Tales of the Spiral- Pirate 101 Fanfiction
Story 1:
Night-time in the ship was always the captain's favourite. A peaceful moment of sleep where all the problems of the spiral didn't matter. The bed was extra fluffy, and the outside brought a relaxing breeze. The blankets were thick and snuggly.
CRASH
The captain's eyes were suddenly wide open. She stared at her pillow for a good 30 seconds.
SMASH
She sighed, sitting up and took a good look around the cabin. The candle lantern was the only source of light in her room. It was on her study desk right beside her makeup mirror. Her weapons shelf was on the opposite end; there were still a few blood stains on the handles.
SPLASH!
She groaned and crawled out of bed; her legs couldn't reach the ground, so she hopped down. The captain then grabbed the lantern and took a moment to look at her reflection on the mirror. She had a dark chocolatey skin tone with very thick puffy hair all messed up. She frowned a bit.
"Oh #$, I tell ye, ye wouldn't get away with this!" the sound of an angry drunken man echoed through the cabin.
The captain sighed and opened the door. She made her way down the wooden stairs, taking care not to slip on the water-soaked wood. The noise echoed through the ship, coming from the hold.
But just before she opened the door, a cannonball smashed through the door, just missing her face for a few centimetres. The cannonball didn't phase her. This sort of thing happened all the time on the ship. She learnt to avoid standing directly in front of the doors a long time ago. She looked through the hole, not surprised by what she saw.
There were entire barrels of yum-rum spilt on the floor. Broken bottles of glass everywhere and there were broken pieces of the table. And then there's the crew. There was a humanoid vixen gulping an entire barrel's yum-rum. A masked bull was holding the barrel steady, and everyone else was cheering on. A pirate cat laid passed out on the ground, and a bearded rat was right by a cannon.
The captain opened the door. No one seemed to notice her, though. Either too drunk or too focussing on the vixen. Then there was the scent of yum mixed saltwater mixed with unwashed pirates, at least one of them hadn't bathed since they began sailing.
"QUIET" the captain screamed.
Silence fell unto the room. The vixen turned to the captain while her mouth was still full of yum-rum.
"Captain!" the bull said, dropping the barrel.
The barrel fell right on the vixen; she scampered to get up while coughing up yum-rum.
The young human stood there; she just watched as the others picked themselves up. Her mind was still registering what she just saw.
"Ugh," the pirate complained, "You guys look pathetic. Walking sacks of pathetic."
Her words popped out.
"Ouch, my friend did you have to say it like that?" the bull asked.
"Like what?"
"Like what you said, words can even penetrate ?El Toro's? heart." the bull replied.
The human captain paused and took a moment to think about what she said.
"Sorry, I just find alcoholism to be very unattractive."
"No, no. Captain's right," the vixen stumbled, "Come on, I'll take you back to bed."
The vixen only managed a few steps before falling flat on her face. She laid there for a couple of seconds, groaning.
"Ms Anne, are you okay?" El Toro asked her.
"No…" the vixen replied.
"Ah, ha-ha. I knew the fox couldn't handle all that yum." the rat laughed.
He stumbled towards a barrel of yum, trying to step over Bonne Anne, but he tripped over her and fell face flat on the floor.
"Argh, I'm fine. I'm comfortable like this," the rat groaned.
The captain frowned at the two drunk pirates with a hint of disgust. She walked upstairs, leaving her drunken crew to themselves. She wanted to go back to bed, but the relaxed feeling was gone. A sigh passed her lips, and she made her way to the top deck.
The fresh air massaged her face the moment she stepped on the deck. She smiled and skipped around the floor.
The ship was on a Marylebonean dock. Up ahead was the quiet town, streetlights glittered, and a few dogs walked across the street. There was a some smug in the air, but it didn't quite tickle the pirate's nose the way rum-yum and unwashed-rat did.
The captain leapt off the ship and walked across the docks. She intended to just remain near her boat, but her mind got lost. She skipped off to the rhythm of her mind, waving her hands, spinning around without concern. And soon she was deep in town.
