Grimm's Reapers: Volume 1-4

by Jack Crosby

  Parrying away the sailor’s blow, “You have good form. It’s a shame it won’t serve you much longer.”

  “Fuck off ye bugger!” He lunged with a jab, leaving himself wide open for a counter.

  I slapped away the attack and sliced him from chest to hip. Shock appeared on his face and for good measure, I kicked him overboard. The amount of blood rushing out of him would no doubt attract sharks to complete nature’s cycle. With that attacker out of the way, I continued forward.

  Hacking down opponent after opponent brought me face to face with the captain. He was an older man, chiseled hard from a life at sea. “So, you be Fletch the Merciless eh?”

  “That am I captain. Command your crew to stand down and no more need to become chum in the water.”

  He had a duty to his employers, but dead men have no masters. “Aye, we’ll stand down.” He hollered his directive to the crew and each of them after a moment laid their weapons down. “The ship is yours.”

  I circled my finger in the air, giving my crew notice to take everything of value. “Your mast is broke but Sannigel Island is not but a day’s row from here. Send for help.”

  “Merciless they say, yet you’re giving me a chance to live.” He looked on skeptically. “What’s in this for you?”

  I did a quick count; he had about ten survivors left on his ship. “You spread the word about my pirate crew. Your recollection of this attack will strengthen my grip on the Eastern Seas and leave no question what ship is the most dangerous.”

  He comprehended my wishes. A pirate’s reputation is his calling card. Having fear before we even come into view is a victory in itself. With this captain telling his story, mine would increase tenfold.

  When we had plundered all we could, my crew returned to The Black Cat, all except for me. “What is your name captain?”

  “Levenworth. What’s it matter to you?”

  I would commit that name to memory. “Whether you believe it or not, you’ve made a friend today Levenworth. I appreciate a man who is honorable, but knows when to yield.”

  As I returned to my ship, I gave one last glance to the disabled ship floating. The crew would have to wait a bit; three great whites were fighting over the remains of the body I sent to the depths. Once the sharks left, they would be clear to row to help. They may call me Merciless, but I’m no heathen.

  Chapter 2 – The Hurricane

  We made good time returning back to Lost Haven, the pirate port town at the far reaches of the Eastern Seas. Few pirates called this port home, which made it perfect for me. My crew, filled with pride after a successful raid, stormed off the ship to their favorite watering holes. As for me, I still needed to add up the total haul and plot our next course.

  A strange wind blew across the deck of The Black Cat. I wandered out of my quarters to take measure of the breeze. As soon as the wind buffered my face, I had a very ill feeling. “Mother Nature, you wicked vixen! It is far too early in the season for a hurricane.”

  I’d been on the seas far too long to be surprised by any occurrence. Still, spring was no time for weather like this to whip up – unless there was something supernatural behind it. The seas were filled with hidden spirits and monster alike. Though what would cause this to happen, well even that was beyond my purview.

  Based on the speed and direction, we maybe had five to six hours before the powerful storm hit the island. That was plenty of time to get the ship ready, even if I could only scrounge up two or three of the crew.

  “Cappin’! I have ill feelings in me bones.”

  I located the source of the voice, Anders. The first mate was as reliable as any could be. “I’m glad you returned Anders. We need to get The Cat prepared. I’ll begin the preparations while you go get some of the crew.”

  He gave me a half drunken salute and ran off into the streets. In no more time than it took me to get the first mast tied down, Anders returned with the Douglas Triplets and Oliver, our youngest member. They needed no direction and the five of them went to work like busy bees tending to The Cat. In less than an hour’s time, we finished and were off ship.

  The Black Cat had been my ship since the previous captain wiled it to me. Long John Shanks was my mentor to the pirate game, but he succumbed to a bad case of the plague. Shanks had no reservations about eating suspect meats and drinking spoiled wine and it caught up to him. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

  With the ship secure, I sent the crew back into the night for more debauchery. The tavern life never really suited me, but this evening called for a drink. I followed the cobblestone street up to the last establishment in town, Whore’s Tap.

