Once again, I am deeply grateful for the marvellous help RedTitanAlpha has given me in this story. Thank you so much for writing such amazing ship battles that I couldn't possibly imagine.
Edward took to steering the Aquila like a fish takes to water or how a bird takes to the sky, relieving Faulkner as he patrolled the Aquila, barking orders at his men while Chevalier sat on a barrel, drinking from the nearest bottle to him. After collecting the supplies from Calais, the Aquila was heading back to Massachusetts and the Davenport Homestead. Their route was simple and their course was steady. The weather was sunny with some clouds and a bit of a gale but now it looked like there was a localised thunderstorm brewing west side of their location. Chevalier frowned, lowering his drink. It appeared they were not the only ship on that route either.
"Monsieur Young," Chevalier said, rising from his seat. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that ship that approaches on our starboard does not appear to be one I recognise as an ally."
Edward squinted at the nearing ship before drawing a spyglass. What he saw confirmed Chevalier's words. Heading toward them was what looked like a black ship with black sails, its canons disposed on two decks and deployed out of their shelters.
Edward shifted his attention on the other ship. But unlike the first, he couldn't identify it because it was further away and covered by the rain from the distant storm.
"Chevalier," Edward swallowed. "That ship is not an ally. Neither is she alone."
"Let me have a look." Asked the French-Canadian as he took the spyglass from Edward.
"Indeed, it's a frigate, fourth or third rate in your English ranking system, the other one also looks like a frigate but I cannot say for sure. I am not even sure if the other one is coming for us as well."
"Faulkner! We have hostile company!" Chevalier roared.
"Battle station, all hands to battle station! Ready all canons!" Ordered Robert Faulkner.
The crew didn't wait to be told twice. As soon as Chevalier spoke, everyone ran to their combat station and Edward could hear the canons being loaded and pushed into position below the weather deck. Keith appeared on deck, his calm face now lined with concern.
"Mister Keith, you will direct the mortar crew. Edward, the men will be waiting to fire on your command." Faulkner barked, waving to the two men.
Edward was about to ask Faulkner if he should relinquish the wheel back but before he could say something, his eagle sense warned him of an impending danger.
"Mortar! We have incoming mortar!" The Englishman yelled out as he steered the ship hard on starboard.
Moments later, the projectile fell on the port side of the bow in the water creating a huge splashes of water and drenching the crew members standing on the ship forecastle.
The manoeuvre allowed the Aquila to bring her port side mortars to bear with the enemy ship and Edward didn't waste time to give the order for the weapon to be fired.
The firing crew ignited the mortar and scrambled away, hands on their ears. This action was imitated by the rest of the crewmembers on the weather's deck as the expected deafening sound of the mortar resounded and the forecastle was briefly drowned in fumes.
The smoke cleared just enough for Edward to see the projectile missing its mark as the enemy ship veered hard to evade the shot.
"Merde! Raté! Ce bâtard de pirate is good! (shit, we missed, this pirate bastard is good!)" Chevalier cursed, gripping the edge of the Aquila, watching their attacker with equal anger and admiration.
"We won't have time for a second shot, we have to use our broadside canons!" Edward yelled as he veered the ship hard to starboard. Meanwhile, their adversary was also turning hard to its starboard in order to allow their own weaponry to join the action.
"Port side canons, standby on captain Young's command! Mister Keith, come here and take position on the port side, swivel number two and Smith will take port side number three!" Faulkner barked his orders and Edward saw the tall slender dark haired man in his thirties run to take place at the swivel gun on his left while the man posted there changed place for one of the rear swivel.
"Mister Keith here can shoot a fly with a surgical precision," Faulkner murmured just loud enough for Edward and Chevalier de la Vérendrye to hear.
The revered Assassin ship managed to turn her broadside into position before the enemy ship did and the son of two pirates at the helm took full advantage of this opportunity.
"Portside canons, fire!" He shouted.
The canons thundered as they spat their projectiles and the crew was momentary blinded by the fumes from the guns.
Multiple and loud clanking sound could be heard from the pirate ship. As the smoke cleared, the newly made captains didn't get the time to evaluate the result of their first salvo as the enemy were now in firing position.
"Brace!"
The crew did so just in time as canons fire and whistling sound from enemy fire could be heard and impact from the projectiles felt on the deck.
"Damage report, reload the canons!" Ordered Faulkner while Edward took a look their foe.
