Time for Siegfried to show he's more than earned those awesome shades.
Bounty Seven
Chapter One: Bounty Hunter, Part 1
The young man known as Siegfried walked down the hall, passing many other rooms that were already taken. Some of the doors were ajar, allowing him a slight glimpse of exactly what some of the couples were doing in there. He looked away, for politeness' sake. Reaching his room, he opened the door and stepped inside. It was a small, drab cabin, only furnished with a bed, a small desk and a porthole.
He walked up to it and looked out. Blue. Nothing but blue. He sighed, and put his bag down, then looked around the room. He shrugged, and left the room. As he exited, he gave the room next to his a glance; the door to it was closed, but he couldn't hear anything from within. He supposed that meant there was no one inside. He turned and walked down the hallway, when he heard the closed door open. He turned to look, and he felt a slight gust of air slip past him. When he looked, there was no one there, and the door was shut.
After a moment, he adjusted his glasses, and exited out onto the deck. There were many people out on the deck; couples, bachelors, and crew members. Siegfried walked to the railing, looking out at the water through his shades. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a photograph. He gave the person in it a look full of venom. Crumpling it in one hand, he put it back. As he did, something caught his eye. On top of the galley's roof, he thought he could see the shadow of someone doing the same as him. It turned it's head, saw him looking, and disappeared.
He waited a little bit, and the shadow returned. He smiled slightly. Shyness was something he found endearing in a person. For a while he just stood there, listening to the waves and thinking. Then he saw the sun had dipped very low in the sky, and decided to call it a night.
Walking back down the hallway to his room, another wind gust slipped past him, and the door next to his quickly opened and shut once more. He smiled again.
Entering his room, he looked around again. Nothing had changed since he'd left. He heard noise from the galley above as the passengers ate dinner. Siegfried shrugged, and neatly took off his shoes, putting them next to the bed. Off came his coat, which he hung on the chair. He contemplated taking off his shirt, then opted against. Taking his shades off, he laid them on the desk. His eyes were a piercing shade of blue. Clicking off the light, he climbed into bed and slept.
A short while later, Siegfried was awoken by a knock on his door. Getting up and opening it, he looked down to see a tray of food set next to the door. He looked to his neighbour's door to see it ajar, and quickly shut. He smiled. "Thank you." Taking the tray, he ate it at his room's desk. He ate very neatly. He then replaced it by his door and went back to bed. He didn't feel any disappointment at being awoken; the dream he'd been having hadn't been that pleasant anyway.
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Siegfried awoke in the morning. After yawning, he grabbed his shades from the desk and slipped them on. Next came the jacket. Exiting out into the hall, he looked over at his neighbour's door, which was closed. He got the feeling that this was a normal habit for whoever was inside. He then turned and walked toward the stairs out onto the deck. As he did, he though to himself.
"The ship should reach the next island sometime today, assuming nothing unexpected happens. I'll ask around, see if anyone like that is in the area. Though I may have found one on this boat already."
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Unfortunately for Siegfried, this was the Grand Line, a body of water so chaotic that some Scholars hypothesize that it's an unnatural phenomenon. Saying words like 'assuming', 'nothing' and 'unexpected' in the same sentence was most assuredly tempting fate. And in this case, fate bit back.
Following the ferry was another ship. This one was quite different, being a longship, a smaller, more aerodynamical craft, with a prow decorated with the visage of a fearsome dragon. Extending from the ship's deck were long paddles, five on each side to propel the ship through water. Several cannons were on deck, loaded and with more ammunition ready for reloading. And like all ships, it had a mast, which flew a flag; in this case, it was colored all black, except for the center, which was dominated by a white colored drawing of two bones intersecting below a skull, which was wearing a spiked helmet. This was a Jolly Roger.
And this was a pirate ship.
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The ship was crowded with men, all of them pirates. Some of them were manning the oars, rowing at a rhythmic pace, assisted by a drum banger. Some of them were sharpening their weapons, and some were just talking. Most of them were standing around and looking tough, which was admittedly something pirates lent themselves very well to.
