Cheng I Sao and the Devil's Curse
"In 1208 they say a treasure was brought to sea on a crewless ship of solid gold. The treasure was like no other, greater than the greatest, and known as the Treasure of all Treasures. It was said that there was so much treasure that it could make even the richest men turn green with envy at the sight of it. The treasure carried what was called the Devil's Curse. It is said that if a man touched it with anything but solid gold gloves, he would forever be banished to The Fiery Grave. However, the ship's destination was unknown and the ship carrying the Treasure of all Treasures seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth," Commander Mason Tombs of the British Royal Navy read from his book titled Great Myths and Legends of the Sea. "That was over six centuries ago," said Tombs to nobody in particular. "Honestly, a ship of solid gold," Tombs muttered to himself, "I mean, could you come up with anything less believable."
Tombs didn't believe a word of it and was only reading to pass the time. Tombs and his crew aboard the Acid Rain had been searching for Cheng I Sao ever since reported sightings of her heading for the Caribbean over three months ago. So far they had not even seen the mast of one of her two thousand pirate sloops on the horizon.
Tombs pondered what it would be like to finally meet and fight the legendary pirate as he looked out upon the star covered Caribbean sky. "Oi, James what's our heading? James," yelled Tombs looking around "Curious" he thought, "he was right here when I was reading the story," muttered Tombs. "Mr. Nixon," he shouted. Then with a smirk he thought "Must have scared him, he's so gullible, right bloody fool."
Sure enough, James Nixon then stumbled up the stairs in a drunk fashion singing, "Drink up me hearties, yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me. As Nixon stumbled up onto the foredeck of the Acid Rain he started muttering the same thing over and over again "Of all the cursed souls, the Devil chose one soul and named him the guardian of the Treasure and captain of the solid gold ship." Nixon turned to Tombs and started slowly towards him, no longer stumbling like a drunken man. Tombs, now alarmed, stood up and started walking slowly backwards. He cursed himself for leaving his sword in his cabin.
"The man's name is Zateb Kaziem," said Nixon. As he said this, he slight figure became blurry around the edges with a slight greenish tinge. Suddenly his whole frame burst into a million shards of brilliant green light and reformed into a burly bare-chested African man.
Zateb Kaziem.
Kaziem drew his sword and advanced on Tombs. Tombs sprinted downstairs only to be stopped dead in his tracks. Kaziem was standing there with his sword drawn and bloodstains all over his sword, clothes and body. Tombs looked around and saw his entire crew of 283 men mindlessly slaughtered. Fury boiled up inside Tombs like the ocean when a ship sinks. He jumped down the last three stairs and punched at Kaziem only to have his hand go right through Kaziem's head. Kaziem laughed and swung his sword at Tombs head. Mason ducked at the last second and spun around Kaziem and sprinted into his cabin trying not to slip on the blood painted floors or trip over one of his murdered crew staring at him through lifeless eyes and screams of terror of their faces that would never be heard. He frantically searched for and located his sword. He dived for it, grabbed it, and slid under the table as Kaziem walked in to the room sliding his sword across his forefinger. Tombs heard him gasp in pain as he did that, but couldn't make anything of it now. Kaziem walked past and Tombs leaped out from under the desk. Kaziem, almost a foot taller than Mason, did a chop from above but Tombs was ready and did a parry, sidestepped around Zateb, flipped his sword so he was holding it like a dagger, and thrust it into Kaziem's back. Mason turned around to see Kaziem smiling an evil smile, completely unbothered by the fact that he had just been stabbed. Tombs' eyes grew large in their sockets and he ran back up the stairs only to see that he had been beaten there.
Kaziem launched his sword at Tombs catching him by surprise. Tombs flinched as the sword stuck itself into his arm. He ripped out the sword as the wound started bleeding. He raced to the railing and leaped overboard.
It was another beautiful day in the Caribbean aboard the Cutlass captained by none other than Cheng I Sao. After she had killed Blackbeard and destroyed the Black Interceptor the nine other pirates had wanted to duel her on a winner takes all basis. So she had been forced to sail to one of the other pirate's ships, kill the captain, take all the loot that was worth taking, gather around 300 more men, and then sink her.
