Reaper

  “That bow was all I had left of my Marian, vile creature,” Robin said as he released one last bolt. Herne was stepping into shadow when the bolt struck him, incinerating his forehead. The bolt passed through the back of Herne’s head, as it was already in shadow. Herne’s body fell to the ground, blood and brain spilling out onto the dirt. Robin’s heart pounded inside of his chest.

  “Robin,” Reaper struggled to push out. Once he regained his composure, Robin went to Reaper.

  “What do I do?” Robin asked.

  “Did you do it? Is Herne dead?” Reaper asked.

  “He is.”

  “Good.” Reaper closed his eyes and focused on Herne. Reaper took hold of Herne’s ability to pass through solid matter and moved through the tree.

  “How… how do you do these things?” Robin asked.

  “I can tell you the tale as we return to your home,” Reaper said. “The mission is complete; now I wait for my friend to find me.”

  “If you are coming back with me, perhaps I could use your help,” Robin said. “What you can do is astounding. Why not use it for another kind of good while you are still here?”

  “I accept,” Reaper said.

  “You will likely want this.” Robin held Herne’s bow out.

  “Keep it. I have no need for it.” Reaper went to pick up his falchion.

  “But don’t you need a blade?”

  “No, I do not need it. I have grown somewhat of an attachment to this weapon. It ruined my life, but it has been of great service to me throughout all the years that I carried it,” Reaper said. “I want you to keep the bow. Use it for good.”

  “If I am to take this weapon, I want to give you something in return,” Robin said.

  “I do not think there is much anyone can offer me.”

  “I can train you.”

  “I can fight already.”

  “Looked to me that you can take a beating and perhaps hit hard,” Robin said. “You rely on your strength and endurance, but I can teach you another way. Speed and agility are just as valuable as strength and endurance. Once you master both, you can fold them together.” As he spoke, Reaper felt a strange sensation. Robin’s generosity gave him a sense of belonging—like he had someone else he could trust.

  The two of them went back to Nottingham. There, Reaper underwent what would be intense training for any average person. Reaper was able to pick up on what Robin taught him faster than anyone that Robin had ever trained. Much of this was because Reaper was tapping into the memories of fallen members of Robin’s previously founded Merry Companions. When Blink found Reaper in time, Robin invited to train Blink. The three of them then trained together. There were several occasions where Blink had come back not for work. He would come back for social visits.

  As time went on, Robin continued to age. One day, age finally caught up with him. Robin had dreamed of a hero’s death since his father taught him about honor and bravery. Old age was the last thing that Robin would have thought would take him out of the world. He was able to come to peace with his fate knowing that his good deeds would live on through Reaper and Blink. After Robin’s passing, Reaper and Blink buried him behind his house next to his wife and son. Reaper and Blink stood outside, reminiscing about their friend.

  “Blink, will I live to see you die?” Reaper asked with a lump in his throat.

  “Yes, Reaper, you will,” Blink answered with his eyes down.

  Chapter Eleven:

  Jones

  The date was July 25, 1714. When last Blink spoke with Reaper, instructions were left for Reaper to go south toward London. Reaper was looking for a young man with impressive powers, named Davy Jones. On his journey to London, he encountered bandits, though it was not Reaper who had attracted these bandits. In fact, it was a young woman pulling her cart through the mud. It was the woman’s screams that alerted Reaper to the situation. He rushed in to save the woman with no hesitation. There were six men. Then there were four, as Reaper cut down two of the men in his first strike. One man held the woman as the other three men went at Reaper. Each of the three bandits had a single small dagger. Reaper smiled and sheathed his blade.

  “I will give you this chance to run away,” Reaper said graciously.

  “You hear that?” the closest bandit to Reaper said. “He’ll let us go.”

  “Sounds like a coward if ever I heard one,” the second closest said.

  “I’m the coward?” Reaper asked rhetorically. “Six men attack one woman. He seems to be holding her well enough.” He gestured to the one holding the woman. “If he can hold her himself, what are the rest of you for?” The bandits looked at each other. “It is clear I have confused you. Leave with your lives while you have the chance.”

