Bits and Pieces

== Author's Note ==
After some deliberation, I decided I wasn't satisfied with the results nor the story of Beyond the Horizon,
 and so I decided to start from scratch with a new, fresh story, set 
after the closing of the game. Unlike Beyond The Horizon, the characters
 in this story were known pirates in the time of the Caribbean. Without 
further delay, sit back and enjoy the story!
== The Oppressed ==
Zoomer : A younger pirate who has been residing in Tortuga for some time. Although they haven't known each other for long, he is good friends with Richard Cannonwalker. He mastered the cutlass as a teenager, and his unmotivated and sarcastic nature have made that a vital skill.
Richard Cannonwalker : An older pirate who has been residing in Tortuga since his teenage years. A wise and trustworthy pirate, he has mastered using the staff and is the caretaker for the alligators in the Tortuga swamp.
Ned Edgewalker : An older member of the resistance. He is a master fencer, using sabres to dispose of his enemies quickly and effectively. He may be good-humored when casual, but he can get serious when the situation calls for it. He also has a comical deep connection with potatoes.
Samuel Darkwalker : An older member of the resistance. Surprisingly skilled with broadswords, he makes up for his lack of both physical and mental speed with a resolve to make his friends proud and his willingness to aid them whenever they're in need. Occasionally tempted to kick spherical objects.
== The Resistance ==
Captain Andrew Mallace : Leader of the resistance, he is a firm believer in freedom and has gone great lengths in the past to assure liberty for all pirates in the future. He has traveled many lands, and is a master of the cutlass who has proved his mettle in more than a few battles.
Jason Yelloweagle : First mate of Captain Andrew, he is wise beyond his years despite his frail physique and has been with the resistance since its foundation. A master of staffs, he may not have traveled much, but he seems to know almost everything about the happenings in the Caribbean.
Davy Gunfish : One of the resistance's oldest memebers and a close friend of Captain Andrew. A man of war who has participated and won in countless battles, both on land and on the seas. He may seem crazy at times, but his good logic and skill have gotten the resistance through many hardships. Despite his skill in all melee combat weapons and on ships, he is clueless in the ways of voodoo.
Peter Coalvane : The resistance's master blacksmith, he is a good-humored man who keeps the resistance both well-equipped and in a good mood at all times. Even though he hasn't seen much battle, he is fairly skilled with broadswords.
Captain Latios : A childhood friend of Zoomer and new member of the resistance, they've both had a healthy rivalry since the day they met. Fatherly figure, he is determined to do the job right and lead his crew to victory. Despite him not participating in many land battles, he is a tried and true sailor and cannoneer who has won countless battles in both familiar and foreign seas in the past.
Rely : A childhood friend of Zoomer. She has been with the resistance since shortly after its creation. She keeps Zoomer and Latios in line with her motherly skills. She may not be well-built, but she is quite fast with the fingers and her skill with the dagger is undeniable.
Finn Hamm : The most mysterious older member of the resistance. A master of throwing knives, he can kill unsuspecting enemies from afar. Those who never look past his unorthodox ways of expression will only see a seemingly insane, callous man.
Ben Shiprat : An older member of the resistance, he is the bartender at the resistance tavern. He is currently in a relationship with Li Stormfury. With a strong sense of devotion, he does his job well. Years of sliding jugs of rum down counters have made his wrists flexible, and he can hold his own with throwing knives.
Li Stormfury : An older and undeniably attractive member of the resistance, she is the tailor at the resistance clothing shop. She is currently in a relationship with Ben Shiprat. Although she can be quite sarcastic at times, she cares for her friends like family and would do a lot to see them home safe every day. Years of sewing have given her good arm and hand skill, and she can use a dagger well. She is proficient in first aid.
Edward Swordtimbers : A smart and cunning older member of the resistance, he is their strategist. He is known to have a long-time rival in the ranks of the Marceline, which is all the more motivation to stop them. Despite not having fought too much, he is proficient with the cutlass.
Charlotte Ironcrash : A polite, caring newer member of the resistance. She has skill in using dolls to heal, which has made her wanted by the Marceline.
== Prologue: Persecution ==
The ear-shattering sound of musket fire rippled through the air, followed by the sound of running and gasping. The two men made a mad dash through the wildwoods, fleeing in terror from their persecutors, who sought nothing but their untimely end. Even after several minutes of running at top-speed, the sound of their hunters running closely behind them encouraged them to continue into the Thieves' Den, maybe finding a safe place to hide or better yet, someone willing to help.
One man, somewhat older than the other, lead the duo as they hurried to the EITC Outpost, the only possible hiding place. However, contrary to what they had believed, they were far from safety.
The sounds of gunfire once again echoed through the air, and the leading man stopped dead in his tracks. As the following man ran in front of him and looked back momentarily, he was met with a horrible sight. His older friend had been shot, and the bullet made it all the way through. He fell face-first into the ground, succumbing to his wound. However, he noticed that the bullet had come from in front of him - this realization coming too late.
A gun blast could be heard once again. The younger man had been met with a similarly terrible fate, and the perpetrator jumped down from his post up above to analyze his catch. Wearing a tricorne and somewhat chubby, the figure came up to the young man, using his boot to roll him onto his side. He had a condescending smirk on his face as he readied his musket and bought it down on the man's face.
"Hook, line, and sinker..." were the last words he'd ever hear before one final gunshot shook the caverns.
== Chapter I - Trapped in a Rotting Land ==
"Two men found dead in Thieves' Den, confirmed bandits and "anarchists" by the Marceline..." - The Tortuga Times.
I put the paper down before I became any more indignant, and moved towards my window to tune in to the sounds of the outdoors. Not the seas, not the birds chirping; those were long gone. These days, all you could hear outside was the sounds of suffering as ex-pirates and pirate allies were beaten and used as gears to drive our oppressors' gigantic machine of tyranny. Freedom was unheard of, the people had no rights, and opposition would result in your death being documented on the front page of the Times sooner or later.
 
It has been two years since the dictatorship of the Marceline Guild began, and their power was seemingly boundless, at least through the eyes of a normal pirate. "AHH, NO, STO-" Cried a woman as she was dragged across the beach and made to stand up when she reached the shore. This was followed by the sounds of crying. Looking closer at the tall man, I realized he was holding a small baby over the receding waves, ready to drop him at any moment in what was clearly in act to coerce the woman. Coerce her into what, I could only imagine. There wasn't a crowd forming around her - everyone continued doing whatever work they had been ordered to do.
Nothing fazed the people anymore, really. I, however, watched in horror as the tall man threatened to take a life no more than 1 year old just so the woman could work. Or whatever it was they wanted her to do now. I didn't doubt they could do worse... somehow. They'd robbed us of our freedom, and they'd sentenced many a man and woman to a life of complete servitude. I hoped to change it one day, but that's becoming increasingly impossible. It was no exaggeration that we had been shrunk to the size of the smallest grain of sand and that they would crush us should we deny their power.
