The Tale of Davy Fireskull

[Tiberius Fireskull]

And I now have a true name for my story! Davy Fireskull and the Sword of Darkness. The title doesn't make much sense yet, but it soon will.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Chapter 7: The Sword of Darkness


A chill went through Davy’s body, knowing that there had been someone, or something, buried here, and that it was so important to keep the burial chamber isolated that there were undead guarding it. And Davy got the feeling that these undead served someone other than Jolly Roger.

Jolly wouldn’t waste his forces on some island that nobody ever has been to. Besides, there isn’t anything worth guarding here on this island, other than this mysterious tomb… but if Jolly wanted this mysterious cursed treasure, he would have taken it for himself… right? Davy pondered this as he walked towards the sarcophagus in the center of the room. He looked at the sarcophagus, where someone, or something, was buried. He examined it, and found carvings all over it. Scenes of death, massacre, and other unspeakable horrors. Davy looked for something telling who or what was in this sarcophagus. He discovered that the area near the head of the sarcophagus was shaped like some sort of demon. The whole sarcophagus was of black marble, and the head was no different. The head portrayed snake-like eyes, wide open, with an opened mouth showing sets of fangs, and a forked tongue.

Finally, Davy found an inscription on one of the sides. It read:

Here lies the defeated god Oberon, king of darkness. Thousands of years ago, before man came about, Oberon decided to overthrow all the other gods that ruled the Earth, and take it for himself. He amassed a huge army of undead and other creatures of darkness, and led them on a conquest to defeat the other gods. Finally, all the gods had been defeated and imprisoned, except for one. Calypso, the sea goddess, would not give up, and she and Oberon had a battle that tore apart the land. Oberon thought he was undefeatable, having all the powers of darkness in his sword; however, Calypso was able to defeat him, using the last of all the gods’ power. She imprisoned him on the very island you are on, and cursed it so that it may never be found. However, Oberon’s followers, before they were all killed, placed a spell on it so that it was possible, however, very improbable, that people may find it.

What is left of Oberon after his battle with Calypso is left here, as well as his sword. His sword still has all the power it originally had, and can make its user undefeatable. But do not dare take it away from this tomb! Or you shall be cursed to stay on this island as an undead for all eternity.

Davy looked up after reading it, at the face carved into the head of the tomb. I can’t take his sword, even if it will let me defeat Jolly Roger. I am of no use if I stay on this island forever… but it may be the only way for me to kill him and avenge my friends and family… there has to be a way to take it without activating its curse…

Davy summoned his voodoo energy, and channeling it through his staff, lifted the top of the coffin up, and moved it to the side. It was much heavier than he thought, and took a toll on him. He rested for a moment. Then he looked into the open sarcophagus. What he saw seemed unearthly.

The body of Oberon looked like a demon from hell. It had horns on it, and looked like it had wings on its back. He was muscular. Other than that, there is no way to describe his frightfulness. Then, resting across his chest, lay his sword. Its hilt was made of some sort of silvery material, except not as lustrous. There was a black onyx in at the base of the hilt. The blade itself was double edged, making it unlike most blades Davy had ever used. The blade black. Not a dark grey, but black. Darkness seemed to spread from it to its nearby areas, causing them to grow darker as well. A small amount of black mist curled off of it. Davy looked directly at it, and regretted it instantly. He was filled with bloodcurdling frights and horrors. Looking into Jolly Roger’s eyes was nothing compared to this. Davy actually felt death when he looked at it. It was indescribable. Davy looked away instantly.

Now how can I remove this blade from here without being cursed… Davy thought. Then he got an idea. He had figured out ways to extract magic from objects, such as a plant, and take it into his own body. Maybe he could extract the curse out of this blade. Not into his body of course, no, Davy didn’t want to think of what would happen to him then. Perhaps he could extract it and channel it directly into something else. Perhaps that rock laying in the corner. Davy moved over to it and brought it near him. Then he looked at the sword. He didn’t get the same horrible feeling he did earlier; perhaps that was a one time thing.

Then he focused on the blade, harder than he had ever focused on anything before. He had only been concentrating on the sword for a few seconds when his mind got attacked by the blade’s dark powers. Davy cried out, but didn’t give up. His forehead beaded with sweat as he tried to resist the dark forces of the sword. He was losing the fight. If he didn’t fight off the blade’s powers soon, he would be consumed by it, and then Lord knows what would happen to him.

I can’t go like this… not now… Davy thought. He kept concentrating, but no matter how hard he tried to resist the sword’s brutal attack on him, it slowly kept crushing his mental defenses. Then, just as Davy was about to give up, a voice in his head spoke. Several actually. He could hear the voice of his mother, and James Hawk, and his brother William. Then he heard his father. His voice, unlike the others, was saying something other than indecipherable mutters.

Don’t give up yet son, keep fighting. His father said. All of the sudden, Davy got a huge surge of energy from within him. Then he forced outward with his mental powers, and before the sword’s brutal attack could close back in, he attacked the sword with his voodoo, and started extracting the curse from it. Slowly, but surely, he transferred it to the rock that lay about two meters away from him. Davy was now drenched in sweat. The whole process took about two minutes. Finally, it was done. Davy collapsed.

He lay on the ground for a few minutes, gasping for breath. Transferring the curse on the sword had taken much more energy than he expected, and he didn’t expect the sword to attack him. Finally, he got back up. He looked at the sword. It still looked the same, but Davy could sense in it that it was ok to pick up. He reached into the sarcophagus to get the sword. As soon as he touched his hilt, he cried out. He was swept away from the tomb, and then saw himself as he was right now, sailing. Then the scene changed, and he saw himself as a middle aged man, sitting inside a ship. Then he saw himself much older, sitting at the head of a table, surrounded by other people, they looked like pirates. Then he saw himself as a sick old man, laying in a bed, surrounded by other people. Then he saw a gravestone, with a coffin being lowered into it. All this happened in about two seconds.

