me the moment I see her. What about you, how’d you meet your wife?” Asked Ahmed.

Pierre seemed kind of hestitant to answer. His pupils dashed from left to right and he gulped before he finally said, “What’s wrong with your eye?”

“Huh?” Said Ahmed in confusion as he lightly touched his right eye with his hand.

“No, I mean the other one ...” Said Pierre as he motioned to his own left eye with his index finger.

“Oh, why? There’s nothing wrong.” Replied Ahmed as he touched his eyepatch, which was covering his left eye. He flipped it up and blinked a few times. “See?”

“Oh, but then why in blazes are you wearing that eyepatch all the time then, boy?” Asked Pierre.

Ahmed raised both of his shoulders and squinted before asking, “... Why are you not?” He was just as confused as Pierre was.

Pierre sighed and wrapped his arm around Ahmed’s shoulders. “You’re new in this business aren’t you, lad? You were never a pirate before?”

“Of course not!” Snapped Ahmed in denial, and just then, a voice called out from way above them.

“Oi, you with the eyepatch! It’s your turn to take the crow’s nest!” Shouted the pirate who was in the crow’s nest.

“Gotcha!” Shouted Ahmed back as he flashed the pirate a thumbs up, before leaning close to Pierre and whispering, “What does that mean?”

Pierre sighed one more time before he led Ahmed away from rail. “I think I better teach ye the basics of bein’ a pirate first.”

“No, I think I’d rather have you tell me more about how I can eventually meet a girl who I know will be right for me ...” Replied Ahmed.

“Nay, I’m doin’ the favor here lad.” Pierre insisted as they continued to walk. “Now, first of all ...”

Meanwhile, while the two pirates were bickering, Mr. Smith was still trying to get his captain back in his usual spirit again.

“I’m sure we’ll meet her again cap’n, I really am. I mean, she’s not gonna just die.” He said.

“I suppose you’re right, but then again, what if that new lad’s got ill intents against my daughter and actually did somethin’ bad to her?” Replied Captain Brownhack. He was looking out to the sea through the rear window of the ship in his cabin.

“Well  if ... wait a minute, cap’n, did ye just call Vanessa your daughter?” Asked Ahmed as his eyes widened.

Captain Brownhack’s own eyes also widened the moment he realized what he just said. “Ah right, she’s not ... my own daughter was lost years ago ... but I think it’s time you understand that I think of her like another daughter you know, Mr. Smith.”

“I see ... but let me assure you captain, that new boy’s got nothing against her. He wouldn’t do anything bad to her, I know it ...” Said Mr. Smith.

“How do you know?” Asked Captain Brownhack, who still hadn’t turned around.

“Well, I’ve talked to him before. He’s a good lad. A bit inexperienced perhaps, but good nonetheless.” Answered Mr. Smith. “But suppose he did do something to her, we’ll just hunt him down and take his head like we do all our enemies, won’t we cap’n?”

“Well ... you’re absolutely right Mr. Smith.” Said Captain Brownhack finally, after a period of silence. He finally turned around and flashed Mr. Smith a kind of smile he had never personally seen from the captain before.

“Heh, well now ... if ye don’t mind me askin’ cap’n, where and how did you meet Vanessa if she ain’t even your daughter but still that important to ye?” Asked Mr. Smith.

Before Captain Brownhack had a chance to reply, Ahmed’s voice was suddenly heard all the way from the crow’s nest outside. “Ship off the port bow!”

“Cap’n?” Asked Mr. Smith.

“To your station, Mr. Smith.” Said Captain Brownhack as he nodded and smiled, this time his signature pirate’s smile that Mr. Smith had always recognized.

“Aye, captain!” Replied Mr. Smith excitedly as he gave a salute, before storming out of the captain’s cabin, followed by the captain himself.

“Oi, what ship is it?” Shouted Mr. Smith as soon as he was on the main deck.

“I don’t know!” Shouted Ahmed back.

“What ship again?” Asked Captain Brownhack suddenly from behind Mr. Smith.

“He doesn’t know captain.” Answered Mr. Smith.

“What’s the color?” Asked Captain Brownhack. Though he did not even shout, Ahmed could hear his voice clearly all the way on the crow’s nest.

“Brown!” Replied Ahmed.

“Brown!?” Commented Mr. Smith in confusion.

“And what color be that?” Asked Captain Brownhack.

“The boat of course, what else?” Replied Ahmed.

On the decks below, Pierre slapped his palm on his own face and shook his head lightly while Captain Brownhack commented, “Such a crew you’ve assembled here Mr. Smith.” Before making his way to the poop deck, where he took out his telescope and observed the ship in the distance himself.

While most of the other crewmembers were still leaning over the left railing of ship, trying to see the approaching ship themselves, Mr. Smith followed his captain and asked, “What is it, captain?”

“...Bounty hunters.” Answered Captain Brownhack shortly as he lowered his telescope and tucked it back into his coat.

“Bounty hunters! To your stations men!” Shouted Mr. Smith immediately, and at once, the crew stepped away from the railing and got hectic, scrambling all over the place.

“Pistols! Cutlasses! Ye all know the drill, sea barnacles! Prepare for battle!” Beckoned Captain Brownhack as he unsheathed his large broadsword and raised it high above his head.

“Aye!” Cheered the crew in unison.

“This will be good...” Muttered Captain Brownhack quietly, a statement that Mr. Smith was happy to hear.

“Oi, what about me?” Shouted Ahmed from way above.

“Get down too, man the cannons!” Replied one of the crewmembers amidst the crowd of pirates getting ready to fight.

“Aye!” Said Ahmed before making his way back down onto the main deck and then down below.

“Looks like they’re preparin’ to fight as well, cap’n ...” Muttered Mr. Smith as Captain Brownhack lended him the telescope.

“What makes you say that?” Asked Captain Brownhack.

“Well, fer one thing they’re headin’ full sails towards our direction. Makes sense I suppose, they be bounty hunters and all.” Answered Mr. Smith as he put away the telescope. He then proceeded to descend the steps down onto the main deck and join some of the other pirates in handing out weapons.

“Full canvas!” Shouted Captain Brownhack suddenly, still standing on the poop deck, looming over all of his crewmembers.

“Aye!” They replied. Immediately some of them moved for the capstan and climbed the rigging of the ship to make full sails. The crew moved fast and the Black Hurricane was moving faster and steadier towards the approaching bounty hunter ship. However, as both ships got closer and closer, the bounty hunter ship suddenly lowered huge oars from the sides of the massive galleon, propelling them even faster at the Black Hurricane.

Mr. Smith’s eyes widened. The wind was on the Black Hurricane’s side, but with their massive oars, the bounty hunter’s ship could very well take the advantage with such swift mobility. Within moments they already had their guns run out and prepared.

“Captain?” Asked Mr. Smith in panic as he turned towards his captain.

Some of the crewmembers also apparently noticed the opposing ship’s movements and sudden advantage, and thus they froze where they stood with fearful expressions.

“What are ye all afraid of, you cowardly sea turtles!? That’s the kind of attitude that will surely get you down to the bottom of Davy Jones’ locker a coward! Ye fight and and either succeed or die in glory, or stand like a bunch of whimpering weaklings and die a coward! Which do ye choose!? Now get off your feet, run out the guns and wait fer my command! Brace yerselves and yer weapons, and I’ll promise ye, ours is the ship that will prevail!” Boomed Captain Brownhack, and at once, all of the crewmembers who had previously frozen in fear, now all riled up and fearless, immediately returned to their battle positions.

 “Aye! Fight! Move, you cowards! Yeah!” They all screamed and cheered at each other with weapons already in hand.

The definite reassurance of the return of his captain’s charismatic leadership, along with the thunderous cheers of the enthusiastic, ever-ready-for-battle pirates put a smile on Mr. Smith’s face. “Aye!” He shouted before making his way below decks.

“Run out the cannons and be at the ready boys, wait fer the captain’s signal!” He ordered to all of the cannoneers, including Ahmed and Pierre, who were already crouching behind their respective cannons. They all pushed the cannons out while cheering upon hearing Mr. Smith’s command.

“Here we go again ...” Muttered Ahmed as he and Pierre pushed out their own cannon. The breeze of the ocean brushed their face as they did, but Ahmed felt anything but relaxed.

Within only a few seconds, the other ship was already visible in front of them, and the cheers of their enemies filled their ears.

 

With their view of the ocean in front of them blocked by the massive bounty hunter ship, all the cannoneers of the Black Hurricane anxiously awaited orders as they stared into the eyes of the enemy cannoneers.

“FIREEEE!!!” Shouted a voice suddenly from above, almost in unison with another voice yelling the exact same word, coming from the direction of the enemy ship.

“FIRE ALL!!!” Mr. Smith repeated once again to all the cannoneers as they blasted away, at the same time the enemy ship did too.

The sound of cannonblasts from either sides were accompanied by the sound of cracking wood and screams. Ahmed only whimpered as once again, a cannonball from the opposing ship smashed through the portside of the ship only inches from his own head. He shielded his head as he fell backwards as splinters washed over him and Pierre.

“Pull back ... reload, lad!” Said Pierre while pulling the cannon back so that they could reload. While Ahmed inserted the next cannonball into the cannon, some more cannons plowed through the side.

“Barnacles! They’re faster than us!” Screamed the cannoneer named Oliver right next to them, a bearded young man wearing a dark blue coat.

“AAAH! HELP!” Screamed some of the pirates to their right as more cannonballs smashed through and took out some of them.

“Now! It’s done! Fire, lad!” Screamed Pierre while squinting and plugging both of his ears with his fingers right after he and Ahmed had their cannon reloaded. Ahmed closed his eyes and did as his partner said, lighting the cannon and firing away, followed by Oliver, and soon after the rest of the surviving cannoneers.

 

A lot of the blasts hit the large galleon in front of them, and the screams of the enemy cannoneers filled the air, while the cheers and shouts of the crewmembers both right above them and on the enemy ship matched in volume.

Meanwhile, on the deck above them, some of the pirates had already begun boarding the bounty hunter ship, but unlike their previous raid against the merchants, this time around, their enemies also boarded their ship, the Black Hurricane. Both crew wanted each others’ plunders bad.

“Shoot them! Kill those maggots!” Beckoned Captain Brownhack from the poop deck as he took out his long multi-barreled pistol and fired shots at some of the bounty hunters who had managed to board his ship. One of his bullets hit a bounty hunter in the head, and another hit a bounty hunter in the arm. Both of them toppled overboard, but the others moved on and fought.

All of the bounty hunters and pirates fought with burning spirits. Their cries and merciless cheers reached high into sky accompanying the ringing of clashing swords and the firing of guns.

At first, Mr. Smith kept his distance from the heat of the battle and hid under the shadow of the large door to the captain’s cabin below the poop deck, sniping his enemies from a distance using his musket, but he dropped it to the ground and unsheathed his sword the moment a bounty hunter approached him.

“Die, filthy pirate!” Screamed the bounty hunter, to which Mr. Smith simply replied with his battle cry before their swords clashed. The bounty hunter proved to be quite a challenge for Mr. Smith, who did not expect it. The bounty hunter made a roundhouse slash after the first parry, throwing Mr. Smith off guard, but right as he was about to thrust his sword into Mr. Smith’s chest, the latter was able to parry it and push him back a feet before striking.

Meanwhile, above him, Captain Brownhack himself was confronted by two bounty hunters at once. “I know who you are ...” Said one of them, a scrawny looking man with a face resembling a rat.

“Pray tell!” Taunted Captain Brownhack while keeping his stance as the other bounty hunter approached him from the left.

“Captain Brownhack. You’re famous across the Caribbean for your ruthlessness and cruelty, that the rumors say almost matches even the late Blackbeard himself.” Replied the bounty hunter.

“And I’ve heard you’ve once worked for him too, am I right? Blackbeard, that is.” Added the other one in a mocking tone.

“Nay! That was a one time partnership. Nothing more. But I’m curious, gentleman, you’ve both obviously heard of me, no doubt you’ve heard of my skills as well have you not?” Taunted Captain Brownhack once again.

Both of the bounty hunters nodded. “Yes.” Whispered the ratty-looking one while still keeping his cutlass pointed at the large pirate captain’s chest.

“Aye, then brave men, ye both be, I’ll give ye that!” Said Captain Brownhack as he nodded before in one quick motion, parried both of the bounty hunters’ swords with his own. His strength was enough to nearly topple both of them off balance, and while they struggled to get back on their feet, the pirate captain ran one of them through, the rat faced one.

The moment his partner crumpled down, the other bounty hunter made a slash for Captain Brownhack’s neck, but the latter was quick to turn around and parry. The two then continued to clash their swords and parry some more, but it didn’t take long before the bounty hunter was overwhelmed and once again nearly lost his balance, giving Captain Brownhack the opportunity to serve him the same fate as his partner.

After dispatching both of the bounty hunters who had challenged him, Captain Brownhack proceeded to grab on to the rail of the poop deck, looming over the battle that was still raging on his ship. It was evident that the bounty hunters were a lot stronger than the merchants they faced days prior, for they actually gave the pirates some struggle, but it was not something the experienced captain never experienced before.

On the other ship, a lot of Captain Brownhack’s own men were fighting ferociously as well, making good progress towards taking it over even. Among the pirates fighting on the bounty hunters’ ship were Ajeet and Lantern, whose jobs were to blow the enemy ship using barrels of gunpowder, lighting them after the ship’s been looted and every surviving pirate has returned to the Black Hurricane.

It didn’t take long for that to happen, and though at first the bounty hunters seemed like trouble, in the end, the pirates still prevailed.

The explosion of the massive galleon shook the tides. The rigging and the railing of the Black Hurricane all creaked as the ship was nearly flipped on its side by the massive wave created by the impact.

“Aaaah!” Screamed Ahmed below decks as he tumbled and rolled over on the floor as the ship nearly toppled over. He was halted only when his head bumped onto one of the wooden posts, making a loud thud sound. “Umph!” He muttered irritably, before a barrel slammed onto his back, causing him to once again bump his head on the wooden post.

A lot of the pirates on the decks lost their balance and had to hang on to the rigging to not fall off. A couple pirates and a bounty hunter even fell overboard, while Mr. Smith had to wrap his arms around the edge of the rail. Even Captain Brownhack nearly toppled over, but he managed to quickly take hold of the helm, pushing aside the helmsman, who immediately fell over and nearly overboard.

“Two-a-too many gunpowder barrels” Muttered Lantern as he rubbed his head while slowly getting back to his feet.

“It’s fine ... it’s fine ...” Said Captain Brownhack as he began descending down the stairs onto the main deck, while the helmsman resumed his duty.

There were only four bounty hunters left on the ship. “I think he’s the captain, captain.” Said Ajeet as he grabbed the shoulder of a bounty hunter wearing a brown long coat. His wair was jet black and wet, and the man had a long pointy moustache curved in the end, and was wearing a stoic expression on his face.

“I’m going to make this simple. Join my crew or die?” Asked Captain Brownhack as he approached the bounty hunter captain while pointing his pistol at his head.

“I think you’re even more cruel than your reputation stands, captain. You’re no different than Blackbeard at all.” Replied the captain.

“Nay. And to the likes of you, how does my reputation stand, I wonder? I lock up my prisoners in the brig, and not kill them outright? Aye, but I do that to me victims, the merchants I hunt, though just now, it seemed like you were the one hunting me. Look what you’ve done to my ship and a lot of my crewmembers.” Said Captain Brownhack while extending his arms and looking around at the badly damaged Black Hurricane littered with the bodies of both pirates and bounty hunters. The surviving crewmembers all huddled around.

“Aye! Where be the pirates!? Let’s whoop em!” Shouted a dazed Ahmed suddenly as he climbed up the stairs onto the main deck. Oliver and Pierre were holding him by the shoulders, while the other surviving cannoneers joined the rest of the crew.

“Sorry, he bumped his head. Don’t mind him, captain.” Excused Pierre with a guilty smile.

Captain Brownhack just rolled his eyes, but that’s when he realized there was something in the bounty hunter captain’s pocket. His eyes widened as he yanked it out. “What be this?” He asked.

The bounty hunter didn’t answer at first, but as Captain Brownhack was about to examine it, his eyes suddenly lit up and he said, “It’s a treasure map!”

“A treasure map? Is it now?” Asked a fascinated Captain Brownhack.

“Aye. A map leading to a really powerful treasure called the moon idol located in a mysterious uncharted island called Crescent Island.” Explained the bounty hunter captain. “I’ve changed my mind, let me go there with you.” He added.