"Bloody Hell!" Edward swore.
"Their side is covered in metal plating. Smart bastard" Said Chevalier in wonder.
The ship was close enough for the Aquila to observe properly. Their adversary, an entirely black ship, had its side completely covered in metal plating. Aside from the pirate flag on the main mast, the ship bore no ornament or decorations, not even a figure head.
That ship, contrary to the Jackdaw and the Queen Anne's Revenge had no personality at all. A complete soulless warship and a perversion of what a pirates ship like the Jackdaw would represent, independent, feared, hated and admired at the same time. The captain of the Jackdaw once admitted he had gone overboard by painting the canons in gold colour but at least, his brig had personality.
The ship, a three mast frigate and a third rate that could normally carry around seventy canons had at least ten spots missing canons. 'Probably to save weight in favour of the metal armour,' Edward thought.
Except for several metal plates stained and bended slightly, the ship appeared mostly undamaged while the Aquila had lost one canon on the weather deck among the superficial damages.
"We have to outturn them. It might be better armoured but we are more manoeuvrable." Chevalier stated, following the ship's movements.
Edward came to the same conclusion and proceeded to veer the brig hard to port. The pirate ship attempted to follow in order to keep their broadside on the Aquila but it was less manoeuvrable and the Assassin ship was slowly gaining on their adversary.
"Watch out for their swivel!" Yelled Mister Keith, racing across the deck to avoid fire.
The crew took cover just in time as rapid gunfire could be heard as shot were striking the deck.
"Bloody hell! That's not a swivel, that's a puckle gun!" Edward swore, gripping the wheel, his knees bent as he stood, practically crouched, ready to brace himself again.
"Mister Keith, do you think you could get a clear shot on it?" Robert Faulkner asked.
"I make no promises, but I'll try," replied the modest man posted at the swivel with a slightly diluted Scottish accent.
The crew on the poop deck watched with baited breath as the Scotsman took aim for several agonising seconds before the gun was fired. It met its mark and as the crew cheered, Keith gave a slight smile.
"Good shot, mate," Edward commented, impressed.
"Bravo, vous leur avez cloué le bec (congratulations, you've nailed their trap shut)," said Chevalier with an approving node.
As the Assassin's vessel continued to outturn their enemy, the captain's cabin was exposed to the Aquila's crew to see.
"She doesn't even have a name? These soft water twats didn't even name their ships? Don't they know it's a bad omen not to name a ship?" Faulkner said, outraged at thought of a ship with no name.
"Bande d'imbéciles (bunch of imbeciles)," Chevalier snorted.
"It looks like the armour doesn't cover the stern section, we should take advantage of this," Edward said as the bow of the ship was now lined up with their aft. "Port side, standby to fire on my mark!" The man at the helm ordered.
Louis Joseph de la Verendry and Robert Faulkner both understood the Captain's intention. Going right behind them and once they were close enough, turn hard to starboard and unleash their broadside on the adversary stern section.
Unfortunately for the Aquila, the nameless ship anticipated this tactic and their crew started to drop explosive barrels in the water behind them.
"Shite! Evasive manoeuvre!" Edward swore as he was forced to turn the ship starboard prematurely to dodge the barrels and foiling his plan.
"Broadside fire!" Snarled Robert Faulkner. However, the shots ineffectively bounced off the ship's armoured flank while some other projectiles from the lower deck were deflected by the passing wave.
"Bordel!" Chevailer cursed, "At this rate, they will wear us out and slowly destroy us!"
"If we can't get them from behind, then we need to cripple their sails, it's the only other unarmoured part we can hit!" The marksman that Edward knew as Mister Keith suggested.
"That's a good idea. But it would be easier if we had chain shots!" Remarked the Englishman.
"Aye, we have plenty of those!" Faulkner said before he barked his next order.
"Port side, reload with chain shots, no time to laze around!"
"We keep turning until we reach full cross wind coming toward us from the enemy ship's direction!" Edward stated.
"And the crosswind will list our vessel on starboard side, allowing us to aim our canons at their sails. Good strategy, Monsieur Young," complemented the French-Canadian who managed a slight smile, despite their situation.
"Thank you, Chevalier, but part of the credit goes to Keith here as I didn't think of directly attacking their sails." Hearing his name mentioned, the Scotsman glanced up and then turned away, pretending not to hear.
