Pirate Legacy
Chapter Eight
"My name is Exeter, sir. Matthew Exeter." I said.
The Frogfather raised his eyebrows, or he would've, if frogs had eyebrows. "I wish to speak with Matthew here privately."
Rena was about to protest when I cut her off. "I'll be fine, Rena. Go with the others."
As Rena grudgingly left, Rocco pulled out a chair for me and placed in front of the Frogfather's desk. I nodded my thanks and sat down.
"You have spirit, Matthew, and you're clever. I can respect that. Let us reason together, we can do good business. Why have you come to me?" The Frogfather asked as he poured me a glass of Yum.
"I'm looking for Ratbeard." I answered as I took a sip of the Yum. It wasn't poisoned, and a far cry from the Yum sold in the Kraken Skulls Tavern.
"Ah, so you want to find Ratbeard. It is a favor you ask of me – to give you information. This I could do, but it's not that simple. My consigliore will explain." Frogfather said.
"It is written in the Book of Favors that favors can never be given - only exchanged. Something for something, as they say in Aquila." Rocco spoke up.
"You want information, and I want the stores of exotic spices the Monquistans hold in their fortress, the Presidio. A favor for a favor, understood?" The Frogfather asked.
"Go to the Presidio, and sail behind the island: there is a hidden dock there, where one of my associates will be waiting. Do we have an agreement?"
"We do." I said as I got up. We shook hands, and I walked out of the Frogfather's house. The others were waiting outside the house, and they got up and ran over to me. "So what'd he say?"
"He'll tell us if we do him the favor of stealing the spices in the Presidio." I answered. "We'll meet up with one of his associates on the island."
As we rode the boatswain's chair up to Jonah Town, we boarded the Highwind and set sail to the north.
As the sun was about to set, we saw the Presidio, a stone fortress flying the flag of Monquista: an open banana peel with the banana inside on a light blue background.
Keeping out of the guards' line of sight, Rena soon spotted the pier hidden in the dense jungle behind the fortress.
As we made port, a frog stepped out of the shadows. "You're finally here! Follow me!"
We followed him along a well-hidden path that ran to a cliff that was almost to the edge of the wall, but far enough so that the Monkeys on sentry duty wouldn't see us. "Off you go then."
"We're doomed if the Monkeys raise the alarm, so we'll have to silence them quickly." Rena whispered to me.
I nodded and whispered to the rest of the crew, "Rena and I will sneak inside. The rest of you stay back."
We quickly climbed down the
"Look over there, Matt – I bet that's the storehouse where the spices are." Rena said, pointing to double doors at the far end of the courtyard.
As we jumped across the gap and onto the battlements, we were nearly discovered, but we avoided detection by falling into a cart full of hay in the courtyard, probably meant for the soldiers' bedding.
I have no idea why, but I vaguely felt like an assassin as we crept across the courtyard and into the storehouse, which was completely unguarded.
As we were safely inside the storehouse, the three crates containing the spices were stored in a cell. Rena ran over and pulled out a hairpin from her pocket, and she began trying to pick the lock.
"We'll need a key to get to the spices. Let's look in the barracks." Rena announced.
"Stop, you pirate scum!" A voice said. I spun around to find a guard captain wielding a halberd flanked by two other halberdiers and a crossbowman. "You will pay for this. Take them!"
I pulled out my pistol and fired it, taking the Monquistador crossbowmen, and Rena dodged a slash from the captain's halberd.
I drew my sword and narrowly dodged the downwards slash of another Monquistador, as it embedded itself into the stone floor, a testimony to the quality of Monquistan steel.
I slammed the flat of my saber into the Monquistador's helmet, sending him sprawling on his belly and causing him to see stars.
I took on the other guard while Rena dealt with the captain. As the guard moved to stab me, I leaned backwards to avoid it and grabbed the handle of the halberd.
As we were face to face, or rather, my stomach to his face, I punched him in the face and he was sent sprawling on his back.
All it took for me to silence the captain was to slam my sword into the back of his helmet, and he crumpled into a heap.
"Thanks, Matt." Rena said as she blew a strand of her hair out of her face. We slipped out the door into the courtyard, where we entered the barracks and snuck past bunk beds of sleeping Monkeys.
"Hey! You there! Help me!" A voice whispered urgently.
I turned to find a dog with fur with varying shades of brown wearing a white shirt, a red sash around his waist, black pants and boots, and a blue bandana on his head inside a cell nearby.
I made my way as quickly as possible towards him, and he gasped. "Captain, you're alive! It's a miracle! Wait. What's your name, Pirate?"
"I'm Matt Exeter, and my friend over there's Rena Raden. What're you doing here?" I asked.
As the prisoner looked up and down at me, he almost barked with joy. "Ha! Well, blow me down and pick me up! I'm Jack Russell."
"Who's this, Matt?" Rena asked as she came over.
"I knew your parents! You're the spitting image of my old captain, so long lost. Look at you… I can barely believe my eyes… So what the blazes are you twp doing here?"
"We're here for the spices in the storehouse." Rena answered.
"You'll need a key – the commander has a whole ring of them upstairs. Once you have the keys, come let me out, and I'll help you get out of this place."
"It's a done deal. We'll be back soon." I promised as we left to go upstairs.
As we went upstairs and slowly opened the door, as soon as we had shut it, the torches were lit to reveal the commander, wearing armor and a halberd made of Monquistan steel flanked by elite guards.
"What's this? A hairless giant thinks they can steal from the Crown of Monquista? I shall dispatch you with irresistible force!" The commander said, readying his halberd.
We drew our sabers and we began to do battle, and unlike the other Monquistadors, these guys could actually back up their bluster.