Though rather suspicious at his sudden change in mannerism and gleaming eyes, Captain Brownhack accepted his offer nonetheless. “Welcome to the crew then.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 7

kraken cove

 

 

 

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Bermuda, the original expedition fleet that was sent to Crescent Island by King George the 1st of Great Britain, led by Admiral Blake, had just arrived to an area dubbed by many as the ‘Kraken Cove’, due the many chilling legends surrounding it. Legends of an ungodly leviathan sighted since the 13th century, a giant cephalopod that was originally sighted off the coasts of Norway and Greenland, but has since allegedly moved to the cove, as told by the Caribbean legends that had spread since the 16th century.

“So this is the Kraken Cove ...” Muttered Admiral Blake as he stood proudly next to the helm of the HMS Majestica, the flagship of the expedition, and a pride of the British Royal Navy. Unhindered by the darkening skies above them and the roars of thunder in the distance, the fleet, which consisted of the HMS Majestica and four navy frigates, pressed on fearlessly.

 

Or so at least thought the Admiral, even though some of the crewmembers were beginning to show fear and doubt as they gazed upon the raging waters before them, splashing around harshly on the rocky cove not so far from where they were.

As they five ships got closer and closer to the cove, the skies above them got darker as well, with the roaring of thunders getting more frequent. “Are you sure there are no other way, Commodore?” Asked Mr. Philly, the first mate above the HMS Majestica as he stood on the stairs leading to the poop deck.

Admiral Blake stood silent for a few seconds while looking at the rigging and sails above his head. They creaked, but barely shook. “She’ll survive, even if a storm comes.” He muttered. “Keep away from the cove, make distance.” He added as he turned to face the helmsman, who nodded in reply.

 

Mr. Philly however, shook his head lightly instead. “No, I’m not talking about the storm, admiral. I’m talking about ...” He stopped and turned around before continuing. Most of the navy soldiers aboard the ship were huddled behind him on the main deck with nervous expressions. “The Kraken ...” He continued in a whisper, and just then, a large gust of wind shook the rigging above, startling himself along with all the other crewmembers with its sound that somewhat resembled the cry of a whale.

Admiral Blake blinked as he eyed the rigging above before he shifting his attention the crewmembers below him. “The Kraken. Is that what all of you are afraid of?”

The crew stood in silence. Not a single man replied, prompting the Admiral to ask the same question again, “Well?” as he paced back and forth. The same silence filled the air. After a while, the admiral himself finally stopped walking back and forth and looked straight into the eyes of his men.

“Gentleman. I, or should I say we, are not men of superstition. We are men of the crown. We are men of order, and thus it is our duty to brave these waters without worrying about some nonexistent sea monster. You heard me right, I don’t believe in such a thing, and neither should you.” He explained. Upon hearing his words, the navy soldiers began murmuring while tossing still-worried looks at each other.

“But ... so many ships have disappeared around these very coves, admiral. The very area we are in now!” Said Mr. Philly finally, to which all the crewmembers agreed and nodded, before looking back at their leader above them.

“So? Look around gentleman, and you shall see the very reason behind that.” Said Admiral Blake as he extended his arms and looked around at the waters around their ship. The crewmembers all did the same thing, but with confused and fearful expressions. The tides were getting more violent as they began to lightly sway the ship, along with the wind.

“That’s right. This terrain, the rocks around the cove itself, the unpeaceful waves around, the reef below us, and the constant clapping of thunder above. Combined, even without a storm, they are enough to bring any weak ship down to the bottom of they ocean. Weak ships crewed by weary men worrying about a nonexistent leviathan, while ignoring the real dangers around them. Ours will not be one of those ships, and so if you feel like you need to worry, worry about the terrain instead, or better yet, stay calm, stay focused, listen to orders, and get back to your stations! Now!” Ordered Admiral Blake.

At once, all the crewmembers scurried back to their positions, but not Mr. Philly. He was still standing on the stairs looking unconvinced, holding the rail with his left hand.

“That includes you too, Mr. Phil.” Said Admiral Blake as he tossed him look.

Mr. Phil nodded and turned around in response. “Aye. Man the capstan, tend to the sails! Stay aware!” He shouted to the crew as he finally descended down the stairs, though a hint of fear was still obvious in his voice. Not long after, rain began dropping from the dark skies above, and it turned heavy within a few minutes.

“Heave! Heave men! Heave!” Yelled the crew amidst the sound of the rain washing down on them as they pulled the ropes of the rigging, while some others manned the capstan.

“That’s it, steady now.” Said Admiral Blake calmly, even though he was absolutely drenched.

“Aye.” Replied the helmsman as he spun the wheel, turning the ship further away from the rocky cove, followed by the other four navy frigates. Right as they passed the cove however, everyone onboard the HMS Majestica heard a really loud crack from below the waters.

 At the same time, the tides rose a few feet high and swayed even the large flagship, throwing everyone onboard off their feet. The other ships were obviously impacted as well, but right as all the crewmembers started to get back to their feet, they noticed that the waters had suddenly gone calm. Really calm. Really suspiciously calm. The rain and thunders were still raging, but not the waters, where the only movements and waves created were the effects of the heavy raindrops. The large wave created by whatever had made the loud cracking sound below them was the last.

“What was that?” Asked Barnaby, a fat navy soldier as he adjusted his wet hat, before wiping his black moustache. Him and his partner were the only ones in the whole navy who refused to shave their facial hair.

“Probably a reef.” Replied his partner, a skinny and short navy soldier named Barton as he wiped his moustache too.

“No, no, no ... a reef wouldn’t create a huge ripple on the surface like that.” Said Mr. Philly. “Admiral?” He asked as he turned towards Blake, who was obviously baffled. His lips twitched a couple times, but for the first time in his career, he could not answer a question from one of his soldiers.

His moment of uncertainty and doubt was broken however, when a collosal shadow, even under the heavy raindrops, was seen moving quickly right below the surface of the water, creating another ripple, though not nearly as big as the first one. “Oh!” Shouted Barnaby as he, followed by all the other crewmembers, quickly ran over to the rail and leaned over, trying to spot what it was.

Admiral Blake too, saw the creeping shadow. “I was wrong ... I was wrong ...” He muttered loudly as his eyes widened with fear. All of the navy soldiers quickly shifted their attention to him, their faces also fear-stricken. They understood what he meant.

“Kraken.” Whispered Barton and Barnaby as they looked at each other.

“Battle stations! Grab your combat weapons! Load and run out the cannons, all of them, both sides! GO! GO!” Yelled the admiral at the top of his lung. Instantly, every navy soldier onboard lost their cool. They bumped and shoved each other while screaming in panic. A lot of the soldiers headed below decks, while some still stood on the deck, whipping out their muskets as the Admiral went down to join them himself.

“Relay my commands to the other ships! Now!” He ordered as he grabbed a navy soldier by his shoulder and turned him around.

Before the navy soldier could finish his job however, a loud sound was heard over the heavy rain. A sound like that of a whale, but louder and deeper. Barton and Barnaby quickly ran over to the rail and leaned over, but all they said was, “Uh oh ...”

Both of them were thrown off their feet and fell backwards as yet another really loud cracking sound was heard, only this time, it was followed by the sound of splashing water, and accompanied by screams of terror. Screams of terror so loud they broke through the sound of the heavy rain.

Admiral Blake dashed as quickly as he could, nearly slipping twice on the way, before finally grabbing the edge of the rail. He leaned over and saw that one of the four frigates that accompanied the Black Hurricane was being torn apart by two very large tentacles. The terrified screams of the navy soldiers persisted as one of the tentacles smashed and destroyed one of the masts.

“Turn her about! TURN HER ABOUT!” Screamed the admiral frantically as he climbed the stairs and dashed towards the helm. As he took over and pushed aside the helmsman, four navy soldiers emerged from below the decks and began handing out poleaxes and spears.

The HMS Majestica was a massive and heavy ship of the line, with two decks below the main deck, all lined with cannons on both sides, all of which were already loaded and ran out, with the cannoneers awaiting only orders as Admiral Blake turned the wheel as hard as he could so that the broadside would be facing the ship that was attacked. The other three frigates followed the gesture, and they also turned so that their cannons would be facing the Kraken’s tentacles.

As the frigate closest to the one being attacked fired, Blake turned the wheel around more so that the HMS Majestica could get closer as well. A lot of the navy soldiers who were onboard the ship that was being wrecked were purposefully tossing themselves overboard just to avoid the stray cannonballs from the other frigate and the Kraken tentacles, with hopes of being able to swim to the HMS Majestica or the other ships, even in the raging rain.

“BROADSIDE STARBOARD!” Ordered Admiral Blake as loudly as he could once he felt some of the Kraken tentacles were close enough. As the HMS Majestica began firing its starboard cannons, so did the two other frigates. Now, four ships were surrounding the one being wrecked, and the cannonballs completely oblirated the sides of the ship, wrecking it even further and causing more soldiers to abandon ship, and rightfully so. Fortunately, a lot of the Kraken’s tentacles were damaged as well, with one even completely detached. Quite unfortunately, that made the Kraken angry. Really angry.

It made another loud noise as it retreated its two wounded tentacles. “Is it dead?” Asked Barton.

“Is the battle over?” Added Barnaby, but before he even had a chance to close his mouth, six massive tentacles emerged from the water and two of them smashed into the deck of the Majestica, only a few feet away from him.

“AAAAAHHHH!” Screamed the navy soldiers who were standing on the deck. The impact of the huge tentacle shattered the wooden floor and killed quite a number of navy soldiers before falling into the first deck below. The loud, frantic screams of terror weren’t only coming from the HMS Majestica either, since the three other remaining ships also had tentacles to deal with. It was every ship for itself by that point.

“How big is this thing?” Whispered Admiral Blake in horror as still held on to the wheel. The tentacles began destroying the decks of the Majestica, wrapping itself around the mast, while another was wrecking the rigging. A third one was looking for prey as it wrapped the navy soldiers who stood close enough and dragged them to bottom of the ocean. “Fire away! Fire!” Ordered Admiral Blake amidst the chaos and the screams, and those below that could fire, fired. The blasts were only enough to obliterate one of the tentacles.

The wounded tentacle retreated back while the other two continued wrecking the ship. “Shoot at it, all of you!” Yelled Mr. Philly as he held out his musket and shot the tentacle that was wrapped around the main mast of Majestica. Some navy soldiers followed his command, only to find it futile and get dragged down to the bottom of the sea, while others were busy trying to hide and protect their own lives, Barnaby and Barton being of the latter group.

Meanwhile, one of the three other frigates got overwhelmed by the tentacles and went crashing down to the bottom of the ocean, while the other two still continued to fight. By that point, the Kraken had three ships to manage, but it still proved to be a very difficult opponent for all three.

Back on the Majestica, more and more soldiers were killed as one tentacle swiped across the main deck. They screamed and slipped before getting dragged down.

Eventually, the tentacle that was wrapped around the main mast let go of its grasp and the mast survived, thanks to the well timed firing of the cannons. It didn’t give up however, and instead tried a different approach. It smashed into the first deck below the main one and swept around, destroying the wooden posts, the stairs leading to the main deck, and the cannons. The cannoneers screamed in terror as some rolled around on the floor, desperately trying to avoid death by the massive tentacle, though not many succeeded. A lot of them were either crushed by the tentacle, hit by the debris of wood and flung cannon parts, or dragged down to the bottom of the ocean. The tentacle obliterated the section, even reaching all the way to the portside, killing even more navy soldiers, though fortunately, some soldiers were quick enough to turn their cannons and fire it inside the ship, hitting the squirming tentacle as it swept around. It took about four cannonblasts before the tentacle finally retreated.

The terror didn’t end there however, for the HMS Majestica still had one massive tentacle to deal with. With the other one badly wounded and forced to retreat, the one that was originally wrecking the front deck ran wild. It swept and crashed everything in its way, killing countless more navy soldiers, as well as destroying the front mast, near the ship’s head. It cracked loudly and crushed a navy soldier as it fell on the deck, messing up the rigging above as a lot of the ropes were cut, left to dangle above the deck, causing some navy soldiers to get tangled up, screaming before the tentacle grabbed the lot of them and threw them to the bottom of the sea.

“No!” Yelled Barnaby in horror as he ducked down and pressed himself onto the floor of the deck as the large tentacle swiped above him. He whimpered and cried while covering his head, while his partner Barton hid behind the rear mast.

 

“Eaah!” He screamed in terror as he jumped away right before the massive tentacle smashed into the very mast he was hiding behind, crushing the capstan and completely wrecking the mast. It creaked and swayed before falling to the right, hitting the rigging, severing more ropes, and tearing the main sail before slamming hard, blocking the stairs leading to the poop deck. Barton whimpered under the mast while the tentacle still moved around frantically.

At the same time, yet another navy frigate was completely obliterated. Admiral Blake watched in horror as the other Kraken tentacles slammed through the rear end of the frigate, smashed through, and destroyed the main mast as well as the rear one, before another one rose up high above it and slammed hard in the middle of the ship. The force of two tentacles combined was enough to completely split the navy frigate in half, leaving only two surviving ships.

Fortunately, the other one managed to destroy and cut off more tentacles, but now that the Kraken only had two ships to manage, the frigate had to deal with more tentacles. The ones that were previously attacking the frigate that just got destroyed immediately shifted focus to the one remaining frigate, attacking from both the port and starboard, while the cannons continued to fire at them. Even the tentacle that was rampaging through the deck of the HMS Majestica decided to retreat and attack the frigate first.

Admiral Blake decided to take the opportunity by once again, turning the wheel of the ship, which fortunately still stood, as hard as he could so that the broadside cannons would face the tentacles. Even in the still raging rain with only the main mast remaining along with the small sail right above the poop deck, the HMS Majestica was still able to move closer to help the frigate.

“All survivors below decks! Operate the cannons that could still work! MOVE!” Commanded Admiral Blake over the sound of the raging rain and the firing of cannons from the other ship.

Mr. Philly, who was previously hiding in the captain’s cabin, immediately got out and forcefully dragged the terrified Barton and Barnaby below decks. They were followed by the other navy soldiers who survived up to that point.

The remaining frigate put up more of a fight, even though all of its masts had been destroyed and the sails torn. It managed to destroy even more tentacles, leaving only three by the time the HMS Majestica got close enough.

“FIRE ALL!” Screamed Admiral Blake as loud as he could once the tentacles were within range.

“You heard him!” Screamed Mr. Philly below decks.

“No, we didn’t!” Cried Barton while squinting as the rough rain washed over his face through the large, stretching crack the Kraken had made on the broadside.

“Yeah, what did he say?” Cried Barnaby next to him.

“FIRE ALL! AIM FOR THE TENTACLES!” Yelled Mr. Philly, and at once, without another word, all the surviving navy soldiers lit the remaining cannons and fired away at the three tentacles, aiding the frigate.

The blasts of the remaining cannons from both rows of the HMS Majestica’s broadside starboard, along with blasts from the frigate’s own remaining cannons proved to be powerful enough to dispatch two more tentacles. The Kraken made another loud cry before using its only remaining tentacle to smash the deck of the frigate as a final attack.

The frigate finally went down with a loud crack and a loud splash, but fortunately, so did the Kraken. It made one final cry before its shadow could been seen diving deeper down into the bottom of the ocean using its final remaining tentacle. Admiral Blake sighed a sigh of relief as he watched the beastly leviathan go.

Strangely, while Admiral Blake was still catching his breath on the poop deck, the rain stopped and the skies cleared up soon after. The rain stopped within a minute of the Kraken’s departure, and soon, the survivors of the attack climbed up onto the wrecked main deck from below and looked around.

“Well, at least the main mast’s still standing.” Whispered Barnaby while pointing at the towering, and only remaining mast stretching high above him and the other crewmembers. Mr. Philly ignored him and walked up to his captain instead, using the stairs on the left since the one on the right was still blocked by the fallen rear mast.

Some survivors from the final frigate that was destroyed managed to abandon their ship in time and climb onto the HMS Majestica.

“Gentleman.” Said Admiral Blake as he walked away from the helm, letting Mr. Philly take over since the original helmsman had been killed in the attack. “I offer my most sincere apologies for my mistake of saying that the Kraken was nonexistent earlier. But look at the bright side, for now you may say that you were a part of the crew that sent the Kraken back down to the depths, without being dragged down with him.” He said reassuringly, accompanied by a nod at the end.

“Whoo! ...” Cheered Barnaby with a flat face as he raised his fist into air, while Barton clapped loudly, but they both stopped awkwardly the moment they noticed no one else was doing the same, and was instead looking at them with weird looks.