So far she had repeated this process eight times and was on her way to destroy the Rock Solid and kill Roc Brasiliano. So far she had not even broke a sweat in any of her duels and doubted that this one would be an exception. Henry Morgan had been a lame fatso that took Cheng about five seconds to cut down, Captain Kidd fought like his name suggested, a small child, Jean Lafitte was far to stiff and easy to disengage which of course, Cheng did most efficiently, Stede Bonnet hopped on a horse he had stolen when raiding a rich farmers land, and was far to easy to duck and take down from behind, and L'Olonnais, just like he only had one name, he only had one trick. He would go for the legs and follow it up with a high strike in this odd spinning maneuver. Cheng merely stepped out of the way and let him leap overboard. Bart Roberts was all defense and backed himself into a closed door, could not bear to surrender and slit his own throat, Jack Rackham never moved and was as easy to hit as a ham on a rack, and Captain Torrents got so angry after just one taunt that he made his moves so big all Cheng had to do was stick out her sword and wait. She wondered if Brasiliano would be that easy to.
"Slow us up mates, we're coming up on the Rock Solid, don't want ta sink her before we get all the good stuff."
The Cutlass pulled up alongside the Rock Solid and Cheng and ten of her most trusted crewmen jumped over to the Rock Solid, swords drawn. "Where be the captain of this soon to be floating pile of flaming debris?" asked Cheng to a chorus of laughing from her crew.
"Still feisty is see," said a raspy voice, "Welcome aboard the Rock Cheng I Sao, my daughter.
Cheng's bright black eyes flashed in recognition as a man with red dreads, a scared face, rough hands and bright blue eyes stepped out of the shadows. Cheng wasn't going to give in that easy thought. "I you were my father," she said, "your name would be." "Lance Calbot," they said together.
When Cheng was young, she remembered he father, Lance Calbot, now known as Roc Brasiliano, saying that he was going on a trip and would be back in two months. Days passed after the time when Calbot was to be back. Days turned into weeks, weeks to months, and months to years. Finally, two years after he was supposed to be back, they pronounced him dead. Cheng's mother was heartbroken after that, and now here he was, on the same ship as Cheng under the name of Roc Brasiliano as the second most notorious pirate in the Caribbean.
"Well, I came here to duel ye, so let's get on with it," said Cheng.
"I had no intensions of dueling you child," said Brasiliano-Calbot.
"But you asked, didn't ya father."
"I merely wanted to get you on board the Rock so we could speak."
"Sinks like a rock too?"
"You wouldn't kill your own father."
"Watch me."
"I'm sorry if I hurt you and your mother by leaving."
"Hurt my mother?" Cheng laughed dryly, she couldn't stand the loss, shot herself on the spot."
"I don't want it to end this way."
"Why, ya scared?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Good, then die!"
Cheng leapt at Calbot with her sword drawn and hate in her eyes. Calbot stepped aside at the last second and Cheng's sword sunk into the railing. Calbot chopped at the back of her neck but Cheng ducked it, yanked her saber out of the railing and attacked him with a crazed look on her face. She pushed him back against the ships edge. She went for the head in a blow that would have knocked him over but he spun out of the way. Calbot got behind Cheng, feinted for the legs and then redirected to the body forcing her to fall backwards as she swept her sword up. Cheng's legs hit the rail on the side of the ship and she flipped overboard, catching the
rail by one hand.
Cheng's eyes dilated in fear at first she saw her sword splash into the ocean and then narrowed in anger as she remembered that this was the man who killed her mother and. She was not going to die. Calbot would pay for his crimes in blood. As Calbot stood over Cheng preparing to cut off her hand she grabbed on with her other hand. When he raised his sword over his head, Cheng flung herself onto the ship feet first. She kicked Calbot at the base of his spine as she grabbed his sword. He flew overboard, but just like Cheng managed to grab on. Cheng immediately flipped the sword over so it was facing and shoved it down, right through the top of Calbot's head. She dropped the sword and watched as it, still in Calbot's head fell into the Caribbean Sea, creating a red spot in the blue-green paradise.
As the wind rushed passed him, he thought that if he made it out of this alive he would not go back to the British Islands. He would go to Tortuga or one of the other pirate ruled islands and seek a ship and crew. He would never have to answer to anyone but himself and wouldn't have to put his life on the line unless he chose to. That would be true freedom.