I grabbed an inkwell from the central meeting table and I threw its contents onto the guard's face, and as he grabbed at his face, I snatched away his halberd and smashed it right into his helmet.
As another guard tried to stab me, I let go of the halberd in my hands and grabbed the guard's halberd, and I flung him off his weapon.
As I slammed the flat of the halberd's blade into another guard's helmet, Rena had drawn her dagger and was now fighting two guards at once.
She had already disarmed one guard, who had drawn his sword and was now rushing towards me.
As yet another guard rushed towards me, I grabbed the sword arm of the first guard and used it to block the halberd of the second.
I pushed forward, pushing the second guard back, and I twisted the first guard's grip on his sword, and slammed it into the back of the first guard's helmet.
Rena had already taken down the other three guards, and we now stood against the commander. I made eye contact with Rena, and she nodded.
I rushed towards the commander with both hands on my new sword, generously donated by an (unconscious) Monquistador, and he blocked it easily.
I smiled as Rena slammed the hilt of her sword into the commander's helmet, and the Monkey crumpled onto the floor. She took the ring of keys off his belt and said, "Now let's get back to Jack."
As we went back down the stairs, the guards had hardly stirred from their resting places. Rena inserted the key into the lock and the door swung open almost silently, due to the guards oiling the door.
"I'm free at last! I thank you, Matt, Rena. Now I believe there's a cargo you're here for?" Jack asked as I handed him my old saber.
"That's enough happy reunions. Let's go get those spices from the storehouse!" Rena whispered. It was an easy task to return to the storehouse and unlock the cell to the spice crates.
Jack cleared away the central ones to reveal a trapdoor. "This'll take us to the hidden dock."
Jack opened the trapdoor and we carried the spice crates back to the hidden dock, where the others were waiting.
"You're back! And who's this?" Emmett asked as he hopped off from his seat.
"This is Jack Russell. He's a friend of my parents." I answered. "Now let's get these to the Frogfather."
As we set sail for Jonah Town, Jack told us stories of my parents.
"I bet it was love at first sight, wasn't it?" Rena asked Jack, concerning how my parents met.
"More like love at first punch." Jack laughed. "Tessa was the first girl to ever refuse Edward, much less deliver a right hook to his face."
We all laughed as we sailed on. We finally arrived in Gullet, where the Crabs stopped us.
"The Frogfather wants to see you two." One of the Crabs said, pointing to me and Jack. "The rest will stay outside."
As Jack and I entered the Frogfather's office, we sat down in two chairs already set up at a gesture from the Frogfather.
"Welcome back, gentlemen. My associate, Shady Rufus, tells me you both did a fine job at the Presidio." The Frogfather said.
"He's Ed and Tessa's son, what did you expect?" Jack asked.
"I did business with your parents in the past." The Frogfather said to me. "They were fine people. I see the resemblance."
"Matt, let me join your crew. It would be an honor. It's the least I can do, considering all your parents did for me." Jack said. I nodded. "Very well, I accept."
"As much as I hate to interrupt the tearful reunion, the time has come for us to do real business." The Frogfather interrupted. "You have done me a favor, young Pirate, and you have my thanks. Now you want me to tell you where to find the pirate Ratbeard. I am sorry to tell you I cannot do that."
"I gave my word to Ratbeard that I would not betray him if anyone came looking for him. I cannot break my word, but now what of the favor I owe you?"
"The Book of Favors tells us that any favor owed may be transferred by the holder of the favor to any other party whom the holder owes a favor." Rocco spoke up. "The transferred favor takes the place of any favor that the holder owes to the party that the transferred favor is transferred to. In summary…"
I was about to say "What?" when the Frogfather interrupted. "That's enough. So, do you understand?"
"I'm afraid not." I said ruefully. The Frogfather didn't seem offended and he was kind enough to explain it in layman's terms.
"There is a rabbit in Flotsam, One-Eyed Jack, who owes me a favor – I am holding his favor."
"I transfer the favor Jack owes me to you, erasing the favor I owe you: my debt to you is paid, and now Jack owes you a favor."
"That makes a lot more sense." I admitted.
"Jack gives you the information, my word remains unbroken. Everybody wins. You'll find One-Eyed Jack in a tavern in Flotsam called the Black Spot."
"A long time ago, your parents asked me for docking privileges at the Starboard Pier. Their ship, the Aquila, is still there – take it with my blessing."
I nodded as Jack and I stood up to leave. We gathered the crew and rode the bucket up to Jonah Town, where we asked Captain Ahab to show us to the Starboard Pier.
A ship was waiting for us there, much bigger than the Highwind, with a blue-and-white paintjob, the brass letters on her bow reading "Aquila."
"This is your new ship, Matt. She's not much to look at, but she can reach twelve knots in a stiff gale and there's not a ship from here to MooShu that can outrun her on her best day." Jack said proudly.
We boarded the ship, and I turned to look down at Captain Ahab. "Feel free to keep the Highwind to make up for the Amity!"
"Why thank you, Captain!" Captain Ahab called in pleasant surprise.
"Before we set sail, I think it's about time to officially make Matt our captain." Rena said as we were finished removing the gangplank. "Does anyone object?"
No one raised their hand, and Rena looked around and nodded. "Alright then, who's to be first mate? Jack?"
Jack shook his head. "I can see that I'm not meant to be the first mate on the Aquila anymore."
"And besides, I want you as my first mate." I said to Rena. Rena looked unsure, but then Bonnie patted her shoulder. "You'll do fine, Rena."
Rena then looked up with a determined expression on her face. "Alright then, let's get her where she needs to be!"
As I took hold of the pilot's wheel, Rena stood at my left, gripping the railing while the others raised the anchor and readied the sails.
"Set course for Flotsam!" I shouted, and everyone cheered as we moved forward, ready for anything the Spiral could throw at us.