Obviously it's been awhile. I'm back in school now, and the first two weeks were busy, busy, busy, which also means that my progress with the story will be much slower since I've got homework. Sorry for the horrendously long delay, but I'm back with one of the most important chapters you'll read in the story. This one is the longest chapter I've written for this story. They'll now be looking for Jack Sparrow, but what awaits them?
BTW, what the hell...why did one of my most important chapters (probably THE most:O) fall on the Number 23?!
2/3 .666!!!!!!
Blah...
xx Enjoy the chapter...
Chapter 23: The Vivid and the Vague
"It's quieter than usual," Elizabeth stated. "Oddly enough, the quarreling and hectic business of dockworkers is not present."
"Everyone looks so calm," Zi added. "Weird…"
Tsau kept a straight face as he stepped onto the docks of Port Royal. "Something's wrong. Move about your business, and don't draw attention."
"I believe I won't draw attention as much as a white clothed assassin," Elizabeth said.
"I'm a monk right now," Tsau countered, folding his hands together. "No one would hurt a holy man."
Zi rolled her eyes at his statement.
Will leaned over the shipside towards them. "I'll govern the ship…and Bill. Come back safely."
Zi then turned to Tsau. "So, any ideas on where to find Zhao and Blackwell?"
"His mansion," Tsau said firmly. "There's an elevating platform that I discovered when we went to get Bill. I'm sure that's where everything is going down. I'm also pretty damn sure that it leads to a cove, or a small cave that stretches to the outside."
"And why are you so sure?" Zi asked skeptically.
"Escape route," Elizabeth answered. "There must be a miniature means of transport in there that they can utilize."
Tsau nodded. "Apparently, Blackwell chose an excellent spot for his base."
"And about what the Psychosis said a few days ago…" Zi started. "He said something would go wrong."
He turned to her. "He could be lying."
"And what of Jack?" Elizabeth asked. "We'll need to find him first."
"We'll ask around," Tsau said, almost completely forgotten about him. "Maybe we won't even have to fight against Blackwell's forces if we get away cleanly."
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"The Psychosis is dead, sir," a soldier spoke, standing in Zhao's office. "Tsau prevails."
Zhao took a deep breath. Normally, a deranged villain would kill off a few of his soldiers, but Zhao wouldn't do so. He was a controlled person. "So, now he's coming for me. Brilliant. My weakest protégé defeats my strongest ones. Of course, I have one left."
"Should we send him?" the soldier asked.
"No," said Nesirus's voice, walking in from the door. "Let Tsau come to us. If we cannot kill him, then I have other plans for my dear counterpart."
Zhao chuckled. "You should know, he's quite stubborn."
"I'm not a man of complete violence, General," Nesirus replied. "I'm a man of business, and Tsau, I'm sure, prefers business over blades."
The Chinese general sat down in his desk and took a sip of tea. "You give a man like that just a small bit of power, and he'll expand it greatly."
"Of course he would."
"Do you think…?"
Nesirus nodded and paced the room. His long coat made it seem as if he floated. The scarf that wrapped around the lower portion of his face covered his identity partly.
"The Executives most likely have their stake in this," he spoke with that odd British accent. "They're definitely up to something, and Tsau is part of their plan. He always was part of it…"
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Bill sat in the chair inside the captain's quarters, watching over the girl. The dimly lit candles gave the atmosphere a lack of clarity. She looked to be about his age, but was definitely Spanish, considering the Spanish Army Medallion that was set on the desk. What could have happened to her ship?
Her eyes opened tiredly. "I've seen you…"
"You were faintly awake a few times," Bill replied. "I'm Bill Turner."
"Maria Esperanza," she said in almost a whisper. Her eyes shut again and she went back to sleep.
"I'm watching over you, Maria," the young Bill said, still sitting in his chair.
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Walking towards the direction of Blackwell's mansion, Tsau kept his pace steady, and his mind sharp. Soon, the chest would be his, and everything will fall into place. His mission would be complete…but what about after? Tsau almost smiled at that thought. He could probably give up his job forever.
"I'm sorry they're all gone, Tsau," Zi told him. "Hassan and the others…and Ramadi."
Tsau removed his hood. "What can I do about it?"
"What can you do about it?" Zi asked.
"Move on," Tsau said.
"No…you take revenge. We'll find this Nesirus person, and when we find him, you can settle it."
