I didn't quit my story, I'm just a bit slow to upload. :P Hope you enjoy this next action-filled chapter! :D
When Kaitlyn came to, the first thing she saw was the metal panels in the ceiling. As her senses came back, she felt that she was lying on a wooden floor. Groaning, she propped herself up on her elbows. After a moment, she jolted upright, remembering what happened. She was slightly relieved when she remembered the others' escape, but was still a bit confused.
I'm...alive? she thought, rubbing her collarbone where the shot landed. Sweet storm sharks, that hurt. Why wouldn't Deacon have just killed her? Looking up, she saw the metal bars of her prison cell. Great, she thought. She turned only to see a skeleton in her cell. "Buddy, after what I've just been through, it's going to take a lot more than that to scare me," she laughed.
"Well, good mornin' to you, too, sunshine," said a voice with a Marleybonean accent.
"Huh?" she peered between the bars.
"Nice to see a fresh face for a change, besides these two lumps." The voice belonged to a human boy with long black hair pulled back into a ponytail and narrow green eyes. He wore a red coat over a white shirt, green shorts, and a scarf loosely tied around his neck. He gestured to the cell next to him, which held a brown horse with harsh-looking narrow eyes and armor. He looked a bit irritated at being called a "lump". Or maybe that was how he always looked.
"Hello, there," chimed in another, from the cell next to her. A friendly looking, grey-feathered goose craned his head between the bars for a better look. "My name is Egg Shen."
"I am Subodai, of Mooshu," said the horse.
"And I'm Quinn. What's your name?" asked the boy.
"Kaitlyn," she responded, glad to see a couple friendly faces. "Uh, do you fellows have any idea where we're headed?"
"Ah... hate to break it to you, but..." he said sheepishly.
"Cadiz," interjected Subodai.
"Jeez, you don't have to be so blunt about it," Quinn responded.
"Is that true?" she asked. He nodded, and she paled. Cadiz was the heart of the Armada; everyone knew that even an army couldn't get in there by force. Going there was pretty much a death sentence.
I'm so stupid, she thought. The only reason I'm in this mess is because I did what I wasn't supposed to.
"All the more reason to get working, then; we've been trying to come up with a way to escape for days now. We've got a few ideas, but we could use any help we can get. D'you mind?" asked Quinn. Her fear disappeared, once again replaced by grim determination.
"Not at all, what have you got?"
"No."
"Aw come on, it could work."
"No," Shen repeated.
"We don't have a lot of options here..."
"Lyn, I seriously doubt any of us could actually manage to pick a fight with an Armada soldier from behind bars without a weapon," replied Quinn. They'd been trying to come up with something all day, but no such luck. There was a moment's pause.
"Hey, what are you guys in here for, anyway?" asked Kaitlyn.
"Hm? Oh, I just harassed a group of Clockworks for a while, until they managed to catch me," replied Quinn.
"I merely went to travel my own path in training, rather than sit and meditate within a temple," Shen stated.
"What about you?" asked Quinn. "You seem a bit young to be in here."
"Ha. Says you."
"Oy, I'm nineteen, okay?" he retorted. "Anyway, tell us. We're not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Fine. I was on the crew of a pirate ship. Long story short, we went to raid a really small Armada fort and I got caught. I'm fairly sure the rest who survived escaped, though."
"Oh, a pirate?" asked Quinn. "What were you, the chore-girl?" he joked, poking fun at her small stature. However, he paused at her expression. "Oh, wow. I was joking, I didn't think you actually were."
"Focus. We must find a way out," interrupted Subodai.
"Not happening, mate," replied Quinn. He flopped onto the floor, staring at the ceiling. "At this rate, we're going to need a miracle."
At that moment, they all heard cannon fire erupt outside. They all started slightly.
"What—" was all Shen managed to say before being interrupted by a loud crash and a startled scream from Kaitlyn. A cannonball crashed through the ship's hull into her cell, and smashed into the bars with enough force to severely dent a couple of them. She watched it fall to the floor and roll away.
"I-I think it's that miracle you asked for," she stuttered. "Thank God it didn't hit me..."
"Yeah..." he replied. "Wait, look at the dent it made!" He pointed to the bars. "Lyn, you're small; can you squeeze through?" asked Quinn, ecstatic.
"I'll try," she replied, crawling in headfirst. It took a lot of effort, and no small degree of squirming, but within a minute she was out. "Hey, I did it!" she exclaimed. "Not bad, huh?"
"Great! Pull that lever over there, and it'll open ours, too." He pointed to a lever fifteen feet away.
"I see it!" she exclaimed, sprinting for a lever mounted on the wall. She reached to grab it, and yanked it down. She heard the cell doors open and a few whoops from the others, indicating that they were free.