"Bugger, the storm is upon us." Cursed Edward as he felt rain drops fall on his sleeve. The wind was changing from a constant stream into a gust, forcing Edward to make micro corrections to counter the drift. He blinked, looking up into the fearsome grey skies above them. He'd thought they left the storm behind them in Calais.
Evidently, he was wrong.
"Chain shots, ready!" Yelled a crewmember on the weather deck.
"Good, stand by on my mark!"
Lightning flashes illuminated the horizon followed by thunder rumbling as the intensity of the rain and waves increased.
"We're in the crosswind!" Faulkner reported, holding a hand up against the heavy rain that fell sideways, threatening to blind then.
"Port side fire!" Edward yelled his lungs out through the rain, his voice nearly drowned by the thunder claps and crashing waves. A crew member repeated his order to the canon's crew on the decks below.
Chained cannon balls twirled in the air in the direction of the enemy ship. Meanwhile, the nameless foe hadn't remained idle and returned fire despite not being fully parallel with the Aquila.
"Brace!"
This action was mostly unnecessary as half the projectiles were deflected by the passing waves while the remaining shots passed through the Aquila's sails before ending their race in the water.
Edward rose back up and saw the result of the Aquila's latest broadside attack. The sail at the mizzen mast of the nameless pirate ship was flying uselessly like a flag in the wind while the main mast sail was twisted on itself. Only the foremast remained undamaged.
"Reload the canons with round shots!" Ordered Edward and spoke to Chevalier, planting his feet firmly to the deck as the ship tossed about in the maddened sea, roaring and snarling as it threatened to swallow the battling ships.
"Let's not give them time to repair their sails!"
The Aquila struggled against the waves but got behind the enemy ship and unleashed her broadside against the stern section with devastating results.
"Well done, lads, well done, we got her now!" Faulkner congratulated and the crew cheered at their victory.
"We can board them now if we want. A pirate ship like that ought to have something valuable stashed in their hold that could be valuable to us!" Edward called over the storm.
"It's very risky with this weather but I agree with your assessment. Un vaisseau pirate like that must certainly contain valuable items and we don't know how long they will hold against that storm." Approved Chevalier.
"All hands, prepare for boarding!" Edward barked, watching as the crew armed themselves with swords, muskets, pistols and grappling hooks.
"Half sails ahead!"
Edward felt the ship impact against the wave as he was turning the Aquila back towards their immobilized foe. The sudden change of the wind's direction, from a steady heavy breeze to random gusts gave the sensation of having a giant invisible hand poking the ship from both side. It was very demanding for his arms to keep the ship steady on the intended course in this weather.
The next wave briefly hided the neutralized pirate ship's hull from view only for a loud explosion to be heard. The wave passed and revealed the horrifying sight of the pirate ship being consumed in a fiery inferno display.
"Oh, mon Dieu!"
"Good Lord!"
"What happened?"
Everyone stared at the morbid spectacle. All feelings of joy evaporated before the eerie sight as the ship aflame was slowly disappearing beneath the waves.
Instantly, Captain Young's sense became alert.
"Edward! Brace! Protect yourself!" Screamed a familiar female and male voice that didn't belong to the present company.
"Brace! Everyone Brace!" Edward screamed to the crew.
Everyone on the poop deck did what he said without thinking while some on the weather deck stood a moment staring incomprehensibly and reacted a second too late as canon fire ripped the stormy air and shredding parts of the ship.
The crew were thrown off their feet and Edward had to cover his face with his arm against wooden shrapnel before he scrambled for the wheel as it spun wildly.
"Faulkner!" Edward shouted as the former Captain lay sprawled on the deck.
Faulkner raised his head, dazed and tried to stand but stumbled. A chunk of wood was embedded in his leg. With only a wince, he tugged it out and tossed the blood stained shrapnel to the side. Wrestling his scarf from his neck, he tied it around the wound and rose to steady enough feet.
"There is another ship attacking!" Roared Chevalier amidst the confusion.
As Edward took hold of the wheel, he yelled out, "I want a damage report, all hand ready the canons and get me full sails!"
The crew scrambled on the deck as the blood staining the weather deck was being washed by the rain. Dark red rivers raced down the deck, diluted in the downpour, and spilling into the sea. Edward swallowed, hoping neither his friends of himself would follow it.
"We've lost both mortars! Starboard swivel gun one and three are lost and four of our canons on the weather deck are useless, all canons on deck one and two are functional and the armoured belt is holding for now!" A man on the weather deck reported breathlessly.