Davy just saw his whole life flash before his eyes, in the course of a few seconds. Davy looked back at the sword. What other secrets can this blade hold? he wondered. It doesn’t matter. It can help me defeat Jolly Roger, and that’s all that matters.

Davy picked it up. I wonder if this thing can help me get off this godforsaken island…

Davy had figured out how to move objects across areas by teleportation, however he had never tried to do it with himself. Just teleporting a small rock would take a toll on his strength. But this sword had almost infinite power, maybe it could help him. Davy decided to try it. He concentrated hard on pulling energy from the sword, and then concentrating on where he wanted to appear. Then, he felt a tingling in his body, and next thing he knew, he was standing on the beach of this mysterious island.

He looked back at the mountain, and heard it rumble again.

Oh lord, it must have figured out that the sword is out of it! The whole mountain is going to cave in! Likely bringing the island down into the depths! I have to get out of here! Davy thought urgently. But where do I go?!

Then he thought again. When a pirate doesn’t know where to go, head to Tortuga, the pirate haven.

He had been there many times when he was a crew member of the Black Swan, and he knew that that was where he should go. He had to assemble a crew, and get a ship. He had to find Jolly Roger, and defeat him, before he started attacking more islands, and killing more people.

Isn’t it ironic that a bloodthirsty pirate such as myself actually cares about saving thousands of people from death… when I plunder ships and kill people myself… Davy wondered. No, this is different. This is not just threatening others, it threatens pirates too, and our freedom. If Jolly isn’t defeated, everyone will be affected, average people, Navy, and pirates alike.

Davy concentrated on an image of the Tortuga swamp, where he should be able to appear without frightening any local townsfolk. He concentrated on it for a little longer, as he felt the rumbling beneath him increase. The island wasn’t going to last much longer. Finally, he felt his body tingling. He opened his eyes right before he left the island. The last view he had of the island that had been his prison and home for the past month, was of it caving in on itself, and going down into the depths.



There is Chapter 7, please please please post your opinions after you read it, I want to know what you think, what I can improve upon, and how to make my writing better. Hopefully my next chapter will be done tomorrow!

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Chapter 8: A Family Reunion


Davy opened his eyes. He was in the Tortuga swamp, just where he wanted to be. He checked to make sure that he had all of his belongings. Staff was still on his back, knife in his belt, and the Sword of Darkness on his belt. He figured that he might get some strange attention on the island if he was walking around with a staff and a strange looking sword. He ventured a little farther into the swamps, and found an area of tall grass. He placed his belongings there, with the exception of his knife, just in case he got into a bit of trouble. Then he laid a spell on his items to make them invisible.

Davy left his belongings, and headed into the town. As soon as he entered the first street (if they dare be called streets) he saw what would have scared people like his parents half to death: there were pirates running around trying to kill each other with rum bottles, drunken pirates off to the sides snoring or acting like loons, women gossiping with each other or slapping men, and of course, some pigs running around. Davy couldn’t help but smile. He was home, with his own kind. He had nothing to worry about here, except pick-pockets. All of the sudden he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whipped around only to see a woman with curly brown hair looking at him with interest. She was clearly drunk, and looked like she was in a flirtatious mood.

“Well, well, well… what have we here?” she said, slurring her words. “A boy as handsome as you shouldn’t be roamin’ Tortuga alone… you could get hurt by some of them nasty ladies. How about you come to my place, and we can have some fun, savvy?”

Davy couldn’t think of a quick response, but all that came out was, “Uhh…”

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” she said.

“Laura! What are you doing?! Let the boy be!” a voice cried out.

Laura winked at Davy, then walked off. A man came up to Davy, and said, “Sorry mate, that’s just my sister. She gets that way when she drinks too much. Don’t mind her, or any of her friends. They are all the same… say, I haven’t seen you around here before, have I?

“Erm… no, probably not.” Davy stuttered. “I err, traveled on a ship called the Black Swan for a while. She was sunk by an EITC ship, and I was able to escape on a dingy. There are probably a few others from her crew around here too. Anyway, I would have crewed up with some other ship, but I need to make a crew myself, and get a good ship, for secretive reasons. However, please don’t make a big fuss of me being here, need to try to stay invisible, savvy?”

The man blinked. “Erm, alright then. If you are looking for a crew, I would try the King’s Arm tavern. Its down the road, impossible to miss. Unless your completely deaf. Lots of ruckus goes on in there, but it’s a good place to do some recruitin’. Good luck mate, your going to need it…”

Davy thanked him, then began walking to the Kings Arm. He passed more drunkards, and narrowly avoided a fight with a big drunk man. He watched as pirates fired guns at each other from balconies, and pigs running around tackling people. Ah Tortuga. What would we pirates be without ye? Davy thought.