"Are they at it again?" Asked a familiar voice from behind me, calling me back to reality. I closed my rag quickly, and turned around to see that my shackmate had awoken. "..Yes." I responded, still in disbelief of the cruelty I had witnessed. "Dammit... has Latios bought the medical supplies yet?" Asked the tall, bearded man.
This was Richard Cannonwalker, a long-time friend of time. We'd been living together in this abandoned shop since the Marceline took over, and though it was a nice place to live in, we still weren't treated like living things outdoors. "No, he hasn't come yet... hey, how can you follow orders without a thought of resistance?" I replied, and gave another question.
"That's because I think if we please them, they'll treat us at least a little better. Besides, if I ever do want to resist, I need-" Richard was cut short in his response by a knock at the door, its pattern sounding a lot like our postman. I made my way to the door and peaked out the square hole as Richard grabbed our weapons. It was Latios, carrying a small crate, and he seemed to be in a rush. "Hello. Thanks for opening quick, schedule is a bit cramped today, hehe..." Said our postman, who had dark bags under his eyes. It was clear that he, like us, had been mistreated. Since he was also a long-time friend of ours, it hurt to see him.
"Ah... thanks, you can go on." I said as I gave him the three-hundred gold, not wanting to waste his time. When he left, we opened the crate and retrieved the medical supplies we'd need for today's work. We were the "caretakers" of the alligators in the Tortuga swamp. Ever since the Marceline claimed this island as their headquarters, they've wanted all animals gone. So we kill them, and get paid a measly hundred gold per day, meaning we have to conserve our medical supplies.
We took our weapons, a worn cutlass for me and a wooden stick for Richard, and made our way to the swamp, doing our best to ignore the abuse taking place on the shore. Once we got to the swamp, our old boots sunk into the bog, and we moved slowly until we got to the caretaker's shack, with the alligators in front of it. We went to work, anxious to head home for a meal since we have to skip breakfast every day.
Richard murmured the chant for a spell, and he fired a blast of an energy at an alligator from our cover, luring him to us. It was always difficult to see in the bog, but today it was just nearly impossible. I made out his silhouette as he neared us, and brought my sword onto his head as he tried to bite my leg. He let out a low roar, which attracted his remaining two mates.
Richard managed to kill the one that was heading for me with another blast of energy, but as I readied myself to kill the one that targeted me, I saw nothing, and I quickly felt a sharp pain in my leg. I looked down immediately and saw the alligator trying to make me fall into the mud. I retaliated by bringing my sword onto its head, which killed it. I fell into the mud and clutched my leg in pain for a second, but decided to stand up so we could get it treated sooner at the shack with our supplies.
"That needs quick treatment. Here, let me help..." Said Richard as he offered his hand. I used it to stand up, and I trudged painfully back to our house. This was our daily routine, and we were both used to getting injured. When we got back to the shack at about noon, the shores were miraculously quiet, and there was only the people following their orders on either beach. We took advantage of the quiet to sneak into our shack earlier than usual, and Richard handed me the supplies as he went into Tortuga Town to buy household supplies.
I painfully treated my leg with the supplies, which consisted of stitches and some jelly that actually seemed to heal well. At least they got that right. After the process was done, I sat on a crate and sharpened my blade a little bit in the first floor's good furnace. It's kept the sword alive these two years, and it was on its last legs when I first got it. Sitting by the warm furnace, I began thinking again.
I would do anything to restore the Caribbean to its former glory. I thought about the woman this morning, about the tired Latios, about the men being whipped outside our very door simply for refusing the Marceline's rule. I thought about the woman's baby, and what kind of future it would have should nobody intervene. It was sad and terrifying to think about what he will be forced to do at such a young age instead of running errands and listening to stories of pirates braving uncharted waters, like Richard and I did. I thought about the future of the Caribbean itself, but as things were now, there really wasn't any. It was painful to think that the seas I grew up in would simply become a disposable area of trade for the Marceline.
The door to the shack eased open with its signature creak. It turns out I had been pondering about this for quite a long, and it was late in the afternoon by now. "I got us some Roast Pork. I've been saving up for this kind of meal!" Said Richard, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, partially because I also tried to forget about the grim future of the seas. "It's about time we ate a hearty meal! I'm hungrier than a pizza-deprived Sicilian man here!" I said, laughing an insecure laugh. "Yes, it is... Sicily, huh...?" Richard replied in a low voice. That's when I remembered.
Two years ago, all pirates and Caribbean men had the freedom of braving the seas and claiming some land to fight for, whether in or accessible by the Caribbean. I remembered all the harrowing yet enlightening war experiences I'd had myself. No longer did we have that freedom. Hell, we had none. The Marceline is making the seas a genuinely horrible place to live in.
"Hey, lighten up. It's best we enjoy this meal. I just know things have to get better somehow. Maybe someday... we'll fight for it." He said, noticing my flipped smile. We would all fight for the future of the seas, and I hoped we would start the battle soon. We both finished our meal as the sun set completely, and went to sleep in our semi-secret bedroom, which was an empty space between the back wall and the store's first floor.
I took out the candle fires, wishing Richard a good night. However, many things still weighed on my mind.
How long will we all have to be slaves? How long must we be trapped in this shell of what used to be a paradise?
== Chapter II - At Piracy's End ==
With these thoughts on my mind, I managed to fall asleep after about a half hour of thinking and imagining worst-case scenarios. This was how I went to sleep every day.
It wasn't long after I fell asleep, however, that I was woken again by the sound of footsteps and what I thought was a warship docking outside. The only warships now belonged to the Marceline.
I got out of bed and went to the second floor to inspect the outdoors from the smallest crack that I could still see through. I peeked through the hole in the wall and saw the Marceline Guildmaster Xavier Hench's War Frigate, the Fighting Lion, docked in Tortuga with various other guild members coming out.
From within Tortuga emerged the guild members we knew: Ruby Wynn and Phillipe Gaston, the latter being the tall man I saw this morning. They were having a conversation, and even though I was in earshot, I could only make out some bits of their exchange.
"...legend of... rebuild... take over this one... pirates resist..." I could hear Phillipe whisper these things to Ruby, but I did not understand what they meant. I looked back at the warship, and noticed men carrying red barrels from the ship. Within a split second, I realized they were placing powder kegs throughout the island.
I watched for a couple more seconds in a silent shock before walking back into our room to wake Richard. However, when I got back to the first floor, I realized the door had been inched open and that someone had either come in or gone outside. "Dammit, where could he have gone? He never goes out at midnight!" I whispered to myself. Instead of closing the door, I hurried back up the stairs to see if there was any sign of him or any other ex-pirates in or around the shore.
I had walked up half the stairs when the rhythmic sounds of hundreds of footsteps came from the shore. It was a dizzying, steady noise, and I rushed back to my crack to realize that there was now countless pirates making their way onto the shore. Some from the ship, and some just seemed to be surfacing from the water. All of them, however, were a pale white and looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks. "Zoomer!" Whisper-shouted a voice from behind me. I turned around to see that Richard had returned.