The crew was slightly odd. About half of them wore archaic armor, spiked helmets resembling the Jolly Roger, and carried large bladed weapons such as axes and swords. The other half however, wore clothes more befitting of explorers, and carried smaller armaments like daggers or clawed gloves.
At the front end of the ship stood a large muscular man, covered in fancier armor than his cohorts. Two axes were attached to his belt, along with a bullhorn, and a massive broadsword was strapped onto his back. He was looking through a telescope, straight at the ferry. He grinned, blowing some hair out of his face. "Heh heh heh...large and ripe and ready for plundering. Yet another conquest for the great Erikson, and the Frontier Pirates!"
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
Captain of the Frontier Pirates and Former Captain of the Viking Pirates
'Viking King' Leaf Erikson
$13,000,000 Beri
"May I look now, please?" Erikson turned at the voice to the man standing next to him. Only about half as tall as Erikson, he was thin and somewhat lanky. He was dressed in explorer's gear, like the other half of the crew. A Log Pose was slipped over his index finger. Erikson smiled. "Sure, Colombus." he handed it over, and Colombus looked through it. He frowned instantly. "Erikson, I don't think I see any ship...yes, yes, I do believe I'm almost certain that I think I don't see anything...maybe."
"Uh, that might be because you're looking the wrong way, Colombus."
Colombus looked up to see he'd somehow turned towards the starboard end of the ship. "Oh..."
WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
First Mate of the Frontier Pirates and Former Captain of the Expedition Pirates
'Lost Explorer' Colombus
$9,000,000 Beri
Erikson turned him toward the ship. "There, see that, Colombus? Another conquest for the combined might of the Viking and Expedition Pirates, the Frontier Pirates! First we plunder, and then we feast! Isn't that right, men!?"
The Vikings let out a cheer and waved their weapons, while the Explorers simply waved, looking more subdued. Erikson grinned, motioning to the crew. "Alright then, man the cannons, men! Send out a warning shot so they can so who they're dealing with!"
At his word, the crew lept into action, swivelling a cannon towards the ferry...
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A shockwave ran through the ship as an explosion came from close by. Several people stumbled over, but Siegfried calmly stood, easily keeping his footing. "What was that?" adjusting his shades, he walked leisurely over to the railing as the other people on deck scrambled over. As they saw the white symbol on the ship's flag, they reacted with horror.
"Isn't that a... Jolly Roger!?" exclaimed one man.
"Pirates? HERE!?" another woman yelled.
"My word!" cried a second man, his monocle popping out in shock.
This started up a chorus of murmuring in the crowd. Siegfried stayed quiet, his blue eyes watching the ship behind his shades. Finally, one man spoke up above the din. "C-come on, everyone, there couldn't really be Pirates here, could there? It's probably just actors doing a play or somet - AH!" another explosion came from the ocean near the boat, shaking the ship once more.
By this time most of the crew had gotten to the deck. Quickly one of decided to take charge and stepped forward. "Everyone!" he called, "as you can see, our vessel is being pursued by a Pirate Ship. In the interest of your safety, please move to the hold!"
Although quite put out and frightened, the passengers relented and allowed themselves to be led downward into the bowels of the ship. Siegfried followed, though not before taking a quick but thorough look around.
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What Siegfried had been looking for was something no one else had noticed but him. It was just as well; he was the only one on the ship who could even catch sight of her, anyway.
High above the deck, standing gracefully on the mast's mainbrace, was a young woman. She was dressed strangely, in an emerald green bodysuit that clung tightly to her form, and long leather gloves that covered her hands. It went well with her hair, which was the same color, and had bird feathers adorning it. Her face could not be seen; a mask in the shape of a bird's head hid it, leaving only mouth and eye holes, her nose covered by the mask's 'beak'.
Despite the wind high above the deck, she didn't seem effected at all, the winds seeming to bend around her. She watched as the longship came closer, frowning beneath her mask. Standing there, lost in thought, she nearly lost her balance and fell as something lept into her mind.
"Ahem...excuse me?"
Laying a hand on the mast to steady herself and avoid falling out of shock, she looked around for the voice, but she was the only one there.
"I apologize if I startled you. It's me, your neighbour."
She continued to look around, even down at the deck. But no one was there.