After about ten minutes, Davy reached the Kings Arm tavern. From outside, he could hear yelling and breaking bottles. Davy grinned, then stepped inside.

~~~~~~~~~~


The noise was the first thing Davy noticed. It was deafening, worse than the sounds of any sea battles Davy had ever been in. He heard pirates roaring, yelling, laughing, and of course bottles of rum being thrown across the room. He walked down a flight of stairs, into the chaos. He figured that he should get permission from the bartender if he was going to recruit in his tavern.

Davy approached the bartender and said, “Ahoy there, I be needin’ to do some recruiting for my crew. Do you mind if I set up a little station here with a sign up sheet?”

The bartender looked at him with monotonous eyes. “Knock yer self out,” he mumbled.

Davy thanked him, and then began walking across the tavern over to a table. He had no idea how to do this. What was he supposed to do? Ask random people if they wanted to join his crew? Most people wouldn’t want to join a total stranger’s crew, and he didn’t even have a ship yet!

As Davy was walking, he noticed a large crowd of people around a small table. Davy went over to investigate. He had to thread through a load of pirates who were cheering, and seemed to be betting some gold. Finally, he got a view of what was going on in the center. Sitting at the table, were two people. The first one was wearing a hunting vest, which was stained with some sort of alcoholic drink, and torn from what looked like a few fights. He was wearing torn, brown pants. They went down to right below his knees before being torn. He had dark red hair, almost brown, hazel eyes, and a large nose. The face would probably be handsome, except that his eyes were reddened from lack of sleep, and from being twisted in a strange grin from drinking too much. Beside him lay a dog. The dog had blond, curly hair, and looked a lot like one of the jail dogs that the navy kept.

The other person was wearing an open vest, exposing his chest, which had some battle scars. He had long brown hair, and seemed even more drunk than the first man. He was a classic, drunken pirate in a tavern.

The two men appeared to be having a drinking contest, and there were people betting on it. The crowd around them silenced as the second man reached for a cup of the drink, which appeared to be brandy. With shaking hands, he raised it to his mouth, and let it trickle into his mouth. He reached forward with the cup to lay it back down, but collapsed onto the table.

The crowd roared, and exchanged more bets. The first man stood up raising his arms, with a twisted grin on his face. He was clearly more drunk than anyone Davy had every seen. The man, spotting some rum in a person’s hands, grabbed it and started drinking it down. He threw the rum bottle on the ground in front of him, before falling backwards, unconscious. The crowd laughed, and then walked away. Davy ran over to him. There was something about this pirate…

Davy examined his face more closely. He had normal sized lips, and a double goatee, and a normal looking moustache. His eyes were hazel, like he saw originally, and his hair had a bit of a wave to it, curving towards the back of his head. And there was a scar under his eye… just like what his brother William had when he cut his eye from the kitchen knife.

Davy gasped in shock at the drunken man that lay before him. This insane, drunken man was really his quiet, timid brother William. The brother that he had lost over ten years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~


Davy kept staring at the man that was his brother. Timid little William… becoming a pirate. It seemed impossible, but then again, it had happened to Davy too.

I can’t just leave him here! I have to get him out of here, and talk to him. He has to remember me… he has to… Davy thought desperately. Davy tried to lift William, but he had gained weight. I suppose that comes with drinking for a living…

Davy noticed two shadows appear from behind him. He looked up and saw two pirates standing behind him, watching him cautiously. One of them was wearing a long black coat, and a brown vest underneath it, with another brown shirt under that. He had skinny, black pants on, and black boots. On his head, he wore a feathered hat. He had black hair, and blue eyes. He had a beard, and a moustache as well.

The second man was clean shaven on his face, with a small ponytail, similar to Davy’s. He had black hair as well, and dark eyes. He was wearing a short blue coat, and a blue vest underneath it. He had a pair of white pants on, and black boots.

“Now what do you think yer doin’ with our friend mate? Get away from him before I need to shoot ye with my pistol!” the second man said. “We have been looking all day for him, and we ain’t letting some stranger take him away! Off with ye!”

“Calm down Matt! Let me handle this!” the first man said, the one with the long black coat. “Listen here mate, ye had better get out of here or I’m going to take my cutlass and stab ye where it hurts most!”

“Please, you don’t understand! This man, he is my brother, William!” Davy stuttered.

The two men were silent. The looked at Davy, then William, as if trying to find a resemblance. Then the second one, Matt, spoke. “Come with us.”

The two men helped Davy lift up William, and dragged him out of the tavern, into the night.



There is chapter 8. Just a little poll for those of you that know my brother. (Slouyx and Chimera, pretty sure you guys know him) How accurately did I describe him?

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Chapter 9: Billy Fireskull


Matt latched the door shut behind Davy, William, and the other man. They had walked across Tortuga, and arrived at their shack. The shack was quite messy, and there was some sort of brown liquid in the far corner. Davy decided that some things are better left unknown. There were a trio of beds in the back of the shack, and some shelves next to them. Next to the entry door, there was a table, and off to the side, a stove. Oddly enough, there was no toilet.

The man in the long black coat spoke. “Alright, allow us to introduce ourselves. The man next to me in the ugly blue jacket is Matthew Scurvytimbers. Not too bright, but he is extremely powerful. (at this time Matthew was about to object, but the other man cut him off) My name is Sam Bladebeard, the strategist around here. And you are…?”

“Davy Fireskull, I’m William’s brother. We were separated over ten years ago, in a ship wreck. Jolly Roger attacked my father’s ship while we were sailing on it, to Padres del Fuego. Our ship, The Eagle, was sunk, our father killed, and me and William were separated. I thought he had been dead…” Davy choked up towards the end, but managed not to form tears.

Sam put his arm on Davy’s shoulder. “How old are ye mate? Billy is almost seventeen, and he always said that his brother was about three years older than him.”

Good, so he does remember me… or at least he did… Davy thought. Then Davy spoke. “I turned nineteen a few months ago I believe. I lost track of time a long time ago…”

“Maybe we should wake him up… he would be glad to see his brother,” Matt said. “Sam, you and I should let him and Davy be alone for a while. We need to go get some food anyway.”

“Aye, lets wake Billy up first. Oh, by the way Davy, he goes by Billy now, not William,” Sam said, nodding towards Davy. Then he nudged Billy, causing him to groan. “Billy, wake up mate. Billy, come on boy. I have some meat for you!”

Billy cried out and then woke up, looking around. Then he looked at Sam, and squinted as if he couldn’t see him properly. Then in a slurred voice, obviously from drinking too much, he said: “Meat? Where? Is there goat ribs? Cuz Billy-boy likes his goat ribs…”

Sam winked at Davy, then left with Matt. As soon as he opened the door, Billy’s dog came running in. It had been forgotten at the bar, and had found its way home. Sam laughed, then left.

Billy looked at the dog, and said. “Well hey there Smelly! I missed ya boy! Where ya been matey? How about you go eat some peanuts in the corner of there.”

Smelly wags his tail and looks at Billy, barks once, and then runs over to the corner and grabs a bag. Billy grins towards Smelly and then looks at Davy, with glassy eyes caused from being drunk. Billy squinted at Davy, examining this new person. He looked at him for several minutes, and then gave Davy a dorky grin.

