Ys Rises

The Adventures of Captain Scurvybones
Ys Rises

A cool breeze drifted across the deck of the massive galleon as it glided across the water.     It was early morning and the sun had just come up, no one was on deck save for one man. On the Bowsprit sat Tobias Daggerbellows, first mate of the Shadow Hunter crew. His mind was heavy, as was his heart. It had been three months since the mutiny against his captain, spearheaded by a possessed version of himself. He still could not get over the thought of something controlling him into a state in which he would be able to go against his captain, let alone his closest friend. He gripped the side of the bowsprit, trying to calm himself down but as a result almost ripped it off. He sighed as this happened, when Jolly Roger left his body, his strength had remained within him, it was becoming both a great asset but also somewhat of a nuisance. Everyday tasks as simple as picking up a mug or shaking someone's hand had become a massive chore, that was coupled with an unnerving sense of self doubt. He could not be sure who he was anymore. He did not know if the potential to become the monster still existed within him or if it was gone forever, or perhaps was that simply all an extension of his own self? He hated second guessing himself almost as much as he hated being lost with his own thoughts; this was probably why when he heard a cough from behind him, he almost tumbled into the ocean.
"Sorry lad" laughed his captain "couldn't think of a more elegant way to freak you out"
"Be glad you didn't" Tobias frowned as he climbed back onto the ship. "What are you out here for Captain? It's a bit early for you isn't it?"
"Aye" nodded the captain "it's a bit early, but I've something to get up for. Amber is coming to meet us shortly" he said
"Amber? How can you be sure?" Tobias asked looking off into the skyline for any sight of the Scarlet Tiger
"She sent me a message a few days ago, said to meet us around these parts today. Said it was urgent, more than she thinks she can handle" Scurvy mused
"More than she can handle?" Tobias said with a confused look "either it's a demon rising from hell or she has an awkward social situation that she doesn't know how to deal with"
Scurvybones looked at Tobias who was trying his best to have his most recent comment seem like a joke, however whilst masked with his gruff voice anything that was meant as a joke always ended up coming across as a threat. The Captain smiled and gestured off into the distance "right on cue"
The two pirates watched as Amber's frigate, the Scarlet Tiger, slowly sailed in from the horizon. Whilst nowhere near as bulky or daunting as the Shadow Hunter, it was still a force to be reckoned with; small, fast and powerful, a ship worthy of the woman who captained it. Scurvy straightened his hat and turned towards the entrance to the cabins and barked to the rest of the crew to come onto the deck. They mostly crawled through the cabin doors, first Sven Gunflint, followed by Rick Seamorris and finally Gerard Darkskull who looked surprisingly well dressed for such short notice and at such an unholy hour. From this point on it would still be another seventeen hours until anyone noticed that Leon had been left on a desert island one week ago.
"All right lads, quit yer belly aching, we've got work to do. In the distance sits the... by the way Gerard ye look fantastic, great work as always... Scarlet Tiger. Aboard it is my dear sister and it seems she has a problem. We shall listen to it, deal with it and then continue on our way towards that tournamenty thing we found out about a couple of months ago. Any objections?" The captain asked
"There's only twelve monkeys I respect and I'm of the idea that nine is better than fifteen" Rick responded, still very, very tired
Scurvybones looked at him and then nodded vigorously "well put lad, well put"
The crew then waited for the ship to slowly pull up beside them. When it did a long gangway was placed as a bridge between the two vessels by one of Amber's crew and a woman, her hands bound behind her back, was ushered across with all members of the crew staying well away from her. The woman walked steadily along the plank, her bright red hair and red dress being gently tossed by the wind, until she reached the Shadow Hunter. Scurvy took a step forward and extended his hand to help her down.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" came the voice from behind them all.
Scurvy and Tobias turned to see Amber sitting on the opposite side of the ship. The others would have turned too but they were sound asleep.
"Now I know you didn't sneak past us which means you've been here for a while, haven't you?" Scurvy sighed
"I have" Amber said with a smile, taking a drink of rum from a mug with an only partially crushed handle
"How long?" Tobias asked, disgruntled as always
"Long enough to know that Tobias is having serious strength problems, the portrait you have of Jess and you looks creepy and that Leon was abandoned on some beach somewhere quite some time ago" Amber said with a smile before taking another drink
Scurvy looked at Amber in shock before turning to Tobias "she can't be serious, is she?"
Tobias nodded solemnly "I'm sorry, but she is... the portrait is very creepy" he sighed
Scurvy groaned, kicked his foot off the deck and then sighed "Very well, I'll take it down. Now tell me, what is this not unattractive woman doing on a gangway to my ship, why is she tied up and why is it a bad idea to help her down?" he demanded
"She's on a gangway because I'm giving her to you, a gift if you will, she's bound because she stowed away on my ship hoping for safe passage and it's a bad idea to touch her because if you do you'll go insane and have to be put down." Amber said in a rather non-chalant fashion.