He stopped and looked at her for a moment, then looked over his shoulder towards Elizabeth. After a quick glance, he turned back to Zi and chuckled slightly. "You don't understand. This whole thing…this whole quest…it's all business. You haven't learned a thing about me if you think I'll bring my own emotions into my work."
"Your employer is dead," Zi then said, turning to face him. "That nullifies your contract, assassin."
"You're right," Tsau replied in delay. "Your safety is no longer my responsibility. I'm relieved you figured that out."
Elizabeth laughed jokingly. "Come on, you two lovers. Easy now."
"No…" Tsau said in a converse tone. "She's right. Hassan is dead. I've got nothing left to do, except do what I must do, and that is to finish this. Preferably without your help."
They both looked at him with a deeper stare. He was dead serious.
"W-what? You're serious?!" Zi asked in slight anger. "You've been with us this long—"
"You knew this was coming," Tsau said. "This is still business, remember? I've got my business to take care of."
"So are you still working with us?" Elizabeth asked with an almost unsurprised voice.
He smirked. "I've got no choice."
They walked just a bit further before Elizabeth went to a nearby merchant. It was quite odd that Jack was not present at the moment, so the best place to start, as Tsau stated, was to ask around.
"Excuse me," she started. The man looked up at her. "Have you laid eyes on a large ship or any strangers in town lately?"
"Ships were present earlier this week about a kilometer or two down the coastline," the man replied. "I think they might leave soon. There was a Mr. Smith that came, too, and was taken away by the Guv. Drunk-looking fellow."
"Thank you," Elizabeth said, walking away. A rush of fear washed up her spine to hear the news. Something in the air was odd, indeed.
"So, where is our pirate friend?" Zi asked her.
"They have him," she said.
Tsau nodded slightly. "We'll have to get into their small base through the cave in that cove. Do you have any clue where it is?"
"The merchant spoke of a few ships that were stationed down the coastline. We should go get Jack," Elizabeth answered.
"I'm not responsible for Jack," Tsau said. "You and the crew can go to the coastline. I need that chest, and I'm going to get that chest."
"So you're really not helping us anymore?" Zi asked him almost bewilderedly.
"I'm getting that chest," Tsau restated. "I'm doing us all a favor."
As Tsau continued forward, Zi turned around with Elizabeth to head back to the Dutchman, with a very bitter face.
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"Sir, we've spotted the Reaper in town," a soldier told Blackwell. "He's returned from the Persian Gulf and is here for the chest."
"Any theories why he went to the Gulf?" Blackwell asked, looking over battle plans while inside the cave.
The soldier shrugged. "General Zhao thinks that Tsau went to get the dagger. Our spies say that he had access to the archives."
"The Manifest Archives?" Blackwell asked. "So it's true, then. What does Nesirus have planned?"
"He said that since we could not handle Tsau, he shall engage the Reaper personally," the soldier said. "He suggests that we seize him."
Blackwell looked towards the dim light that spilled into the damp cave. He walked away from the battle plans and a smirk came across his face. "Good. It is all going as planned."
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The Dutchman was idly floating outside the small cove a few kilometers down the shoreline, and the cave that was there seemed fairly big, and there was a dock. Amongst the dock were the ships. The ships. The Insurrection and The Brutus…Zhao's ship and Blackwell's, respectively.
"So, Tsau is walking an alternative route?" Will asked Elizabeth and Zi.
Zi looked slightly over her shoulder to acknowledge his comment, but turned back away towards the sea. Her thoughts of Tsau were now tainted with his current behavior. It was only a few days ago that he allowed himself to open up, but it's just the same Tsau now. No…worse. It's a different Tsau, she thought.
Elizabeth looked at Zi, then back at her husband. "He's after the chest."
"And when he gets it…he'll have both items…" Will said. He mentally slapped himself for speaking such an obvious statement.
"I'm pretty sure that when we had to go to Aswad Mohit, he sought the help from this little cult of his," Zi said, turning around. They both listened to her. "I'm also sure that he was looking for the answers to those riddles posed in that letter of yours. And now he knows what to do exactly."
"Cleansed by its liberator…" Will spoke, reciting the lines from the letter.
"No…it's 'blood of its liberator,'" Zi suddenly spoke up again.
She noticed now that she could entrust what she knew to these two human beings. Will and Elizabeth were pure hearted people, not like Jack or Tsau or Barbossa. The only people fighting this battle were only Tsau, Jack, and Barbossa against Blackwell, Zhao, and this "Nesirus" character that she heard about. They were all bad men fighting mercilessly over one thing, and one thing only. Zi, Will, Elizabeth, and a cast of others were only in between…pawns in their game.