Admiral Blake then nodded a few times while looking down at his feet before turning around and walking up to Mr. Philly on the helm. “If I’m not mistaken, we’re not that far off from our destination, are we?” He asked.

“No we’re not, admiral. If the weather stays clear like this, we should be able to reach Crescent Island pretty soon. Let’s just hope we don’t run into another storm, or a sea monster at that. She won’t survive it.” Said Mr. Philly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 8

Siren cove

 

 

“Augh!” Yelled Ahmed in pain after he rolled off his hammock and fell onto the hard wooden floor below the decks. He rubbed his aching forehead as he struggled to get up, and when he did, he noticed that something was different. There was no one below decks other than him. It was quiet. No snoring, no chattering or chatting, nothing. He looked around and saw that his hammock was still swaying behind him, but it was the only one that was. The others were completely still. The area around him were still a little wrecked, with some wooden posts broken, and he began to remember that he was involved in a fight against bounty hunters that day. Still confused, he then proceeded to ascend the stairs to the deck above, and much to his relief, that’s where everyone was.

However, again to his confusion, everyone was different than usual. They were all standing before the front rails of the ship near the head, both left and right, and not a single sound was heard from any of them.

The damage to the rails haven’t been completely repaired, and even though it was in the middle of the night, the only source of light that illuminated the ship and the waters around them was the moon hanging high above, which cast a radiant glow on the surface of the ocean. All of the lanterns had been doused, and the only sounds that were heard on the ship were the creaking of the rigging above, the sound of the wind pushing the massive sails, and the sound of the helm turning.

Before making his way to join the other mysteriously silent pirates on the front side of the ship, Ahmed turned around and saw that standing on the poop deck, holding on to the rail, were Captain Brownhack, Mr. Smith, and the bounty hunter captain with the pointy moustache Ahmed recognized from the battle earlier that day. Behind them was the helmsman. Like all the other pirates, they were all silent, and their eyes were fixated on the sea before them.

The waters they were sailing through were quiet and calm, yet there were many rocks, so the helmsman had to navigate very carefully, yet another thing that caught Ahmed’s curiosity was the fact that the ship seemed to prefer moving behind the shadows of the rocks, far enough so that they wouldn’t crash, yet close enough so that the ship would still be hidden under the shadows of the massive rocks.

“Oy, what is this?” Asked Ahmed as he approached Pierre and grabbed his shoulder.

Pierre seemed very startled as he turned around. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open, before he realized that the man who had touched him was only Ahmed.

What is this?” Whispered Ahmed, repeating his question, now in a whisper, albeit a very loud and hissing one.

 

Pierre didn’t answer, he simply put his index finger up to his lips while the other one touched the tip of his ear, prompting Ahmed to make a very confused expression while raising both of his shoulders. The other pirates finally noticed him, and as they turned around to face him, all of them put their own index fingers in front of their lips, motioning for Ahmed to be quiet, only to startle and confuse him even further.

Up on the poop deck, Captain Brownhack began to squint through the darkness that stretched on before the ship as it passed behind yet another large rock, as if looking for something. “We should be able to see them soon enough.” Whispered Charmon, the bounty hunter captain next to him as he leaned very close to the captain’s ear while keeping his eyes fixated on the terrain in front of them.

Captain Brownhack nodded before asking in a low and sinister tone, “What if ... their singing pierces even our earplugs?”

Mr. Smith only gulped as Charmon replied in a whisper, “I have no idea ...”

Before long, as the ship once again sailed under the moonlight after passing behind the large rock, the crew saw a magnificent sight not one of them have ever seen or even dreamed of seeing their whole lives.

In a cove not so distant from where they were, sitting perched on the structure of rocks against the splashing sea water, were creatures so beautiful that even the most bitter and old sailors aboard the Black Hurricane couldn’t help but fall entranced.

The creatures were of human size, resembling women, with long, golden hair shimmering under the moonlight. Their pale skin, smoother than silk were bare, and their faces, they were showing an expression of such peace and tranquility that even the hearts of worn out sailors couldn’t help but absorb the feeling.

The term ‘Angelic’ was an understatement of their heavenly figures, distinguished from even the most beautiful of damsels by the large, silk-white feathery wings stretching out from their bare backs, and the talons which grew out of their lower torso, in place of legs.

“Gods curse me soul if I ever fall in love with another creature on this earth again ...” Whispered Captain Brownhack, amazed and shocked at the warm feeling that has surged through his whole body from his heart which he had not felt beat as fast in nearly decades. No one responded to his whispery remarks however, for all the other sailors had their eyes transfixed on the creatures, with their mouths gaping open, including even Ahmed, who was previously baffled and confused out of his mind.

“So this is what you meant when you once said to me I’d eventually find a girl whom I know will be perfect for me the first time I see her?” Asked Ahmed in a whisper to Pierre.

“No.” Answered Pierre simply, his eyes still fixed on the creatures. “These are Siren lad, they’ll kill ye the moment you lean close fer even a peck on the cheek. Beautiful, yet beastly they are.”

“Oh, so these are Siren ...” Muttered Ahmed.

“Really boy, what did you think they were? Stranded women with talons instead of feet, who just happened to grow wings out their damn backs, with nothing better to do than to play the harp!?” Snapped Pierre, starting to get irritated.

“Yo shut up man! We are tryin’-to-bird-watch-some real pretty birdies here! Don’t ya all remember we supposed to whisper when we talk-an’-that we not supposed to talk at all here!?” Yelled Lantern the Jamaican pirate suddenly, causing all the other crewmembers to look in his direction at once.

“Shoosh! You’re ruining it too!” Snapped his partner Ajeet as he slapped Lantern hard on the back.

“Yo what you doin’, man!?” Protested Lantern as he attempted to slap his partner back, before Oliver, who was standing behind him, restrained him and locked his arms behind his back. Lantern struggled hard, and accidently knocked Oliver to the floor with his elbow.

“Oof!” Said Oliver as he fell on his back.

“Shuuut up!” Bellowed Captain Brownhack from the poop deck above them in response, terribly irritated at ruckus his crewmembers were creating.

“Oh no ...” Whispered Charmon next to him.

“What?” Asked Captain Brownhack.

“They’re not supposed to notice us this soon. This is bad.” Said Charmon in a terrified and somewhat shaky voice.

Turning back to look at the cove which they were approaching, Captain Brownhack saw that the sirens had stopped playing the harps which they were holding and were looking straight at the direction of the Black Hurricane.

For the first time that they saw, the sirens had opened their eyes and revealed shiny silver pupils, dilated and almost transparent. Their once peaceful expressions had been turned into that of awareness and caution as the Black Hurricane continued to get closer to the cove. Their silence was not for long though, for merely a few seconds later, the closed their eyes once again and resumed playing their harps, only this time accompanied by a song. The most beautiful song any of the sailors onboard the Black Hurricane had ever heard, with voices so radiant and captivating that even the most beautiful voices of the most beautiful women in their dreams could not compare, silencing all the pirates at once, once again observing all of their focus and attention.

As the pirates just stood there captivated with eyes and mouths wide open like before, one of the sirens suddenly flapped her wings and jumped up, creating a small ripple on the surface of the water. She flew over to the Black Hurricane, and the others soon followed. To the surprise of the sailors, the sirens who were perching on the cove were not the only ones either, since more began to come up from the surface of the water and follow the others. The drops of water that they left behind as they flew over to the ship sparkled under the moonlight, even as clouds began to move in and cover the moon. Strangely, as more and more  sirens showed up from the surface of the water, more clouds also appeared in the sky and began to cover the moon, completely enveloping it in darkness before long.

Pierre was the first to notice, and it broke him from his trance. He quickly shoved and pushed all the pirates around him and gestured at his ears with his index fingers.

All of the pirates understood at once and they all shoved both of their index fingers in their ears, with some closing their eyes and some looking down at the sea, trying to ignore all the sirens around them. All except for Ahmed, who had not even been broken out of his trance.

Not one of the sirens stopped singing in perfect harmony as they twirled around the pirate ship. Some were perching on the rigging above, some were flying around in circles above the mast, while some were even sitting on the rails, pretty close to the pirates who tried their best to ignore them.

Ahmed, being the only one who didn’t have his ear plugged due to him sleeping through most of the voyage, fell into the sirens’ spells almost as soon as they landed on the ship. The sirens noticed this, and a lot of them took the advantage and focused on him. One of the sirens motioned for Ahmed to come closer using her index finger.

“Lord save me ...”Whispered Ahmed weakly as he found himself inevitably drawn to the siren, who flapped down from the rail she was sitting on and landed softly on the deck, only a few feet from Ahmed, who continued to approach her as if in a hypnotic state. The other sirens also slowly moved closer towards him, and even the ones who were perching on the rigging above flew down to get closer. All the other pirates, including Captain Brownhack, remained silent, and only watched in horror as the sirens began to envelop the poor Ahmed.

The siren that had originally invited him to come closer finally wrapped her arms around him when he was close enough. She smiled and gleamed her bright silvery eyes at him as she began to purse her lips, as if about to kiss. Her hair fell softly on her back while Ahmed closed his own mouth and pursed it as well, expecting and hoping for nothing more than the most brilliant kiss that he’d ever receive. Before he could know for sure however, a gun was fired.

The siren, whose face was only about an inch away from Ahmed’s at that point, screeched loudly following the gunshot, revealing a set of teeth looking sharper than that of sharks. Her eyes goggled open and  her silver pupils rolled up as she immediately staggered away from Ahmed, who also pushed her back the moment he saw her sharp teeth. The other siren all scattered and screeched as well. They flapped their wings and flew frantically around the ship.

As he fell on his back in terror, Ahmed realized that the siren who almost killed him had been shot in the shoulder. She continued to screech and cry pain while tending to her bleeding right shoulder with both of her arms. All beauty and sense of radiance that previously shrouded the creature had completely disappeared. Looking around, Ahmed saw that the one who fired the shot was Pierre, who was breathing heavily with his smokey flintlock still in hand.

 “This is bad.” Gasped Charmon suddenly up on the poop deck as he looked up at the sky. Captain Brownhack and Mr. Smith also followed the direction he was looking at and saw that all of the sirens were now circling the ship way above the mast, screeching and screaming, their morbid sounds piercing even the earplugs of the sailors. Merely a few seconds later, thunderous lightning began appearing in the dark night sky, followed shortly by heavy raindrops that quickly washed over the Black Hurricane as the water beneath it began to roil, swaying the ship, all whilst the screeching sirens continued to fly in circles above the mast. They also completely abandoned their harps by dropping them down into the raging sea. “This is what I feared ...” Added Charmon, and before he could even close his mouth, all the sirens above quickly dove down at the sailors while baring their sharp teeth, prepared to strike and kill all of them.

 

The pirates all scrambled at once. They screamed and ducked and ran frantically on the deck with the rain washing over them as the sirens dove around like seagulls trying to catch fish at sea.

“Aaaah!” Screamed one of the pirates as a siren plunged her sharp talons into his back, before rising up and diving into the raging ocean, drowning the pirate.

“Get your guns! Fight back you cowards, don’t run away!” Screamed Captain Brownhack amidst the chaos, and as a siren turned around and lunged towards him while baring her sharp fangs, the pirate captain simply pulled out his broadsword and slashed her right in the face. The once heavenly bird woman dropped down on the deck at once.

Oliver tried to defend himself using his own sword, but a siren snatched it out of his hand the moment he unsheathed it.

 

“Aaah! No! Nooo!” Screamed another pirate while holding on to the ropes on the side of the railing. His leg was being forcefully pulled by a siren, who was screeching in frustration before another pirate shot her right in the forehead.

The screams of the pirates continued to persist just as the storm did, and even those who took refuge below decks weren’t safe, for the sirens even began crashing through the sides, proving themselves to be powerful enough to easily rip through wood.

“Die, you foul barnacle faced devil!” Yelled Captain Brownhack as he struggled against another siren, who managed to block his sword slash using her talons. “Aaagh!” He then screamed as another siren slashed his back and planted her talons in.

“Captain!” Screamed Mr. Smith in panic. He had just gotten down onto the main deck to help some of the other pirates.

Meanwhile, Charmon, whom Captain Brownhack thought was right next to him, had secretly slipped into the captain’s cabin to seek refuge while the captain himself was occupied.

“Aaargh! Devils! Blasted...” Yelled Captain Brownhack as he continued to struggle against the two sirens, who were attacking him both from his front and back. The helmsman tried to help him, but he himself was snatched away by another siren and dragged down to sea, leaving the helm unoccupied.

Mr. Smith quickly climed the stairs leading to the poop deck to both help his captain and take control of the helm, but a siren dove down at him. Fortunately, he was able to turn around just in time and the siren failed to plant her talons into his back, although he did fall flat on it on the stairs and had to fight in the heavy rain using his sword while sprawled on his back. “No! Agh! Get off!” He yelled as the siren continued to screech and scratch at him from the front.

“Back off ye savage beast!” Screamed Pierre as a siren lunged at him from the front. He deflected her talons using his sword and parried against them for a while before finally landing a slash on her stomach. The siren cried in pain and rolled over on the deck, dead.

Not so far from where he stood, Ahmed was  also struggling against a siren himself. “Aaah, I thought you wanted kisses!” He screamed frantically as he slashed around, trying to land a blow on the creature in front of him.

More and more pirates continued to get snatched away, and the sirens continued to rip apart the Black Hurricane both above and below the decks. Many of them screamed and struggled, and many of them even had a chance to fight, but a lot of them were no match against the angry sirens.

 

Up on the poop deck, even Captain Brownhack was still having trouble, and his whole body continued to get scratched and slashed by the vicious creatures. Nearly being lifted off the ground, he then decided to instead transfer all of his weight into his back. He kicked the rail in front of him hard and slammed himself onto the wooden floor as hard as he could. The move surprised the siren who had her talons plunged into his back, and she screamed as her talons got crushed under the large pirate captain’s weight, leaving the other siren who was attacking the captain from the front shocked. Captain Brownhack used the opportunity and quickly struck her right in the chest, killing her before turning around and doing the same to the one with the broken talons. Captain Brownhack groaned in pain before kicking the dead siren in front of him hard and making his way towards the helm that was spinning out of control, only a few feet from where he was. Unfortunately, he was too late.

The Black Hurricane crashed hard into one of the large rocks due to the rough, roiling waters and the sirens rocking the ship. The impact wrecked the starboard, ripped one of the sails, and threw some pirates overboard. The large frigate even nearly turned on its side, but on the bright side for the pirates, the impact also crushed a few sirens, as well as scaring away the rest of them.

“Grab your muskets and pistols men! Scare ‘em off fer good now!” Yelled Mr. Smith as he held on hard to the ropes of the starboard railing, the same ropes that protected him from being crushed by the impact of the crash while his captain was frantically turning the wheel to the left as hard as he could.

“Here are the muskets!” Screamed Ajeet as he and his partner emerged from below decks carrying a whole bunch of muskets. They passed them around the remaining pirates quickly.

“FIRE AWAY, CRETINS! BLAST THOSE FOUL DEVILS!” Yelled Captain Brownhack while still turning the wheel so that the Black Hurricane would regain its balance.

Upon the order, all the pirates fired away in the direction of the sirens, who were fluttering about in the sky not so far from where the ship was, waiting to make their comeback attack. They didn’t get the chance however, for a lot of the pirates made good aim. A few were shot down, and those who narrowly missed death quickly decided to fly away and retreat back to their cove.

“We did it! Hooray!” Cheered Ajeet, followed by the other pirates, except for Mr. Smith, who still had a worried and unconvinced look on his face.

“Captain?” He asked as he looked up towards the poop deck.

“Fools! Don’t celebrate yet!” Snapped Captain Brownhack.

Within only a minute after the sirens had left, the weather cleared up and the tides calmed down as the full moon returned to sight, much to everyone’s relief.

“Is it over?” Asked Charmon suddenly as he opened the door from the captain’s cabin and headed out to the main deck.

“You there!” Called Captain Brownhack suddenly, startling the man. “How much further is Crescent Island?” He asked as Charmon turned around. All of the attention from the other pirates quickly shifted to him the moment the question was asked. Everyone was eager to hear his answer.

“Not far.” Answered Charmon simply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 9

Crescent island

 

 

            That same night, on another part of the Atlantic Ocean, also heading towards Crescent Island was Danny’s crew, consisting of himself, Vanessa, Jose, Rose, and of course, the captain of the voyage, the voodoo priest from Port Veronica. They were sailing in a large sloop, and were also accompanied by some of the sailors and merchants who survived the attack on Port Veronica carried out by the dreaded ghost ship of legend captained by the undead Captain Bonescar the night prior.