  The name was very misleading; there were no whores in the bar. The keep, Finnegan, was an old Irishman who was hiding from the Royal Navy. He preferred to be left alone, hence the bad advertisement. I too enjoyed the quiet, so we bonded over quality ale and lack of spoken word.

  My second ale had been poured when another entered the establishment. It was a lady, but she wasn’t dressed like a proper wench at all. She wore an open tan shirt with leather pants and proper pirate boots. Attached to her belt was a long thing sword, a rapier I believe they’re called. She took off her hat and put up one finger. Without a word, she sat down next to me.

  Red hair cascaded down her pale face. There was something of amusement in her eyes as she kept gaining my attention. After her first sip of ale, “Argus Fletcher, I’ve been watching you.”

  I tipped my cup towards her and drank as well. “Well met my lady. And who do I have the pleasure of sharing a beer with?”

  Her laugh was angelic, not fitting her figure at all. “Honestly, I doubt you’d believe me. For the meantime, please just call me Roxanne.”

  Roxanne, a name fitting an angel or a devil. “A pleasure to meet you miss Roxanne.” I saw she was empty as was I. Finnegan remedied the situation for us. “I’ve not seen you on the island before; did the bad weather bring you this way?”

  The first sounds of the hurricane echoed across the harbor, the wind starting to pick up. I looked worried as did the barkeep, but Roxanne drank as if nothing was out of place. “I’m here because of the weather, yes, just not in the way you think.”

  “I’m intrigued and that doesn’t happen often enough.” I leaned in closer. “Care to share your twisted words?”

  She waved her hand and everything around us froze in time. Finnegan was in mid-pour, the beer hanging in the air unnaturally. “There are certain truths you’ll have to understand. For one, I’m not human as you just put together.”

  “Bloody hell…”

  “Number two, this hurricane is supernatural, as you concluded on your ship. A great leviathan has awakened in the sea. I’ve been tasked with finding a man brave enough to face it.”

  My eyes were still fixated on the amber liquid stuck escaping the tap. Part of me wanted to run my hand through it to see what happened. However, the word leviathan broke me out of my revere. “What sort of monster are we speaking? A kraken certainly doesn’t exhibit that sort of black magic.”

  She put a finger to my lips. “You’re very sexy when you pontificate captain.” She added a wink for good measure. “However, allow me the trouble and tell you what I’m faced with. Have you ever heard of Jormungandr, the World Serpent?”

  Time wasn’t frozen around me as I dropped my cup to the floor below. It shattered into many pieces, as did my confidence.

  Chapter 3 – Two is Enough

  When we returned to my ship, I took her immediately to the captain’s quarters. I pulled out my charts and maps, in a hurry to find the source of this unnatural storm. “If Jormungandr is on the move, we need to evacuate the island post haste!”

  “There will be no evacuation captain, if we don’t face him and return him to his watery slumber, it won’t matter how far these people get.”

  The wind was definitely tropical storm power. We maybe had three hours to go. “What do you suggest? How does one engage a demigod?”

 
Jormungandr, the serpent son of the old Norse shapeshifter god. Legends and tales of his coming flittered between generations of pirate, though most of us chalked it up to too much ale. Today I became a believer.

  Whatever brand of creature Roxanne was, she didn’t seem to be worried. “On this island is a sword, one capable of returning the beast back to his eternal slumber.” She looked over my charts and didn’t see anything she could use. “Maps of the seas won’t help. Give me something on this island.”

  Lost Haven wasn’t the most explored place on the water. Outside the town, the island was mostly jungle. “No one has ventured into the wilds in eons. I’m afraid I have nothing to show for besides the town and a few meters outside of it.”

  She put her hands up in the air. “Almighty above, this is futile.” Her eyes blazed red just for a second before returning to their normal green. “No matter, this place isn’t so big where we can’t discover what we need before he arrives.”

  I’m glad she had faith, for I did not. “You suggest we venture out into the jungle? Let me gather my crew and we can leave.”

