The Tale of Davy Fireskull

[SEAKING23]

AWESOME! i was right!

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Hmm... Crest, while you're lurking there, you may want to read this other chapter I wrote... I'll spare you a long chapter, so this one is pretty short, told from the perspective of Billy.

Chapter 26: Orders

Billy’s body fell down onto the deck of The Harkaway. Normally he could land fine after a teleport, but normal didn’t really describe his situation. The cuts that Davy had given him with his sword burned as if it were acid. The bleeding had mostly stopped, but it still hurt as if it was, and not to mention that one of his favorite shirts was now stained with blood. His head throbbed violently, aching horribly. The blood had become dry, and caked on his head. In other words, Billy looked more dead than alive.

He slowly got up, head still throbbing. He stood, leaning against a rotten mast, and looked around. A few skeleton crew members glanced at him, but then continued with their duties. Billy looked down at the ground, feeling sick. He took a few deep breaths of what would have been fresh sea air. Unfortunately the stench of the dead covered it up, causing Billy to vomit below him. After he was done, he looked up, straight into the eyes of Jolly Roger.

“Well then Billy,” Jolly said in his cruel voice, ignoring the various injuries on Billy. “If you came back alive, I’m assuming your mission was successful, and Davy Fireskull is dead?”

Billy chewed his lip. He new better than to lie to Jolly. He could see right through it. He said, “Captain, Davy beat me. He was too powerful for me. I failed in my mission.”

Jolly cried out, stomping his foot, “You failed?! You lost to your pathetic excuse of a brother?! I knew you were useless! I should have killed you when I had the chance!”

With that, Jolly lifted Billy up using his dark voodoo, and sent him flying across the deck. Billy cried out in surprise, and slammed onto the deck, rolling for a few feet before he stopped. Billy grunted, and got up, only to have Jolly kick him again, sending him flying into a wall. Billy got up again.

“You’re a pathetic excuse for a pirate,” Jolly said, lifting him up again with dark voodoo. He brought him close to him. “You’re weak, and you will die weak. I should have killed you when I killed your father.”

Jolly brought up his right hand, the one with the flintlock pistol and blade on it. He put the blade right at Billy’s throat. Billy closed his eyes tightly, waiting for death to come. It didn’t.

“But, I may have some use for you,” Jolly said. He dropped him, and Billy crumpled to the floor. His head was throbbing worse now, and the gash on his arm had started bleeding again. Billy was starting to worry if he would die of blood loss. Now he didn’t just look like death, but felt like it too. He dragged himself up. Part of him wondered if he should kill himself right now, and free himself of Jolly Roger. But he pushed that thought aside.

This will all work out in the end, he thought to himself. Then out load, he muttered, “What are your orders captain?”

“My power grows every day, as does my army,” Jolly said, drawing the Sword of Darkness from it’s sheath. His right hand had morphed back to normal now. He examined the black blade. “Thanks to this pretty little sword your brother got me, it has increased my power, and allowed me to raise more undead than ever!

“Many years ago, I launched an attack on Port Royal, one of the Caribbean’s main islands. I was able to deal a great deal of damage to it, but we were beaten back. That invasion took a lot of my power to use, and after that I had to go into hiding and recover. Slowly I built up my strength and forces, taking care of pesky Navy and East India Trading Company ships. My power grew. It was a very slow process, but with this sword that your brother got me, it has increased my power significantly. I now have raised countless undead, as well as fleets of ships! All of this at my fingertips! Soon, I must make a strike. Not just a puny little attack against a fleet of Navy vessels, no! A whole invasion of an island! And I plan to begin with Port Royal. I cannot risk getting defeated yet, so I want you to lead the assault against the island. If you can capture it, you will have proven yourself to me.”

“An invasion of Port Royal?” Billy asked. He thought about what he was doing. “That would be difficult. To get our troops in we would need to get close to the island, and the fort that the Navy has there will be a problem. If we spawn several of our strongest ships there, we can catch the fort by surprise, and while they are loading their cannons we can open fire. The fort will be in ruins, and they will sink few if any of our ships. Once the fort is down there won’t be too much resistance.”

“Yer correct Billy,” Jolly said grinning. “Once that fort is down, that will take care of the majority of their forces. The last of them will be confused and scared, and the townsfolk can barely fire a gun. And then we will burn the town!”

Billy nodded. “How will this work?”

“I plan to start the raid in three days. We can sail there, and take our time until then,” Jolly said. “I also want some of your wounds to heal a bit. A wounded soldier is as good as no soldier. We will attack in the middle of the night, when they are asleep. Once the fort is down, as you said, I will send several of our ships into their harbor. We will sink any ships there before we start the raid, so that there will be nobody escaping. After they are sunken, the troops will come into the town and capture it. By dawn, the town will be a ruin. You will get off the ship right after our troops begin their raid. You will give the orders and do some fighting as well.”

“Very well captain,” Billy said, bowing his head.

“Now, go and clean yourself up!” Jolly ordered. “You look awful, even for a pirate.”

Billy walked off to bandage his wounds and clean himself a bit. When he was gone, Jolly walked to the edge of the ship, and looked at the dark sea around him. He smiled cruelly, and then spoke.

“My conquest of the Caribbean has begun.”

[Crestshot]

Ooh, dramatic irony. I love it.