  “Or we kill you, take what you got, then do the same with the girly,” the closest bandit said.

  “I’ll let you decide, but decide quickly,” Reaper said. “If you leave, you live. If you attack me, you will fail and you will all die.”

  “Get him!” the closest bandit shouted. His dagger slipped up into Reaper’s gut. Reaper looked down at him.

  “Truthfully, that does hurt. It won’t kill me, though,” Reaper said. The other two bandits each took one of Reaper’s arms and pulled him back against a tree. The first bandit began stabbing Reaper in the stomach, but Reaper accessed his super strength and wrenched his arms forward with the bandits trying to hold him back. Once Reaper felt he’d let them try hard enough, he forced the two on his sides into the one in the center. The three bandits fell to the ground. Reaper unsheathed his blade and dispatched them quickly, then looked up at the shaking last bandit, whose dagger was pressed to the woman’s throat.

  “She’s dead if you take one step,” the last bandit warned.

  “If you kill her, then I have no reason to let you live,” Reaper said. “Be smart about this. Take the deal I offered. Leave now, and I let you live.”

  “No. I-I don’t believe you,” the shaky bandit said. Reaper’s blade shifted into the shape of a spear—one long black pole with a diamond-shaped blade at one end and the skull between the two pieces. Reaper closed his eyes softly.

  “Robin, I need to go into your memories,” Reaper whispered, then, “Last chance,” he said to the bandit, who just shook.

  The bandit had made it clear there was no deal, and Reaper threw the spear. It grazed the shoulder of the bandit, who dropped the woman with a yelp and clutched his torn sleeve. When he looked back at Reaper with a condescending smile, certain his opponent had missed his target, he found himself being held by the throat in Reaper’s fierce grip. He let out one choking breath before Reaper threw him right through a tree, the force of the impact shattering his organs in the blink of an eye. The woman looked at Reaper, shivering. Reaper walked over to her and helped her up.

  “Where are you off to?” Reaper asked.

  “I am going to meet with my brother in London,” the woman said.

  “I too am on my way to London; would you mind my company?” Reaper asked.

  “Not at all, so long as you explain to me what my eyes have seen,” the woman said. Reaper smiled.

  “What is your name?” Reaper asked.

  “Hollie Jones, and you are?” the woman asked. Reaper’s smile went away, and he became intrigued.

  “Call me Reaper,” Reaper said. “Your brother—what does he do?”

  “He runs a shop,” Hollie said. “Why the interest in my brother?”

  “What do you mean?” Reaper asked.

  “You seem far more compliant since I stated my name and that I am off to see my brother.” Hollie said.

  “It would be difficult to explain,” Reaper said. Hollie’s right eyebrow raised. “Have you ever noticed anything strange about your brother? Perhaps an ability that nobody else has?” Hollie’s face dropped.

  “How do you know about him? Who are you, really?” Hollie asked frantically.

  “Do you believe in the impossible, Miss Jones?” Reaper asked. She nodded slow
ly. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to a Davy Jones would you?”

  “He’s my brother.”

  “Can you take me to him?”

  “Of course. You’re like him,” Hollie said.

  “I am, and so much more,” Reaper said.

  Hollie Jones was sold on Reaper’s word. The two traveled south toward London together from that point on. After arriving in London, Hollie took Reaper to the shop her brother now ran. She brought the shipment and Reaper in through the back way, and Davy was surprised when a strange man walked in with his elder sister.

  “Hollie, who’s this?” Davy asked, gesturing toward Reaper.

  “It’s good to see you, brother,” Hollie said. “He calls himself Reaper, and he has been looking for you.”

  “Well, sir, I sell many fine things, but you’ll need to come around the other way,” Davy said to Reaper.

  “You don’t understand.” Hollie walked closer to her brother. “He knows about your situation.”

  “You told him my secret.” Davy raised his voice.

  “She didn’t have to,” Reaper said. “I was already looking for you when I met your sister.”

  “How? Why?” Davy asked impatiently.

  “I have a friend from the future,” Reaper said.

  “I don’t have time for this; my shop needs tended to.” Davy turned to enter the stockroom.

