Far off in the spiral, tucked away in a far corner of the realms, there is a land of bears and wolves. A land where only the strongest can survive, and the weak are left to die. Many have attempted to survive in this barbaric wasteland, but have found themselves bested by the unforgiving winter and the dangers that lurk in every shadow. However, there was one outsider who made a name for themselves for surviving in this deadly land. A young girl... A Pirate. One who would grow to become one of the greatest pirates ever.
…..
It was a rare treat when the bears came into the spiral to trade, but when they did, everyone was there to get their goods. Everyone from the Rats of Skull Island to the Dogs of Marlybone and everyone in between. One by one, large bears and wolves got off of their massive ships, carrying armfuls of goods and barrels of food.
And at the rear of the group, was a human girl, no older than 18. She was dressed in layers of furs with rough moccasins that looked like they were made from the feet of wildclaws. Her long black hair was long and wild, and her red eyes had a feral gleam to them. As she followed the bears and wolves, everyone stared at her, having never seen something like her before.
"Who is that?" a redcoat dog asked.
"That iz ze adopted daughter of ze clan leader." A monkey dressed in blue commodore threads replied. "Nobody knowz her real name, only zat she vaz found floating in a dinghy as a child."
The redcoat let out a whistle.
"To have survived with the bears for so long, she must be pretty strong." The redcoat replied.
Almost as if to prove him right, the girl hoisted a large barrel over her shoulder, as well as another, carrying them like her furry family. The redcoat stared as a man with a long white beard and an eye patch smiled.
"Strong indeed." he commented softly.
The girl walked away from the group, following the bears. However, a cry for help drew her attention. She turned to see an old woman on the ground, surrounded by the remains of a fruit cart. Solders were marching past her, having obviously shoved her and her cart out of the way. The woman was trying to gather the fruit from the ground, only to have it, as well as her fingers, smashed by the soldiers.
"Hey!" she called out, trying to get their attention. The soldiers kept marching on, ignoring her.
"HEY!" she shouted again. Once again, she was ignored. In anger, she took one of the barrels and chucked it. It shattered upon impact, knocking down a few soldiers and dousing them in what appeared to be salted fish. The entire platoon of soldiers stopped moving.
"I said HEY!" she yelled, her thick grizzelheim accent showing in her voice.. "Listen when someone is talking to ye, ye stupid-"
The soldiers turned to face her, revealing plain white masks for faces, no visible eyes. The girl froze in place, her eyes widening.
"-clockworks…" she said quietly. "Maggots…"
"You have attacked officers of the Armada." A clockwork with golden trimming on his mask said. "Surrender and submit for disciplinary action."
The girl looked nervously left, then right, then back at the soldiers. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes.
"How about….. NO!"
She turns and bolts down an alleyway, seemingly disappearing.
"After her." The clockwork officer ordered.
The soldiers quickly followed behind her. As they did, one of the bears began to chuckle.
"Heh… Those walking scrap heaps have no idea who they are dealing with."
The monkey and the long bearded man walked up.
"Who exactly iz that girl?" the monkey asked as he watched the girl vault over a wall and around a corner.
"Our tribe has many a name for her." The bear explained. "Some of our people call her Raven Hair… Some call her the Hairless Wolf... And others call her Wild Girl. However, her true name, the name that I pray that these clockworks will come to fear… Is Evelyn."
The white bearded man perked up, as well as the monkey.
"Evelyn?" the white bearded man asked.
"Yes." The bear said with a smile. "Evelyn Teach."
It was at that moment that the girl appeared on a nearby rooftop, leaping down in front of the group.
"Sorry Bjorn. I need te borrow dis."
She took Bjorn's spear from him, and quickly spun around. She let out a loud battle cry and ran at the clockworks who were rounding the corner. The entire group watched as she single-handedly attacked the armada troops. The bears were all cheering for their adopted kin, as well as almost everyone else in the group. However, unseen to the large group, a single clockwork, dressed in a black coat with a tricorn hat stood at the rear of the fray, watching with interest.