“We should be able to arrive at Crescent Island by dawn.” Said the voodoo priest on the helm as their sloop sailed ever so smoothly through the calm waters illuminated by the gentle moonlight.

“Umm ... pardon me asking sir, but what’s your name again?” Asked Danny curiously.

“Czutchxiaotl.” Answered the voodoo priest simply.

“Okay ... so we’ll just call you Zutch then.” Replied Danny as he turned around and looked back at the sea around them. He was leaning forward on the port rail next to Vanessa as the cold evening ocean breeze brushed and cooled their faces. “Oh, and about this Crescent Island ... you previously stated it was uncharted?” He asked as he turned around once again to face Zutch.

“It is. The only ones who are able to find the island are the ones who have the map.” Explained Zutch.

“And ... of course, you are the one who has the map, right?” Asked Danny as his voice cracked a little.

“I have a map.” Answered Zutch mysteriously. His eyes were still fixated on the sea before them. Before long, they reached an area covered by mist, obscuring the view around the ship.

 

Danny wanted to ask another question, but he swallowed it instead. “This is really beginning to creep me out you know. First of all, who is that guy anyway? Have you seen him before in Port Veronica?” He whispered closely to Vanessa.

“No ... not really.” Answered Vanessa.

“Then what makes you think we can trust him!? Just look around us, these eerie fogs and mist he’s leading us into, as well as his unclear, out-of-nowhere story about a magical artefact in an uncharted island that can be used to destroy the ghost ship and defeat the legendary Captain Bonescar. You’ve never seen him before, and I don’t think anyone else onboard has either, why are we doing this!?” Asked Danny in a harsh whisper.

“Look, he said he knows a way to defeat that damn ghost ship that destroyed my home town! The chance for revenge alone is reason enough, I think!” Replied Vanessa.

“But he just popped out of nowhere! What are the odds of that!? I mean, what makes you think he’s not just luring us into an island of cannibals or something? What if he doesn’t actually know anything about the ghost ship, and just used the story he told us as a bait so that we would fall into his trap!?” Asked Danny, getting rather worried and frustrated.

“So yeah he just popped out of nowhere, but so did the ghost ship! I could make the argument that he showed up there out of nowhere by fate, destined to help us!” Replied an equally frustrated Vanessa. She was breathing heavily by the time she finished her sentence. “Look ... even all the superstitious destiny and fate thing aside, I trust him Dan, and even when deep down I don’t, I need to trust him. I want my revenge against that damn ghost ship, and we know nothing about it. He might be the only way we could even have a chance at fighting Captain Bonescar.” She continued after catching her breath.

Danny opened his mouth to speak, but Vanessa interrupted before he could even say a word. “Look, it was my town that got destroyed. You had no connection to it whatsoever, the battle that I seek ... it’s got nothing to do with you at all. If you’re so suspicious, why did you even come along in the first place?” She said before turning around and walking away.

The mist that was enveloping the ship had gotten thicker by that point, and Danny couldn’t even see the middle of the large sloop, where Zutch was holding the helm. Even Vanessa vanished out of his sight after a few steps, leaving him still bitter and speechless. He spent the rest of the voyage contemplating his feelings as the mist around him continued to persist. He didn’t feel like sleeping at all, yet it felt like hours before the mist finally cleared up, and when it did, Danny was surprised to see that the was already visible on the eastern horizon.

“There it be ... the dreaded isle of mystery ... Crescent Island.” Whispered Zutch all the way from the helm in the middle of the deck. Danny quickly turned his head from the rising and sun and saw that in the distance was already visible a moderately large island. The beach stretched from east to west in a half circular manner, making the island that stretched behind it look somewhat like a crescent. From the distance, the island looked green due to the dense jungles stretching on from the beach, reaching all the way back to a mountain in the back distance.

“The dreaded island of ... mystery?” Asked Rose, who had emerged from below the decks along with her husband Jose and some of the other sailors. They proceeded to head over to the front of the ship.

“Oh, did I say mystery?” Asked Zutch. “I meant misery.”

All the sailors along with Jose and Rose immediately turned around to look at him the moment he said it.

“Hey boy, where’s Vanessa?” Asked Jose as he turned to face Danny shortly after.

Before Danny could answer, Vanessa appeared from the area of the ship behind the captain’s cabin and said, “I’m here and I’m ready. Let’s go.”

Danny was about to walk over to her but was interrupted when Zutch suddenly shouted, “Roll up the sails, lower the anchors, get to the longboat! We’re making ... land.”

As the sailors began climbing the railings to roll up the sails, Danny finally had his chance to go up to Vanessa. “Hey, look ...” He began to speak, but Vanessa interrupted.

“What, you want to apologize? Look, maybe I shouldn’t have blamed you for being too suspicious either, I mean ...”

“Suspicious? What, I was never suspicious, hahahah ...” Cut Danny as he shuffled his hair and forced a chuckle, before motioning to Vanessa with his pupils to look at his left.

“Oh right, what? I meant when you were ... cons ... picuous ...” Said Vanessa immediately as she too forced a chuckle, after noticing that Zutch himself was standing right behind Danny carrying a rope on his shoulder and some unlit torches on his left hand.

Fortunately for them, Zutch didn’t mind or care about what they were really talking about and instead just handed Danny the rope and Vanessa the torches. “We’ll need these.” He said, before walking back to the middle of the deck. He was still carrying his large wooden staff with the skeleton head.

“Anyways, sorry for earlier. You were just worried for both of our sakes, weren’t you?” Continued Vanessa as soon as Zutch left them.

“Yeah, and maybe I shouldn’t have worried to much either. I mean, we both still have weapons right?” Replied Danny as he gave Vanessa a wink.

“Hey, you two, let’s go.” Called Jose from across the deck. The sails of the large sloop had already been rolled up, and the sailors were already starting to get into the longboats. Danny and Vanessa followed them shortly.

“Hey, isn’t anyone going to stay to guard the ship?” Asked Danny to Zutch before he climbed into the longboat.

“No. Zuzu’s got it under control.” Replied Zutch simply.

Danny was about to ask who Zuzu was, until he glanced at the captain’s cabin and saw a creature about the size of an imp, completely black in color with pointy ears and gleaming red eyes peeking from the door. The creature closed the door the moment his eyes met Danny’s.

Danny gulped a whole pint worth of spit along with his own question as he quickly jumped into the longboat. He decided it was better not to know exactly what it was. Each crewmember was then supplied a leather flask of rum and a musket by Zutch, and merely a few moments later, they were already rowing towards the mysterious Crescent Island.

“Follow along carefully, keep your eyes open, and be alert at all times. We should be able to arrive at our destination by night.” Said Zutch as soon as the two longboats reached the shore. After shoving the longboats to an area in the sand far enough so that the tide won’t pull them back into the water, the crew headed out for the jungle, following Zutch.

Danny was looking around at his surroundings when he accidentally tripped on something and fell face first into the sand. “Gah!” He muttered before pulling himself up. As he did however, his eyes widened as he saw what he had tripped on.

“Gods, this can’t be ...” He whispered slowly as he dug up the white protruding object that had caught his feet. The other sailors stopped as he showed them the object. “This is a human bone.”

“Ah yes, I forgot to mention. This is island is filled with cannibals. You’ll all meet them later today if things go well.” Said Zutch. Vanessa immediately tossed Danny a wide-eyed terrified glance as soon as she heard what the voodoo priest had said.

“Are you mad!? You expect us to be excited to meet and greet some cannibals!?” Snapped Jose angrily at Zutch.

“No no, they won’t eat us, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’ll talk to them.” Replied Zutch calmly.

“Somehow I doubt that’s going to work...” Said Jose suspiciously as he narrowed his eyes.

“No, they’ll listen to us. I know how to talk to them, and besides, we brought them offerings.” Replied Zutch.

“Offerings?” Asked Rose. “What offerings?”

“Those flasks I gave you. They’re filled with human fat in liquid form. Mixed with rum. They love it.” Answered Zutch, causing one of the sailors to burst out the liquid that he had been drinking.

“WHAT!?” He asked angrily as he wiped his mouth. “Human ... fat!?”

“I never told you to drink them.” Said Zutch.

“But you also never told us not to! Besides, they look and smell like rum, and you just gave it to us, in leather flasks that sailors use to contain rum! What was I supposed to do!?” Protested the angry sailor.

“Yeah, well ... I forgot. My apologies.” Replied Zutch, though there was not a single hint of regret in his voice.

“Hold on ... you said before that this island is supposed to be uncharted. Then why heck are there people living here?” Asked Danny as he pointed the bone he was holding at the old voodoo priest, before remembering what he was actually holding and throwing it back onto the sand.

“People?” Asked Zutch back, looking somewhat baffled, before finally saying, “Oh, if you’re talking about the cannibals I mentioned, they’re not people ... they’re demons. Sort of like, the spiritual guardians of this uncharted island ... who eat people ... and each other.”

“Oh, cannibal demons! Well that’s just perfect! We’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about here, gentleman!” Snapped Danny sarcastically before Vanessa shoved her elbow into his stomach.

“Anyway, we better hurry. Follow along.” Said Zutch as he turned around and headed back towards the path leading to the jungles.

All of the sailors around them, including Jose and Rose, looked kind of weary and unsure. They seemed to be waiting for Danny and Vanessa to make the decision of whether or not to press on.

“So, you still wanna continue?” Asked Danny as he leaned very close to Vanessa’s right ear.

Vanessa seemed kind of hestitant at first, but she finally answered, “Let’s just press on ... but let’s also stay close, keep ourselves alert and our weapons ready.”

“Yeah, like we weren’t already gonna do that even before the nutty voodoo priest mentioned the demon cannibals.” Replied Danny as he shook his head, but Vanessa didn’t mind him and continued to press on, shortly followed by Danny himself and the others.

The first few hours of their journey through the dense jungles weren’t that dangerous, only uncomfortable. Danny had to unsheath his cutlass along the way so it would help him navigate through the thick tree branches and vines hanging above him. It wasn’t uncommon for him, or some of the other crewmembers to mistake some snakes that were hanging from the trees as snakes either. Fortunately for them, no one really got injured and the whole crew managed to push through and arrive at a clearing by the time the sun was high above them. A patch of flattened dirt and leaves and some large rocks next to swift river flowing downstream.

“I think we could take a break here for a while.” Said Zutch as he settled down on the ground and looked around.

“Where are the demon cannibals?” Asked Jose wearily as he too, looked around.

“Oh, their base is still located quite far away from here. We’ll probably only reach them by night.” Answered Zutch.

“Damn it ...” Muttered Jose quietly.

Meanwhile, Danny took the opportunity and splashed some of the cold river water on his dirt covered face. He felt refreshed the moment the cool water hit his skin. He also proceeded to gurgle some of the water before leaning back on the large rock. “Oh, right ... they’re human fat ...” He muttered disappointedly as he was about to reach in for the leather flask that was flung from his shoulder.

“So, you brought no food or fresh water or anything here?” Asked Rose as she looked over at Zutch.

“No. Drink the river water. It’s safe.” Answered Zutch, prompting the sailors to groan.

 

After all the sailors were done resting and washing their faces and hands on the river, the crew pushed on, and before long, they reached a cliff that was above the level of the jungle after climbing a steep path. Danny was glad to feel the ocean breeze sweep his face as he grabbed on to a near tree trunk.

At first, Zutch didn’t want to stop and was about to scale a narrow path to their left, but Danny stopped him. “Hold on ... why the heck is there navy ship anchored there?” He asked. He saw that below them in the ocean not so distant was a large navy ship of the line. The HMS Majestica. The other sailors, along with Vanessa, Jose, and Rose leaned over Danny to get a look for themselves.

At first, Zutch kept quiet and observed the massive ship below himself, until Vanessa asked, “You said only those with the map can find this place.”

“Exactly.” Added Danny as he grabbed her shoulders.

“...I said I have a map.” Answered Zutch calmly as he wrapped his arms around his wooden staff.

“Oh, so there are many maps then, let me guess, about one hundred?” Asked Danny sarcastically. “What if someone, like perhaps the navy, has already gotten the treasure before us?”

“...That is something I’m not prepared for. To tell you the truth, I also didn’t anticipate they would be here. They must be tough ...” Replied Zutch as he observed the damage to the HMS Majestica’s broadsides and masts, which there was only one still standing.

“How many maps are there?” Asked Jose curiously.

 

“Three. Only three.” Answered Zutch. “Come on, we better hurry if we still want that treasure, for now we now we have another party to race against.” He said before turning around and making his way through the narrow path. Everyone else looked at each other with uncertain looks before following him.

The crew didn’t take another rest until dusk, and even then they only stopped to light the torches. They then proceeded to walk for about four more hours through the denser areas of the jungle until Zutch suddenly stopped dead on his track. “It’s time. We’re gonna pass through their territory soon.”

Everyone behind the old voodoo priest fell silent at once. Instantly, Danny could feel his nape hair rise the moment Zutch said that, and merely a few seconds later, he could feel that he was being watch, that was until a few more short seconds passed, and that’s when he could see that he was being watched.

Red, menacing eyes with pitch black pupils started appearing around the crew behind the trees and bushes, their whole bodies and faces obscured by the darkness. That’s when Zutch began speaking an incantation of unknown language. He closed his eyes before turning around and motioning for the crew to follow him using his hand. The crew followed without question and stuck together, to the point that their bodies were practically pressed to one another. They were afraid, yes, but they had no choice other than to follow Zutch since staying where they were surrounded by the menacing red eyes was not exactly comfortable either.

More eyes started appearing as they continued through the path, following Zutch. Danny, who was unhappily walking in front of the others, could begin to see what the faces that bared the red eyes looked like as the light from his torch brushed them as the path got more narrow.

Needless to say, the faces weren’t pretty. They had skin as pitch black as their pupils, white scraggly hair reaching down all the way to their bare, bony backs, and sharp fangs reminiscent of walrus fangs, protruding from their mouths and reaching all the way down below their chin.

“Oh god ...” Whispered Vanessa behind Danny. She was standing so close behind him that he could feel her warm breath brush the back of his neck. Danny himself tried to keep the lights from the torches as far away from the demonic humanoid creatures around them so that the neither of them would have to look at their faces.

“Stay close dear ...” Whispered Jose behind Vanessa. He was talking to his wife, Rose, whose eyes were bulging open with fear. Though it felt like forever, their walk didn’t actually last that long, and they eventually reached another clearing. The horrors didn’t end there, though.

In the middle of the clearing was a large hut, and there were even more huts hidden amidst the trees around the large, circular patch of dirt. Surrounding the hut were even more of the demonic creatures, and even more alarmingly, they were sitting next to a pile of bones. Human bones, easily distuingishable by the shape of the skulls and rib cages. One of the demons immediately stood up the moment he saw Zutch and the rest of the crew enter their clearing. He was different from the rest, for he had a long beard, also as white and scraggly as his hair.

Danny and the rest stayed quiet as Zutch began speaking in an unknown language to demon cannibal chief. After a while, Zutch suddenly turned towards the crew and ordered, “The flasks. Now.”

All of the sailors, including Danny and Vanessa immediately took off their leather flasks and handed them over to Zutch, who in turn handed them over to the demon chief.

Following a few more short lines of dialogue, Zutch motioned for the crew to follow him and pressed on, moving past the demon chief and the other silent demons in the clearing, followed closely by Danny and the others. Danny’s heart beated so fast as he walked past the demons who were sitting on the ground, chewing on his kin, and then past some more who were standing behind the trees and bushes around the clearing, with some even dangling down from the trees like monkeys. Their expressions were stoic, yet their eyes were gleaming like an animal who spotted a prey.

Danny was trying to keep as straight of a face as possible, being really careful not to attract the demons’ attention anymore than the crew already had. Much to his own, and everyone else’s relief, no more demon cannibals were to be seen after they passed through the clearing, and pretty soon they came before a large cave.

“See, I told you we can count on him.” Whispered Vanessa to Danny in relief as the crew stopped in front of the large cave.

Just as Danny opened his mouth to answer however, Zutch said, “We were lucky. We could’ve been eaten.”

“Huh?” Asked Danny weakly. Somehow he was surprised to hear the voodoo priest say that.

“They said human fat wouldn’t have actually have been enough to quench their hunger. Only their thirst. We’re lucky they managed to capture some navy soldiers that came along before us.” Explained Zutch as he shook his head lightly.