"You may have to explain the last bit a bit better lass" Scurvy said, intrigued
"It's simple, a few members of my crew, of which my first mate Angel was a part of, found her. They brought her before me but as a result of them touching her, they went insane and tried to lead an impromptu mutiny against me." Amber replied
"I'm sorry to hear that" Tobias said, with only a hint of enjoyment at the chance of a story involving death
"Yes well these things happened, and unlike your dear captain I didn't need to call in any little girls to help me put down a mutiny" she sneered at her brother
"So by the fact that you're still here means that the mutiny didn't go well" Scurvy said, shrugging off her comment
Amber frowned, annoyed that her insult didn't land "No, it went catastrophically actually, for them anyway. I gutted the lot of them and threw them to the sea. Felt good in an odd sort of a way"
"I see, so who is this girl then?" Scurvy asked
"I am Iblis" the girl said as she hopped off the gangway and walked towards Scurvy, past his sleeping crew members "I am a priestess of the Cult of the Waves, we are a sacred order created to destroy all evil which dwells within the sea"
"Is that so? Well then Iblis, tell me, why does touching you send people insane?" Scurvy asked
"It is the same with me as it is with all priestesses of the Cult of the Waves. Our skins are tainted so that we cannot come into contact with anyone but other members of the society. If we do their hearts are tainted black and they cause harm to anyone around them. It was originally thought of as a blessing to protect us if we were captured but in these days of enlightenment it has become more of a hindrance." She lamented
"That's an odd affliction" Tobias said sceptically
"Clearly there is truth to it though" Scurvy replied to his crew mate "now tell me why you stowed away on Amber's ship?"
"That is simple, I did so to find you" Iblis said with a smile
"To find me?" Scurvy said confused "Why is that?"
"A few months ago you became a hero in the Cult of the Waves. You slew Jolly Roger, one of the greatest evils to exist on these beautiful oceans. I thought that if I could find you then perhaps you could help me in the upcoming battle when Ys rises" Iblis said in an exasperated fashion
It was then that Scurvy heard a laugh. He looked over at Sven who was clearly awake and chuckling to himself. The voodoo user shoved passed Rick and Gerard, waking them up in turn, and proceeded to pace towards his captain
"Seriously? Ys? The lost kingdom sank by God to punish them for their sin and debauchery?" Sven grinned
"Debauchery? This is a story I want to be a part of" Gerard smiled
"Yes, Ys, it is of our belief that the kingdom is to rise again and very soon" Iblis responded, annoyed at Sven's disbelief
"Wait wait wait" Scurvy said, butting in "would anyone please inform me of what Ys is"
Iblis opened her mouth but Sven interjected "I'd be happy to captain" he started "Hundreds of years ago, maybe thousands, a king named Gradlon built a city for his daughter Dahut. She loved the sea so he built massive walls around it and had the city built under sea level. Soon after however the city became rife with sexual deviancy and many other unsightly things, Dahut herself used it as her own private sexual palace, taking a new partner almost every night."
"Captain" Gerard interjected "if this place is returning I may have to request a few years of shore leave."
Sven frowned and continued with his story "However the acts that were performed in the city much offended The Lord and as a result He sent a wave to bury the city. He was unsuccessful. He then sent many punishments against it but after a while he realized that as a result of the new gods that the city had taken, God's power was useless against it. So instead of taking it out with brute force, the good Lord turned to Satan to help in the city's destruction"
"God asked Satan for help?" Rick said confused "that's like Superman asking Lex Luthor to beat Brainiac because he isn't strong enough"
Scurvy paused before asking the question on everyone's minds "who?"
"Oh, sorry" Rick responded with a grin "they're just characters from a book I'm writing, it's gonna be big, I know it"
"Sure it is" Sven said sarcastically before continuing "so Satan agreed to help God and transformed into a knight garbed in blood red armour. He then entered the city as a travelling warrior and wandered around until he got Dahut's attention. When he did, he seduced her and the two went to her bed chamber and, well we can all assume the next part. Later that night when Dahut was asleep, Satan took the key to the city gates from her and left. He then used it upon them and as a result, God's power was able to enter. The knight then disappeared but God's fury never would. He sent a massive wave to bury the city, and he did. Only two people escaped, Gradlon and Dahut."
"How did they escape from a massive flood if they were in a castle?" Tobias asked cynically
"Oh, simple, Gradlon owned a flying horse named Morvarc'h" Sven replied
"Of course he did" Tobias sighed whilst shaking his head
"So anyway, the two escaped upon Morvarc'h and made for land. God, however, had different plans. He told Gradlon that he would be spared death if he tossed his daughter to the waves, but if not, the two would die" Sven said solemnly
"So they both died?" Rick asked
"What? Oh lord no, Gradlon pushed his daughter to damnation" Sven said
"That heartless bastard" Amber frowned
"Sensible bastard if you ask me" Gerard mused whilst avoiding Amber's death stare
"But the story isn't over yet" Iblis added. "As Dahut tumbled to her death, her tainted heart boiled over with a will to survive and for revenge, she was in such a fury that when she hit the water, she and all those who dwelt within the city were transformed from man, to merfolk, demons of the sea, waiting for an opportunity to get their revenge, and lady and gentlemen, that time has come! Will you help?"
Iblis looked around at the members of the crew. They had all gone silent. She noticed that all of them were trying their best to avoid looking at their captain, who had gone very still and hidden his face under the rim of his hat.
"Mermaids?" Scurvy asked after a few moments of silence "you wish for us to do battle with mermaids?"
