His story is one we do not discuss, he's always been very secretive about his own pain…after all, he's the Captain, he behaves in other manners…and though some of us know details about his former life, it is merely from whispers and hints that we were ab
The story I am about to tell you is one which we do not discuss openly, a secret that we keep out of respect for our leader…he's always been very secretive about his own pain…after all, he's the Captain of this vessel, he has to command a certain amount of respect and though some of us know details about his life, it is merely from what is whispered that we are able to piece the tapestry of his past, until Mr. Schmidt was kind enough to share it with me.
His real name is James Matthew Maynard, though that has been lost in the annals of time, nowadays he goes by the moniker that his misfortune has brought him. Born in August of 1690 in London, England to a British Admiral and a noble woman; apparently he came from one of the wealthiest and most respected families in the entire Kingdom.
As an only child, his mother and father gave him every luxury that they could imagine, but this did not lead to the young boy becoming spoiled, for they also taught him the value of hard work, humility and honor which would stay with him even through the darkest times of his life.
It's been said that, from the moment he was five year old he decided he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, the young Maynard dreamed of joining the navy and traveling all over the world vanquishing pirates and writing wrongs, he dreamed of commanding a massive ship, armed to the teeth and saving the lives of poor colonists…it was his desire to serve the his Majesty much like the Commodore had done.
He attended the finest schools in the country excelling in all his studies and physical activities, for even at the young age of seventeen, the young James Maynard stood well over 6'9 and was a muscular mountain of a boy…yet quite agile for his size, he took pride in his strength and speed as well as his keen mind which brought him many a victories in his school years.
Upon graduating from a Eton College, James enlisted into the Royal Navy and, being the son of a respected and famed Admiral, was instantly given the rank of Lieutenant…something which the other sailors did not see with very happy eyes, as they thought of him as an inexperienced and snobbish aristocrat who would only serve because of who his father was. However, James was not one to let himself be intimidated easily, he would have to work twice as hard to prove himself to his new crew, to show them that he deserved bear the rank which had been given to him …and that is exactly what he did.
As a member of the crew of a ship named The Relentless, Lieutenant Maynard became the scourge of the pirate world, he was known throughout the Navy as their greatest swordsman and gun man. He was quite intimidating…being as tall as he was, as strong , his jet black hair was usually pulled back neatly in a pony tail, he had a perfectly trimmed goatee that gave him a stern look. He trained himself to be a perfect warrior in every sense of the word; they told of a time in which the Lieutenant took on eight, dread pirates by himself and managed to defeat them all using nothing but his bare hands.
As time passed, James became known as one of the most skilled officers in the entire whole of the Royal Navy, there was no conflict in which he would not take part, usually being at the very center of all the engagements against dreaded Pirates; the future Captain never once retreated, they said that he fought valiantly against thirteen opponents at once.
It was due to his attitude and bravado that he quickly climbed the ranks of the Royal Navy. James was considered to be the archetype of what a naval officer should be, brave, fearless, honorable and skilled in combat; the Lieutenant had even managed to take command after his own Captain failed to act.
He was promoted the rank of Captain in a fantastic ceremony where everyone, even the lowliest of sailors, attended happily. The entire crew felt relieved that the new Captain of the Relentless was such an honorable and brave man that treated everyone fairly…even the ones who scrubbed the deck knew that they would be treated like gentlemen aboard this ship.
It was in this fantastic party that the new Captain Maynard was introduced to his future wife, Lady Elizabeth McLeod, a beautiful young woman from a very prominent Scottish family. The woman was beyond gorgeous; she had soft, porcelain skin, long, strawberry blonde hair which cascaded over her back, a pair of bright green eyes and a pretty smile which never left the Captain once the two of them made eye contact.
The day of his wedding was almost a national holiday, there stood James in Westminster Abbey, dressed in his finest uniform, as happy as one could be, and filled with hope and joy, the two families came in union to form a new one; the entire crew of the Relentless were there to celebrate with their leader who was now a famous national hero that was bringing and end to piracy.
Their married life was almost out of a fairytale, they say that these were the times in which James was most happy, they moved into a beautiful home in the city, close enough for the Captain to be on duty as fast as he could. Not long after the wedding came their first born, a beautiful baby boy which they named David, a few years later they were blessed again with the arrival of a daughter whom they named Lilly.
Life was good for Captain Maynard, he had everything he had always wanted, an impeccable career in the Royal Navy, he was a respected officer admired by all, the love of a beautiful woman and two precious children that were his pride and joy; however, his happiness would be short lived compared to the years of sorrow that would follow after one fateful night in which everything was taken from him almost instantly.
