A/N: Hey, I'm back with a stupidly long chapter, but this one's revealing backstory about the Assassins. This particular chapter will be showing off Edward's story, and the rest of DRKE will come next. By the way, this chapter contains naval combat and terms, and seeing as I don't know jack squat about naval things, please don't bash me for misusing stuff. I will be making up naval weapons, so if you somehow have experience with naval combat, please don't hate me! THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS DEATH, SWEARING, DRINKING, AND IMPLIED SEXUAL ACTIVITIES. PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED. The next chapters will be much worse, so enjoy the relative tameness of this chapter for now. Also, the chapters will be not be coming out as often, due to school and their length, so yeah. Credit to Dark DescendantHG for proofreading this.

Chapter 7

"Welcome to Animus Omega, the primary genetic research program of the Assassins. Please select your memories." a calm female voice emanated from the speakers.

Alan typed in the names of Team DRKE in the search bar and pulled over their memories into the cue list, and clicked on Edward's name first.

"You have selected research subject 'Edward George Young'. Born in Vacuo, September 17, 1990. Proceeding to memories."

The screen turned a light blue, with guidelines and textures appearing all over the screen, branching outwards.

"Here we go." Alan announced.

######

June, 2000. Vacuo.

"Come on Edward! I found something just here!"

A young Edward scrambled up a hill, following a girl about the same age.

"Come on, slowpoke!" the girl whined.

"Jaysus Katherine, slow down! Is this really that important?!"

"Of course Edward! Now hurry!"

The pair made their way down the hill, and entered a forest. They trudged along the path, and made their way to a clearing surrounded by roses.

"Wow…" Edward breathed.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Katherine said with pride.

"Yeah, romantic too…" Edward smirked while glancing at a blushing Katherine.

"I-I thought so too." she stammered.

Edward's face grew suddenly serious, and after taking her hand in his, he tilted her lowered face up to meet his.

"Katherine, I've been meaning to say something for a very long time…", he trailed. "I…like like you."

Katherine's eyes grew wide in surprise, a look of shock quickly replaced by a bright smile.

"Me too!" she cheerfully exclaimed.

They both smiled at the other's confessions, and held hands in the clearing for a time, enjoying the peace. They remained like this until sunset, at which point Edward walked his crush home.

They reached a rather large mansion, lavishly decorated for the average Vacuo home. The man bursting out the door confirmed that this was no ordinary family, though. He was dressed in a suit and tie, with slacks and dress shoes. He was Mr. Dred Scott, CEO of Scott Security, the most successful private protection agency in Remnant.

"Katherine! Thank Monty, I thought you were hurt! Where have you been?!" he asked.

"Relax, father. I was just out on the town with Edward here." Katherine responded while gesturing to Edward.

"You must tell me these kind of things in the future! You had me worried sick, young lady." he scolded.

"Of course dad. See you later, Edward!" Katherine waved.

As Edward waved goodbye, he heard Katherine's father whisper to her, "I thought I told you to keep away from the simpletons?"

August, 2010. Vacuo.

"You've found love so early?" Mr. Scott inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, father. If the marriage is alright with you?" Katherine nervously responded.

"Of course, darling! I was just surprised, that's all. So who is the lucky lad?" Katherine's father asked with a cheery tone.

Encouraged by her father's reaction, Katherine bubbled out, "Edward Young!"

Mr. Scott's expression quickly fell at this statement. "You can't be serious?"

"Of course I am!" came her agitated response.

Mr. Scott sighed, and said, "Katherine, these past few years, you have proven yourself perfectly capable of fending for yourself. You introduced me to this Edward fellow, and I must admit, he's a very nice man, more so than most common folk-"

"Then what is there to discuss?!" Katherine yelled.

"The Schnees. They have given us an offer to enter a joint business deal with them. Their shipping containers have come under attack by pirates calling themselves 'The Flying Gang'. We give them support in the form of our private navy, and the Schnees give us a cut of their profits."*

"So you would sacrifice your daughter's happiness for money?!" Katherine yelled incredulously.

"No, of course not! I've come up with another way for you two to be together."

"Well, let's hear it then." she said in a slightly bitter tone.

"I'll take on Edward as a sailor on one of the ships. He'll get an advanced rank, higher pay, and will get to see you during the times when the ship comes back to port. It might not be the best of solutions, but please, Katherine. Not only for me, but for your well being." Mr. Scott pleaded.

Katherine thought for a while, and responded, "It's not ideal, but I'll do it for you, father."

"Thank you, Katherine."

Two months later…

Edward held Katherine's hand as he prepared to board the ship. It was quite the beast, a military class cruiser with a large amount of armor. Equipped with a naval ram, two flak cannons sitting on the stern, a pair of explosive carronades mounted under the helm, an anti-air cannon mounted on the helm, 6 auto cannons mounted three to a side on the bridge, a rail gun mounted right behind the command tower, a pair of mortars at the back of the bridge, two torpedo launchers under the hull, a mine layer, and machine guns in case of boardings the ship was the best medium sized defense vessel the Scotts could provide.

"Edward, will you be alright?" Katherine nervously asked, eyeing the rough looking men waiting on deck.

"Katherine, I'll be fine. This is what I've trained for. Besides, you'll always be in my head, keeping me going." Edward assured, tapping on his head on the last sentence.

"Come on, boy! You're holding up the ship!" the captain of the cruiser, Captain Hawkes barked.

"You'd better come back safe, Edward Young, you hear me?" Katherine told Edward.

"Of course! I'll be seeing you soon, Katherine. Goodbye!" Edward said while waving goodbye from the rising gangplank.

"Goodbye!"

######

Edward walked into the mess hall of the cruiser, the S.S. Guardian. The sailors were gathered here, mostly drinking instead of eating. As Edward picked up his food from the kitchen, a man stumbled towards him.

"Well, well! If it isn't the great and powerful Lieutenant, the landlubber who got his title by the favor of Mr. Scott!" the man slurred out.

"What the fuck, did you just say?!" Edward growled in anger.