Will turned to her. "Blood? How do you know?"
"I could hear what Tsau was thinking…when he fought that blindfolded samurai…" she answered. "He was placed in a hallucination where you two came back from the burning ship, and Jack returned from out of nowhere. I could read his thoughts…he didn't know what 'blood of its liberator' meant. I then noticed that he thought about the word 'blood' and not 'cleansed.' The liberator is somebody, and I think Tsau knows who it is now."
"Liberator…" Elizabeth realized. "The one who frees…who liberates."
"Zhao is a liberator," Will spoke.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No…it's Rufus Blackwell…or Rufus the Black."
"Rufus the Black liberated the Necromortalis from the Angel of Death…rather yet, created it," Zi said, throwing out a comment. "If Rufus is dead…then there's only one person who still has the 'blood' to 'cleanse' the Dagger of Black Death."
Elizabeth looked out towards the cave. "Augustus Blackwell."
Will smiled a bit. "Then it wasn't that difficult to figure…"
Another moment passed, and the thought of Tsau once again took toll on Zi. The moment back there was so brief, yet his words meant a thousand. Zi turned away towards the shipside. "I'm worried about him."
"Tsau?" Elizabeth asked. "What for?"
"I thought I could save him…" she said.
"From what?" her friend asked again.
Zi looked up at Elizabeth with watery eyes. "He's falling apart. Hanging by a thread…and if he falls any further, he could lose his sense of self forever…"
"He seemed quite well when you…err…stepped out of his room," Elizabeth stated.
"The night our relationship transcended—I don't even know if Tsau would consider us a relationship—was the night that I noticed Tsau's sense of being returning. A rush of happiness struck me," Zi said. "But now…he's worse."
"He probably loves you too, dear," Bootstrap's voice came from down the stairs onto the deck. "But sometimes, you'll just have to let people go."
Bill walked up the stairs and joined his parents. Immediately, he hugged Zi. "It's okay, Zi. We're here for you."
Zi's tears rolled down her cheek and she smiled in a bittersweet expression. "Thanks."
"You're almost like a sister to me, now, Zi," Elizabeth said with a grin. "I can't let you fall, too."
"The world will always unfold as it should," Will said while at the helm. "You'll just have to adjust and make what's best of your circumstances."
"Adapt, and change…" Zi replied.
Elizabeth smiled. "You're right. We shall finish this quest. No matter what happens…we shall overcome all obstacles."
"Adapt…and change…" she repeated. "Someone wise once told me that."
Bill let go of his embrace and smiled. "Me, too."
Zi looked down at him and returned the expression. "Okay. Let's finish this. There's one thing Tsau did not consider about me."
"That is?" Elizabeth asked.
She reached towards her belt and pulled out a shiny black dagger. "I'm a master pickpocket. Unfortunately, he underestimated me the most, out of all of us. Now he doesn't have both."
A sudden beam of hope caused all them to smile. The crewmembers who were working even looked up and let out a chuckle.
"Aye," Will said as the ship approached even closer to the opposing ships. "We could win."
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Tsau had to stay on top of the elevated platform before someone came to use it. The platform was extremely hot due to the steam, but it was the only way he could've gotten in. Dropping down from the hatch above the elevator, Tsau quietly stayed within the shadows. The night was now complete, and outside the cave was now a world swallowed by darkness. The mere fact that the chest was close now nearly brought chills down Tsau's spine, but he kept the sensation from escaping into the outside world.
Wandering around and hiding amongst the surplus and provisions, he could spot some battle plans stretched on a large table that were unfortunately blinded with light. If he was interested, he'd have to come back after the chest. Armed troops, both of Zhao's and Blackwell's patrolled the area, although there were very few.
Turning the corner and heading down further into the cave, he spotted Jack, who was sleeping soundly in a small prison cage in the room made for prisoners. Tsau paused for a second to think about rescuing him. After a quick moment, he pressed onward with anger towards himself.
Never hesitate like that again. He told himself.
With the sound of approaching footsteps, Tsau dashed behind some storage crates to see who was headed his way. He was in the shadows now, and no one could see him. Watching carefully, he noticed that it was Elizabeth and Zi, but where was Will? Tsau waited for those two to sneak past first before going forward. Will probably went after the chest.
