A/N: I can't stress this enough: my characters are not animals. They are humans. Don't ask me why i put my story in this category. I felt like it. Please review. I like reviews more than I love taffy. And I'm a man that enjoys his taffy. MMMMMM! TAFFY!!!
The Tale of Romsca the Corsair
Episode 1: In the Wake of the Red Ship
Chapter 1
This story takes places in the times of pirates and corsairs, these men of the seas bound to the fate of their ship. This story, however, is about the unfortunate tale of a man named Romsca who did not want to be a corsair but wanted to be a peacemaker. This is his tale...
Romsca was not a wealthy man, nor was he strong but he was wise. He had come from the South Seas, away from the slavers who had imprisoned his family. His family and he had escaped, stolen a ship and made their way to the frigid north. He had not known that it would be this cold but he settled near the coastline and decided that this would be their home. There was abundant fish and small forage bushes dotted the caves that littered the coast. He liked it.
Chapter 2
Romsca and his clan, which numbered three hundred, had lived in the caves for over two years when Romsca decided to go search for saplings he could uproot and replant near his home. He went with his companion, a man named Lief, searching for berry bushes. What he returned to, however, was a scene of carnage. Bodies littered the shore and blood swirled in the shallow water. He ran up to an injured man and asked him what happened. 'Pirates... a whole boatload of them... we didn't stand a chance... A female... whirling... saber... kept screaming... Sagitar, Sagitar... slew the entire clan... ahhhhhhh...'
The man then rolled his head on Romsca's lap and his eyes clouded over in death. Romsca then said, 'I will have revenge... I will find my clan's murderer and avenge them!'
Chapter 3
Romsca passed the next few months in solitude, only coming to the cave that housed fifty people; the pitiful remains of the pirate attack. He found a cave of his own and passed his time crafting weapons: bows, arrows, spears, clubs and throwing javelins. After months of waiting for his friend to snap out of his torpor, Lief finally snapped. 'That's it! I'm not going to stand here watching my friend going slowly insane with rage! I'm going to talk to him!'
Lief stormed into Romsca's cave. Spears, bows, clubs and javelins lined the walls and Romsca was sharpening an arrow on an oilstone. 'Romsca, please, let our clan help you. When a ship comes, we will be ready.'
Romsca slowly turned around and said 'I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time. I'll be glad of the help!'
From now on, Romsca began acting like a true Chieftain, instructing his clan in the building and use of weapons.
Chapter 4
Captain Rasconza was in a bad mood. His ship was holed near the waterline and his mast was snapped. He had been searching for a suitable cove to beach and repair his ship. He was about to snap when the awaited message rang out 'Land ho!' screamed the watchman. 'Finally, somewhere to beach ole beauty and fix this ole tub good 'an proper!'
Romsca was watching the slow moving ship with great attention. 'Romsca, that ship is coming awful close to my liking!' said Lief. 'It's coming just close enough for us to take it. I want to find that bad excuse for a bilge rat that murdered my family! Muster the soldiers!'
Lief ran as fast as he could and sounded the alarm. Three dozen soldiers armed with bow and arrows and a spear appeared in front of Romsca. He issued orders to Lief, his captain, to post them in the cliffs and to ready their arrows. That's when the ship landed.
Dozens of corsairs with menacing faces and fearsome weapons poured out of the damaged ship yelling battle cries. Suddenly, the front lines collapsed, their bodies propped up with many arrows. Capt. Rasconza realized that this was not going to be an easy prey so he ordered a charge. This was a mistake.
With spears longer that any sword, the small resistance pushed back the pirates in the shallows and slaughtered them. Romsca ordered the weapons piled and the bodies burned. He then picked a two-handed battleaxe from a dead corsair's hand and said 'I like this weapon! I think I'll claim it!'
He unbuckled the cross belt full of knives from a bloodied chest and looped it around himself. Lief unsheathed a long rapier from a corsair that didn't have the chance to use it and stuck it in his belt. He then pointed to the boat.
'Well, this is a fine lump of rotting wood if I ever saw one but with our combined efforts, we can make her shipshape again!'
Chapter 5
For the next months, the clan worked on the ship and packed any extra food on the ship for the voyage. Romsca was ever vigilant for any damage on the boat and pointed out any imperfection. 'Tighten those riggings, furl that sail, put some more caulking on that hull!'
After weeks of ardent work, the ship was finally ready to undertake its journey. Many people started shouting. 'She should have a name!' 'I say she should be named Revenge because that is the point of our journey!'
