Rebecca PorterSoulbreaker's Curse
It was a rough night at the Salty Sailor. Small brawls were breaking out, gamblers could clearly be seen cheating, and drunken pirates were singing some old pub song.
"We're rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves... Drink up me hearties, yo ho... We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs...
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"
In one of the corners of the tavern, four pirates could be seen drinking rum, and playing a game of Liar's Dice.
"I'll bet four threes," said Rowdy Jed, first mate of the ship, The Soulbreaker.
"Liar!" yelled one of the other pirates.
Jed grinned slyly, and revealed four threes. The pirate got up cursing, and left the game, throwing some coin on the table. Irish Beck, Captain of The Soulbreaker, picked them up idly, and said "Your turn, Cutty."
Cutty, crewman of Posideon's Insanity, grinned nervously and cast his dice. He peeked at them and said, "Five Sixes." The man was sweating.
"Liar!", Captain Beck yelled truimphantly, standing up. The man revealed two fives. "Now hand it overly," she said sternly.
Cutty muttered something obscene. Jed rose and drew his sword at once, said dangerously, "Care to say that a little louder, yeh bilge rat?"
"Careful now," Irish Beck said, accent more pronounced, as it did when she was high-strung.
The Insanity crewman grumbled, and handed over a worn-looking map. "Good," Beck said, "Jed, I think its high-time we got the ship up and running and get outta this hellhole." She used the harsh word affectionately as though, it were more then that.
Irish Beck strode over to the bar and strode towards several of men sitting there, who immediately brightened upon seeing their beloved captain.
--
Beck stood over the front of her ship with her hat tipped over her eyes. The morning was warm and calm. The loud yells of crew mates behind her ruined the trance she was in, but Captien Irish Beck didn't mind. She leaned against the railing, resting her hands on the ship's figurehead. Rowdy Jed hopped on the railing of the bow, placing his elbows on his knees.
"Cap'n..We've run out of food rations."
"I though we restocked at Port Royale!"
"Well, yeh see Cap'n, we left in a hurry yesterday..." his sentence trailed off.
Irish Beck turned to Jed, "Wheres the nearest port?"
"Krovesport, Ma'am." Jed said, peering over the newly recieved map from the bar one night before.
"Jed, dont call me 'ma'am', savvy?" Jed looked up with an odd face.
"Sorry,cap'n." "Put the sails up. We're heading to Krovesport."
"Aye aye,cap'n."
Jed yelled at the crew mates, "Pull the anchors up!"
Almost a split second past when half the crew rushed to get the anchor. Maniac Malcolm yelled from the crow's nest, "Ship in view, Cap'n!"
"Colours?"
"British!"
"Let down the sails! Quickly, now! Head 'round that bend, to give 'em the slip! Then head towards Krovesport! Move, sailors!" Beck yelled loudly. Jed repeated the orders.
The ship begin to move in the eastern direction at a faily fast speed. No ship could keep up with the Soul Breaker. It was Irish Beck's choice to pull back,and complety destory the ship that was following. She loved to see the sight of an enemy's flag burn before her eyes.
By high noon, the port was in view. Around a few miles away, it would take an hour to get there. Irish Beck stood on the side of the ship, peering into the water below.
"Uhh..Cap'n?" Rowdy Jed said in an eager voice, "I think the map we won last night might take us to a chest or treasure, its kinda far away...But I'm not made for keepin' the bloody gallows happy... I can't read the final part of the map."
She nodded. Booty was good. Especially if they got to plunder it from innocent spectators. All sails ahead then.
"We're gonna need to pick us up..."
Irish Beck raised her hand in Jed's direction, "Sorry. I mean, KIDNAP a navigator,savvy?"
"Aye..We'll find one in the port."
Irish Beck looked in the direction of the port. She smiled with a twinkle in her eye. "Pillage and plunder. Don't give a hoot." She said, putting her hat over her eyes again, whispering to herself, "Drink up me hearties,yo ho,yo ho.."
Beck eventually got the rest of the crew singing along, of course, since it was her favourite song.
We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack
Drink up me hearties, yo ho
Maraud and embezzle and even high-jack
Drink up me hearties yo ho...
--
Arriving at the port was an easy task, the port being full of all sorts of shifty people. How on earth were they to find and kidnap a navigator, since they were difficult to find. While Jed, Beck and Cannonball Kyle (he was for protection) searched for a navigator, the crew was staying at another tavern, The Gilded Rose.
"I bet it'll take 'em a day to find one," said John Redeye.
"Nay, less then that! 2 hours!," hollered Sickly Bob.
"Care to wager on that?" John said eagerly.
As the pirates drew forth their coins, another crewmen came before them with an angry fellow, being threatened by gunpoint.
"I say!," yelled the man, "What is the meaning of this mess?!"