“I know you from somewhere… did Doc Grog send me another therapist? Oh moldy grog bottles… if you’re a therapist, I is gonna… gonna…” Billy paused and let out a huge belch, and then laughed at Davy. Then he stopped for a moment. A chuckle broke through, and he started cracking up at Davy again. This went on for a few minutes. Then he smiled at Davy. “You know… your not half bad…” Billy said, before cracking up again.

Davy could only stare in shock at what had become of his brother. He watched his brother continue to laugh. Finally, he couldn’t take any more, and he shouted out, “Billy! Its me! David! Your brother! Remember, we were separated over ten years ago! What happened to you?”

Smelly whimpered, and then Billy stopped laughing. “David? David, is that you? Are you coming for me to repay that rum that you think I stole! Honestly! I didn’t do it! It was Joe!!! Joe, I tell you!” Billy must have been thinking of someone else, because Davy was quite sure that he and Billy had never drank rum before they were separated.

He is completely drunk… how can I get him to remember me? Davy thought. Then he got an idea. Billy may not be able to perceive people well because he was drunk. Thinks wouldn’t be getting to his mind correctly. Maybe if Davy just sent it directly to his mind.

Davy lunged out and grabbed Billy’s face. “Whoa there buddy! Lets not get ahead of ourselves…” Billy said. Davy started digging into his mind using his voodoo powers. He got into Billy’s mind, and then began to send images into his mind. He sent images of when they were separated, then of Davy’s life. He tried to get across to him who he was. Davy pulled back after about a minute. He looked back up at Billy.

Billy was looking at him in shock. What Davy had just done seemed to knock the drunkenness out of him, if that is possible. Billy stared at him, with a sad look in his eyes. Finally, he spoke. “Brother? David? Is that you?”

Davy, with tears in his eyes, looked at Billy and nodded. “Aye. Its me Billy. Its me. After all these years…”

“I thought I would never see you again David. I was so sure that you had died at sea.”

“I thought the same about you brother… I had given up hope of finding you after a year at sea, onboard a pirate ship. And I go by Davy now, like you go by Billy.”

Billy sniffled, then got up, and hugged Davy. “Times change brother… times change… to think that the last time we saw each other was ten years ago… I just can’t believe… Davy, I have so much to tell you.”

Davy nodded, and then Billy told his tale. “When I was drifting away from you, you don’t know how horrible it was for me… I was so young… I will never forget the feeling… after a few days of drifting, we finally washed up on Tortuga. I was found by the parents of Sam there. His family may be pirates, but they take in lost children. That’s how they found Matt. Anyway, they took me in, and raised me to be a pirate.

“I lived partially here on Tortuga and partially at sea. I pirated for a while, and well, I lived a pirates life… nothing that significant ever happened, except I’m a champion at drinking contests. Oh, and I found Smelly here -he pointed to the dog- when we were raiding a ship. He was the jail dog in the brig of a Navy ship. He was awful miserable where he was, so I decided to take him with me, and he has been my loyal companion ever since. If you are wondering about the name, the crew of the ship I was with at the time named him, so don’t blame me!”

Davy chuckled, then told his story. He left out the part about the mysterious island, and his voodoo powers. Billy didn’t seem to know what exactly happened when Davy showed him those images through his mind, and Davy wanted to keep it that way for now.

“Isn’t ironic how two brothers who were separated both became pirates? And both ended up here on Tortuga?” Billy asked.

“Aye, it sure is…” Davy said softly.

Just then, Sam and Matt came through the door. They had brought some fresh food, and Davy just then realized that he hadn’t eaten since he went into the mountain. Over a day ago. His stomach growled so loudly, that the others looked at him with a strange face, and Smelly started to bark. Davy gobbled down his food vigorously, and followed it down with a bottle of rum. Davy let out a belch, his stomach full. Then his eyelids started to feel heavy. He looked around, and his vision started to get fuzzy. Then he realized that he hadn’t slept in days. Davy tried to say that he was exhausted, and needed to sleep, but all that came out was: “-hausted… sleepy… need…”

Sam laughed, a booming sound that echoed around the shack. “Alright then Davy, you should get to sleep. You look like ye haven’t slept in days. Go to sleep, we can talk more in the morning.”

“You can sleep in my bed brother, I’ll sleep on a pile of those sacs. You need the rest more at this point.” Billy said. Then he helped Davy over to one of the beds. The mattress was a little torn and lumpy, and the pillow was old and stained, but to Davy, it felt like he was sleeping on a cloud. Almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, he was snoring.



There is chapter 9, please please post, Im getting sick of multiposting....

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Chapter 10: I Need a Ship!


Davy woke up the next morning, and found Billy, Sam, and Matt all sitting at the table eating breakfast. Davy got up and stretched his arms out.

“Mornin’ mates, what’s for breakfast?” Davy asked.

“Got some salted bacon and some eggs I stole from Big Phil’s chicken coop,” Matt said with a small chuckle.

Davy smiled and sat down with them all. Even though he had eaten a lot last night, he was still famished, and gobbled down everything he could. As he ate, he wondered how he would tell his friends about his powers. He decided he wouldn’t worry about it yet, all that mattered then was breakfast.

After a few more minutes, Davy had finished his breakfast. Then he thought to himself, I think I should just tell them… it seems like I can trust them, and it’s better if I tell them now instead of having them find out by accident.

“Sam, Billy, Matt, I have something to tell you guys,” Davy said. Everyone looked up at him, curiosity in their eyes. Davy took a deep breath, and told him the part of the story he had left out, the part where he had been stranded on the haunted island. He told them of his voodoo powers, and then to prove it, lifted Billy out of his seat, who was both laughing at the thought that he was flying, and crying that he was being held in the air against his will.

“Davy, that’s a big secret, but we will keep it, don’t worry,” Sam said sympathetically. “Now in the meantime, it seems like you plan on finding and defeating Jolly Roger. Ye can’t do any of that without a good ship and a loyal crew.”

Davy nodded, “Any ideas about where to get either? The crew would want to know where we are going, so they would have to know that they will be fighting Jolly Roger, and most people in their right minds wouldn’t dare do that. As for the ship, its going to have to be extremely powerful, able to withstand cursed cannonballs, and it must have at least fourteen guns a side.”

“I’m not too sure about the crew, but Sam knows a shipwright here on Tortuga, O’Malley is it? He can probably get you a good ship, and if Sam goes with you, a better price.”

“Aye, him and I go way back. He was a good friend of my father before Jolly Roger invaded Tortuga and killed him,” Sam said.

“Jolly Roger invaded Tortuga? When?” Davy asked. “I had no idea.”

“It was a few years back, Jolly invaded. We managed to fight him and his forces off, but there was a lot of damage, and casualties, including Sam’s family,” Matt said. “But that be a story for another day, for now, lets worry about the ship and crew.”

“You know, how about this. Davy and Sam can go visit O’Malley and see if he has a good ship. You two seem to know more about ships than us, and since Davy has battled Jolly Roger’s ship, he knows what ships would be able to have a chance. Me and Matt can go to the King’s Arm and see if we can recruit some people for the crew.”

“That sounds like a plan Billy. Here, let’s leave within the next hour,” Davy said.

