by Kat Mandu
“Your twins have been unsuccessful in dealing with him, I have reason to suspect the crew is made up almost entirely of former prisoners of Pirate Lords from the island.”
“This is troubling, has what was his name?” the head asked,
“Richard, Sir,” Morgan reminded, “Richard Robert Zane,” giving the full name the head seemed to pause taking the name in. “I have a reason because a familiar face is part of his crew by the name of Laurella the doctor you had put on the Satisfaction.”
“Has this captain shown any abilities that may imply that he finished the ritual?” The head inquired,
“No, not that he needs it,” Morgan answered
“Explain,” the head ordered
“His ship, it was granted via the fairy and seems to bend to his will, moving far faster than any ship I have ever seen. And does not seem to be bound by the wind.” Morgan explained,
“I take it you tried to persuade him to join?” the head asked,
“No luck quite the opposite of me he seems hell-bent on killing every single lord he can,”
“End it before it starts Morgan. Kill him off and I will put the twins under your direct control, and your timeline will be doubled to finish this job. The Richard,” he seemed to taste the name. “Cannot be allowed to interfere with our plans,”
“I have a group together, and I plan on eliminating both him and the ship tonight,” Morgan admitted, the head didn’t respond only nodding. “Will there be anything else Captain Blackbeard?”
“No,” Black beard shut down. “I will call back in a few hours I want confirmation from Davina and Darcy that the man is dead, don’t fuck this up,” he ordered before the head of ash shrunk and vanished.
Morgan waited, before looking out and seeing the slight glint that was the Eagle, a massive sword fell down from the sky only for the ship to zip away from it as the blade hit the water. “I should have destroyed that ship when Richard was captured by that fucking cultist,” He growled.
“Hindsight and all that, sir we have everything set up, your, fiancé is asleep and the lord is in his room turning in as well,” the figure informed as he glanced back to see a pure black cloak that seemed to shimmer like a moving shadow.
“Good to know to keep watch over them if anything happens to inform me,” Morgan said as he headed down the ramparts to a team of horses and a long cart with filled with men in guard uniform ready to go.
The reigns were snapped as everything moved forward. Morgan sat leaning forward as he pulled his blue coat close to keep the bite of the wind at bay. He glanced over as two other carts fell in line behind him.
The sound echoed through the empty street as the wheels and horses rolled along to the meeting point, Morgan glanced back making sure everyone was still information, before slowly standing up and taking out his scope, he spotted the set of rowboats waiting for them before spotting the Golden Eagle which was sitting out in the bay. He scanned trying to spot any large groups or familiar faces. He snapped it shut with a smile on his face content that everything was working in his favor tonight as the wind blew into his back. He felt a fond smile as he mused his first mate should be contacted he wanted to ride on the feel the wheel of the Satisfaction again, dealing with the Golden Eagle made the salt in his blood run for open waters.
Morgan waited for the cart to come to a complete stop as he glanced at his shadow, then the spot where his eyes would be on his shadow blinked into gold. “Clear,” then the eyes vanished.
The group moved in silence on edge not sure who or what to expect. Morgan waited watching everything before getting onto the last rowboat and headed off to the Eagle. Morgan smirked as they drew closer nobody was on watch only one light was on. He picked up a rope and tied on the grappling hook, as others did the same, tossing it up they slowly started to gather onto the deck. Morgan stepped up, a confident smile on his face, as he headed for the stairs followed in a steady confident stride when the doors busted open.
“Look, guys, I, oh,” Richard paused as he spotted the intruders. Richard scratched his hair as he headed out to the rail, he looked rather unkempt his hair was a wild mess and he seemed to have forgotten his shirt. “Well this new,” he admitted, as he lifted up a bottle and took a sip from it.
“Drinking, this the man who wants to stop the pirate lords?” Morgan mocked,
“Actually it’s green tea, I seal it up and use the ocean to cool it,” Richard correct, as he took another sip.