Tombs splashed into the water and then pulled his head above the surface. He looked at the sunrise and then up at Kaziem. Kaziem cursed and started to turn around. Then as if just remembering something, he turned around and started to mutter something that Tombs couldn't understand. Kaziem burst into a million shards of brilliant green light just as Nixon had but this time he didn't reform, he just disappeared. Tombs turned away and started to swim.
After an hour or so of swimming something that was to bright to look at for long periods of time caught his attention. It was coming steadily closer and it soon became clear that it was a ship, a ship of solid gold. At the helm, was a burly bare-chested African man. "Ah, Commander Tombs, need a lift?"
By some invisible force, Tombs was flung out of the water and on to the deck of the solid gold ship.
"Welcome aboard the Devil's Curse,"said Kaziem. Kaziem grabbed some rope and tied Tombs' wrists and feet. Kaziem stood up, grinned at Tombs, and then gripped his head. "Time to go Mr. Tombs. Someone is reading about our ship."
"Get everything off this ship lads," shouted Cheng. She pointed at one of Calbot's crewmen, "Show me where your captain's quarters are." The man turned and walked up the stairs where Calbot had come from and through a door Cheng had not noticed before. "This is it?" she asked. The man nodded. The room was completely empty except for a desk with a lone book on it titled Great Myths and Legends of the Sea. Cheng picked it up and read "In 1208 they say a treasure was brought to sea on a crewless ship of solid gold. The treasure was like no other, greater than the greatest, and known as the Treasure of all Treasures. It was said that there was so much treasure that it could make even the richest men turn green with envy at the sight of it. The treasure carried what was called the Devil's Curse. It is said that if a man touched it with anything but solid gold gloves, he would forever be banished to The Fiery Grave. However, the ship's destination was unknown and the ship carrying the Treasure of all Treasures seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth." She wondered what it all meant and why this was the only book Calbot had. She tucked the book into her belt and walked out onto the deck.
She looked out into the sunrise and saw a ship. It was unmistakable. The solid gold ship was here.
Mason Tombs looked out at the horizon and saw the Cutlass Cheng I Sao's widely feared pirate sloop next to another ship called the Rock Solid. Kaziem had found Cheng I Sao in just a few days, when Tombs had failed to find her in many months. They sailed right past the Cutlass and up alongside the Rock Solid. Kaziem leaped over onto the Rock Solid and shouted, "Of all the cursed souls, the Devil chose one soul and named him the guardian of the Treasure and captain of the solid gold ship. The man's name is Zateb Kaziem. That'd be me." Kaziem drew his sword and went at Cheng I Sao. Cheng stepped around him and grabbed two swords off the deck and attacked. Kaziem turned slowly around ass Cheng was chopping at him. Kaziem did not even flinch as Cheng's two swords went through him again and again.
Tombs finally made sense of what he had seen on the Acid Rain. "Cheng I Sao," he called, "his own sword is the only weapon that hurts him. Use it, Cheng I Sao. Use it." Kaziem jumped over Cheng and stabbed him in the heart. The last thing Mason Tombs ever saw was Cheng I Sao not at him with a smile on her beautiful face.
Cheng I Sao watched as the solid gold ship pulled alongside the Rock Solid and a burly bare-chested African man leaped over onto the ship. "Of all the cursed souls, the Devil chose one soul and named him the guardian of the Treasure and captain of the solid gold ship. The man's name is Zateb Kaziem. That'd be me," said the man known as Zateb Kaziem.
He drew his sword and came at Cheng. She stepped out of the way and picked up two swords that were on the deck. Cheng charged at Kaziem doing a flurry maneuver with her swords. A normal man would have been chopped into pieces but Kaziem wasn't a normal man. On every swing she made the swords would just pass right through him. As Kaziem turned slowly around she heard a man shout, "Cheng I Sao his own sword is the only weapon that hurts him. Use it, Cheng I Sao. Use it."
Upon hearing this Kaziem leaped over Cheng and stabbed a man in a British Navy uniform. She nodded at him and smiled, "Thank you lad," she said. Kaziem spun around and ran at Cheng. She ducked and struck at the grip of Kaziem's sword with both of hers, knocking it out of his hands. She picked it up and chopped of his head but he kept on running. He turned around and Cheng hurled the sword into his chest. Zeteb Kaziem sank to the deck, never to rise again.
She smiled grimly and muttered to herself, "Welcome to a day in the life of Cheng I Sao."
To be continued…