"You can stop looking for me. I'm not talking to you with my mouth, and I'm not on deck, but in the hold with the rest of the passengers."
The woman's eyes narrowed at the second remark. "Then, if I may ask, what are you speaking with?"
"My mind, of course. I'll explain later; right now, I need your eyes. What do you see?"
After a moment, the woman shrugged slightly and replied, "The pirate ship is approaching fast from the side. They seem to be firing warning shots so far, I suppose to convince the ferry to drop anchor...hm?"
"What?"
"Something is happening...one of them seems to be doing something with the figurehead...."
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Erikson let out a slight growl, turning to Colombus. "They aren't stopping, are they, Colombus?"
"No, I don't believe I think they are, Erikson." said the explorer distractedly.
"Well, you know what we have to do now, don't we?" asked the Viking.
"I suppose I believe I know, Erikson." replied Colombus.
"Yes, what we have to do know...is THIS!" Raising a fist, he slammed it hard down onto the dragon figurehead. "DRAGON'S FIRE!" With the noise of a large cannon firing, a large harpoon connected to a very long rope. It sailed through the air and struck the ferry dead on in it's side, wedging in deep and effectively grinding the ferry to a halt. The Frontier Pirates let out a collective cheer.
Erikson grinned, and then turned to Colombus. "We really have to come up with a better name for that, don't we Colombus?"
"I think I think we do, Erikson."
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"Captain? Captain Tenille!" the Captain to the Ferry looked up from the porthole as a crew member entered his cabin. "I hear you, calm down. I felt an impact, what happened?"
"Sir, the pirates have hit the ship with a harpoon, and now we're stuck! We can't remove the harpoon, and the pirate ship is coming closer! We're going to get boarded soon!"
"I told you, calm down!" growled Tenille. "Now, where are the passengers?"
"Down in the hold, sir. Most of the other guys are there too."
Tenille nodded. "Good, good. Now, what about weapons?"
"We've got some sabres, pole-hooks, and a couple of rifles. The problem is, most of these guys have never even used a weapon before. It wouldn't matter if these guys were the weakest pirates where they were from, we'd still lose if we fought."
Tenille stroked his chin. "Well, they're pirates, so they must be after treasure and money. They're just people, so we should be able to negotiate with them. We're not Marines, after all."
"Right, sir."
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A short time later, the woman watched from her vantage point as the Frontier Pirates boarded the ship. She scratched the back of her neck. The 'visitor' to her mind had not yet left, and the prescence of something in the back of her mind was quickly becoming unpleasant.
"I felt an impact. What's happening now?"
"The pirates have fired a weapon into the ferry, connecting the two boats. Now they are boarding the ferry."
"Hm."
"What of you? You are down in the hold, correct? What is happening there?"
"Nothing much. Everyone seems pretty scared. I doubt any of them expected to encounter pirates on this voyage. Most of them probably just treated them as things you read about but never experience yourself. At least in their minds."
"I suppose this does not include you, does it?"
"Perceptive. I like that."
The young woman looked down as there was a sudden movement down on the deck. The door to the captain's cabin opened, and the Captain and the crew member who had reported to him came out, unarmed. The pirates grinned and snickered as they approached. Erikson and Colombus stepped forward, and both sailors took a step back, cowed slightly by Erikson's size.
"Oi, Colombus, looks like we got ourselves a welcoming party. Only two, though? Guess we're not so well known yet."
Captain Tenille stepped forward, attempting to put up a strong front. "You lot are pirates, correct? Just what do you want? Treasure? If so, you'll not find any here. This is a simple ferry for travellers, not a treasure boat. If you want supplies, you can take them, but leave the passengers and my crew alone. Deal?"
Erikson reached up and adjusted his helmet with one hand, his other reaching over to scratch his side. "Well, y'see, I could do that...but, I'd rather do THIS!" moving suddenly, he snatched one of his axes from his belt and slammed it into the Captain, sending him into the deck with a large wound in his side.
"Captain Tenille!" the crew member attempted to rush to his side, but was met with the same treatment.
"Heh heh heh..." chuckled the Viking, fingering his axe. "Just like I always say, Colombus; there's nothing more satisfying than getting something done yourself. What's the point if someone just hands it to you? Besides, then we miss out on the fun of pillaging, and who wants that!?" he grinned as his crew yelled in agreement.