Haha, I know I never review mate, and I'm sorry for that, but to be honest, I never know what to say, and I like to say stuff that actually means something. This story truly is excellent. The depth you have to each of your characters astounds me. Davy's care for his brother and the rest of his crew, Billy's motives for joining Jolly, and your overall description of everything. Keep writing mate. I promise you, I'm reading.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Well, mates, the tension keeps building up in my story! Trust me, I think the tension is hurting me more than you. The more I get closer to the climax of this story (which is only several chapters away, I assure you) the more I want to write so I can get to that climax. Anyway! Enough of my lecturing! Enjoy my next chapter! By the way, I will probably have one or two more chapters from Billy's perspective, to give you a heads up. On we go!


Chapter 27: The Shipwreck

Davy woke up late the next day. After the battle with his brother and the undead, the group had rowed their boats back to The Shadow King. It was late, and the group was exhausted from what happened. They got on board and retired almost immediately. It had been a long and tiring day, and Davy had slept in. Perhaps too much, but he didn’t care, as he was exhausted.

After putting on some clothes, he left his cabin onto the deck. He walked up to the wheel of the ship, and his eyes lit up. Standing at the wheel of the ship, was Sam. Sam turned to face Davy. The world seemed to slow down as the two friends ran toward each other and embraced. Tears streaked down their faces. Happy tears. The two stood apart from each other, and spoke.

“Sam!” Davy cried out. “Your alright!”

Sam chuckled, “Aye, I’m recovering. I still feel weak though. However, Tia Dalma’s antidote seemed to do me some good. I would say that I should be fully recovered by tomorrow. That’s a good thing too, because we should be trying to hunt down Jolly once and for all soon.”

“Aye, your right,” Davy said. “I want to have him on his knees soon. But there is one problem…”

“Billy?” Sam asked.

Davy shook his head, “No. I have made up my mind. If I have to fight Billy to the death to get to Jolly Roger, then I will. The old Billy is gone, and I have accepted that. If worse comes to worst, he will have to die so I can bring Jolly Roger to justice.”

“Then what is it?”

“The Sword of Darkness. Now that he has that sword, he has almost infinite power. He can raise an army of undead faster than ever, and going into battle with him is a death wish. I can’t just charge him and start swinging a sword! I need some sort of tactic.”

“Davy, listen to me when I say this. Just because he has some infernal sword, doesn’t mean he will beat you. Davy, you’re the best swordsman I have ever known, possibly one of the best of any pirate. You can beat that bag of bones. It’s not about your weapon Davy, its about the one who uses it.”

Davy bit his lip. He was still uncertain, but he nodded his head. “I guess your right… either way though, he will be a challenge. I may not survive, but if I do die, well, there’s no family to miss me…”

“That’s where your wrong,” Zolina said, walking up to the two men. “Davy, you may have lost your parents, and Billy is as good as gone, but don’t you dare say that if you die nobody will miss you. And you do have a family.”

Zolina beckoned to the crew, working on the deck. Matt was giving some orders. Kate walked up next to Zolina.

“Nobody will be dying against Jolly Roger,” Kate said. “Want to know why? Because we are fighting for something. Something more than just power. For friendship, for family, and for freedom.”