~~~~~~~~~~


Davy and Sam walked through the town on Tortuga. It was earlier in the morning, about nine, so it was a little quieter on the streets. Several people walking around, or sitting down talking. The crazy gangs hadn’t come out yet, so there was no fighting going on. Sam was very friendly, as they walked, he showed Davy the places in the town. He pointed to the barber shop, the tailor, the tattoo artist, and more. Sam also told Davy about his past. His parents were pirates, good pirates at that. They were well known around Tortuga, and everyone was shocked when they were killed in Jolly Roger’s invasion. Sam, like Davy, had vowed revenge on Jolly, however never had the opportunity to avenge his parents. Sam was well known in Tortuga, likely due to his parents being well know.

After about a half hour, they reached the Tortuga Docks. The docks were quite large, harboring many, many ships of all hull classes. He followed Sam to a large structure that looked like a bow of a ship poking out of the ground. There was a little booth at the front, and a man stood there. He was skinny, and appeared to be in his 50s or 60s. He had a white beard, and wore a cap on his head.

The man grinned, showing off his yellowed teeth. Then he spoke in a loud voice that seemed too deep for his skinny body. “Sam! Long time no see matey! How ye been?”

Sam smiled back and said, “I be doing well O’Malley. I have someone here I want you to meet. This is Billy’s long lost brother, Davy Fireskull.”

O’Malley looked at Davy and gave him a warm smile. He shook his hand. O’Malley had a firm handshake, and his hands were rough from working with ships for so long.

“Pleased to meet ye,” Davy said nervously.

“Good to meet ye too mate,” O’Malley said with a smile. “Now Sam, I can tell ye didn’t come here just to introduce Davy to me. What can I help ye with?”

Sam looked at Davy, and give him a little nod. Davy took a deep breath. “We are looking to buy a ship. Not just any ship. We need a powerful ship, one that can take on Jolly Roger’s ship. You see, he is gaining power every day now, and soon, he will probably have enough power and troops to invade an island, be it Tortuga, Port Royal, or another. And if he invades it in the near future, we will likely not be able to resist, and he will take it. If we don’t stop him now, all could be lost. We need a ship that is strong enough to take on his fleet, and his flagship.”

O’Malley looked at Sam and Davy for a few moments, then said, “Jolly Roger’s ship, The Harkaway, is like a god ship. No ship has ever faced her and come back in one piece. I take it that you have fought her before?”

Davy nodded. “I was part of the crew of the Black Swan, and she attacked us. We were no match. The Harkaway’s cannons are incredibly powerful. Whatever ammo they are using, its deadly.”

“The ghostly cannonballs that The Harkaway, and some other ships under Jolly’s control, use are known as furies. Extremely powerful. Nobody knows exactly how they work, but they can tear through almost any hull with ease. As for The Harkaway’s hull, it is cursed so that it can withstand more hits than other ships from the undead fleet. Not to mention that the ship can teleport using that cursed, green mist.

“Anyway, if you are looking to confront the Undead Fleet, then you will need the strongest ship ye can get. I do have a ship that is currently for sale, made by the best ship maker I know. It currently does not have a name, so you can name it if you decide to purchase her.”

“Lets see it then,” Sam said. “Lead the way O’Malley.”

He got out of his station, and lead them across the docks. They passed many able looking ships, but O’Malley didn’t stop at any of them. After a few minutes of walking, O’Malley stopped next to a docked ship.

“Here you are, this is the strongest ship I’ve got. She’s what we call a Ship of the Line. Extremely powerful hull, and she has 20 broadside guns per side. On the top, she has about ten deck cannons that the crew can use. For her size, she is quite fast, able to go at about 15 knots with a fair wind. Here, come up and have a look at her.”