"So... this is the pirate we seek. She must not be allowed to interfere."
He pulled out a pistol, aiming at Evelyn and fired. Luckily, she turned at the last second, so instead of delivering a fatal blow, she was instead grazed along her left eye. She let out a blood curdling scream and fell to the ground, clutching her face. Blood poured through her fingers. The bears growled menacingly raising their weapons in anger.
"Those fiends!" one shouted. "They put out 'er eye!"
"Dirty cheats!"
The clockworks surrounded the girl, picking her up and dragging her away. As the bears gathered, threatening war and destruction to every clockwork, the monkey and the white bearded man looked at each other. They spoke not a word, but simply nodded and walked off, a plan forming in their heads.
…..
Evelyn was tossed unceremoniously into a holding cell, the door closing with a loud clatter. She slowly sat up, her face throbbing painfully.
"Blasted tin cans…" she hissed through the pain.
She fumbled around for the straps that held her moccasins on her feet and quickly unwrapped one. She then took the thick piece of hide she used to tie her hair back and folded it up. She placed it over her eye, gritting her teeth as she did so. She then began to wrap the strap around her head, forming a make-shift eye patch.
"GAH!" she shouted as she tied the final knot. "BLOODY 'ELL THAT 'URT!"
She banged her fist against the metal walls of the cell in pain until finally, it died down into a dull throb. Once that was done, she leaned against the wall of her cell. She took a deep breath and sighed. She'd always hated clockworks. They'd taken everything from her. And now, she was at their mercy, which she knew from experience that they had little of.
"I don't know why I bothered te patch myself up." She thought. "I'm just gonna die once they find out who I am."
She closed her remaining eye and tried to sleep.
"At least I'll be with mum an' dad again…"
...
As usual, she dreamed of That Night. It had been just like any other night. Her parents, famous pirates who were leaders of the resistance against the Clockwork Armada, were sailing by night in search of a famous treasure. Evelyn was seven at the time, and just learning how to sail. Her mother had promised to let her steer once they exited the stormgate into the next land. However, they never got the chance.
A HUGE armada ship was waiting for them. They had been discovered, and now they were being attacked. Desperate to save her, Evelyn's parents quickly put her in a dinghy, setting it out into the spiral. Evelyn watched in helpless horror as her parent's ship was blown to bits, killing everyone on board. Their dead bodies floated aimlessly in the spiral, and Evelyn, a helpless orphan, could do nothing but watch.
She had spent many days and nights in that dinghy, floating in the endless reaches of the spiral, until she finally drifted into the land of Grizzleheim. The bears, surprised she had lasted so long on her own, took her in and raised her as their own. Though glad to have such a wonderful family, she still longed for her birth parents... and for the home she once knew.
..
A sudden explosion pulled Evelyn from her dream and back into the land of reality. She stood up quickly, looking around to find the source of the explosion.
"What in the name of-"
Another explosion quickly jarred her off her feet. That explosion was followed by what sounded like gunfire, and loud footsteps aboard, more frantic and random than a clockwork's. There were actual people on board.
"Someone's taking the ship?" she wondered. "Is it my kin? No... They don't use cannons... or guns... So who...?"
Suddenly, she hears a strange hissing sound coming from the door down to the brig.
"GET DOWN!" a voice shouted. "She's gonna blow!"
There was one more loud explosion that shook the entire ship, knocking Evelyn back off her feet. She heard those same erratic footsteps approaching her.
"It's one of these prisoners!" the same voice shouted. "Check the ones down there monkey!"
"I am on it." Another voice with a thick polarian accent said. Suddenly, a monkey dressed in blue commodore regalia, the same monkey from the market place, walked right in front of her cell.
"Boochbeard!" he called. "I think I found her!"
The large man with a wild white beard, a red captain's coat, and an eye patch, approached the cell.