“So ... they ate all of the navy soldiers from the ship that we saw earlier?” Asked Jose.

“Not all of them. In fact, quite a lot of the navy soldiers managed to escape. Which means, we still gotta hurry.” Said Zutch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 10

The battle for the moon idol

 

 

 

 

Danny ducked as a large bat suddenly swooped down from above him. “How much further is it?” He asked irritably as he nearly tripped on some rocks. They had been walking through winding, narrow, and steep paths inside the cave for what felt like hours, and their torches were beginning to die out, barely illuminating the areas further than four feet in front of them.

“Soon. Pretty soon.” Answered Zutch. Fortunately, he was right, since not long after, the crew spotted some bright glowing things in front of them, and an opening to another area of the cave.

“Could these be ...” Muttered one of the sailors behind Danny suddenly as the sound of clinking was heard.

“My god, they are ... treasure!” Said the sailor next to him. Zutch, Danny, Vanessa, Jose, and Rose all stopped at once and turned around to see what the sailors had found.

Gold. Gold and silver in form of coins, scattered beneath the sailors’ feet. “We are really close indeed. Ignore those beneath your feet for soon you are all about to see the true wonders of this island.” Zutch exclaimed with a smile as he turned around and continued to walk towards the opening. The others soon followed as well, but not before some of the sailors pocketed some gold coins.

There was a steep path leading yet to another opening right after the one they had just passed through, but through the opening in the distance they could see light. Shining, silvery moonlight passing down from above, but no visible ground. Zutch scaled the steep path without another word and the others did too. Zutch stopped the others as he stood on the edge of the second opening, and everyone peered over his shoulder just to see what was below. All of their eyes gleamed the moment that they did. “Lord ... this is ...” Muttered Jose quietly, though he did not finish.

No longer did any of them need their torches, for other than the moonlight, the circular area below them was also illuminated by the large piles of gold and silver coins piled up to form mountains of shiny, shimmering treasure. Also scattered around the place were busted wooden chests filled to the brim, overflowing even, with even more gold coins and also gems of all kinds and sizes. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds, jades, all of them. Treasure as far their eyes could see, all littered the area about ten feet below them. The piles of treasure were stacked on large rocks that made up the surface, and in the middle, was a small stone hill, surrounded by shallow water, and on top stood a wooden chest, closed unlike the other ones.

“This is ... this is every pirate’s dream isn’t it? This very area ... and even though I took up piracy for the freedom and adventure, this is just ...” Muttered Danny, though he had to swallow some spit before he could finish.

“This is just beautiful ...” Whispered Vanessa next to him. “Not even the biggest loot Captain Brownhack has ever scored from even the most packed merchant ships that we have ever raided have ever brought this same feeling to me.”

“Exactly.” Said Danny, though he didn’t really listen to what Vanessa was saying since all of his focus was still being absorbed by the huge piles of treasure before him.

“Well, who wouldn’t be impressed?” Said Rose from behind them as she rested her arms on her hips.

“Wow ... just makes you sort of want to dive right into those piles of treasure head-first, doesn’t it?” Muttered one of the sailors suddenly as he peered over Danny’s shoulder.

“Yeah ... I’ll race you to it!” Replied Danny as he turned and smiled at the sailor, but just as the two were about to dash down, Zutch halted them with his short, bony left arm.

“Hush ... do not forget the real reason we are here.” He reminded in a serious tone.

“You’re right ... the idol that could defeat Bonescar ... where is it?” Asked Vanessa as she shook her head and looked at the old voodoo priest, suddenly remembering her goal after being captivated by the piles of shiny treasure.

“It’s ...” Before Zutch could finish his answer, other voices suddenly echoed through the walls of the caves, accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Is that where it is, then?” Asked one of the voices.

“I think so. Damn it took so long but we finally got here.” Answered yet another one.

“Duck! And stand back ...” Ordered Zutch as he suddenly ducked down and pressed his chest against the rocky ground, before inching his way back little by little. The others all followed at once, and waited anxiously.

“It must be the navy ...” Whispered Vanessa, and only a few seconds later did her guess was proven to be correct when navy soldiers suddenly emerged through another opening down below, directly leading to the circular, treasure filled area. They were of course led by Admiral Blake, who was sweaty and dirty, looking exhausted, as did all of his remaining crewmembers.

“Holy god be praised ...” Muttered Mr. Philly next to the Admiral as he made a cross gesture on his chest.

“Don’t just look around, start searching about!” Yelled Admiral Blake to his awestruck soldiers, visibly very frustrated. “Damn ... first the Kraken, then cannibals, and now there’s so much treasure we don’t even know which one is the moon idol.”

“But captain, isn’t all this treasure a good thing, why not grab them all?” Asked Mr. Philly.

“And how do you propose we do that, hmm? There are mountains of gold here, yet we’re only looking for one piece of artefact, which could be buried in any of these piles!” Snapped Admiral Blake. “Damn ... this expedition was too rushed, and now we’re really low on manpower. Still, I can’t fail his majesty. I cannot fail this mission ...”

“We’ve got to do something, we can’t let them have the moon idol, especially since we don’t know their intentions ...” Whispered Zutch, and just then, another set of voices and footsteps were heard approaching the treasure filled area, startling both his group and Admiral Blake’s.

“Captain, I see light!” Echoed a voice, and one that both Danny and Vanessa recognized immediately.

“...Could that be...” Whispered Danny as both he and Vanessa stared into each other’s eyes.

“I know right, sounds a lot like Mr. Smith!” Replied Vanessa.

“Ah, ye be right! Steady boys, I think we’ve found the jackpot at last!” Said another voice suddenly.

“And that’s Captain Brownhack! But how in the world!?” Snapped Vanessa as her eyes widened.

“Well ... Captain Brownhack does sound like a typical pirate captain, so maybe it’s some other?” Proposed Danny, until a third voice echoed through the cave walls.

“Ouch!” Said the voice.

“Again!?” Asked another voice.

“Did you see that!? That bat flew right into my face!” Replied the one before.

“Buuut ... that’s definitely Ahmed’s voice, so yeah ... Captain Brownhack’s here.” Muttered Danny.

“What the ... What now ...” Asked the exasperated Admiral Blake below as he took a step forward, right before Captain Brownhack and his crew suddenly emerged into the area as well, also from an opening down below, but on the opposite side of where the navies entered.

Captain Brownhack’s eyes grew wide the moment he stepped into the treasure filled area, but the light on his eyes immediately dimmed the moment he saw the Admiral. “Navies!?” He asked in disbelief while most of his crewmembers were still observing the gold around them in awe. Few of them even paid mind to the navies at all, for most of the crewmembers had already begun stuffing as much gold into their pants as possible instead.

“Pirates ... just great ...” Muttered Admiral Blake weakly.

“How in blazes did you people get here!? And what for!? ” Asked Captain Brownhack in a loud, intimidating voice.

“I don’t have any reason to tell the likes of you, pirate.” Answered Admiral Blake simply.

“Aye, it just be curious that’s all, since treasure huntin’ isn’t somethin’ the navies are famous for.” Mocked Captain Brownhack. “You! Ye said this island was uncharted!” He said as he turned and shoved the map to Crescent Island onto Charmon, who was standing next to him.

At first, Charmon didn’t know how to respond, but merely a second later, without even saying a word, he grabbed the map from Captain Brownhack’s arm and dashed towards Admiral Blake. “I’m no pirate! Hold your fire! I was just a mere bounty hunter. Me vessel was captured by their merciless crew! Look, I even have his bounty poster and a letter from the goverment of Nassau authorizing me to capture-”

Gunfire. Charmon was just unwrapping a piece of paper that he took out from his jacket when Captain Brownhack shot him in the back.

The traitorous bounty hunter died instantly. His body made a splashing sound as it fell into the shallow pool of water next to where he was standing.

“That fool ...” Muttered Mr. Smith as he shook his head lightly. The gunshot finally attracted all the other pirates’ attention and they finally stopped rummaging through the gold. They just stood quietly where they were, but their heads turned towards the scene at once.

Admiral Blake’s eyes widened as the man died, but he did not seem to be too surprised and instead bent down and grabbed the pieces of paper that Charmon had. “So you’re the notorious Captain Brownhack. That’s why I felt like I’ve seen you before.” He said after he examined the wet bounty poster that was one of the papers that Charmon took out. “Wait a minute though ...” He added as another one of the papers caught his attention. It was the map.

“Mr. Phil, this isn’t the same map as ours, is it?” Asked Admiral Blake as he showed Mr. Philly the map.

“No ... it’s not captain, but they do look similar, and they do both lead to Crescent Island.” Answered Mr. Philly as he examined both Charmon’s map and the one that he had been keeping for the expedition.

“Truly a magnificent coincidence ... all three maps in one location.” Muttered Zutch suddenly above the scene. Danny and Vanessa just looked at him, but neither said a word.

“How very interesting indeed. I suppose you came here in search for the golden moon idol as well?” Asked Admiral Blake below them as he folded both maps and tucked them into his navy coat.

“Aye.” Answered Captain Brownhack simply.

“And I suppose you won’t have it our way then? That is, let us take the treasure in the name of his majesty, King George I, and have you and your crewmembers surrender yourselves into our custody?” Asked Admiral Blake as he raised his head slightly and tucked his arms neatly behind his back.

“Only to be hanged later on? I think ye less of a navy admiral and more of a fool just fer asking that.” Mocked Captain Brownhack in reply, triggering the laughter of all his crewmembers, including Ahmed, who looked at his surroundings before forcing a laughter himself.

“Then I suppose we have nothing more to talk about do we?” Asked Admiral Blake retorically, before issuing to his men, “Gentleman, you know what to do ...”

Captain Brownhack smiled and chuckled once before unsheathing his broadsword and issuing his own command, “KILL THEM ALL!”

Upon hearing the command, all of Captain Brownhack’s crewmembers burst into roars as they took out their pistols and cutlasses before charging at the navies, who also whipped out their own swords and muskets.

The battle ran wild. Smoke and the smell of gunpowder filled the air, as well the sounds of screaming and roaring accompanying the the ringing of clashing cutlasses.

“Heyaah!” Screamed Ahmed as he threw a heavy golden statue at a navy soldier who approached him, knocking him unconscious as it hit him in the head.

“Just use your sword lad!” Snapped Pierre right after he dispatched a navy soldier himself.

“We’ve got to do something!” Yelled Vanessa.

“I agree, let’s just jump in and help the pirates guys!” Replied Danny as he turned to face his comrades.

“What!? We’re gonna jump into the battle!?” Asked Rose in a tone of complaint and disbelief.

“You don’t have to, but me and Vanessa definitely will.” Said Danny as he stood up and prepared to jump, along with Vanessa.

Jose opened his mouth to say something, but Rose just cut him short and said to him, “Oh ... fine, let’s just go. We can fight.”

“You’re right. Of course. Let’s go, both of us! Just be careful okay?” Said Jose, putting a smile on Rose’s face.

“We’re coming too!” Shouted all the sailors behind them unanymously.

“What about you, Zutch?” Asked Danny as he turned to the old voodoo priest.

“We are helping the pirates, yes? I’ll help out from over here ...” Answered Zutch as he got up into a cross-legged sitting position while holding his staff in front of him.

Danny and Vanessa tossed each other a confused glance before Danny raised both his shoulders and just jumped down the few feet distance into the heat of the battle below without a second thought. He was quickly followed by Vanessa, Jose, Rose, and the sailors.

Danny quickly charged at the navy soldier closest to him and parried his sword. The startled navy soldier didn’t put up much of a fight, and Danny was able to put him down rather easily. “We’re on your side!” He said to the pirate closest to where he was, who happened to be Ajeet.

Ajeet glanced at him and his eyes grew wide the moment he recognized both Danny and Vanessa’s faces. “Hey, aren’t you two ...” He was about to say, but was interrupted when a navy soldier charged at him and attempted to land a blow, which he managed to block and parry.

Danny quickly moved through the scene while Rose, Jose, and the sailors preferred to stick to the corners and only attack the navy soldiers who came to them, which there were only a few. Ready to fight though they were, they still felt somewhat bad and guilty about having to fight off and perhaps kill some navy soldiers, having never been pirates before and having always been accustomed to obey the law prior.

Meanwhile, Vanessa was moving in the opposite direction of Danny. Her leather boots splashed on the pools of water as she fought off the navy soldiers who crossed her path. With her skill and experience, it was easy for her to fend off and dispatch a lot of them with her glorious and elegant swordplay. One by one the navy soldiers she encountered crumpled down in the shallow pools after meeting the sharp end of her sword.

“Vanessa!? Is that ... but, how, what!?” Stammered a baffled Mr. Smith as he noticed her fighting next to himself.

“Hello Mr. Smith, Sorry for running off back in Nassau.” Said the amused Vanessa as she made a spin cut and slashed the navy soldier that tried to attack her from behind. “Look out!” She then cried as she noticed another one sneak up on the still baffled Mr. Smith.

Fortunately, her cry made him notice, and he managed to parry the attack that was directed at him. All around them, the pirates continued to roar and shout as they fought. “Hah, das wat you get, man!” Shouted Lantern after he managed to stab a navy soldier, who cried and crumpled onto the ground.

Not so far from him, Oliver had climbed up one of the large piles of gold and was parrying against a navy soldier who tried to do the same.

The navy soldier kept slipping when Oliver began kicking the coins from where he stood, which was on the top. As the hard golden coins rained on the navy soldier’s face, Oliver took the opportunity and slid back down before stabbing the soldier through the stomach.

The navy soldiers proved to not be the only ones having trouble though, for some of them proved to be quite skillful and managed to kill off some pirates as well, clashing their swords before sending them down to fall into the pools of water and stabbing them as they struggled to get up.

On the other side of the circular area surrounding the stone hill with chest in the middle of the area, Danny was struggling to fight off two navy soldiers. In his struggle, he accidentally slipped on some coins on the ground and his left forearm was slashed by one of the soldiers as he fell down. “Aagh!” He cried in pain as his sword fell from his other hand and the two soldiers closed in to finish him off.

Just when he thought his life would end however, a large man suddenly rushed to him and parried both of the soldiers, showing exceptional skill. It was Jose. He had finally gathered the courage to really join in the fight. Danny was able to use the opportunity to grab his sword again, stand up, and despite his wound, the pair managed to stand up against the two navy soldiers. They clashed valiantly, their swords ringing and their boots splashing on the shallow pools of water below their feet, and in the end, they emerged victorious when the soldiers were overwhelmed by Jose’s strength and Danny’s swift moves.

“Dan!” Suddenly someone called just as Danny opened his mouth to thank Jose. Quickly he turned towards the direction of the voice and saw that Ahmed was running up to him. “Is that ...”

Before Ahmed could finish, Danny pulled out his gun and fired it only inches away from Ahmed’s head.

Startled, Ahmed nearly jumped, but when he turned around he saw that Danny had killed a navy soldier who was aiming at him with a musket. He was lucky that Danny noticed the soldier just in time.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you?” Teased Danny before he chuckled along with his old partner, finally reunited.

“I still can’t believe my eyes, you know... you literally left without a word and appeared out of nowhere” Replied Ahmed, to which Danny laughed in response.

“Come on, I just knew we’d eventually meet again, and not before long, and in the end, that’s how it is, isn’t it?” Said Danny as he patted his friend on the back.

“Yeah, but you still owe me the full story, you know!” Demanded Ahmed.

“Later. We sort of still got a battle to fight here.” Replied Danny as he raised an eyebrow.

They were lucky there weren’t any navy soldiers around them at that particular moment, since they were all being kept busy by not only the pirates, but now by Rose, Jose, and the sailors as well, who all proved to be quite the skillful fighters.

The man who was surprisingly having trouble against his opponent was Captain Brownhack, who was clashing against the admiral himself at the foot of the large stone hill in the middle. Not only did Admiral Blake prove to be a really skilled swordfighter, but also the wounds that he received while facing off against the sirens the night prior was holding him down more than he had anticipated.

“Gah!” Screamed Captain Brownhack as his broadsword slipped out of his hand right after Admiral Blake did a tricky fighting maneuver that threw him off guard, and in one more swift motion, the admiral managed to cut the pirate captain’s right shoulder, causing him to fall on his back.

“This is the end of your life, captain.” Mocked Admiral Blake as he nodded slightly to the left while pointing his sword right at Captain Brownhack’s head.

“Captain Brownhack!” Cried Vanessa in panic not so far from where he lied.

