Okay, I worked really hard for you guys this time. Of course, I'd love to end the story, too, so here's the next chapter. Enjoy, guys.

Chapter 29: The Curse of Invincibility

"Okay, Tsau, now use your entire body to get that correct slice in there," Zhao said to him.

The young Tsau's blade was swift; in fact, he was catching up to the veteran. Zhao didn't worry about it, though, because he still had a good 20 years on his battle card before he can retire. Hopefully he'll move up to general soon. At the same time, the grizzled, weathered war veteran rather enjoyed teaching this young one. The young man was fierce yet smart at the same time. Tsau's wisdom was far beyond his age, and from what Zhao has seen from him in battle so far, this kid was made to kill.

Tsau made a quick slice into the stuffed target. They stood there and stared at the dummy for a quick minute.

"I think you missed," Zhao stated unusually, pacing around the open training grounds right outside the camp. The bamboo surrounded the small settlement.

The young Tsau expected something like 'next time watch your target' but this was rather interesting yet entertaining. But this time he didn't doubt his stroke. The dummy immediately split perfectly without any mess or excess hay falling out from inside.

"Or not," his mentor said. "Impressive."

Immediately after he finished his sentence, a scout came along almost out of breath. "Sir! We need your assistance!"

"At ease, Private. What is it?"

"A substantially large group is approaching," he said, still trying to catch his breath. "And we've discovered a vantage point. It is with our best interests that you be the one to lead us at the vantage point. The point is above a large rocky hill, where we can set them off with our arrows and rifles."

Zhao nodded. "Of course."

As the private began to leave, he said, "Be ready in five minutes!"

The man turned to the mild-mannered Tsau. "So. Interested?"

Tsau nodded. "Always interested."

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More cannonfire pummeled the wood as Jack, Will, and Zi snuck on Blackwell's ship. Everyone seemed to busy to pay attention to them. Right as they made their way up the stairs to the helm they were detected.

"Mr. Sparrow," Blackwell's suave voice bellowed into the air. "I hand you the chance to keep your freedom, yet you persist."

"Well," Jack said cockily. "There are more important aspects of my pirate life I must look out for. I need my…uh…friends! Yes, of course. Everyone needs their friends…"

Will and Zi gave him an absurd look before Blackwell spoke again.

"It does not matter," Blackwell said. "I am in need your dagger, however."

"And we need your blood," Will stated. "We will not leave here today without finishing this."

Blackwell scoffed and shook his head. "You idiotic fools. Do you not understand the power of deception?"

"You are the descendant of Rufus the Black," Will alleged. "I know the necessary actions that I must take."

"The power of the Executives is very effective, I see," Blackwell nodded. "Apparently, you don't know the real story."

"We don't need your lecture."

Blackwell smirked faintly. "Yes, of course. But might I tell you that the Necromortalis, Tsau, and even that buffoon Nesirus were all experiments engineered by the Executives?"

The three automatically froze.

"No one knows exactly how the Executives came to exist. Rumors have led back to the days of the Crusades. Templar knights. It does not matter, however. They assigned my ancestor to do the dirty work of disturbing that damned Angel of Death. Rufus the Black was a fool," Blackwell explained. "That dagger you have may be able to stop the Necromortalis, but it will not stop the reign of the Executives."

"I just want my life back," Will told him.

In a surprising move, Blackwell put his leg up on the Chest of Davy Jones. He kicked the chest to them. "Take it. You'll need it."

They froze again.

"Oh, how your sudden generosity is questionable," Jack said.

"Though we have been on the opposite sides of the spectrum, I am still a businessman at heart. This is a lost cause for Zhao and Nesirus. Nesirus is already dead," Blackwell held his hands behind his back and walked over to watch the battlefield. "So much for their intentions."

"What about your plan to resurrect the East India Trading Company?" Zi then asked. "Is that not why you allied yourself with Nesirus and Zhao?"

Blackwell turned around with an amused grin on his face. "Please. Your thinking is still at a novice level. You need not worry about me. Allow me your dagger for a quick moment."