Before I could tell him to peek through, he pulled me up. "We have to get out of the house. They'll be searching every house for pirates in a few minutes." He said, the urgency clear in his voice. He led me to an opening in the back wall of our second floor, and I crawled through it after him, still confused as to what we were doing. "We can't run, so we have to find a safe place to hide. Follow me, and don't fall behind." He whispered, and he began running immediately after finishing with me following close behind him. "HEY, WHO GOES THERE?!" shouted a voice from behind us, which I could assume was a Marceline member. This did not stop Richard, however, and so I continued to run after him after we reached the Wildwoods.
We were halfway through the wildwoods when we heard the sound of a musket gunshot from behind us, which made us run even faster. We were about to enter the Thieves' Den, when suddenly, a man with a gold jacket and a tricorne emerged from the caves with a musket. "That's as far as you'll go." He said as we were surrounded by Marceline men, holding us at gunpoint. Two of the men came to us, cuffed us, and led us out of the wildwoods. I'll never forget the eerie smile the man with the tricorne gave us as he went back into the caves.
We reached the shore, and I could see that we were not alone. The "minion" pirates had been searching every house, and some other living residents of Tortuga were also in cuffs. I saw Latios among the crowd, but he didn't seem as nervous as the others. I chalked it up to as tired as a living man can be. I noticed a massive war brig, with two frigates around it, sails colored in the Marceline's signature patterns. The men began to lead us toward the ships, and I realized they were prison ships. Walking next to me, Richard wasn't resisting. I trusted he had a plan, but I doubted that it was any more than wishful thinking. We were taken into the deck by one of the ship's crew members, who notified his leader of our presence. "Captain! We have prisoners!" Said the man.
Each given their own bed, the pirates were accommodated in the deck as the ship sailed towards to wherever we were going to meet our fate. I looked to the bed to the right of mine, and I saw Richard, his face still emotionless. He didn't look petrified, so I assumed he was thinking. Thinking of what, though? Looking around, I realized we were with some of our old friends. Captain Latios was among them. Now, sure this would be my last night in the world, I wondered why not everyone was frowning, which was foolish. Frowning was as pointless as it was stupid, as there's not one pirate who wishes to remain alive in the Caribbean how it is now. I, however, wish I had lived to see us thrive again. Then, there was the sound of explosions.
I heard it. All of us pirates heard it. It was the sound of one of our favorite islands crying for mercy and taking its last breaths, but we were unshaken. At least now, we truly didn't have more to lose, and I began to understand how others could come to see death as a misunderstood blessing. By now, Richard was on his side, getting some sleep that I think he knew could be his last in the world. A wave of weariness hit me as well, and I just then remembered I had only gotten an hour of sleep, at most. I closed my eyes, still unsure of whether or not I was ready to embrace whatever fate awaited us alongside my mates. I didn't want to leave my home seas alone.
I could hear the sound of footsteps coming down to the deck just as I was about. I opened my eyes a bit to see it was a man with a staff in his right hand, inspecting us all in our sleep. When he was done checking up on us, he turned off the lamps in the deck and as he made his way back to the deck, I heard him say one last thing before leaving.
"Not to worry. Your suffering will end soon..." He said, followed by the sound of his footsteps heading back to his crewmates above. We all knew his words were true, as we would most likely be executed tomorrow. We were all far too exhausted to think about it, however, and we all went to sleep regardless of what was waiting for us. At least we wouldn't be disturbed mid-sleep during our last night in the world.
Deep down, I was worried, but my body would not let me continue sleepless for any longer. I drifted off, anxious about meeting my end in just a few hours.
== Chapter III - Unexpected Allies ==
I was awoken when a bright light suddenly invaded my sleep. I opened my eyes slowly to see that the lamp on the stand next to my bed had been lit by the red-coated captain. Not wanting to anger him, I stayed put in my bed.
Looking around, I saw that the other prisoners had also been pulled out of sleep by the lit lamps and that they were slowly remembering what day today was supposed to be. No one made a sound, however, until the voice of a crewmate from above broke the silence. "Captain, we've docked. The doors are open!" Said the young-sounding man, notifying his captain of their arrival.
"Alright, all of you follow me in an orderly manner." The captain instructed us in an authoritative voice, and we began to follow him up onto the deck, where we all saw the place we had stopped at. It was a fairly large collection of atolls, each with one or more tall wooden buildings, surrounding one main isle that was about as wide as four royal ships of the line, the atolls being about the size of two. The atolls all formed a pathway to and from each other, and all of them led to the central isle, which extended to the docks as well. The pathway itself was made of iron, and there was a clean canvas over each bridge supported by four metallic poles. None of these metallic structures showed much rust, but I began to ponder.
The careful crafting of the area, the overall neatness, and the fact that we weren't being yelled at or whipped implied that this was either a cruel final joke, or this wasn't a prison facility. A man with a staff came up to the captain. "Captain, we have some vacant quarters ready for the allies..." He said. By allies, I assumed he meant some Marceline men or other imprisoners were living or working here as well. "Excellent! Well, please follow me a bit longer!" The red-coated captain led us to what was the biggest atoll, with 5 tall wooden buildings. They had rag windows and all, and this was way more than enough for prisoners. Something was wrong here.
"Welcome to the resistance." Said the Captain suddenly. I looked to Richard to see if he was as confused as I was, but he wasn't, and neither was anyone else. "Claim a room here, there's enough space for two per room. We've prepared some food in each room for this occasion. One last thing... we need you to report to the central at noon today. For now, settle in your new home!" The captain explained. Richard turned to me after the captain walked away and the others rushed to claim the finest room.
"This is the Marceline resistance. We've all known of them for quite a while, I just didn't tell you since you would want to come here as soon as I did." He said before I could ask him anything. "Dammit! How did everyone else know but me?" I asked him. "Didn't you notice? These guys look way too nice to be prisoners. People who'd had relatives taken away were informed by the captain himself of their existence." He explained. "That's Captain Andrew there, he's been building up this small army for years." He added.
"What about the two frigates, though?" I asked. There was a long pause before he answered. "They were taken elsewhere. A real prison facility, so that they wouldn't be slaves forever together." He responded. It seemed unfair how only a select few of us got to be transferred here, but maybe with the help of a group like this we could help them in the future. We climbed the stairs to the fourth and highest floor of one of the shacks, and it had two beds and a nice view of the ocean.
Me, still being confused, asked Richard further. "Is there any people we used to know here?". "Well, yes. I'm here." Answered a voice from behind me. I turned to inspect and standing there was Captain Latios, with a shorter blonde woman at his side. It took me a moment before I remembered she was Rely, another childhood friend who was a smuggler that had been snatched from Tortuga by the Marceline guild shortly after their reign began. "It's been a while, Zoomer!" She said as we hugged for the first time in two years. "Well, now that we're here, we can finally fight for freedom." Said Richard as he walked up to us.
"What exactly do we do here, though?" I asked, genuinely wondering what we were to do in our fight. "You'll find out about that in the meeting in a few hours. For now, I'll be eating my much-deserved meal." Said Latios as he went back down the stairs with Rely. As Richard tended to the beds and nightstands, I looked out the window to see the activity that I hadn't noticed when I was thinking about what we were getting into.