  “I cannot die, and I know a man from the future,” Reaper said. “You have a power—what is so difficult to believe about what I have said?” Davy stopped.

  “It’s true, I saw him get stabbed.” Hollie smiled. “He can help you.”

  “Can you lift this curse?” Davy said, hanging his head.

  “No, that is not my power. I do know a man that could take your power,” Reaper said. Davy turned to Reaper.

  “You know someone who can take this from me?” Davy asked.

  “I do, and I will take you to him,” Reaper said.

  “What is required of me before you will take me?” Davy asked.

  “I want you to join my crew,” Reaper said.

  “What sort of crew?”

  “I like the word privateers,” Reaper said quickly.

  “You mean pirates. You’re a pirate,” Davy said. Hollie’s face became concerned.

  “Not yet, no,” Reaper said. “I don’t have the clothes, ship, or crew. Once I have those, then yes, pirates. A friend of mine says that those things are vital.”

  “No deal,” Davy said.

  “Alright, but I am the only one who knows where to find the Master,” Reaper said.

  “Davy, you don’t have to do this just to be like the rest of us,” Hollie said.

  “I’ll do it,” Davy said.

  “Perfect,” Reaper said.

  “No,” Hollie said. “You can’t—it’s wrong.”

  “Trust me, I only do what is necessary,” Reaper said.

  “Hollie, watch over the store while I am away,” Davy said.

  “I promise I’ll bring him back to you,” Reaper said.

  “Leave me,” Hollie snapped at Reaper. “I brought you here to help my brother, and you trick him into piracy.”

  “Sister, he is not tricking me. It’s business—you wouldn’t understand,” Davy said. He looked at Reaper. “Allow me to get a few things.”

  “Take your time, I’m in no hurry,” Reaper said.

  When Davy was finished packing his things, he said his goodbyes to his sister. He led Reaper to his father’s ship. The ship was a small schooner that could not be sailed by the two of them alone. They found a nearby pub, where Reaper used the coin he had to hire a crew. As the men were set up aboard the ship under Davy’s supervision, Reaper met in the shadows with Blink, who had brought him a care package of some essentials. Reaper returned everything from previous drops in exchange.

  In this new drop, Blink delivered a sheath fit for a rapier. There was also a pair of black buckle boots, dark gray breeches, a baggy white shirt, two wide brown leather belts (one that would go around the waist and the other over the left shoulder), a long black leather coat with red stitching, a red bandanna, and a black tricorn hat with red stitching. Reaper donned these new clothes to begin his days on the high seas, then shifted his falchion into a rapier. The blade was nothing special. At the cross bars, the metal skull rested inside an intricate web of knuckle bows. Blink gave Reaper his new instructions: to build up his own fleet. The schooner was a good start, or at least, it would have been if it had any cannons.

  The first raids were on merchant vessels, and most of the crew on these vessels lived. As time went on, Davy and Reaper agreed that the ship needed a name that could strike fear into their prey—something that could scare them into giving up without a fight.

  The Wrath of Njord.

  As the weeks turned to months, they soon had a name, a crew, and a flag. The flag showed the left side of a blue skull with a gust of wind puffing out from its mouth on a black background. Once they had successfully outfitted the ship with cannons, it was time to build their fleet. Reaper, as it happened, had a man in mind—a man named Edward Teach, better known on the transatlantic as Blackbeard. The pirate devil who now captained The Queen Anne’s Revenge. This was the pirate whose infamy Reaper needed at his side. At the site of Blackbeard’s ship, men would lay down their guns. Reaper wanted Edward “Blackbeard” Teach and The Queen Anne’s Revenge in his fleet. Reaper wanted to keep an eye on Blackbeard. Blink had delivered a prophecy to Reaper in regards to Blackbeard. Edward Teach was born with an ability. He was like Reaper, Asterion, Herne, and Davy Jones. This prophecy of prerecorded events stated that Blackbeard would be a dangerous superhuman if left unchecked. Before Reaper could encounter Blackbeard, he wanted name recognition to his own ship—the ship which, at this moment, he did not yet have.