As the sails were fully deployed, Edward's sixth sense overloaded with warning information.
"We have incoming mortar! Half sail!" Edward shouted as he got a glimpse of the enemy ship's silhouette through the rain ahead of them as she fired before vanishing, hidden by the thick weather condition.
Several splashes of water followed, running the length of the ship. One mortar shot hit at the corner of the Aquila's stern and passed through a window, taking out a small chunk of the Captain's cabin in the process.
"We're hit but nothing vital has been touched!"
A lightning bolt flashed on the horizon briefly revealing their foe's position.
"She's coming toward us, be ready!" Chevalier roared.
For a moment that seemed to last forever, nothing seemed to happen, nothing in view except for the top part of their sails. Then the enemy ship came out in sight as she sliced through a wave, throwing water sideways.
"Oh, mon dieux! That's not a frigate!…"
"Man'o'war!" Faulkner yelled.
Edward could perfectly make out their adversary. A ship bristling with canons disposed on three decks was bearing down full sails at a fearsome speed a vessel this size shouldn't be able to reach.
This man'o'war was different from what the Assassin at the wheel had seen from pictures and artwork. This one had a narrow shaped bow instead of the traditional blunt and wide shape those ships are normally designed with.
Her hull was painted in black, contrasting with silver coloured linings running the length of the ship and framing the canon's holes, complete with black and silver coloured sails. A black hooded figure with a scythe was displayed as a figurehead and a red flag flying at the top of the mast featured two crossed black sabres.
Like a sight coming from a nightmare, the ship was followed by a trail of fire not unlike the Equitas did. The combined visual effect of the weather with the oil burning trail gave their foe an eerie unnatural appearance.
"A hunter ship and she's out for blood!" Faulkner didn't have time to say more as the enemy man'o'war already veered to bring their broadside to bear parallel to the Aquila.
"Fire at will and brace!" Edward shouted, ducking again to avoid the impact of the man'o'war.
Both ships unleashed their pay load against each other, rocking the Aquila beneath their feet more than the waves had.
Edward struggled to keep hold of the wheel through the chaos as well as protecting his face from flying debris. Everyone on the open deck did the same.
The carnage seemed to last forever as their foe unleashed the entirety of her three deck's content over the Aquila which was responding with her own weaponry from the two decks below.
The crew breathed a sigh of relief as the barrage of canons balls finally ended.
Glancing at the weather deck. Faulkner and Edward both saw the result.
"The canons on the weather deck are all out of actions but we still have the canons on deck one and two, the armoured belt took a serious beating and we have hull breaches above the waterline," reported several crewmembers.
Edward ignored the stinging sensation on his arm caused by the flying wood shards as he turned the wheel hard to avoid the trail of fire left by the hunter ship.
The son of a pirate and an Assassin observed the crew working to reattach some of the ropes holding the sails that had been ruptured during the assault while others took upon themselves to bring the injured on the decks below.
"We also got a direct hit on them but they are not out of the fight!" Reported Chevalier as he indicated their foe receding in the horizon.
Edward and Faulkner turned their attention on the enemy ship, now partially blurred by the rain but still visible.
The man'o'war was now turning back toward them. Edward watched in horrific fascination as the ship veered so hard it listed sideway and the temporary Captain wondered how a vessel this size could move like that without capsizing. Part of him hoped their foe would indeed capsize, putting an end to the fight but alas, his wish wasn't going to be granted today.
Faster that he would have liked, their enemy was already gaining on them.
"How can a ship this size move so fast?" Edward complained, more out of fear than annoyance, distressed by the impressive speed demonstrated by the larger ship.
"It's a Fearless class, the most advanced English design of man'o'war."
The words came out from Mister Keith as he stared fearfully at their foe.
"How would you know that?" Edward asked, curious despite the grim situation.
"Now's not the time for a lesson in history, I suggest we use explosive shots for our next salvo," Faulkner interrupted.
"I agree, it's our only chance." Nodded Chevalier in agreement.
"Reload with explosive shots!" Shouted Edward.
As their enemy continued to gain on them, Edward could see the damage running the length of the hull of their foe.
Edward veered the brig toward them.
"What are you doing? This will put us on a collision course!" Chevalier said fearfully, his voice rising in hysteria.
