Story 3
"CAPTAIN, CAPTAIN!" voices echoed.
The captain looked on; she was high above the ground. The scene was fuzzy, but her eyes managed to lock into her crew. They were in a temple or base. Enchanted objects were scattered everywhere, and the walls were painted with some glowing symbols. Her vision fluctuated; moments of complete darkness followed by an overwhelming light.
Metallic clockworks were everywhere, many of them holding axes while others had muskets. They marched closer, and closer towards the crew. One clockwork remained far away, by the exit. The captain's vision grew fuzzier, but she could tell the clockwork was about her size.
"Stay with us!" another voice echoed.
The captain gazed down…A spear had impaled her, right through her chest and stuck in the wall. She hung there like a kebab, gasping for breath and coughing up blood. The captain struggled to pull the staff from her chest. But the blood was making the spear slippery, impossible to get a grip.
Slowly, her vision grew dimmer and the captain as she weakened. The tip was struck in the wall just behind her and the handle hand went right through her. Slowly, the blood made the wood slippery and her weight bent it. Her bones rubbed and scraped against the wood as she slipped off
This time, she tried to keep herself in. Gravity worked against her, the more she slipped, the more the staff bent and the faster the slipping became.
Just when she was about to slip off. The captain's eyes met a wizard standing beside the clockwork. The wizard wore a long black robe and with a pointy black hat. The wizard's eyes met the captain's. He smiled just when she slipped off the spear.
She fell and fell and fell yet the ground wasn't getting nearer.
SPLAT
The captain rolled off the bed, falling right on the floor. She gasped, struggling against her covers and kicking them off. The captain's chest tightened while was sweating. Her vision glitched and flared. When she looked at her chest, the misty shape of a spear was still impaled in her.
She gasped, shutting her eyes for a few seconds. When she opened them again, there was no more fogginess. She looked at her chest again, the misty spear had disappeared. Yet a sharp shiver had impaled her soul. She laid down on the ground and sighed a bit. Her breathing grew deeper and slower, and her heart relaxed. Her mind still buzzed, and there was still the ghostly essence of something in her chest.
After a full hour, the captain stood up and opened her drawer. She had a single metal screw inside, a souvenir from a clockwork. A simple souvenir she kept. It was rusted and made from pure Valencian steel.
She grabbed a lantern then she made her way downstairs through the hall. She passed each room while going down to the very bottom of the ship where the moss grows.
At the very bottom, there was one room, magic seeped through the cracks and spaces in the door. The captain didn't hesitate to step inside the room. There were various bones and skulls, a single pot was in the middle of the room and various artefacts were hung around the area. A green mist escaped from the pot and the chill of spirits was in the air. At the end of the room was a skeleton, great magic kept him intact. But it wasn't threatening.
"Old Scratch, I need your help," she asked and slightly raised her voice.
Suddenly, skeleton's eyes sparkled bright, he placed a little top hat on his head then dashed to the captain.
"Captain! Dark mojo is surrounding you, something's wrong?" Old Scratch spoke up.
"I had a dream where the Armada Clockworks killed me," the captain said to him. "A wizard watched me die. He was in the same dream where I saw my parents dying in the mutiny."
"You saw your parents?" Old Scratched asked.
"I barely remember, I think I was 8. But the last dream happened exactly," the captain told him. "I think this wizard killed my parents."
Old Scratch grumbled and grabbed his wand.
"No evil wizard would hurt my captain. What can I do?"
"Well, I have this screw I got from destroying Deacon. If the clockworks are coming back, maybe you can do some magic with it ?" she asked.
"Alright. Let me work my art."
Old Scratched waved his wand, sending a green mist into the screw. The screw hovered and spun around. Then, it's tip glowed bright green, pointing forward.
"The spell worked captain; the mojo is tracking a large chunk of clockwork pieces pointed in that direction." Old Scratch told her, "It's close, just in Marleybone, Isle of Dogs."
"Thanks, Scratch," she replied, "I'll go see what's going on. You stay here."
"But captain, the bad mojo could mean danger."
"I'll be quick."
The captain made her way back to her bedroom. First, she opened her uniforms. She had various Marleybonean rags and old uniforms, some modified to fit her. Yet she always goes back to her navy costume, a purple jacket with dress pants, black boots and a brown cap.
Then she turned to her weapons closet. The girl sighed for a moment, she reached out to the handle. The girl closed her eyes then pulled.
A puff of musky air splashed on her face. The smell of fresh thunder powder mixed with blood and metal diffused into the room.
She looked at her options. Each pistol and each rifle had its history. Each one of them was neatly lined up against the wall. She reached out to a rifle that had a bayonet attached to the muzzle. But then she choked on the air, the chilling essence of the air. A spear lingered in her chest.
The corner of the closet, a newly polished shield reflected light in her eyes. It was a smooth, circular shield with a strap at the back. When the captain picked it up, she felt its weight tugging against her arms. Heavy, yet unbreakable. The strapped it on her back then grabbed the nearest pistol.