"Oooooh, is someone mad? You heard right, scum! You don't belong here. You only got this spot by pleasing Katherine!" the man yelled.

"You'd better shut your gob 'fore I fill it with shot, you hear me?!" Edward threatened in a low voice.**

"Yeah? Well the fuck you gonna do about it?" the man challenged, as six men approached the area.

Edward suddenly punched the man in the nose, kneed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and threw him into a table.

"You bastard!" a man shouted.

"Hey, he started it."

He didn't get to say anymore as a man came from behind, grabbed him, broke his nose with a well aimed punch, and threw Edward into the food counter.

The six men helped the original challenger up, and he decided he'd further insult a now raging Edward.

"Not so tough are ya now, cunt?" he mocked, gesturing to his cronies.

Edward said nothing, instead opting to rush forwards and knock out a man with a metal tray. The leader and his five remaining men got ready to fight. Two of them rushed at Edward, who slammed the edge of the tray into the head of the man closest to him, and used the momentum left in the swing to block the punch of the other man. From under the tray, Edward kicked at the man's knee, twisting it at a weird angle. As the man fell to the floor, he delivered a roundhouse kick to another attacker who tried to land a hook on Edward from behind him. He turned around and slammed the flat of the tray into the head of the kneeling assailant, using so much force as to dent the makeshift weapon, then curb stomped the man behind him. The four circling vagrants paused for a second, rethinking their choices after seeing Edward knock out three of their comrades. One man noticed a kitchen cleaver and grabbed it. All of the men ran at Edward, spurred on by the fact that one of them have a weapon. Edward ducked under the attacks, allowing two of the assailants to punch each other. While the two men recoiled, the leader aimed a kick at Edward, who rolled to the side and blocked a slash from the cleaver, getting it partially stuck in the tray. Edward kicked punched the man in his gut, spun around him and kicked him to the floor. Edward flipped the tray, pulled the cleaver out, and then used the flat of the knife to dent and shape a sort of handle out of the rather large dent left in the tray from his earlier strikes. Now with a makeshift shield and cleaver in hand, the goons began to back off. Edward made to end the naysayers, when Captain Hawkes barged in.

"What is the meaning of this? Mr. Young, would you care to explain yourself?!" the annoyed captain roared.***

"It's really quite simple captain. These vagrants were-"***

"We were simply passing the time with a bit of sport captain! Nothing wrong with some entertainment at dinner, is there?" a man from the silent crowd interrupted.***

"How about you pass the time by doing your goddamned jobs? I wasn't aware I was paying you to lull about. A word, Mr. Young." the captain ordered, pointing at Edward to follow.***

Edward dropped his weapons, and stalked past the mystery man, giving him a strange look as he passed.

As they walked to the captain's quarters, the captain started his reprimand.

"I don't much care for you Young. This is your first voyage, and you've already done nothing but trouble."***

"Your problems have nothing to do with me." Edward defended.***

"I'm sorry?" the captain asked incredulously.***

"You're cruel and ill mannered, and it's clear your crew has no respect for you." Edward spat.***

The captain nearly punched open the door to his quarters, and said, "Look, I'm not going to spend all night arguing this point with you. I in fact need your help." the captain bitterly said.***

"Oh this is rich…" Edward snarked.***

"Don't think you have any leverage. As the crew are acting suspiciously, I am compelled to turn to you." the captain spat back.***

"Really? I have no leverage? Have you forgotten how I reached the rank of Lieutenant in the first place?" Edward asked.

The captain's face grew worried as he remembered that the man before him had ties to the Scotts.

"Well, when you put it that way, then I politely ask for your help, Mr. Young." the captain said, voicing his hate as he spoke Edward's name.

Edward smirked at his apparent victory, and in a sickenly sweet voice asked, "Well what seems to be the matter, Captain?"

"I fear some of the crew plan a mutiny-"***

"Oh dear, whatever could be the reason?" Edward interrupted in fake shock, rubbing in his statement from earlier.

"I can't imagine why." the captain ground out, biting back his tongue to prevent him from saying something that would make him lose his job. "Anyway, I need your help in finding out when and why they are planning this."

"And what's in it for me?"

"Your life. Seeing as how well you 'handled' the situation back there, the crew won't hesitate for a second to throw you overboard when their plan succeeds. Now do we have a deal?" the captain said matter-of-factly, while pouring himself a shot of rum.***

"We do." Edward leaned in close, and threatened, "But should you ever dare to insult or threaten me again, I won't hesitate to cut your head off, myself. Are we clear?"***

The captain only nodded nervously in response, while Edward took the shot of rum and drank it for himself. "Good night."***

Edward walked into the crew's quarters, where a few men were hanging out. He saw the man who 'defended' him earlier, and walked up to him.

"Oy."

The man turned around, and said, "Nice meeting you too, Mr. Young."

Edward narrowed his eyes at the man and cautiously asked, "How do you know my name?"

"You'd be amazed at the things that slip when two people are close to each other. More specifically that heartwarming goodbye at the docks." the man said with a smirk.

Edward began to get angry again as he asked, "The hell are you implying?!"

"Nothing at all. Just making an observation." the man stated calmly.

Edward backed off a little, and asked, "Well with that out of the way, you care to tell me your name?"

"Mason." the man replied.

Edward again grew suspicious at the man's secrecy with his full name, but decided to drop the subject.

Remembering the task given to him by the captain, he decided to ask this seemingly 'know-it-all' about the situation. "So Mason, what is this talk of mutiny on board this ship?"

"Mutiny? Wherever did you hear that dreadful word?"

"Don't play stupid around me. No one is dense and ignorant enough to not notice the hatred for the captain of this ship. Especially a perceptive one such as you, Mason.

"Oh, 'perceptive'? How flattering. I did notice people talking of betrayal on board. Try checking the cargo bay…"

Mason stepped away from Edward at this point and gave a small smile, as if he was hiding something.

"Well, that was interesting…" Edward thought. He was confused at first, but quickly shook it off, he needed to find this clue before he missed his chance. He ran down to the cargo bay, sliding down stair railings and shoving people out of the way.

"What the hell man?!"