Charlie grinned at John and Bob, "We gots us a nav'gator. He was looking at some ships, trying ter see what one would give 'im passage someplace."
The pirates all smiled. It was time to find the rest of their crew.
"This is mad! Not one blasted navigator we can bloody kidnap!" Beck was seriously fustrated.
"Now Cap'n... maybe we jus' need some rest..den.." Jed faltered.
Cannonball Kyle said viciously, "I'll track one down for yeh, Cap'n! Even if it takes me all afternoon and all nigh'!"
Beck smiled slightly, "Thanks Kyle..but-"
"Captain!," It was John, "Captain! Guess what we found us!"
Kyle looked confused. "You found yourselves? Huh?"
Charlie smacked him on his head, "No stupid! We found us a navigator! A fancy, proper one too!"
Beck grinned. "And what be the name of this here navigator?"
The man drew himself up proudly, "Mathieu Cl-"
Jed stopped him, "Mathieu? You need a new name, mate." He shook his head.
Mathieu scowled. "How 'bout McMatt?" Bob said brightly. Mathieu looked at him in utter horror.
Beck said, "Thats perfect! Now you lot get yourselves back on the ship, get McMatt settled in with his instruments and stuff, while Jed, Kyle and I get supplies. Savvy?"
The crew nodded, and John prodded the newfound navigator forward with his sword.
--
Back on the ship, the crew was sitting in a circle drinking rum, dancing jigs, and singing, while McMatt sat on the sidelines, looking highly uncomfortable. John still sat near him, hand always near a weapon.
Beck, Jed and Kyle, who hadn't yet boarded the ship heard them singing.
You had best close your eyes when we sit down to eat
For manners are lost on a pirating fleet
We gobble our grub, slurp our grog from a jar
And when we are finished we'll ARR ARR ARR ARR
There's a patch on me eye and there's stripes on me shirt
We're surrounded by water and still we find dirt
Our hats have three corners they're triangular
We wear them while singing our ARR ARR ARR ARR
Beck laughed heartily as she and the other two came on the ship. "A round over here,eh?" Richie, the cabin boy, brought the three weary pirates some rum. Beck walked over to where McMatt was sitting forlorning on a box.
"Ahoy there! Don't look so glum, lad! Being a pirate is fun!"
The crew looked up. That was a verse similar to one of their other favourite songs!
Yar har, fiddle dee dee, being a pirate is alright with me!
Do what you want 'cuz a pirate is free!
You are a pirate!
McMatt looked disgusted and said, "I'd rather not, thanks."
Jed looked at him, "You sure gots nice manners, mate."
"Now boys," Beck grinned, "Play nice. I'm not in the mood for nasty comments."
McMatt asked, "And if I did insult someone...?"
"Yeh'd be spending all tonight and the morrow in the gallows with no food, scallywag!" Beck said, annoyed with this man.
She turned around, and went to her crew's circle, long brown hair, which was tied in a ponytail, swaying behind her.
Jed grinned, swiping at his black hair out of his eyes, "Don't get her angry, mate. If you're not careful she'll throw yeh outta the crow's nest and into the sea. Ye scrappy swab."
McMatt was shocked. "Her? But she's a lady! She shouldn't be doing such things, much less pirating, why I'd wager-"
Jed cut him off with a sword placed at his throat, "Now don't be insultin' the captain. She a very capable woman, far better pirate then some men I seen."
McMatt pushed the sword away, and stalked off in disgust.
--
"Awake, ye lazy sea dog!" Kyle yelled into the ear of McMatt, dumping a bucket of dirty water on him.
McMatt started yelling too, "What in blazes was that for?!"
Kyle grinned roguishly, "Cap'n said yeh ought teh be up at crack o' dawn, jus' like the rest of us!"
"Well, I'm not obeying some low-down, lady pirate who-"
Kyle dumped another bucket upon the unfortunate fellow. "Captain said you'd say that!"
He jumped out of the way as McMatt swung his fist at him. Kyle's grin never vanished. He kicked McMatt in the gut, then kneed his face. McMatt fell to the floor.
"Now what be all this racket?" It was the captain herself.
Kyle dusted himself off, and bowed dramaticaly. "Jus' followin' orders, ma'am."
"WHAT have I TOLD you all about callin' me MA'AM?!"
Kyle scampered up the stairs, yelling as the tip of her sword nicked his bottom. "And you.." she said, helping McMatt up, "Ye crazy landlubber.. the man was jus' followin orders! I ought teh have the nine tails brought on you!"
"You use whips?" McMatt was terrified.
She laughed at the expression on his face, "Nay lad, I be fooling yeh. Now key-haul yerself on deck, I got work for you to do." She walked upstairs without another word.
McMatt sighed. How the hell was he going to get out of this?
--
TBC