That day, the gallant Revenge was put to sea. The thirty men on board waved good-bye to the rest of the clan still onshore. 'I vote that we start a ships log!' screamed one of the crew. It was then that the ship's log was established.
Chapter 6
After a few days out at sea, a storm blew in. 'Storm ho' screamed out Romsca. The helmsman turned the wheel portside but it was too late. CRASH! All heard the sickening noise. 'Cap'n, we've lost the rudder!' screamed out Lief. 'Blast, we'll have to beach her for repairs!' said Romsca. After the storm blew out, the crew pulled out the oars and rowed for a small island they had spotted earlier. They had run her into the shallows of the island and started to pull her onto the beach.
'Lief and I will go search for a suitable piece of wood for the rudder' said Romsca. They had already started walking when they heard it. WALAHYAHOOOOOOOO!!! They froze momentarily and then Romsca noticed a cloud of dust rising from over the treetops. The sight that awaited him stunned him. A huge mob of native pirates that were marooned here was charging towards them. Thinking quickly, Romsca pulled a javelin from the strap on his back and hurled it, taking out the front-runner. The corsair stopped in is tracks, staring, with an expression on his face that resembled surprise, at the javelin that seemed to be growing out of his middle. Romsca and Lief started to run towards the ship and make a stand. Romsca shouted help to the crew and they popped out with spears and swords they had plundered from their last corsair attack. Romsca led the charge, his huge axe hewing and cleaving, sending a large circle of death around him. Lief was skillfully wielding his rapier, its darting point spreading death to whomever it touched. After a long and hard-fought battle, the pirates had overrun the small ship and were establishing camp on it!
Chapter 7
Romsca, Lief and their last dozen men were waiting for nightfall to strike. 'This is the plan', Romsca said. 'These scum will probably have a few sentries around. Lief and I will take care of those', he said, licking the blade of his favorite knife. 'Then, Guja and his troop will surprise the pirates, they'll probably been unarmed', he said after seeing the worried look on Guja's face. 'Romsca, I'm not so sure about th...' 'Listen, do you want our ship back, do you want that the lives of our crew forfeited? Well, I DON'T! We strike in a few hours!' And with that the plan was sealed, and the crew was going to retake the ship!
Chapter 8
Romsca stole across the shore in company of Lief in the dead of night. Like a true assassin, Romsca locked one of the sentry's windpipes with his arm and slid his dagger between his ribs. Lief did the same thing to the other sentry. Romsca called Guja's force over and they swarmed over the ship. The unarmed corsairs were easy prey to the crew's weapons and the ship was back again in the hands of their rightful owners.
Chapter 9
The ship was making full sail towards an island they had sighted. A huge ship was moored there. 'This must be Sagitar's island', Romsca said. As they approached the island and dropped the anchor, they noticed the silence but there was something strange about this silent. It was unnatural. 'You can't even hear any bir...Ack!' one of the crew said before collapsing on the deck with an arrow in his throat followed by a ceaseless hail of arrows. 'Everybody, get down!' Romsca screamed. A huge fort was on the island and corsairs were sniping from it. The crew jumped from the boat and leaped behind a rock. 'Corsairs don't wear armour', Romsca said, 'this should be easy.' Grabbing one of the crewmember's bow and quiver, he coolly notched his arrow on the bowstring and pulled the bow full stretch and let the arrow fly. Everybody saw the corsair tumbling from the wall top with an arrow in his forehead. 'Right twixt' the eyes, they never come back after that.' The hail of arrows stopped as abruptly as it started. 'Come on you lily-livered bad excuses for idiots! Are you scared or just too stupid to move?' Nothing came so the crew ran madly to the fort doors and broke down the wooden doors. They flooded in the fort and broke into the keep. There, literally hundreds of slaves looked up quizzically at them. 'My name is Windred', one of the slaves said, 'Are you friend to us of foes?' 'We are friends', Lief said. 'Arm yourselves from our ship moored inside the cove. Search the armory and pick the weapon that suits you best and come help us. If you do, you will be free!' While the slaves ran to their ship the crew ran through the castle in search of the pirates. 'I don't think they're here.' whispered Lief. 'Don't worry, we'll find them.' 'Shhhh!' whispered Romsca. 'Can you hear that?' 'It sounds like walking, a lot of people walking!' Romsca slowly drew a dagger from his cross belt and waited. 'Wait for it, wait for it, NOW!' He whipped a dagger in the direction of the walking and was rewarded by an agonized scream. 'They are coming...'