Outside, I saw a buff bearded man step out of the first floor of another residential shack with a food item in his right hand. As he was about to bite into it, a spherical object, probably a rolled-up sheet of canvas, flew his way and snatched the food from his hands and into the water. "DAMMIT, SAMUEL!" I heard the man shout even from this height. I turned my head to look at where the object had flown from to see a younger, tanned, brown-haired man. "S-sorry!" He said helplessly, running past the buff man to recover his recreational contraption.
I looked to the atoll parallel ours and saw two men leaving the lone yet large shack situated on it. One man, wearing a clean brown tank top and sash-tied sack shorts, presented a fine set of throwing knives to the other, black-coated man. The man took the knives and the sack shorts-wearing man went back inside the building. The coated man turned and noticed me looking at their exchange, and looked at me. A little intimidated, I waved innocently, and the man turned and continued his business.
Under me was the staff-wielding man from earlier, keeping watch on the people while reading a tome. Somehow. The place was breathtakingly lively, and the people all seemed to get along which each other in some way or another. This was the type of spirit the Marceline had robbed from us. I must have stood at the window for a good-half hour, looking at the various buildings. There was a blacksmith, a tailor, and even a tavern.
"Zoomer, it's just about time for the meeting. Let's go down." Said Richard after having fixed the beds, lamps, and even dusted a rum shelf I hadn't noticed. We made our way into the central building, and I was awestruck at how fancy it was inside, even if it was just sophisticated by pirate standards. It was a large chamber and what I assumed was a small storage room in the back. The large chamber had a red silk carpet with gold edges laid out perfectly in the center, with a wooden table on top of it. Scattered across the wall were some hanging lamps and paintings, some depicting war.
We all sat down on the central table, and everyone I saw this morning was here as well as Latios, Rely, Richard and I. Once we were all comfortably seated, Captain Andrew walked out of the storage room and sat himself. "I trust you all know the sudden spike in our forces that happened just a few hours ago. This couldn't have come at a better time, because as our older recruits know, we were planning an assault on Marceline cargo ships tonight. We've received intel from Jason here that the Marceline will be transporting top-secret items from a still unspecified location to Padres Del Fuego. Or what's left of it, because, again, our older recruits should know that Tortuga wasn't the first and probably won't be the last of the islands to fall under the Marceline.
"That's right. For all we know, this cargo could be the means for them to destroy their next island." Said Jason Yelloweagle, making a good point. "I've been wanting to know for a time, just what are the Marceline after?" Asked Richard. That was a good question - I'd spent so much time thinking about their actions that I never questioned their motive. "Well, we don't know yet. What we do know is, the Caribbean has felt much emptier since two years ago. Not because of the lack of trade or ships in the water, but it seems like some higher forces just suddenly vanished, leaving us in this world alone. We can theorize, however, that their absence has somehow impacted the Marceline. Maybe they were aware of the forces' presence, and now that they're gone, they have no reason not to act on their long-suppressed desires to rule, using fear to coerce. That is all I can say."
"That's all we know, for now. I would like to assign the personnel for this mission now. Zoomer, follow me outside. Jason, make sure he's ready. The rest of you can either discuss or ready the ammunition." Said Captain Andrew, instructing his men and once again showing his leadership. We left the chamber, and we stopped at the residential atoll. "So, I know this may be a bit sudden, but I want to see if the tales about your people's skill are true..." Said the Captain. A sudden shock came over me, but before I could say anything, he stopped me. "It's ok. It's just that I want you to be one of our cannoneers and boarders on this mission. We'll need more forces than ever to stop the carriers of the Marceline's classified cargo, and I think it's best you prove your worth to the people. You'll be paired with Richard, and one of our best fencers - Ned Edgewalker.
"Whush up?" Asked a voice from behind me, between mouthfuls of what I could assume was food.
== Chapter IV - When Horizons Broaden ==
"Ah, Ned, good timing." Said the Captain to the man behind me. I turned around to see the buff older man from earlier who had lost his food to another's travesties. He was wearing a long-sleeve dark red puffy shirt under a leather vest, with dark red cotton trousers and polished black boots. He was holding a potato in his left hand, and had just bitten into it.
"Well, he may not look it, but he's one of the greatest fighters here. He's helped us in countless land battles..." Said the Captain, clearly struggling to cover up for Ned's casual, unprofessional attitude. Richard was now leaving the meeting chamber and walking towards us. "Right. He's been in Tortuga quite a lot, too. He gave us a little money to get by..." Said Richard, patting Ned on the back as Mallace began to head back to the chamber.
"I must attend to the rest of the crew. Ned, you should give them a tour of the island. There's much more here than just the living quarters..." He said, leaving us in Ned's hands. "Well, Cannonwalker, I didn't think you'd ever make it here. Took you long enough..." Ned told Cannonwalker. They seemed to know each other well. "Hey, how come I never saw him before?" I asked, wondering how I'd never seen or heard of someone who visited Tortuga a lot.
"He used to stay there a lot, but he'd only come over when you were buying supplies. See, if you knew there was a resistance, you would want to join it right away. We can't risk being transported without other prisoners - who knows where we might end up alone? I didn't want us to get caught like that. So I didn't tell you about him." Richard explained. While somewhat upset, I thought that now that I was here, it didn't really matter anymore. Richard Cannonwalker was a trustworthy man, and he'd proven it fighting in countless battles for piracy. "That's right. Well, since Mallace said you needed a tour and I need to pick up a new saber, I should introduce you to our jester turned blacksmith..." Said Ned. We followed his lead to the place where the dagger deal from earlier had happened.
We walked inside the building, and I saw the tank top-wearing fellow from earlier inside, pulling a fine broadsword out of a seemingly older furnace and placing it among his collection of cutlasses, sabres, and other broadswords. "Meet Peter Coalvane, our comic relief and our trusted blacksmith." Said Ned. The man turned around, Ned's voice apparently calling him back to reality as he was too caught up in his job. "Rud-oh, it's you again..." Said Peter, less than joyful in Ned's presence. "Yes, it's me again. You got my blade?" Asked Ned, cutting straight to the point. "Of course I do. I don't get paid forty visits by Ned Edgewalker a day for no reason, you know..." Said Peter as he held up a blade and gave it to Ned. "I made it extra light, you'll need that edge in battle. Blade's also slightly longer, and I put that strap there so you don't drop your sword in the middle of a fight again." He explained before returning to his job, placing dull blades into the furnace to sharpen them into powerful weapons.