Davy looked at the ship as they climbed up a ladder onto it. The hull panels were a dark, dark brown, maybe even black. The sails were also made of a black cloth. She was massive, and could easily carry a large crew. The area with the steering wheel was elevated, so you could see the whole deck in front of you. The deck itself was very spacious, probably about 100 to 150 meters across, and 50 wide. There was a door in the bow area of the deck that lead below decks, and below the steering wheel was a door leading to the captain’s quarters.

There were tall masts, three of them spread out on the ship, with a smaller one poking out the front. As said before, the sails were a dark black.

“How’s the hull strength? As we said, it has to be very strong,” Sam said.

“Oh don’t worry, this ship could take a real pounding. The creator designed this ship to fight in wars, so it will be able to survive a battle with several undead ships. The wood that it is made out of is very strong, and its insulated with powerful steel beams on the inside. It can probably defeat undead ships, but fighting The Harkaway may be a challenge for you. However, this is probably the best ship to choose.”

Davy nodded a few times and said, “It seems like a good ship… what do you think Sam?”

“I think that no other ship is as strong as this one, and this gives us the best chance of beating The Harkaway,” Sam said. “Just one last question. What’s the price?”

O’Malley chuckled. “Well, this ship is probably the best ship I have ever owned, and probably one of the strongest ships ever created in our time. I can’t let her go cheap, you understand that right? Anyway, I’ll tell you what. Normally I would charge someone about 350 thousand gold coins for this, but…”

“Three hundred and fifty thousand! We can’t do that! Nobody has that kind of money!” Sam blurted out.

O’Malley laughed, and then said, “Sam my friend, I said normally. This is obviously not a normal situation. How about this deal. I will charge you half price for it, that’s a hundred and seventy-five gold coins, for the ship; however, you must confront Jolly Roger with it. If I see the ship again after it has faced the Harkaway and beaten her, then I won’t ask for anything else. But, if you come back to me and this ship has sunken, then you will have to give me an extra hundred thousand gold. And I expect you to be honest.”

Sam and Davy looked at each other. They held that glance for a few moments, and then turned to O’Malley, and both said at the same time, “It’s a deal.”

“Good then,” O’Malley said with a grin. “All that is left is for you to name her, and make it a good name. One that can strike fear into even the heart of Jolly Roger!”

“You decide Davy, its your ship, and you’re the captain,” Sam said.

Davy thought for a few minutes. She has black wood… he thought. I should count that for something. And something to do with my voodoo powers, and the sword I have… the sword of darkness. And Oberon, the king of darkness. Darkness, what’s another word for darkness!

Then Davy looked up, and said, “The Shadow King, I name this ship the Shadow King!”

O’Malley smiled, “A good name for a ship like this. Now come, lets go do that paperwork for the ship, and then she’s all yours.”

As they walked away from the Shadow King, Davy looked back once. He smiled to himself, as he realized that he was now the captain of his own ship.

[Luckie OClover]

A great 2 chapters Davy!
A big congrats to now Captain Davy & his Shadow King.
I can't wait to see what kind of crew he ends up with

[Tiberius Fireskull]

So you all know, Sam Bladebeard and Matthew Scurvytimbers are actual players. Billy and Sam are my Co-Gms, and Matt is a senior officer.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Chapter 11: The Crew


After Davy and Sam left the docks, they headed into the town. They went into a tavern, and grabbed something to eat, and of course drank a bottle of rum each. Davy wasn’t really thinking about how good his rum was for once, but was wondering how the crewing was going with Billy and Matt. Not that he didn’t have faith in them, he just was eager to know what kind of a crew he would get.

Davy and Sam finished their meal, and then headed back to their shack. Matt and Billy were already there. Billy was sitting down on a pile of flour sacks in the back, drinking a bottle of rum. Matt was sitting at the table, reading what seemed to be a list of something. He had a quill pen and a bottle of ink next to him and was making markings on the sheet. Davy sat down next to him.

“What have ye there mate?” Davy asked Matt.

“Well, while you and Sam went looking for a ship, me and Billy set up a little booth in the King’s Arm tavern, recruitin’ for our crew. Looks like there are a lot of pirates lookin’ for a crew, because we got a lot of signups. We wrote down their names and what job they were looking for, lookout, cannons, chef, and so on. I’m going to go through the list tonight and choose the people, then announce it tomorrow. Hopefully we can leave in about five days.”

“Good work Matt and Billy. Now, let me tell you of our search for a ship,” Davy said. He went on to describe the Shadow King, and how they got it.

Billy belched, then said, “Looks like ye got yourselves a -hic- decent ship there. Sorry, been drinkin’ too much -hic- rum today.” He belched again, then went back to drinking.

“Need any help Matthew?” Sam asked.

“Nay, I’ll do fine,” Matt said, nodding his head toward Sam. “Ye did well, getting a ship as good as the Shadow King for a deal like that. Go help yourselves to some rum, and go get some shuteye. I’ll handle the crew. You can look it over in the morning if you want though.”