“...Vanessa! H-how...” Cried Captain Brownhack back in surprise, for he was so occupied with his duel against the admiral that he did not even notice her prior.

“Enough!” Shouted the extremely exasperated navy admiral as he raised his sword and prepared to strike the captain’s head, prompting Vanessa to close her eyes in horror and wait .... yet when she opened them again, she felt relieved, and confused, and surprised all at once, when she saw that the navy admiral was standing still, with his sword still raised above his head and his teeth clenched. He had frozen in his spot.

 

At first, Vanessa was extremely baffled, but then she remembered something and looked up at the opening above where Zutch still sat. His fingers were moving in a strange manner and his mouth was muttering incantations inaudible from where Vanessa was, but she knew immediately that it was his doing.

Captain Brownhack was also baffled and confused, but he wasn’t going to just waste his chance, and so, he grabbed his large broadsword and with all of his might and remaining strength, he pulled himself back to his feet, and thrusted the large blade through the admiral’s chest without a single word or moment of hestitation.

“Ugh ...” Was all that the admiral could utter as blood quickly poured out of his mouth, before he finally crumpled down and fell into the shallow pool next to him as Captain Brownhack pulled back his sword. His body made a splashing sound, and did not move an inch after that. Admiral Blake was dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 11

The story of captain bonescar

 

“Noooo! You b*****d!” Screamed Mr. Philly hysterically as he, who was standing not far from where his former Admiral’s body fell, immediately whipped out his flintlock pistol and pointed it straight at Captain Brownhack, who was still breathing heavily. In response to his move however, all of the pirates who just happened to be standing close to him at that moment also whipped out their own guns. The one who was closest to him was Mr. Smith, who was previously duelling against the navy first mate before the latter shifted his attention to Captain Brownhack.

The battle was halted, and not a soul said a word as Mr. Philly looked around silently while the pirates continued to point their sharp stares and guns at him. His heavy breath was the only audible sound in the whole area of the cave for a few suspenseful seconds until he took a loud gulp as he looked down at the body of his former admiral and captain. “Damn this all ...” He whispered under his breath.

With a sweaty face still seething with rage and despair, Mr. Philly finally forced his right hand to let go of the flintlock he was holding. It made a splashing sound as it fell into the shallow pool while its former owner threw his hat off and bitterly raised his hands.

After witnessing what their current leader did, all the navy soldiers also did the same thing with the same attitude. The ringing and clanking sounds of navy cutlasses hitting the hard rocks below their feet was music to the pirates’ ears.

Captain Brownhack smiled triumphantly while still breathing loudly before he finally threw both his arms upwards and bellowed, “Aye! We have won!”

“Ayyyeee!!!” The pirates and cheered and roared and celebrated. They raised their weapons upwards and some even fired their pistols at the sky above them through the cave opening high above their heads.

Pierre just smiled happily, Oliver grabbed a handful of gold and silver coins and threw them upwards, making them rain down on the celebrating pirates, while Ajeet and Lantern locked each other’s arms and danced merrily.

Captain Brownhack gave Mr. Smith a nod before he carefully made his way down the stone hill on which he was standing to meet with Vanessa, who was also making her way towards him. “Tie ‘em up!” Shouted Mr. Smith as Vanessa finally reached her captain.

“What the hell happened to you? How did you end up here!?” Asked Captain Brownhack in a half-angry, half-relieved tone.

“I ... I ... it’s really hard to explain ...” Vanessa stammered as she rubbed the back of her head through her thick, long hair.

“Actually, so long as you’re willing to believe in the absurd and what you previously thought was impossible ... it’s ... rather easy to explain.” Said Danny as he suddenly joined in.

“You ... indeed, I am curious. Do tell, boy.” Replied Captain Brownhack.

“Well ... basically, I got closely acquainted with Vanessa onboard your ship, she told me she wanted to go to her home town Port Veronica but you wouldn’t let her, so I promised her to take her there, we jumped ship at Nassau, went there, the port got attacked by some skeletons, she wanted revenge, a voodoo priest appeared, he talked about a magic artefact that would enable her to do it, he led us here, and then ... we met you guys again. That’s ... basically all of it.” Explained Danny before he took a deep breath and sighed.

Captain Brownhack blinked a few times and eyed Danny curiously before asking, “What was that part about the skeletons again? Or did I simply hear that wrong?”

Before Danny could answer, Zutch suddenly walked up to the group and joined in as well, startling everyone as he did.

“It’s the legendary ghost ship. As a pirate I’m sure you’ve heard of it.” He said as his large wooden staff clacked loudly on the rocks.

“The ghost ship? Aye, I’ve heard of it, but never before have I paid mind to it or believed it.” Replied Captain Brownhack.

“It’s captained by the undead captain of the dead, Captain Bonescar, or so I’ve heard when I was young meself.” Added Pierre suddenly, as he too joined in. Some other pirates also huddled around the group to listen in, but most others, including the sailors who were with Danny’s group, preferred to resume lining their pockets with gold instead.

“Yes. I suppose now I might as well tell all of you people the whole story ...” Said Zutch.

“Go on then, I’ve been waiting to hear it ever since we set sailed anyway.” Said Danny as he sat down at the foot of the large stone hill.

“Very well ... the legend tells, a very long time ago, lived a strong voodoo priest such as myself in an unspecified island. One day, a  sailor met him and asked to learn his ways, and so, the voodoo priest, seeing as the man had a good heart and an honest spirit, complied and taught him all sorts of powerful magic. Unfortunately ... that was a mistake. Having learned all the most powerful magic spells and vodun abilities, greed soon consumed the sailor and for a while he became known across the seas as the most evil man who ever roamed the Caribbeans. He would use his magical powers to destroy and raid ships and towns, no matter who or what. He cared not for the pirate’s code, nor for the lives of the innocent, and through his powers also, he managed to succeed and evade capture every single time.” Explained Zutch.

“Sounds a lot like Blackbeard ...” Commented Rose, who had joined in as well along with Jose.

“Nay. Even Blackbeard would look a lot like a helpless mutt compared to the man he had become.” Snapped Zutch. “The voodoo priest ... eventually realized he had created a monster, and thus he set sailed and tried to subdue and defeat the man who was once his pupil. He failed however, for the sailor had become so powerful that even his master could not defeat him. He did however, manage to cast one last powerful curse at the sailor. The most powerful spell that he never even taught to anyone. A large, deafening, green thunder came down from the sky and struck the sailor, his ship, and his whole crew. It turned them ageless and near immortal, but since that day they were doomed to roam the seas forever as undead skeletons until the day comes when a man powerful enough would be able to end them and send them down to Davy Jones’ Locker once and for all. After casting his curse, the voodoo priest managed to escape, and using the last bits of his strength, he forged a magical voodoo artefact.”

“The moon idol ...” Muttered Vanessa softly.

“Hmm.” Replied Zutch. “The idol is said to contain all of the voodoo priest’s last remaining powers, and was also imbued with a spell that could weaken the dreaded captain that had become known as the undead Captain Bonescar. Strategically, the voodoo priest set sailed to the island in which Captain Bonescar had stored all of his stolen treasure and placed the moon idol there, thus making the ghost captain unable to return to ever see his precious loot again, as a final curse.” He continued.

“Y-you mean ...” Stammered Jose as he found himself suddenly crawling with goosebumps as he looked around.

“Yes. These are all Captain Bonescar’s treasure.” Said Zutch simply, before climbing up the large stone hill as all those around him just stood quiet and watched.

Upon reaching the top, without much, if any struggle at all, he flipped open the lid of the wooden chest that was right there in front of him. “This is it ...” He muttered as he grabbed a glowing, shiny golden idol in the shape of a crescent moon placed neatly on a small circular base, which Zutch was holding.

“So the moon idol ... it will help us defeat Bonescar, right?” Asked Vanessa.

“Correct. My ancestor alone could not defeat him, but his last powers contained in this idol combined with the courage, will and strength of the person truly determined to kill him will surely do the job.” Explained Zutch. “Yes ... in case you’re all wondering, the voodoo priest of old who was Captain Bonescar’s former teacher is my ancestor. After placing the golden idol here and thus banning Bonescar access from his own treasure base, my ancestor forged three maps that leads to this very island, the uncharted Crescent Island.”

“But ... why three?” Asked Mr. Smith, who had just got done tying up the remaining navy soldiers along with some other pirates.

“My ancestor predicted legends surrounding the mysterious Crescent Island filled with the treasures and the magical moon idol would spread around, especially with the ghost ship still set on roaming the seas, and so, he created a map to give to his own descendants, a map that would lead them through a secret passage of safe waters to get to the island, and two other maps showing two different routes to get to the island. One was to lead whoever is in possession of it through a cove filled with dangerous sirens, and the other map was to lead whoever is in possession of it through waters where the Kraken itself slumbers beneath the waves, just waiting for foolish sailors to sail above it.” Explained Zutch.

“Damn those sirens ...” Muttered Captain Brownhack as he shook his head lightly.

“The K-Kraken ...” Whispered one of the tied up navy soldiers fearfully.

“Both you navy soldiers and pirates successfully passed through those waters. I’m both impressed and surprised.” Exclaimed Zutch. “Those maps were destined to fall into the hands of those motivated by greed, and even if they do get past either the Kraken or sirens, the idol would not grant them any power but rather misfortune even, since my ancestor had always desired for this idol to be used to destroy Captain Bonescar once and for all, and not any other purpose whatsoever. The legends saying that it would grant anyone who is in possession of it absolute power and control is merely just a lie. For years my father, grandfather, and great grandfathers searched the seas for one worthy of its true power to able to use it to banish Bonescar, but few of them even saw the ghost ship themselves, and none of them found anyone willing to exact revenge and challenge it.”

“I am. I truly am ready and willing.” Said Vanessa. Her eyes were burning with determination and they glimmered brilliantly under the beautiful moonlight.

“Yes, I know you are. I can sense it. Truly I am lucky to have found you. My previous ancestors never really learned the art of ocean mastery, but only through it I was able to predict where the ghost ship would strike next, and so only through it was I able to get to Port Veronica just in time to witness the attack and meet you people, and also, with this idol in hand now, combined with my powers it would be so much easier to search for the ghost ship as well.” Replied Zutch.

“Wait just one minute!” Snapped the tied up Mr. Philly suddenly. “You said the two maps that shows the way through dangerous paths were only destined to fall into the hands of those motivated by greed. I understand how one came to be with the pirates, but just so you know, us navy soldiers were sent by the king!”

“Shut up! A king he may be, but who even says our king is not greedy or even evil, hmm? You navy and precious views on what’s right and what’s not, claimin’ yer the perfect image when ye yerselves press gang poor souls into your army and force them to work under poor condition. I understand all about the corruption within your so called clean and righteous system. Right or wrong, good or evil, those are just matters of perspectives. In the end, every man is motivated by their personal needs, and every man who acts upon it without showing much concern for others is a greedy man. Yer no different from us pirates at all.” Snapped Captain Brownhack, and his words were immediately supported by the loud cheers from his crewmembers.

“Captain Brownhack!” Shouted Vanessa suddenly, prompting the pirate captain to turn his head in her direction. “Will you help us then? Will you help us defeat Captain Bonescar?” She asked, half-pleading.

Captain Brownhack didn’t reply and just stared at her in the eyes for a few seconds before he finally said, “I don’t really care about the moon idol anymore, after seein’ all this treasure ... and I’m still not through with you jumping my ship without saying anything days past, but for the time bein’ ... fine, I’ll help ye lot. But you will have to add details to that boy’s story later on.”

Danny just smiled weakly as the pirate captain darted a sharp glance at him, while Vanessa replied in relief, “Thank you ... captain.”

“Glad we’re all on the same page then.” Exclaimed Zutch as he began making his way down the large stone hill.

“What about these navy soldiers, cap’n?” Asked Mr. Smith as he motioned towards the tied up Mr. Philly and the remaining navy soldiers behind him. Except for Mr. Philly, they all tossed each other worried glances.

Captain Brownhack eyed the remaining frightened navy soldiers sharply for a few seconds. “All of ye who wish to live and escape from this cave must be prepared to pledge your alliances to, and accompany us pirates to hunt for this ghost ship. Those who are willing, say aye!” He then exclaimed.

“Aye!!” Shouted two navy soldiers immediately before Captain Brownhack even closed his mouth. Those two of course, were Barton and Barnaby.

What!?” Whispered Mr. Philly harshly as he turned to face the two behind him.

“Sorry Mr. Phil, we never really wished to join the navies in the first place anyways ...” Replied Barton.

“Aye, we were press-ganged, just like the good pirate captain said, why else do you think we keep these moustaches? They’re a form of rebellion!” Added Barnaby.

Captain Brownhack smiled in amusement. “I like ye two already. Men, cut their binds, and let em join us!” He ordered, and two of his crewmembers quickly went over to the pair of deserted, moustached navy soldiers and cut the ropes binding their torso cleanly with their cutlasses.

Upon being freed, Barton quickly stood up and gave a salute before saying, “Thanks very much, captain ... uh ...”

“Brownhack.” Reminded Mr. Smith.

“Aye, that, and thanks from me too.” Said Barnaby as he too, stood up and gave salute to the pirate captain.

“Aye. The rest of them, bind their legs, stuff their mouths, and leave ‘em here!” Ordered Captain Brownhack.

“Oi, ain’t that a bit too rough?” Asked Jose.

“Nay. I gave them a chance to join us, yet only two gentlemen were smart enough to accept.” Answered Captain Brownhack.

“Wait!” Shouted Mr. Philly suddenly just as Captain Brownhack turned around, about to head for the exit of the cave, the same path he came in through. The pirate captain merely turned his head slightly before Mr. Philly continued, “Please ... don’t do that to my men. Do it to me, that’s fine, but ... hell, you may even blow my head off if it means their freedom!”

The desperate navy soldier’s plea caught Captain Brownhack’s interest, and so he turned around once more to face Mr. Philly, before unsheathing his pistol and walking towards him. “Is that so?” He asked menacingly as the tip of the cold flintlock touched the sweaty forehead of the navy.

“Aye ...” Replied Mr. Philly as he closed his eyes.

Everyone had their wide open eyes fixed on him, including Danny, Vanessa, Zutch, and even the sailors and pirates who were previously too busy lining their own pockets with treasure. Some of the terrified navy soldiers gasped, but none were brave enough to say a word.

Refusing to see a head being shot, a terrified Rose quivered and shut her eyes, and Jose, who was also as tense as she was, could do nothing but hug her. However, what happened next threw them both, and everyone for that matter, off guard.

Instead of firing the gun, Captain Brownhack simply clicked the safety back on and sheathed it back with a chuckle. “Don’t be a fool, I’m not like the late Blackbeard ... blowin’ yer brains out will do me no good whatsoever. Ye want yer men to be free, ye better pledge alliance to me. Now.” He whispered only inches away from Mr. Philly’s face, so close he could feel the heat of the pirate captain’s breath.

“Fine ... I, along with all of my men shall swear alliance to you” Said Mr. Philly finally after a few seconds of hestitation. “Men, we’re going with them.” He added in a desperate tone.

“Heh ... now, we could really say I’m glad we’re all on the same page.” Exclaimed Zutch gladly.

“Ye got that right. Heh.” Replied Captain Brownhack. “Men, untie all of them now. Then, we’ll all head back to the ship and sort things out.” He ordered.

As the other pirates began freeing the navy soldiers, Danny rested his right arm on Ahmed’s left shoulder and asked, “So, how did you get past the cannibals?”

“Oh ... them ... don’t remind me too much ...” Answered Ahmed as he shivered and shook his head.

 

“Oh come on, man up, we’re gonna be facing a horde of undead skeletons not long from now anyways.” Encouraged Danny as he slapped Ahmed hard on the back.

“I’m still not buyin’ that whole skeleton mumbo jumbo.” Said Ahmed as he frowned and shook his head.

“What!?” Yelled Danny in disbelief. “You heard the old voodoo guy, the whole story, just got told right in front of you.”

“Yeah, I did. Doesn’t mean I’ll have to believe it though. It could be a fake story. Besides, I’ll believe it when I see it.” Replied Ahmed.

“Wha- ... but the artefact and all that  ... plus this very room ... and since when have you become a skeptic?? Ah, forget it ... I promise you, you will see them soon.” Said Danny irritably as he rolled his eyes, before repeating his question from earlier, “So ... about the demon cannibals ...”

“Oh, right ... well, they caught us off guard, killed two of us, and the rest of us just ran for our lives while they devoured the two.” Answered Ahmed as he gulped.

