A/N: Fair warning -- a fairly intense scene lies ahead violence-wise.

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Chapter 9

Li Shang was an elderly man. His thin air had been whitened by old age while his skin had developed the expected wrinkles and spots. Shang's eyesight had also been something that changed, as he now needed glasses in order to see things as clearly as he did when he was younger. However, Shang did not let his age affect his life's work whatsoever. For as long as he could remember, Shang had loved puzzles, whether it be creating them or deciphering them, Shang was an expert at said objects. When he had been old enough, Shang had opened his own shop, where he either made especially complicated puzzles or helped his customers decipher ones they brought in for that very purpose. Business proved to be fairly decent, providing enough income for Shang to make the living he wanted.

His tiny little shop was situated in-between two large buildings on a street on an island in the outskirts of Singapore. It was filled with numerous complex mechanisms resting on shelves, some hanging from the ceiling. Grimy windows mostly caked by built-up filth allowed whatever light could penetrate through them to illuminate anything within its reach. The majority of the shop's light, however, came from many different candles which were aglow wherever they could fit into open spaces. Each candle sported unique wax designs that depicted different Chinese symbols and/or events from the past. Any visitor walking into the shop without any prior knowledge could immediately deduce that this was a place specifically targeted towards people living there.

Li Shang entered the shop, departing from the hustling crowd in the street outside, and pushed the creaky entry door open, filling the area with more sunlight than was usual before he promptly shut it again. Shang carried a stack of papers bound together by a piece of strong string. He walked over toward the back of the shop's main area after he put a sign in the nearest window which was inscribed by Chinese symbols that translated into "Closed". At the back of the shop was a doorway which allowed access to Shang's private workspace, where he toiled away at any puzzle he was currently working on. The second room, much unlike the first, was completely devoid of any windows so that the only light came from the fireplace built into the wall on the far right side. Close enough to the fireplace, but not so close that heat would be much of an issue, was a desk which Shang used to create and put together other people's puzzles. Shang walked calmly over to the fireplace after setting the sheaf of papers down upon the rickety wooden desk, and in the fireplace was a mechanism used for heating tea. Shang had put this over the fire before he had gone out to retrieve his work from a current client, and with careful hands so as to make sure it wasn't too hot, Shang lifted a kettle from there and walked back over to his desk, where an appropriately proportioned teacup was waiting. Shang poured the tea into the cup, filling it with the desired amount. He took a small sip while he sat down behind his desk and began to work on some puzzles.

Shang continued on like that for a few minutes, the task of piecing together a fractured picture something that brought him serenity. It wasn't until he heard a sudden flutter of movement from the corner of the room behind his right shoulder did Shang become aware of the fact that there was someone else with him in the room, lurking in the shadows. Surreptitiously, Shang moved the hand resting in his lap to the concealed miniature pistol that was tucked into his belt underneath his robes. Then, quick as a flash, Shang whipped around in his seat, aiming the pistol in the direction the noise had come from as he did so.

From the shadows emerged a lean, muscular figure adorned in black and blood-red attire, a bandanna covering his head, a stoic expression controlling his face, and a razor-sharp sword clutched in his hand.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" demanded Shang.

The intruder gave the slightest trace of a smirk. "You really do need to tighten your security measures, Mr. Shang. After all, it's fairly simple for thieves to break in and steal whatever they want."

"Are you a thief?" asked Shang in a steady voice which showed that he was not intimidated in any way.

Will stepped forward. "Absolutely not. All I'm here for are your services in putting together a rather difficult puzzle." Will dropped the puzzle-map on Shang's desk.

Shang allowed himself the quickest of glances at the map, but his demeanor remained intact. "Under whose authority?"

"Mine," came a relaxed, sensual female voice from behind Shang. Shang turned around to investigate the source of this new voice, and was met with the sight of a slender female figure hidden beneath a hooded black cloak, the hood itself hiding half of the woman's face. The half Shang did get to see, however, was one of absolute beauty. The skin on her face was completely smooth and flawless, with an intoxicating eye and strands of blonde hair hanging down from underneath the hood.

"And who might you be?"

"The sea goddess Calypso in human form," the woman replied as if the answer were something common in a conversation.

"Prove it," spat Shang.

Calypso extended one of her arms casually, pointing her index finger directly towards the pistol in Shang's hand. Within a matter of seconds, the pistol melted into pure seawater, splashing at Shang's feet. Shang backed away and looked back up at Calypso in surprise.

"Satisfied?" she asked.

"How…how is this possible?" Shang sputtered in disbelief, looking back down at the pool of water in front of his feet.

"That doesn't concern you. What does is the piecing together of the map my associate just presented you with. It's absolutely imperative that you do so."

"And if I don't?"

"Then the next puzzle you'll be trying to solve is the one involving how to come back from the dead."

The steadiness of Calypso's voice and the hardness of her one visible eye made it abundantly clear to Shang that the goddess would have no problem in following through with her promise. So, Shang turned back around and picked up the map to examine it more closely. The map was comprised of several miniature squares that could be slid into numerous configurations and arrangements, although Shang could see that they needed to line up to form a picture of some kind.