BUMP
The captain jumped right into a person, zapping her right back into reality. She stepped back and looked up. A tall Marylebonean lady-dog with a long blue dress stood in front of the pirate.
"Sorry, ma'am."
"Goodness young child, it's late. Where are your parents?" the lady inquired.
"Dead."
The lady's eyes widened.
"Sorry, Bonnie Anne says I can be a little too insensitive sometimes," the pirate apologised, though her expression remained neutral.
"Is she your guardian?"
"I already gave too much information. Bye."
The pirate walked off this time her mind didn't wonder. She still skipped and jumped over the puddles.
By the time she returned to her ship, Ratbeard and Bonnie were on the ship's deck. Ratbeard was snoring away on the floor, but Bonnie managed to keep herself up even though her legs were like spaghetti forcing her to lean against the mast.
"Captain!" Bonnie slurred her words.
She tried to make her way off her ship, but her spaghetti legs betrayed. Halfway there, she lost her balance and fell, rolling unto the docks.
"Uhm," the vixen groaned out, trying to pick herself up," You… you should be in, BED."
"Sorry…"
"DESPICABLE!" a voice echoed through the docks.
The captain looked back. It was the lady-dog from earlier, marching towards the pirates. She grabbed the captain's arm with a firm yet gentle grip. She was pulling the captain away from the ship.
"So, this is Bonnie Anne? A washed-up, drunken FOX,"
"HEY...Lay your hands, off, off my captain," Bonnie barked, "Who, who do you think you are?"
"I am Ms Delphine Frankbone Junior, wife of Captain Derek Frankbone, and member of the Marylebonean Society for Pup Rights and Safety!"
"What?" Anne asked.
Her yum-clouded mind couldn't register.
"In simple language, it is my job that children have a proper home."
"But I like it here," the captain inserted.
"Hey, shut ye mouths down there! Ye noise is preventing me from sleeping!" Ratbeard screamed.
"Ratbeard! Shut up, you git!" Anne retorted.
"Ugh, such a verbally abusive household." Ms Frankbone scoffed, "Come on, child."
"Wait, ?El Toro? is usually sober," the captain reacted.
"WOOHOO, ?El Toro's?feeling the thunder! Who wants the bull!?" the voice of Toro echoed through the ship.
"That's it; you're coming with me."
The lady-dog kept her firm grip on the captain, she walked right back to town, dragging the human captain with her. Bonnie Anne's heart raced. She tried getting up but fell back down. She groaned; her claws scraped the docks, trying to crawl after them.
It was no use; she fell asleep.
The captain struggled against the lady's grip, but she couldn't seem to pull away from her.
"Lady, Ms, let me go…"
She dragged the pirate across town to a lonely orphanage at the edge of town. There was some essence in the air; a cursed feeling had radiated through the pirate's soul. The garden looked abandoned, weeds choked the flowers, and the hedge was overgrown
"I know it's a bit spooky outside but trust me it's lovely in the inside."
The captain rolled her eyes, she stepped in the orphanage and had a good look. The place was overwhelmingly colourful with rainbows painted everywhere, the furniture was bright pink, and there were dolls scattered everywhere.
"Blah," the captain cringed.
"Mrs Mable Anderson, I've brought someone!" the lady-dog called out.
A chubby lady-dog marched to the room, she had brown fur and wore a long brown dress with an apron over it.
"Goodness me, a human girl?" the lady said giggled, "So cute!"
"I found her in the streets, could you believe she lived with pirates?" Ms Frankbone said.
"Dreadful, what is this world coming to?" Mable reacted.
The two lady-dogs began chatting away, giggling, and talking about their day. The captain noticed they were distracted and attempted to sneak back to the door, but Ms Frankbone tightened her grip.
"Oh dare, where are my manners? You can call me Mama Mable. What's your name?"
"I'm not telling you."
"That's okay sweetie, I understand, this is a sudden change of environment."
The captain struggled to pull away, really trying now. But this lady-dog was strong.
"Believe me, I've had my history handling rough children," Frankbone said to the pirate, "Well, I'll leave you with Mama Mable, be a good girl."