"Yes" smiled Iblis "why? I thought in comparison to Jolly Roger mermaids would be a rather simple endeavour"
"My crew will not help you, so you might as well get hop into the sea and hope for a bloody miracle because I'll be damned before I risk my own friends and brothers fighting some god forsaken errand for some witch with the succubus equivalent of Midas' touch!" Scurvy roared at her
Iblis was taken aback by this and was about to argue with him before Amber piped up. "You should find a way to unbind your hands without anyone touching them, gloves seem to protect against the taint, Rick if you wouldn't mind?" Amber said in her usual powerful way "and Sven, after that is done you two should begin setting a course for wherever Ys is going to appear, Iblis you better have a damn good idea because we do not want to overshoot this thing. Gerard, speaking of cannons we're going to need to be prepared, be sure they're all loaded and ready. You have your orders, step to them" Amber barked and the three men and Iblis went about their business.
"What in God's name do you think you're doing?" Scurvy growled at his sister
"You hate mermaids and you have a damn good reason to do so, this is true, but that doesn't mean that when a chance to prove yourself rears its head you should turn tail and run! If a city rises from the ocean the whole world will be watching, including a certain queen that you're fond of" Amber said with a coy grin. "You know I speak the truth, don't let fear blind your judgement."
Scurvy grumbled the words "Very well" and then marched off to his cabin. Amber turned to Tobias and smiled.
"I do love putting him in his place" she said and then made her way to the gangway and gestured for her crew to leave and pick her up later
"You're staying?" he asked
"Of course I am" she said with a smile and went to walk below the deck but then stopped and turned back to him "and by the way Toby, I'm really glad you're back to your old self, after that whole incident I was really worried that you'd become something awful, but it makes me happy knowing that you're still the man I've fought beside all these years" she said with a smile
"Well if you're happy, then so am I" Tobias said giving the hint of what some cultures refer to as a smile but most call a scowl "but on a serious note, the next person who calls me Toby will get a swift punch in the gut"
"I'll be sure not to tell anyone that rule" she said with a smile and walked below the deck.
With everyone doing their own chores, the first mate was left alone with his thoughts once more. He hated being alone with his thoughts.
The hours drifted by and before anyone noticed night had fallen. The coordinates of Ys had been mapped by both Iblis and Sven and they had set the ship about its course. With night upon them, most crew members had taken to sleeping in preparation for the upcoming battle, except for Tobias who stood ever vigilant at the helm. He did not know how long he had been inside his own head for and it wasn't until he heard the cabin door open that he snapped back into reality.             He looked down to the bottom of the stairs leading to the poop deck and seen Iblis making her way up. She had a smile on her face; Tobias disliked smiles more than he disliked a lot of things.
"What?" he grunted
"The stories are true, you really are the most charming one out of the whole crew" Iblis grinned.
In another dimension at that same time another version of Tobias Daggerbellows smiled and blushed at this compliment. In this reality however Tobias also smiled and blushed. However his smile took the form of a scowl and his blushing took the form of a bigger scowl. "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear: what?" he grunted once more
"Mermaids" she responded
"Excuse me?"
"Mermaids. Your captain seemed enthralled by the entire tale and was on board until the part about mermaids. Why does he hate them so? I mean I understand of course, they are deadly and detestable creatures but he seems to have a certain dislike for them that mirrors even my own."
Tobias sighed, he hated telling stories but he knew she would not leave unless he did, so he began to speak "it all happened quite a few years ago, a girl named Jess was travelling with us"
"And she isn't now; I assume that is because the mermaids killed her then?" Iblis said
"No, she just reached the end of her journey, most folks call her Queen Jessica now" Tobias said with a frown
"Queen Jessica travelled on this ship as a pirate!?" Iblis spluttered "are you serious? How did that happen? When?"
"Yeah, you're getting one story, now will it be the mermaid one or the Jess one?" Tobias grumbled
"I'll have the Jess one if you don't mind" Iblis said with an optimistic smile
"Well then you're in for a disappointment as I'm telling the mermaid story. It was many years ago and we had moored off the coast of some deserted island. Jess insisted that we all go and look around, so we did. Amber, Jack, Sven, Rick and Gerard went into the forest in the middle of the island whilst the captain, Jess and I went around the beach. It was a few hours before we found the cove. It was your basic exceedingly beautiful water filled place. Jess then decides to go hopping across some rocks that lead across towards some waterfall. Unfortunately we didn't know that the entire time we were there, we were being stalked by a mass of mermaids. That's why when Jess fell into the water, she was grabbed and dragged deep down."