"Stop where you are, prisoner." She whirled around to see a couple of Armada soldiers, their weapons ready. They had come in without them noticing, and caught her in the act. "All of you, return to your cells immediately. You will comply or be terminated," it went. This wasn't good. Even if the others were to fight, none of them had weapons; these guys did.
"Not today, ahaha!" yelled a really loud voice. The Clockworks turned to investigate the source, but were immediately cut down by a large, white-bearded man wearing a red coat. He turned behind him and called, "It's one of these prisoners, monkey!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming," replied a monkey with a very thick Polarian accent, appearing in front of them. He wore a blue navy uniform, decorated with medals. He looked over them, especially Kaitlyn and Quinn. "Hmmm...are one of zem ze one zat strange fellow spoke of, you think?" he asked the bearded man.
"I don't know, the lad didn't go into detail much," he replied. "You two! You're young, are either of you orphans?" he asked. They were both taken by surprise. What did that have to do with escaping?
"Uh...I am."
"Me, too." The monkey gave a sigh of relief, though Kaitlyn couldn't imagine why.
"That'll have to do, then. Come on, all of ye!" the man beckoned. "My name's Boochbeard, by the way, and this is Gandry."
"Wait, we need our weapons!" exclaimed Shen. He quickly led them to a storage closet down the hall. "I remember they tossed them in here," he explained, opening the door. There were some Armada weapons among them, but after shifting them around, they found what they were looking for. Kaitlyn grabbed her rapier, Quinn took up a wooden shield and cutlass, Egg Shen grabbed an unusual-looking staff tipped with a short blade (she later learned it was called a naginata), and Subodai took a very heavy-looking curved sword.
"I am in your debt," Subodai told her.
"Yeah, you're not half bad," added Quinn.
"Aw, it was nothing, really..." she replied, a little embarrassed by the attention.
"Together, we shall crush our enemies!" declared Subodai, looking very eager to smash in a couple Clockwork heads.
The door to the main deck swung open, revealing the small group as they stepped outside. Quinn and Shen couldn't help but pause for a moment; it had been at least a week since they'd been outside.
"Ah, that wind feels marvelous," Quinn remarked.
"Are you nuts? This isn't the time for sightseein', we have to get to the ship!" replied Boochbeard, gesturing to their ship that had managed to board the one they were currently on. On the railing of the Armada ship was inscribed The Erebus. The Erebus was littered here and there with broken parts, a result of the earlier fighting. "Let's go!" He started towards the gangplank when a blurred figure landed in front of them: another Clockwork, but this time different. This one was feminine, with a red tailed coat and mechanical wings. Three more landed beside her, drawing pistols and swords to prevent them passing.
"Battle Angels!" exclaimed Gandry. "Zey are elite warriors!"
"Boochbeard! Trying to take my prizes, you ruffian?" sounded a familiar tone, that Kaitlyn turned to see.
Deacon. He stood tall near the helm, his hollow eyes glaring at them menacingly. She recalled what happened the last time she saw him.
"Our jailor...!" she heard Subodai say; she could almost sense his rage behind her. "Clockwork fiend! You will pay for putting us in cages!" he roared.
"I think not; do not let them escape!" he commanded the angels blocking their path. In response, they all attacked.
One of them rapidly lunged at her, its thin sword glinting like a stinger. She barely managed to parry its blade. So fast...! she thought. She remembered the basic principle behind her rapier: fast strikes and evasion. The angel lunged again, but she was ready this time. She ducked and delivered a devastating underhand stroke, staggering it backwards. It seemed on the verge of collapsing.
Feeling a bit cocky, she taunted, "I'm not going down without a fight, sucker! Hahaha!" Instantly, the angel recovered enough to strike back. Kaitlyn nearly managed to evade it, but it landed, cutting a deep, slanted gash through her eyebrow and just barely missing her right eye.
"OWW!" she cried, the blood from the wound blinding her eye.
"Do not let your guard down!" Shen warned her, warding off another angel. Subodai heard and turned to the angel that attacked her.
"You dare hurt my friend?" he growled. "You will pay!" The wounded angel was no match for Subodai's blade, and was cut down in a moment.
"Thanks a bunch..." she said, pressing on the wound with her palm. Subodai nodded in his usual gruff demeanor, acknowledging her thanks. She looked and noticed that the rest of the angels now lay destroyed by the others.
"Not so fast," interrupted Deacon, his tone haughty. "Do you really think you can defy the might of the Armada?" He slammed his cane down on the deck once, and the middle of the deck opened. A platform rose up from below, carrying a sight very familiar to Kaitlyn: Armada Dragoons. The same as the ones that ambushed the Midnight's crew at the fort. She shuddered inwardly just recalling it.
"Wha— What are zose?" said Gandry.