The pirate closed the closet before turning to the shelf opposite to her. There was a collection of some ships in bottles. The tiny knickknacks were each part of an adventure. She reached for the dustiest one of all, a bottle containing just a tiny raft. It was just six empty barrels that had cheap wood hammered on top, a single sail was at the centre.
The captain frowned when she held the bottle. She still had quite gotten over the fact that a pirate lord gave her that when he promised a ship in payment for a job. At least now, she has a use for it.
The pirate made her way to her ship's docks. She took great care of her footsteps to avoid each creak. Most of her crew were still asleep, and they may not approve of a solo mission.
When the pirate arrived at the deck, she opened her bottle. A blue mist spewed from it, condensing just outside it. Eventually, the spiral's breeze blew the mist away, leaving a fully sized raft in the spiral. The raft squeaked and ached, the old wood scratched against itself with only nails and some rope keeping it together.
The wood still creaked like the first time she got it as a reward. She stepped onto the raft and took hold of the wheel. Her weight sunk into the wood.
The captain sailed through the empty spiral. Its tiny size passed through the large dog-ships that were stationed. Her heart was buzzing while she handled the wheel. A barrel just felt a little extra loose compared to others, and its scrapes echoed through the empty abyss. Yet, the ship remained secure.
The stars shone bright, and the spiral sent a cool breeze. The captain smiled while she looked up at the sky. The stars' twinkles reflected unto her eyes while her mind drifted away into bliss. Her grip on the wheel tightened, yet her soul eased down. Freedom grew from inside, the girl giggled.
Until she took a whiff of smog.
The captain was shaken out of her fantasy only a few meters away from the Isle of Dogs. The stars seemed to disappear behind a cloud of smog. A sigh passed her lips while she sailed to the docks. The pirate placed the magic anchor down then carefully stepped onto the docks. She looked at her raft while she took the empty bottle again.
She opened the bottle, this time, another mist surrounded the raft. The mist dragged the raft towards her bottle, shrinking it until it was inside. Now, to find the Armada.
The pirate followed the screw's leadership, she passed through the city's slums, sneaking through the allies under the cover of darkness. She eventually made her way down to the sewers. The captain walked to the manhole just underneath a tavern. That's where the screw pointed to, so she pulled the manhole out.
She crawled down the ladder, descending into the vast sewers. These sewers were not like any normal ones. Torches were hung at every end of the sewers, a stream of sludge flowed from the middle. The stench anguished her nose, a foul mixture of sewage and radical foxes.
Finally, the screw led her to the centre of sewers, a circular area branched by three tunnels. She carefully looked around following the screw. Water flowed from the large pipes to the centre where it seems to collect at the bottom. The screw pointed downwards to the metal platform just underneath. A tunnel was connected to the metal platform by a few rusty chains and metal.
The captain tucked her screw into her pocket, her grip on her pistols tightened. She leapt to the platform, then dashed through the tunnels.
The ceilings were caked in soot, likely from the torches that were here. Old pipes were wrapped around the walls, and others were nailed to the ceiling.
"Hold on lads, what do you mean the ammunition has been seized!" a voice echoed through the tunnels. The 'r' was tapped in a rich Albion fox accent.
"Sorry gaffer, but with the war over, the Marleybone navy cracked down on the smuggling," a chipper voice echoed, another fox.
The pirate stopped. She took tiny steps, inching closer to the conversation. The voices echoed, but it seemed to come from just up ahead. A section of the sewers was closed off by some sort of metal door. There was not a speck of rust on the door.
The captain listened in a bit more.
"Oh for &#$% sake, well, got any good news wanker!?"
"We received another payment from the MooShu cow, he said the clockwork pieces arrived just in time."
"Good, good."
She heard enough. The captain stepped a few steps back, she strapped her shield on her arm then concentrated. She moved her fingers, drawing a light symbol of a bomb in the air. A cloud of thunder formed above her, it condensed into a single circular bomb. It was black with a single fuse on top. She tossed the bomb at the metal door, then fired her pistol.
The pistol fired a single bolt of lightning mixed with clouds. It sizzled through the air then burnt through the bomb in a split second. A roaring explosion of thunder and lightning erupted, flinging the metal door into the room.
BOOM
Within the next second, the captain fired bolts of thunder into the room, burning through all lanterns and light sources.
The radical foxes scampered for cover. Five titled the table to block the bolts while the others grabbed their muskets.
" #$! It's the dogs! Warn Liam!" a fox yelled out.
With the lanterns destroyed, the room darkened. The foxes aimed muskets at the entrance, waiting.
The captain stormed in, shield in front, while she fired at the foxes. Bolts of thunder flew in all directions, burning the walls and melting through the pipes. Yet the captain just kept running, with her shield taking the brunt of their foxes' guns.
She then stopped firing. The captain moved her fingers again, drawing another picture of a bomb. A black cloud rained bombs just above the foxes.
Kaboom
The foxes flew back while the bombs exploded on top of them. They screamed in agony while their fur caught on fire. They rolled around on the ground in panic while the captain ran past them.
She stepped into the other room and immediately shot all the lights. Sparks of light flashed while more foxes fired.
"Push the pirate back boys!" a grey fox yelled.