Davy took that in. Then he spoke. “You guys are right. Nobody will be dying other than Jolly Roger… then again, he’s already dead. Well, you know what I mean. He will be brought down, and I will have avenged my parents. Now, lets get back to work. Tomorrow, I want to get to Tortuga. We may be able to get a few leads from pirates there.”

~~~~~~~~~~


Sam had recovered by the next morning, just as he predicted. He was able to resume his full duties onboard the ship, whether it was tying knots in the rigging, or practicing his swordplay or voodoo with the crew. In fact, things seemed almost back to normal aboard The Shadow King. The ship had set a course for Tortuga, and they were making good speed. All was going quiet and smoothly. Until they saw the ship.

It was late afternoon, just a few hours before the crew would have dinner. The crew was finishing up their duties at the time; tying those last few ropes, scrubbing off those last few barnacles, making those last few adjustments to their course. Suddenly, came a shout from the lookout. She began ringing the alarm bell. The crew came aboard deck. Smelly the dog ran around frantically barking like he was rabid. Finally, Davy came up onto the deck, and pacified the dog. At the time, the lookout was a girl by the name of Lizzy. She was timid, but a loyal crew mate, and Davy was glad to have her.

“What did you see Lizzers?” Davy asked.

“Over there Captain!” Lizzy said, pointing starboard. “It’s a navy ship, I think. The sun was in my eyes, so I wasn’t able to get a good look at it. For some reason, though, it isn’t moving.”

Davy raised an eyebrow. “Alright crew! Looks like we have a vessel off the starboard side! Lets go check it out! If they live, we beat the dogs down, and raid their vessel! If they are all dead, we check out the scene… and then we take what’s left!”

The crew cheered, and then ran to their duties. After a half hour of sailing, The Shadow King pulled up next to the ship. Or what was left of it. The ship looked like it had once been a naval war galleon, a powerful ship, but it had been destroyed. The main mast lay on its side in splinters, with a shredded piece of cloth for a sail. The hull was torn apart, exposing the insides of the ship. It was slowly sinking, but it would take a few days before it fully submerged.

Matt whistled. “That’s one shredded ship. I wonder what got to her. No normal ship can do that to another ship, unless this ship here had tanks of gunpowder lying in the open, which no ship has.”

“Hmm…” Davy muttered. “I say we check it out. Matt, Zolina, Kate and I will check the wreck out. Sam, your in charge. Just sit tight for a bit. Tell the crew to do what they please, but to be ready to return to their stations at a moments notice.”

“Aye, aye, Davy,” Sam said. The three that Davy had called followed him onto the dingy that would take them to the shipwreck. They rowed the boat, and in no time they were climbing the torn hull of the naval ship. Unfortunately, they couldn’t climb all the way to the top deck of the ship, as there was too large of a hole in the hull blocking their way. Instead, they clambered into the opening. Davy turned around, examining the hole. It was massive. An entire section of the hull had been blown off, revealing at least a third of the inside of the ship.

The inside was no better. The place had been ruined. There were holes in the floor, walls were torn apart, and crates and barrels lay open, broken, or on their sides.

“Ooh la la…” Kate said. “Whatever happened here was not pretty…”

“I’m with you there Kate,” Zolina said.

“Mates!” Matt called from the other side of the room. “Look at this!”

Davy, Kate, and Zolina joined Matt, and looked at his find. It was a Navy sailor. He had been impaled through the chest with a sword. His eyes were open, glassy and unmoving. Blood stained his red shirt. So much blood that it was actually noticeable.

“He hasn’t been dead long,” Davy observed. “No more than two or three days I’d say.”

“Exactly,” Matt said. “That’s what I noticed. Also, look at this sword.”

Matt yanked the sword out of the sailor, sending blood flying everywhere. He muttered a quick apology to the dead navy soldier.

“Aye, thank the dead one,” Zolina muttered. “And not my nice skirt for staining it with blood…”

Matt took no notice. Instead, he held up the bloody sword, showing it to everyone. It was clear what was wrong with it. The sword was rusty and old.

“Now who do we know that uses rusty swords?” Matt asked the others.

“Skeletons…” Kate said. “This ship was raided by skeletons…”

“And here’s our proof,” Davy said. He had moved to another side of the room. Slumped against a wall was an inanimate skeleton, dressed in rags. Just like the ones that they had had to fight.

“Nobody can rot into a skeleton that fast,” Davy said. “This ship was obviously attacked by skeletons… but something still bothers me. Even one skeleton ship wouldn’t do this much damage to a ship and just let them live…”

The group stared at the skeleton for a little longer, and then moved on. The group walked up a flight of stairs that had been torn to shreds, barely climbable. They emerged on the main deck. The main deck looked exactly like what it looked like from The Shadow King. It looked even worse than the lower decks. There were massive holes in the floor, and the Shadow Sorcerors had to be careful not to fall.

“Lets check the captain’s quarters,” Davy said. “Maybe the captain wrote down exactly what happened in his log.”

The others followed him to the door. They tried it, but it was locked.

“Son of a gun...” Davy muttered. “I’ll break it down.”

Davy pulled out his staff that he kept strung to his back. He cast a quick spell, and then shattered the door to pieces. Then he raised an eyebrow.

“Did anyone hear someone scream?” Davy asked.

The others nodded.

“Unless my ears deceive me, then yes, I heard a scream,” Zolina answered.

The group cautiously walked in, swords drawn. The captain’s quarters was a wreck. The windows in the back were all shattered, and an evening breeze blew into the room. The Arabian carpet on the floor had been shredded to pieces, and the various bookshelves and cabinets had been tipped over or broken. Various holes were in the walls from cannonballs. The place was once lovely and lavish, but was now a wreck.

Davy walked over to the desk in the center of the room. It was intact, other than a splintered leg. Just then, Davy heard a bump from under the table, and a slight gasp. Davy, using his voodoo powers, lifted the desk and sent it flying into a corner of the room, smashing open the wall.

Cowering in fear was a Navy sailor. The poor man’s clothes were torn to shreds, and he had various cuts and wounds. His hands were cut up and covered with grime. Davy, being a pirate, had no mercy for Navy sailors, who wanted to kill all pirates. He grabbed the sailor by his torn shirt and made him stand.