"It would be helpful to know exactly what I'm trying to make the puzzle reveal." This time, he spoke to Will.

By now, Will had made his way over to the fireplace and had stuck something Shang assumed was a poker into the fire, and he twisted it around with his fingers. "Make it reveal the image of a dragon," he said without taking his eyes away from the fire.

Hearing what the puzzle's image was supposed to be caused something to shift in Shang's mind, as if he had done this puzzle before, but he waved it off. Shang then sat down behind his desk and promptly went to work on the map. As he did so, Calypso went around the small room, admiring many small artifacts of Chinese heritage while Will silently remained in front of the fire, the luminous glow dancing across his face in unnerving ways.

It took about less than fifteen minutes for Shang to successfully complete the map, and when he was finished, realization dawned on him. Now he knew exactly why the concept of the puzzle had seemed so familiar; it was because years ago, Shang was the one who created it in the first place! No wonder these people had come to him, demanding that he put it together!

Shang pushed his chair away from his desk and jumped to his feet. "I know what this map is and where it leads to! Years ago, The Brethren Court told me to create a map to the location to the Hurricane's Eye, which is what contains all of your stored power!" Shang blinked his eyes, and suddenly, Calypso had gone from the far end of the room to directly in front of Shang, causing him to leap in surprise.

Calypso reached down and snatched up the map. "And now you've done me a favor by piecing the map together for me. However, the fact that you've seen me and you know what I'm intending to do will no doubt mean that you will run to the Court warning them of this. And I cannot allow you to do that."

Right after Calypso finished talking, even more figures emerged from the shadows of the room, these being more hideous and inhuman than Will and Calypso. They were half-human, half-sea creature; no doubt minions of Calypso.

"Hold him down," Calypso told these monsters without looking at them.

They immediately followed his orders as they swarmed upon Shang, holding him tightly while shoving him down against the desk. Of course, Shang resisted, but he was simply too weak for the combined strength of the pirates. A slimy hand was holding Shang's face down with his left side up, the grip so strong, Shang was unable to even squirm. The only movement he was allowed was movement of his eyes as they darted around, looking at everything from Calypso, to her henchmen and to the features of the room lighted by the fire.

Meanwhile, Will removed the item he had been twisting around in the flames of the fire, bringing it out so that everyone could see what it was: a flaming-red brand. The brand was in the shape of a human eye, decidedly feminine in appearance by how slender it looked. Slowly, Will approached Shang with the sizzling brand held out in front of him. Shang's face instantly became one of absolute dread as the brand drew closer and closer to him. Finally, it was so close, Shang could feel the heat radiating off from it.

"This is really going to hurt," said Will in a chillingly plain tone.

Will then pressed the red-hot brand against Shang's exposed cheek, causing the sound of sizzling flesh to fill the air, accompanied by the screams of searing pain emanating from Shang's mouth. While still maintaining the pressure on the brand, Will reached into his pants pocket and extracted a cloth. He stuffed it into Shang's mouth, which muffled the screams and prevented them from attracting any unwanted attention from the civilians outside. Will continued to press the brand hard against Shang's flesh until it caused a large amount of blood to seep down Shang's face. Only then did Will retract his weapon. However, this didn't mean that he was done yet. With the entire left side of Shang's face covered in fresh, bright blood, Will progressed to the front. He slammed the brand over Shang's face mercilessly, with the action sure to disfigure Shang's face for the rest of his life, or rather however many hours he would survive after this nightmarish ordeal.

It was a truly gruesome sight, and it did indeed seem to bother Calypso, as she had to turn away from it. But Will, on the other hand, was apparently enjoying it. A twisted fire raged behind Will's eyes, lighting them with a sinister force that certainly wouldn't have been there if he had been his regular self. The brand drew even more blood this time, and Will's pushing on it was so strong, there came a crunching noise which could have been the brand squishing Shang's nose.

It was Calypso's firm hand on Will's arm that made him stop. Will retracted the brand, revealing the sickening remains of Shang's face. What remained was so sickening, in fact, that just a glance would bring about a wave of nausea. Shang's nose had indeed been crunched and squished into a disgusting mass of bloody and swollen flesh, but that was just a precursor to the rest of the face, which was so bloody, torn and disfigured, it appeared as if someone had sliced it to shreds rather than press a brand against it. If Shang was still breathing, it was very quiet and unnoticeable. Calypso's goons threw him back into the chair, which in turn tumbled to the ground.

"We're finished here," announced Calypso.

The contingent of her pirate goons promptly followed her out of the room, but Will stayed behind for a moment, still staring at the mangled face of Li Shang. He threw the brand back into the fireplace, having no more use for it, and he rubbed two fingers against the fresh blood on Shang's face. Will then rubbed the blood between those two fingers and his thumb, reveling in the stickiness of it.

One side of Will's mouth turned up in a sinister smirk, and he followed Calypso's thugs out of the private room.

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Elizabeth walked into Cheng Lo's quarters, and immediately she was struck by how similar it was to Jack's on the Black Pearl. It was the same basic layout with the majority of the same features, referring to the small trinkets and such. However, one major difference was that Cheng Lo's quarters had a fireplace, which was another unusual attribute for a pirate ship.

