Sorry for lack of updates. Okay, here I am now. Had writer's block that just broke last weekend. So, here's the long-overdue next chapter. Sorry!
"So. You must have had a reason for rescuing me."
It had been a few hours since Mark had rescued Carlos, the local information broker, from the Valuan ship in which he was imprisoned. After departing, Mark had found a small island with plentiful animals and wood, and hunted for food. Now they were roasting over a small fire made from a local wood that would burn smokelessly to prevent Valuans from spotting them.
"I mean, there's no reason to go charging into a Valuan battleship to find me, taking down half the guards, and dueling with the captain to free me if you didn't have some reason to see me. And it probably has something to do with some bit of information that you want."
Mark looked at him over the fire.
"You're right. I was told that you know where to find someone that I need to meet."
Carlos smiled. "I thought so. Now, who is it?"
Mark was tense. He was close to finding the whereabouts of the sword master that could teach him mastery of the sword, so that he could free his friends from the Valuan prisons before they were executed. He had been told that Carlos could point him in the right direction.
"A sword master. I've been told that an old master of the blade is around here. I need to meet him."
Carlos evaluated Mark's statement.
"Hmmmmmmm………… the old master, eh? Haven't heard of him for a while. Last rumors, though, place him somewhere north-west of Gordo's Bistro, out near the Dark Rift. Sorry, can't help you any more than that. Information is scarce on him, even for me." He paused for a moment. "Why do you want to know about him? You're the first person I've ever had askin' about him. Most people nowadays don't even know he exists. Never heard the rumors years ago."
Mark looked at him with a gaze that was very clear as to what he wanted the man to do now that he had given him his information.
"Okay, okay, I won't ask. Can ya drop me off at Gordo's on your way?" Carlos backed off. This guy was obviously danger. Average fighters didn't sneak onto a Valuan battleship and beat the captain in a duel.
"Alright. It's in that general direction, I suppose. We'd better get going after we finish the meat."
The meal was finished in silence. Afterwards, they got onto the lifeboat and headed back towards Gordo's Bistro. After dropping Carlos off, Mark headed north-west, towards the master and his only hope for rescuing his friends.
He had been traveling for several hours when he spotted a trail of smoke rising into the sky from behind a small island. As he rounded it, he spotted a listing merchant ship. A gaping hole in the hull seemed to have been caused by hitting a rock, a thing easy to happen during a fog. He was steering his lifeboat toward them to help with damage control when he heard the rapidly approaching noise of another ship engine. Suddenly, he was thrown against the floor as his lifeboat was caught in the slipstream of another ship speeding toward the damaged merchantman. As he got up, he spotted the flag flying from the mast. A skull and crossbones!
Black Pirates, Mark thought. The cowards! That ship can't defend itself already. The damage will make it impossible to mount resistance! He steered his boat toward the two ships and gunned the engine. He had to help the merchants. The Black Pirates would slaughter them!
As he sped toward the boats, he reflected on his own past. His parents had been merchants, killed by Black Pirates, leaving him orphaned on Sailor's Island. He would not… could not let that happen to another young boy or girl. He would stop the pirates… whatever it took.
By the time he crossed the distance to the ships, the Black Pirates had already boarded the merchant ship. As he approached, he could see the merchants huddling in the middle of the deck, watching helplessly as the pirates brought up their cargo from the hold, preparing to bring it into the other ship. A few bodies already lay on the deck where they died.
Unseen, he put his boat alongside the merchant ship. Drawing his sword and pistol, he made sure they were ready for battle. Peering over the side, he did a quick count of the Black pirates. One, two, three… Twenty-five, thirty. Could he take on that many? No matter. He'd have to. He was those people's only hope…
Suddenly, one of the pirates moved towards the cowering merchants.
"Forget the cargo, let's have some fun!"
Springing into action, Mark launched himself onto the deck………
As the pirate fell to the deck with a gaping bullet hole in the back of his head, the whole scene froze. Every pair of eyes gravitated toward the lone figure standing on the deck, holding the sword and the smoking gun. The leader of the pirates stared the most intently at him. Surely this… youngster could not mean to take on his whole crew? Confidence oozing from his voice, he ordered one of his pirates to attack.
A huge pirate that evoked thoughts of bears, danger and running away really, really fast charged toward the youth. Drawing a pair of large cutlasses, he clashed against the other's sword. As they strained against each other, the leader saw the eyes of the youngster focus on the merchants, halting on the small children of the merchants that were cowering alongside them. Seeing the children, the stranger's eyes seemed to light on fire. With a yell, he forced the pirate back and dispatched him with a cut from his sword.
Well, it seemed the stranger had more in him than suspected. But he still had no hope. He couldn't take on the entire crew. Could he?
Mark almost fell over standing. He was bleeding from a dozen places. Through it all, the merchants had watched from their position cowering around the mainmast. Now they rushed to help their mysterious benefactor.
"Quick, break open one of those crates of salves. This man needs help!"
Mark relaxed as they carried him inside. Exhausted from his wounds, he struggled to remain awake. As they were applying medicines to him, he focused on the children following behind. They were safe. He had prevented them from becoming orphans…
The next day
"Please, I really must insist on you taking some. You saved our lives, after all! Taking on that whole crew of Black Pirates!"
The merchants had several chests of gold and supplies that they wanted to give him in gratitude, all of which would obviously never fit onto his small lifeboat. Eventually, he chose the smallest of the chests, a box full of clips for his gun, and a box of dried and salted food. He needed ammunition and supplies And a little gold couldn't hurt as well. Loading the crates into his boat, he set off, the merchants gratefully waving behind him. The sun was shining over the sky. The next leg of his long and difficult journey was ahead of him. It was a journey that would be long and hard, a journey which most people would consider impossible. But he would do it. He would find the sword master. And then he would free his friends.
Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. Going to CA for two and a half weeks, then to sleepaway camp for three weeks. But I'll be taking my laptop to both places, so in the second week of August, I'll have a bunch of chapters for your reading pleasure. Plus while I had writer's block, I wrote a chapter of a new original fiction, which I should be posting on Fictionpress at about the same time as this chapter.
Bye until August,
Your author,
Lightningfencer00Fuzz