Militus Secundus was careful, very careful, as he traveled through the blacked ruins of what was once the largest pirate haven in the Spiral. He watched every move he made as he stepped over the whitened bones of the corpses left behind from the Great Cleansing of the Supreme Commander.
Inwardly, the spy grimaced.
The wrath of the Supreme Commander is far more terrifying than I could have ever imagined...
He had not been one of those daredevils who went to Valencia on that suicidal mission about a year or so ago, but what he heard from Devereaux himself when he flaunted his achievement upon his return as though he was Don Juan triumphant was plenty enough, and nothing, nothing enraged the spy more.
Although he had been looking forward to this event for quite some time already, Secundus could not say he was prepared in any way for this kind of destruction brought on by the newly named Supreme Commander's wrath, and the human part of him, much to the spy's dismay, was absolutely horrified.
Mentally chasitising himself for allowing his pesky human half more control than was necessary, Secundus kicked up a cloud of ash as he climbed the stairs leading to what was once the mansion that Horace Avery called his 'palace'.
Now all that remained was the charred skeleton frame of the house, threatening to collpase at any given moment, with a grisly trophy mounted just outside the doors to remind any and all who might just be passing by of what had once happened here -
A pike stood there, thrust in between the cracks of the stone front steps, displaying what was now a skull of a human. And vividly, Secundus recalled the event before his own two eyes.
He remembered how the Supreme Commander Ulysses charged towards the Pirate King Avery, overpowering him after the pirate managed to deal several wounds upon the Commander, decapitating the pirate on the spot before taking the pike of one of the fallen buccaneers and using that to mount up the head in front of his burning mansion.
The Armada spy remembered how he had seen the head up close and in detail through the eyes of the mask he had used to hide his face, when he marched up onto this particular area dressed in the uniform of a Armada marksman to aide in the clockworks of this conquest; perching himself from this vantage point and sniping off stragglers with little effort.
Their efforts are quite valiant. I might have pitied them if it was not for the fact they were of a different affiliation than I.
Immediately, Secundus found himself regretting this thought, as he certainly did feel something akin to sympathy welling up within the confines of his torso, one of the very few parts of him that was still flesh and blood after what had happened to him back in the Isle of Doom.
Merda, damn my accursed human side, always being so sympathetic of those I should not feel pity for.
The spy turned his gaze away from the skull of Horace Avery's head to the ruins of the courtyard, resting one black gloved hand upon the ash covered stone railing. It was a little strange, to say the least, remembering how he had called this place a temporary residence and yet, he still felt a sense of attachment to the ruins that had once been the utopia of the pirates.
Once more, Secundus cursed his human side, turning away from the sight of the courtyard and walking down the stairs once more -
For there was a reason why he came here, after all.
Militus Secundus glanced at the old, worn - out brass pocketwatch he had always carried within the left lapel pocket of his jacket, leaning his back against the railing (though he was careful to keep himself from resting the entirety of his weight on it) and gazing up at the sky. This was a game of patience and luck after all.
"Hey, hey, you there!"
Speak of the devil.
Secundus straightened, his attention now focused on the black clad figure standing in the middle of the courtyard; inwardly smiling to himself upon noticing the scarlet cross embroidered into the side of the figure's large feathered hat where a Jolly Roger would have been, had the pirate faction survived being decimated by the forces of the clockwork Armada.
"I do presume you are speaking to me, good sir, as there does not appear to be any other living creature around here, minus you and I."
"Yes yes, I am talking to you."
The man grunted impatiently, though Secundus made sure to keep his face in the most neutral expression possible.
No need to frighten the hare before the hunter actually strikes.
"You are that guy Joseph Davenport, aren't you? They told me that you are willing to join us and our fight against that Kane II and his mad little army of wind up toys."
"Indeed so."
The lie had rolled off Secundus' lips with absolutely no trouble, betraying no trace of the annoyance that was bubbling within him. Lying had became so much easier over the years, if it was not for the fact Secundus knew it was a lie, he himself might have actually believed it!
"Come down here, the Grand Master will see you now."
Within a few strides, the spy complied, his memories flying back to two months ago when he was still in Valencia.
He had retreated to the capital city of Cadiz upon the destruction of Skull Island, and Secundus was immediately awarded with a house within the innermost folds of the city, close to the Armada headquarters, before he ran into a Templar recruiter within the city, one of the very few still around.
"Your name?"
"Joseph Davenport."
"You know, you look like a smart man, our Grand Master would appreciate it if you would be willing to, ah, aid us in bringing liberty back to the Spiral."
Hence why he was here at Skull Island, having been summoned by the Templar Grand Master Atticus Mercilus himself: Adrian Devereaux had no doubt escaped with him (how else would he have survived Skull Island's destruction?!), so if they are to find Mercilus, they would also find that worm of a swashbuckler.
And as a soldier of the Armada, is it not his duty to see that the enemies of the clockworks receive justice for the crimes they commit?
Soundlessly, Secundus trailed the black clad Templar, each step of his creating an echo within the confines of the ancient tunnels hidden from plain view by the waterfall in front of it.
Clever bastards, using the most obvious of places to hide under the nose of the Supreme Commander!
The Templar curved to the right, traveling down another hallway, the second right they had taken, holding his torch out in front of them both until a massive, intricately carved door of stone prevented them from going any further. While a normal man would have no doubt lost their bearings within these tunnels, Secundus could note every single turn and path they had taken; making a mental note to report back to the Supreme Commander later.