Elizabeth made herself stop marveling in open-mouthed awe at the circular Captain's Quarters and crossed the room to stand in front of Cheng Lo's desk, flanked by two of his crew members. Cheng Lo himself was already sitting there, and he gestured for Elizabeth to take a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side; she did.

"Let's get straight to the matter at hand, shall we? You probably want to know what you're agreeing to."

"Wouldn't anyone in my position?"

"Very well. I wish for you to embark on a little…mission. One that involves the retrieval of something known as The Essence of The Dragon Lady. You see, Mrs. Turner, every civilization has their own legends, whether it be Gods or warriors. Ours pertained to a Goddess of our own, most commonly referred to as The Dragon Lady. Many years ago, when Calypso began to bring her rein of terror on the seas over to Singapore, we became desperate. So, we used a bit of magic to create a Goddess who would possess abilities powerful enough to counteract those of Calypso. An epic battle followed in which The Dragon Lady and Calypso used each of their powers to combat each other, and it resulted in Calypso being critically injured, causing her to flee to tend to her wounds. After that, The Dragon Lady returned to the sky, but she left behind a liquid that had her powers to defeat Calypso in it. However, when Calypso returned and The Dragon Lady fought her once more, Calypso killed The Dragon Lady, and the only possibility of defeating Calypso for good still resides in that liquid. We call this liquid The Essence of The Dragon Lady. And seeing as Calypso has returned in human form, the fact that we get our hands on it is paramount to anything else."

"So you're sending me out to get it," said Elizabeth.

"And in return, you will walk free, absolved of any sins you may have committed against me."

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "This liquid…this Essence…you said it's able to counteract any of Calypso's powers?"

"Yes," replied Cheng Lo. "Any of them." He eyed Elizabeth intently, studying her face as it went through many emotions, from realization to hope. "And from your reaction, I can surmise that may prove beneficial for you."

"I'll just say yes and we'll leave it at that," Elizabeth responded evenly. "Can we now move on to exactly how I'll go about obtaining the Essence?"

"Of course. You will be given a small collection of my men to serve as your temporary crew whilst you fill the post of Captain aboard the ship I give you for the duration of the mission. I assure you they'll carry out every one of your orders without question because they all know that this is for a greater good."

"A greater good for you, you mean."

"However you choose to look at the situation, we both gain from it. The only condition, though, is that you will be operating under the supervision of my first mate, Sheng Kai Shek."

It was then that Elizabeth noticed the figure of Cheng Lo's first mate standing in the far corner of the cabin, lit by the dancing flames of the fire. Kai Shek was muscular, well-built and bald, with a thin goatee framing his pursed lips.

"And I take it that means he'll ensure that I don't suddenly have a change of heart and attempt to go back on our arrangement?" inquired Elizabeth.

"Basically. One of us has to make sure that we keep the terms of our agreement at the forefront of our thoughts, and I can't let your feelings for your husband interfere with our affairs or your progress. You deliver me The Essence, you and your family go free, and Jack Sparrow meets his well-deserved fate. Everything works out."

The mention of Jack brought him and his fate back into Elizabeth's mind. "And what exactly are you planning to do with Jack?"

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. Knowing that little tidbit would only upset you, maybe even impede you."

Elizabeth knew that was the best answer she was going to get to that question at the moment, and she didn't have the stamina to engage in a verbal game of chess with Cheng Lo. She nodded and got to her feet. "On that note of closing, I would like to request that you release my son Michael, seeing as how I was victorious in the duel. I want him to be with me on the ship."

Cheng Lo stood up as well. "It will be done."

"And a pair of decent clothes." Elizabeth indicated the skimpy attire she was currently wearing. "A captain of a ship should command respect, and these clothes don't do that."

"Of course. You have one hour before we reach our destination, and from there, you can embark on your quest."

And with that, Cheng Lo dismissed Elizabeth from his quarters, two of his men accompanying her to a private cabin where the tools and clothes Elizabeth would need were waiting for her.

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When Elizabeth reached that private cabin, she saw that a small table with a glowing candle had a set of clothes adorned with Chinese symbols and a weapon belt lying upon it. Elizabeth went about shedding the skimpy outfit and replacing it with the much more satisfactory Captain's clothes. She then wrapped the weapon belt around her waist, slid her new silver sword into the vacant sheath, and turned to find herself staring at her reflection in a grimy mirror.

It was then that the full weight of her situation came crashing down on Elizabeth. She was about to aide a corrupt Pirate Lord, and at the same time condemn one of her best friends to an as of yet unspecified grim fate. Elizabeth didn't know if she could cope with a decision like that. Sure, Jack had done his fair share of double-crossing to Will and Elizabeth during the years they'd been acquainted with the Pirate Captain, but in the end every time, Jack had always come through in some way for them at the last minute. And even though the welfare of Will and Michael was her priority at the moment, Elizabeth wasn't about to let Jack's friendship go without repayment.

She told herself that she would without a doubt save Jack, Bootstrap and Jacquelyn the first moment she could. She only hoped that she wouldn't be too late in doing so.