The man looked pitiful, so pitiful that Davy almost felt sorry. His face was covered with grime, and he wore an eye patch. His lips were chapped so badly that they bled, and his hair was burnt on the edges. The grime on his face looked even worse due to the fact that he had been sobbing.

Davy pulled out his dagger and held it to the man’s throat, and spoke. “Speak sailor. I have no patience for Navy scum like you, so make it quick. What happened to your ship here? And tell the full story!”

The man eyed the blade cautiously, and said, “Why should I tell you pirate? I’m dead anyway.”

Davy chuckled. He had dealt with this before when he served on the Black Swan. “I can always make your death slow and painful, while I wait for you to tell…”

Davy slowly moved the blade down, and gave the man’s wrist a quick cut. Enough to make him hurt, but not enough to be fatal.

“Fine! Fine! I’ll tell you!” The sailor cried out. He licked his bleeding lips, and spoke. “Three days ago, our lookout raised the alarm. It was close to midnight. A storm had randomly spawned, out of nowhere! We all came on board, and the men cried out in terror! Around us, out of nowhere like the storm, were hundreds of ships! Ships that had already sunken! Ships with torn masts, and rotten hulls! We were so surprised that we didn’t see the first one come from behind us! The ship hit us with a full broadside of a dozen shots, shots of a strange, spectral cannonball! The fear that we had! We barely had time to fight back before the skeletons boarded us. The stuck us all, leaving none alive! They took all of our belongings, all of our supplies, and all of our lives!”

“Why didn’t they sink the ship?” Matt said. “And why are you still alive?”

“There was one of them that was not of bone,” the sailor continued. “He was muscular, and carried two black sabers of some sort. He told the men to leave the ship floating for now, and to leave me alive. To give someone a lead of some sort. Someone named Davy Flameskull I believe. He wanted this person to know where he was going, so he would know that it is too late to help.”

It didn’t take a genius to know that Davy Flameskull was really just Davy Fireskull. The sailor had obviously gotten the name mixed up while he had been drifting in the sun. Billy had been here. He had left this man alive to carry on a message to Davy. Billy wanted Davy to know where he was going, so that Davy would be able to see something. Chances were, that wasn’t good.

“Where were the ships headed?” Davy demanded.

“Due east if my memory serves,” the sailor responded.

“The closest island of any significance that is east from here is…” Davy faded off.

“Port Royal,” Kate said.

“You’ve been a help sailor. Now I will put you out of your misery,” Davy said. Before the man could respond, Davy slit his throat, and the man crumpled to the floor. Even though Davy could be sympathetic, he did have an inner barbarian to him. He continued:

“Billy is leading that fleet, I’m sure of it. If Jolly were in charge, he wouldn’t have allowed Billy to do this. And if they are heading to Port Royal, that has to mean that—”

“Port Royal is about to be invaded,” Zolina finished.

“And with this much power and forces, they will succeed,” Matt said.

“We have to get there as fast as possible. They have a few days start, but maybe we can make it there fast enough to help,” Davy said.

“It’s unlikely, but we can’t let Port Royal be destroyed,” Kate said.

The group climbed back down to their dingy, and rowed back to The Shadow King. Once they were back on board, Davy ordered the crew to sail a little farther from that Navy vessel, in case there were any other survivors on board. After that, the crew retired for the night, and Davy went into his room to write in his log. He soon went to sleep. At dawn, they sailed for Port Royal.


-----------------------

Yeees maybe I was a little mean to that Navy fella, but he deserved it... chances are my next chapter will come sometime over the weekend, but I may be able to squeeze one in sometime tomorrow or Thursday...

[SEAKING23]

Hey Davy, i hate to rant, but around chapter 15 i asked if i could be in the story. now the climax is a couple chapters away, and i haven't gotten an answer. again, i hate to rant, but its an awesome story.. and i really want to be included.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

I know SEAKING, and I understand. I'm really sorry I haven't included you. I will send you a PM regarding your role in it. Again, you will not be a main character, but you will make an appearance.

[SEAKING23]

Alright, thanks mate.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

WARNING: The following chapter is extremely intense and quite graphic, and gruesome. Read with caution. It may disturb some readers, and I don't want that to happen. If you do not wish to read it, PM me and I can summarize it for you. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK! I am not responsible for any emotional harm that may come to you. Ye have been warned!

Its quite lengthy... enjoy!


Chapter 28: Shadows Rising

Port Royal was in view. It was close to midnight now. The island would not be expecting them. With the voodoo enhanced speed of the skeleton ships, Fort Charles, the Navy fort on Port Royal, was soon only a mile ahead of them. It was a perfect night for an invasion. It was foggy with a full overcast. It had even begun to rain, and once the skeleton ships came into port, chances are that it would become a full on thunderstorm.

Billy turned toward the skeleton sailor of the ship that he was on. In life, the ship was a naval vessel named The Conqueror. When it had been raised, it was renamed Death Omen. The ship was the most powerful ship in the undead fleet, second to The Harkaway.

“Turn the ship so that the starboard broadside is facing Fort Charles,” Billy said coolly. “The fog should cover us up. Chances are that they will think that our ship is just an incoming thunderstorm, with the lightning around our ship. By the time they realize who we are, the fort will already be under fire.”

“Yes Captain Fireskull,” the skeleton replied.

Billy thundered some orders, yelling to the skeletons to get to their battle stations. They obeyed, as Billy predicted. Never did a skeleton exist that disobeyed its master. After a few minutes, the Death Omen was in place, five other ships with their broadsides facing Fort Charles. The guns were loaded.

“Wait for the fog to clear,” Billy ordered. “I want them to see us before we fire. So that they will have that last moment of fear before they are destroyed.”

They waited a minute, and then they got what they wanted. A sea breeze blew in, blowing away the fog. The fort became plainly visible.

