It's been a few days, but I managed to finish Chapter 10. Hope you like it.
Chapter 10: Decipher the Curse
The view was faint as Tsau stumbled down the hallways of the prison. Uneasily, he leaned on the walls as he could not balance from walking. After a moment of breathing, he stabilized and pressed forward. He ran his hands across the bars as he continued down, with the dark, cold hallways sending him chills down his spine. Following down the hall, he observed the trail of blood left behind. Newly shed blood, it was, and it was all over the ground, the walls, and the ceiling. Almost slipping on some, Tsau managed to regain his balance and continue down the hall. Echoing shrieks of men being mutilated could be heard from the blood path. Tsau did not have any weapons, for he was only dressed in his inmate outfit.
He snuck ahead until the screams were close, and entered the room where the screams came from. Many dead inmates and security officers were lying on the floor, lifeless, and the whole room was a bloodbath. In the center stood a man Tsau was all too familiar with. He was dressed in a white coat with the hood pulled over his head. The weapons, gadgets, and even same movements were identical to that of Tsau's. The hooded man sunk his wristblade into one last victim, who twitched and went into shock from such a blow. Tsau drew closer to the man, and picked up a scimitar from one of the fallen guards. In his stealthiest maneuver, he leaped into the air to strike upon the imposter that looked like him. However, the hooded man quickly turned around, and in an even more finesse fashion, shoved the wristblade into Tsau's neck. Landing on top of Tsau, the hooded man drew closer to his face, and Tsau, whose neck was spilling with blood from trying to breathe, looked into his own reflection. The imposter had bested him…not because he was an imposter, but because he was him.
"Pathetic," the hooded imposter said. "How could you ever defeat me if you could not defeat yourself?"
Tsau, with his life fading away, watched the imposter one more time as the reflection started to decay into an undead figure. The face lost its eyes, and its jaw fell loose. The eyes became completely black, and the face began to deform, into only bones. The final product was undead being that roared into Tsau's face, and gripped around his throat…then snapped his neck and windpipe.
"Death is the only way out," the Necromortalis said in a rough voice. "Your soul is mine."
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Tsau was almost at a yell when he woke up, nearly waking the others with him. Sweating and breathing heavily, he quickly slipped on his pants and quietly snuck upstairs to the deck, where they were sailing towards the Dutchman. Will said that his ship would be in a cove quite a ways from here, so that is where they were headed. Tsau looked up at the helm, where Captain Jack was steering. Still shaking from his semi-real nightmare, he sat at the steps and shut his eyes, trying to clear his thoughts. Yet again, another one he's had. Tsau let his thoughts clear before getting back into reality. The only other person up was Elizabeth, who wouldn't dare to sleep until she saw her father again.
"It's not good to let those bother you, mate," Jack said, while up at the helm. "I get quite a few of them myself."
Tsau looked forward out into the sea. "Not the way I have them. You've never killed at will before, Jack."
"Aye," Jack replied. "I'll never know what it feels like, but I can understand from watching you. It's quite disturbing, is it not?"
The Falcon looked down. "I'd die to rid myself of these nightmares."
"So…" Jack said, trying to change the subject. "Where were you before you joined Hassan? I know that even some of the best assassins have been caught before."
"Funny that you say that," Tsau said. "I guess I should have clarified, then. I was never caught as a Falcon, as an assassin. I was caught a few times as a thief. Before that I was locked up in a prison."
Jack shrugged. "It's not so bad. I've been there before."
"Not this one," Tsau said. "I was held up in the Arabian Desert for thievery, and they decided to put me into one of their new, innovative prisons. You've never seen one like this before, Jack. Trust me. It was maximum security, which was only for the worst of criminals. I was only 19 back then, having my share of idiotic antics. It was so organized, so revolutionary, divided into sectors that held the 10,000 prisoners. They named each sector after the alphabet. I was in D Sector, the most dangerous of all criminals, and the only place that is flooded with murderers and assailants. D for Death. Everyday, just having air to breathe was fine for me. They were even nice enough to let us into one of the outside courtyards every other day. However, on those courtyards, lines are divided, and each faction hung in a given area. Prison has its own rules, Jack. If you stepped on the wrong turf, you were either beaten badly, or killed by the gang there. Sometimes, the guards would watch for their entertainment."
"How long were you there?" Jack asked.
"Only half a year. Soon, the prison was overrun by bandits. Apparently society isn't ready to settle for something this big and organized. And that is where I met Muhammad Hassan, the leader of the Order of the White Falcon. He claimed to know my father, and that he had been through many things with him. Most of my survival techniques while incarcerated were self-taught, but Hassan really taught me the tools of the trade. He taught me how to assassinate, how to do this, how to do that. I was often beaten by the guards because I killed a lot of inmates that thought they could beat me. Only took 6 months, and I became the most feared person in prison," Tsau narrated, with Jack listening attentively. "When the bandits overran the prison, I took advantage, and murdered the guards and the inmates I really hated. The anger, the frustration that built up inside of me…I had to let it go. It was until then that Hassan decided to get me fully involved with his Order. I joined him as soon as we escaped. There were few good memories there."
Jack continued steering. "That was a lot more than I expected."
"You wanted to know," Tsau replied. "I gave you an answer."
"That was thorough," Elizabeth said, turning away from her view of the sea.
Tsau stood up. "I don't break down into many soliloquies, however. Take my words as you want them."