The captain's face soured when she watched Ms Frankbone step out of the orphanage. She was all too familiar with the cheesy niceness certain people had.
"Come, sweetie, I'll show you where you'll sleep."
Mama Mable took the captain's arm and began to lead her down some stairs; this time, the captain didn't fight back.
The captain didn't expect much, just a line of rusty old beds lined up in a depressing little area. But something felt different. When the captain was halfway down the stairs, she grabbed unto the railing. There was the creeping sense behind the wooden door, and the captain's soul could feel the magic.
"Let, let's go!" Mama Mable yelled out; she pulled the captain's arm.
"NO!"
Eventually, the lady's strength won out. The captain felt her hand growing tired, and her fingers grew sore. Mama Mable pulled her away from the rails and dragged her down the stairs. She pushed the door open and threw the human into the room.
A puff of yum-rum blasted the captain's face. Dozens of barrels were being filled up, most of them connected to large boilers. Some pups were filling up the barrels while others were stirring the mixture from the pots. There was a large pile of fresh yum across the room, and other kids were hand squeezing the juice into large bowls.
The captain's eyes widened while she took a good look. There were a few beds scattered about, but none of the kids was sleeping.
"I think you'll fit just in with them," Mama Mable told the pirate.
Without hesitation, the human bit Mable's arm.
"Yowch!" the lady screamed out and pulled her arm away.
The pirate dashed towards the stairs, scampering, up to them without daring to look back.
"You little brat!" Mable screamed out.
She grabbed a wand from her apron pocket and aimed at the pirate. Mama Mable swung her arms and fired a green bolt of magic at the human girl. The bolt missed her by just a few inches, but the shockwave caused her to roll back down the stairs.
"Awe…" the pirate groaned.
The witch swung her wand again, striking the pirate with her magic.
Darkness followed. When the pirate had opened her eyes, she noticed it was daybreak already. The room was much warmer, and there was sunlight coming from the basement window. She gasped at a burning feeling on her left cheek, just where the witch struck. The pirate tried to scratch her cheek, but chains restrained her arms.
"Morning sweetie, sorry but those chains remain on," the lady-dog told her.
"Let me go, please?" the pirate requested.
"I think not. This business is the only thing keeping this orphanage open. The government had cut funding decades ago," the lady told the pirate, "Charities just wasn't cutting it, and I couldn't tell…"
The pirate's eyes gazed away from the lady. The kids were still awake, stirring the massive mixture. Her eyes got captivated by the stirring pattern.
"Excuse me! Are you paying attention?" the lady spoke up.
"Eh, yes I am."
"Really, what did I last say?"
"…I don't know."
Mama Mable clenched her jaw.
"You see, this is why I hate kids, you don't even pay attention," she cried and waved her wand again.
"Blah!" the pirate stuck out her tongue.
"Just stay still while I brainwash you." the lady told her.
She waved her wand and said a chant. Her eyes glowed a bright green, and the green mist soon engulfed the pirate's face. The cloud seeped through her eyes until they were glowing as well.
FIZZLE
Then, nothing. The mist faded into nothing, and the pirate starred at the dog witch. The pirate blinked a few times, then shrugged.
"WHAT! How are your eyes not glowing?" the dog-witch demanded to know.
"Maybe you said the spell wrong?"
"Said the spell wrong? I made it up!" she asserted.
"Hmm, you just suck then."
Mable blushed and took a step back. Her grip on the wand tightened. She swung her arms, firing a powerful magic strike at the pirate's head, only missing her cheek by a few centimetres.
"No worries sweetie, I rarely miss twice," she said, while her wand glowed up again.
Just then, footsteps echoed through the basement. Shadows seeped through the basement window.
"Okay ?El Toro?, we just need you to adopt the captain," a muffled voice seeped through the walls, "Remember your manners, these b %$ can be a real pain."
"No worries Bonnie. The orphan keeper would be too impressed by Don Rodrigo's humility and class to resist," a second voice responded.
"Bonnie! ?Toro?! Guys help! HELP!" the pirate screamed out, "HELP!"
"That's the captain! Come on!" Bonnie exclaimed.