He knew that things would probably be easier if he just killed and dragged the guards away. Tsau snuck back the way he came from, concluding that this wasn't the way to the chest. Looking upwards, he leaped to a horizontal support beam that was nearly perfect to kill someone from below. The Falcon waited for a Chinese guard to come by, and he pulled out a very strong fiber wire that he stole from a piano. The wire was very durable, and was a lot better than a knife since it didn't leave a trail of blood. Not only that, but Tsau also knew that he could pull a choking maneuver on an armored guard. Tsau waited for the next few moments and hung downwards from his legs when the guard came by. He timed it just correctly, and caught the wire around the guard's throat. Tsau lifted the choking guard up to the beam after his life passed away slowly, and lowered him again after he slipped the guard's clothes over his robes.
Lowering the body down to the ground, Tsau dragged it away into the shadows, but then decided to change out of his robe completely and just wear the armor. It would've been too obvious. Walking around in the disguise, he headed back and down the other direction to find the chest. Then, he found himself in a great room, which seemed as if built for training. Dummies were set up around the area, and training equipment was set up nicely on racks and storage bins. The room seemed to have very little patrol pacing through them. Stepping forward, Tsau could see the chest up ahead, set on a bench. Suspiciously, on the other side of the room. It won't be a good idea to walk straight to it.
"Jack!" Elizabeth whispered ecstatically.
Jack woke up from his sleep and stood up excitedly. "Oh, Zi and Lizzie. Aren't you two a good surprise!"
Zi smiled and pulled out a key that she snatched from one of the guards earlier. She unlocked the cell door and set him free. "How you doing there, Cap'n?"
"Oh, please," Jack said cockily. "I had Blackwell under my thumb this whole time."
"Let's go get that chest," Elizabeth said.
Jack grinned. "No need to, love. The chest is on the Pearl. The Pearl is stationed on a small island not too far from here."
"We should go get Will and Tsau," Elizabeth replied. "They are on the hunt for that cursed chest."
Jack then bit his lip, but eventually agreed.
Will snuck past the sight of the elevator which caught him off guard for a moment. Prowling silently through the shadows, he kept himself low and aligned his movement along the crates. As he stepped into a puddle of black, he noticed that there was an unconscious body on the ground.
"Find the chest yet, mate?" Jack whispered from behind. "It's not here."
Will was surprised by Jack's arrival, but questioned his statement nonetheless. "Jack…why not?"
"Let's retreat, Will," Elizabeth said. "We'll explain later."
Will reached down and picked up Tsau's white robe. "And Tsau?"
Everyone then looked at Zi, who stared at the Falcon's uniform. She swallowed and thought for a moment. "He's an assassin. I'm a pirate. Those who fall behind are left behind. Let's go."
Just then, troops came and surrounded them, with their guns pointed, ready to shoot. Blackwell and Zhao stepped out of the shadows and approached.
"I'm afraid your little games are over, children," Blackwell stated, fixing his navy hat. "But keep quiet, and follow me. You wouldn't want to miss this."
"Miss what?" Zi asked.
Blackwell smirked. "The fall of the greatest assassin of our time. Oh, yes, we know about Tsau. He's fallen right into our trap."
"Lookie here, Guv, we seek for no trouble," Jack said with his unshaken smile. "Just let us go quietly, mate, and we'll be on our way."
"No, Jack," Zhao retorted. "We want your crewmembers to see what we have to show…"
"You mean…" Jack said with a pause. "Oh, heheh. Mr. Nesirus is the least of our—worries—at the moment, General. Perhaps we can set up an appointment some other time."
Zhao scooted over to the side, and the monster-like knight figure that Jack met half a week ago stepped forward.
"Oh…'ello, beastie," Jack said. "Perhaps we can settle this late—"
The tall knight drew his blade and held it up to Jack's neck.
"—Okay…"
Blackwell stepped forward. "Come now, my dear children, and watch us capture the great Reaper…"
"Reaper?" Jack asked in response. He looked at Will, who shrugged.
They followed down the dark corridors, and waited to see what would happen. In the distance, a helmeted soldier stood in front of the training area. Tsau looked over his shoulder, and knew that something was wrong. The Psychosis really wasn't lying, then. Up above, on a balcony, footsteps were the only sounds present. There were troops gathered around the training area, seizing Tsau. Everything that was hopeful seemed dull, as the moment sank in. Elizabeth, Will, Zi, and Tsau looked up at the man walking on the balcony. The scarf covering half his face was removed and a very cold, chilling sensation crippled their nerves for a few moments.
"It is an honor…" he spoke. The voice was exactly the same, except for the British accent. The face, exactly the same. Almost every aspect of him was the same. "It's not everyday that I get to meet the legendary Reaper."