Zi snatched the dagger from Jack's hands, who was about to protest but was too curious with the situation. She tossed it to the Governor and awaited the next few moments.

With the dagger, he lightly lifted it up to the tip of his finger and made a small incision. At that moment, the black dagger emitted a bright white color that captivated those around. When the glow disappeared, the Dagger of Black Death was now sleek silver and twice as attractive as it was before. Blackwell looked down at it and shrugged.

"Perhaps this is the way it has to be," he said. "I am now making my way out. The navy men will stay here to fight the Necromortalis and its army. Stay safe, children, for the Executives cannot afford your deaths."

With those last words, Blackwell tossed the dagger to them and watched as they awkwardly made their way out. They were still shocked to see him do this. He then turned to the ship captain.

"Pull out."

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"I've dreamt of a day like this for a long time," Zhao spoke, staring far out into the battle. "Ever since you left."

Tsau stood behind him, waiting for the moment they participate in battle. "I haven't dreamed ever since I started killing."

"That's too bad, Tsau. I am sorry."

The assassin was abrupt. "No, you're not."

"Truly, I am. I am sure that I will never know what it is like for you," he commented. "But I try my hardest to understand. I will only leave today either alive or dead. Needless to say, I am not afraid of death today."

"You'd be surprised," Tsau replied with unflinching truth behind his voice, "just how fearful the bravest men can become when they face death."

"I trust you," Zhao said surely. "But I am sure I'll prove you wrong today."

As Zhao turned around, Tsau remained indifferent. "By killing me?"

"Whichever way is effective. It does not matter. What matters is what happened on this day," he said. Zhao began to walk towards Tsau slowly, but stopped within a few yards, telegraphing a moment of monologue.

"I assume you've a large explanation?" Tsau asked, the darkness of the shadow under his hood covering his face.

Zhao shook his head and maintained a strong posture. "Not explanation. Revelation."

"If this is about Hassan and his involvement with the Executives," Tsau added, "then I already know."

"No, this is about me," Zhao said.

Tsau was silent in surprise, pondering on what Zhao will say next.

"Do you know why my soldier did not execute you on that day you left?" Zhao asked, with Tsau shaking his head very slightly. "Of course not. We are, of course, all serving a higher purpose. I serve freedom and liberty. But even higher than that, I am still fiercely loyal to my superiors."

"Where are you going with this?" Tsau asked.

"I had to spare you, son…so that you can become stronger and one day face me. I was forced to turn on you, to antagonize you, to become your enemy, and eventually cast you out on your own."

"And whose wonderful plan was this?" Tsau questioned half-sarcastically. "The Executives, right?"

Zhao nodded. "Right."

"So you work for them," he realized with an unsurprised voice. "So much for freedom, huh? Not only are you a delusional general but also a hypocrite."

The weathered general did not care for Tsau's scathing insults. This was a moment he was happy for. "I turned on them, Tsau. I hated working for them. Nevertheless, fate is not without a hint of irony. When I crossed paths with you again, I laughed at myself. The Executives truly want my death, then."

"They ordered for your death?" Tsau asked.

"Yes," Zhao answered. "I cannot go back home, I've got nowhere to go. My men are failing; my cause is dwindling. What a beautiful day today is."

There was heavy rain.

"This is my final mission, Tsau," Zhao spoke up after turning around to admire the battlefield. "You have much prior experience in battle than you can remember."

"How so?"

Zhao grinned slightly. "You fell on your head once, kid. We were on a mission, remember? You slipped and fell on the rocks below."

"It doesn't matter, Zhao," Tsau said in dismissal. "It may be true, but it won't matter by today."

"You are the best at what you do. Have you realized that? And still, you persist on nothing more than a goal. No logical backup."

Tsau was beginning to soften a bit, but was aware of it, too. Zhao was not as menacing as before. "I just want to get rid of my nightmares. Killing haunts me. If you stand in my way, of course you are antagonistic."