Chapter 10
'Barricade yourselves into this room' Romsca said, pointing to the dining hall. The crew ran helter-skelter into the room and locked the huge oaken doors. They heard voices from outside. 'They're in 'ere, the scum who slew ole' Ripfang. Get 'em!' The door was being battered down! 'Well, I never thought it would end like this but let's give an end worth remembering!' Romsca shouted. The door was starting to splinter. ' All spearmen, form into ranks in front of the archers. All swordsmen, rally to me and Lief.' Romsca commanded. The crew did what it was told and waited. Suddenly, the door broke down and dozens of corsairs poured in, screaming and cursing in colorful language. 'Let's go!' The crew charged, impaling many corsairs on the long spears. 'Archers, fire!' Ten shafts flew in between the spearmen and cut down ten corsairs. 'Swordsmen, CHARGE!' Romsca, Lief and the rest of the crew charged and tried to hold their position. 'How are you doing?' Romsca asked Leif as he was hewing the arm of a screaming corsair. 'Not bad.' He responded as he ran a pirate through with his narrow rapier. 'We are going to be in need of reinforcements soon.' Seeing one of the crew swarmed over by corsairs, Lief was inclined to agree. Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang across the room. The slaves were coming!
Chapter 11
Windred, the slave chieftain they had freed earlier, was hewing her way to Romsca with a hatchet in each hand. 'Well, we found your boat and its armory and, well, you see the result' she said grinning. Her men were swarming over the bigger and more experienced corsairs, two slaves distracting him, one backstabbing him. It was working. In short time, the corsairs who weren't slain fled to the roof of the fortress. 'Get them!' The crew-slaves melee flooded on the roof and what awaited them was grizzly. A huge assortment of corsairs and pirates waited, their lethal weapons gleaming in the sunlight. Sagitar, the pirate captain was waiting behind them, whirling her heavy saber. 'Charge! Get the evil one!' The result was like two huge waves crashing into each other. Romsca charged into the mass, his large battleaxe making huge gaps in the pirate ranks. His eyes were afire with battle mist.
Lief was closely following him, his long rapier causing many casualties in the corsairs but Romsca was the one they feared and hated the most. Windred had already gone through a small line of pirates and what Romsca saw next was burned into his memory forever. Sagitar had slashed through a slave, lifted Windred's hatchet and ran her through, laughing through the whole time. 'Raaaaah!!!' Romsca charged through his corsairs, dispatched with them quickly and made for Sagitar. She was waiting. She slashed through Romsca's axe haft, breaking her blade at the same time. Both of the fighters were unarmed. Romsca found a mace and chain gripped in the hands of a lifeless slave and started to whirl it until it was nothing but a blur. He then let it fly at Sagitar, striking her in the face, killing her before she touched the ground. When they saw their leader dead, the remaining corsairs dropped their weapons. The battle was over. Lief had lost two fingers to a skilled swordsman and there was but fifty slaves and crewmembers altogether. The corsairs had twice as less numbers. Lief approached Romsca and asked what they should do. 'Toss this worthless thing in the ocean', he said, pointing to Sagitar's lifeless corpse, 'she doesn't deserve a decent burial. As for us, we're going home!' Home, that word that meant so much to the slaves that many started sobbing.
Chapter 12
The Revenge was making full sail to the northlands. There was but a few hours until they would arrive. A short service was held in the cabin for the people who were slain in battle. Romsca intoned a small prayer:
To all that were slain in battle,
We owe you many things.
Like gratitude and prayer
But also many wings
For you have saved the day
So we will do once more
Stop violence and grief
And have no more war
To the unnamed slaves I say
Your names we do no know
But we are proud to call you
HERO
Everybody left the cabin with thoughts of their own until they saw a blur of land in the horizon. 'Land hooooo!' Romsca sprinted up to deck and peered hard. 'Yes, it's land! Everybody, prepare to drop anchor in a few minutes.'
After the unmanning of the rowboats, the crew ran to see the clan but only silence welcomed them. Romsca ran to the main cave entrance and read a charcoal and vegetable dye message that was scrawled on the wall:
We have gone to seek a better home. Hope you can follow our traces and find us. When you come back, we will never be seen here again.
The clan
'They've gone to seek a better home. They tell us to follow them' Romsca screamed to the nervous crew. 'Then we shall follow them' Lief said. 'If they want us to, then we shall. We will live to see our families once again.'
To be continued...