They had kissed the children good night and retired for the evening, Elizabeth and James lay asleep in their bed when the sound of glass breaking and faint steps awoke the powerhouse of a man; he assumed that the children had broke something so he calmly rose from his bed and walked towards the nursery…he was halfway through the hall when he heard the sounds of muffled screams, his blood ran cold, there was a chill of fear down his spine at the mere thought of someone being there with his young.
Elizabeth ran towards James carrying his weapons. Armed with his sword and pistol he hurried into the nursery, he busted through the door expecting to find a criminal…and yet, with all his experience, all the things he had seen…nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to lay eyes on.
The room was dimly lit and yet he could see that figure standing on the threshold of the window, what seemed to be a boy of about twelve years old with piercing green eyes, messy blonde hair and dressed in odd clothes, he had Lilly slung over his left shoulder as little David struggled on the ground trying to pry the kid's right hand from his throat.
The Captain was stood there for a moment in terror; he didn't know how to react until the voice of his daughter cried out for help "Daddy! Save me!!" her frightened voice pierced deeply into the soul of her father who came back to his senses and gritted his teeth in anger; the boy however merely smiled back in a malicious manner
-"You're not invited to the game"-
Spoke the assailant.
Finally out of the shock, the proud Captain took aim at the boy's head and unloaded the contents of his pistol mercilessly, yet the target was never reached, but something deflected the bullet…a teeny tiny light that fluttered around his enemy like a firefly.
James, sword in hand, demanded the boy demon release his children, yet the child, who didn't seem to be much older than David, merely laughed as if mocking the great sailor, he then took a step back and launched himself out of the window much to the surprise of the two parents who quickly ran towards the window only to see the child rising to the sky with their son and daughter still in his grasp.
"Daddy, save me!" uttered Lilly as she was carried away by the fiendish creature; James could not stand for this, the desperation and fear of losing his family was now all too real. He quickly climbed to the roof of his home and watched as the creature taunted him by spinning in mid air as if asking for him to follow.
A mad race began as the Captain raced from rooftop to rooftop, using his superb agility and strength to try and keep up with the children; the chase pushed his abnormal strength and dexterity to the limits as Captain Maynard did the impossible to follow that menace all throughout the city.
The demon boy grew tired of this game and changed directions, starting to fly upwards carrying both Lilly and David with him, the firefly still fluttered around him like a homing device, it was because of that light that the Navy officer managed to follow them. He stood on a roof nearby without knowing what to do; there was no chance he could leap that far away, time was running out…he had to act.
"Fight me you coward!!
Roared the thundering voice of the brave sailor as he screamed at the top of his lungs, only then did the child stop his ascent, as if the insult James had uttered in his direction had burned him straight to the core. His emerald eyes flashed furiously with anger, he frowned and gritted his teeth while hovering down towards the Captain's direction.
He slowly descended, his boots touched the surface of the roof in where his now enemy stood. James was tired and nervous, his right hand gripped tightly at the hilt of his sword that he would use to hack this demonic child to pieces. He took a deep breath, gave a step forward while raising his hand and pointing the tip of his sword towards the boy in green who stood just a few feet away.
"Release them, this is your last warning, creature; or I will have your head"
The boy laughed out loud, dropped the Maynard children to the ground where almost instantly, the firefly engulfed them in a burst of golden dust that seemed to keep them from moving away from it and escaping.
-"Father…help us"- Said David as he coughed and rubbed his neck while Lilly held him in her tiny arms
James's eyes were filled with rage and fear as the boy calmly unsheathed a pair of short swords which were attached around his back which looked like the ones the ancient Romans used to carry…gladius they called them. However these were beautifully crafted and possessed odd markings in the middle of the blade. The boy gave a courteous nod to the Captain who roared into battle with all the determination a father would feel at this moment; he had to save his children, they were counting on him…he'd battled enemies for so long, this should not be any different…now it was the moment to fight harder than before.
The two of them became a veritable whirlwind of steel as both of their weapons clashed over and over again, James had never fought an opponent like this before, all of his years, all of his skills and experience where failing him as this child's handling of his weapons was as good as he had ever seem.
He parried and deflected all of the blows unleashed by the angry father with such mastery and ease that it became frustrating; the kid dueled with a smile on his face, he ducked, evaded and stopped every attack, while he himself made James step back a few times and even drew small, precise cuts on the sailor's arms to taunt him.
The boy was faster and stronger than anyone James had ever met, truly this creature could not be anything but a demon from hell; he was even powerful enough to push a man, who is well over 6'7 and strong as an ox , out of his way with but a single hand.