“Sure it is, booze hound,” Morgan dismissed, “Anyway I have had enough of this dance, You are going to die today.”
“You and what army?” Richard asked as he took another hard drink from the bottle.
“Th-,” Morgan was cut off as he heard muffled screams, he glanced back to see all thirty of his men hanging from the ship’s masts. “Oh fuck,” Morgan cursed, as he spun drawing his rapier, “How that’s not fair!” he complained,
“One vs One, Seems pretty fair to me,” Richard smiled as he held out his hand catching his coat. He slipped it on and brandished Talon.
“You know I studied the blade for years, and yet you’re treating this like its some kind of game, a story where the hero always wins,” Morgan mocked,
“Oh I am no hero, I am in fact a terrible human being,” Richard admitted, with that there was a sudden snapping, a short echo that Morgan knew it was the simultaneous snapping of necks. “Cause every life is precious, but I am sick and tired of being pushed around and I refuse to move another inch to fuckers like you who think they can walk in and step all over me,” Richard raged, he raised a hand as a bright sun-like orb appeared in his hand.
“So you did,” Morgan was cut off as the orb went flying smashing into the deck as Morgan rolled out of the way. A set of blades started to reign down, but the mast suddenly shifts knocking the blades away as Richard stood still, as he pulled out a handful of black orbs and struck a match.
“I need back up, Darcy, Davina!” he called for as his shadow’s eyes glowed red before vanishing. Richard dropped down, as the two crossed blades, Morgan thrusting rapidly at Richard who quickly has ground to avoid being skewered. Richard sheathed his blade after breaking away from combat Richard grabbed a spear spinning it around as Morgan charged only for the rapier to be deflected. Richard spun the butt of the spear slamming into Morgan.
“You do realize I can end this whenever I want right?” Richard asked relaxing a bit.
“Eat metal!” cried out Davina as a mass of metal throwing knifes rained down at him. Richard spun the spear deflecting blades Morgan charged aiming the tip of his blade at Richard’s heart. Richard tripped from the overwhelming amount of strikes as he backed away too far and into the water.
“I think we got him, get up in the mast and see if you can spot him surface if he does put a knife in his neck,” Morgan ordered as the assassin made an impossible series of leaps landing among the bodies that still hung from the ships. With her in position Morgan focused a torrent of blades raining down around the ship.
“Uh,” She sniffed as she leaped up to the top getting a look as she landed on the ball of her feet bending to keep scanning the area.
“Watch out he can throw small balls of energy that look like suns if you see anything like that move,” Morgan warned,
“Oh now you care, about my well being,” Davina responded sarcastically.
” He just dropped thirty People,” Morgan reminded, as the assassin nodded, minutes ticked by as the sounds of people moving across the ocean reached his ear, minutes, passed. He pulled out his clock. “It’s been almost ten minutes, and our back up is almost here, he’s got to be dead,” Morgan concluded as he headed to the edge of the ship leaning over, cutting of the blade storm.
Suddenly a massive torpedo flashed in the air as Morgan glanced up to see Richard landing on one of the masts himself, the bodies started to drop some hitting the water another landing with a wet splat on the deck.
“That’s gonna be fun to clean up,” Richard m
uttered in annoyance. Morgan glanced around as a now very shaken group of reinforcements arrived.
“Keep blades up the ropes are dangerous,” Morgan warned as he sheathed his blade and grabbed onto the ropes, He watched as Davina tried to get the drop on him only for Richard to catch woman’s wrist.
“Not bad but I figured out the trick, you somehow traded weight and strength for speed.” Richard chuckled flipping the woman as she fell from the beam Richard was standing on, she reached grabbing onto the ropes to prevent a fall, as Morgan dropped onto the same beam blade out.
Charging silently, Richard seemed to have missed Morgan’s a rival just narrowly dodging a swipe as Richard dropped, then suddenly his feet hit the underside of the beam upside down, as he thrust his spear up at Morgan.
“Just die already,” Davina shouted as Richard deflected the incoming projectiles.