"Good lord, how did she escape?" Iblis asked
"Well naturally Scurvy and I dove in after her and followed the creatures into a hollow underneath the island. It contained a rather large cave with an air pocket inside it. We crawled out of the water to see Jess lying unconscious and a crowd of mermaids swarming around her. The two of us charged at them and began to cut them down one by one until none remained. With the eight of them dead, Scurvy picked Jess up and we made for the exit to the cave only to find that it was guarded by a seemingly unending army of mermaids. They rushed the cave, leaping at us in their vast numbers; I do not remember how many we cut down in defence of Jess before one hit me. It knocked me over and I bashed my head against a rock and fell unconscious" Tobias said rather embarrassed
"Some use, you are" Iblis said coyly
"Yes, well, I awoke several hours later, there were no mermaids left living, only a vast pile of their slain bodies. In between the carnage lay Jess, sleeping, the picture of perfection, not a spot of blood on her, and in front of her stood Captain Scurvybones, dripping in mermaid blood, standing tall with a blank expression on his face. I was to discover a few minutes later that he had lost consciousness after the fight but would not allow his body to fall over. It was on that day that I vowed to be the demon of the Shadow Hunter crew, as I would not allow myself to let me captain fall that far again, only one of us should be tainted, and he still has something good in his life that he is aiming towards"
Iblis nodded "I see, so that's why you do the angry, disturbed loner thing then, because it's who you have to be in order to protect your captain?"
"Not exactly, it's actually who I am, the fact that it falls in line with what I need to be is just a happy coincidence" Tobias responded
"Do you know what happy feels like?" Iblis asked curiously
"If I remember correctly it's like being really angry, but like, good angry" Tobias said in a positive way
"There's something wrong with you" Iblis said in a rather scared fashion
"This coming from the woman who turns people evil with her touch" Tobias snapped "oh, and I have one more story to tell" Iblis looked at him and smiled, her smile vanished as he began to speak "this story is about me, after I got possessed and eventually unpossessed I began a rather spiritual stint, looking towards God, researching religions and different cleansing rituals but not once did I read about a Cult of the Waves."
"What are you saying?" Iblis said with a smirk
"What I'm saying, madam, is that you are full of-"
It was then that the ship heaved back and forth. All around them the sea began to surge and part. The sound boomed across the ocean as Tobias caught a glimpse of a tower rising from the sea. He looked on in horror as atop it stood a woman, an unsightly beast, clearly she once was a beauty but now her skin was infected with barnacles, sea weed made up the lion's share of her hair, she was clothed in a beautiful dress covered in jewels, the jewels had long since dulled however, and the dress was tattered beyond repair. Her legs were covered in an odd mix of scales and flippers and upon her neck gills were quite clear. Tobias thought back to the story, to the creature betrayed by the Lord and by her father, this was Dahut.
"All hands on deck" came the roaring order. Tobias turned to see his captain burst from his cabin whilst delivering it. The rest of the crew came out of their hovels shortly after and gazed in horrifying awe at what was happening.
"Captain!" roared Gerard "the spires! The spires of the city will cut the Hunter to shreds, we have to move the ship and we have to do it now!"
"So be it" Tobias said with a nod as he began to charge. He leapt off of the ship and with all the force of his new power he landed atop the same tower as the unsightly forsaken princess stood.
"You wish to challenge me?" Dahut hissed at him
"Give me twenty minutes to down three kegs of Gerard's home brewed rum and maybe I'll be blind enough te face ye head te head, but for now, you'll have to excuse me." Tobias said and with a cough he risked it "It is madam, isn't it?" With a laugh he leapt back at the Shadow Hunter and with a decent portion of his strength he pushed it away. The ship rocketed backwards safely away from the spires. Tobias looked up at his captain who stood aboard the ship wearing a grin. Tobias nodded at him and then turned himself over to meet the crashing waves head on.
"Well Tobias is dead" Sven said in a really not-at-all-concerned sort of a fashion
"Lad if I thought that something as simple as crushing waves and a rising city of mermaids could kill Tobias Daggerbellows then I wouldn't have made him my first mate now would I?" Scurvy said confidently "He'll be fine."
Within a few minutes the ship came to a crunching halt on the streets of Ys. The city had now risen to an enormous height and most of the water had drained out of the still open city gates. Scurvy straightened his hat, checked his sword, picked up his voodoo staff and then leapt off the ship. He was closely followed by Sven and Rick, Amber had somehow gotten down before any of them and Iblis was awkwardly stumbling down the ladder.
"Keep her safe for me lad" Scurvy called to Gerard who saluted him "and if Leon starts talking out of turn you have my permission to leave him stranded on some island somewhere." Scurvy then paused as he thought back to the events of one week hence "Belay that last order lad, as I recall Leon spoke out of turn last week and has been stranded on some island ever since."
As the crew made their march forward they splintered off into two groups, Sven and Rick in a Tobias search party whilst Iblis, Scurvy and Amber hunted for Dahut. It wasn't long before Scurvy and his team had begun their stealthy trek to the tower where Dahut dwelled. A few minutes after the city had fully risen the streets had become awash with hundreds of merfolk aimlessly wandering around like zombies unaware of what to do next. They clearly had been hell bent upon returning to the surface, but what happened next seemed an alien concept.
Sven and Rick however made short work of finding Tobias. Sven sent a number of possessed creatures, from molluscs to rats, scampering around the city until finally they found him. As silent as they could they crept to the building where he was. Before they entered Sven pulled Rick aside.
"Let me go in first, there are around fifteen of those things on the bottom floor and there seems to be some sort of a voodoo enchantment on Tobias who is being held on the first floor. I'll bust in and handle the opponents; you go upstairs and stay with Tobias until I'm done." Sven smiled, drew his voodoo doll and opened the door. He turned to enter and then stopped dead as soon as he heard Rick roar
"ENOUGH!"
"Uhh, Rick, what the hell are you doing?"