"If we can fire our broadside first and turn hard away from them, we might be able to partially evade their broadside and the wave might help shield us if we put enough distance before they fire," Edward grunted, gritting his teeth as he held the wheel with as much force as he could muster.
"Many things could go wrong with this method," Chevalier said, then shook his head, accepting the practically hopeless situation they were in, "but we don't have much choice."
Edward's tactic seemed to work as both vessels were getting dangerously close. Faulkner watched as the man'o'war grew bigger in their vision.
The English Assassin altered his course and aimed the ship broadside against their enemy.
"Port side canons, fire at will!"
Explosive projectiles tore and blew at the bow and flank of their adversary and breached part of the hull above the waterline.
"Excellent, now let's move away before they fire!" Chevalier said, but not fully congratulating the man just yet.
Edward turned the wheel hard to starboard when two shouts came from Mister Keith and Faulkner.
"Watch out!"
"Brace!"
Edward turned around and his eyes widened in fright. Instead of bringing her guns to bear, the enemy ship had altered her heading and was full sail ahead on a collision course with the Aquila.
Canon fire ripped through the air as their foe fired their chase gun but the near point blank range and the superior height of the man'o'war caused the shot to pass above the deck through the Aquila sails before falling in the water.
The larger ship slammed against the Assassin brig. Crewmembers were throw off their feet and Edward lost his grip on the rudder's wheel, while Chevalier was nearly thrown overboard but managed to hang on the railing.
The hunter ship's bow rose up as if to climb over the Aquila's deck only to settle back in the water. Wood creaked and squeaked in protest as the man'o'war flank grinded against the smaller double decked brig.
As the vessels rolled back and forth both due to the combined effect of the collision and the weather resulted in the ropes holding the sails to become intertwined between each other. Edward had scrambled back to his feet and tried to remove them from the mess, to no avail.
"Our ships are tangled together! Get the grappling hooks and secure the Aquila!" Ordered Chevalier, hauling himself to safety and standing.
"Prepare for boarding!" Shouted Faulkner, brandishing a sword.
Meanwhile, Keith raised his swivel at its highest elevation and fired, scoring a precision hit that removed the marksmen perched at the top of the main mast. As soon as he made his shot. The Scottish crewmember pulled out a sabre on one hand and a pistol in the other.
"Monsieur Young, you and Faulkner are in charge for defending the Aquila. I will lead the assault on their vessel. If we can neutralise their captain and first mate, this could turn the odds in our favour."
Chevalier ran on the weather deck shouting his orders as he selected his team. Followed by his chosen men, he swung over the enemy ship, hollering war cries in his native tongue.
Edward could see the perk of boarding from a two decked ship. The higher weather deck allowed the crew members to jump directly over the enemy man'o'war unlike a ship with a single deck where they would have to climb at the top of the mast before jumper over to join the battle.
Barely after the French-Canadian and his group left Edward's sight that enemy crewmembers jumped over the Aquila's deck, shouting curses, threats and other expletives.
Edward took out his pistol and shot an incoming attacker, quickly holstering his pistol to pull out another one with his other hand to repel a second invader. He reached for his third gun but the snarling crewmember was too close to get a calculated shot. In a decisive moment, the Englishman abandoned his pistols in favour of his sword.
Robert Faulkner despite his leg injury fought like a possessed man and demonstrated his wide vocabulary repertoire of swear words, many of which made Edward smirk, despite the battle that ensued.
Keith also had the time to shoot an enemy crew member before he fell back to his sword. He sliced through his foes before he was forced to dive and dodge as a huge, nasty looking individual was swinging an axe at him.
The brute was about to take another swing when he was stabbed on the leg by a rope dagger and fell face flat against the deck, allowing Keith to finish off his foe.
The Scot sent a thankful nod to Edward and continued the fight on his next target.
The English born Assassin saw a man landing on the quarter deck, standing up from his crouched stance as result from the jump from the adversary ship.
He was a hardened looking warrior in his late thirties or early forties with short brown hair, a scar running the length of his cheek. His dark and burgundy jacket outfit reminded the newly promoted captain of the Aquila of what several Templars liked to wear.
Edward swallowed.
In a single movement, the new arrival pulled two pistols and shot a crew member before aiming his second pistol at Keith who was forced to jump over the railing onto the weather deck to escape the threat.
The man shifted his attention to another fighting crewmember and shot him, pulled out his blade and sliced a nearby man from the Aquila's crew.
