The Chronicles of Delmaria Darkskull

[Captain Del]

I apologize on this one taking a little longer than the others, this week has been a hectic one for me. No, on to what your here for:

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June 17th, 1724
East India Trading Company Offices, Port Royal
6:15 PM

The normal clear, blue sky of the Caribbean was traded for a thick, misty, purplish-green one, as it dauntingly swirled above the large island. It led no avail to the light which tried to push it's way through, and blanketed what was as if the entire world, leaving only small laterns and makeshift bonfires to leave somewhat of a warm sense that normally comprised the bustling town.

Hundreds of townsfolk, Navy soldiers, and pirates alike carried assorted mounds of boxes, barrels, pieces of fence, wagons, ship parts - anything they could muster to form a sort of barricade. Boys as young as thirteen, old enough to be considered a man, were shoved in to the front lines, alongside men who were well over an age of any sort of fitness; it was the current belief that if they were to die soon, it would be defending their homes. It was a sight to see, as men of all ages stood shaken, fearful as they stood at the beach, bayonets, broadswords, and muskets shoved in to their arms, almost as if there were any chance they were to survive this onslaught; this was their mindset.

Meanwhile, the rest of the port rambled in total chaos. Women ran around crazily trying to gather their children, their livestock, and any necessary supplies for survival, in case of the worst, and without order throwing them in to their homes. The worst of the scenes was the market place out over by the Rowdy Rooster, where massive fights had broken out over the limited amounts of food that were left. It acted as a certain dance, how it would work. First, the mother and authority of the household would push her way through the crowd to the front, where she could swipe anything that was in arm's reach. She would throw a random amount of coins at the poor, defenseless clerk, and then fight her way back to her children. She would then throw the supplies in to her child's arms, who would carry them back to the house. This cycle thusly continued.

"I must thank you for your willingness to aid in such times of direness, my fine sir." Beckett sipped through his cup of tea. He seemed utterly relaxed, aside from the fact he sat only a meter or two away from a savage, disgruntled pirate.

"I would much rather have my crew and I to live than to have died out on those waters. But then, this only forlongs the process, doesn't it? At all least I should be down with my crew, but no, I sit her bounded to this chair." Delmaria returned as he shooked his chain-bounded wrists. He was clampsed to the chair by a large system of chains and locks, for the safety of both the Lord Beckett, and the two soldiers who stood over at the far left of the room, in front of the door.

Beckett chuckled to himself in amusement, and continued. "I'm impressed... how selfless of you to be with your crew at such a time. But what is the lives of a few deckhands, to the equavilent of a man such as yourself." What was meant to flatter the pirate only made him snarl in anger, so Beckett made with him a betterment. "Rest assured, your crew will stay away from the first fronts of battle."

Delmaria peered at the elegant, calmed man, studying his every move, almost as if trying to pounce on the first flaw he could find, which was not to be seen. Finally, the long pause of silence was broken. "What do you want from me, Mr. Beckett?" Darkskull challeged.

Beckett let out a long, tired sigh, and got up from the black, cushioned chair that he sat on. He walked about the room, studying it's every feature - it's wide assortment of fine collectibles, ranging from maps of the Old World dating back centuries ago, to a large, defying grandfather clock, to a variety of eccentric tables, chairs, cabinets, stools, all hand crafted from parts across the known world. Finally, he walked to the balcony, which overlooked the unruliness which overlooked the bay, and called over his shoulder "Gentlemen, do me a favor and unchain Mr. Darkskull - over here, my fine man."

Delmaria wriggled his limbs out of the chains before they were fully off, and as soon as he stood up the soldiers nearly raced back to the door. They kept their bayonets at the ready as he slowly joined Cutler at the balcony. After a short yet timeless walk, he was able to see what went on below - the masses of people running beneath them, looking like ants as they scattered to their various positions. The few Navy soldiers that had the bravery to not keep themselves barricaded inside Fort Charles tried to bark order in to the army of minute-men, but disorganization and fear took its toll upon them. Before Delmaria could take in the entire scene, Beckett began to continue, now at his side.

"I know the predicament you find yourself in every day, Mr. Darkskull. Your life is but a fight for survival, only distracted by frivolous spoils. I know this if the life you didn't want to live, now isn't it?" The silence between them, Delmaria's eyes now staring blankly at the novel of events below, answered the question for him. "Well, Mr. Darkskull, I'm not such of a demonic, sadistic person as you may think I am. So, I offer you a way out." From his coat pocket, Beckett pulled a piece of parchment, and slid it on the railing towards Delmaria.

The pirate picked it up, and ran his eyes down it as he questioned, "What is this?"

"Those are the orders which can make all warrants, all accusations against you null and void, Mr. Darkskull. And in return... all I ask for is your service to the Company. You can be a free man, once more."

So many thoughts ran through the pirate captains head at this moment. It was finally his chance to be free, free from the bounds of piracy. His normal life after all the years that had passed could be restored. He thought about all the opportunities for a normal life this could give him.

But at the same time, he thought of why he was still a pirate. Why he hadn't hidden himself from society, but instead, made himself a target amongst the public - the thrills, the adventures, and most of all, his crew. Was the life of a free man really free?, he asked himself.

"Thank you, Lord Beckett." Delmaria turned to face the man, who had a quiet smile on his face that ran from ear to ear. "Unfortunately, I'm not up for the taking the job of a slave to your King." The pirate crumpled up the paper he held in his left hand, and with the other, created a fist which he landed squarely in to the forehead of the tyrant. The shock of the punch knocked Beckett off guard, smacking him to the ground a good few meters away from where he previously stood.

Delmaria only had a brief moment to enjoy the aura the moment gave off, for only a few seconds later, he watched as the bullet of a bayonet nearly hit across his face. The lunged backward, behind a wall which divided the office from the balcony, catching hold of the railing so that he would not crash on to the floor. He wrapped his hand around a vine that stuck out from a wall, which sat right next to the balcony, and pulled himself up over th edge as the two Navy soldiers ran to catch him. But before they even had a chance to reach themselves to the stone balcony, he was making his way down the wall at an astonishing speed. Darkskull looked up to check where the soldiers were, to see them looking down at him as they aimed their bayonets. In an act of desperation, he jumped off the wall, quickly landing himself to the ground. To his surprise, it didn't hurt much as he landed chest first on to the ground - his fall was only a meter and a half high.

He quickly collected himself and made off in to the crowd, quickly hiding himself. As he began to believe he was safe, off to distance, in the bay of Port Royal, the sky cracked the ominous whip of lightning.

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This chapter was a little shorter than the others (and a little more boring to, I know) but this was mainly an explaination of what happened between the crew getting captured, and the next chapter (I promise that will be an exciting one! )

Please remember to comment and critique! The harsher the better!