We left the blacksmith shack after Ned, and saw that activity had resumed outside. People were running, people were talking, and people were playing. "Zoomer, I heard from Richard you've mastered the cutlass. Well, here's the dummy house, where we all train our weapons." Ned said to me after we stopped in front of a wide, one-story building. We sent inside and I saw five wooden dummies nailed to the ground sitting in the central square, which was a little lower than the rest of the floor. Ned looked around to see if it was unoccupied, and when we saw that it was, us three headed to the training area to practice before tomorrow's big mission. Ned was a quick fighter, maintaining a constant flurry of attacks against the dummy, not allowing a single moment of stillness for the dummy nor for him. On the other hand, Richard was practicing his voodoo, shooting blasts at the dummy that were sure to knock out any live target. Then there was me, unarmed. "Almost forgot, here you go." Said Ned as he tossed me a well-made blade and returned to his training. I was never really specialized in speed nor strength, but I thought it was good that I could at least manage in both fields.
We sparred against the dummies for what must have been an hour before we finally got tired and left the building. Just as we left, we ran into another man, which I recognized as the dude who had robbed Ned of his right to eat earlier today. "Ah, greetings, Samuel. You'll be training a bit today?" Ned asked the man, who was carrying a broadsword and wore a simple dark blue tank top and trousers, with a white sash tied around his pants. "Yeah, I've trained a lot with this broadsword but I still can't figure out some things about it. I'll be here all day." Samuel responded. Although he seemed very determined, that was just unhealthy. "That's a little too much. You shouldn't overexert yourself like that..." I said to him, not wanting to lose a part of our small army. "No, I'll go and swim a bit as a break, and I still have to eat dinner. I'll just be training a lot, I guess." He said back before heading inside the building.
"Hey, don't worry about him. I know a place where we can get some of the finest rum, and it's just over there..." Ned said, pointing at a nearby atoll with a large building, apparently a tavern, on it. We crossed the pathway to get there and went inside the big building with the signature tavern sign on a post outside. Ned, Richard, and I sat together at the stools near the counter and Ned made an order for us. "We'll have three clap o' thunders, please!" Ned asked the tan bartender, who wore a crew tank under a patchwork vest along with sail trousers tied with a box belt. "Coming right up!" He said as he opened a barrel. He slid us three ice-cold jugs of rum, and we drank it happily. "Say, Ben, how's the future Li Shiprat?" Ned asked the bartender. "It's going great, but we'll be waiting until the Marceline Reign is over to make it official. We can't run away on you guys, it's our home too." Said Ben.
"You're engaged, huh?" Asked Richard. "Well, because of the Marceline, it's not legally official, but yes. She's the tailor on the atoll just next to ours." He responded. Me and Richard were actually in need of some clothes, as my trim tank top and linen trousers wouldn't last very much and Richard's leather vest and brown tank top were quite old. "We'll need to stop by there someday, we're falling apart over here." I said. "She has tons of clothes, you're bound to found something perfect for you." He responded.
We started to enjoy our rum again, and we heard the tavern's door opening and someone stepping inside. Looking behind me, I could see Latios, Rely, and who I could assume was Li sitting down for a drink. Latios and Rely sat next to me together, and Li sat next to Ned to speak to Ben. "Well, Zoomy, it looks like I'll be manning the Frigate tomorrow." Latios said. Since he was a great sailor, this relieved me. "That's awesome, but don't go getting us sunk again. Most you ever manned was a light brig, poor thing only lasted 30 minutes before it was sunk." I joked, referring to an old experience of ours. "Hey, that was only once. You've sunk many War Frigates before!" He responded, joking as well. "Yeah, well, I'll be one of the combat boarders, with Richard and Ned." I told him. "Looks like I've been assigned to loot the cargo hold. You guys better cover me well!" Joked Rely, but she had a good point. Getting hold of the cargo was our objective, after all.
Having powered through the rest of my drink, we made some small talk about our old pirate lives, which began over five years ago. "Yeah, but that wasn't what you were saying when you washed up on Driftwood with broken arms!" Said Rely in response to our bragging, referencing the incident in which we got ourselves sunk by a Navy Centurion and drifted onto the shores of a wild island. "Well, that's true, but remember the time we infiltrated Thieves' Den and took over that outpost? I clearly had a better EITC kill count than both of you!" I said to them, reminiscing. "Bah, I only wanted to give you some time to shine." Said Latios, feigning shame. "Hey, look, we can all shine tomorrow. Let's show those Marceline scum just what us pirates can do for our seas!" Rely said. She was right, any pirate would fight to the death for the freedom of their seas, us being no exception.
"True, but you must wonder what that cargo can be. More kegs? They definitely made it blatantly obvious in the Tortuga attack, so why keep it classified now?" Richard asked from behind us, making a good point. "Well, the way I see it, it's classified so it's probably something we really don't want them to have - hell, whatever it is might help US fight. Just think about it." Latios responded. "That's entirely true. I just can't help but think why they made this classified, but not island-destroying weaponry." Said Richard. Ned and Li each finished their rum just as yet another man entered the tavern. It was Peter. "Hmm. HMM!" He expressed interest in some beverages. "You having the usual, Pete?" Asked Ben. "You know it. Add an extra lemon this time around." Peter said as he sat next to Rely, on the farthest chair to the right.
"Well, looks like we got the entire family here today. What brings you here, Pete?" Asked Ned. "I come here trying to escape you, and I find you. THIS MUST BE FATE!" Said Pete, enthusiastic for both his drink and our company. "It might be, but I would just say we like drinking rum. Like all pirates." Said Li. Then, Ben emerged from the back room carrying what looked like the Caribbean's most colorful gadget. It was a large glass, filled to the brim with all sorts of fruit. As the rest of us looked at Pete in shock, Li giggled. "He makes iron swords and has an iron stomach. I swear, he plows through one of those things every night before bed. Maybe it's what makes him so quirky?" Ned joked. There was strawberries, lemons, oranges, blueberries, you name it, it was in the glass. "Ned, please, I have to do extra work tonight. Cannonballs are in high demand!" He replied during a brief pause in his drinking. If I understood correctly, he was going to be making some cannon ammo for us overnight.
"Wow, looks like everyone has a part in this mission." Said Rely. We continued to make small talk until Peter finished his drink, then we all left the building and were met with the darkening sky. "Well, see you tomorrow. Be ready." Said Peter as he headed back to the blacksmith shack. Samuel had apparently just finished his practice, and he joined us on the way to our rooms. Captain Mallace and the black-coated man had just entered their own building together as we entered ours. Surprisingly, we all lived in the same building - Samuel on the first floor, Li and Ben on the second, Ned on the third, Latios and Rely on the fourth, and Richard and I on the fifth and top floor. We all said our goodbyes and good-nights to each other and went to our own beds.
With our rags closed, I laid my head on the pillow, the thoughts of tomorrow building up in my mind. I truly did hope that I would not lose any of the great people I'd met today tomorrow.
== Chapter V - Shifting Seas ==
I woke up to the sunlight seeping through the holes in the rag and onto my face. I rubbed my eyes lazily, and saw that Richard was up as well, preparing for the upcoming mission. Looking out the window, I could see a Frigate with the Marceline colors docked just outside our island and what seemed like Andrew, Peter, Ned, and an unfamiliar man preparing the sails and loading the ammo. We put our boots on, readied our weapons and headed for the ship.
