My intention of writing this story was to create a new universe where the boys are pirates (Seven Sea dogs Universe or SSU). When I was looking for a story about them on the seven seas I found that there wasn't one. So whenever you can't find something you make one, right? So here's a new universe where the boys are sea dogs. Hope you like it. This universe is open for anyone to use.
It was a dark night and the wind was high. The tide was out, but the waves were still crashing against cliff sides.
No one stayed outdoors at night. Everyone had heard whispers of what lurks in the dark.
The taverns were lit late in the night with men and women still up. It was loud with the sound of general laughter and cries of drunken people.
A woman wrapped up in a blanket to protect her from the chilling winds, stepped out of her house and looked around. She didn't see what was watching her walking in the dark before it was too late and she screamed.
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A scream coming from outside was almost muffled by the noise inside the tavern. Those who probably heard the scream, pretended they didn't, because they knew better than to go outside.
One solitary soul at the bar table lifted his head and cocked it slightly. He heard the scream again and he finished the drink that was in front of him. Setting the glass down, he turned around, his dark overcoat wiping around him as he made his way to the exit.
Some men would steal glances up before quickly turning their gazes back down to what they were doing.
The dark figure wore an eyepatch over one eye, his longish blonde hair was tousled with a couple of small braids hidden behind his ear.
He stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit the end, taking a long drag of it before exhaling. The smoke streaming out in front of him, making him look ominous. His footsteps loud as he stepped outside.
The wind whipped his coat violently, the smoke from his cigar getting lost in the breeze.
His cold steel eye scanned the area, looking for the source of the sound.
They caught a flicker of metal and his hand slowly moved to the butt of his pistol and looked up to what had caught his attention.
Sitting on the roof of a nearby building was a man, almost hidden in the shadows. The barrel of his gun was the only indication that he was there.
The man moved slightly so he was now visible in the light cast from the lonely street lamp.
He waited till he knew the man in black was definitely looking at him before he nodded his head in the direction the screams had came from.
The man in black nodded back and stepped off the boardwalk and followed to where the man on the roof had nodded in.
It lead into an alleyway that was almost empty except for four people. The dark figure could hear the sounds of a woman struggling and a few men whispering amongst themselves.
When they noticed him standing there, one of the three men grabbed the woman and pressed her against himself like a shield.
The other two men pulled out their guns, but before they could bring their weapons up to point them at the dark figure, they were shot down.
The dark figure let a smile creep at the corners of his mouth.
The man on the roof rested his gun back down and waited to see what would happen next.
"Get-" started the man holding the woman, but before he could finish his threat, the man in black whipped out his gun in a flash and shot him in the shoulder.
The impact of the bullet made the man lose grip on the woman and he stepped back.
The woman took that opportunity to escape while she had the chance, leaving her once capture resting against the building.
The injured kidnapper was grunting as he tried to keep his volume low.
The dark figure approached him and he backed away until he had nowhere to go and he was facing the man in black.
"Are ya the ones who've been kidnapping women and children?" he said in a low threatening tone.
"I was jest told what to do. I don't know nothing. I was told I'd get paid if I brought a woman and child to port at eleven." said the man in between heavy breaths.
"Who?"
"I don't know! I swear!"
The dark man pressed the wounded man's injury, making the man groan and squirm from underneath the pressure.
"Where do they take them?"
"I don't know!"
"Ya better start knowing, or yer arm won't be the only thing you'll be worried about."
"OKAY, okay." The man swallowed nervously, "They're taking them to Isla de los perdidos."
The dark figure frowned, "Why?"
"I don't know. I jest overheard them say it."
"Would you be able to recognize these men if ya saw 'em again."
"It was already dark out when they asked us. I was too drunk to take any notice of what they looked like or what they wore."
"Okay then." the man in black stepped back away from the kidnapper.
"You're going to let me go?"
"Yes." he pulled out his gun and shot the man in the chest.
The man's body dropped to ground with a thud.
The woman, who was for some reason still there, let out small gasp as she saw the man get shot.
The dark clothed man ignored her as he walked passed her.
She wouldn't be of much help to him so there was no reason to talk to her. He looked over to where the man on the roof had been, but the roof was now vacant.
He walked slowly back to his rented room and looked around for anyone who would be watching before going inside.
He wasn't fooled that those bodies would be discovered and that anyone who may have witnessed anything would have easily pinned their deaths on him.
It didn't bother him in the least. That was his life after all.