Robert Faulkner attempted to stab this new threat but he deflected the thrust before hitting the sailor on the head with the pommel of his blade, knocking him out cold.
Meanwhile, Edward hadn't remained idle as he ran toward the man and attempted to slice him but his foe had anticipated the move, sidestepped the attack and swung his sword at Edward who blocked the strike, twisting in his stance.
Locking swords, the new adversary swiftly kicked Edward in the thigh. The Assassin stumbled backward before resuming his stance in time to deflect a thrust from his enemy.
"So you must be the captain?" Spoke the man in an upper class English accent, surprising Edward.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Snarled Edward.
"Alexander Grim, captain of the Death Hand," he said with a malicious smile, "as for what I want... Simple, your ship will fetch me a fine reward with my client."
"You can't have it."
Grim laughed.
"Oh, dear, Captain- ah...?" He trailed off, eyebrow raised in expectation of a name.
"Edward Young, temporary captain of the Aquila," replied the Assassin before he swung his sword at the enemy captain but he parried the strike.
"Well, then, Captain Young," his foe retaliated with a slicing motion forcing Edward to throw himself down on the deck. Using his momentum, the Aquila's captain rolled away and rose back in a defensive stance. "I don't think you're in any position to tell me what I can't have."
Grim unsettled the English Assassin as he spoke in a calm, almost cordial tone, seemingly not bothered by Edward latest attack, speaking as if they were meeting in a social gathering rather than a fight to the death.
"Captain Grim," Edward returned, striking again, disengaging, but all blocked, "I don't think I'm in the position you think I am."
Grim gave a wicked smile, amused by his words, but also in recognition.
"Your name rings a bell," he remarked, "no relation to the famous pirates Thomas and Jemina Young?"
"Their son, who do work for? The Templars?" Edward replied as both captains circled and observed the other in search for a weakness to take advantage.
"How interesting. No, I work for myself, the Templars are merely one of my clients just like your Assassins have been my clients along with anyone with enough wealth to afford my services." Replied the man now know as Alexander Grim, his tone still nonchalant.
The Assassin threw a dagger rope in hope of catching his foe by surprise but he merely blocked it with his blade. Edward quickly followed by a thrust of his sword that Grim evaded with a sidestep.
Both captains traded blows at each other. Edward's sense helped in predicting his enemy's next move, amazingly it even worked in a ship to ship battle and he suspected Mister Keith of having the same ability.
But knowing where the strike would land and actually countering it are a different matter as the Death Hand's captain was very fast paced and the Assassin was hard pressed to keep up with his adversary.
Their swords locked together.
"You're lying! The Assassins would never hire someone like you!" Edward snarled as he pushed his adversary a step back.
The captain wrenched his sword out of his current position and smirked as he answered.
"Are you sure, should you ask your dear Achilles, would he look you in the eyes and deny paying me to crush his enemies?"
Grim raised his chin, his face took on a smug expression as he went on.
"I am half tempted to let you go so you could ask him yourself." The Death Hand's captain taunted with a mocking tone.
Although he didn't show any outward reaction, Edward was bothered by the man's words, his belief faltered as Grim's smug expression conveyed how much he would enjoy seeing Edward actually asking the mentor in the colonies whether he actually hired Alexander Grim services or an individual like him in the past or not.
Edward's foe became serious as he spoke his next sentence.
"But I think not. I offer you to work with me. With your ship in my fleet fighting alongside mine, nothing will stop us as we take advantage of the various feuding kingdoms and earn more riches that either Templar or Assassin could ever hope to gain." Grim's eyes sparkled with ambition.
Edward attacked again and answered between two strikes.
"I would never join a greedy snake like you!"
"Such virtuous words. You and the Templars are all the same with your pretty speeches. I could exchange the words from freedom with order, chaos with enslaving while keeping the word peace and innocent in the same sentence and that would be words spoken by someone from the other side." Grim sneered in disdain as he sent a flurry of strikes. One of his attacks passed through Edward's defence and grazed his arm, drawing first blood.
"The only difference is that the Assassins use the underworld to do their bidding while they close their eyes on the various crimes they commit against the so called innocents they claim to protect while the Templars do the same with the governing power." The man snorted as he spoke in such a cynical tone that made Edward wonder if the man had a history with the Assassins and the Templars in the past as he seemed to be well aware of both factions' existence and their secret war.
'Who is this man?' The Assassin wondered.