The grey fox moved just behind his fellow radicals; he took out a grenade from his pocket and tossed it towards the pirate.
The captain's eyes widened when she saw the sparkling grenade. She gasped, raising the shield to her head to block. But a fox fired at that moment. His thunderbolt zipped through the air, then struck the pirate in the chest. Her shirt was enchanted enough to absorb most of the electricity's power. But the bolt still sizzled her ribs.
"Gah," the young pirate screamed out.
BANG
The grenade exploded just above her face. Despite the suit absorbing most of the black, the shockwave still flung her back. She groaned and touched her shoulder, just a slight burn on her arm.
"Ouch…"
She picked up her shield while her mind buzzed. Time slowed to a standstill while her mind scanned the tunnel. An amalgam of sound bombarded her head. The foxes muskets screamed an electric sound while the grey fox shouted. The thunder buzzed when they bounced off her shield. And… the pipes just above the foxes leaked tiny drops of water.
The captain grabbed her pistol again then pulled the trigger. Her blasts of thunder burned through the edge of a pipe, then she fired again, burning through another side. The weakened pipe burst opened. Shards of metal flung in all directions, followed by a powerful spray of water.
She pulled her trigger one more time. Within a split second, the foxes were screaming in anguish as? they got electrocuted.
The scent of burnt fox itched her nose while the pirate stood up. She adjusted the strap on her shield then walked towards the door.
"Excuse me," she said to the bodies, the girl awkwardly stepped over them.
She didn't hesitate to kick the door open. The girl stepped inside the room with a firm grasp on her gun. She squinted while stepping further in. The room was almost completely dark, with just a little light from outside seeping in. Then, the metallic clanks of a boot hollowed through the room, followed by another clank.
The pirate frowned; she was about to turn around when she saw a huge axe being swung right at her. She gasped and ducked, but the axe was swung again. The darkness shielded its face from her eyes, but human hands were gripped on the axe.
The axe was raised high again, then swung at her. The pirate blocked with her shield but ended up flung out of the room and into the light
"Stand back!" the captain yelled; her pistol was pointed at the darkness.
The footsteps grew louder, moving closer and closer to the exit.
"Wait a minute, sweetie?" the figure stepped into the light.
The captain's eyes widened when she saw. The light reflected on his perfect armour, his boots were light, with a metal tip, and covering along the lower leg. His leg and body armour had golden edges and patterns within a mostly black fabric, a gold-plated shoulder plate reflected into the pirate's eyes. His helmet was like a metal cage, he quickly removed it, freeing up his face.
She saw he kept his blond hair neatly combed, and his blue eyes were as captivating as ever.
"Oh no," the pirate frowned, her grip weakened while she picked herself up to leave.
"Working alone I see. That crew of yours didn't work out?" he asked.
"No Harper I was just…um I'm leaving," she turned around just when her cheeks reddened.
"WAIT, wait a minute! Why aren't you killing the intruder!" a grey fox stepped out of the room.
"Yeah, this is Liam, you killed his foxes," Harper said, gesturing to the electrocuted corpses right by her.
"Oh, um sorry."
"I don't want to hear it. Mr Harper, your friend killed my men!" the fox turned to him.
"No worries. Look, I'll pay for all the damage, and I'll personally pay for food and ammunition for the next two months." he turned to the fox.
"Ugh!" the fox was about to retort, but he frowned and sighed. "Okay, get your friend out of my sight," Liam grumbled and walked away.
With Liam gone, Harper looked back, but the captain had disappeared. She had taken advantage of the split-second he looked away to dash. The captain ran across the sewers, with only one focus in mind. Her mind narrowed to getting as far away as possible, almost to the point where she forgot to breathe.
But Harper somehow stepped right in front of her again.
"As you may have guessed, I'm handing a major smuggling ring between MooShu and the radical foxes. Some guy in MooShu likes clockwork parts," he boasted. "Let me guess, some dogs wanted you to investigate?"
"Shut up," she groaned and kept walking.
"Hah! They did, didn't they?" he followed her. "I can only imagine the embarrassing report you have to give."
The captain looked to him again, she was about to say something but walked off without another word spoken. She fumbled with her pistols while her hands shook and quivered, sweat began to soak through her shirt.
"I'm going back to my ship."
To her luck, Harper stopped following her when she got to the top second of the sewers. The captain's mind slowly faded from reality while her body moved on autopilot. Her chest tightened while the chilling essence returned to her chest. Her hand pressed against her chest, and her fingers chilled.
It took a full half an hour until she returned to the docks, another full hour before she made it back to her large ship. Her head buzzed through her journey, both exhausted yet hyperactive at the same time. The effect of her dream still ached, but now there was something else. Her face flustered between a blush to pure exhaustion
A light smile returned to her face just when she returned to the ship, but then it was followed by an involuntary blush again. She tapped her cheeks, too distracted that she didn't notice that her crew were wide awake now. And they were waiting on the docks.
"Captain! Where have you been?" a pirate vixen explained.
She shook her head and just kept walking.
"I'm sleepy…Please, leave me alone…"
She walked to her bedroom, then locked the door.