"Sorry mate, I'll buy ya a drink!"

He made it to the cargo bay, but decided against charging in guns-a-blazing, and opted to try stealth. He slowly pushed the door open, and lowered into a crouch behind some crates.

"So what's the plan?" a voice sounded from the shadows.

"Simple right, we just kill the captain, disconnect the Scotts communications, and we make off with all these little goodies."

"Don't you think someone'll try and stop us?"

"No, got the whole crew on board backing this idea. Only problem is our so called 'leader', Mason. Guy's taken a liking to that prick Young, might start running off our secrets to 'im."

Edward furrowed his eyebrows at the mention of the other man's name, and shifted closer to the conversation by sneaking behind a stack of barrels.

"No matter, if Edward gets in the way, we'll just kill 'im. Though he's a rough kinda guy, might be good to have with us."

"Let's just have faith that Mason can keep that guy under control."

"Right, mate. Now that I think about it, what's the plan after the mutiny?"

"We'll be pirates, man! Life on the open sea, with no one to answer to but ourselves!"

"Actually, with no one to answer to but Mason."

"The hell you talking 'bout?"

"He's the one leading us, he gets to be the new captain."

"Hell no, we should all be free, with no higher ups!"

"Quiet, you two." a third voice cut in. "We'll decide the rules and positions as soon as the mutiny's done. For now, we focus on that first."

"Agreed, now let's move, don't want the captain to catch us after curfew."

The three men walked out of the cargo bay, with Edward following suit a minute after.

'Well, that's interesting.' Edward thought to himself, and made his way to the crew's quarters.

"Find out everything you need?"

"Ah! Damn Mason, don't sneak up on me like that!"

The shady man stepped out from behind a corner.

"As a matter of fact I did Mason." Edward replied. "Found out all about your little plan, and how you're gonna do it."

A small smirk made its way onto the lips of the other man.

"And what do you think of our 'little plan', Edward?"

"I think it'd work, if it weren't for me wanting to get back to shore alive."

Mason raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever makes you think you won't make it through this?"

"I heard what you plan to do to me after the captain is gone, and I'd rather keep this head on these shoulders. Which is why I'm headed to Comms right now to-"

"Stop. I know that you're a good samaritan, but think of the benefits of sticking with us." Mason said, as his hidden left eye, concealed by his rather long brown hair, softly glowed purple. His Semblance of Suggestion began to kick in. Edward felt a strange feeling wash over him as Mason said the following words.

"We would be free from the shackles of society, allowed to carve our own way in this world. All the lein you could spend, all the women you could bed, and all the rum you could drink." Mason suavely said, every word made all the more enticing by his Semblance. "I'll make you the captain of this fine vessel, and these men will follow your every command. Now doesn't that sound far, far better than returning to Vacuo and the Scotts, with a meager pay, authorities on your back, and having to follow every stupid whim of the government?"

Edward didn't feel right, and yet he still managed to say, "Y-yeah. Sounds great…"

"Wonderful, you see! I knew we could get along!", Mason said, the sarcasm dripping from his voice and a smirk twisting his face, unnoticed by Edward, who was still under the trance-like state Mason had invoked in him.

As Mason disappeared around a corner, Edward snapped out the dreamy state he was in, and held his head as he stumbled to his room.

"Urgh, I don't feel right…" he mumbled, still woozy from the encounter. As he opened the door to his room and collapsed on his bed, he was overcome by a throbbing darkness.

######

"Wakey, wakey."

"Urgh…"

Edward groaned as he woke up, only to be quickly silenced and frightened by a looming Mason sitting on his bed.

"Today's the day, champ. Time for the mutiny."

Edward again felt slightly strange, as Mason's Semblance activated, unknown to him, but the long term effects of the Suggestion were taking his toll on Edward. Mason could sense that his protege would soon act on his own, yet still follow his exact plan for him. As the soon-to-be-captain got dressed in his Scott officer uniform, which consisted of a white collared dress shirt, a brown modern trenchcoat that covered the front of his legs, and a lighter brown vest with red and blue accents, cream colored trousers and knee high boots.

"You look ready. Now come on, time to go." Mason said, and led Edward out of the room. They walked out of the crews quarters and made their way to the wheel. The crew followed them as they passed, and soon a group of 30 men were heading towards the command tower.

"I'm telling you Mr. Scott, these men are traitors! I need a dispatch now!" Captain Hawkes half-yelled into the radio in the room.

BANG.

Mason had produced a pistol from his pocket and shot the radio and the captain's hand clean off. As he screamed in pain and collapsed to the floor, Mason spoke up.

"Sorry about that sir, but we can't have you doing that." Mason calmly said.

"You goddamned rouges! I'll have you all hanged!"

"No, sir." Mason said, while bracing the barrel of the gun against the fallen man's head. "I rather think, you won't."

BANG.

Mason motioned for the gathered crew members to clean up the mess, and turned to Edward.

"Well, the deed is done. Time for you to step up, friend. Come and take your place at the wheel." he said while motioning to the wheel of the cruiser.

"OY! Why the hell does he get to be captain?!" a crew member yelled from the crowd.

"Yeah! He's just some scrub fresh out of training, why's he get to lead us?!" another man shouted.

Mason and Edward turned to the crowd, swords and guns drawn.

"If anyone would like to challenge this decision, please, step up here." Mason calmly stated, motioning to a eager Edward, waiting to cut down the naysayers.

None of the crew were so bold as to challenge Edward, and a pregnant silence fell over the group for several seconds.

"If there are no challengers, I'll assume this is acceptable to everyone. Mr. Young, please take the wheel."

Edward stepped up to the wheel and declared, "Right then lads, to stations!"

As the crew scurried off to their respective jobs, Mason remained.

"Do you have something to say, Mason?" Edward asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do Captain. I do not doubt your skills as a fighter, but as a seaman, you might need a little work. So I propose I become your Quartermaster, an advisor to help you on this new journey. What do you say?" Mason suggested, barely even having to use his Semblance at this point.

