Ch. 4 Worth It
"Do you think it's worth it?" Mary asked. Jordan turned to the witchdoctor.
"Is what worth it?"
"Getting into a relationship when everything we know could be destroyed in a few hours or days or weeks from now." Mary was sanding down her staff to remove any chance of getting a splinter. "If all of this ends tomorrow, you'd have to live with the fact that you're alone again." Jordan looked at her girlfriend, who was cleaning her rifle.
"That's why I'm with her," the buccaneer answered, "If this all ends tomorrow, I don't want to leave with any regrets. I love her and if either of us were to die tomorrow, we'd live for the other."
"What are you two talking about?" Adam walked into the Musketeer's Roost.
"Relationships," Mary responded. Adam raised an eyebrow. "Jordan and Bonnie. Don't worry, you've moved on; I know that. If I really wanted you back, I would have let my sister kill Lenora. I stopped her."
"Jordan and I both watched her and Ryan's fight; she could have killed him if she wanted to," the fox explained, "But she didn't. She's with us." Adam nodded.
"In that case," Adam went on, "I need you three to watch the docks until Autumn and Will come back." The three pirates left for the docks and Adam went to meet up with Lenora for dinner.
"Was it worth it?" The voice brought Adam's attention back to the present.
"Huh," Adam said, "What?" Lenora smirked.
"I asked if meeting me was worth it."
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be worth it?" Lenora's red hair fell in front of the right half of her face.
"I don't know. I just feel like, since we've met, it's been your job to protect me." She brushed her hair out of her face. "I don't like feeling helpless." Adam held onto her hand.
"Hey," the musketeer lifted her chin, "Don't forget that you've saved me plenty of times." The swashbuckler smiled and gave Adam a peck on the lips. "That's my girl."
"Definitely worth it." In the distance, a cannon went off. The two got up from their seats and ran outside. The docks were on fire. Lenora saw a young pirate; she couldn't have been more than fifteen years old. "You," Lenora pointed to her, "Find some fighters and tell them to have their weapons ready!"
"Yes, ma'am," the short, brown-haired pirate responded. Adam and Lenora drew their weapons and met up with Mary, Bonnie, and Jordan near the docks. Ryan, Ratbeard, and Wing Chun weren't far behind them.
"What's going on?" Adam asked. Bonnie pointed out into the distance.
"That." Adam looked and saw three figures walking unrestrained from the docks, dragging a pirate in binds behind them. "It looks like they've got a hostage." Adam drew one of his pistols and stepped in front of his crew.
"Who are you?" The pirate at the head of the crew, clad in black, stepped ahead of the others.
"My name is Dark Flint and I have a proposition for you."
"Who're your friends?" Ryan asked.
"That's none of your business," the dark pirate responded, "But the third person is someone you should care about." Flint kicked the hostage to the ground. "I'm going to make a deal with you and I seriously recommend that you take it: Leave Skull Island." Adam turned to his crew. They looked to each other and nodded 'no.'
"Sorry, Flint," Adam replied from the distance, "But that's not going to happen."
"You know I really didn't want to do this," Flint stated. He nodded to the orange clad swashbuckler, who stepped forward to restrain the hostage. "Ms. Noble, I'm sure you two are acquainted." Lenora looked at the man and saw a knife on his belt. The square hilt had the same symbol that had been imprinted on her neck.
"Dad?" Lenora took a step back and dropped her daggers. "No, that's impossible. My dad wouldn't be trying to take away my home." The brown-haired dagger-wielder spun the knife and held it against the hostage's throat.
"Sorry, sweetheart," Kyle said, "But killing people is just too much fun."
"Kyle!" Flint yelled. The swashbuckler looked at his leader and put the knife back on his belt. "That's better." The dark pirate turned back to Adam and his crew. "I'm trying to be reasonable with you, Mr. Silver; I'm giving you a chance to leave without killing you," Flint drew his jet black sword. "But I will if I have to. Jinx." The brown haired pirate walked up and held out the hostage's right arm. They struggled, but Kyle kept them in place. "This is your last chance." Adam stared at the hostage. He couldn't think of any way out of this situation.
"Just let them go." Flint held his sword against the pirate's neck then moved it away.
"You know what," Flint chuckled, "I will." The black haired psychopath took a step back. "I've got four more just like him." Adam's eyes widened in terror.
'He has more hostages?' the musketeer thought. It was then that he realized that he had handed two of them over to him. "Let my people go."
"I've let one go and you can keep him." Flint swung his sword through the air. "Well, most of him." The dark pirate swung his sword in an upward motion and cut through the hostage's right arm. The captured pirate reached his remaining limb over to cover the wound, the mask still over his head. The three dark pirates retreated as Adam and his crew ran down to take care of the hostage. "I hope this was all worth it, Mr. Silver."
"You better hope that your army is big enough to take this place," Adam shouted back. He knelt over the amputee. "Bonnie give me your scarf. Mary, you and Jordan go get some medical supplies." The pirates ran off while Bonnie undid her scarf. Adam took it and quickly began wrapping it around the stump. "That man is a psychopath." The bleeding started slowing down. Adam looked up the hill and saw the female musketeer coming over the top. She came down quickly.
"What can I do to help?"
"Put pressure on the wound; I'm going to find out which one of my friends Flint has crippled." The musketeer followed Adam's orders and Adam removed the burlap bag.
"No. No, no, no, no, NO!" The young girl screamed. Lenora pulled her away from Adam and the hostage. She struggled to break free of the swashbuckler's grasp.
"Hey, hey, hey," Lenora tried to calm the girl, "Why are you screaming?" The girl wiped the tears from her eyes only for them to be replaced by more tears.
"My name is Brave Riley Bellamy." The little girl turned her head to the pirate. "I'm his daughter."