"Ah, you're a little early. We're still preparing the ship." Said Andrew as we approached him. The ship was a nice one, with a reinforced hull and fine silken sails. "We'll be giving some firebrand ammunition for this, as round shot is inefficient against the Marceline cargo ships' armor." Said the unfamiliar man. He was wearing a treasure short sleeve with denim skullsnap trousers and a box belt, one of the fancier-clothed fellows here. "I forgot to introduce our strategist to you. This is Edward Swordtimbers, the one who caught wind of the Marceline's classified cargo transportation trip a few days ago. There's a long-time rival of his in the ranks of the Marceline, and that paired with the destruction of his home island led him to us. I suggest you listen to the advice he'll be giving you, plus a little item you might want." Said Andrew as he walked onto the ship, inspecting the cannons.
"Uh, are we late?" Asked a voice from behind us. We turned to see that Latios and Rely had also woken up and were prepare for the mission. "No, we're still getting ready. Edward here is giving us some advice I reckon we'll need." I answered. Ned had also finished his inspection and preparation of the ship, and has joined us in our little gathering for information. "What do you have to tell us?" Richard asked Edward. "First and foremost, you don't want to attack them head on. You should don the Marceline colors and make them your advantage - attack the cargo ship disguise as an ally. Plus..." Edward paused for a moment. "There'll be more than one ship, right?" Asked Richard. "Correct. Wait until they least expect you to attack. Then you can do some real damage. About the boarding, I trust you already know there could even be a Marceline member or two in the crew? All three of you need to be ready for some serious combat, we haven't engaged the Marceline in land battles before. They're human, but I think they have some serious skill to make the Caribbean's population tremble like that. Latios should stay captaining the ship to watch for reinforcements or other Marceline ships. Rely, there may be a guard or two guarding the cargo, but I doubt they'd put many men there. Thing is, you might not even have to worry about men if you have this..." Edward said, giving me a written document that read "CARGO RETRIEVAL". "Best of luck to you all!" He said, taking a bow and walking onto the docks as I carefully inserted the paper into my pocket.
"I look forward you to seeing you come back in good shape." Said Li Stormfury, who had walked onto the dock island along with Ben Shiprat. "This is your first real mission. I trust you can do it, show 'em what pirates can do!" Said Ben, encouraging us. The entire resistance had gathered on the docks by now. "Go and teach those Marceline a good lesson!" Said Samuel. "Stay safe, and bring back the cargo without a scratch. I know you have what it takes." Said the black-coated man. "May the ocean gods be at your side." Said Jason. It wasn't long before the sails were readied, and the ship was ready to fight. "All is good. Take positions, men!" Ordered the Captain, and Richard, Ned and I boarded the ship along with Latios and Rely. "One last thing - use those cannon rams to make your shots even better." Said Peter, pointing at the ram in the cannon. "Setting sail!" Said Latios as we began to move. Everyone on the dock said their goodbyes to us, and within a minute, the resistance base had faded into the horizon. We were currently on our way to the transportation route, and the sea breeze felt amazing despite the imminent threat.
Looking around the deck with Richard, I could see Ned and Rely conversing discreetly on the front of the ship. Rely seemed especially uncomfortable, looking around the ship. Although I would understand if he was, Ned didn't seem to be the reason she was so nervous. I chalked it up to anxiety, which was something we were all trying to cover up. After continuing their conversation for a bit more, they both finally nodded and Rely walked towards Latios as Ned turned to us. "I see you're up to creeping the ladies out, as usual for you, Ned." Said Richard jokingly as we approached him. Feigning ignorance, Ned turned toward the ocean and began doing squats. "Hmm, can't you just feel the ocean winds cooling our nerves, Cannonwalker? Tis a thing to savor!" He said passionately. I must admit, he could make you smile in times of gloom. "It most definitely is, but you won't be feeling any more wind when you take a sword to the face!" Said Richard, urging Ned to get a little more serious. Ned turned around, saying "Richard, please. I've been in a battle against the Marceline befo-" Ned cut himself short, and turned back toward the ocean to see what looked like ships on the horizon. "Looks like we've found the target! Richard, care to be our communications man?" Asked Latios. Again, Richard was a trustworthy pirate, and he was the best choice to establish the fake alliance. "Not at all." He responded.
Rely readied the highest cannon, Ned readied the cannon closest to Latios, and I readied one of the two middle cannons, leaving the other for Richard when he was to fight. As we got closer, we noticed that the small fleet consisted of one Frigate flanked by two light frigates. They seemed to be plain ships except for their Marceline colors, which were identical to ours. As we slowed down and approached them, they stopped dead in their tracks. Inspecting the ships, I could see... there was no crew on either Light Frigate. On the Frigate's helm stood a tall, tan man - Phillipe Gaston. We connect our hulls without saying a word. To add to the already eerie setting, Phillipe just eyed us all without saying anything. He seemed different - his skin looked darker, his clothes were falling apart... and his sinister smile topped it all off. We were all shaken, but Richard dared to speak. "Hello, Mr. Gaston, how are you in this fine day?" That's when the man's expression went from unsettling to downright terrifying. Eyes and smile wide, he asks "WhO iS GaStOn?". We were all horrified deep down, but we stayed put. I looked at the Light Frigates to see if they really didn't have a crew, but there wasn't a Light Frigate to be found.
The two "backup" ships were gone, vanished into thin air - hell, it was like they never existed. Richard kept trying to converse with the man. "Ah, my apologies, I must have mistaken you for someone else in the Marceline. We come to you today to inform you that under orders from Captain Xavier Hench, we are to transport the cargo to Padres Del Fuego for you." He said, with not even a stutter - but the confusion and fear in his face was visible. "Papers please?" Asked the man, his expression turning from horrifying to normal in a minute. "Careful, Richard..." I warned him as I handed him the document from earlier. However, I was too late in realizing that somehow, Phillipe had managed to leave the helm and walk over to right in front of Richard. "GoT YoU!"
"Hmm- AGGHHHH!" Yelped Richard as he was impaled by a black-hilted broadsword, the written document falling into the water below. "WHAT THE HELL?!" I shouted out loud. As he readied his sword to stab me as well, I jumped to his ship and, from behind him, managed to throw him off of Richard and onto the middle of the deck, leaving him helpless for a second. "Hang on, Cannonwalker!" Shouted Ned as he also jumped onto this ship. Rely, on the other hand, tended to Richard. "Dammit, we have to get this treated as soon as possible!" Said Rely frantically. Richard, however, was a selfless man. "N-no, the mission plans haven't changed... you... we still need to recover the cargo!" He said, gasping for air due to the pain from the wound. "You can't fight like that, Rich! Let Zoomer and Ned do the fighting today, I'm sure you know they have what it takes!" Said Latios, looking at us for the last bit. "Yeah, Cannon! Let us handle this." Said Ned, drawing his sabre. Now, Phillipe was back on his feet and his hands were back on his weapon. I drew my weapon, ready to battle. "Dammit. I'm sorry, guys..." Was the last thing I heard Richard say before Phillipe charged at us.