"Alright, now let's get to it! Swipe everything that isn't nailed down, and wreck everything that isn't! And when you meet those passengers he was talking about, feel free to have some fun with them, too. Now, get to it!" he waved his axe, and the crew swarmed forward across the deck, some moving into the galley and the captain's quarters, and others going down the stairs to the cabins...and the hold.
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Siegfried's (as it had been him who had entered the young woman's mind) assessment had been quite correct; inside the hold, most of the passengers were huddled together, whispering in hushed tones of fear and nervousness. The young man himself was sitting alone, eyes closed behind his shades. On the other end, the young woman spoke up.
"The captain tried to negotiate with him. It didn't work. He's been knocked out, if not worse."
"Hm. Well, just another person I have to save. It shouldn't be any trouble."
"I should warn you, some of them are now headed in your direction."
"Of course. I did see this coming, you know. I'm not stupid."
"You have a very high opinion of yourself, don't you?"
"Was it obvious?"
Back in the physical side of things, a sudden crash came from down the hall, startling the passengers. Somewhere someone began to cry. The crew members looked around, worried expressions on their faces. One of them near the door - Siegfried recognized him as the man who'd taken his ticket - walked up to the others, conversing in hushed tones. Then after a moment, he turned and stepped out into the hallway, gripping the make-do weapon he was holding. Siegfried caught a glimpse of his face, and he looked terrified.
Siegfried looked around the room. Several crew members were watching the passengers, which included him. But he could tell they weren't trained properly, and so he could probably...shutting his eyes, he reached out to the other end of the room. From that direction suddenly came a loud crash. The crew members all turned in that direction, some walking over to see what it was.
Siegfried sprang into movement, using the diversion to mask his light steps. Quickly he reached the door and slipped out into the hall. No one even noticed that he was gone.
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Siegfried stopped, and listened intently. The hallway went on for a short distance, and then turned away to the left. From behind the turn came angered shouts, and a series of loud thuds, and a cry of pain. The young man walked to the corner and cautiously looked around it.
It wasn't pretty. A group of three pirates had the ticket man against the wall, the dull sabre he'd been holding lying on the floor. He was bleeding from the forehead, no doubt from their weapons. One of them was slamming him repeatedly against the wall. "How do you like that, huh!? Who do you think you're screwing with, huh, pal!? We're the Frontier Pirates, so show us some respect, or die!" the poor ticket man's head made another connection to the wooden wall. Siegfried winced inwardly.
"Screw this! Let's just gut 'im and get back to business!" the second pirate suddenly interjected. The first grinned widely, nodding. Raising the large blade in his hand, he slowly pulled it back...
"Stop that."
The pirate's hand froze at the firm, confident command. He, his two friends and the ticket man looked up as Siegfried quietly stepped around the corner.
They stared for a moment, and then burst out in laughter. "Well well well," snickered the first pirate to his friends, "looks like we've got ourselves a hero here, fellas! He sounds like a tough guy, but he's only a little squirt!"
"...No, kid, get back...don't-" whispered the ticket man, only to get cut off as the pirate belted him in the face. "Shaddup!" dropping the crew member to the floor, he walked slowly over to Siegfried, stopping in front of the young man. "Heh, heh, heh...think you can tell me what to do, you snot-nosed little punk? Here's what I think of you..." reaching up with his free hand, he jabbed it into his nose, retrieving a large booger, which he rubbed into Siegfried's cheek. "There! How's that?"
Siegfried simply stood there as the pirate did so, not intimidated in the least. He merely stared straight ahead, his piercing blue eyes glaring at him through his shades. "Let me ask you a question. Why do you do things like this? What's the point of it?"
The pirate gave a snorting laugh. "What kind of question is that? Because it feels good!" he replaced his finger into his noise, ready to shove a second booger into Siegfried's other cheek.
"Hm, is that so," mused the young man, "if that's true, then why don't I try it out?"
"Huh?" said the pirate, digging around for another booger, "what the hell are you babbling abou - BLEH!" Without Siegfried moving a muscle, the pirate was suddenly slammed into the wall. Drops of blood dripped to the floor as the pirate's nose was busted open.
