Chapter 1: The Cutlass

Mezola's heart beat heavily in her chest as she ran across the deck, jumping over loose ropes and splintered wooden planks. One of the many cannonballs flew by, missing her head by a few inches. Everybody around her was screaming, but she could only hear half of it as her right ear was ringing from the many explosions. What started as a small fire was now engulfing the entire upper deck, forcing crewmembers to leap over the edge, taking a plunge in the freezing water. A storm generated howling waves, slamming into the ship now and then. Before she engaged a last sprint through the rain towards the wheel of the ship, a new volley of cannon shots hit the starboard of the ship, causing it to tilt heavily. She nearly fell overboard in the attempt of helping one of her friends, Robyn, who was clenching onto the nearest mast pole. Robyn, now in front of her and completely soaked, was yelling something but Mez couldn't understand what she said. A surge of water splashed on deck once the ship had tilted back. Then everything went quiet, no more cannonballs or no explosions, just the crackling sound of wood burning, and Mezola realised what Robyn tried to say. She got up and saw an enormous ship breaking through the fog, heading straight at them. Her eyes must've tricked her, there was no other way she was seeing this. She recognized the infamous figurehead on the massive Galleon, sharpened and ready to cleave through her precious corvette.

"IT'S THE CUTLASS!" Mezola yelled at the top of her lungs. "Everyone, grab your weapons and be prepared for a fight! We shall stand tall and defeat these bastards!" She noticed a few of the cannons were still operable so she shouted a final order to a few of the crewmembers: "FIRE THE CANNONS!"

Mezola pulled out her sword and pistol and walked the last few metres to the steering wheel, followed by Robyn and Molly, her two most trustworthy companions.

"Robyn, you take over the wheel, Molly and I will defend the upper decks." She said as the Cutlass was only a few metres away.

"Aye, captain!" Robyn confirmed determined.

"Mez, what do you want me to do? I can help!" The other girl had tried to convince her captain of giving her a weapon many times, but she had always been too young for the real deal. Practise lessons were always done with fake, wooden swords. She thought she was ready now.

Mezola hesitated, as she watched the Cutlass approaching rapidly. She bit her lower lip and stared at the colossal monster of a ship that was going to crash into them any second, wondering if she would actually hand over her sword.

"Come on! You need me now! Quick!" Molly urged her with panic resounding in her voice.

Mezola snapped out of her trance and threw Molly the belt with the sheath attached to it. As she turned her head back to the Cutlass, she yelled: "EVERYBODY HOLD ONTO SOMETH-"

The Cutlass crashed into the small corvette, cutting through the wooden constructions without any effort. Everyone who held onto a mast or rail in time, was thoroughly shaken, others just fell over the edges, flying through the air, and ended up in the dark ocean. As soon as the bow of the ship was driven far enough, the crewmembers of the Cutlass started jumping off, landing on the top deck of Mezola's ship. A massive fight erupted. The clashing of swords and the firing of pistols could be heard all around. After dealing with a few of the raiders she aimed at one of the scoundrels but once she realised who it was, she froze. Molly screamed for help as Robyn protected them with every bit of energy she had left.

It couldn't be.

The scoundrel was wearing a black hat with bright yellow feathers attached to it. His grey coat reached all the way down to his heels. Protecting his feet, were two heavy boots, covered in blood of all the victims his companions had made so far. A necklace was dangling from his neck, a small yellow and black C was attached to the chain. The character lifted his hand and seemed to be holding a pistol, aiming straight for Mezola from the middle of the ship.

"Curaxu?"

A small stream of warm blood oozed from her left shoulder as she dropped to her knees. With her right hand she tried to put pressure on the wound. The last thing she saw was the enemy leader turning his back to her, returning to his own vessel. Then everything went dark.

"Shit!" Molly dropped her sword and supported her captain and best friend. "Robyn! We have to get out of here! It's no use!"

Robyn supported Mezola on the other side. Together they got on a small escape boat. The burning wreckage that once was the beautiful pride of Mezola was now entirely being swallowed by the ocean. The Cutlass had disappeared into the mist again.


"Hoist the colours! Man the cannons! Make me proud!" The enthusiastic captain shouted.

"Could you please come down from the crow's nest Fluke? We could really use a hand here, loading in all the food and equipment for our journey." Evanz complained. They had been working all morning but Fluke hadn't even lifted a finger. Well, aside from the many flasks of wine and rum he had drunk.

"Okay", Fluke mumbled, clearly intoxicated. "But you have to call me captain from now on, you understand? I got a ship you know."

Evanz rolled his eyes and picked up another crate filled with clothes for on the way. In the meantime Rage and Hollow gathered all the crewmembers to distribute the ranks or roles Fluke had foreseen for every one of them.

"Hissey, buddy!" Rage pointed at one of the guys at the front of the group. "How's it going man? It's been a long time!"

"Rage, please can you just tell them what their positions are, everybody here is dying to get on the ship again, including me. Now please, continue." Hollow complained. He crawled on his horse and continued to lie down, enjoying the warm sunbeams settling on his face.

The people present were mostly old members that used to join the main crew consisting of Fluke, Rage, Evanz and Hollow. A couple of new faces, some older and some younger than others, were spotted. Fluke had asked Evanz the day before to spread the word that his men had to gather at Banlao Port for a meetup and reassignment of their tasks. Those interested had to be present in time. If they wanted they could bring along others who claimed to be intrigued and worthy of being a part of Fluke's group. The group could use some new members.