"It's not that simple, Tsau," Zhao said, his intensity growing larger. "The nightmares? They never stop. You think I don't know, but I do. Those nightmares never disappear. Once you've been on the battlefield, tasted blood, and experienced the tension and thrill and death…it becomes you. Once you've awakened your inner warrior, your primal instinct, you can never put it back to sleep; you can only kill it. You will find yourself craving even larger thrills, more bloodshed; more tensions. You no longer have the need for money, or power…or even sex. In the end, all that satisfies your craving is war! And why, Tsau? Because it makes you alive."

Tsau listened to Zhao's speaking, not thinking, but just listening.

"The murder grounds are where we live. It is our home. On the battlefield, you and I are treasured and valuable commodities; revered for our skill and valor, but back 'home' we are nothing but dead weight. If we're lucky, we might get a nice store to run or some cheap government job. The sad truth is, however, you and I are bound to this battlefield until we are murdered like dogs."

The Falcon was almost stunned to hear what his former mentor had to say. "You…can't believe in this. I…I can choose to do whatever I desire. I will rid myself of these nightmares. If I have to kill you, I won't hesitate."

Zhao shook his head. That hard stare showed signs of weariness, though, but still had a trace of strength. "It doesn't matter, Tsau. We are nothing. If both of us die here, more battles will continue. Our fight will not suffice this hellhole we call our 'world.' The loser shall be liberated from the battlefield, and the winner will fight on. This is the true liberation I've sought for so long."

"No…" Tsau protested with challenge. He was heavily weakening from Zhao's words. "I won't fight here forever. I'm not like you."

"Tsau," Zhao said, digressing from his previous speech. "I loved you as a son. I trained you, gave you weapons, showed you techniques, taught you…gave you advice. There is nothing left for me to give you. The only thing left for you to do is to take my life."

He stood still. "You…"

"Enough! Be an assassin! Finish your job!" Zhao exclaimed, pulling out his blade.

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Jack rushed up the wooden planks of the other navy ship and kicked off another one of the undead pirates. The Necromortalis was not here yet. Or it was somewhere else on the ship. Effortlessly cutting his way through the busy undead pirates, he finally caught a glimpse of it. It would not matter, anyway, since he did not have the dagger. Zi was close by, though, searching on another part of the ship.

Will sought the far end of the ship, where the chaos was at boiling point. Taking a quick strike to the back of the neck, he leaned over the shipside in agony. He turned around to face the undead pirate, who was quickly disposed with a slice across the neck. When it collapsed, Elizabeth was in his sights. The timing could not have been better.

Puzzled, he ran his hand through his hair. "What are you—"

"When I married you, I made a promise, too," she told him, approaching him closely. "And I am keeping that promise."

Before he could speak, she came in and kissed him passionately. He fell for her touch, disregarding the chaos and battle around them. In fact, her disobedience was unusually arousing; he was now more in love with her than he ever was.

"You disobeyed me," Will said in neutrality.

She looked down troublesomely. "I know, Will. But I hope you understand…"

"No," he asserted, lifting her chin up with the tip of his fingers. "I think we can let this slide, provided that you owe me something when we get back…my Pirate King."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked curiously.

He smirked. "Shh. It's a surprise."

Jack was nearly covered completely in black ash left behind from the undead pirates. He coughed a bit and walked toward them as he hacked through a few more of the mindless pawns. "William! I am here fighting and you're just flirtatiously conversing with the damsel in distress here! This is madness!"

Zi then rushed up to them from another angle. "It's here!"

The four turned immediately and saw the dark, shadowy figure that floated past the fighting soldiers. They grasped their blades and waited silently.

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Tsau nearly collapsed from Zhao's cut on the side of his leg. The assassin kneeled down to inspect the wound, relieved that he wasn't completely incapacitated. Tsau used his blade to prop him up. Zhao himself wasn't too well, either, who suffered a few critical blows, too. Thankfully, all men could be killed the same. No one is truly invincible…or maybe Tsau was.

"How much longer can you last?" Zhao asked, trying to regain his balance.

Tsau stood up and took breaths. "Long enough."