“FIRE!!!” Billy commanded, yelling it so loud that the whole ship could hear. A second passed, and then the cannons fired. Spectral fury cannonballs flew toward the fort at high speeds. They flew above the water, and finally hit their target. The cannonballs, being charged with the darkest voodoo, took out huge areas of the fort. Billy watched as more cannonballs slammed into the fort. Stone flew outward, as did the bodies of men. Soon, the walls of the fort were destroyed, and the ships open fired on the interior. Everything was going according to plan. Fort Charles was almost destroyed, and they had barely been able to fire a cannon in defense.

More cannonballs flew, smashing the fort apart. Billy watched as the fort, once so majestic, was torn to shreds. After just a few more minutes, the fort was reduced to nothing more than a few stone walls, an interior that was ruined, and burning training grounds.

“Good job,” Billy said. “Now lets move in for the attack on the island. There will be almost nobody left defending the island now. Port Royal will have been conquered by sunrise.”

The ship was sailed closer to the ruin of Fort Charles, and a plank was dropped. Skeletons crossed it into the fort. From there, they would exit it and enter the island, beginning the raid. A few Navy soldiers still lived, but they were killed quickly and mercilessly. The skeletons all waited in a group for their leader. Billy walked up to the front of them. He drew his two Grave Reapers, and spoke.

“Alright you boneheads! Let’s get this done fast! I want this island razed by sunrise! Follow me! Once we get into the town, disperse. Leave nobody alive. Kill Navy, pirates, and if a civilian gets in your way, murder them as well!”

The skeletons all gave a heart “Aye, aye!” and then they moved. Billy jogged with his two swords drawn, skeletons following him close behind. They soon reached the ruined gates of the fort. They had to climb over a pile of rubble to get over the once tall and majestic gates, but it was now destroyed.

Finally, they arrived on the outside of the fort. They were right next to the dock. Skeleton ships had anchored in the dock, and were open firing on the buildings. What was once a wharf had been reduced to splinters. Skeletons walked out of the sea, onto the beach. Several Navy soldiers stood guard, but they were outnumbered significantly. They were killed quickly.

“Find your own targets troops! Destroy them all!” Billy thundered. With that, he ran across from the ruins of the gates, and into the town.

The town was in complete chaos. Innocent people ran screaming, trying to hide, only to be slaughtered by skeletons. A building exploded from a cannonball impact. A group of Navy soldiers fought for their lives in a losing battle with skeletons. Men, women, and children were murdered ruthlessly by the undead. Children ran screaming for their mothers, but Billy took no notice. On the other side of the town’s plaza was a bridge that lead to the other side of the town. The bridge was being assaulted by skeletons, but they were being beaten back. Billy ran over to it, cutting down several Navy soldiers along the way. When he was able to get a good look, he saw that there was a group of five people, all wielding swords, that was holding off the skeletons. They were master sword fighters, and even though they were significantly outnumbered, they stood strong.

Billy couldn’t help but admire them for that, but they had to die anyway. He charged them, jumping over a group of skeletons. He spun in the air on his side, bringing his two Grave Reapers down onto one man. He man cried out in pan, and went down. Another man beside him gasped in shock, only to have Billy run him through the stomach.

Pirates, Billy thought to himself. Two of the remaining three men attacked Billy from two sides. Billy was able to block them both, one with each Grave Reaper. He grunted with the effort. The two were incredibly strong. Billy gave one last heave of effort, and pushed them both aside. One went flying into the group of skeletons. He screamed as the undead closed in upon him, and was silenced. The other went tumbling down the stairs on the bridge, and landed belly up at the base. Billy did a leap in the air, and brought both of his blades into the man on his way down.

“Four down, one to go…” Billy muttered. He ran back up the stairs, onto the main part of the bridge. By now, the thunderstorm had set in, and it was beginning to rain heavily. When Billy reached the top, he saw that the man had succeeded in beating off this wave of skeletons.

“You’re a powerful one,” Billy said to the man.

“My mates call me Roger Swordshot,” the man said. “I got that name, because me sword is as fast as a gun shot. As you will soon learn you scum!”

The two clashed swords. Billy held his two Grave Reapers parallel to each other, trying to overpower this foe. Roger was much stronger than his friends were. Roger gave a little more effort, and Billy went flying backward. He leaped back up, and then began hurling attacks at him, so fast that Roger barely had time to block them. Billy was able to get a lucky hit in, and gave the man a slash on his arm. He grunted in pain, but barely flinched.

Roger dashed to the side, and began hurtling attacks on Billy. It was Billy’s turn to go defensive now. Even though Roger was his enemy, Billy had to give the man some credit. He really knew how to use a sword.

Unfortunately, all battles have to end, Billy thought to himself with a small smile.

Roger was getting tired now, and Billy used that as an opportunity. After one of his cleaves, Billy ducked down and head butted the man hard in the ribs. Roger grunted in pain, and then, as he was stepping back, Billy gave him two slashes across the chest, forming an X. Roger cried out in pain, hands covering his wounded torso.

“You were a good opponent,” Billy said. “But all battles must end.”

Billy did a spinning kick in the air, and sent Roger stumbling backward. He flipped off the edge of the stone bridge, and into the murky water below.

Billy grinned, and watched as the next wave of skeletons approached the bridge. Billy ran back to where he had come from. He went around another bend, and saw another battle scene. He slowed down to a walk, and began walking. He walked past a stack of barrels, and froze. He could have sworn that he had heard someone crying.

He turned around and kicked a barrel aside, and froze. Behind the barrel, was a woman, somewhere in her twenties, clinging to her bawling baby. Her baby was wrapped in a dirt stained blanket, and she was in a torn dress. She screamed and began to sob as well.

“Please!” she cried. “Take me! Take me! Just don’t hurt my child! My only love!”

Billy hadn’t notice, but he had one of his blades pointed directly at her. He breathed and looked the woman in her eyes. Her eyes were stained red from tears, and her baby was screaming horribly now.

“Take me instead! Just let my child be!” she cried. “I beg of you!”