As the Pearl sailed for another few good minutes, the Dutchman was in sight. Excitedly, Elizabeth ran all the way up to the front of the ship, because it meant that she was that much closer to Will. Tsau looked up and sighed, ready to board the ship and investigate. The two ships were side-by-side in the darkness of the night, and wooden planks dropped from the Pearl to the Dutchman. Will leaped down from the helm and sped his way across the planks to kiss Elizabeth once again. Tsau walked over to the Dutchman and began investigating.
"You okay?" Will asked.
Elizabeth nodded with a sweet smile. "Yes, Will. I can take care of myself."
"No, I think he's been doing it for you," Will said, signaling to Tsau. "That man must be really good if he could carry our son on his back and leap down a mansion."
Keeping her smile, Elizabeth cuddled in his arms. "I missed you. It has only been a few hours."
"So did I," Will said. "Do you have the chest with you?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. With Tsau's help, of course."
"I owe him quite a bit, then," Will replied. "Where's our son?"
"Sound asleep," Elizabeth said.
Will nodded. "Wouldn't want to wake him up, then."
Jack stepped down from the helm. "Maybe we should go break that curse of yours, eh, William?"
They crossed to the Dutchman and joined with Tsau. Bootstrap was apparently chatting with him, but when they got across, the conversation stopped.
"So, Tsau," Will said. "I think that's your name…how do you break down the curse?"
Tsau, slightly chilly in his sleeveless undershirt, walked towards the captain's quarters. "I'd start with the captain's quarters. Where else would the clues be hidden?"
Running his hands through his buzzed hair, Tsau looked hard in the captain's cabin. It was a lot more humane than when Davy Jones occupied it, and it had a more normal look for a captain's quarters. Everyone canvassed the cabin, but found nothing. It was a futile search. Will and Elizabeth looked as hard as Tsau did, but Jack kind of stood back and watched.
"There must be a reason why Hassan sent you with us, mate," Jack said to Tsau. "If you can't find it, then why did he send you?"
Tsau then looked at Will. "You've been here 8 years, and you haven't even seen anything?"
Will shook his head. "I know this ship better than I know my home."
Nodding, Tsau noticed the musical equipment at the end of the quarters. "Is that an organ?"
Will shook his head. "When Davy Jones left, it became a piano. Why?"
"There's got to be a reason that it is here, right?" Jack asked Tsau. "Do you know anything, then?"
Tsau stepped towards the piano and sat down. He crackled his fingers and rubbed his hands together. After a quick warm up on the piano, he began to play a song. It was haunting, and it brought slight chills to the people in the room. Although it was haunting, the song was quite melodious. Tsau thought about the words in his head.
The Angel of Death thirsts for you
Can you survive such sweet pain?
Can you resist the temptation?
Such sweet dreams, can only plague one's own fate
Dragging you away while you sleep
Before you understand life's any meaning
The Angel of Death brings you an offer
How long can you carry his black cross?
No remorse, no feeling
All strategy, but no dealing
All philosophy, but no healing
He drags you away while you sleep…
After Tsau played the melody of the Angel of Death, the piano began to rumble, and as it did, a paper-length note fell from the bottom of it. Tsau picked it up and went over to the others.
"Nice song, mate," Jack said.
"Eh," Tsau grunted. He looked at the paper, then handed it to Elizabeth and Will, who began reading what it said.
"Date unknown, year unknown," Will said.
"Dear Captain,
It is with great acknowledgement that you have found this letter from the piano. I assume you must know the Melody of Death, then. Anyway, if you are reading this, then you must already know that the curse can be lifted. The Necromortalis is merciless, captain. If you can trap it into the chest that contains your heart, then you will be free. But how, you say? The answer lies in the Dagger of Black Death. The Dagger will free you. Stab the Necromortalis with the dagger after it is cleansed by its liberator, which will then trap the Necromortalis into the dagger. After, your scar will open, and you are free to replace your heart. Place the Dagger of Black Death into the chest and await the Angel of Death. Good luck.
Vaya con Dios,
Fifth Servant of the First Generation"
"Fifth servant?" Jack asked Will after he read the letter. "What does that mean?"
Tsau nodded. "The Servant serves under the Angel of Death. He carries the burden of freeing the Dutchman, and restoring the balance. Davy Jones knew about this, but I guess his greed and desire for immortality plagued him. He probably forgot all about it after Calypso left him."
Will handed the letter to Jack. "So, Tsau. How many servants were there?"
"As the letter reads, five for each generation," Tsau said. "The Necromortalis has killed many. This is the Third Generation, I believe."
"And the Dagger of Black Death?" Will asked, snatching the paper away from Jack. "Where is it?"
Tsau pulled the dagger from its sheath on his waist. "It's right here."
"Good," Will nodded, reading the letter. "What does it mean to cleanse it by its liberator?"
"I've yet to figure that out," Tsau replied, sheathing his dagger. "This is all I know so far, and know you know it."
A bang on the door startled Elizabeth, who stood right next to it.
"Cap'n!" Bootstrap shouted from the other side.
Will opened the door, and met with his father. "What is it?"
"We've got company," his dad replied.
From amidst the thick fog out in the sea, a horn sounded off from an enemy ship, a sound Tsau had not heard in a long time. He exhaled a breath and began walking out into the foggy, dim, grey light of morning.
"So, General Zhao has caught up with us, I presume," he started. "Get ready for some intense negotiation."
Tsau sped out the door and back to the Pearl before everyone else to ready his weapons. The minor fleet of large Chinese ships surrounded the Dutchman and Pearl, and they had nowhere to go.
I've been a little busy the past few days, and I can predict that I'll be busy in the future. I'll try to get 11 done soon. Thanks for the reviews!