Zi looked up and questioned herself. "Is that…Tsau…?!"
"No, love," Jack answered. "That there's Drak Nesirus…the boss behind everything."
"Why…why does he look like Tsau?" Zi asked.
"Shut up," Blackwell said from over his shoulder.
Tsau removed the guard's helmet and stood there in the Chinese armor. "You must be Drak Nesirus."
"Face-to-face at last, with my counterpart…" Nesirus stated. "Honestly, the ensuing moment is a satisfying one."
"What charade are you running here?" Tsau asked in his deep, chilling voice. "What kind of person would go out of their way to look like me? Who are you?"
"Ah, Tsau…I am you," Drak Nesirus said. "I have your skin, I have your eyes, I have your voice, I have everything that you have. But…I have a different mindset. You see, I am the anti-Tsau."
Tsau dropped his helmet and kept his gaze on this man who seemed to be a mirror image of him, except for the haircut, of course. His hair was long, and slicked back. "What do you want from me?"
"Your mind possesses many beautiful, deadly secrets," Nesirus spoke. "I'm here to know them. We have much business to do."
"Give me that chest first," Tsau said. "And maybe I'll just sever your leg, or something."
Nesirus smirked. "The Deaths underestimated you. I won't."
Tsau was about to speak one more time, but there was no chance. From behind, someone struck the back of his head and he fell forward, completely blacked out. Everything was turned around.
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"This is the third generation…so, Rufus the Black set the Necromortalis free, huh?" Tsau asked Farah.
Farah looked at him and nodded with a slight grin. "Yes. It's a situation that we deal with every day. The Angel of Death is the ultimate necessity. If we can restore its existence, then the dead may stay strong once again. The captain of the Dutchman is already halfway through his first term before he can step on the line again."
"And you?" Tsau asked. "How do you know if I'm going to kill you or not?"
"You've already made that decision," she opened a door that led to a room with a large meeting table. "But do you know why?"
Tsau shook his head. "I don't care why."
"I understand what you are going through, Reaper," she said. "You seek…redemption. Forgiveness. Penance. Poor children like you are angels who have fallen from the skies. The ones who disregard everything in the past. The ones who don't care. I'm here to help you find a better understanding of yourself."
"I know who I am, and my work is my work," Tsau said to her. "At the end of the day …this is just what I do…it's not who I am."
"Your work is killing you inside…slowly," Farah then stated firmly. "The last servant you took from me…was my niece. Eva. She was very young, and had an avid habit of curiosity. She was a smart one, although I preferred that she go to school. All of us who work here…all of us who dedicate our lives…we all had a dream. The servants…Malik had his dedication, Raoul had his passion, Andrea had her faith...and I had Eva.," she continued, beginning to sob as her voice began to break. "But we all had a common goal…and that was to restore the Angel of Death to its rightly place. The Dutchman was never supposed to come into the scene. We all bled and died for this one purpose only, and now…they're all dead. You killed them. You killed my niece. Are their deaths in vain? Who will be the one to answer?"
Tsau was almost speechless with her words, but more like letting them sink in before he spoke.
She laughed with her tears still running down her face. "With my niece…my last blood relation dead…death doesn't seem so bad after all."
"Does restoring the Angel of Death bring redemption?" Tsau asked.
Farah laughed again. "What do you have to redeem? You seem to be doing quite well by helping wipe bad men off the face of this world."
"I killed your niece," Tsau said. "I think that's more than enough to fight for redemption. I, too, have a goal. There's just…I can't take any more nightmares."
Farah looked up at him and caressed his cheek. "You are truly an angel, Tsau. Divinity has been cast upon you. I can sense it."
He felt her hand for a moment, then lightly pushed it away. "I'm nobody. Tsau…the Reaper…is just an idea. I'm losing myself."
"So," she said with a smile. "What are you saying?"
"I will take up this mission of yours," Tsau stated. "Hopefully I am forgiven at the end. Hopefully they get rid of my dreams."
"…and if they don't?" Farah asked.
Tsau shook his head. "Then I can't survive another day knowing that the memories won't go away. There will be no hope. I'll lose myself, forever."
"Are you sure about this, Tsau?"
He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. I pledge my service to the Angel of Death. I will be the Fifth Servant of the Third Generation."
Well, I'm sure you are :O!!!! right now, so ahem...more plot points to come, but don't know when, with school, etc, so um…yeah. What'll happen to Tsau?!?