Billy thought about what he was doing. Is this what he had become? A merciless killer? Someone who could take a mother away from a young baby? Could he really be so inhumane and cruel? Billy thought he may have shed a tear, but couldn’t have been certain. It may have easily have been sweat.

He lowered his sword, and spoke. “Find a place to hide. These skeletons are ruthless, and will kill anyone they see. Get inside, lock yourself in a closet, just stay out of sight.”

“God bless you! Thank you so much!” the woman said, sobbing, and then ran off, into an alleyway.

Billy thought about what he had just done.

I was about to take an innocent mother’s life away, he thought to himself in horror. Is this what I have become? Will she even be safe? By the end of this invasion she could easily be dead…

Billy shook his head. He couldn’t think this way if he was going to do this. He lifted his swords, and went charging into the battle to assist the skeletons. Not that they needed it. They would win anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~


More fighting. Billy cut, slashed, stabbed, flipped, and ran for over an hour. Even though Fort Charles had been destroyed, along with most of the Navy soldiers in it, there were still a significant amount in other parts of the town. Billy watched as buildings were hit by cannonballs, toppling to the ground, on top of skeletons, Navy, and even civilians. Billy tried to ignore it as best he could, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about exactly what he was doing. And about the woman and her baby. Had she been killed? Had she fled? Was she trapped in a collapsed house?

Billy pushed the thought aside. What was happening to him? He was loyal to Jolly Roger.

Am I? he thought. No! Of course I am! Jolly will win in the end anyway. Fighting for him can bring back my parents. I will have a cause again! This will all work out in the end…

Billy ducked a Navy soldier’s sword slash, countering by stabbing the soldier with both of his swords. The soldier crumpled to the floor. Billy examined his surroundings once again. It was another large plaza. Around him were buildings, and ruins of buildings that had been destroyed by cannons. The standing ones were in bad shape, with bricks falling off, some of them even burning. Port Royal was going to be a ruin soon, and Jolly Roger would rule it. He would rebuild the island, and rule it with an iron fist. Or bone fist. Whichever it was. After that, he would conquer the rest of the islands in no time.

The plaza was a war scene. A few Navy soldiers still stood, but were being taken down fast. The plaza was almost secure. After that, they would move to the east side of the city, and assist the troops there. Billy charged into a group of Navy soldiers, who looked like mere cadets, and cut them down in a few slashes. He sheathed his swords, and picked up one of their bayonets. He stood on top of a box, aiming the gun toward another Navy soldier, one who looked like a captain. Then, Billy dropped the gun.

Standing in the middle of a group of skeletons, was the mother and her child. She must have been spotted while she tried to hide, and had been chased out here. Billy could see tears streaming down her face as she held her screaming baby close to her, watching helplessly as the undead closed in on her.

“No!!!” Billy screamed. He jumped off the boxes, drawing his two swords. He ran through the crowd, slashing Navy and undead alike. He didn’t care who he killed now, so long as he could save the mother. A Navy soldier locked swords with him, but he overpowered him and sliced his throat. Tears streamed down Billy’s face as he ran through the crowd, trying to save the woman. He got into a little opening in the crowd, and saw the woman on her knees, baby held to her chest. She had her head ducked down.

“No! Stop!” Billy cried out, but the sound of a cannon smashing into a building drowned his voice out. He began to run to her, but it was too late. The undead closed in on her, and Billy heard a scream of pain, which was silenced. Billy stopped, and stared in disbelief. The undead moved aside, leaving the woman’s body. Billy ran over to her. She had been stabbed through the stomach, and blood was pouring on her dress. Tears still clung to her stone cold face, and her eyes stared out endlessly. Billy knelt down, and closed the eyes, a tear streaming down his face. The baby was nowhere to be seen.

I’ve failed, Billy thought to himself, tears sliding down his face. I’ve let an innocent women and her child die, because I couldn’t save her…

“WHAT HAVE I BECOME?!” Billy screamed into the air. He grabbed his swords and ran. Ran to who knows where. He just had to get away from this horrible scene. The sound of her scream had forever been burned into his mind, and the look in her eyes when he had pointed his sword at her. Billy cried as he ran. He ran down a dirt path, through some trees, and then onto stone pavement. A few Navy soldiers tried to stop him, but Billy cut them down in a rage, leaving nobody, not even skeletons, alive after he crossed their paths. Billy ran up the path on a hill, to the ruins of a mansion, and sat with his back to a tree.

Billy sat for what seemed like hours, his face in his hands as he sobbed. Soon, he had no tears left to cry, and he sat shaking. In the background, he could hear the sound of the battle. Swords clashing, guns and cannons firing, buildings exploding. It was probably about two hours before sunrise by now. Soon, all this would be quiet, and the town would be left a ruin. Innocent lives would be taken away.

“What am I doing?” Billy asked himself out loud. “Who am I? What am I becoming?”

“Your William,” a voice said. “My son”

Billy looked up in alarm to where the voice came from. Billy stood, but left his swords. Something inside him told him he wouldn’t need them. He walked forward, toward the mansion. It was then that he recognized the place. It was his home. Where he had grown up. But it had been destroyed by something. Perhaps by one of Jolly’s invasions that he had done a long time ago. Billy walked into the house, and walked down a hall. Billy imagined it when he was young. The walls were covered with a lavish wall paper, with little candles hanging on the sides. Billy would have shed a tear, but he had already cried them out. He made a turn, and came into what was once his room as a baby. His crib had been wrecked, but it was still there. Inside of it, was a little stuffed animal that he had used to play with. His mother had made it for him when he was first born. It was a little dog, that looked a lot like Smelly.

I wonder what even happened to the poor dog, Billy thought. He held the dog for a little bit more, and put it down. He would leave it here. He would come back for it later. He turned around, and gave a little scream of fright. Standing in front of him where two bluish, misty figures. Ghosts. Billy examined them, and then his eyes widened.