"I said enough, enough of this, enough of you always steamrolling ahead, enough of Gerard blowing everything out of the water, enough of Tobias levelling entire islands of enemies, enough of Amber moving faster than god damned light and enough of the captain doing every god forsaken thing in the book!" Rick yelled
By this point the mermen in the house had trudged outside to see what the commotion was, as had many other merfolk from all of the adjacent houses. Rick had managed to form quite the crowd and Sven was frozen with fear.
"Rick, old buddy, do you not think that this could wait like five minutes?" Sven said, his voice cracking
"No Sven, it couldn't. I'm weak, that's what you all think of me"
"We do not! I don't think anyone has ever said that" Sven said, quite offended
"You may not say it with your mouth but your eyes do, all of you. You all have these incredible talents, I mean your voodoo gets stronger every day and now Tobias is so strong he can kick the ship and send it rocketing across the sea, and what can I do? I'm an all right shot, I'm a capable swordsman and I can communicate with crows" he frowned
"What are you saying?" Sven said, worried as to what was coming next
"I'm saying that-" Rick began his thought before being cut off.
One of the mermen cackled and threw his massive fist towards Rick's face. The lumbering creature lunged at him and Rick did nothing but scowl. In an instant he drew his sword and cleaved right through the monsters arm. If that had have been all that Rick did Sven would have felt better, but it was not. As Rick cut the monsters arm off a black sludge attached itself to both sides of where his sword had connected and then began to spread. In an instant it had covered and devoured the remainder of the creatures arm and within a few seconds of blood curdling screams, the creature itself had been reduced to a black pile of sludge which soon itself seeped into the ground and vanished. Rick stood with his sword still in the same position that he had destroyed the creature. Sven stared at him and then at the sword.
"That's... Rick that sword! That's the captain's sword! The one that he used whenever he got hit by my soul devouring spell when we were possessed by Jolly Roger! It contains not just one of the most callous spells on the planet but also the essence of one of the most diabolical beings! Just having it in your possession could corrupt your very soul!" Sven cried, exasperatedly
"Yeah" said Rick "maybe it could, but I've been practicing with it for three months, ever since the captain gave it to me to throw overboard, I lied and said I did. And let me tell you something Master Gunflint" Rick spun the sword in his hand and then pointed it straight "I've learned a few tricks."
From the end of the blade formed a lump of the same black sludge that had devoured the merman, but this one was not crumbling but taking shape. After a few moments it had become a crow, a creature as black as night which took off as soon as it was formed.
"Watch and learn Sven, and you never know, you may enjoy the show too" Rick grinned and went to work.
He lunged at the closest merman to him and stabbed his blade through its chest. It roared as the sludge began to corrupt his insides and eat him from the inside to out. He spared no time in spinning to his next foe and brushing against it with the blade before slicing through the throat of a third adversary. In no time at all Rick had three powerful enemies reduced to nothing. He continued on, as did the crow he had sent off. It landed on the head of a mermaid and the sludge began to pour down her face as it did. It rolled all the way down her body until she had become nothing but a misshapen mass. As the tower of sludge began to fall it exploded into a murder of black crows. They swarmed out from the wreckage that was once a mermaid and began clawing at all other manner of creatures that they could find. It was not long until Rick was performing his diabolical dance of death amidst a wave of the black creatures, the streets which were once full of the transformed residents of a forgotten city had become paved with a disgusting black filth which was once their lives.
Sven watched in both horror and admiration, he was not sure what to say, and then it was said for him.
"There comes a time in a man's life when he has to assess the choices which he has made in his past" Tobias said as he walked out from the house, brushed off dust and seaweed which he had collected by crashing through the roof of the house and snapping the last few chains he had gathered whilst in there as well "and at a time like this I am really happy that I convinced him to keep that sword" Tobias finished, wearing a scowl which looked scarily like it was supposed to be a smile.
"You? You did this to him?" Sven hissed "he was good, he was nice, he was the one member of the crew who you always knew wouldn't let you down and you corrupted him"
"I choose to think of it as improvement Mr. Bos'un, at the end of the day he would have been killed if he didn't get the power to survive on the battlefield. Now he has that power"
"This will come back to bite you, I swear it on whatever unholy creature spawned you" Sven growled, his voodoo doll radiating a black aura
"I hope it does Sven, I truly do" Tobias said and turned away from him.
The black sludge had mostly either solidified or evaporated, all that was left was Rick standing in the middle gasping for air. He sheathed his sword and the crows flying overhead dissipated.
"What do you know? I can be bad ass" Rick grinned
With this Sven had had enough. He winced and the right hand side of his face began to twitch. He turned to Tobias and grumbled "You don't get to make some sweeping declaration and have everyone feel sorry about you, this is getting discussed later, savvy!?"
Tobias glared at him "How's about you stop your incessant moaning and go back to playing with your dolls" he said with a sickly grin
Sven twitched even harder "Dolls!?" he screamed, in somewhat of an insane fashion. He then marched forward and shoved Rick out of the way. He raised his voodoo doll above his head and his entire body glowed.