Setting his eyepatch down, he washed his face from any of the blood that had gotten on him and dried it before laying down in bed with one hand resting on his gun.
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Nothing the next morning surprised him when he woke up to the sound of men breaking in. He even smiled a little as her majesty's army pointed their guns at him.
Not even bothering to put up a fight, he rose his hands, the left sleeve sliding down a little to reveal the letter p branded on his wrist.
Some of the expressions on the men's faces made him smile as they became uncomfortable.
They dragged him down to the prison in handcuffs and threw him into a cell. The clatter of the iron doors shutting behind him.
Still he was unworried, in fact he wanted to know what they would try to do with him. The worse they could do was kill him and he wasn't afraid of death.
"So what now? We're going to do this dance where you try to hang me and I end up killing you. Because even though I don't fear death, that doesn't mean I'm going to go down easily."
The guard who was to watch him backed up to the wall and readjusted his grip on his rifle.
The dark figure smiled and sat down on the bed in the cell.
"Tell me when you finally got a spine."
About three hours passed before another person came down.
He could hear the footsteps echo down the hall as they approached.
The dark figure however didn't sit up when he was sure they were standing on the opposite side of the bars.
"I want a few minutes alone with Mr Larabee." came an older man's voice.
The dark figured closed his eyes and tried to see if he recognized the voice but it didn't sound familiar.
"Mr Christopher Larabee, I want to thank you for saving my daughter-in-law last night."
The dark figure, Chris, sat up from his bed.
"And from my current predicament, I see this is how you show your appreciation."
"Well even though you did save her, you did so while killing three men."
Chris stood up and walked to the cell bars, "And I have no regret in doing so. So are you going to hang me already or not?"
"I'm trying to determine if you're conspiring with them, or if you were indeed a hero. Either way, you shot those men before we could ask them for any information on the whereabouts of those who have been kidnapped."
Chris smiled, "What, now you don't believe ghost are responsible of the disappearances?"
The older man smiled back before he got serious again, "Before they tried to kidnap my daughter-in-law, they kidnapped my grandson."
"Well that's too bad, but that's life, right? They won't be coming back here. They only take one woman and child per port."
"They didn't get a woman." frowned the old man.
"Those men that I killed were only hired hands, paid to kidnap a woman and child. They could easily hire someone else to kidnap another woman. They're probably gone by now."
"Mary said they told you where they are taking them."
"They did didn't they." grinned Chris.
"Where?"
"Somewhere that can only be found by those who know where it is. Isla de los perdidos."
"How do we find it?"
"You don't. It's not something you can just find. Like I said, only those who know where it is already."
"And you just happen to know where it is, right?"
"If you're saying that I frequent that place, then no. People don't go there for the scenery. Most who go there don't return."
The old man rubbed his forehead in thought while Chris retired back to sitting on his bed.
He was waiting for the old man to leave so he could continue to plan his escape.
"What if I offer you a pardon to get you released and you go and get my grandson back with all the other kidnapped people."
"And why the hell would I be crazy enough to do anything for you. Save people who would gladly see me hanged." scoffed Chris, "Have her majesty's navy go after them. That is if they have grown a pair yet."
"I've heard the reports on you, Larabee."
Chris's frown deepened as he glared down at the ground.
"Once a sailor of her majesty's navy before you went rogue-"
"I did not go rogue." said Chris through gritted teeth. He sent the older man a glare and stormed back to the bars "If this is your plan to get me to do anything for you then you're sadly mistaken."
The older man smiled, satisfied that he had Chris's attention again. He found a chair in the corner of the room and brought it up to the bars before sitting down.
"Save these people, Mr Larabee, and your record will be wiped clean. You won't be a branded a pirate and you can go on living without having to look over your shoulder all the time."
"You can't remove a brand." huffed Chris.
"I will provide you with crew members and a ship to help you recover them."
"Fine, I'll do it, but I will bring my own men as well."
"Agreed." the old man got up and gave a smile before heading back upstairs.
Chris wondered if he had gotten fooled into doing a suicide mission.
Technically all he had to do was find some men and they could all kill the old man's men while they were out at sea and he could be scott free, but he also couldn't just ignore the fact that those innocent people could still be alive out there and he was the only one crazy enough to try and rescue them.
That also would prove a difficulty. Finding other people crazy enough to help him.
He was released and brought into a room that was simply decorated, with only a few personal belongings inside.