“Mother…? Father…?” he asked.

His mother, nodded. “Yes William, it is us.”

“But…? How?” Billy wondered.

“When I died on The Eagle ten years ago, I stayed on this Earth. I didn’t want to leave yet,” his father said. “I had a feeling that it was the right choice. And it was. I was able to speak with you one last time. Before we move on.”

“I’m… I’m so confused,” Billy said, head down. “I… I don’t know what to do anymore. Can you help me? Please?”

“William,” his mother said. “I know that your having a hard time. But, I cannot guide your path. I know you will make the right choice in the end. I have faith in you.”

“Please!” Billy cried out. “I need guidance! You’re my parents! Help me for God’s sake!”

“William, this is your decision to make,” his father said. “I know that you will make the right one in the end. You’re a good person, and I am proud to be your father, no matter what happens.”

“No!” Billy yelled. “Don’t leave me!”

“We love you son!” his father said. “Never forget that!”

“You will make the right decision in the end. I know it,” his mother finished. Then, the two ghosts faded off into nothingness.

Billy dropped to his knees. He felt like a young child again. Lost, helpless, without a path. He sat on the floor for ten minutes, thinking everything through. He stood.

I… I don’t know the right choice, he thought. He knew that standing with Jolly Roger was the choice that would get him far, but was it the right one?

“Of course it is…” Billy muttered. “I will become powerful, strong, and mighty. Davy doesn’t care about me anymore. I’ll kill him. And sink The Shadow King. And then I will become the strongest pirate to sail the seas!”

Billy said that, but didn’t know if he meant it. He shook his head, knowing that what he was doing was right. He walked outside. The sun was beginning to rise, and the sound of battle had stopped. In the harbor, skeleton ships floated, and buildings were in ruin. The invasion was victorious.

----------

Intense chapter eh? By the way guys, Roger, AKA SEAKING, is not dead. He will likely appear briefly in one of my next chapters. Please! Comments. That was one of the hardest chapters to write...

[Jack Shipsteel]

Wow. That was... intense, to say the least. Just as it looked like Billy was going to change...

An excellent chapter.

[SEAKING23]

AWESOME!! if bill continues to be on jolly's side, and i meet him again...

I'd pray for him mates. thanks for adding me mate.

[Charlotte Truebonney]

Wow, great chapters Davy, I was 4 chapters behind.lol Intense is exactly the right word for it. My heart broke for the mother and baby and Billy as well, he's so conflicted. Hoping he sees the light before it's all over with. Kudos Davy, excellent work.

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Time for another chapter! Don't expect another this week. I'll definitely try to finish the story over winter break. It shouldn't be hard, because it is almost done.


Chapter 29: Ruins

They had come too late. As The Shadow King neared Port Royal, they knew it. The smoke and rubble gave it away. The Shadow King sailed into the once magnificent harbor of Port Royal, now completely destroyed. The magnificent wooden wharf that had once stretched out into the harbor was gone. Some pieces of it floated around the ship as it sailed in, and a few parts of it still stood. Beyond the dock, the town was visible. It had been reduced to rubble. A few buildings still stood here and there, but even they had taken significant damage. The small bridge had been destroyed. The town, once magnificent, majestic, and beautiful was destroyed.

“I never thought I would see the day,” Sam breathed. “When Port Royal would be gone.”

“None of us did,” Zolina said. “Orders Davy?”

Davy stood, not taking any notice. All he could do was stare at the town that he had grown up in, the town that he had loved. His whole childhood was gone now. Nothing was left of it. His home had been destroyed, his family was dead. And then there was Billy. Davy had given up on him. At least that’s what he told himself. Part of him still loved his younger brother, but it was masked by hatred.

“Davy,” Sam said, shaking his friend. “Orders?”

Davy shook his head. “Yes, orders. There is a little stretch of dock still connected to land. Go ahead and find a spot to weigh anchor. Leave some to guard the ship. I want to send out some search parties to see if we can scavenge any supplies or information about what Jolly’s plans are.”

Sam redirected the orders, and the ship was docked. Three teams were made. Davy’s team consisted of himself, Sam, and three other able crewmates. Kate lead another, and the other was lead by Will.

“Kate, I want you to check the Northern part of the town,” Davy ordered. “Will, you check the central area, and my team will head to the eastern side.”

The two nodded, and began on their way. Only Davy knew the real reason why he wanted to go to the eastern side. That was where his home was, assuming it still stood. Davy and his team set off. His team consisted of Sam, and three other pirates by the names of Jim, Ben, Kat, and Smelly the dog. The five headed into the town.

“Ooh la la,” Kat said. “Must have been a gruesome fight. The town is a complete wreck. I knew skeletons were powerful, but who knew they could do this?”

“They’re probably still here too,” Davy said, putting his hand on his Assassin’s Cutlass. “They wouldn’t wreck an island for the hell of it. Jolly would have just invaded, destroying everything in his path so that he would eliminate any threats. He conquered the island, so he would leave troops behind to guard it, so watch your backs.”

The group walked through a small square. The cobblestone ground had been wrecked from cannon fire, stones laying everywhere. The Rowdy Rooster tavern, a tavern that Davy’s father had been fond of, was wrecked. One if its walls had been completely destroyed, exposing an interior that had probably been set on fire.

Davy shook his head. How could Jolly Roger be so merciless? He destroyed a town full of innocent people without good cause. Imagine how many families he had torn apart, how many survivors were hidden, starving in their homes. It was a horrible sight to see. They continued walking down the path, towards the ruined bridge.

“What exactly are we looking for Captain?” Jim asked.

“I don’t know,” Davy muttered. “Something. Anything. Any clue as to where Jolly Roger may strike next. We can’t let him attack another island. If he invades another island, then more innocent lives will be lost. We can’t allow this to happen. If we can find a clue, then perhaps we can get to his fleet before he invades.”

“Get to his fleet?!” Jim yelled out, startled. “That’s a death wish! We can’t take on that many skeleton ships! Its—”