  “No others are necessary.” She put her hand against my chest. She was strong, very strong. “All I require is you captain, in more ways than one.”

  I didn’t understand her words until she swept off my desk and lifted herself on top of it. Her pants fell off as if they hadn’t even been fastened to begin with. Her beautiful, hairy divide smiled at me as she propped herself even higher. “Before we go on captain, I have certain needs to be fulfilled.”

  I don’t know what came over me. I found myself, even though I was fraught with worry about the storm and the creature behind it, hard and ready to take this temptress here and now. There was no hesitation as I entered her and began bucking back and forth. She gripped my shoulders and brought me closer.

  Cooing in my ear, “Oh captain! What a magnificent sword you have! Slay me like the evil vixen I am…”

  Bless her, the dirty talk in my ear softly made the situation that much more unbearable. She locked her ankles around my back to keep me from going far as I grinded myself deep inside her. A few well-placed licks to my ear left me weak in the knees as I emptied myself inside her over and over again.

  As the last spurt left my body, it was her turn. Her muscles latched on to me and began to spasm, one after another. Her lithe frame jerked all over the place, reigniting my passion. Before I knew it, I was joining her with a second orgasm.

  We both succumbed to the moment and released. I stumbled backwards a few steps, unsure of my own balance. I took a seat in my chair, still naked from the waist down. Roxanne was glowing in her work, watching as my own mixture dripped out of her. “You know how to fill a girl up Argus.”

  Slightly out of breath, “No one calls me that.”

  “They should, for it’s a strong name.” She pulled her pants up and tried to being herself back to dignity. “As much as I’d like to enjoy the moment some more, time is not our ally today.”

  I stood up, only to fall back down again, drunk from her pleasures. Gaining control of my body, I got to my feet with no issue and also cleaned myself up. Putting that tawdry memory to the back, “Rumor has it there are a few sea caves not too far from here that have inspired some legends. Maybe a place like that would be a good starting point.”

  Her eyes lit up. “Old sea caves, the perfect spot for a long lost blade to be hidden.” She reached forward and grabbed my hand. “Come Argus, adventure and the opportunity of a lifetime await us!”

  With a call like that from a girl like this, who was I to refuse?

  Chapter 4 – Cave of Sorrow

  We stuck close to the sand as we made our way to the caves. When we got close, Roxanne stopped short. “What’s the matter? Is there an ill presence nearby?”

  She pointed to the end of the beach. “Sorrow lives in those caves. I can feel him all the way here.”

  That didn’t sound all that wonderful. I had to grab my hat as another gust of wind hit the island. This gale lasted longer than the others, signaling that the storm was not stopping its murderous descent upon Lost Haven. “What’s Sorrow and how do we proceed?”

  “Sorrow is an old demon, one banished from the Downstairs, or Hell as you refer to it. This can’t be a coincidence…” She said the last part more to herself than me.

  I was careful not to pry too much. A wise man once told me the more you know, the more danger you invite. “Either way, we need to see if those caves contain the treasure we seek. If we fail, this island will be wiped off the map I suspect.”

  She gathered herself and the two of us proceeded to the caves. With tide being out, there was just a sparse amount of water resting on the floor. Heaven forbid we got caught down here when that storm hit, we’d never manage to get back to the shore.

  She snapped her fingers and an orange flame appeared above her hand. “That’s a mighty useful trick.”

  There was no sly grin this time. “Using my powers will draw him to us, but that was inevitable.”

  This must’ve been in reference to this Sorrow fellow she mentioned before we entered the cave. I grabbed the handle of my sword and held it tight. My pistol was strapped to the right side of my belt, but I was curious what bullets would do to something with the name Sorrow. I was certainly out of my depth, on a fool’s errand with a woman I just met.

  Still when I looked over, I was captured by her beauty, her strength, and her mystery. No women had brought to life the fire inside the way she did. Ironic choice of words to use, I’m sure.