"Of course!" Edward excitedly agreed. "And as Quartermaster, what is your first bit of advice for this tyro captain?"**

"The crew are not very keen to your becoming captain, so for now do nothing to agitate them, and keep an eye out for opportunities to prove yourself to them, alright?"

Edward nodded, and said, "Right then. I'll try to hold my tongue for now."

"Great, now to teach you how to work this vessel." Mason said, while he showed Edward the controls.

A few days later…

"Ship sighted, captain!"

"Details man!" Edward commanded the sailor.

"Frigate, light armor, no guns larger than 40 mm sir!" the man shouted back.

"To stations lads, we're taking this one!" Edward shouted.

"Are you sure we can take this ship Captain?" Mason asked.

"Of course, man. Or do you have so little faith in your own teaching skills?" Edward taunted.

"Of course not. Go right ahead." the Quartermaster replied.

The newly dubbed Sabre, renamed by Edward the night before, charged its first opponent. When about 600 meters away from the ship, the Sabre turned a broadside to the frigate, and opened fire with its flak cannons. The roar of the guns signaled the release of five Dust coated 144 mm shells from each gun. The ten shells had heat seeking Dust covering them, allowing them to hit the frigate full on despite its evasive maneuvers. The lightly armored frigate stood no chance against the shells, and was dead in the water after that first volley. The crew gave a cheer, and replaced the rounds in the auto cannons with barbed harpoons tied to the back of the weapons. The Sabre closed in on its victim, and when close the crew fired the harpoons, which pierced the light armor of the frigate, and they tugged the unfortunate vessel closer to them. The men brought out rifles and Dust swords and prepared to board, while some manned the machine guns and laid cover fire on the deck of the frigate. The ships grated together, and Edward along with his crew jumped aboard. But their spirit was crushed when a Huntsman stepped out from below deck. The Huntsman proudly wore a full set of knight's armor and the badge of Beacon, which is how he was identified as such, and drew a large greatsword from his back. But as he was about to lay waste to the criminals, a strange black mist crept onboard. The air darkened considerably, and clouds blotted out the sun. Suddenly, a screech eerily resembling human screams pierced the air, and a great flapping could be heard. A black form swooped down from the skies, sweeping several of the men into the ocean. The creature reared itself, and inspected its opponents. The creature was a four legged dragon-like creature, with seemingly no eyes, and strange claw-like bumps on its shoulders, with a leathery cape-like thing attached and fluttering in the light breeze. The men on board were frozen in place, unable to move from fear of attracting attention. All except the Huntsman, who stepped forwards and got into a fighting stance. The dragon sensed this challenge, and also prepared to fight. The claw-like structures on its back shifted, and revealed themselves to actually be a pair of 'arms' folded onto its back, which had webbing attached to them allowing for flight. The third pair of appendages were braced onto the ground, their purpose now as the fifth and sixth legs of the monster, who let out a bloodcurdling roar. The Huntsman rushed forwards, with the ordinary sailors looking for cover. The monster charged the Huntsman, who rolled to the side, but was unprepared for the side swipe courtesy of the extra arms. As the Huntsman was smashed into a wall, Edward took the opportunity to join the fray, and cut at an exposed patch of hide the creature's exoskeleton failed to protect.****

'Why in God's name did I do that?!' Edward asked himself as the monster turned its attention to him. He was saved by the Huntsman slashing at the creature's hide, which caused it to leap backwards and take flight.

Edward helped the Huntsman up, and asked, "So how the hell are we going to kill that Grimm?"

"Dunno, friend. Thanks for the assist, but that doesn't look like a Grimm to me. More like a-" the Huntsman was cut off by the monster swooping down again.

"We'll worry 'bout the terminology later yeah? You, get on the anti-air gun!" Edward shouted to one of his crew members still on his ship.

"Wait, you're part of the pirates who attacked us?!" the Huntsman yelled.

"Save the lecture for after this! We can duke it out after this thing's dead." Edward said.

The Huntsman couldn't say anything else over the sudden firing of the Sabre's AA gun. A roar could be heard from the skies, implying the monster was hit. It dive bombed the frigate and landed with a crash, rocking the vessel with its weight. A few of Edward's braver crewmen climbed back onto the Sabre and opened fire with the machine guns. The Huntsman glared at Edward, but gave a nod affirming his cooperation for now. He jumped high into the air with an Aura assisted leap, and chopped the distracted monster on the back, causing it to fall low enough for the non Aura using Edward to stab it in the neck. The creature roared and thrashed around. But Edward still held on, and emptied a clip from his pistol into where he supposed the eyes should be. He was thrown off, and crashed into a bunch of barrels. As he recovered, the Huntsman landed a blow to its head, and slammed the flat of his blade onto the same spot. The monster was briefly stunned from the attack, and its scales were again assaulted by machine gun fire. It roared again, but this time its body began changing. During the roar, the underside of its wings, the area where its eyes should be, and its claws started glowing a dark purple, and a black gas began leaking from its mouth. Two horns erupted from its head, which were also glowing purple. After its roar, it reared up, a purple glow emanating from its mouth. It violently slammed its head down onto the deck, unleashing a whirlwind of purple and black gas swirling around its body. It spun around a few times, whipping several men off the frigate, and slammed both of its extra arms down in the general area of the Huntsman. He was barely able to dodge, but was caught off guard by the monster's tail. As he tripped, Edward charged forwards, firing his pistol. The monster attempted to crush him with its legs, but Edward ducked and slashed it a few times on the belly. Rolling out from under the beast, Edward stuck the tail with his cutlass, and ran along its length, severely wounding it. The Huntsman regained footing and with one well placed cut, severed the tail. The monster flailed about, and spat out three globs of purple fluid. The pair dodged, and rushed the monster again, with the Huntsman getting a side swipe off on its leg, and Edward again jumping on to the monster. He impaled the beast with his sword, and took out a dagger strapped to his leg, and stabbed the monster again and again with it. The Huntsman took this opportunity to place a Dust bomb under the monster, who procceded to step on it. The Dust exploded, throwing Edward off and blasting a few chunks of the beast's armor off. It roared again, and charged the duo. The Huntsman tried to dodge, but taking those big hits meant his Aura was down, and unable to give him the boost needed to perform a high enough jump. The Huntsman was thrown aside, while Edward made a passing run and cut the creature on its leg. It collapsed from the sustained hits on that particular leg, giving Edward enough time to pin it with his cutlass. But the creature still writhed, and Edward was weaponless. The injured Huntsman made a last attempt to help out, and threw his blade at the pirate, who caught it and drove it into the monster's chest. It wriggled for a few more seconds before going limp. Edward released the blade, and stepped back from the body.