"Wait!" Someone from the crowd cut off the arguing between Hollow and Rage. "We're missing someone!"

"And who are you?" Rage asked, focussing his vision on the source of complaint.

"Name's Lex. And we're missing a person; he told me he'd be here, so you have to wait." The girl flicked her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms.

"Oh great, more waiting", Hollow sighed. "Who are we missing then?"

Fluke jumped off a crate and approached the group. "Well whoever it might be, they are late. We're departing in an hour so we have to continue. I was clear enough, be there or be square."

"WAIT!"

Everybody turned their heads in the direction of the sudden outcry. A figure was hurrying as fast as possible, towards the ship. He appeared to be carrying a large old sack across his shoulders. In his hand he held an old guitar. A bandana kept his long hair from blocking his sight. Only a few feet before Rage and Hollow, he fell to the ground. Clumsy as he was, he got up, dusted himself off and turned to Fluke.

"I apologise for being late Captain, I had to bring my guitar but it wasn't as easy as it seemed and…" he rambled on and on, apologising.

"Cane ... CANE! Dude, don't worry, you're fine! If I had known you weren't here yet, I would've told them to wait in the first place!" Fluke shook the guy's hand and guided him to the group. Once Cane was reunited with some of his friends, the captain sat down on a barrel so he had a clear overview.

"Alright, let me handle this myself. Rage?"

"Yes, here you go." Rage handed him a scroll and a feather. On the parchment a wide variety of tasks for on the ship was listed.

"Gunners?" Fluke commenced the process. A few people, including Evanz, raised their hand, meaning they volunteered. Evanz had always been gunner; he had a passion for cannons and was very skilled at handling them. Although it had been years since he fired one in an actual battle, he kept practising preparing and reloading one at his place. The seven quiet years where the crew had split up did him no good. They didn't do anyone any good.

"Alright, that is noted. Now … Cane, you'll provide music as always, together with a few others. That's settled. Does anyone want to take position in the crow's nest?" Fluke raised both eyebrows. Normally nobody was enthusiastic about this post since it could become very lonely up there. Hollow used to fill the spot, but Fluke needed him behind the steering wheel and in the mapping room now.

"I'll do it." A soft voice broke the silence.

Hollow dismounted and tried to get a good image of the person who suggested becoming his replacement. He snickered. There is no way this girl would actually take up the task in the crow's nest.

"What are youlooking at?"

"Nothing, are you sure you want to do this, uhm, what was your name again?"

"It's Lex and I'm very sure I know how to deal with this task since I've been doing it for years, thank you very much." She snapped her fingers and shook her head.

"Now, guys, there is absolutely no need to argue, everybody gets their chance." Fluke wrote down Lex's name and continued listing off the many tasks until eventually everyone had something to do. In less than an hour the Crewship was on its way, leaving Banlao Port behind.


"So, Fluke", Rage approached the man behind the steering wheel. "This is all pretty exciting, seven years! What did you do all that time?"

"Mostly hanging around pubs, getting involved in fights and causing trouble like always. You?"

"I've been practising on my sword fighting with Hollow. I think I'm getting the hang of it. At least that's what he said." Rage zoned out for a moment, staring at the horizon. "We went through some rough times though. In the end it turned out alright for the both of us, but anyways … I got myself a new sword, I'll show you later."

A silence fell over the two friends. The peaceful sounds of birds and waves were heavenly. Not so long after they were accompanied by Hollow, holding a map.

"So how is she doing up there, Hollow?" Fluke poked around, he liked annoying Hollow now and then.

Hollow shrugged, his face didn't give away any sign of annoyance. "She's doing fine, she has the experience so hey, I'm not complaining." He held up the map and pointed at one of the islands. "So you're sure we will be visiting our old friends?"

"Yes, Hollow, I am determined to go to Ribeiro. I have some unfinished business over there." Fluke's eyes were fixed on a cloud that was slowly sliding across the sky. "It's starting to become dark, do you mind taking over, Hollow? I'm going to get myself a bottle of whiskey. You want some too, Rage?"

"No thanks", Rage declined politely and walked off to the sleeping quarters.

A few nights later a storm caused fierce waves to crash into the boat. Heavy rainfall combined with a lot of wind made it very difficult for the crew to operate with ease. Fluke ran out of his cabin and headed straight to one of the lower floors.

"Evanz! Make sure the cannons are secure, we don't want any accidents happening!" He commanded whilst holding on to his hat, making sure it wouldn't be blown off by a strong breeze. "Let the others cover the gunpowder and crates with food supplies, they're useless when soaked."

"Right away, captain!" Evanz said and started helping others with the ropes.

A faint voice from above called out Fluke's and Rage's names, causing both of them to hurry to the upper deck.

"What is it Lex?" Rage shouted upwards, hoping she'd hear it.

"LOOK! Over there! It's a shipwreck!"

Everyone on the deck dropped whatever they were doing and turned around, leaning over the port side of the ship.

"What the hell happened to them ..." Rage muttered completely taken aback by what he saw.

"I'm not sure …" Fluke frowned. "This isn't good."

In the distance a ship was seen of which the remaining parts were either sinking or still burning. Bodies were floating near the wreckage.

"Let's see if there are any survivors."