  The smell of the salt water was stronger down here than at the opening. I wondered if the caves fell under the ocean. Above us could be turbulent water, made worse by what was coming towards us. Roxanne picked up the pace and I wasn’t about to slow us down. I kept up, all the while keeping my head on a swivel. Danger could be anywhere down here.

  The first sign appeared to us in the form of a ghostly voice. “Child of Lilith, turn back before I claim you as my own.”

  “Lilith? Who’s that?”

  “That’s my mother.” Roxanne looked a tad shaken up. The fire in her palm fluttered briefly. “The closer we get to him, the more you’ll feel his power too. Stay brave my pirate prince.”

  Prince? She was barking up the wrong tree with that compliment. “As you say. I can already feel the cold, chilling me to my bones.”

  She placed her hand against my cheek. “That is Sorrow’s doing. It would make the most sense that we need to overcome him to gain our prize.”

  As we ventured forward, the cave began to shrink around us. What started with an eight foot opening soon grew smaller. The cave ceiling was scrapping my head in some places – I didn’t care for that feeling one bit. If it got any lower, I doubted my ability to continue.

  And just like that the cave opened wide again. It shot up to about twenty feet as we entered some sort of chamber. Two steps into the area and I felt as if all the good in the world was gone. Only one word entered my mind – sorrow.

  From the shadows came a bald man with eyes sunk so far back into his skull you almost couldn’t see them. He was dressed as if he was invited to His Majesty’s ball. He ignored me and focused all of his attention on my companion. “Well met Daughter of Lilith. I’d been hoping someone would come as an offering.”

  Roxanne’s face contorted in anger. “You’re sadly mistaken Sorrow, there’s no offerings for disgraced souls such as yourself. Leave me and my partner be or else.”

  “Challenging me in my own domain, how foolish.” The temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees. “I will enjoy sucking the essence out of both of you.”

  The stately zombie-like man wrapped himself in darkness and when it disappeared he was no longer human shaped. His skin was transparent with a soft blue glue to it and where his eyes had been were just slits that led to nothingness. The worst part was what had replaced his mouth. The large gaping hole emitted a low groan, one of pain and misery. I had to hold my hands over my ears or else
the sound would drive me mad.

  The surprises didn’t end there. Roxanne was no longer the vixen pirate I’d met in the Whore’s Tap. With wings, a tail, and small horns coming from her head, I recognized her as a devil. I closed my eyes and prayed to God, for the first time in a lifetime.

  Chapter 5 – An Awakening

  The snap of a whip cracked through the air. The creature known as Sorrow recoiled in pain as the black weapon pierced its skin. Where Roxanne had a whip I wouldn’t even venture to guess. I still could not comprehend how she changed into a devil. Had she stolen my soul during our tryst?

  Yet something in my gut told me she was defending me from this awful creature. Surely she didn’t bring me here to die, so I couldn’t gripe about what happened earlier. No, it was time to be the fierce pirate I was and help. I grabbed my cutlass and charged, no concern for my own wellbeing.

  Sorrow was so focused on Roxanne (or he presumed I was no threat) that I was able to land a critical blow to his side. My victory was short lived as one of his ghostly appendages reached over and smacked me away. I’d seen just enough of the blow coming that I could brace myself for impact, so I managed to stay on my feet. Roxanne used the distraction as a way to slap his head once more with her whip.

  Sorrow wouldn’t be dismayed so easily. He opened that large mouth and began crying out again. Dropping my sword, my hands went over my ears again, trying to keep my sanity intact. “Mother of Mary! That noise is intolerable!”

  “Hang in there Argus.” Roxanne emitted a low growl and pushed through the pain. With a mighty heave, she snapped the whip in the middle of its face, ending the torture. “Attack again, aim for its chest!”

  With no delay, I grabbed my cutlass as I ran and did as I was told. I pushed the blade into the blue tinged skin and it disappeared as it went deeper. Sorrow let out an unholy cry, only to be silenced once more as Roxanne wrapped her whip around its neck. She gave a mighty tug as I held the sword down in until Sorrow’s head popped, sending goo everywhere.