Yay another chapter! Only four more to go now...maybe. I'm kind of excited for the next few chapters and how they're going to turn out :)
As always I own nothing...sadly
The boys traveled after Chris as he made his way through the village and made his way to what appeared to be a pig-sty. Chris instructed the boys to get him a cold bucket of water and when they returned Chris grabbed it and tossed the cold water on the man sleeping with the pigs. He awoke with a start and started screaming, "Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" Chris smiled at the man who immediately recognized him, "Mother's love! Chris! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck." Chris smirked, "Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." The man nodded his head and went to stand up, "Aye, that'll about do it." Jay who had been holding another bucket of water immediately threw it on the man who sputtered and screamed again, "Blast I'm already awake!" Alex let out a soft laugh but managed to say, "That was for the smell."
The four men entered a tavern and Chris nudged the boys, "Keep an eye out." They nodded their heads and Chris led the man to a table away from the others, "It's good to see you Nash." The man nodded, "Now, what's the nature of this venture of yours?" He picked up his glass and took a sip from the cup just as Chris spoke, "I'm going after the Black Pearl." Nash choked slightly on his drink and Chris continued, "I know where it's going to be and I'm going to take it." Nash shook his head, "Chris it's a fool's errand you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl." Chris nodded his head, "That's why I know what Storm is up to. All I need is a crew." Nash shook his head again, "From what I hear tell of Captain Storm, he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one." Chris smirked, "Well, then I'd say it's a very good thing I'm not a fool then, eh?" Nash laughed, "Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Storm will give up his ship to you?" Chris smirked again, "Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" He directed his gaze at Jason who was trying to escape the grasp of the portly prostitute who had managed to find her way into the tavern. Nash cocked an eyebrow, "The kid?" Chris smiled, "That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Reso. His only child, savvy?" Nash nodded his head, "Is he, now? Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you." Chris smirked, "One can only hope." He raised his glass, "Take what you can." Nash smiled and raised his own glass, "Give nothing back." With that they clinked their glasses together, tossed back their drinks and slammed the cups down on the table.
-Aboard the Pearl-
Adam set cross-legged on the floor just staring at it when the door opened to where he was being held and the looked up to see the fat pirate standing in the doorway, "You'll be dinning with the Captain tonight." Adam scoffed, "Well, you may tell the captain that I am disinclined to acquiesce to his request." The pirate laughed, "He said you'd say that. He also said if that be the case you'll be dinning with the prisoners instead." Adam cocked an eyebrow, "There are no prisoners." The pirate laughed and lifted his hand a skull resting in it, "I'm sure they'll be happy you've joined them." Adam's eyes widened and he let out a huff, "Fine."
The Captain sat across from him at the other end of the table, a small monkey sat on his shoulder and he just stared as Adam picked at his food. The Captain let out a soft chuckle, "Surely you must be hungry." Adam shook his head and watched as the man stood and poured a cup of wine and handed it to him, "Thirsty?" Adam took it cautiously and took a small sip and went back to picking at his food. The man picked up a green apple and placed it in front of Adam's face, "Perhaps an apple?" Adam slowly reached for it and stared at it as it rested in his hands, "It's poisoned." The Captain laughed, "There would be no sense in killin ye Mr. Reso." Adam glared at him, "Then release me, you have your stupid medallion." The Captain laughed and pulled the medallion from his pocket, "You don't know what this is, do ye?" Adam scowled, "It's a pirate medallion." The Captain shook his head and pulled out a chair, "This is Aztec gold one of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortez himself. Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies. But the greed of Cortez was insatiable. So the heathen gods placed upon the gold, a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest shall be punished for eternity."
Adam scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore Captain Storm." The Captain laughed, "Aye. That's exactly what I thought when we were first told the tale. Buried on an Island of Dead what cannot be found except for those who know where it is. Find it, we did. There be the chest. Inside be the gold. And we took em all. We spent em and traded em and frittered em away on drink and food and pleasurable company. The more we gave em away, the more we came to realize, the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are cursed men, compelled by greed, we were, but now we are consumed by it. There is one way we can end our curse. All the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be restored and the blood repaid. Thanks to ye, we have the final piece."