"Hurrah!" his crew cheered, while the crew of the frigate stared open mouthed at something else.

Edward turned around to where the men were staring, and found the injured Huntsman. He had removed his helmet, and was clutching his left arm, which had some of that purple fluid leaking into the wound. He gave Edward a weak smile before his head lolled to the side. Edward shuffled closer to the body, to see if he was really dead. Suddenly the Huntsman jerked about, a purple gas leaking from his mouth and wound. After a few moments of this, the injured Huntsman leaped onto his feet.

His head jerked up, and he whispered to Edward, "Run."

He then lashed out and grabbed Edward by the collar. He tried to break free, but couldn't escape the now super strong Huntsman's grip. Mason stepped out from behind cover and unloaded a few rounds into the Huntsman's head. The bullets bounced off as if the Huntsman's Aura was still at full strength. He turned his head to Mason, and rushed him, smacking both of them into the wall. A few crew members picked up their rifles and opened fire on the Huntsman. He turned his attention to the crew, while Edward and Mason recovered. The crew were getting beaten down, but Edward and Mason opened fire again. The Huntsman rushed the pair, but Edward managed to roll past him and retrieve the greatsword from the dragon's carcass. He hefted the rather light blade, and impaled the Huntsman through the chest.

"Thanks for that." Mason calmly said, dusting himself off.

"No problem. Shame about the Huntsman, though." Edward said with a slightly sad expression.

"No major loss. That dragon though," Mason gestured to the dead monster, "is a good catch. Let's haul it aboard. And get you some new clothes." he said, motioning to Edward's no longer new trench coat.

Edward examined his damaged attire, which was ripped on both sides, forming two tattered sections in the front to hang down to his knees, and the rest of the trench coat reaching halfway down his shins, with the sides of the coat torn off.

"Ya know, this isn't so bad. Gives me more freedom while running. I'll just keep this. But I agree on the dragon issue, might have to make a weapon from that." Edward dismissed.

"Whatever you think best, Captain."

Edward ordered his crew to attach hooks to the dragon, who now obeyed without question, the newfound respect from killing a monster sinking in. The upstart pirates boarded the Sabre, and left behind the crippled frigate to its fate.

The next evening…

Edward walked up to the command tower to take the wheel back from Mason, who had covered for him all day.

"I'll take the wheel now Mason, thanks for the favor."

"Of course, captain. Might I ask, what were you doing this whole time?" Mason inquired.

"Building this lil' thing!" Edward said, proudly patting the mechanism on his back.

"And what exactly IS that thing?"

"My new weapon, Willbreaker. I used the hardest parts of the monster's armor to form the scythe blade, mounted it on the Huntsman's greatsword, and found some spare gears to allow the blade to fold and rotate. At the flip of a switch, the scythe will fold and slide down to my hands, and a sword blade also made of the monster's parts will take it's place, creating a giant sword."

"I never knew you were so good with mechanics." Mason said, impressed. "Sounds heavy though, can you still use it effectively?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's the greatest part. The original greatsword and the monster's parts are weirdly light, so this thing isn't all that heavy! Plus, the Huntsman's armor was repairable, so I modified it to be able to fold into my coat and unfold in seconds!" Edward happily said, tapping a button under his wrist to show off his new armor.

"Well, that's great. But if I recall correctly, that monster had a dangerous fluid contained in it. Did you ingest any?"

"Nope. Even better, I've also found the source of the weird poison, and made use of it in my weapon!"

"Well that's grand. Not to cut you short, but I really must get some sleep."

"Of course, Mason. Take a load off."

The next day…

"Ship sighted aft, sir!"

"What class?"

"Military level, heavy destroyer sir! Medium armor, a few large guns, and a missile launcher on board, captain!"

"We can take her. All men to stations!" Edward yelled, eager to claim another prize.

The Sabre charged its opponent, with Edward again firing the flak cannons when within range. The armor of the ship minimized the damage, but it was still shaken from the impact. The destroyer turned to a broadside to the Sabre, and opened fire with all of its light cannons. The heavy armor of the Sabre assured the vessel barely took damage, and Edward continued his charge. The carronades went off, the thunderous boom of the explosive shells hitting the destroyer filled the air. The destroyer again let loose a volley of light cannon fire, but accented it with a heavy 144 mm shell and a missile. The heavy ordinance crashed into the armor of the cruiser, and dented it considerably, while the missile luckily flew wide. As Edward picked himself up from the shock of being hit, he noticed a portion of the destroyer's armor weakened by the carronades. He yanked on the wheel, turning the naval ram at the front to face the weakened section and shouted to a nearby crew member, "Overdrive the Dust engines!"

The crew member rushed down to the engine room, and pulled a lever. The engines began to emit a noticeable warmth, and started to glow slightly red. Back topside, the cruiser gained a considerable boost in speed. The ship slammed full force into the destroyer, the naval ram tearing open a hole in the ship's hull. Edward turned the Sabre away, letting off a volley from the auto cannons. The Sabre pulled away from the destroyer, allowing seawater to flow into the gaping hole left by the ram. As the stern turned towards the destroyer, Edward let loose some mines from the minelayer, which landed on the deck of the destroyer and detonated on deck, sending the ship's crew into chaos.

Edward pressed the buttons on the communications dashboard corresponding to the firing room of the auto cannons and the engine room, and yelled into the microphone, "Load the harpoons and cut the engines!"

