The darkness was suffocatingly thick, the positively dreadful combination of humidity and frigid air. The unsettling feeling that they were unassuming, unsuspecting fly walking straight into the spider's parlor. With El Toro's bravado and Bonnie Anne's critical eye it seemed that it would be a cakewalk to get to Marco Pollo's ship as the ship was conveniently unguarded. The Pirate walking through the throng of stalagmites and precariously dangling stalactites of Blood's lair she couldn't help but feel suspicious of the blatant emptiness almost as if someone was daring them to get the piece of the elusive map.
Readjusting the staff in her hands the Pirate Captain contemplated the different scenarios racing and raging inside her mind. The stale yet muggy air, the soaked yet dry rough tangible cave walls, the omniscient present in the back of her mind that someone was waiting at the end of the dynamite exploded path. The commentary between her faithful companions, the constant chatter soothing her nerves as her magic flared around looking for the source of the unsettling, unpleasant feeling of paranoia. When all she felt was the beating hearts of her living companions and the familiar pulse of magic from both Bones Mcgee and Old Scratch the befuddlement was unexplainable. When the crew followed their fearless leader into the jaws of El Tiburon the witch doctor couldn't stop the relief she felt when the Santa Oro was in view.
The dilapidating bridge that seemed to be barely strong enough for the captain as the rotten, termite infested wood creaked and groaned under the light footfalls of her, before she was grabbed by the back of her dirt worn black coat and pulled back onto solid ground as collapsing part of the bridge fell into the murky, muddled water. Bright hazel eyes locking with the glossy, milky white eyes of Bat Masterson as she collided with her back against a solid, lean, firm chest. When she turned to him head cocked to the side as they surveyed the rapidly deteriorating bridge.
Bat's arms were placed calmly in his pants pockets as the gold star of office glistened in the dim lighting of the hat firmly in place on his head that covered his ebony black hair, as he tilted it down to cover his eyes. The high cheek bones and slightly crooked nose do to too many fist fights that went wrong, and a strong jaw. The ashen white skin of his face and his aversion to the sun weren't that shocking considering his species. The slight glimpse of fang when he spoke generally put people off of but his spookiness couldn't match the captains unnatural spookiness when the dead are at her command.
"You should watch your step little pirate the wood is old and weak see? You need to be more careful Rylee, we don't want to be left without a fearless leader, that would be terribly cruel of you." The flash of fang in a half smile as he casually pulled out a packet of cigarettes and lit one up, the dampness not seeming to bother him. The easy gracefulness that Bat just seemed to exude even while he was tearing out the throats of the countless enemies that Rylee seemed to generate just by existing, was something awe inspiring to the quiet witch doctor.
Nodding and carefully extracting herself from the solid lukewarm hold, Rylee inspected the area trying to find the best way to get her crew across before sighing and turning towards her entourage. "It looks as if we are going to have to go single file through here, unless any of you fancy a swim?" The chuckles that escaped from her crew drew a smile onto the wanted pirates face. "Alright, Bat's Bonnie and Toro are coming with me, just in case this is a trap I want the rest of you at the ship to make sure we have an easy exit. Lets not have a repeat of Monquista." With confirming nods of agreement the crew separated. With the watchful eyes of a certain vampire and fox, Rylee's group of compatriots wandered through the rickety, crumbling bridge. 'Almost there, and if luck is on my side this time, we just need to get in then out before the metal men brigade shows up.' As soon as the piece of Marco Polo's map was in her possession and attempted to leave that is when all Hell broke loose.
Lady Luck seemed to be on an extended vacation to wizard city, because as soon as the Rylee and her crew of misfits made it to the intangible Santa Oro the feeling of revulsion and contempt wrapped around her like a lovers embrace, the foreign dark emotions that rarely seemed to converge with each other in her person as the metallicity dulcet tones of the only metal man to be able to successfully catch her graced the stage with his overwhelming and overbearing ego.
"Ah, Pirate it seems that I was right about you. You were an unimaginable asset to Kane's plans. Its a shame that your usefulness has come to an end the 'end of the line' I believe thats how the human phrase goes." As Deacon continued to spout his superiority to the faction of pirates, Rylee was gathering her magic and cocooning it around her group, making sure that they would be given better chances at dodging and landing some of their best hits. "But I suppose you do deserve some sort of reward Pirate, So I will make you death quick and relatively painless."
Just like that the fight of and for their lives began against the Armada's Spymaster. The first wave of mechanical monsters were demolished quickly. Then Deacon summoned more of the deadly monstrosities. The battle wore on as one by one her companions fell and the feelings of hopelessness, dread, and fear started to consume Rylee. The shots that Deacon fired burning through her brown dirt worn leather trenchcoat and the extra two layers of shirts, as it burned her arms causing blisters and bleeding. The inescapable pain filled the young witch doctor as the metal men closed in on her and Deacon readied another shot.
The time on the battlefield seemed to slow to a stop as Rylee looked at her fallen companions and dug as deep as she could to bring forth the power to take out Deacon once and for all. The deeper she dug the more elusive the power became, the need to survive, the need to not become like her parents, the need to not survive but to really truly Live, the need to be free. This time when Rylee dug the power that was like a string that was dangling just out of your grasp was caught, and with it her chance at freedom.