The two traded a few more blows, blocking and dodging each other successfully. Tsau definitely had the physical advantage, but Zhao was smarter and more experienced. Indeed, he had to outsmart him somehow.

Zhao caught him thinking and landed critical fist strikes to the chest that knocked the air out of his former student. As Tsau backed up towards the side of the mountain on the open plateau, he stumbled down and sat against it to catch his breath. Just as he was gaining his momentum back, he felt a sharp pain below the side of his abdomen as Zhao shoved his blade into it. The Falcon let out a cry of pain, because it definitely was not a killing blow. The pain was so sharp that he lost grip of his own saber. Zhao was merely toying with him, or so he had hoped.

"You're pathetic, boy," Zhao said, pulling out his blade from Tsau. "Why are you fighting me, Tsau? Is it because I stand in your way? Is it because of your friends who abandoned you? Tell me, Tsau. Why do you persist?"

"Because," Tsau said, standing up and bleeding heavily with the blood seeping through his White Falcon suit. "I want to find out who is the better of two monstrosities."

Zhao's eyes widened with the repetition of Nesirus's words. He grabbed Tsau and tossed him into the grass opposite the mountainside. Tsau slid across the grass and tried to pick himself up. His intuition immediately allowed him to see Zhao coming in from behind with a large swing of his blade. Tsau drew out one of his knives and instinctively rolled underneath Zhao's swing. As he rolled, he cut Zhao's leg tendon and disabled his leg completely.

Zhao stumbled forward and clumsily remained balanced. The Falcon ran up the mountainside, hoping that he was still there. And he was. Tsau kicked himself away from the wall and flied in the air with his left hand raised. The crippled Zhao slowly turned as Tsau flew in closer. Now he was facing Tsau, and it happened too fast for him to react.

Tsau's left hand flicked out the installed wristblade that was concealed by a gear mechanism. It was the same one that Hassan kept telling him to use. A perfect hidden blade. Zhao's eyes widened as Tsau landed on him and shoved the blade into his chest, puncturing his lungs and spilling blood both internally and externally.

The general rested there with surprise. A smile cracked on his lips as Tsau pulled the bloody wristblade out and snapped it back in. The assassin kneeled down next to Zhao and stared upon his mentor with sorrow and pity.

"It seems that you are the better one," Zhao said with heavy breathing.

Tsau kept an unwavering eye on him. "Rest now, soldier. You are free to go. May you spend eternity in peace and harmony."

Zhao reached for his necklace and pulled it off, handing it to Tsau. The trinket was in the shape of a key. "Here. Take this."

"What for?"

"It is located in Aswad, your home," he answered. "It unlocks the documents for the original Executives…and the funds I've amassed for my calling."

"A world for soldiers," Tsau stated with Zhao's slow nodding. "I…can't take this."

His breathing approached heavier by the minute. "You must. Someday you'll be happy you have it. Take it, Tsau…and find your own calling. Spend the funds as you see fit."

Tsau accepted the key. "I'm sorry that you were put though this, Zhao."

"I told you it didn't matter," the wounded man alleged. "Listen, Tsau. You are a wonderful man, capable of not only horrible things, but good things too. I've seen a growing person in you, and you have shown me that even the darkest of people can lead a good cause. Finish me, son. Do it."

Tsau stood up and pulled out his trigun. He pointed it at Zhao's chest with no ambivalence.

"Maybe you will find a better way out of the battlefield," Zhao added. "You are truly gifted, Tsau. You have the Gift of Invincibility."

The Falcon pulled the trigger and the shot echoed across the mountainside, though it was quickly swallowed up by the ongoing fight.

Tsau reloaded the spent bullet and stared at the battle. The Necromortalis was already engaging the navy men. He had to deal with one last monstrosity before freedom. Rushing down the mountain trail next to the plateau, Tsau only hoped that it wasn't too late.

No, Zhao. Not gifted. Cursed. I suffer the Curse of Invincibility.

So hope you like. It should definitely keep you up for the next chapter, which I hope will come soon. Stay tuned, guys, and leave some reviews or something, geez. -.- I feel like a review whore today. Sorry.