Since he was just rushing blindly, it was easy for me to just sidestep his attack and elbow him on the head. Before I could bring my sword down on him, however, he rolled sideways and stood up again, now rushing at Ned. However, Ned was a master fencer, and blocked his round slash with ease, staggering him. Even so, he could not counter before Phillipe sidestepped and readied his sword to strike Ned. Before he could harm Ned, though, a blast of voodoo came from our ship and sent him flying backwards, almost overboard on this ship. Richard was looking out for us. Now in pain, he wasn't as agile as he used to be. Blindly rushing at me now, I sidestepped his blade again, this time going around him entirely and impaling him from behind. He fell on his knees before Ned and collapsed, dropping his sword. It was over.
"That was easier than I thought it would be..." Said Ned, confiscating Gaston's sword. "Well, looks like it's time to check out the cargo. Coming with me?" Asked Rely after jumping onto the dead man's ship. Even after he was dead, however, the ship maintained its eerily oppressive aura. "This isn't a very pirate-friendly place. Let's take the cargo and go." Said Ned, making a good point. We made our way to the cargo room, and we were in for quite a surprise.
"Mmm...MMM!" Said the captive woman, who had rope tied around her mouth. The only other things inside the cargo hold were a large crate and some papers on top of it. "Relax, miss, we're not Marceline..." I said, guessing she thought we were Marceline and was fearful because of that. I untied the rope around her mouth, arms, and legs as Ned and Rely checked the crate and papers. "Glad to know that. How'd you get in here, though?" Asked the brown haired lady who was wearing a plain white corset and shorts tied with a white sash. "It took a while, but we managed to subdue the Marceline man outside. One of us was injured, though..." I said, worried about Richard. "Injured, you say? My specialty is voodoo dolls. I might be able to help - name's Charlotte Ironcrash." Said the woman. "That's grea-" I was cut off by Ned shouting "HOLY!" in surprise. I approached them to investigate what they had found, and I was surprised as well. The papers seemed to be a map, detailing the locations of their bases. "We gotta get back to the Captain and tell him about our findings!" Said Rely. "Captain? It's been a long time since I heard that word." Said Charlotte.
"Here, Zoomer, help me pick this up..." Said Ned, and I helped him carry the cargo crate to the other ship. Phillipe was dead. "H-hey, wait, is this some kind of joke? If you're not Marceline, why do you have the colors on your sails?" Asked Charlotte. "Right, they're so we can get closed to Marceline ships and attack them. That wasn't uh... too necessary this time around. Come on, we'll explain everything back at the resistance base." I responded, comforting her.
Still worried sick about Richard, I introduced him quickly to Charlotte and asked her if he would be ok. "He'll be ok. He just won't be fighting soon..." She said, pulling out her spirit doll. Attuning Richard, she seemingly cast a spell to soothe his pain. "That should stop the bleeding - rest is crucial to his recovery in any case." She added. I was still curious as to just how Charlotte was captured. "Say, how did you get captured? You don't seem too pirate in nature." I asked her.
"Well, people who use voodoo are no longer wanted in the Caribbean by the Marceline. So, I was captured and put on that creepy ship and sentenced to execution." She explained. I was shocked, however, at the fact that she too thought it was creepy despite the fact that it was normal except for the color of the sails. "Oh, speaking of the ship... Latios, don't you think it's a good idea to sink her?!" I asked our Captain in a shout. "I definitely do - that has to be the most unsettling ship I've set foot on. Sink her." Added Rely. "Right. BROADSIDE STARBOARD!" Shouted Latios as he let loose an entire barrage of broadsides unto the Frigate, sinking it for good. On that note, we began our trip back to the base. "I must admit, Edgewalker, you did mighty fine for a fellow like you." Said Richard to Ned, joking despite being hurt. "Yeah, well, I told you I'd fought countless enemies before. I'm a great warrior!" Ned responded. On a more light-humored note, we set sail.
As the base came into view, Ned came up to me. "Hey, you did good back there. Looks like Richard was right - and so was the Captain." He said. "I had to train hard to get that good. Took me years." I responded. "Yeah, I'd think so. We're going to need you more - that's some exceptional skill." He praised me as he walked off to ready the anchor. We docked without an issue, and the people gathered at the docks as we walked out - Ned and I helping Richard walk.
"Well, we made it... but Richard is hurt. Much better news, though - Phillipe Gaston has fallen." Rely announced. The resistance cheered, and the Captain came up to us. "You've done good, now follow Li to the medical shack." He said to Ned, who helped Richard walk while following Li.
"Who might this young lady be?" Asked the Captain, referring to Charlotte. "She's Charlotte Ironcrash, a voodoo expert who was captured by Phillipe. She's good at healing and even helped Richard, so I think she'd be a great help to us." I explained, glad to have another member on board. "Then she's welcome. How about the cargo?" Asked the Captain.
I led him to the cargo hold, showing him the papers and helping him lift the somewhat heavy cargo crate towards the meeting chamber, where all the resistance members were headed. We got there and opened the crate, and we were both confused and fearful. It was an eerie golden statue of what I could assume was an angel or other godly being, the bottom half of Its body replaced by 6 wings all-around. The sculpture had shocking red eyes, and half-grieving half-furious expression.
"...What the hell is this?" Asked Samuel, almost touching it before Jason clutched his head in pain. "Ugh, goodness..." he groaned. "What's the matter, Jason?!" Asked Captain Andrew, worried. "That statue... it's emitting an otherworldly signal. It's... an immense, corrosive web of controlling thoughts..." He said, struggling to breathe. "...The same as in Tortuga?" Asked Mallace after a brief pause. "Identical." Asked Jason.
"Come to think about it, everyone who set foot on the ship commented at some point that there was something rather off about it. I think it's best we get rid of this." I suggested. "I would have kept it for research purposes, but I agree now that you say that..." Said the black-coated man. "I'll do it... stand back, now." Said Jason, and we obeyed. Grabbing his staff, he summoned a large ball of white energy, and shot it towards the statue, shattering it completely without it leaving a trace.
"We should be safe now - that thing could have turned us into those mindless zombies." Said Jason. I recalled the lifeless pirates that had emerged on Tortuga just yesterday, and it seems it was those statues that controlled them somehow. "So, the classified cargo was mind-control weaponry? We should be glad we stopped it." Said the black-coated man. "Right, Hamm. Now, Zoomer and crew also got their hands on something else..." Said the Captain, grabbing the papers. "From the looks of it... Marceline base locations." He added. Everyone in the room led out a gasp.
"Still, I'm skeptical about raiding them. Phillipe Gaston just seemed completely insane - his words, his expression, the way he moved - not one of those things was normal. It could very well be the statue, but why is the Marceline using its own weaponry against itself?" Asked Ned. "I can only confirm that the statue was neither from these seas or this world. The signals it let out had nothing in common with the signals earthly objects emit." Jason explained.