“No,” Richard responded in a hard tone as the second ball of bright light was set her way she dodged swinging onto another set of ropes, as he the blast hit the deck scattering the backup and vaporizing a few men.
“What are you?” Morgan shouted out, “There is no way you should be capable of this!” panic was setting in as Richard cut a seem in the sail, rotating around the beam until he was upright again. His spear was resting on his shoulder as he drew out one of his pistols.
“What can I say I hit the jackpot,” Richard assured,
“Gravity, balls of energy, and even water breathing?” Morgan listed off, “And this ship, why is this world so unfair!” he cried out “This fucking ship!” he ranted, as Richard fired off a shot only for the shot to hit the mast behind him, Richard growled in frustration as the holster the weapon.
“The blades hit as Talon was out and flashing aggressively slashing Morgan back, his blade unfit for the defense he needed from it. Richard set out his spear, as Morgan jumped precariously over it only for Richard to bash his shoulder into the man. Morgan fell grabbing onto the rope as the palms burned, Richard sliced the rope, as Morgan slammed into the deck rolling hard as Richard sent his spear flying. Morgan felt the blade dick into his leg slicing into it.
“Ah!” he screamed out as Richard watched from on high. Suddenly a massive stream of blades started to rain down cutting into the Eagle as the men who were trying to help Morgan scattered as Richard grabbed a rope and started to head down only for his rope to be sliced by the number of blades.
“I will turn you into Swiss cheese!” Morgan promised as Richard stood on the mass under the protection of the higher beams. “No, I won’t fail not like this!” Morgan cracked, Richard seemed to walk to down the mass as the invaders all seemed shocked at everything Richard seemed capable of doing. The shine of the blade Richard had in his hand seem ethereal.
Davina took another stab only for the ropes to pull her away as the men started to jump ship the woman sliced at the ropes but she two found herself tossed into the water. Morgan stood up holding his blade up but his left leg, he could see bone, was not able to give him even the shakiest of support.”
“Well, you made this easy that’s for sure,” Richard said pulling out his other pistol. He fired as Morgan dropped off the ship and into the salt water as blood flowed from his wounds, the men grabbed onto him as he gripped onto the boat, dragged on he felt someone going at his, leg as they rowed away only for the cannons to all move, Richard appeared on the ship as the golden eagle seemed to light up, giving the man a dark shadow, the tails of his coat billowing in the wind as he rested his sword on his shoulder.
“The canons, he’s going to blow us out of the water!” someone cried out as Morgan in all the salt and pain remembered plan B.
A single blade fell from the sky it wasn’t large but it was aimed at a spot, they had set up in case Richard put up too much of a challenge, he heard a dog bark, as Richard seemed to spin, before vanishing from sight. Not s minute later the Golden Eagle Exploded, raining down the remains of the first person to ever fight of a Pirate Lord and over sixty men on his own to the depts. of the ocean.
“Ha-ha!” Morgan laughed savoring his victory even threw all the pain.
Chapter 61 The Man Called Boss
The rain was falling hard, on his head, well the dark blue cloak he was sporting but he could still feel it impacting his head. He was told that rain was a common occurrence, but it felt fitting the day, after Richard’s death. He had been handed off the finances, Richard seemed to have a sixth sense as all the money they made from the wine trip as well as the supplies they sold were in his position, a heavyweight latterly weights on him.
The remains of the Eagle the one safe place he could really remember was already submerged and what didn’t have been removed to allow other ships access. He wasn’t sure, he had no real direction to pursue, wasn’t sure if he wanted to.
“Boss,” Laurella asked as he glanced over at the woman holding herself under an umbrella. She walked up to him as he noticed she had something in her hand, he frowned as she let gravity unroll a brownish parchment. A likeness of his face was drawn up in ink, under it a reward for about five hundred dollars, wanted for questioning.
“Questioning about what?” Boss asked as he glanced back at her as she shredded the paper. He eyed the bits as the paper and ink were washed away.