The loaders in the firing rooms shoved roped harpoons into the chambers of the auto cannons, while the crew member in the engine room pressed the emergency stop button, stalling the cruiser. Back at the wheel, Edward turned the Sabre in place, faced the broadside loaded with harpoons to the destroyer, and fired. The harpoons pierced the hull of the destroyer, and started tugging the two ships together. Edward pressed the button on the dashboard that connected to all of the areas and said, "Prepare for a rushed boarding! We can't stay long, the seawater is gonna sink that ship in minutes!"

Edward's crew started to leap aboard the destroyer, with machine gun fire to cover them. The destroyer's crew fought back, and Edward soon had to jump in to help out. Amid the rifle fire, the captain charged in, unsheathing his new weapon. The scythe spun in wide arcs, catching many sailors and flinging them off the side. With Mason at his back to cover his blind spots, the pair forced their way to the other ship's control room. Bursting through the door, they found the captain trying to call for support. Edward noticed a pirate getting beat down, and sent Mason to help him.

"Mason, help that man out! I got this." he commanded.

The Quartermaster nodded and went to assist, while the captain of the destroyer drew his blade and stared down Edward.

"You underestimate me, scum!"

He launched into combat, performing furious swipes at Edward, but the lightness of Willbreaker allowed Edward to parry all of them. The enemy captain tired a bit, giving Edward the opportunity to swing at his shoulder. The scythe blade hooked around his arm, and Edward flipped the switch to transform his weapon. As the scythe blade folded down, it took the man's arm with it, trapping it in Edward's weapon. The sword blade rotated into place, and Edward sidestepped behind the man, twisting his arm as he went. His cry of pain was silenced with gurgling as the pirate captain impaled him with his sword.

"Hurrah! Hurrah!" cheered the pirates, until Edward barked out his order.

"Save your cheering for when we get off! This ship's gonna sink in a few minutes, so get your arses to work!"

The crew stopped celebration and rushed below decks to loot what they could. Edward started to inspect the surrendered crew of the destroyer, picking out various men of interest. The last of his crew made it back on board the Sabre, and Mason called for Edward to go.

"Come on captain, the water's rushing in!"

Edward pointed at some men of interest, and motioned for them to follow. The members of the defeated crew looked back at their doomed comrades, and silently climbed aboard the cruiser.

That evening…

Edward's crew was celebrating the night away in the tavern at the pirate city of Port Prince.

"A stroke of luck that that vessel had a rare crate of Dust on board, isn't it?" Edward asked his Quartermaster, then chugging down a bottle of rum.

"Aye, captain. And it seems you'll have another stroke of luck, look there!" Mason said.

Edward turned to face this so called 'luck'. He was met with four men walking towards their table. One was rather rough looking, dressed in rags. Another was in colorful and casual clothing, laughing and making jokes. The third was in dressed in all black, with a large beard and a feathered hat adorning his head. The last was clothed in a formal captain's uniform, and seemed to be quite cultured.*

"So this is the new upstart captain, eh? Stinks the same as any other pirate round here." the rough man taunted.

"Oy, why the long face?" the casual man asked in a overly sweet voice, noticing Edward's frown. "You fallin' in love?"

"With your blouse." Edward jabbed.

As the casual man's face hardened, the gentleman stepped between the two. "Peace, men. He was only jesting."

Edward eyed the man, and asked, "And who are you to stop this quarrel?"

"Byron Hornigold, at your service." the gentleman pirate introduced.*

"Earl Thatch." the man in black gruffly said.*

"'Calico' John Rackham." the jokester said.*

Edward now turned to the rough looking man, eyebrow raised.

"The 'ell do you want?" the man angrily asked.

Byron sighed, and said, "Just tell him your name, you brute."

"Carl Vane." the man said.*

"And what's so important about you fellows?" Edward asked in a bored tone.

"Show some goddamned respect, worm!" Carl screamed, and raised his arm for a punch.

Byron got in the way, and grabbed Carl's hand in a vice grip. "Jaysus, control your temper man!" Shoving Carl out of the way, he turned to Edward once more. "I'll forgive you for that comment, but show some regard for your fellow men trying to make a living. We're the first pirates to stalk these seas, and the reason why this town exists." Byron said, sweeping his arms around the tavern to emphasize his point. "We funded the building of this town with our prizes, so that the downtrodden might have a place to stay."

Edward felt his eyelids droop at Byron's little speech, until he spoke a certain phrase.

"We are the 'Flying Gang'."*

At this, Edward sat straight up. Mason had told him stories of these men. They'd struck fear into the hearts of all Schnee sailors, and robbed them senseless these past few years. These men were the reason why he'd been out at sea in the first place.

"So you are the fellows that are taking down the entire Schnee shipping industry? Well, nice to finally meet you fine men." Edward said with some respect for these men and their battle prowess.

"Aye, lad. We've been working on the Schnees for a few years. But we've been having trouble with a strange beast prowling the oceans. Black, six legs, weird disease spreading. Both us and the Schnees been avoiding this part of the ocean because of that beast, but with the arrival of a certain captain…" Byron winked. "...we don't have to worry about that anymore, and we can sail once more to claim our lien. That's the reason why we've come to see you, we want to offer you a spot on our little 'team' here. Do you accept?"

Edward was dumbfounded by the offer. He was going to accept, but thoughts of Katherine flashed in his head. Attacking the Schnees meant attacking the Scott ships that would be protecting them from now on. Which meant betraying the one love in his life. Mason sensed his captain's hesitation, and activated his Semblance again, which washed away any thoughts of refusal.

"I accept!" Edward said with confidence, rising to shake Byron's now extended hand.

"Good, good! Welcome to your new life, lad."

And with that, Byron lead his other three comrades out of the tavern. Edward was again bombarded with images of Katherine's scowling face at his betrayal. He clutched his head and fell back down onto the chair. Mason saw that his leader was again having second thoughts because of his lover, and spotted a few women offering their 'services' to paying men. Mason walked over, paid them a generous sum, and directed them to 'comfort' Edward.

"Hey there, big boy…" one of them said seductively.

"Care to enjoy our company tonight?" another scantily clad woman asked.