"Hm." was Siegfried's response. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't see the fun in it. Maybe it's because I'm not a pathetic degenerate whose only skill is bullying those weaker than him?"
"You little shit!" roared the pirate, pulling himself off the wall. Raising his saber, he prepared to cut the young man straight down the middle.
Siegfried's eyes glinted behind his shades. The pirate gasped as his arms, followed by his whole body, stopped moving. "I...I can't move!"
"Pathetic." glared the young man at the pirate. "Your mouth has unlimited potential. With it you can learn new languages, have intelligent conversations, and kiss your loved ones. And all you can think to do with it swear. Truly pathetic." he drew his fist back. "I think your mother should have given you this when you were a child."
Siegfried punched forward, and although his fist appeared not to reach it's target, the pirate's stomach was impacted inward by an invisible force, sending him flying down the hallway, hitting his head on the floor and falling unconscious.
His two friends stared wide-mouthed in shock and amazement, before one of grabbed a pistol out from his belt and levelled it at Siegfried's head. "You, you bastard! I'm gonna blow your brains out!"
The third member of the group, who had stayed silent until now, began egging him on. "Do it! Shoot the little punk!"
Even with a loaded gun pointed right at him, Siegfried stood calmly. Quietly he reached up and adjusted his shades. The pirate tightened his grip around the pistol in response and yelled, "Don't move a muscle! You can't try anything funny at this range, kid!"
Siegfried quietly dropped his hands to his sides. "Very well. But, if you really intend to shoot me, then I should give you a warning: if you try that, I'm going to blow your friend's chin wide open."
He suddenly smirked. "Your next words will be 'Hah, that's impossible! You can't touch him from here!'"
"Hah, that's impossible! You...can't..." the pirate trailed off as he realized what Siegfried had just said. He growled, and began to pull the trigger. Siegfried sighed. "Fine."
From behind the pirate came a sudden cry of pain that made him whip his head around, fingers coming off the trigger. Up until now, the third pirate had been handling a bottle of wine that he'd apparently picked up in one of the passenger's rooms. He'd been idly tugging at the cork set in the bottle's neck, which was stuck fast. Until now, when it had suddenly fired upward with the force of a gunshot, making Siegfried's threat come true by embedding itself in the man's chin, indeed blowing it open.
The unfortunate pirate screamed loudly in pain, bleeding heavily, the cork having gone halfway to coming out through his mouth. "Why do you look so surprised?" asked Siegfried calmly. "I said I was going to do that if you tried to shoot me, so I did. And I did just what you asked, and didn't move a muscle."
"You...YOU..." exactly what he'd been planning to say was lost in a cry of rage as he pulled the trigger. As the bullet was shot out of the barrel towards him, Siegfried's calm nature didn't falter one bit. Nor did he move. What he did do...was think. About the bullet, what was going to happen to it, and what was not going to happen to him. He envisioned it quite clearly.
Just as he had thought it out in his head, the bullet gradually slowed from it's near-instantaneous speed. Just as it reached a few inches from Siegfried's forehead, it came to a complete stop, and then dropped to the floor.
The pirate stared wide-mouthed, unblinking at the sight of this impossible turn of events. Understandable, but this momentary lapse would cost him. Before he could shoot the pistol once more, Siegfried was in front of him. Quickly he took him out with another invisible blow, slamming him into the wall to knock him out.
He then walked up to the third, who was still moaning in pain and had no idea what was going on. He was given the mercy of unconsciousness when Siegfried hooked him into the ground, without even touching him.
Calmly, Siegfried adjusted his glasses and turned back to the ticket man, who was watching him with something approaching awe. Siegfried smiled. "And that, sir, is why 'kid' doesn't quite fit me."
To be continued...
Next time, on Bounty Seven...
Erikson: Who the hell are you!?
Siegfried: Perhaps I could be of some assistance, Captain?
???: I assure you, I am very well trained.
Bounty Hunter, Part 2
Siegfried: Do you want to know what my dream is?
Next chapter will be more of the same. Which is to say, Siegfried being cool. Read and Review.