“The questioning isn’t important, a lot of the more well-known members of the Eagle also have similar posters. I know from experience those who get turned in rarely are seen again, I think it would be best for us to leave the city.” She advised.
“Perhaps, but to where we leave without being questioned and they can just as easily label us as criminals and then the nation is against us, how will we run then?” he asked.
“So what do you propose?” She asked,
“I feel it would best to storm the castle kill the bastard and fuck anyone who gets in the way,” He glanced at her with grim determination.
“I can see that having similar effects as the first idea,” she pointed out as Boss shrugged.
“So it would seem, I have to admit this weather feels fitting.” He said glancing up letting the water splash onto his face, before turning his head back down.
“Hm,” Laurella responded as he shifted his hands under the cloak.
“I suspect he knew,” Boss stated, “It’s not confirmed mind you but he set up far too much. I have all the finances we earned on me as we speak.”
“Hmm, what an odd, that would explain why we spent those two weeks dropping off one man,” Laurella considered.
“We should go,” He suddenly said, “We need to come to a census on what to do. The pair walked along the empty roads, he spotted a paperboy hiding under a canapé holding papers out.
Boss paused as he glanced at the paper before he glanced over at Laurella, “I guess I could go for a nice hot coffee,” she sighed. Boss shuffled tried to unlatch the massive money purse he had on him only to stop as Laurella handed over the money for the paper. She held it up for him he frowned as he stopped struggling with it and grabbed the paper.
The spotted a table inside the coffee shop the boy was in front of it sitting in a corner with a good view of the street, as rain pelted the window, as the two were allowed some reprise from the downpour.
“Listen to this, Lord Stronglance has fallen ill… the fiancé of Lady Nora Lord Morgan shall be taking over the day to day of the government, added to his fresh authority over the guard.” Boss red off, as he glanced over at Laurella, her knuckles started to whiten around her coffee cup. He frowned the news of Morgan being in charge, was troubling, it would limit his options.
He clasped his hands as he glanced out at the road, a few horses drawn carriages. The pair sat in silence for a while, as Boss glanced around when an insanely large figure walked past the window, with a rain cloak on as well.
“That’s big,” Laurella said watching the figure walk past who was a least six feet high.
“That’s what she said,” Boss commented, as Laurella felt a laugh escape her lips as she glanced a
t him before shaking her head in amusement.
The pair waited to hope the weather would let up, but after a while, with no break, the pair ventured back out.
The pair caught up to the shadow that had past them earlier looking at a wall of wanted posters The walk moved along as Boss glanced back the figure hadn’t moved. The pair despite the weather was zigzagging along. Skirting along the main gates of the castle, Boss mentally looking over each post, the guards moving even in the rain while the commander sat inside the station house and even in the gaslight he could see the wall crowded with wanted posters. The pair moved on each time glancing back, sometimes they would stop in an alley and wait a while listening only to the drum of the rain.
Boss motioned and headed into the kitchen wanting to make up a meal to keep him on his feet. he watched everyone move from place to place everyone seemed on edge and ready, avoiding windows and keeping in groups, some were, in fact, keeping in odd formations. Cliff prowled past him as he tossed the jungle cat a slice of beef which it ate up instantly before moving on.
“That cat is getting expressive,” Laurella commented
“Things are getting stained now that we don’t have the reserves people can’t help but look at anything that isn’t actively helping, even if it has less obvious uses,” Kareem commented as Laurella suddenly found her hair more interesting. “So, things are getting tense, people need a direction and more importantly a leader.” He suddenly said, “As everyone starts to become aware of the jaws closing around us the more chances panic has to set in, if that happens we might as well slight our throats.” He gestured around his neck as Boss groaned already aware of the situation.
“Any recommendations?” Boss asked,
“No idea, I know I would be terrible as I want power, what was the old rule give it to someone who doesn’t want?” He chuckled as he headed out as Boss noticed the man had two weapons that looked like bladed circles with only single hand gripe on each with a familiar color of the wood.