The wheels in Adam's head began to turn and he swallowed the lump in his throat, "And the blood to be repaid?" The Captain smirked, "That's why there's no sense in killin ye…yet." Adam jumped up and grabbed the knife that lay on the table and jammed it into the man's chest. The Captain stopped and glared down at the knife sticking in his chest and pulled it out, "I'm curious after killin me what was it you were planning on doing next?" Adam's eyes widened and he ran out the doors that concealed him and the Captain from the rest of the ship. His eyes widened in horror when he looked at the men before him. They all were skeletons, every last single one of them. They had rags hanging off their decaying limbs where their clothes had been earlier and some even had bits of hair falling off their heads. Adam ran as one came near him and hid beneath the stairs and watched as they went about their chores of keeping up the ship. It was eerie and Adam was scared shitless. He screamed when the monkey from earlier dropped next to him and looked just like the pirates did. He ran from underneath the stairs and back to the doors only to run into the Captain.
He struggled against the man for a few moments before both of his arms were seized and he was forced to look out the doors, "Look! The moonlight shows us for what we really are. We are not among the living, and so we cannot die, but neither are we dead. For too long I've been parched with thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starving to death and haven't died. I feel nothing; not the wind on my face nor the spray of the sea, nor the warmth of a woman's flesh." He shoved Adam forward sending him to the floor and stepping out after him. Adam raised his eyes and stared at the man before him, the skeleton looked moldy as the Captain's clothes barely clung to it and he could see bits of rotten flesh clinging to the man's exposed ribs. "You best start believing in ghost stories Reso. You're in one."
-Tortuga-
Chris stood aboard the dock with Alex and Jason at his sides. Several men stood in front of them. The boys looked at each other and then at Chris who just shrugged his shoulders. Nash smiled as opened his arms, "Feast your eyes, Captain. All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot." Jason let out a small snort, "So this is your able-bodied crew?" Chris rolled his eyes at him and approached a rather large bald man, "You sir!" Nash stood next to Chris, "Kane sir." Chris cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything, "Mr. Kane do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death? Mr. Kane ! Answer, man!" Nash rolled his eyes, "He's a mute, sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how." The man opened his mouth to reveal that he indeed did not have a tongue and Chris shirked back and rolled his own tongue around in his mouth. "Right. Mr. Kane's parrot…..same question." The bird flapped his wings and squawked, "Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" Chris looked to Nash who sighed, "Mostly, we figured that means yes." Chris nodded his head, "Course it does."
Chris turned to Jason and smirked, "Satisfied?" Alex snorted, "Well you proved they're mad." Chris opened his mouth to say something back when a voice interrupted him, "And what's the benefit for us?" Chris turned around quickly and made his way down the line of men to the person who had spoken, Alex and Jason trailed behind him curious to see what was going on. Chris stared at the person and reached out removing the hat from their head to reveal a dark skinned woman with a piece of fabric holding her hair back. Chris smiled, "Alicia." The woman promptly slapped him in the face and Alex crossed his arms. "I suppose you didn't deserve that either." Alex said. Chris grimaced, "No that one I deserved." The woman glared at him, "You stole my boat." Chris sighed, "Actually.." she slapped him again and Chris rubbed at his cheek, "Borrowed. Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to you." Alicia glared at him, "But you didn't!" Chris nodded his head, "You'll get another one." Alicia raised her finger and he flinched, "I will."
Jason smiled, "A better one." Chris clapped his hands together, "A better one!" Alex smiled and pointed out to the sea, "That one." Chris turned his attention to where Alex was pointing as did everyone else, "What one?" Everyone's eyes landed on the Interceptor and Chris could have died on the spot, "That one?" Alicia turned to glare at him and he smiled, "Yes. That one." She smiled and nodded her head and Chris let out a heavy sigh. "Aye. That one. What say you?" The men on the dock and responded with and 'aye' and Kane's parrot piped out, "Anchors away." They all made way to the ship and Nash chased after Chris and grabbed his arm, "No, no, no, no, no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir." Chris sighed, "It'd be far worse not to have her."
A giant wave crashed on deck and knocked down several crew members. Jason picked himself back up and spit the water out of his mouth. He ran back over to where he had been and grabbed the rope that was flying loose. Nash was next to him holding on tightly and Alex was clinging desperately to the side of the ship as he vomited over the edge. "How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" Jason shouted. Nash let out a laugh as another wave crashed over them, "Aye, the compass doesn't point north but we're not trying to find north, are we?" Nash turned his attention to Chris at the wheel and shouted, "We should drop canvas, sir!" Chris let out a laugh and sharply turned the wheel, "She can hold a bit longer." Nash cocked an eyebrow, "What's in your head that's put you in such a fine mood, Captain?" Chris smiled, "We're catching up."