Wailing obnoxiously, the stones slid back after the other unnamed man pulled a lever.
Beyond the doorway laid what Secundus could only describe as a throne room of sorts, with a massive golden throne embedded with gems that could have lit up half of the chamber even without torches.
He only took one look at the man seated upon the throne, then dropped his gaze before kneeling. The one glance was enough to confirm it all.
Atticus Mercilus sat upon the throne, there was no mistaking his bronze colored beard and mane of hair, or those hard black eyes resembling the pits of hell itself, set into a hardened face grooved with more battle scars than the spy could count.
"Grand Master."
"Arise."
The Grand Master Templar wore a set of black robes that resembled those often worn by the Valencian Assassins patrolling Cadiz at night, save Atticus' set had no beaked hood - with silver trimming, multiple belts around his waist carrying a pair of pistols and a bastard sword.
"It is good to see that you are not fooled by the propaganda spread by the clockwork Armada, Joseph, they fooled so many already, not many would listen to reason."
Such honeyed words, I must choose mine carefully, lest he realizes what my true intentions are.
"Who does not wish to be freed of the iron fist of Supreme Commander Kane II?" It was risky, yes, but Secundus forced his eyes to meet Atticus' own, for not meeting another's gaze usually indicated of lying.
"I know I do, Grand Master, which is exactly why I joined your forces. Not to mention I do wish to be liberated of the tyranny of the Assassins: those white clad liars they are, proclaiming they fight for those who cannot fend for themselves, yet they aide in the Supreme Commander's regime to slaughter the innocent inhabitants of Skull Island."
When in truth it is the complete opposite: it was those 'innocents' and you who aided Devereaux in assassinating the Supreme Commander, nearly overthrowing the government in Valencia.
It would appear he played his part correctly, however -
"Exactly why I welcome you to the Brotherhood of the Knights Templar: we share similar motives, the similar hatred against those clockwork bastards and their king Kane II. Come forward, Joseph Davenport."
Secundus literally had to force himself to obey Atticus' words: nothing was harder than being a soldier of the Armada and acting as though he wasn't as he dropped down to one knee before the throne of the Templar Grand Master.
"Take this ring, it shall show those others that you are one of us, one of our brothers."
A simple ring of silver, bearing the scarlet Templar's cross insignia laid in the hand held out to him; Secundus taking the ring and slipping onto one of his fingers. It was impossible to not notice what appears to be a massive diamond ring sitting upon one of Atticus' fingers as he took it -
"Thank you, Grand Master."
That ring, have I seen it before?
Deftly slipping on the Templar ring and still keeping his head bowed, Secundus backed off.
Striding through the darkened tunnels, the Armada spy's thoughts flew back to the ring worn by the Templar Grand Master; at last remembering where he had seen something similar to it.
It appeared almost identical to the Apple of Eden, the stone embedded in the ring, that was wielded by the Armada Supreme Commander.
Secundus glanced over his right shoulder, then back to the half lit tunnel before him. This was a matter that would need to be reported to the Supreme Commander immediately, for if the Templars did realize what exactly they have in their hands, or if any one of them could harness its power, it would mean nothing short of disaster for the Armada -
"Watch where you're going, insolent fool!"
The Armada spy had never thought before anything would be more difficult than to denounce, even for show, his real alligance and his loyalty to the Supreme Commander and his commanding officer Deacon, all the way until this point when he accidentally brushed into this man of all.
Adrian Devereaux.
Secundus literally had to use his flesh hand to clamp down on the wrist of his other to prevent it from reaching for one of his pistols.
You are the insolent fool here, Devereaux, how long did you think you could evade the hand of the Valencian Armada? And it is rather surprising you do not remember me at all, it would appear.
"Sorry."
He only just barely pushed that word past his lips, for each syllable of it felt like a dagger's blade passing his tongue. It was his duty, as a soldier of the Armada, to see that the Armada's enemies are punished, is it not? Even if it was all part of his mission here, letting such an enemy slip by felt wrong.
Secundus only allowed himself a sigh of relief when he made it out of the ancient tunnels: having traced the path back out based on his memory alone. Threading his way through the ruins of Skull Island once more, the Armada spy wasted no time in returning to the Rose: there is no tell when Atticus would call for him again, or if he would ever figure out who he truly served.
Deftly, he pulled the hologram projector from its hiding place in the innermost coat pocket of his coat.
"Per la gloria dell'Armata, Supreme Commander."
Secundus saluted the holographic image, as any good Armada soldier should. It was inevitable, however, for the spy to prevent the shiver that ran down his spine upon locking eyes with the dark 'voids' of the sockets of the king of Valencia's mask.
The Supreme Commander returned his salute.
"It has been a long time, Secundus, what is it that brought you here?"
"Supreme Commander, I know of where both of your enemies are hiding."
Even though it was surely impossible to see the king's face hidden behind his mask, his excitement was clear in every sense, Secundus could tell.
"Truly...?"
"Sending coordinates right now, Commander."
"Your loyalty and service to the Armada is greatly appreciated, Secundus, I shall not forget this."
An oldie but a goodie trick by our favorite Armada spy, no? And who else would like to take a guess at the significance of Atticus having a ring of Eden? It will be rather important later, very important, especially when, ehehehe, Ulysses takes action against the Templar Grand Master.
Also, if anyone of you wish to contact me, be it questions about VE/VL, proofreading your works or just to chat, send me a email at armadasupremecommander .
Reviews do make me happy :D and yes that means you too, guests!
Until next time, my dear readers.
-Hades