Davy yawned, “Sounds good. Now, I’m going to go help myself to some of that fine lookin’ rum over there. If you’ll excuse me…”

~~~~~~~~~~


Davy awoke the next morning after sleeping soundly. He looked out the window. It wasn’t even dawn yet, and the others weren’t awake yet. He decided he would go take a look at the Shadow King before the others awoke. He could probably take a quick look if he was quick.

He put on some clothes, and strapped on his favorite black boots. He started towards the door, and then heard mumbling behind him. He quickly turned, and saw Billy on his bed, sucking on the end of a rum bottle, mumbling something along the lines of, “…no no no…. don’t, don’t take my precious rum… not for you, you smelly little plank of wood…”

Davy couldn’t help but chuckle. He glanced over at Sam and Matt. They were both asleep, and then he looked at Smelly. He was awake, looking at Davy with eyes filled with curiosity. Davy smiled at the dog, and winked before heading out the door.

The cold morning air was crisp and refreshing, and instantly woke Davy up. He took a deep breath and began heading to the docks. He finally arrived at them as the sun began to rise. He followed the dock down the harbor until he found his ship.

The Shadow King looked so majestic in the faint light of dawn. Its black hull stood out against the bright blue of the sea and the green of the jungle on the other side of the harbor. Davy smiled, and started up the boards that attached to the ship. When he got onto the deck, he looked around. The Shadow King was the tallest ship in the harbor by far; both its masts and the hull itself dwarfed all the other ships.

Davy walked over to the helm of the ship, and put his hands on the steering will of the ship, his ship. He thought about how much this ship would go through, what battles it would fight, what other ships it would join up with, and who would walk onto this ship when it was time to cast off. Then all of the sudden, Davy realized something.

I have the ship, and the crew is finished being chosen. Once we cast off, where do we start? Davy wondered. Jolly Roger could be anywhere in the seas right now, and we have no leads. What do I do? Arg, I guess that the best thing to do is to just search the most likely places, and see if we can run into him.

Davy decided it was time to head back to the shack, the others would be waking up soon, and he didn’t want them to be worried. He got off the Shadow King, and gave her one last look before heading back.

~~~~~~~~~~


“Here they are Davy,” Matt said, gesturing towards a group of roughly three dozen people. They were mostly men, but there were six or so women as well. Originally, Davy had been taught that it was bad luck to have a woman on a ship, but he had grown up knowing several girls, and he could never imagine why there would be such a silly rumor. Also, he had seen a few women sneak onboard ships, and they were just as good as the men.

When Davy had got back, the others had been awake. He had told them he had just gone for a little walk in the morning air. They weren’t suspicious of anything, not that they would really care if they had known the truth. Matt had finished making the list in the night, after Davy had went to sleep. Before Davy left the house, he had changed into a more captain-like appearance. He was now wearing a long, silvery vest, with a black, sleeveless tank underneath. Over it, he wore a grey woolen coat. He was wearing his usual black boots, and black pants. Atop his head was a black tri-tipped hat, with a skull and cross swords on the front, and a white feather sticking out the back.

Matt had brought Davy, Sam, and Billy today to show them the soon to be crew of the Shadow King. All of the people who signed up were told to be outside the King’s Arm tavern early in the morning so Matt could tell everyone who is part of the crew. The people who weren’t going to be in the crew went into the tavern to get some rum, while the new crew stayed outside. They all looked at Davy, some looking as if they were awaiting their first order, others wondering why in the world their captain was so young.

Davy looked over toward Billy nervously, who was scratching Smelly’s head. He looked at Davy and gave him a little nod. Davy took another look at his crew. They all looked like able bodied, strong, daring, pirates that could be hard workers one minute, and then slitting the throats of enemies the next. Davy took a deep breath, then cleared his throat.

“A good morning to all you fine pirates,” Davy said, with his head held high. “First of all, let me congratulate you all on making it into my crew. All of the people who signed up were qualified, but well, you my friends are likely the most ferocious!”

The crowd gave out a hearty cheer, and then Davy continued on, “I am your Captain, Davy Fireskull. I used to serve aboard a ship known as the Black Swan, perhaps you have heard of her? Anyway, she was sunken not too long ago, but Jolly Roger! Jolly killed the captain of the ship, James Hawk, and all of her crew. The crew that I had spent ten years of my life with. Us pirates may be bloodthirsty mongrels, but we must still know compassion towards our crew, and our ship. Ten years before that, Jolly Roger’s ship sunk my father’s ship, The Eagle, while I was onboard it. My father perished, and me and Billy here were separated. It was by a miracle that we were reunited.

“Sorry to keep yammering on, you pirates probably have short attention spans, but my main two points are these: The first one is that the people around you are going to be your family for a long time, and you will all become close. You will get to know each other, and you will get to know me. Look out for each other, for you are all family to each other. My second point I would like to make is this. Part of the reason we are going after Jolly Roger is because of all the wrongs he has done to us. I told you what he did to me, and I vowed revenge. Perhaps if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here talking to you, but now it is done, and I swear on my fathers grave that he will be brought down! If he is not stopped, we will all perish, as will freedom, and happiness! So I want you, to be determined, courageous, and strong as we embark on our journey to find and defeat him!!!”

The crew gave out a mighty roar, so loud that the ground seemed to shake beneath them. A few heads even poked out of nearby windows, looking to see what all the commotion was about.

Davy couldn’t help but smile. Matt put an arm on his shoulder, and gave him a wink. Davy looked at his new crew, the people who he would be spending the next chapter of his life with, the people that would (hopefully) take care of him through good times and bad, and who he would take care of as well. Davy looked to his side, looking at his brother Billy, who he had lost so long ago, and who he had finally been reunited with. Then he looked back at the crew, and held up his hand in signal for silence. The crew slowly quieted down.

“Be at the docks at dawn three days from now,” Davy said. “Then, we will leave the island of Tortuga, and embark on our adventure to find Jolly Roger, and whatever may come at us in between.”

And with that, the crew started to walk back to their homes, or to a tavern to get something to drink. Davy and his mates headed back to their shack, to prepare for their departure.


There is chapter 11. By the way, if you want me to include you in my story go ahead and post it here and I'll try to incorporate you into it, whether you are part of my crew or a captain of another ship.

[Luckie OClover]

Davy, I really liked this chapter & the developing characters.
Thanks for having some humor in your story, it helps make the characters more real.
I even appreciated the Piratey Pep Talk for the new crew.
& just to let you know, I laugh every time I read Smelly's name!