-The Lagoon-
Adam was grabbed roughly by his arm and dragged from where he had been huddled since the night before. After being exposed to the real horror he was in, he had hidden in the Captain's room and refused to exit."Time to go." Gruffed the pirate, Adam ripped his arm away and glared at the man, "I'm not going anywhere with you people." The Captain laughed and came up behind Adam, "I think you'll be doing what I say." Adam narrowed his eyes at the man but walked forward, "Just you wait. You'll be getting what's coming to you." The Captain laughed and roughly shoved Adam towards a boat, "I'll be waiting for that day." Adam glared at him as he sat down in the small boat and watched as they rowed into a cave. He took in his surroundings and a chill traveled down his spine. He just hoped someone was looking for him and knew where he was because he was afraid without them he would die today for sure.
As Chris and his crew sailed into the lagoon Kane's pirate squawked out, "Dead men tell no takes." The crew looked out at the water spotting several wrecked ships sunken to the bottom of the lagoon. Sharks swam in the water hoping to make the people aboard the ship their next meal. Nash shook his head, "Puts a chill in the bones how many honest sailors have been claimed by this passage." Jason nodded his head and looked at Chris who closed his compass upon noticing that Kane was watching him. "How is it that Chris came by that compass?" Jason asked turning his gaze on Nash. Nash sighed softly, "Not a lot's known about Chris Sabin before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta. That was before I met him, back when he was Captain of the Black Pearl." Jason's eyes widened, "What? He failed to mention that." Nash nodded his head as Alex joined them, "Well, he plays things closer to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it was. See three days out on the venture the first mate comes to him and says everything's an equal share. That should mean the location of the treasure, too, so Chris gives up the bearings. That night there was a mutiny. They marooned Chris on an island and left him to die but not before he'd gone mad with the heat."
Alex nodded his head, "Ah. So that's the reason for all the…" Alex took that moment to imitate the man by leaning backwards and putting his arms out, swaying them back and forth as if he was about to fall. Nash gave a small laugh, "Reason's got nothing to do with it. Now boys, when a man is marooned he is a given a pistol with a single shot, one shot. Well it won't do much good hunting or to be rescued. But after three weeks of a starving belly and thirst, that pistol will start to look real friendly. But Chris he escaped the island, and he still has that one shot. Oh, but he won't use it, though, save for one man. His mutinous first mate." Both boys nodded their heads and Alex spoke up, "Storm." Nash nodded his head, "Aye." Jason thought for a moment before he spoke, "How did Chris get off the island?" Nash laughed softly, "Well, I'll tell ye. He waded out into the shallows and there he waited three days and three nights till all manner of sea creature came and acclimated to his presence. And on the fourth morning, he roped himself a couple of sea turtles, lashed em together and made a raft." Both boys raised an eyebrow at this and Alex spoke, "He roped a couple of sea turtles?" Nash nodded his head, "Aye, sea turtles." Jason cocked an eyebrow, "What did he use for rope?" Nash opened his mouth to answer but closed it and looked up at the man who was standing in front of them.
Chris smirked, "Human hair….from my back." Nash nodded his head and stood as Chris gave out the command, "Let go of the anchor." Chris turned to his crew and spoke, "Young and I shall go ashore." Alex stepped forward, "But that's only two of you and about fifty of them." Chris laughed, "Worried are we?" Alex blushed, "Yes." Chris laughed and stepped forward causing Alex to look down, "If it means that much, you can come as well." Alex nodded his head and joined Jason in heading towards the rescue boat. Chris turned to Nash and gave him a smile, "You're in charge while I'm gone." Nash nodded his head and watched as Chris began to leave, "Captain! What if the worse should happen?" Chris let out a heavy sigh, "Keep to the code." Nash nodded his head, "Aye, the code." Alex and Jason climbed into the boat and watched as Chris lowered himself in as well, "Are you ready for an adventure?" Jason cocked an eyebrow, "I thought we already were on one?"
Soooooooo?
Adam: I'm going to die!
Me: Maybe :)
Jason: Drama queen.
Adam: Am not!
Alex: I don't think I like where this is going.
Chris: I dooooooooo ;)