Tobias stared at him, wondering what was about to happen when suddenly he had his answer. From out of the ground huge chains appeared. They wrapped themselves around all of the buildings in front of Sven. The sound of the massive metallic constructs was deafening. They clunked over the buildings, crushed through them and anything that surrounded them. Then all of a sudden, the buildings vanished. Sven made a downwards motion with his hand and all of the surrounding buildings, and all beings within, were either pulled underground or flattened beneath it. After the deed was done Sven trudged across the rooves of all the homes he had just demolished muttering something about the many vile curses he could place upon the first mate. He stopped for just a moment to bark "Rick!" snap his fingers and yell "come". Rick spared no time in scampering after the voodoo user. Tobias waited for a moment to pick his jaw off the floor and then followed suit.
Scurvy, Amber and Iblis had done it. They were a few yards away from the tower which they had managed to approach, totally unbeknownst to the denizens of the city. It was then that the good captain and his sister began to come up with a plan to reach the tower with the lowest amount of contact with the merfolk. Scurvy's idea was simple, he would toss Amber and then Iblis across from one of the rooftops and they would climb into the building from one of the higher balconies. Amber's involved a sort of tightrope walking endeavour. Unfortunately the whole not touching Iblis problem kept ruining all their otherwise fantastic plans. It was then that a new plan presented itself in the form of a disgruntled Sven Gunflint.
Scurvy watched him trudging though the mass of mermen guards like they were nothing, plumes of fire surrounded him and singed them to pieces. Before long he had arrived at the tower. He took a moment to look it up and down before the grave shackles spun their way from the bottom to the top and with the slightest of thought and the greatest of ease he brought the tower down to ground level. Sven then turned to Scurvy and glared "Go deal with that bitch, I'm going to lie down!" Sven Gunflint then marched off, unabated by the hordes of creatures which seemed to just want to leave him alone.
"Lad" Scurvy said to Rick "I think it'd be best if ye went with him and made sure he doesn't bring the whole city down on his way back"
Rick nodded and ran off after Sven. As he did Scurvy turned towards the tower which was now, unguarded and within walking distance. He began his march forward and was met by Tobias on the way "Correct me if I'm wrong" Scurvy started "but it was you that ticked him off, wasn't it Toby?"
A few moments later Tobias, Amber and Iblis had arrived at what was the top of the tower, now little more than a circle with battlements. Scurvy followed suit a moment later, clutching his stomach after a swift punch was delivered to it a few seconds earlier. He put all of his strength into standing upright as he approached Dahut.
"You did well to bring me down to your level mortals" she hissed
"Madam we'd need to bring this tower down another few miles before we got to your level" Scurvy sneered
"Do not exchange pleasantries with that monster, she must be slain!" Iblis cried
"Do I know you?" Dahut said, staring at Iblis
"Perhaps you do" Iblis responded "I am sure a creature like you has visions of its own doom!"
It was then that Dahut began to laugh. She then looked at Scurvy and grinned "Tell me, Sir, who is the more dangerous? The monster you know or the demon in your own camp?"
"I am no fan of riddles, creature, speak clearly" Scurvy growled
"Very well, I shall say this to you then, I remember all of my partners very clearly, each of them has a special place in my heart" she said slyly "and I remember particularly my final partner when I was still but human. He was an incredible man, more brilliant that I could have ever hoped, and furthermore a creature with that exact smell and aura is standing behind you, disguised as a woman" Dahut cackled
"Your final partner?" Amber asked confused before casting her mind back "Scurvy, that means Iblis is-"
Before she was able to finish her sentence Iblis reached her hand out and touched the side of Tobias' face. Amber looked on with horror, as Scurvy did with anger. "You couldn't just kill her and leave it all alone. I would have rewarded you all but instead you will have to fight not one, but two monsters, the beast of the sea and the demon of the land. Your dear Tobias is now my corrupted soul, to deal with as I please" Iblis said maniacally
"No" Amber said thinking back to the members of her crew she had to dispatch, how it had to be done but she could not shake the many memories of the man whom she had fought beside. "Please God, no" she finished, a tear rolling down the side of her cheek.
"I can feel it" Tobias said wincing "I can feel the burning inside my chest. Like my very aura is being ripped out and replaced"
"Oh hoh, I do love the ones that fight it" Iblis smirked; she looked at Scurvy who was looking down, his face hidden by his hat.
"I had so much more I wanted to do" Tobias gasped as he took a step back with his right foot and clenched his right fist "and now my soul is corrupted" he coughed and spluttered. "Before I vanish from this god forsaken planet I have but one final thing to say" he said, his head lowering
"And what might that be?" Iblis said with a laugh
"That I was corrupted long before some hermaphroditic demon decided to brush her hand against me"
With those words he brought his fist forward. It connected with Iblis' face with the force of a thousand waves. No crack of bone was heard when Tobias' fist collided with her, but a few seconds later, as she rocketed through the air, crashing into and through the mighty walls of the city, a crack of thunder boomed across the sky and was heard for miles around. Tobias then turned back to his captain who was laughing
"You almost convinced me that you were a goner lad, almost" he chuckled
"What gave me away?" Tobias sighed
"That in your last moments on this earth you would talk like Shakespeare's more eloquent brother" he laughed
"Well if you two are done with you little moment, can we leave now?" Amber asked
"Actually, I believe that there is still the matter of the mermaid queen to deal with" Scurvy said as he turned on his heels to see Amber standing over the corpse of Dahut, her blades sticking out of the creatures torso
"So can we go now?" Amber reiterated
Scurvy opened his mouth to respond to her and would have done so if it weren't for a massive tremor underneath all of their feet. It was followed by a second and from then on the entire city began to shake. The captain sighed and turned towards Amber
"I'm no expert but I'm going to guess that it was Dahut's magic or whatever that was keeping this city afloat and without it, we're sinking"
"Oh" Amber said sadly "Run for it?" she asked happily.