“Oh ...” Replied Danny awkwardly, feeling somewhat guilty.

“Oh that reminds me ... old man, what’re we gonna do about those cannibals out there? I sure ain’t willin’ to let another crewmember of mine rot in their stinkin’ guts. I tried killin’ some of them but it won’t work. What are those creatures anyway?” Asked Captain Brownhack as he turned to face Zutch.

“Yeah ... come to think of it, did you bring extra flasks of rum mixed with human fat with you?” Added Danny, beginning to feel concerned.

“No need. This moon idol ... it will guide our way. Those demon cannibals are afraid of this too.” Explained Zutch before leading the way out of the treasure filled area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Chapter 12

The Final Battle

 

 

 

 

“Sweet lord ... how could this be!? Cap-cap’n!” Stammered Mr. Smith in disbelief after the group reached the side of the beach in which the Black Hurricane was docked. The perfectly unharmed ship just floating above the calm waters shimmering under the moonlight.

Captain Brownhack didn’t let out a word. He just eyed his ship with gleaming and curious eyes until two of his men who were guarding the ship came up to the decks and spotted them. “Oi, captain! Are you impressed with what we did with the ship? We repaired it pretty good, huh?” One of them shouted.

Captain Brownhack simply rolled his eyes as he turned around to face Zutch. “This was your doing, yes?” He asked.

“No. It was the moon idol. Its magic would help us greatly in defeating Bonescar, starting with the repair of your ship here captain.” Answered Zutch.

 

“What about your ship, Zutch?” Asked Vanessa, but before the voodoo priest even answered, his sloop suddenly appeared in the distance, making a turn around the other side of the beach.

“I just telepathically told Zuzu to bring it here.” Answered Zutch with a smile.

“So what do we do now, do we split the crew in half or something?” Asked Jose.

“No. Zuzu and I will man my sloop. We will keep our distance and I ... hopefully I will be able to use my magic to secretly take hold of a portion of the ghost ship’s rigging, thus weighing down their helmsman and hopefully keep it within your firing range.” Explained Zuzu.

“And how do we intend to locate this ghost ship, eh? You said earlier that with your powers combined with the moon idol it would be so easy.” Asked Captain Brownhack.

“Don’t worry. Like I’ve said before, I’ve learned the arts of ocean mastery. I’ll lead us there.” Answered Zutch.

“Ocean mastery eh, pray tell me more about this ... rather interesting skill of yours.” Said Captain Brownhack as he took a step closer to Zutch.

“It’s really hard to explain, but it basically ... connects me to the seas. With this magic I could search for any ship in the ocean, move my ship without the aid of the wind, and to a certain extent, control other ships in the sea. Only to a certain extent, however, this moon idol will not only weaken Captain Bonescar and his ghost ship and crew, but it will also add to all of our powers and that includes my magic.” Explained Zutch.

“Well ... that’s a relief, it sounds to me like we’re probably gonna be safe thanks to that idol, huh?” Snapped Oliver.

“No ... not really.” Replied Zutch.

“Wat de ...” Muttered Lantern as he tossed Ajeet a worried glance. The others began tossing worried and confused glances around too.

“You see, Captain Bonescar is powerful, and I mean powerful as in extremely strong, huge, skilled, agile, and to top it all of, he also has a broad understanding of vodun magic. What I’m saying is ... this moon idol will definitely boost our chances if we want to defeat him ... but not from hard to easy, no, but rather from impossible to extremely hard. We will still have to give the fight our all if we want to defeat him, we will have to fight hard, and once we go in, we won’t be able to return alive unless we win. So ... are all ready to take the chance?” Asked Zutch in a voice somewhat deeper than his usual.

Silence followed for a few seconds, until Vanessa finally nodded and said, “Aye. I’m ready.”

A few more seconds of silence, until Captain Brownhack finally said aloud in a booming voice, “Aye! Come on ye scurvy ridden bilge rats, moments like these are what us pirates live for!”

“Aye!” Roared all of his crewmembers at once, including even Barton and Barnaby, and Danny.

“Well, that’s what we came here for in the first place anyways.” Said Rose as she looked at her husband, who nodded.

“Aye!” Shouted the couple in unison, followed by the sailors who accompanied them.

The only ones who still kept quiet by that point were the navy soldiers, until Mr. Smith shoved Mr. Philly, who irritably responded, “Aye.” Followed by the rest of his crew, who responded in pretty much the same fashion.

“Aye ... let’s do this then.” Said Zutch finally as a grin spread on his face.

The whole group then proceeded to board the repaired Black Hurricane while Zutch took control of his own sloop and led the way, but not before giving the golden moon idol to Vanessa.

The voyage lasted for hours, and while Danny and most of the crewmembers were swapping stories about the skeleton crew, the sirens, and the Kraken (told mostly by Barton and Barnaby), Vanessa was telling her story to Captain Brownhack up in the captain’s cabin.

“So ... that’s why you would never let me come back to Port Veronica ...” Said Vanessa softly as she titled her head down and looked at her lap, while Captain Brownhack was walking back and forth a few feet from her, looking out the rear glass window of the ship into the ocean. He kept quiet for a while and just kept pacing back and forth, looking at sea and the sky, which was getting progressively darker and cloudier.

“Aye.” He finally said. “I knew you were really attached to that place, and so I feared if we were to come back there again, you would choose to stay there and never accompany me on any of my voyages again. You’ve always been like a daughter to me, Vanessa, and ... I admit I was wrong to do that, but you also could’ve said something instead of just jumping ship with a guy you just knew like that. The Caribbean is just full of b******s and tricksters. You’re lucky that kid Danny’s not one of em.”

“I guess so...” Muttered Vanessa without lifting her head up. “It doesn’t really matter now though ... Port Veronica ... it’s all destroyed now.” She added as she clenched her fists on her lap. Her breathing was getting heavier, and she had to really hold back her tears from falling just remembering the vision of the attack.

Suddenly however, they were both startled when they heard Mr. Smith suddenly shout from above them, “Ghost Ship off the starboard bow!”

Vanessa and Captain Brownhack looked at each other with wide eyes before they both dashed out of the captain’s cabin. Vanessa quickly climbed onto the starboard rail and held on to the railing as she leaned her body to the right to get a clearer view while Captain Brownhack climbed up the stairs to the poop deck to join Mr. Smith at the helm.

“Aye ... there she be” He muttered as he took out his telescope and examined through it the large ship with tattered sails in the distance.

The crewmembers who were previously below decks all immediately climbed up to the main deck as well and ran over to the right side and leaned over the rail to get their first clear view of the ghost ship.

“Do you believe it now?” Asked Danny as he patted Ahmed on the back.

“Dear lord ... you’re right.” Replied Ahmed simply as he took a loud gulp.

Also off the starboard bow, not far from the Black Hurricane, was Zutch’s sloop, and through his telescope Captain Brownhack could see him turn his head in his direction and nod.

“Don’t just stand there eye’n it ye powder monkeys, thought ye’d have learned that from the encounter with the sirens! Grab your weapons and run out the guns! Full canvas! We’re goin’ in!” Yelled Captain Brownhack loudly as drops of rain began falling from the cloudy sky above them.

“Aye! To your stations! Pistols and cutlasses men!” Shouted various crewmembers as they scrambled all over the deck. Some immediately made their way down below decks and some others climbed up the rigging to make full sail. Others quickly ran over to man the capstan. As the rain got heavier and heavier, the shouting and footsteps of the pirates were drowned out, and the waves below them started to roil and the railing began to shake as large waves began hitting the bow.

Some of the crewmembers slipped and fell as the harsh weather persisted, all as the Black Hurricane was getting closer and closer to the ghost ship. “Oh this is going to be good indeed.” Muttered Captain Brownhack. “I’ll take over! Join the others” He ordered as pushed Mr. Smith out of the way and took over the helm.

Below them, some of the crewmembers had already begun handing out weapons, mainly to the former navy soldiers whose weapons were abandoned. “Don’t get any funny ideas ...” Said the scrawny bearded crewmember who handed out a cutlass to Mr. Philly, who said nothing in response.

Meanwhile, Barton, Barnaby, and some of the sailors who were with Jose and Rose were assigned to the cannons by Mr. Smith and they hastily began making their way below decks to run out and prepare the cannons, while Jose and Rose themselves were among those who were manning the capstan.

“Come on lad, the cannons!” Ordered Pierre as he ran to Ahmed.

“Oh ... right!” Replied Ahmed simply as he rubbed his face with one hand. “What about you, Dan?” He asked, half shouting, to his partner.

“I’ll stay up here.” Replied Danny, who was squinting and shielding his eyes from the heavy raindrops, trying to locate the exact position of the ghost ship amidst the mist, wind, and roiling waves. “Oh why must it be raining?” He complained.

“Oh, ok ... just be careful man!” Said Ahmed.

“Sure, but I’m sure it’ll be just as dangerous below decks also. We both know that.” Replied Danny. “You take care too man.” He added with a friendly smile as he lifted his right hand in a fist. Ahmed also smiled and after bumping fists his partner, he immediately went down below decks with Pierre.

After the short conversation, Danny made his way over to Vanessa, who was standing on the other side deck. He said nary a thing, and only looked at her through his squinting eyes for a couple of seconds before she noticed him. Even amidst the commotion of the crewmembers running back and forth all around them, all of their focus were, for a short period of time, directed at each other. “Promise me one thing will you ...” He finally said.

“What?” Asked Vanessa.

“Just ... survive.” Answered Danny.

Vanessa nodded in response as she closed her eyes and pursed her lips, before running over to Danny to hug him, catching him off guard. “I will. What about you?” She asked after a sob.

“Same.” Replied Danny, gently patting her back. Just then however, the roars of the pirates all around them were finally loud enough to catch both of their attention.

They had finally come side to side with the ghost ship. The massive ship had broad, tattered sails, and the whole ship itself was comprised of all rotted pieces of wood covered in moss. The ship looked so old and abandoned that Danny had to wonder how such a ship could be so powerful and menacing. Riding on the decks, leaning over the rails were the undead skeleton crewmembers, and in the middle stood Captain Bonescar himself, his menacing stature and glowing yellow eyes visibly striking fear into a lot of the crewmembers, who tossed each other worried glances before their own captain boomed at the top of his lungs, “FIRE ALL!”

“FIRE ALL!” Repeated Mr. Smith below on the main deck, and instantly after, the guns of both ships were fired at each other.

“Aaargh!” Screamed one of the pirates in pain as one of the many cannonballs from the ghost ship blasted through the starboard only inches from his face.

Meanwhile, up above, both Danny and Vanessa, alongside many other crewmembers fell flat on the wooden deck as the impact caused the ship shake. They were lucky however, for the cannons mounted on the deck of the ghost ship were also fired the moment they fell, hitting only the rails, damaging the mast, and taking out one pirate, who fell overboard as the cannonball whizzed past his body only inches away.

The crewmembers then immediately began shooting with their muskets and pistols, and a lot of the men also started throwing their grappling hooks to begin boarding the ghost ship. The smell of gunpowder filled the air and the screams and shouts of the pirates, along with the maniacal screams of the skeleton army pierced the sound of the heavy rain, which had turned into a storm, as thunderous lightning sounds began roaring in the sky above them.

“Let’s go!” Said Danny as he pulled himself back to his feet.

“Right!” Replied Vanessa as she got up herself. The two of them then made their way through the hordes of crewmembers to try and get hold of the ropes from the railing to board the ghost ship, for they did not get the grappling hooks.

More cannons were fired both across the deck and below at the starboard, and Danny and Vanessa narrowly missed a couple. The ghost ship on the other hand, was also damaged by the Black Hurricane’s cannon fire, surprising Captain Bonescar, who turned away from the rail quickly. “What is this? How did they manage to hit us!?” He asked in a booming voice as he picked up one of his skeleton crewmembers by the collar and lifted him up as more cannonballs blasted the area of the deck all around him.

“I ... I don’t know, captain, I ...” Stammered the skeleton pirate in panic before Captain Bonescar slammed him down hard onto the floor of the deck.

“I can’t believe I have te do this! Board their damn ship!” Roared Captain Bonescar, and upon hearing the order, the skeleton crewmembers began swinging over to the Black Hurricane.

“Hyahh!” Yelled Vanessa as she cut down one of the skeletons who boarded the ship, yet more and more kept coming.

“Get off!” Screamed Danny as he parried against a skeleton before kicking him overboard. After cutting down a few more skeletons, the two finally managed to grab hold of some ropes and they immediately swung over to the ghost ship, joining some of the crewmembers who were already fighting skeletons there.

After cutting down a skeleton pirate, one of the crewmembers charged at Captain Bonescar, but before he could even swing his  sword, Captain Bonescar unsheathed his own in a quick motion and sliced the pirate’s chest.

Another crewmember was almost killed when he was overwhelmed fighting two skeletons, but Danny came to his aid just in time and parried both skeleton’s swords when they were about to strike the pirate, who quickly pulled himself back together and fought alongside Danny. The two parried the skeletons for a few seconds until Danny managed to cut down his opponent’s head off. “Take that you bonebrain!” He shouted as he kicked the skull far away before helping the other pirate take out the other skeleton by stabbing into his rib cage and then slicing the skull.

“Thanks mate!” Said the pirate before moving on to fight another skeleton. Danny himself also only walked a few steps before another skeleton charged at him, fortunately for him, it was another one that he could defeat rather easily.

A few feet from him, Vanessa was also fighting some skeleton soldiers alongside three more crewmembers.

“Hyaah!” Screamed Vanessa as she sliced her opponent’s cranium off, before grabbing him by the collar and pushing him at another skeleton, one who was fighting one of her crewmates. The two skeletons tumbled down to the floor and both Vanessa and the other crewmate also moved on to fight the other skeletons who came their way. Behind her, more crewmembers also arrived on the ghost ship.

The skeletons on the ship began taking out their flintlock pistols after a while, and so did the pirates, even though some of them did get shot first. “Arrgh! Damn b*****d!” Screamed one of the pirates as crumpled to the floor after being shot in the stomach. One of the crewmembers aimed straight at Captain Bonescar, who was on the other side of the deck, but the moment he fired his flintlock, the undead captain simply waved his skeletal hand in front of him and the bullet was stopped in mid-air, before being propelled back.

“Gah!” Screamed out the man as the very bullet he just fired whizzed right through his own chest, killing him. Another crewmember who was fighting next to him was so stunned by what just happened, he actually lost focus and was cut down by his skeleton opponent.

Meanwhile, back on the Black Hurricane, the battle was also just as wild, and the crew were beginning to have a hard time since half of the crewmembers had already boarded the ghost ship. Among the crewmembers defending the Black Hurricane was Mr. Smith. “Gah!” He shouted as he kicked a skeleton in the ribcage against the wooden door leading to the captain’s cabin before turning around just in time to parry another skeleton.

A few feet from him, Mr. Philly was also fighting two skeletons, and was barely holding on as he swung his cutlass wildly before one of his former men came to his aid after dispatching a skeleton himself.

Some of the skeletons had also breached into the area below decks, where the cannoneers were. “Sweet Neptune ...” Gasped Pierre right before a skeleton lunged at him with its sword, an attack he was fortunately able to parry in time .

“Holy mother of ...” Gasped Ahmed next to him as he parried the skeleton that came his way. Ajeet and Lantern, who were a few cannons away also fought valiantly against the skeletons along with the other crewmembers. They screamed and shouted as their clashing swords rang and the heavy rain and wind washed over them through the cracks in the starboard.

Above them, Captain Brownhack was starting to have a hard time with the ship’s helm as he also had to take care of the skeletons who came his way. “Eat this you rottin’ hell dweller!” He mocked as he kicked a  skeleton who charged at him, sending it toppling a few feet back, before cutting its skull.

Back on the ghost ship, the skeleton helmsman was even more trouble for he couldn’t even turn the ship, leaving it completely vulnerable to the Black Hurricane’s fire.

“Idiot!” Yelled Captain Bonescar angrily as he pushed the undead helmsman away, before taking the helm himself. “What sorcery is this ...” He muttered hoarsely as he tried his hardest to turn the ship, but the only thing that turned and spun was the wheel. Cannonballs were continually fired, and it destroyed the rear lamps and mast of the ship. The blast was powerful enough to make even Captain Bonescar himself fall flat on his ribcage. When he got up however, was when he finally spotted Zutch’s sloop in the distance. “Damn you, old ...” He started to mutter, but before he could finish, a cutlass was ran through the back of his coat and out his ribcage, damaging his spine. The cutlass was Danny’s.