"Both of you are wasting away in a futile war that transcended through the ages. The Assassins take control, decline in favour of the Templars before gaining control back and the cycle goes on in a macabre dance of power struggle between the two factions, yet neither side manages to reach their ultimate goal."
Edward drew second blood as his sword made a thin small gash on the enemy captain's shoulder.
"Perhaps you're right, I might not live to see the fruits of my labour but at least I know I can look myself in a mirror and say that I am fighting in a cause that I believe. Can you say the same?" Edward spoke with conviction that carried his beliefs, even thought he wanted to question Achilles over his methods. But he would not let his doubt be revealed in his tone.
"How inspiring. Maybe you do have your use. After all, mankind in their nature needs a purpose that drive them forward, a war to fight and the Assassins and Templars do provide that. In their ways, both sides contribute in preserving a certain balance in the world for our civilization might have collapsed long ago because of mankind's self destructive ways." Grim said the first words mockingly before his voice turned dismissive.
"You're a monster, how can you think like that? What happened that made you so amoral?"
The Death Hand's captain chuckled at Edward's horrified look before he answered.
"A hilarious question, am I evil? It's only a matter of perspective. In your black and white point of view, then yes, I could be considered a monster." He gave a slight grin, amused.
Edward, wanting to put an end to the fight, threw a smoke bomb but Grim anticipated the move and evaded the blast area before the weapon triggered as it impacted on the deck. The Death Hand's captain retaliated with his own smoke bomb.
The Aquila's captain's sense warned him of the danger but he wasn't able to fully evade the threat and coughed as he breathed the toxic smoke, his hand fumbling for the scarf at his neck.
He barely had time to block a strike from his foe. Their swords locked together again. Unfortunately for the Assassin, Grim managed to wrench the sword out of his hand followed by a jab with his elbow, throwing Edward against the ship's railing.
Holstering his sword, the captain of the Death Hand walked toward his downed adversary as he came out from his dazed state.
The Assassin's eyes widened as a hidden blade extended from Grim's wrist.
"Such a potential waste, so be it then. I will claim this ship as mine while being rewarded by my client. Good bye, Assassin."
As Grim raised his arm ready to deliver the finishing blow, Edward's thoughts drifted to his beautiful wife, her smile, her laugh, her affections, her passion, her intelligence, her sighing in pleasure as he made love to her, his beautiful daughters and their smile filled with mischief and their innocent smiles after a prank. The heart wrenching thought that he would leave behind a widow and two orphans.
The blow never came as Grim was distracted by someone attacking him from behind, forcing the Death Hand's captain to turn around to deal with this new threat.
It was Mister Keith, his sword locked with the hunter ship's captain. Edward took advantage of the distraction offered, activating his hidden blade, he sprung up and stabbed his foe in the back.
He spun, the wound large but giving him enough time to retaliate. Before his sword could meet Edward, Keith's own blade had sliced into Grim's chest, tearing inner organs.
The defeated captain stood still for a moment before his grip on his sword slackened and the weapon fell on the deck.
"It's over captain Grim, you've lost."
The hunter ship's captain collapsed on the floor against the railing of the Aquila's poop deck, groaning in pain, his chest heaving as blood spread across his shirt, like ink dropped in a glass of water.
"Well, its look like I'll be off to Davy Jones's locker," he chuckled, blood leaking from the corner of his lips.
The absence of fear from the man'o'war's captain shook the Assassin to the core.
"What do you have against the Assassins and the Templars? It's obvious you have a history with them?" Edward asked, wanting to know where all this cynicism came from and how he knew so much about them despite the fact that he wasn't a member of either side.
With a snort, the captain spoke, his voice strained from the pain by the wounds.
"Your merry bunch of fanatics took my family from me while fighting each other, I might be a monster, but both you and the Templars created this monster!" His voice rose, breaking into a cough where he spluttered blood. "Good luck in your never ending struggle, you'll need it." Alexander Grim said softly, his tone was akin to pity before he passed away, slumping to his side.
"Mister Keith wasn't it?" Edward asked, managing to tear his eyes away from the body, the heart still.
"Iain Keith." The Scot introduced himself with a hand shake.
Well, thank you, mate, we'll talk later if we survive," Edward said, pushing aside the disturbing words from the deceased captain of the Death Hand as cheers from the victorious crew of the Aquila filled the sea air.
The storm had passed.