Several seconds later the three of them were running as fast as they could. They watched as the many buildings around them collapsed and sank into the ocean. Entire chunks of the city's streets tumbled off into the depths as the three pirates ran until finally the Shadow Hunter was in sight. They dashed even faster with their destination in view. A few moments later they had arrived; Scurvy bounded on to the rope and scampered up, as did Tobias and Amber.
They were all on board for a couple of seconds before a force shook the entire city, shaking the foundations of the Shadow Hunter so much so that Amber tumbled overboard into the newly created ocean which was forming underneath them. Scurvy went to leap after her but Tobias pushed him aside.
"We can't risk you dying captain, too many people rely on you" he said
"Daggerbellows you fool, you'll be crushed if you go after her!" Scurvy roared
"Who knows" Tobias grinned "maybe my new powers protect me from falling objects"
The first mate leapt overboard and what followed next was the longest fifteen seconds of Scurvy's life. Not the sound of the rushing waves, crumbling buildings or mermaid screams could distract him from focusing on the side of the ship. He felt every second pass until finally Amber was tossed through the air and onto the deck. Scurvy grabbed her before she hit the wooden floor and held her tight.
"You have to go after him" she coughed "he'll never survive"
Scurvy nodded and lay her down. He then turned to Gerard "full sail lad, let's get ourselves out of here"
"Don't you dare" Amber murmured before pulling herself to her feet "Don't you dare leave him! Dive in after him! He'd do the same for you!"
"And what would that achieve?" Scurvy said, his face hidden once again behind his hat "What would I gain by doing that other than cementing both of our deaths?" as he spoke a gargantuan chunk of the walls surrounding them crashed into the sea beside them
"He'd do the same for you" Amber said, her voice lost behind her gasps for air, tears streaming down her face.
"And that would be a mistake" Scurvy responded. He then turned and walked up the stairs to the helm and took the wheel. Amber would have screamed at him some more if it weren't for her noticing the tear that fell from her brothers cheek as he walked away. "You survive, you piece of shit" Scurvy said to himself as he steered the boat away "You survive this or I swear to God I will erect a fifty foot high tombstone with the words 'Here Lies Toby Daggerbellows, he loved Kittens'"
Beneath the sea the first mate could feel his body being crushed. It was a pain unlike any he had experienced. He was helpless, even with his newfound strength. He could do nothing but allow himself to drift into the darkness, to become one with the ocean, to die, to sleep, and perchance to dream.
For a while darkness was all that he knew until finally, as if by magic the darkness vanished. It was replaced by a blinding light and the cold, dark recesses of the sea were replaced by what seemed to be a warm beach. He allowed himself to open his eyes; he was confused as to how he would have ended up somewhere sunny rather than somewhere fiery. He convinced himself that hell was something that you were weaned into. He was about to resign himself to his lot when he heard a voice that he had not heard in a long time. A woman's voice, it bore a cold facade but that simply masked the warmth and strong will that she tried to keep from the world which she lived in.
"We had our first kiss on a beach like this" she smiled "He and I, not me and you, yuck" she said with a smile that seemed brighter than the sun itself "he swam through the ocean all day and night to bring me here and keep me safe, I can only imagine that the reason you're here, on this beach, is that you did the same for him"
"Amber fell overboard" Tobias said, coughing to get the remainder of the water out of his lungs "he wanted to jump in after her, I went myself, thought I had a better chance of survival than he did." Tobias pulled himself up and rubbed his eyes. He felt her passing him something. It was a mug filled with rum. He grinned and began to drink it down.
"So you jumped overboard for the same reason as he did" she said with a smile "to protect someone you love. But was it Scurvy or Amber, hmm, I wonder" she giggled and he chuckled
"You're a disturbing girl, as always" he smiled
"A smile? Looks weird, like you haven't done many of them lately" she said
"Haven't had much reason to" Tobias sighed "got all this black in my soul, so much evil inside myself, I wonder if it would have been better if I had have died underneath that ocean, would have saved the people I care about the trouble of one day having to kill me"
"Tobias Daggerbellows! You stow that depressing talk this instant, do you hear me!?" she barked at him and he obeyed. "You are no monster, you are no demon, you are no vile creature, you are a pirate, you always have been and you always will be. What's more you are the first mate of the Shadow Hunter and you have fought a thousand battles with them and you will fight a thousand more. The only one who chooses whether or not that you are a monster is you, and you know perfectly well what you are, I've just told you what you are and it was the first thing you declared to the world on the day I was to walk the plank"
"I'm a Pirate" Tobias said
"Damn straight you are" she said with a smile and then got up. "That simple declaration is all that matters, don't over complicate it." She dusted off her dress and patted him on the head "now get off this beach before someone less noble than my personal guardsman finds out, savvy?" she smiled and began to walk away.