  On route south to Cape Town, South Africa, The Wrath of Njord came across a man ‘o war. Only a few men were awake on deck. The rest were below resting. Reaper, using Herne’s ability to phase through solid matter, gained access to the captain’s quarters. There he assassinated the captain and proceeded to slit the throats of many other crew members. Deck hands, quarter masters, and the first mate all fell to Reaper’s silent blade. On deck, he wrung a bell and woke the remaining crew. Some woke to their dead superiors. Most failed to even get dressed all the way. They grabbed their guns and ran up top. The crew was greeted by Reaper standing in the shadows at the helm with his blood-dripping sword in his left hand and the dead captain in his right.

  “Your captain has fallen to my blade!” Reaper called out. “I claim this vessel as my own from this moment forward. Any who wish to challenge my rule or wish to swim away, be my guest. Be warned: my first mate and my crew are aboard my first ship with cannons trained on us. Who will serve under the Reaper as their captain?” A few moments passed by, and Reaper grew impatient. He tossed the captain over the edge of the ship and drew a pistol. He fired, killing a man. This prompted a fast reaction followed by a fast induction into the crew of Reaper’s new ship.

  Now with two ships, Reaper and Davy continued south toward Cape Town. There, Reaper’s new ship was granted its new name. [Reaper had already acquired a flag from his biggest fan and oldest friend, Blink. The flag was of the skull on Reaper’s scythe. Behind the skull was the scythe diagonally from the bottom right corner to the upper left. The actual blade being in the upper left partially behind the skull. All that was left was the name that would define them across the ocean. The fog in the evenings that the ship spent in the harbor and Reaper’s ghostly appearance frightened the locals. Rumor spread that the captain, the ghostly figure, was a Dutch man. Reaper took well to the locals’ name for his ship despite his Greek heritage.

  The Flying Dutchman was born.

  Chapter Twelve:

  The Revenge

  For the last half of the decade, Edward Teach—better known as Blackbeard—had been the ruthless captain of the infamous pirate ship The Queen Anne’s Revenge. Blackbeard was proud of hi
s status as the most ruthless pirate on the seven seas, but soon he began to hear tales of a crew of pirates that threatened to topple the kingdom he’d built. Finally, the rumors were impossible to ignore, and The Queen Anne’s Revenge set out to engage The Flying Dutchman.

  Word had reached Blackbeard’s ear that the hellish captain aboard the Flying Dutchman had been searching to gain an audience. Blackbeard wished to deliver that audience. It goes without saying that Blackbeard was surprised to see Reaper through his spyglass, waving a white flag from the tip of his blade. The Queen Anne’s Revenge came to a full stop port of the Flying Dutchman and starboard of the Wrath of Njord. A long plank was slid over from the Flying Dutchman to the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Men from both crews held the plank down as Blackbeard walked across.

  Blackbeard stepped down from the plank on deck of the Flying Dutchman. He was met by Reaper with a friendly hand extended. Blackbeard took the hand but barely shook it.

  “I suppose you have an agenda,” Blackbeard said.

  “There’s much I would like to discuss with you,” Reaper said. “Myself and the captain of that ship.” He gestured to the Wrath of Njord.

  “Will this be held on my ship, or one of yours?” Blackbeard asked.

  “If you would be so kind, I would like to do this on my ship. It would be a more comfortable environment,” Reaper said. He gestured toward the captain’s quarters.

  “How do you perceive your ship to be more accommodating?” Blackbeard asked.

  “I assure you, I will explain in private,” Reaper said, and directed Blackbeard to the captain’s quarters. Blackbeard turned to his crew.

  “If I’m not back in an hour, destroy their ships!” Blackbeard called.

  “This may take longer than an hour,” Reaper said.

  “Then after my crew sees me alive in less than an hour, we can continue,” Blackbeard said.

  “Very well, though I assure you, I have no plan to assassinate you,” Reaper said.

  “Of course not,” Blackbeard said with a smile. “I’d like to see you try, though.” He walked toward the captain’s quarters. Reaper leaned over to a member of his crew.