James felt his strength failing him; every shot was a miss, every single blow,
kick or tackle was evaded with a grace he had never encountered, he was losing the most important fight of his life, he was failing his children who now cried tears of sorrow for their father, his spirit was willing but his body was weary now…and then, he felt a burning and numbing pain as the hilt of the boy's sword smashed against his face with such force that it sent him flying backwards about six feet.
Captain Maynard landed on the ground with a loud, crashing sound that would have awoken anyone inside the building in which they fought, yet no one came out to investigate; it seemed as if everyone ignored them.
The green-clad boy stood over him and smiled in a manner that James would never forget, it was filled with arrogance and mischief.
-"You lose, old man…now stay down, the game's over"- Said the boy with a giggling voice
The child turned his back on the fallen man and began to walk away from him and towards his children and the firefly; he spun his swords in his hands in a display of showmanship and sheathed the blades. He was too sure of himself, the confidence of youth made him incredibly arrogant…James could pick up his blade and strike him in the back, it was not the most honorable thing to do but it was the only recourse left, he had to save his children, to hell with honor.
Captain Maynard moved quicker than a man of his size could ever hope to do, he picked up his sword from the ground in his right hand and rose to his feet in a second; blade in hand, he lifted his arm and aimed to cut off this young demon's head, but before he could even react, the child spun around, his own swords drawn once more, and sliced James' right hand clean off at the wrist.
The sailor fell to his knees in pain grasping at his chopped limb, only to be struck the head with the blunt end of the boy's sword, sending him to the cold, blood soaked ground; Still, the Captain tried his hardest to get back up only to be knocked down again by a swift kick to the face, one of many that followed as the demon boy struck him over and over breaking his jaw, his arms, legs and ribs, the sickening sound of bones cracking echoed through the night…he did not stop until James was left a mass of blood and flesh soaking on the ground.
-"The game is over."-
The sound of bells chiming filled the rooftop, for a moment, James drifted in and out of consciousness and thought that it came from the firefly…but that would be impossible.
-"I suppose he does need to eat, alright…I'll take the hand and feed it to him when we get there"- Said the child
James passed out to the sounds of his children begging and screaming, crying for their father's well being, the damage and the loss of blood would be enough to kill any other man, but not James Maynard and while eventually his mind did drift away into nothingness, he still claimed that he could hear the voices of David and Lilly…yet there was nothing more to do, he had lost his children.
A week later, the Captain awoke in a hospital bed, badly injured…but healing, he would be alright except for the fact that the doctors could do nothing about his missing right hand. Elizabeth was by his side, but gone were the smile and the beautiful face, instead replaced by a woman consumed by grief; she had been crying all night and barely spoke to her husband.
The entire city's high society was in an uproar over the missing children, police, army and navy were dispatched all over to look for the Maynard siblings while the two parents retreated to their empty home in London to try and cope with their loss…however it was tearing them apart..
As the days passed and the hope died, the investigation ceased, the search did as well and with that the case was closed. The city returned to its usual beat forgetting any trace of the two lost children and leaving two lives completely broken, James and his wife were never the same
The sadness consumed Elizabeth who had stopped eating, would cry for hours and hours and refused to see anyone; she stopped looking at her husband, secretly blaming him for being unable to rescue their young, and, in an act of madness, wanting to be with her children, hung herself in the nursery to end her sorrows.
Captain Maynard was completely destroyed, he quit the Royal Navy and left England without telling anyone of his destination or motivation…yet it was said that he was consumed by hatred for this demon and wished to know more about it.
His travels taught him many things, he studied the lore quite a bit, he also became greatly skilled with his left hand in the art of swordsmanship…better than he had ever been with the right. He honed his body into a weapon, how many places he visited? No one really knows, but the once proud Captain was replaced by a fierce warrior; he also donned a menacing hook on his right hand which gave him an even more frightening look.
Through the stories that people told and the fables all across Europe that he studied, James learned that what had happened to him had also happened to many other families all across the lands, and had been going on for centuries. There were legends of children being taken from their parents by a, flying child going back to the 10th century…something which he did not thought to be possible.
He followed the tales and the reports, always staying on the trail of this creature, yet never being there quickly enough to save the children, however through these travels he found little about the actual boy, no one knew where he came from or where he went.
Eventually, his journey brought him to a place called Prussia. It was inside an old, musky tavern, after failing to find the creature and save a local child from the clutches of the demon boy, as he had started to call him, that James met an old German alchemist by the name of Hans von Schmidt, who shared with him the truth about the demonic child and offered him a way to chase him to his home land; old man Schmidt had also been slighted by this creature and wanted revenge as much as the Captain….what was more important, it finally gave James Maynard a name for this boy...Pan.