Chapter 4
*Warning: there be minor mentions of blood and injuries*
"Correct me if I'm wrong -though I'm pretty sure my memory serves me well - that you said we part ways?"
"Shut up."
"And here I thought-"
"I said shut up."
"Not friendly are we?" Sinbad whistled as he expertly walked through the fronds and dodged the overhanging vines without sparing a single glance.
Ja'far, on the other hand, wasn't faring as well. He swayed his body left and right, swatting away at the obstacles in his path while trying to focus on his footing. It was annoying, humiliating at best, that he had been reduced to following the pirate like a lost puppy. He recalled the scene a few hours ago with increasing shame.
When Sinbad had walked away and disappeared amongst the forest, Ja'far had went the other direction, determined to find his way back again, hopefully with more luck this time. But no sooner had he left the beach behind when he crossed path with the group of monkeys.
He didn't think monkeys would be that persistent.
'Don't turn away, confront them and fight.' Ja'far learned his lesson last time and he'd be a fool if he turned his back again. Fingers found their way and curled tightly around the knife's hilt as the clerk stared boldly at the largest primate.
For a moment or two, there was silence as human and animal glared viciously at one another. And then the largest monkey suddenly bared its fangs, screeched and the whole group rushed Ja'far again. But Ja'far wasn't one to back down. He convinced himself that this was just a feint, that when the monkeys realize he was not going to run, they would turn tail instead.
So it came as a surprise when a flash of fangs laid the clerk's forearm open, the only thing saving him being his sharp speed. If Ja'far'd been any slower, the damage would have been much worse, perhaps penetrating to the bones. As it was, the fangs only sliced through his skin, though the blood oozing from the wound belied its shallowness. A small part of his brain worried over whether it would be infected, but he didn't have time to think as he suddenly found himself in a midst of a fray.
Fangs to the left. Claws to the right.
Ja'far's eyes narrowed dangerously as he struck out in every direction, finding the attacks coming from all sides.
The creatures were fast.
And so was he.
Thankfully his past trainings had come in handy, allowing his body to quickly attune to the onslaught of attacks. Yet even as he laid injuries on his adversaries, Ja'far found himself in worse condition. There was only so much he can do against a whole group of twenty to thirty savage primates.
And then suddenly the monkeys scattered slightly as another body leaped over the overhanging. There was a blaze of purple and silver that whirled hither and thither, cutting the creatures with a mighty vengeance before landing back-to-back against Ja'far. The clerk widened his eyes as his vision cleared slightly and the purple dissolved itself into Sinbad's hair and the silver to the sword in his hand.
"I thought I heard a damsel in distress," Sinbad greeted, shifting his sword slightly.
"I am doing perfectly fine without you," Ja'far hissed back despite how the injuries on his body disagreed otherwise.
"Hmm," the pirate hummed slightly, as if doubting his words but not saying anything about it. "Why don't we get ourselves out of this fix first?"
And for once, Ja'far agreed with the pirate. He nodded his head, surprised when Sinbad was off in a second and charging into the midst of the animals. Ja'far followed suit, thrusting his weapon into the nearest creature.
As they fought Ja'far was once again reminded of how Sinbad came to be the most infamous pirate out there. With Sinbad, fighting became an art. The man's motions were fluid, the sword passing between his two hands easily as they deflect aggressors from the left and right. There were no actions wasted, no energy used for unnecessary swings and certainly no mistakes made. Each stroke was delivered with purpose and careful but quick calculation, backed by an overwhelming determination to fight and survive.
Then there was his footwork. No matter how slippery the ground was from the rain, or how thick some areas were with vegetation, Sinbad's legs never once betrayed its master and lost its footing. They skimmed the ground, touching it briefly before they were up again, bringing Sinbad forward.
The pirate's style of fighting was unique as well. To be precise, Ja'far couldn't say that Sinbad had a style; it was more like a random mix of hacks and slices, but connected and transitioned between one another so smoothly as to form a dance. Sinbad would slip away from the monkeys, then dart in just as quickly, dealing a blow to the creature before flitting away some safe distance again. He seemed to have no problems even if his opponents were up in the trees, because he would just wait until they attack again to be within his reach. Sinbad was as much a master of his sword as he was of his body.
And Ja'far shuddered when he remembered how he had considered attacking the man just awhile back. That would have been the gravest mistake he'd ever made. He had no doubt in his mind who was the stronger of the two.
But at the same time he couldn't suppress the shiver of excitement thrumming in his veins as he fought alongside this man. There was something exhilarating about fighting alongside a worthy ally and his eyes flashed a brilliant emerald as his weapon made deadly whirls. From the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Sinbad glance and smile at him, and unbeknownst to him, he smiled as well.
In no time, overpowered by the two humans, the monkeys retreated to the safety of their branches, screeching fearfully at the intruders.
Ja'far dropped to his knees, panting slightly from the exertion and the wounds. None of them were particularly serious, but added together, he had lost quite some blood.
"Come on, it wouldn't do us good to be staying around here," Sinbad held out his hand but when the clerk showed no sign of grabbing it, he frowned. "Still stubborn, are we?" He muttered softly before sheathing his sword and with a great mighty heave, lifted Ja'far over his shoulder.
The action seemed to wake Ja'far from his daze. "Wha-what are you doing?" He screeched.
But Sinbad didn't answer, only quickening his pace.
"Let me go!" Ja'far pounded Sinbad on his back, "or I'll run the knife through you!"
Sinbad shot him a dark look over his shoulder and continued on his way. It was a brief look but Ja'far got the message clear enough: I dare you to do so and we'll see about the consequences.