SMASH
The pirates kicked the front door open and ran in.
Mama Mable snarled. She grabbed her wand and waved it at her orphans.
"Don't let them in!" she ordered them, "Kill the intruders!"
Without a moment wasted the orphans followed their order. They snarled and growled, running up the stairs to meet the pirates.
"I'm down here, HELP!" the captain screamed again.
"Captain, we're coming…Oh spiral, what are those!?" Anne screamed from upstairs.
The magic fuelled the orphan's rage and power. The dogs dived at Bonnie and El Toro, biting, and scratching at them. The pirates kicked and punched the kids away, managing to knock some of them out.
"These orphans are crazy, what's wrong with them!?" El Toro blurted out, "My tuxedo! No please!"
The kids scratched and grabbed the bull's suit, trying to pull him down.
"Brainwashed," Anne responded.
The two pushed through the crowd of orphans, kicking down any kid that dare got in her way. El Toro was extra careful to keep the orphan's claws and teeth away from his suit.
Bonnie Anne didn't care. She matched down the stairs, not minding the orphan nibbling on her tail.
She kicked open the door and stepped into the basement. Her rifle drawn and aimed at the dog witch.
"Captain! Are you okay?" Bonnie asked.
"Yeah, just hanging around." the captain frowned.
"Release the captain, you fiend!"
Mama Mable groaned and pointed her wand at the two pirates. She fired a green blast of magic at them.
The pirates leapt away from the attack. El Toro raised his sabre high into the air and dashed towards the witch. The witch struck again, and again but the Bull just dodged, dived, and leapt over the magic.
Mama Mable gulped. She looked at the barrels of yum-rum and fired at them. The magic blasts burnt through the barrels and ignited the alcohol. The barrels exploded, and flames rained down from the ground as yum-rum spilt on the ground while the fire crept over it.
"?El Toro?, get back!" Bonnie Anne called out.
The bull stopped just before he stepped into the flames.
Mable laughed and waved and whispered a chant. The witch drew the flames to her wand; then, she sent fireballs to the pirates.
El Toro dodged the fireballs and tossed his sabre.
Mable's eyes widened, and she ducked, but the sword wasn't for her. The blade was flung to the captain slicing the metal chain that held her arm.
With her hand free, the captain grabbed the sabre and freed her other arm and her legs.
"Oh, puddles…" Mable said.
In a swift strike, the captain stabbed the witch's hand.
"Ahh!" the witch shrieked, dropping the wand.
She grabbed her hand and stepped back.
WHACK!
Mable took two steps forwards then fell flat on the ground. Bonnie had snuck up behind her, holding her rifle like a bat.
"Captain, are you okay?" Bonnie asked.
"Achoo!" the captain sneezed, the room was beginning to get smoky, "Bonnie drag the witch out of the basement, ?El Toro?, get the kids."
The captain snapped the wand in half, feeing the orphans from the magic. El Toro and the captain managed to lead the orphans out of the burning building. At the same time, Bonnie Anne tided up the witch and dragged her out of the building. By the time the flames had spread upstairs, everyone was outside.
Just when the pirates ran outside, Ms Delphine Frankbone had shown up. She was companied by her husband, a redcoat dog. The dogs froze in silence when they saw the burning house. Standing in front of them were the pirates, and Mable was tied up.
"Goodness gracious, what happened here?" Delphine asked. She gasped when she saw the orphans running about, "What did you pirates do?"
"Mama Mable's a witch. She used her magic to force us to make yum-rum," an orphan said to Delphine.
"Witchcraft and illegal brewing, eh? Come along witch, you're going to be put away for a very long time," a redcoat said
The captain snuck away while the dogs were distracted. She made her way back to the ship with her two crewmates following right behind.
"Captain, we're sorry for last night. We overdrank, and it put you in danger," Bonnie said to her.
"It's fine… now let's discuss the crew's punishment," the captain said.
"Punishment!?" both pirates exclaimed.
"No yum for two weeks," she told them.
"Two weeks? It's a bit excessive, you think?" Bonnie asked.
"Want to make it a month?"
"No…"