"Surrender. Don't make me destroy you," he threatened. They knew he wouldn't hesitate to. To their surprise, however, Boochbeard simply chuckled a bit.
"Oh, don't bother. LADS—" he called to his ship. "FIRE!" In response, several cannon shots sounded, and within seconds the Dragoons were taken out by a hail of cannon fire. Deacon took a step back.
"Impressive," he admitted. "You may have won this time, but mark my words: All of you will regret making an enemy of the Armada. Enjoy your freedom, while it lasts." Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he flipped out a pistol and shot some of the barrels on deck. The powder inside exploded, narrowly missing them. However, it served his purpose; when they looked up again, Deacon was gone.
"What are we waiting for? This ship's had it, let's go!" yelled Quinn. With no more obstacles in the way, they rushed across the gangplank and let go of the Erebus. They watched it sink, disappearing in the clouds below. One of the crew members took the helm and set their course for Skull Island. The wind filled their sails, and the ship headed off.
Kaitlyn stood near the railing with them, pressing the wound above her eye. She took away her hand for a moment and saw that her palm was covered in blood.
"That looks like it's going to leave a pretty nasty scar," commented Quinn, holding a cut down his arm. She wasn't the only one injured; they all had injuries, even though they were only few and minor ones. "Those angels were tough, but you're lucky it didn't hit your eye."
"Yeah, I guess there's that," she replied, pressing on it again. Boochbeard strolled up to them, holding a couple rolls of bandages, and handed them to the group.
"Here, use these. Especially you," he said, pointing out Kaitlyn's eye. They took the bandages gratefully, and were able to patch themselves up within a few minutes.
"We cannot thank you two enough," said Shen.
"Yeah, who knows what would have happened to us if you hadn't come when you did," said Quinn. Boochbeard waved it off.
"Oh, it was no problem," he replied. "We're just takin' ye to Skull Island; Captain Avery, an old friend of mine, can help ye get settled."
"I-I'm sorry, but I cannot settle in Skull Island," replied Shen. "I must go back home to Mooshu."
"Oh, yes you can. You have to," he argued. "The Armada's branded you four as criminals. Where else can ye go but Skull Island?" Shen thought about that for a moment, and decided to back down. He didn't seem too happy about it, though. Boochbeard walked off to take the helm of the ship, leaving them alone.
"I'll stick with ya, Egg. I might not have much left for me in Marleybone, but I'm not too keen on never seein' it again," offered Quinn. Shen accepted his offer gratefully.
"Well, I've lived in Skull Island my whole life, so I'm fine," commented Kaitlyn. "But there is a certain pirate crew I plan to look for."
"What about you, Subodai? You're from Mooshu too," asked Quinn.
"I...cannot return yet," he said. Kaitlyn almost thought she heard a note of bitterness in his comment.
"Really? Why's that?" asked Quinn. Subodai only crossed his arms and gave him a hard look, clearly telling him that he was not willing to share such information.
"Hey, since we're all criminals, I wager we could start our own pirate crew!" chimed in Kaitlyn.
"Pfft, yeah. A little cabin girl being a terror of the skyway, that I would like to see!" Quinn snorted, holding back laughter.
"Hey!" she exclaimed. "Well, then, maybe I won't be a cabin girl anymore!" she huffed indignantly.
"Oh, come on, the only thing intimidating about you would be that scar that you're gonna get," he goaded her.
"You'll see! I'll make my own pirate crew, and become a GREAT pirate!" she challenged.
"Then do it," he smiled. "I'm not stopping you, but who would have you as a captain?"
"I will."
"Yeah—wait, wha...?" She stared at Subodai, completely taken by surprise. Quinn, too, looked a bit stunned.
"You fight well, pirate. So I will fight with you," he stated simply, shooting a brief but challenging look at Quinn.
"Really?" she asked, to which he responded with a nod. "Awesome! You won't regret it, I'll make sure of it!" she said gratefully. Watching from across the ship, Gandry stood near Boochbeard at the helm. He warily kept an eye on the four enthusiastic rescuees.
"Do you really think one of zem could be ze one zat Maestro fellow mentioned? None of zem look like zey could fight ze Armada..." he whispered, careful not to be overheard.
"They'll do, Monkey," Boochbeard reassured him. "We'll just have to see."
Hoho, FINALLY got through the first chapter in the in-game storyline! :D
Worldbuilding and Headcanons:
-Remember the BOXES event in Zafaria in Wizard101? If you don't, it'll help you understand who the Maestro is. :)
-Lethality of sparkthrowing guns: hit an arm or leg, it hurts like hell. Hit a vital, you'll most likely pass out. Hit the head, heart, or possibly neck, and it could kill the person. That's why she didn't die; it only landed on her collarbone.
Thank you for reading! :D Come check me out on Deviantart for more stuff on Wiz and Pirate!