"Hmmm." He said. "It's hard to say Mr. Gandry…. You in there, yer standin' on me blindside. Are ye boy or girl?"
Evelyn stood up and dusted herself off.
"I'm a girl, thank ye very much."
"What's yer name?" he asked.
"Evelyn." She said, straightening a bit. "Evelyn Teach."
Mr. Gandry jumped up into the air.
"I told you!" he said happily. "She is the one!"
"That she is."
Boochbeard leaned on the door and smiled down at Evelyn.
"Been lookin' fer ye for a long time now. glad we finally managed to catch wind of ya."
"Can ve get out of here first, zen exchange pleasantries?" Mr. Gandry asked.
"Right." Boochbeard said. "Let's get ye out of this confounded cell. There's piratin' to be done."
He went over and pulled the lever to open her cell. However, it opened only a crack, then stopped. Evelyn went over and tried to pull the door open manually. Boochbeard also tried to as well. However, it wouldn't budge.
"She's…. err…. Jammed." Evelyn said with a grunt.
"The bulkhead's bent!" Boochbeard shouted in frustration.
"Vell now vat are we supposed to do?" Mr. Gandry groaned.
However, an explosion behind Evelyn made all three of them jump. She turned to see the wall of her cell was now gone.
"That works!" she said. "I'll run around and meet back up to you."
She took off through the hole, and went to turn the corner. As she did, she saw a bull ronin locked in a cell, trying to keep an oncoming fire away from him. She immediately looked around for a lever to open his cell. Once located, Evelyn ran over and yanked it up, opening the door.
"QUICKLY!" she shouted. "COME ON!"
The Ronin looked at the now open door, and at the girl frantically gesturing for him to come on. He ran out of the cell, just as his cell erupted into flames. He fell forward as Evelyn came over to help him up. He looked at the burning wreckage of his cell, then over at his savior.
"Thank you." He said breathlessly.
"Any enemy of the Armada is a friend of mine." She said. "I'm Evelyn."
"I am Kobe Yojimbo." He replied. "And now, I owe you my life."
He got down on one knee and bowed.
"Take me with you, and I will serve you with honor."
Evelyn smiled, then a distant explosion reminded her of her current situation.
"Come on Kobe. Let's get off this blasted ship."
Kobe got to his feet and the two ran down the hallway towards Boochbeard and Mr. Gandry. They saw the young pirate, and sighed in relief.
"What took ye so long?!" Boochbeard yelled. "Let's get off this ship before we get blown to bits!"
The four immediately ran up the stairs, and out onto the deck of the burning Erebus. However, before they could get away, that same clockwork dressed in black robes and a black tricorn hat stopped them.
"That's the guy who took my eye!"
"Boochbeard!" it shouted. "Trying to steal my prize, you ruffian?"
"Deacon…" Boochbeard growled.
"Deacon?" Evelyn asked.
"The Spymaster of the Armada…" Mr. Gandry explained.
"We're in trouble aren't we?" She said nervously.
"Mechanical fiend!" Kobe shouted. "You shall rue the day you put me in chains!"
"I think not." Deacon said. "The prisoner must not be allowed to escape! Take them!"
Deacon raised his arm, then pointed at the four. Suddenly, three clockworks jumped down and landed in front of the group. They appeared to be female, with large wings.
"BATTLE ANGELS!" Mr. Gandry shouted. "The Armada's elite warriors!"
"Indeed." Deacon said, his tone surprisingly smug for a robot. "It is high time you buffoons learned who it is you are trifling with."
"Trifle with this!"
Evelyn jumped forward, getting in close to one of the battle angels. Knowing that she was weaponless, Kobe grabbed her spear from the wall.
"EVELYN! CATCH!"
He tossed the spear and Evelyn caught it. In quick motion, she jabbed the end into the Battle Angel's stomach, then spun it at her head. Finally, she jumped in the air, bringing it down on her head. This move had brought down many enemies before, but they had been of flesh and blood, not clockwork.