He was interrupted by the sound of a sword drawing. Each of the Sorcerors grabbed their weapons, and turned around. Staring at them was a group of about a dozen patrolling skeletons. Their leader, a burly skeleton armed with a broadsword, growled, barked some orders in that strange language the undead use, and the boneheads charged.

“Attack!” Davy yelled, drawing his sword.

The five Sorcerors ran. They were outnumbered, but far from outmatched. Davy swung his venomous sword in the air, attacking, blocking, rolling, stabbing. He gave a skeleton a cut down the chest. The cut shouldn’t normally be deadly, but the venom reacted with bone, causing it to sizzle and vaporize. The skeleton yelled out in pain before crumpling to the floor.

Sam swung his deadly sword, cutting the undead to pieces. The undead were no match for him and his ferocious Tiger Shark Blade. Even the supposedly fearless undead cowered at the sight of it before it came down on their skulls. Smelly was barking at one of the skeletons, and pounced on him, the dog began biting the skeleton’s face, and killed it by breaking its neck. Then the dog ripped off one of its legs, and began gnawing on the bone.

It was looking like the Sorcerors would win the battle without any casualties. Then Davy turned to fight the leader of the group. Unfortunately, he was already occupied. He had attacked Jim off guard, and Jim wasn’t ready.

“No!” Davy cried out. He ran towards him, but it was too late, the skeleton smashed Jim’s sword aside and ran him through the stomach. Jim grunted before crumpling to the floor. Unfortunately for the skeleton, his fate was no better. As soon as he turned around, Davy beheaded him. His skull rolled across the ground, bumping into a crate before stopping. The rest of the skeletons were quickly finished off, and Davy ran towards Jim. He was already dead.

Davy stood up, looking away from the corpse.

“He didn’t have to die…” Davy muttered.

“Deaths are inevitable in a war,” Kat said.

Davy nodded, “Lets move. I want to leave this place soon.”

The Sorcerors continued their walk, and came to the destroyed bridge. With a running start, the remaining four were able to jump across it. Davy looked back at the bridge. As a child, he had used to play on it with Billy. Davy shed a tear. His home, the place of his childhood, was gone. He shook his head, and walked onward to his companions. They continued walking, until Smelly dropped his bone and started barking furiously. He ran to the other side of the crates, and they heard someone cry out in surprise. They ran to the other side of the stack, seeing what the dog was barking about. Laying there was a man.

The man was beat up. His long black coat was tattered, torn, and burnt. Two gashes ran across his chest in an X shape. There was a small gash on his head, and blood had caked in his hair, which was exposed, for his feathered hat lay to the side.

“A survivor!” Ben gasped.

“What’s your name mate?” Davy asked.

The man groaned. He seemed like he had just woken up from a long sleep. Chances are it was Davy and his group who had done that.

“My name is Roger Swordshot,” the man mumbled, putting his hand onto his head.

“What happened to you?” Kat said, kneeling down.

“Uhh…” the man groaned. He was clearly in pain. “I was fighting when the skeletons invaded day before last. Me and my crew were defending the bridge area, so that the skeletons couldn’t get past. We were doing a pretty good job of it too. Until the man arrived.”

“A man?” Davy said, leaning closer.

“Yes… I can’t remember if he said his name,” Roger said. “But he held two black blades. Light blades, but deadly. He was muscular and an extremely good fighter. Strangely enough, he seemed to be fighting for the skeletons, maybe even their leader, I think he… mate, you look like you just saw a ghost!”

Davy stared into empty space. Billy was here. It wasn’t Jolly who lead this attack. It was Billy. His brother caused all of this. His brother took these innocent lives, destroyed the town, destroyed his home.

How could he do such a thing?! Davy screamed inside his head.

Trying to hide his rage towards his brother and his actions, Davy said, “You say it was two days ago that the invasion happened?”

Roger nodded.

“Then we have no time to lose,” Davy said. “Do you know where they may be headed?”

“When the man that defeated me returned,” Roger said. “Jolly Roger had arrived. The battle had long ended by now. I was hiding underneath that bridge, eavesdropping on them. Jolly gave the man the next order. He said that together, the two of them would be leading an assault on the pirate haven of Tortuga. That’s where they would be headed next.”

“An invasion of Tortuga…” Davy breathed. “No time to lose! Let’s go mates!”

As much as Davy wanted to go to his home, he knew that there was no time. He would be able to return here. Hopefully. But he could not bring back lives. They had to stop Jolly Roger before he arrived at Tortuga. If Tortuga was destroyed, pirates would lose their home. Without Tortuga, they would be hunted down and killed easily. Jolly had to be stopped.

Davy and his group walked back to the ship, leaving Roger behind. He would be able to fend for himself for a little longer. After a little longer, they got back to The Shadow King. The other groups had already arrived. They were unable to find any clues, but were able to bring back some food and water that they had scavenged from some shops. Perhaps they were stealing from the survivors, but the Shadow Sorcerors would need it if they were going to have to get to Jolly Roger in time.

“Davy, what did you find?” Kate asked.

Davy explained to them about what happened. About the skeletons attacking them and Jim’s death, and then what Roger told them. Including the part about Billy causing all this. Kate didn’t say anything for a while, but eventually broke the silence.

“I’m sorry Davy,” she said. “Davy, listen. Billy is confused. If we just help him, maybe we can—”

“No!” Davy snapped. “Billy will pay for his crimes. I will kill him if I find him. I… I can’t forgive him anymore.”

Even though Davy said that, he didn’t mean it. Deep down, he knew that he could never kill his brother if he ever had the choice. He was his younger brother. He had to look out for him. Now that his parents were gone, there was nobody to protect him, nobody to guide him. Davy was at war with himself. He sighed, and stood.

“Alright mates!” he barked to his shipmates. “Set sail for Tortuga! Full colors! Voodoo boosting! We need to get there as soon as possible! Or you will never see your homes again!”

As he said that, he thought about himself, wondering if he would ever see his home again.

[SEAKING23]

must.. have more chapter.. ahh!!!!!

hey davy, will i be in the next one?

[Tiberius Fireskull]

Sorry SEAKING. Thats actually the last scene your in. :P

[SEAKING23]

Aww man. but okay, i'll be waiting for the next chapter.