The air around and in Blood's Lair changed and instead of fearing death like she always had, Rylee accepted that it was now and forever a permanent fixture for her. Her one constant in the changing tides. As Rylee pulled the power from her very soul and shot it straight at Deacon in a last ditch attempt to actually destroy that malicious, viciously sadistic scrap of metal. And as she let go of all of the magic that she built up she let it rip from her causing the dimness of the cave to light up with and astoundingly bright light. Rylee let out an ungodly scream as she felt her life slip slowly away, the fierceness in which she held onto that one string that was left. The feeling of a tsunami ripping through her as she collapsed onto the wooden planks of the dock. Shaking and feeling like she ripped out her very soul her eyes closed as she saw the pitch black robe of Death before the darkness consumed her.
Death watched leisurely as the battle unfolded before his eyes as he watched the quiet witch doctor battle against the not alive but not quite dead machine. It was an entertaining fight he had to admit but when her companions started to fall, especially that vampire who has eluded his grasp for a while as it would seem, she started to pull from her very soul. A dangerous and ambitious undertaking for someone so young (even though she must have been around seventeen, she was still considered an infant by his standards).
As he watched seeing through the blindingness of her soul being revealed onto this mortal plane he couldn't help but notice how her soul didn't mutilate Deacon like he thought it would instead it seemed to remake his as a portion of her soul was transferred into the metallic body but also to the vampire as well. Interesting very interesting.
Death moved from his perch on the cliff overlooking the battle and glided down to the pirate. With her soul no longer in her full possession he could reap her and it would fill his quota for the month, but on the other hand she was fighting very hard to keep the rest of her soul intact. That and it had been a rather long time since someone with that much skill and power had the ability to actually give something a piece of their soul in fact the last one he could think of was so far in the past it might just be his shoddy memory acting up.
Death sighed and took out a coin before he gazed at pirate who was lying face first on the wooden planks.
"Heads I reap your soul, Tails you keep it and provide me with some damn good entertainment pirate. Do you agree?" The only response was soft feather light breathing. "That wasn't a no so it's good."
The only sound that filled the room was the soft breathing and a coin slinging through the stale, tense air. Anticipation rising, the flipping coin reaching its zenith as gravity returned it to Death's boney hand.
The coin lands heads side up in Deaths open palm.
Death looked at the coin before looking back at the pirate a sly smile reaching across his face.
"Looks like you win pirate, I should leave you with at least one parting gift don't you think?" As Death said this he gently moved the pirate so that she was no longer stuck with her head on the ground, but cradled in death's arms as he dropped his head and kissed her on her cheek. As he pulled away the skin on her arms began to heal and her breathing strengthened. "My kiss should keep you around long enough for you to decide what you want to do with your new soulmates, but lets not make things too easy for you." With a snap of his skeletal fingers Deacon was consumed by shadows as Death contemplated where he should leave the poor new soul. 'Maybe in Marleybone, or better yet Skull Island. God knows that she's not stopping in Monquista. So many options so little time.'
Without so much of a backwards glance to the pirate Death disappeared into the dark shadows of the cave to reap the souls of those unfortunate enough to cross him.
As he hummed a distant memory the sound resonating throughout Rylee's mind as she woke, but with a distinct chill in her very bones that echoed Death's melody. The feeling of emptiness resting in her soul as she turned to assess what happened surprisingly all of her crew members were alive and hopefully well. She turned her hazel eyes towards where Deacon should have been only to find him gone a feeling of dread swept through her small frame as she stood and walked over to where he was last the only thing left was his mask. Praying to any and all gods that she could think of that the bastard was dead and gone. The groaning from behind her alerted Rylee to her crew waking up.
Rylee turned towards the first person to wake, Bats, The pull to be near him was a strange new feeling that was ….odd. Rylee brushed the feeling off and turned moved gently towards him conscious of his wounds that were slowly healing. Placing a hand on his cheek as he stirred from a restless slumber when Bats eyes opened he looked at Rylee for a few moments before pushing himself up so he was still leaning into Rylee's hand while sitting up.
"Did you beat the hell out of them when we were down?"
Rylee paused and looked at Bats, biting her lip as she contemplated telling him about the strange power surge that she felt. Thats when she felt a large hand caress her cheek and turn it towards Masterson. "What happened?" Bats accent coming off as a reassuring roll that just made Rylee feel at home and at ease.
Instead of replying Rylee let out a soft smile "We need to head to Skull Island there is something that I need to talk to Vadima about. Its probably nothing but it never hurts to be careful right?" With that Rylee pushed off of the ground and offered a hand to Bats as she gestured towards Bonnie and El Toro. "We should probably help them, I doubt that when they wake they'll be happy to know that they missed Deacon being dismantled. Besides we got another boat! How can one not be stoked about that."
As the captain continued with her idle chitchat while giving Toro and Bonnie Health potions to wake them up. If the glare Bonnie Anne gave their captain her enthusiasm was undesirable to put it lightly. Things continued as such until the rest of the crew came down to see what happened with the congratulating and relief that the Spymaster was no more the group of pirates traveled to Skull Island to await Captain Avery and his ideas to get into Mooshu. Bats Masterson however couldn't shake the feeling that his captain wasn't telling them everything that happened in the fight with Deacon.