Edward's head was spinning, his love for Katherine attempting to fight the lure of these women and the Suggestion Semblance of Mason, who was trying to convince Edward to give up on the Scott. In the end, Mason's convincing won, and Edward allowed himself to be pulled into a side room of the tavern, to be kept busy all night long.

A year later…

"Time to go, Young."

Edward turned to see Byron approaching his table, along with the other members of the Flying Gang.

"Aye, Edward. Time to show the Schnees the terror of 'The Scotts' Scythe'!" Earl spoke up.

Edward gave a small chuckle at the nickname. He'd earned it, of course, for the Scott uniform he always wore, and the unique weapon he chose to wield. But he soon frowned at the reason for why he was being called. A few days earlier, Carl had captured a small scouting vessel with Schnee mercenaries aboard. He'd found out that the Schnees planned to launch an all out assault on Port Prince to wipe out the pirates. But they'd be damned if they went down without a fight. So Edward stood up, and made his way to the Sabre. He saw the rest of the Flying Gang board their own ships, Byron on his own crusier The Byron, Earl on his destroyer King Anthony's Revenge, 'Calico' John on his frigate The Phoenix, and Carl on his missile ship The Ranger. They set sail to meet the oncoming armada.*

"Ships sighted sir!" a crew member called out.

"Brace yourselves lads!" Byron's voice came through the speakers. "Today, we fight for freedom!"

The crew gave a cheer. "Hurrah!"

"For glory!"

"Hurrah!"

"For vengeance!"

"Hurrah!"

With the little speech over, Edward commanded his men to load the guns. A large battleship came into view, with the Schnee symbol painted on its hull. Edward smirked, and yelled into the P.A., "Fire mortars!"

The roar of the artillery boomed throughout the seas, the shells finding their marks and slamming into the Schnee flagship. It responded with a volley of auto cannon fire, with a few heavy shells coming the Sabre's way. The Ranger fired off its specialized web shells, that exploded into a fine Dust mesh in front of the Sabre, catching the lighter shells and most of the heavy shots, with the rest of the battleship's attacks falling wide of Edward's cruiser.

"Thanks for that, Vane!" Edward yelled through the microphone.

"Save the thanks for later, Young! Give me cover fire so I can launch my missiles on the newcomers!" Carl's voice responded through the speakers.

Edward looked up, and saw the Schnee battleship joined by many other support vessels. He counted at least 20 frigates, 10 destroyers, 5 cruisers, and another battleship. He felt a pang of guilt, as these support ships had the Scott logo stamped on their hulls. But he quickly shook it off, he was fighting for his life now.

"Focus the railgun on the Schnee battleship, fire the auto cannons on the frigates, fire the flak cannons on the cruisers, get the mortars loaded with A.O.E. shells and focus them on the destroyers!" he yelled into the P.A.

The Sabre rocked violently with most of its arsenal going off at once. The enemy armada was bombarded with the cruiser's weapons, with 2 frigates downed from the A.O.E. shells that were meant for the destroyers, and the Schnee battleship sustaining moderate damage from the super powered shell that came from the railgun. King Anthony's Revenge fired its heavy guns on the Scott battleship, and took down 3 frigates with its flaming mortar shells. The Phoenix fired off its auto cannons and took down one destroyer with the higher number, quality, and size of its guns. Finally, The Byron opened fire with its heavy guns on the Scott battleship, auto cannons focused on the frigates, and mortars on the destroyers. The armada, now reduced to the two battleships, 15 frigates, 8 destroyers, and the full 5 cruisers, returned fire. The sky was darkened with the sheer amount of shells launched. The Ranger desperately tried to protect the pirate fleet, firing its web shells above the other ships. This blunted the attack, but The Phoenix still sustained heavy damage, and King Anthony's Revenge got dented a bit.

"Missiles ready!" Carl's voice announced through the speakers.

The Ranger shook with the firing of all 8 of its missile launchers. Six of the launchers sent a grand total of 24 light missiles headed the armada's way, and the last two fired four heavy missiles. When the ordinance reached their targets, all hell broke loose. The crews of all five ships cheered at the sight of all the explosions. The clearing smoke revealed that there were only 3 frigates, 4 destroyers, 1 crusier, and of course the two battleships left. The cheers of the crew were drowned out by the battleships launching their full arsenal at the fleet. The Ranger again tried to defend its comrades, but only the auto cannon shells were stopped. Screams were heard as a rail gun shell tore straight through The Phoenix. Another railgun shell slammed into The Byron, while King Anthony's Revenge was assaulted by heavy gunfire.

"Status report!" Edward shouted in his microphone.

"Moderate damage, small crew loss!" Byron shouted back in the speakers.

"Slightly heavy damage, moderate crew loss!" Earl responded.

"No damage whatsoever, but John is sunk." Carl said with sadness through the P.A. system.

"No time to mourn his loss Carl, get your missile launcher ready again! Byron, give Earl some cover fire so they can repair a bit. I'll lead the assault on the battleships!"

Edward turned and ordered a crew member to crank up the engines. As he rushed down to give some life to the machinery, Edward ordered the flak cannons fired. The ten large shells screamed through the air, tearing through the towers of the Schnee battleship. It was beginning to smoke, but the Scott battleship opened fire with its railgun. The super powered shell ripped a part of the Sabre's hull off.

"You! Grab a few men and get to repairing the damage!" Edward shouted to a sailor.

The Schnee battleship stopped its slow advance to repair, while the Scott battleship continued its slow charge at the pirates. Edward felt the rush as the Sabre's engines were kicked into high gear, and aimed the carronades at the Scott battleship. The explosive shells did some damage, but didn't slow the monstrous vessel a bit. He fired off the A.A. gun at the battleship, hoping to send its crew into disarray. This failed, as through a periscope he saw the enemy crew simply take cover, unfazed by the assault. The Byron opened fire on the Schnee battleship, and fired off its mortars at the support vessels. The mortar shells hit their mark, wrecking the last of the armada, leaving only the two battleships. And then there was only one, as the guns of The Byron had hit dead center, and the Schnee battleship went down with a flurry of explosions. But the Scott battleship got its vengeance, cutting down King Anthony's Revenge with a railgun shell and a few heavy cannons. As Earl and his ship sunk into the depths, Byron decided to avenge his fallen comrade, and charge the last battleship. He kicked his cruiser into overdrive, and unleashed everything his ship had at the enemy. The combined mass of all of his guns dealt significant damage to the battleship, but whoever the captain of this ship was, he was clever. He fired off his broadside at The Ranger, ending Carl and his crew. Edward over drove his own engines, trying to give everything he had into this one ramming. But the battleship let loose a large amount of mines, forcing Edward to turn his ship. Right into The Byron.