There was a desk in the middle of the room with two chairs facing the desk. On the other side of the desk was a larger chair with the old man sitting in it.
He was reading over some papers and didn't pay him any attention when he was escorted in.
Chris sat down and waited. While the man was reading, he looked around.
He saw a photo of man and a woman with a little boy. The woman was from the night before. She was smiling as she held her son and husband.
"Why doesn't your son go after his boy?" asked Chris.
"My son was killed at sea when pirates raided."
Chris rose an eyebrow, "Yet you're willing to work with a pirate?"
"I'm working with a man who has also lost his wife and son." said the old man as he handed over the papers he was reading.
Chris ignored the taunt and took the papers. They were signed by one Governor Travis.
"These documents state that you're working for me. After you bring back the kidnapped people you will be given your pardon."
Chris walked out with the papers tucked into his pocket.
He had went almost a full day without a drink and he really needed one. He was about to do something absolutely crazy.
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Inside the tavern he sat down at a table in the corner and poured himself a drink. He swallowed it down in one shot before pouring himself another.
Chris paused before setting the bottle down and pulled out another shot glass and filled it up. He pushed it to the other side of the table.
"You have a habit of trying to sneak up on people and it'll get ya in a wooden box real quick."
Something in the corner that was hidden in the shadows moved and the man from the roof the other day appeared. He sat down across from Chris and took the offered drink.
"People like you who have a formidable presence makes it easier for people like me to sneak about, and I use that to my advantage."
Now that Chris had a better view of the man, he could see that the man was in his mid-twenties. His long light brown hair was pulled into a ponytail. He was dressed simply with a shirt undone at the top and tan britches.
His gun, which was fastened to his waist and thigh by straps, was a musketoon.
Chris eyed the weapon with interest. It didn't look like a normal musketoon, but looked a little modified.
Two blue eyes traced down to what he was looking at.
"This is my baby." he patted it with almost reverence, "Made it myself. Took me months to get her to perfection."
"Musketoons don't shoot from long range." stated Chris.
"This one does. Made her that way for that purpose. Don't have to get so close if you can get 'em from a distance."
"Impressive."
The younger man nodded his thanks and refilled his glass.
There was a silence that fell between the two which was relaxing as both seemed to muddle over what was on their minds.
"So yesterday?" began the man, "Were they the ones kidnapping people?"
"The ones here. Seems like whoever is behind this is hiring people to kidnap victims and bring them to the port around eleven."
"Looks like we stopped them then." said the man as he threw his drink down his throat.
"Not quite. They still got a kid, and I have no doubt that they found a woman to replace the one we saved."
"Hell."
"I'm going after them." said Chris in a low voice as he played with his shot glass.
The man looked surprised, "Really? Why the sudden interest to help their kind?"
"I was asked to. Forcefully asked to rescue the kidnapped victims."
The young man frowned in contemplation, "You'll be needing a crew where you're headed. One pistol ain't going to do ya any good." he said finally.
Chris nodded.
"I'd be a fool to miss out."
"You'd be a fool to come along."
"Good thing I'm a fool then." the man said with a grin.
He held up his drink, "Vin Tanner."
Chris held up his, "Chris Larabee."
The two drank a few more rounds before Vin exhaled loudly, "So, do you even know where to find them?"
"I know where they are, yes. The trouble is always finding the damn place."
Chris took another and slower sip of his ale.
"Where's that?"
"Isla de los perdidos."
"Hell ya weren't kidding when ya said ya had to be a fool to go looking for them people."
Chris smiled.
"So where can we find people as crazy as us?" asked Vin.
A sudden noise from behind Chris made him look over his shoulder.
He didn't see where the noise had come from. The tavern was so loud he could have just imagined hearing something. A lad had glanced his way for a second before looking away quickly and go off somewhere. He couldn't have been anything but a hired hand around the tavern so Chris turned back around.
"I know a guy who'd probably say yes. We can visit him tomorrow. I heard that he was staying near this port."
"And a ship?"
Chris's features darkened a bit, "If it comes down to it we can steal one."
Vin raised his eyebrows, "Not such a do-gooder after all."
Chris frowned in confusion.
Vin pulled his sleeve up to reveal the same branded letter that Chris had on his wrist.
"And you're still willing to help save these people?" asked Chris.
"I'm not heartless." Vin chuckled, but it almost sounded a little too happy if that was possible.
Chris would have to watch Vin.
Yes, he was beginning to find his crazy lot.