Once again a chill raked its way down the clerk's spine. Sinbad was not someone to fool around with when he was serious and it would do him good to perhaps just give in to Sinbad's whims for once, just once. Ja'far heaved a sigh and flopped down on the other man's shoulder, hoping that at least his weight could hinder the pirate, but it seemed like Sinbad didn't care one way or the other.
They continued on for a while before Sinbad arrived at a pond's edge and deposited his human cargo none-too-gently. Before Ja'far could protest about the rough handling though, he found Sinbad's coat shoved in his face again.
"Go wash yourself up and wear this. I'll take you to the bay afterwards." The purple-haired man turned away, sitting himself behind a tree.
What was with the sudden change of heart? Wasn't he talking a moment ago about how he wanted Ja'far to join the pirates? Ja'far couldn't fathom what went on inside the man's head as he stripped and plunged head first into the water, the sudden cold raising goosebumps all over his skin. But he supposed he shouldn't let an opportunity go to waste now that he was offered a way out.
That was how Ja'far found himself trailing behind the fiend, dressed in nothing but Sinbad's coat and his own slacks. He watched as the pirate took another turn and followed closely behind.
"Why are you taking me to the bay?" Ja'far inquired despite how he had told the pirate to shut up a moment ago. "What are you up to?" He was suspicious, but it wasn't like he had any other choice. Who knows how long it would take him to even find his own way?
"Nothing," Sinbad replied simply.
"But I thought you wanted me to join your family."
"And you will," there was confidence in his reply. "You will come back shortly even if you return to the ship."
There was something about that statement that made Ja'far uncomfortable, as if the man had figured him out better than himself. So he became quiet, mulling over what the pirate said. So caught up was he in his thoughts that he didn't realize Sinbad had stopped and he bumped lightly into the other. "Hey-"
Sinbad didn't even acknowledge the clerk as he glanced raptly into the distance, his back stiff and straight as a plank. Ja'far looked over his shoulder and blinked.
There was the bay, still some distance off, but viewable and on it he could make out the black lump of his ship. He frowned, that shouldn't be the reason why Sinbad had been so tensed. It wasn't like the pirate hadn't been on his ship before. He glanced further into the horizon and felt his jaw drop.
Because right there in the middle of the ocean and as clear as day fluttered a blue flag with the familiar silver pattern of the royal navy insignia etched into it.
After the initial shock, Sinbad turned towards Ja'far. "Why are they here?" But that was a redundant question. The surprised expression on the other man was enough to tell him what he needed to know. "I trust that you can make your own way down to the bay now?" He didn't even wait for Ja'far's response before he was bounding through the forest, no doubt rushing back to where his family was.
For some unknown reason Ja'far felt disappointed and pissed that the pirate had just left him there, without so much as a take care or see you again. But he quickly pushed the strange thought aside and moved ahead. Now that the bay was in view, he wouldn't get lost anymore.
~oOo~
The scenery around him was nothing more than a blur as Sinbad ran back. When the den came in view, he hooted several emergency calls, notifying his family of the unwelcomed visitors. Why was the royal navy here? The currents shouldn't have brought them to this island considering how massive their vessels were. The only other reason he could come up with was that the royals had somehow found out about his base. If that was the case, there will be much bloodshed soon.
"You're back already?" Hinahoho blinked in surprise as Sinbad zipped past him into the meeting room - an empty cavern big enough to support all his family members. By then his emergency calls had already gathered the majority of the people in the area.
"What's the big deal?" Sharrkan called out when everyone was gathered around the speaking platform.
Sinbad panted slightly as he caught his breath. "We have trouble."
~oOo~
It didn't take long at all for the clerk to find his way back to the beach. His ship was still there, sadly sitting in the waters with her scrapped hull. As he approached warning bells went off in his mind. Something was not right with the picture. There were not the usual signs of activity on the vessel, no smoke nor sound to signify the presence of human.
A few scenarios immediately raced through his mind. Did the pirates murder them while he was gone? He wasn't even sure how long he had been unconscious before he woke up in the pirates' den. It could have been a few minutes, a few hours, or even a few days! Was that why Sinbad said he would return? Because he knew that all the other crewmates were slaughtered? Yet somehow he couldn't bring himself to doubt the so-called pirate king. There was something sincere and honest (ironically) about how the man handled situations: no calculating looks, no hesitation in his answers. If he'd killed the crewmates, he would have told Ja'far so from the start.
Ja'far's lifted his head and stared at the navy ship. Perhaps they have somehow been rescued and taken aboard the ship? This seemed more plausible. It also meant that he could get off the island once and for all. Just that thought alone lifted his spirit.
That was why he didn't notice the figures creeping up at him from behind and suddenly found himself held down by several men sporting navy uniforms.
"What are you doing?" Ja'far huffed as he kicked the man behind him on the shin, using the momentary lapse in their grip to twist himself free. But no sooner had he freed himself before the others were upon him and he was pushed down once again into the sand. "Hey, what do you think you are doing? I am the clerk for the Seven Seas weaponry company!"
"Save your small talk, pirate." One of the navy men growled as he cuffed silver manacles around Ja'far's wrists and legs. "You are arrested under the name of King Kouen and charged with murder, theft and rape."
A/N: Once again, thank you to spiritleopard, Lylia00, Lazy Gaga and all the others who followed and faved this story. :)
And I apologize for the lengthy fight scene, I couldn't hold myself back (did I mention I absolutely love writing fight scenes?)