"Jess" Tobias called after, she paused at the sound of the name she was so seldom called by. "'Become a king amongst men.' That's the last thing he has to do. He's on his way to do it and as soon as I get back to the crew we're gonna go and make it happen! So pack your bags princess" he said as he stood up and dusted himself off "because you're coming home" he said with a smile that only Jess' own smile could bring out within him. He walked off across the beach contemplating his escape whilst the queen stood there with a smile upon her face and stared out across the ocean
"Hurry up you stupid pirate, I've waited long enough already"


The End 
Epilogue:
The Ice Queen and the Countess of Shadows

Every six months for the past seven years Jess had always had something to look forward to, and this was it. The day she dreamed of every night until it arrived and every night afterwards. Today was the day that the Countess of Shadows visited her kingdom. The Countess would appear, order everyone around and then the two would retire to her own chambers and discuss the problems of the world. Jess had everything planned. She had chosen her most fashionable attire, had fifteen servants make her hair as perfect as physically possible and dodged at least fifty questions as to why she didn't make this much effort for other people. She did not care however; she did not care about anything but this visit. She stood in her chambers ready to receive the Countess with a beaming smile upon her face that only got brighter when there came a knock on her door.
"Your majesty, the Countess of Shadows has arrived for her visit, shall I send her in?" a servant called to her
"Of course, of course" Jess barked "send her in this instant"
With that the doors were flung open and through them stepped the Countess of Shadows followed by a number of foot soldiers escorting her. The Countess was garbed, as usual, in an incredible, purple, silk robe with a hood covering her face. No one but Jess was allowed to look upon her. Jess loved this privilege.
"So good to see you again" the Countess said with a smile as she embraced Jess "it has been too long"
"As long as it always is though" Jess grinned and then turned to the guards "what are you still doing here?" She demanded "get out and shut the damn door behind you!"
The guards scampered out of the room and pulled the large wooden door shut behind them
"So, Countess, do tell me of the world beyond my kingdom, how fares-" she was cut off by the Countess
"Jess, seriously, those doors are thicker than Tobias' skull, there's no way anyone is hearing us" she laughed and slumped down on one of Jess' armchairs, pulled her robe off and let it fall into a heap on the floor.
"Well excuse me for trying to keep up appearances, Amber" Jess pouted "so come on, tell me what's been happening" Jess said excitedly
"Not much" Amber sighed as she rooted around on the coffee table for some wine
"Not much?" Jess responded "an ancient city of mermaids rises off the coast of my kingdom, crumbles into the ocean and I find Tobias Daggerbellows washed up on a beach is what accounts for 'not much' with you!?" she squealed
"Yeah" Amber said whilst taking a swig from a bottle of wine she found "pretty basic Thursday really"
Jess sighed "so Tobias made it back to you guys all right then? He seemed pretty shaken up, saying her was a monster or something"
"Oh yeah, he told you about that? He got possessed by Jolly Roger a few months back, led a mutiny against Scurvy. In the end Scurvy, Jack and I had to team up to fight for control of the Hunter. Scurvy ended up banishing Jolly Roger back to the depths but some of his soul seems to still live in Tobias, means he has this super strength now" Amber mused
"And was that a pretty average Thursday too?" Jess said in shock
"Nah, that was more a really exciting Sunday" Amber laughed, as did Jess.
The two talked for hours, Amber recounting all the adventures that Jess had not heard about in the past six months, telling her about how Scurvy was still fighting to free her from the kingdom, how he had a really awful picture of them in his cabin, usual stuff. As night came it was time for Amber to depart. She stood and gave Jess a hug and then went to the door which opened before her. As she walked out it Jess called one more question after her.
"The one on the beach... he said that there was only one more part of the list to complete and that it was underway... was he telling the truth?" Jess asked hopefully
"The ship sails for what will possibly be its greatest adventure yet my queen, it sails with a revitalized vigour as it knows that the one whose heart beats in time with its captain is coming home soon. So in the words of an annoying, knuckle headed rogue, the princess best pack her bags, as she is needed at home" Amber said with a smile as she walked out and the doors shut behind her.
Jess was left alone in her chambers until the doors opened once again. It was her personal guardsman and right hand warrior.
"Did you hear what she said Colt?" Jess cheered "Scurvy's nearly completed the last of my insane tasks! That means I can go back to the ship soon! He's nearly strong enough to make it happen"
Colt smiled "What was it again? Invade the navy's strongest fortress one hundred times, slay a demon of the ocean and become a king amongst men? Whilst noble deeds, we both know that after he completes them all there will still be one thing he must conquer"
"Oh? And what is that?" Jess asked
"Me" Colt said with a grin as he made for the door
"Colt" Jess said as he opened it "I thank you for all the protection you have given me over the years, I truly do"
"Well thank you your majesty" Colt said with a smile
"I wasn't finished. I thank you for all the protection you have given me over the years, but sincerely, I hope Scurvy beats you into the ground" she said with a smile
Colt laughed a hearty laugh "I hope for that too my dear, for your sake I truly do"
Jess was left alone in her chamber and for the first time in many years, she was smiling. Her hope, which had been trodden on for seven long years, finally had a purpose again. She was going home.