"What the hell was that, Edward?!" Byron shouted through the comms, but he was cut off by the report of the entire arsenal of the battleship, sending him to his doom, with the rest of the Flying Gang.

All on his own now, Edward tried to play it more defensively. But he was trapped. Between the still sinking wreckage of The Byron and the Scott battleship, there was no room for maneuvering. The battleship again fired off its railgun, but this time at point blank range. The Sabre was crippled, helpless to stop the boarding. The two ships grated together, and the battleship's crew hopped aboard the Sabre. Edward and Mason fought like animals, but as they cut down Scott soldiers, something caught Edward's attention. He heard a feminine voice coming through an earpiece of one of the dying soldiers, and it was giving orders. Wanting to identify the captain of the enemy vessel, he looked to the command tower of the battleship.

"Katherine?!"

Edward couldn't believe his eyes, but there she was, the former love of his life, captaining this vessel that had destroyed the rest of his friends. She also spotted Edward, and almost dropped her radio. She regained her composure, and shouted something into her radio. Edward heard her voice coming through the earpiece, and listened closely.

"Ignore that order, I repeat delay that command!"

Edward wondered what command she wanted to stop, and he soon found out. The guns of the battleship went off, tearing through the Sabre's hull. Edward was blasted off the ship, and plunged into the depths of the ocean.

Two days later…

Edward awoke to the screeching of seagulls. The shrill noise nearly made him release the piece of driftwood he had floated on since the battle. He squinted at the sun, and saw the birds circling his head.

'Funny.' Edward thought to himself. 'I used to love the sight of these birds.'

He closed his eyes, and was about to accept his fate, when a revelation hit him.

'Seagulls?! They rarely ever leave the coast!'

He lifted his head, and looked around frantically. And then he saw it. The docks, ships making ready to leave port, the city! He began frantically kicking, pouring all his energy into reaching shore. He'd made it within 10 minutes, and climbed onto the wooden dock. He stumbled around, gaining weird looks from the few people who were present. He fell to his knees from the sheer exhaustion, and laid down on his back.

A man leaned over him, and asked, "Are you alright?"

Edward laughed at the question, and answered, "Just dandy, mate. By the way, what city is this?"

"Vale."

Edward smiled at the fortune of making it to a major city, and asked again, "Where's the nearest pub?"

The next day…

Edward stumbled out into the street. He'd spent every last lein he'd accumulated in his years of pirating to get drunk, no to get SMASHED. He slurred out vulgar words to women on the street, and eventually came to rest in a darkened alley. He sat down roughly, and took a long swig from his bottle of rum. However, the world seemed to hate Edward, and sent forth some thugs to try and rob him.

A thug pointed a gun at the drunken man, and demanded, "Wallet and Scroll."

Edward took a look at the man, and laughed. "Sorry mate, but I'm all out of cash!"

"Man, that's bullshit, you'd better give me your money now or-"

SQUELCH.

The mugger was silenced by a blade through his throat. As he fell to the floor, his killer was revealed. A man dressed in a complete black hooded coat and waistcoat stylized with a large crimson dragon design across the upper back portion. He wore a belt with a strange insignia acting as its buckle, which held up white breeches and dark brown boots. He had a cutlass sheathed in a black scabbard, and a black rectangle strapped onto his belt with softly glowing red lines. He had a bloodied blade protruding from his wrist, presumably used to kill the thug. The three other robbers got into fighting stances, but were no match for the skill of the man before them. He seemingly teleported between the men, sticking each of them in the throat with his blade. As he retracted his blade back into his sleeve, Edward swore he saw his 'savior's' hand glowing a faint blue, through his glove. But he never got a chance to speak, as the man wasted no time in starting a conversation.

"Well, with those rogues taken care of, how are you holding up, man?"

Edward hiccuped and said, "Ya know, I could have taken them."

The mysterious man gave a small chuckle, and responded, "I've no doubt about that. But with abilities like your own, what are you doing here, in a dark alley? Shouldn't you be out working with those arms?"

"What job would pay enough? None!" Edward remarked, and took another swig from the bottle.

"So its money you're after? Well then Mr. Young, I represent an organization that makes quite a bit of money doing some…...unsavory work."

The drunken Edward stuck out his hand and said, "I accept! But if I'm going to join, I'm gonna need a name, buddy!"

The man shook Edward's hand as he spoke his title.

"Drake Darnell, Master Assassin."

A/N: There we have it! Edward's story, and Kayla's is next. Again, sorry for the long delay, but school and the length of the chapter is preventing me from publishing more. I hope you liked it, I wasn't thinking right when I wrote the last half of the chapter, so if the story of Edward is nonsensical, that's why. I just felt like writing about naval combat, so there you go. Now time for the references!

*The 'Flying Gang' is a real group of pirates who sailed of course during the Golden Age of Piracy. The real members' names were Benjamin Hornigold, Charles Vane, 'Calico' Jack Rackham, and Edward Thatch, better known as Blackbeard.

**These lines are references to Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. These are the lines Edward Kenway says in game, and I did say my OC was going to be based on him.

***These lines are references to Assassin's Creed 3, with some modifications. AC3 isn't as good as the rest of the AC games in my opinion, so if you just got into the franchise, you'd be better off buying Black Flag or any of the Ezio trilogy.

****Again, this is a reference to Monster Hunter, so go look up pictures of the 'Gore Magala' if my description isn't satisfactory.

That's all for now. This is your humble upstart writer signing off.