"Uh-oh."
The angel flapped her wings, and jumped into the air, where she took her pistol, shooting Evelyn several times.
"GAH!"
She fell to her knees, gasping for air.
"Damn sparkthrowers." She hissed.
She struggled to her feet, gripping her staff. She took another spin at the wounded angel. With a lucky shot, she managed to knock its head off, but the other two angels were quick to surround her. However, someone quickly came to her rescue.
"Time to even the odds!"
Kobe suddenly lept into the fray, kicking one of the remaining angels. He knocked it away from her, swinging his sword to block its attempts to attack him. Evelyn smiled, then turned to the third angel.
"Alright. Kid gloves are off."
Gripping her spear tightly, she quickly lept up, sticking her staff right down into the gap between the mask and the body of the angel. With a quick stab and a twist, the angel was down. As hers went down, so did Kobe's. She looked to see its armor sliced through, its innards sparking wildly.
"Nice job Kobe." She said. "You're full of surprises."
"Thank you… Captain."
"Not so fast!" Deacon shouted. "Do you think you can defy the might of the armada?!"
He took his walking stick and tapped a hidden button at his feet. A panel opened and five HUGE clockworks came out. Each held a large cannon, aimed straight at the four pirates.
"Vha… vhat are those?!" Mr. Gandry asked, terror obvious in his voice.
"Surrender." Deacon ordered. "Don't make me destroy you."
Evelyn slowly backed away, Kobe as well. Mr. Gandry also did, but Boochbeard just chuckled.
"Don't bother…" he said. "LADS! FIRE!"
He shot up a flare, and almost instantly, the deck holding the five monstrosities exploded, taking the things with them.
"Nice one!" Evelyn shouted.
"It appears I underestimated you, Miss Teach." Deacon said. "You have powerful friends, but not even they can protect you for long."
"Well then, I guess I better get strong enough where I won't need protecting!"
"How humorous. Enjoy your freedom…. While you can."
Suddenly, Deacon pulled out a pistol, aiming it directly at a set of crates right in front of Boochbeard. He fired and the crates exploded, sending Boochbeard flying back.
"BOOCHBEARD!" Evelyn shouted.
The three ran over to help the Captain to his feet, as Deacon vanished into the fire.
"Damnit…." Boochbeard cursed. "That blast nearly did me in. I can barely see."
"We need to get him onto the ship." Gandry said. "Miss. Teach. You'll have to take the helm. I am too small for such a large wheel."
"Yes sir!"
Kobe aided Mr. Gandry in leading Boochbeard safely back to the ship as Evelyn got to the helm. As she steered the ship away from the sinking Erebus, as well as its entourage, Evelyn smiled, happy to be free once more.
"Thanks for the save." She said. "I'm almost positive that they would have killed me."
"And me as well." Kobe added.
"Do not mention it." Mr. Gandry said. "Your parents saved our lives more times than ve can count. It is the least ve can do."
Evelyn's head shot towards her two rescuers. She felt a pang of something course through her at the mention of her parents.
"You… you knew my parents?"
"Of course we did." Boochbeard said. "We are part of the resistance, same as yer folks."
Evelyn was shocked.
"That's why you reacted to my name…"
"Yep." Boochbeard "Yer famous. Like I said, we'd been lookin' for ya for a long time now. When we saw you in that market place, we knew we'd finally found you."
"That's why we attacked the Erebus." Gandry said. "To save you… and give you a chance to make history. To find out what really happened to your parents."
Evelyn thought about that. A chance to find out more about her parents, find out the truth behind the armada. It was everything she'd wanted. She looked over at Kobe.
"You said you'd follow me," She said. "But I can understand if you don't wish to be a pirate. I won't hold it against you."
Kobe came over and placed his hand on Evelyn's shoulder.
"I said I would follow you anywhere." He replied. "and I meant it."
Evelyn smiled brightly, then turned to Boochbeard.
"Alright." She said. "Now where we start?"