I'm not gonna ask to be added to your story,
but if Luckie were to show up, I wouldn't be upset - unless she dies -

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Whoof, finally was able to get another chapter out. Here ya go!


Chapter 12: Hoist the Colors!


Finally, the day of departure arrived. Davy, Billy, Smelly, Sam, and Matt got up extra early that day to get to the Shadow King before the crew. They were all very excited, but quite nervous as well, as they should be. It was still dark outside, as the sun wasn’t due to rise for another two or three hours. There was a light fog that rolled in from the sea, onto the island of Tortuga. It was cool, and the air was crisp and refreshing. As the group left the shack, they couldn’t help but look back. They had spent years of their lives living in there, and now they were leaving. Leaving their small, isolated lives, into the real world, the open sea. After a few minutes of watching, they finally turned their backs, not looking back once.

The group reached the docks after a short walk. Davy looked at his companions. Sam was quiet, as was Matt. There was a tear in Billy’s eye, likely from having to leave his home that he had lived in for so long. Smelly whimpered.

Billy… he is so young… Davy thought. Then he realized it. We all are… Look at me, I’m only nineteen, Sam and Matt are about the same age. I am captaining a ship of experienced pirates, and I have never so much as told a crew to open fire. I hope this all works out.

The group arrived at the Shadow King, and climbed on board. Her decks were deserted, as they should be. Sam went down to check the provisions they had. They would need a lot to feed a large crew for however long they would be gone. He came back up after a few minutes, reporting that everything was ship shape, with a small smile at his little joke.

After another hour, they had fully checked the ship for anything wrong. Everything was fine, but when Sam checked the food supply again, he found he was missing a steak. He found Billy in a corner eating it, mumbling something about how much he loved meat. He dragged him up onto the deck, the steak still in Billy’s mouth.

Davy looked at him and shook his head, a small grin on his face. He pulled the steak out of Billy’s mouth, much to his protest, and slapped him with it. Then he gave it back. Billy ran off into a corner and continued gnawing on it. Then Smelly came over to him and gave him a small whimper. Billy sighed and handed him the steak.

“Everything ready for the crew’s arrival then?” Davy asked the group.

“Sails, wheel, and other parts of the ship are intact Davy!” Billy said with his hand held to his head in salute.

“All tools, furniture, and livestock are present sir!” Matt exclaimed.

“All provisions are accounted for… minus one steak…” Sam said, mumbling the last part.

“Good then, lets prepare for the arrival of our crew,” Davy said.

~~~~~~~~~~


The crew arrived late, just as Davy and the others had expected.

Of course they did, Davy thought to himself with a small smile. They are pirates, I don’t expect better from them. I should be glad they remembered at all.

They started piling on board the ship about a half hour late, so about 5:30 in the morning. Davy watched from the poop-deck as the crew, his crew boarded the ship. Most of them had packed light. Just a small little bag that they carried over their shoulders. Probably a change of clothes, or a prized possession, maybe some gold in case they ever needed it at port.

They filed onto the ship and went below decks to stow their items. Davy made a point as they were coming up not to steal each other’s belongings. Any harassment towards members of the crew would result in hull scrubbing the first offense, being tied onto a mast for five hours the next as well as hull scrubbing after that, and finally being left at port.

After about an hour, the whole crew had arrived and set their belongings below deck. They all came up to the main deck for Davy’s opening speech. Davy stood next to the wheel of the ship, with his friends at his side. He looked at the crew in front of him, all looking at him eagerly, awaiting their first orders aboard this new ship. Davy cleared his throat, and began.

“Welcome aboard the Shadow King mateys! This is the ship that we will all be spending the next chapter of our lives on, where we will fight battles, laugh, cry, eat, sleep, and perform our every day duties upon! As I told you several days ago, ye will treat each other with respect, or face the consequences! You have been given your assignments as you entered our ship, so you should know your stations mates. Are there any questions?”

One person, a woman, called out. “Aye! Where is the rum!?”

The whole crew burst out laughing. Not the kind of laughter that makes fun of the person, but the kind that you make when you just realized something so obvious that you didn’t think of.

Davy smiled. “The rum you ask? Why would you want any rum?”

The crew started yelling, laughing, and throwing curses, each interpreting Davy differently. Davy put his hand up in the air, silencing them.

“Don’t worry lassie, we have a whole stash of rum, but remember, don’t drink too much now, or you won’t have any later! Now, any other questions?”

The crew was silent, except for the sound of someone belching, and the people around him slapping him on his back chuckling.

“No? Very well then. Are you ready for your first order? Hmm? ARE YOU?!”

The crew roared in reply, a sound that likely woke all of Tortuga. Hats flew into the air, pirates cheered, like the perfect moment… Then, through the deafening noise, Davy shouted three words.
“HOIST THE COLORS!!!”

[Captain Del]

Very nice job, Davy!

[Crestshot]

Davy, I must say, you are a fantastic writer. I'm sorry I haven't been following this story closer, because it is truly amazing. You have taken the world of POTCO and made it your own, making it seem like I'm not just reading the story of a player in the game, but of an actual pirate and his actual struggles, which just so happens to be in the same place as the game. You've taken Davy (well, you I suppose) and made him into a believable character, with flaws and strengths, along with all of the other characters you have here. I'll have to put this on alert now so I can keep up. Well done mate.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Thanks for the kind words Crest. Sorry I haven't been able to work on the story more... been extremely busy. I'll try to get another chapter out tomorrow, but no promises.

[Jamesvsthekraken]

Great work Davy.

[Charlotte Truebonney]

Wow, great story Davy, can't wait to read the next chapter! Very talented writer you are.