"I think we should try. We did great today, and Richard isn't dying. We shouldn't let any more pirates out there die because of our indecisiveness." Said the black-coated man, who's surname was apparently Hamm. He made a good point, but if we died, who would be there to fight for the Caribbean? "I think the best we can do now is rest and prepare for our first raid, which can be as soon as tomorrow night if we have enough volunteers for the mission." Explained the Captain. "I volunteer. I have nothing else to do, nowhere else to go." I said. "Same here, just tell me when we're going - I've BEEN ready to fight some Marceline!" Said Ned, eager as always.
"It's for the best that I go with them, in case there's any foreign objects in the bases, which I can almost conclude there will be." Said Jason. "Me and Rely can go too. Zoomer's right, this is our only Caribbean and we're ready to fight for it." Said Latios. "That's great, but we're still one man short in the attack party..." Explained Andrew. "I can go. It's about time I did something for my seas too." Said Samuel, causing everyone to look at him. "Interesting, this is your first mission in... quite a while." Said Andrew, pausing briefly before the last words. "I never thought we'd be using that ship again..." Said Jason.
"Alright, it's settled. Zoomer, Ned, and Samuel will be boarding the nearest base tomorrow night, with Jason and Rely following shortly behind and Latios captaining the ship. Dismissed." Announced Andrew, seemingly trying to ignore Jason's last comment as everyone left the building. Before Ned and I left, we were approached by Samuel.
"Hey, hope you don't mind that I'm going. I may not have much field experience, but I can assure you I'll do good!" Said Sam, somewhat eager yet anxious. "I don't doubt that. Make us proud!" Said Ned, encouraging him before leaving with everyone else. "As for you, Zoomer, it's very nice to meet you." He said, shaking my hand then leaving the chamber as well.
I returned to my room, my thoughts split between today's events and tomorrow's events. If those statues can control humans like that, how can we stand up against the Marceline? Hell, even they seem to be controlled by it. I worried about Richard, and I worried that someone would get hurt tomorrow as well. I stayed in my room for a while, looking at all the buzz down below to calm my anxiety down.
== Chapter VI - Transient Reprieve ==
"Hey, Zoomer." A familiar voice called from behind me. I turned around to see the captain standing next to an unfamiliar man, who was wearing an adventure vest, box belt, and adventure breeches with comfy boots. "There's somebody I forgot to introduce. Meet Davy Gunfish, our battle-obsessed comrade." Said the captain, pointing at the man.
"He's had more battle experience than any of us here, but we had some qualms about making him our leader. He's not a very good role model, you see..." Added the captain. "Yes, that's nice and all, but I think we need to be making a plan for tomorrow's raid. We can't go in rushing with swords out, as we learned yesterday." Said Davy. "Right, so what do you propose?" Asked the captain.
"I propose we ask Peter to make us a fine musket, so we can kill the Marceline from a distance. Who knows how deep into this mind control thing the rest of the guild might be? We can't afford to lose people. Once we're sure we've cleared the base of Marceline members, we can search the base for prisoners. They're bound to have at least one." Said Davy.
"I actually agree. The problem is I've never been too good with muskets." I said, honestly. "No problem. I'll go with you and be the sharpshooter. I can watch from outside to cover you after you go in." Replied Davy.
"That's one of the best plans we've come up with. Wish you could have been like this two years ago..." Said the captain as he headed downstairs. I wondered if something had happened shortly after the Resistance formed, but Davy's voice called me back to reality. "I trust you'll be ready by tomorrow night. For now, I think there's someone in the training shack who desperately needs your guidance." Said Davy, following Mallace.
I wondered who would need me now, and why. I closed my rag and headed downstairs, opening the quarters door to see the shining sun and feel the cool breeze again. There was a lively croud outside, as always. Ned was eating another potato while leaning on the building wall, Hamm was being his usual enigmatic self by writing something on a desk outside, and Jason was practicing his spell casting on a faraway atoll's shore.
Making my way to the training atoll, I saw Richard sitting on a bench outside the medical building, drinking what I thought was rum or tea. I opened the door to the training shack, and was met with the sight of Samuel lazily swinging his broadsword around. Even I, a cutlass user, cringed at his lack of skill. Thought, I must say, he was quite determined to excel...
"Uh... Samuel?" I asked in a low voice, scared to break his concentration. However, I didn't manage to do so and he continued to strike the dummy wildly. "Samuel, it won't work like that." I said, this time loud enough to get his attention. He turned around and asked "Well, how will it work? I've been working towards mastering the broadsword for years, but I seem to getting nowhere..." He responded, disappointed. "Well, for one, you get too nervous when you're wielding that beast. It's best to be calm when swinging and not to rush your attacks. That's basic swordplay. Second, you seem to be putting too much time into it. Passion is great, but you musn't neglect your well-being..." I explained, trying to be a good role model to Samuel.
"Maybe you're right, but I don't know if I can be that calm in the heat of battle. You're just like that Finn Hamm, just you don't seem nearly as heartless." He responded. I don't really think that's true. "You would if your life depends on it. In every battle, both your honor and your life are on the line. Don't lose either just because you're reckless or restless. I knew what was an amazing master of all swords back in my childhood - he showed me how to use the cutlass, since I wanted that. His name would be... Sven Pillagespinner." I said, going off track and reminiscing. "Sven Pillagespinner? A fellow by that name showed Peter how to be a blacksmith. As you can see, he did mighty well." Said Samuel.
I nearly jumped at what I had just heard, at least that's what it felt like. "You know him?! When's the last time you saw him?!" I asked, excited. Samuel looked away from me and down at the floor, responding with only one word - "Killed.". I was shocked, but I knew I saw it coming deep down. "Damn those Marceline... just what the hell do they want, anyway?!" I said, thinking out loud. Really loud. "None of us know. All we know is we must excel and make our fallen friends proud - one step at a time." Replied Samuel.
"It's hard to take one step at a time when all your friends are dying... or have died." I said, melancholy. "Just think about everyone in Padres Del Fuego, Port Royal, Tortuga, Cuba, all of the people that aren't with us now. They could all be dead." I added. "You're right, but we at the resistance are hopeful. Pirates aren't weak, desperate creatures. We're strong by ourselves and unmatched when together - there could be countless pirates out there, their lives depend on our success." Samuel explained. He was right, and even as sad as I was, I understood.
"Speaking of "out there", is it true you're not from these seas?" Samuel asked. I froze momentarily, but decided it was time to be honest. "Yes... the legendary Ivory Bay, to be exact." I said. "Amazing. One of the only foreigners I haven't had to fight." Replied Samuel, implying he had fought in wars just like most of us. "Say, you heard Davy's briefing this morning? Cannonwalker, Ned, Latios, Rely and I are going through with it. You with us?" Asked Samuel. "Well, like you said, we have nothing else to do..." I responded.
Samuel and I continued to converse, talking about both the mission tomorrow and the missions past. Even some of our pre-Marceline experiences made it into our talk. "Say, it should be getting dark outside now. Wanna go for a drink at Ben's?" Asked Samuel. "...Sure, I need to take my mind off today's events anyway." I replied, and so we left the training shack and headed to the Shiprat Bar.
Category:POTCO
Category:POTCO Stories