 

“Surprise ...” Uttered Danny between his heavy breathing while quickly pulling out his cutlass out of the undead captain’s body.

“Don’t make me laugh ...” Said Captain Bonescar in his hoarse, menacing voice before quickly turning around, doing a spin cut motion. Danny fortunately had good enough reflexes to parry the attack, but the sheer strength of it was enough to make him fall on his back. Captain Bonescar didn’t hestitate to continually slash at him using his cutlass while Danny was still on his back, who had to use both hands to parry each of the ghost captain’s slashes due to his sheer strength.

“Argh! Hey! Gah!” He muttered and gasped as Captain Bonescar mercilessly delivered blows after blows, one of which hit his left arm. The cut was so deep and painful that Danny dropped his cutlass, and used his right hand to cup the bleeding wound. “Nooo ...” He whimpered as he shook in pain.

“Say your prayers boy! Hahaha!” Said Captain Bonescar as he raised his silver cutlass to finish Danny off. Before he could deliver his final blow however, a loud cannonfire was heard, and the blast completely obliterated the helm of the ghost ship, and Captain Bonescar, who was standing only a few feet from it, was thrown right off the poop deck. “Gyarrgh!” He screamed as his skull loudly hit the decks below.

“Ah ... arrgh ...” Groaned Danny as some of the splinters sliced the left side of his face and the blast was close enough to harm him also, albeit only slightly. As he painstakingly forced himself to get back on his feet, he turned his head to look at the Black Hurricane and saw that the one who fired the deck cannon and saved his life was none other than Ahmed. His face was covered in blood, dripping from his left forehead, and he flashed Danny a faint smile.

Danny also returned the weak smile and gave him a thumbs up. “Thanks partner ...” He muttered.

“Hhh ... hosh .... hosh ...” Breathed Captain Bonescar heavily as he also struggled to pull himself back to his feet. The cannonblast really did a number on him, for the right side of his bony arm and skull were badly burnt, and his cutlass was left broken. As he stood there, gathering back his energy, someone in front of him suddenly called his name out loud.

It was Vanessa. “BONESCAR!” She screamed angrily, and as she approached the undead captain, he began feeling a really uncomfortable chest pain and headache. He began feeling a sensation as if something was pushing at his ribcage, and draining away his power.

“Grrr .... ARRRGH!” Screamed the angry ghost captain as he combined all of his magical powers and strength and reached his left arm out. An invisble force burst out of his hand and pushed Vanessa up into the air about eleven feet high, slamming her onto the mast, before letting her unconscious body fall to the deck.

“NOOO! YOU B*****D!!!” Screamed Danny angrily, but a skeleton who was out of his focus suddenly shot him in the left forearm. “Arrgh!” He screamed as he fell back down on his back. The skeleton approached him and drew out his cutlass to finish him off.

“I’ll finish what my captain didn’t!” Said the skeleton in a screechy voice, but Danny still had his own pistol, and so he whipped it out.

“Finish this!” He said before pulling the trigger, blasting a hole through the skeleton’s skull, killing it instantly. The gunshot wound that he had received however, made him unable to stand up right away. He just clenched his teeth and let the rain wash over him as he laid there, blood gushing out of him in two different places. “Damn it ...” He muttered in pain.

Meanwhile, back down on the main deck, Captain Bonescar had just spotted the golden moon idol, which had fallen out of Vanessa’s jacket, gleaming amidst the battle in the rain.

His glowing yellow pupils grew wide upon the sight, and he immediately ordered, “Someone take that golden idol next to the girl, and toss out into the ocean! QUICKLY!”

Some of the skeletons tried to pick it up, by they were all intercepted by Captain Brownhack’s crewmembers who were also aboard the ship. Captain Brownhack himself, also finally swung his way over, accompanied by Ajeet and Lantern. “Well well, here were are now ... I never thought I’d see the day where I’m standing in front of the legendary Captain Bonescar himself!” He said as he slowly walked over to the ghost captain while Ajeet picked up the golden moon idol behind him.

“Captain ... Brownhack ... I presume?” Asked Captain Bonescar amidst his heavy breathing.

“So even creatures of myth and legend know of my name ... truly, I am honored.” Boasted Captain Brownhack as he unsheathed.

“The ... DAMN IDOL ... just throw it out to sea ... and I’ll ... leave you in ... peace ...” Said Captain Bonescar hoarsely while still breathing heavily.

“Ar, what makes ye think we can’t just slay ye right here bonehead? Hm? Ye look pretty weak now to me. Besides, to escape from the ghost ship, I admit, will be a feat, but sinking the ghost ship and slaying the deathly Captain Bonescar meself would be the GREATEST feat any pirate, or sailor could pull.” Replied Captain Brownhack confidently.

“Aye ... still ... don’t underestimate my power ... for it’s not ... completely drained ye know ... you’ll be sorry ... I swear it.” Said Captain Bonescar, and with that, his eyes suddenly changed from glowing yellow to bright glowing red as he pulled out his second sword, the large broadsword which was also covered in an ominous red glow.

“Gyaarrrr!” Roared both captains as they lunged at each other. Their broadswords not only rang as they clashed, but both of it let out a thunderous roaring sound as bolts of black thunder sparked out of Captain Bonescar’s.

Captain Brownhack was surprised at how much power Captain Bonescar still had, but he managed to hold his position until Captain Bonescar suddenly raised his sword and brought it back down again, only with twice as much force, creating the black sparks again, and sending Captain Brownhack a few feet back.

The ghost captain continually delivered blows after blows in a very rapid motion, not giving Captain Brownhack even single chance to deliver his own attacks, even though he did manage to parry every single one of Captain Bonescar’s attacks, although with much effort.

The Black Hurricane had come around the ghost ship by that point, and was firing at the ghost ship’s left broadside.

The ghost ship rattled and shook in the heavy rain as the cannonfire continued on, while the battle between men and skeleton still raged on above both ships. Ajeet and Lantern valiantly fought and warded off any skeletons that came near Vanessa’s unconscious body, while Mr. Smith had taken over the helm of the Black Hurricane.

Meanwhile, Captain Bonescar, still having the upper hand, continued to deliver merciless blows at Captain Brownhack, driving him all the way to the edge of the broken rails of the right side of the ship. At the same time, Vanessa began to gain consciousness. “Uurgh ...” She groaned as she rubbed her head while Lantern helped her to her feet.

Just then however, Captain Brownhack’s scream was heard. “Hyeaaahhh!” He roared as he used all of his might to finally swing his sword right after parrying one of Bonescar’s attacks. His sharp broadsword smashed into the ghost captain’s burnt right cheek bone.

“Arrrgh!” Moaned Captain Bonescar angrily as force of the blow was enough to destroy his cheek bone and spread a long crack from above his right eye all the way across his bony forehead. It didn’t take him long to recover and pull himself back together though, and as Captain Brownhack pulled back his broadsword to deliver another attack, he lunged all of his might and drove his own broadsword right through the pirate captain’s chest. Right in the middle.

“Ugh!” Spat out Captain Bonescar along with some blood as his eyes grew wide from the realization, while Captain Bonescar merely smiled.

It wasn’t the end for him yet though, for using the last of his strength he pulled out his flintlock pistol and shot his undead enemy right in his bony forehead.

 

“Gah! Arrgh!” Screamed Captain Bonescar in pain as he tumbled a feet back while pulling his broadsword out of Captain Brownhack’s chest.

“V-Vanessa ... I’m sorry ... and thank you.” Whispered Captain Brownhack as his vision began to blur and he began to lose all feelings in his legs. In his final breath he held on to the broken rail with his left hand as he dropped his pistol and slowly reached for his hat. “Y-you ... were the closest thing to me after I lost me own daughter ... maybe now I’ll be able to be with her ... finally ... but ... Vanessa ... I will ... always ... have ... a place ... for you ... in my heart ... goodbye now.” He thought as he finally closed his eyes and let the cold breeze of the heavy rain wash over him, as he finally let go of the rail, falling down to the ocean below.

Vanessa, who had woken up just in time to witness the whole thing, was shaking with anger. She then reached inside her jacket for something, only to not find anything.

“The idol! Where is it!?” Asked Vanessa in panic as she grabbed Lantern by the collar, her eyes already wild with anger and determination.

“Hey man, don look a’ me, tis was Ajeet who picked it up.” Explained Lantern as he raised both of his hands up.

“Here.” Said Ajeet as he handed over the moon idol to Vanessa, who immediately tucked it back inside her pocket and walked closer to Captain Bonescar, who was still holding his forehead in pain.

“Oh you are going to die, you undead, rotting, bony, b*****d!” Said Vanessa as she stood bravely before the hunched ghost captain.

“Hhh ... what relation do you have ... with the voodoo priest ... what is it that you ... are brave enough to ... face ... me? Hmm?” Asked Captain Bonescar in between his heavy breathing as he still cupped his forehead with his left skeletal palm.

“Oh, trust me ... I’m all motivated by personal means now ... means for revenge.” Answered Vanessa simply before she lunged at the ghost captain.

The two fought hard. Vanessa was able to hold her ground since she felt a surge of power coming from the moon idol inside her inner coat pocket, while Captain Bonescar had already been weakened not only by the cannonblast, as well as Captain Brownhack’s slash and shot, but also to a really great extent, the moon idol too.

“Gah! Argh!” Gasped the ghost captain who was finally at the disadvantage, only being able to defend himself while Vanessa delivered one vengeful blow after another. She managed to push all the way to the edge of the ship too, the very same location Captain Brownhack last stood.

“Gyaah! Gah! Gyaah!” Screamed Vanessa as she continued to hack at the severely weakened Captain Bonescar.

“Arrgh!” Screamed Captain Bonescar in pain as Vanessa finally got a clear chance and hacked his right hand clean off. The bony hand dropped motionless on the deck as the broadsword made a clanking sound. In the distance, as Vanessa was about to deliver her final blow, she spotted Zutch’s ship, and to her surprise, she heard Zutch’s voice inside her head.

After striking your final blow, drive the moon idol into Bonescar’s ribcage. That will surely seal his death.” Said Zutch’s voice inside Vanessa’s head.

“This is the end of you and your dreadful legend. No more will you ever terrorize the seas again. This will serve as revenge to all the ports you destroyed and all the souls you murdered all throughout the centuries.” Said Vanessa as she took out the golden moon idol out of her pocket.

“Heh ... hehhehheh ...” Cackled Captain Bonescar weakly before Vanessa finally drove her sword right through his gaping hole of a nose, spreading a deep vertical crack across his skull.  “Gyaaargh! Eaah ...” Screeched the dying ghost captain as his skull began to split.

“Adios ...” Muttered Vanessa as she pulled back her sword, tearing Captain Bonescar’s skull apart before finally driving the golden moon idol into the middle of his ribcage.

The golden idol gleamed and glowed brilliantly, completely enveloping Captain Bonescar as he screamed one last time before his body fell to the seas below. Instantly, all the other skeletons who remained dropped dead at once. Their swords clanking on the deck and their bones thudding on the wooden deck.

Excellent. Now, you and everyone else must get off that ship, and hurry. The ocean will it up pretty soon.” Said Zutch telepathically to Vanessa once again.

“Aye!” Screamed Vanessa, and after bending down to grab her late captain’s hat, she ordered, “Men! Retreat to the ship! Hurry!”

“Aye!” shouted all of the remaining crewmembers who were still on the ghost ship, including Ajeet and Lantern, before they all began swinging back to the Black Hurricane.

As Vanessa was about to do the same, a voice suddenly called to her, “Vanessa!”

“Danny!” Called Vanessa back as she ran over to him. “You’re badly wounded!”

“I know.” Replied Danny simply. Just then the whole ship began to creak and shake heavily. “Just leave me here ... you’ve got to save yourself ...” Said Danny as he almost fell down, but Vanessa managed to catch him.

“No way! Like hell I will, we both promised to stay alive, right!? I’m not going to lose anymore loved ones!” Replied Vanessa as she lifted the limp Danny off his feet.

“Whoa ... oh ... arrgh ... no ... leave me ...” Muttered Danny as the creaking and shaking got worse. Some planks on the deck were already falling apart and the masts cracked and split on their own.

“Just shut up!” Scolded Vanessa as she ran over to the nearest rope, jumping over a collapsing plank and narrowly dodging the collapsing mast before she finally reached it. “Lean on my shoulder now, and you better hold on ...” She ordered to Danny, who complied, seeing no other reason to complain.

The two then swung over to the Black Hurricane, and were cheered upon by the crewmembers upon landing.

The very next second, a very loud splash was heard along with a very loud cracking noise. Vanessa turned around just in time to see the ghost ship being swallowed by the ocean, sinking down ... down to Davy Jones’ Locker. The deepest depths of the ocean.

“Hooray!” Shouted and cheered the crewmembers as the rain stopped within mere seconds too. Almost all of them who had hats on threw their hats way up into the air. Some danced and some fired pistols into the sky, and some immediately went over to the Vanessa and Danny.

“T-thank you all ...” Stammered Vanessa as she looked around. Wounded and bleeding faces all around her, but they were all smiling. Pierre’s left shoulder and right forearm were visibly slashed, Oliver was bleeding out of his mouth, left ear, and shoulder, Mr. Smith, who had given to helm to Ajeet, was bleeding in the upper right chest, near his shoulder, and Ahmed was bleeding out of his left forehead. Also, Jose was bleeding out of the nose and left palm, while Rose was bleeding out of her right ear and forehead.

“We’re all used to it. You should know ... captain.” Said Oliver with a smile.

“Aye ... about Captain Brownhack ... Vanessa, I’m ...” Said Mr. Smith, though he didn’t manage to finish his sentence.

“It’s ... it hurts ... it hurts bad Mr. Smith. I’m sure you feel it too ... but, we’ll have to get over it. We pirates are no strangers to death happening to our comrades, are we?” Replied Vanessa. A teardrop formed on both of her eyes, but she wiped them and forced a smile before they rolled down her cheeks.

“Aye ... *sob* .... excuse me ... miss ... I mean, cap’n ...” Said Mr. Smith as he covered his mouth, turned, and walked away quickly. As he did, Mr. Philly approached Vanessa, accompanied by some of his men. He was wounded in the right cheek, and was also bleeding out of his lower lip.

“Pardon me to interrupt in such an ... emotional time miss, but may I ask, after this ... what’ll become of me and my men now that your captain is ... dead?” He asked politely.

“We’ll drop you off at the next port. You’ll be free after that.” Answered Vanessa simply.

“Oh, gracious ... thank you, miss ...” Thanked Mr. Philly before turning away, along with his companions.  After only a few steps however, he ran into Barton and Barnaby, who were both wounded lightly in various areas. “So ... do you two still want to be pirates after all that?” He asked.

“Well ... actually ... no, sir. May we come with you?” Said Barnaby in an embarassed fashion.

“Yeah ... phew, that was the scariest experience I’ve had my whole life!” Added Barton.

“I thought so ...” Said Mr. Philly as a broad grin spread on his face.

Meanwhile, Vanessa suddenly heard Zutch speak to her in her head once again, as his own ship was getting further away.

“My job here is done. Words cannot even begin to express the gratitude that I feel towards you. If I hadn’t met you ... my life would’ve been a complete waste Vanessa, so farewell now. I can finally rest easy, and so can the world now that the ghost ship and its dreaded captain is no more. All thanks to you.” Said Zutch in Vanessa’s head for the last time as his ship appeared smaller and smaller in the distance as it sailed off towards the eastern horizon, towards the beautiful sun that was beginning to rise, casting its beautiful ray on the ocean.

“Thank you too Zutch ... and goodbye.” Replied a smiling Vanessa as she casually leaned on what’s left of the starboard rail and looked at the ship one last time before it disappeared out of sight.

On another side of the deck, Ahmed was helping Rose tend to Danny’s wounds. “Well, what are we gonna do after this, pal?” He asked his partner.

Danny kept silent for a few seconds until he finally answered simply, “Who knows?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The end

 

 

© 2018 Ian Titian


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Added on December 9, 2017
Last Updated on January 11, 2018
Tags: adventure, pirate, pirates, misadventure, comedy, ghosts, skeletons, mermaids, sea monster, sea monsters, ghost, mermaid, action, swashbuckler, caribbean, classic, undead

Author

Ian Titian
Ian Titian

Malang, Jawa Timur, Indonesia



About
Art is what enables our eyes to see beyond what is visible. It can captivate our souls and make us realize how beautiful and majestic the world around us is, for there is so much to be appreciated tha.. more..

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