The lantern flickered back and forth in the lower deck. The Snake Pit swayed in the unsteady waters of Bawrote’s shoreline where it was docked. Esmeralda sat by the bulkhead, her black hair dripping over her face, contrasting her fluffy white shirt as she leaned uncomfortably forward. Three men stood around her in the humid ill lit room. The muffled sound of the storm outside could be heard along with the creaking of the ship’s hull. Then the hammer of a flintlock clicked into place and Esmeralda looked up to see Captain Griffin pointing a gun at her with two leopard pirates by his side. “I have to say, I am a little surprised my sweet prince.” Esmeralda said averting her eyes from the iron two feet from her face. This doesn’t really feel like your style. I’ve known you for, what, five years now? I have never seen you actually execute anyone. It has a different taste than combat. I’m afraid you won’t like it.”
“Well, Esmeralda,” Griffin started. “I have come to realize a few things recently. It would be ideal to live and let live, but sometimes a person is too dangerous to fit into that philosophy. I see now that death can be an adequate solution. You have to admire how permanent it is. Don’t feel that you are the reason I do this. Set your fear’s for my well-being aside, for that would be giving yourself too much credit.” Esmeralda grinned at this and a single shot was fired.
One of the leopards dropped to the floor with a fresh hole in his head. Griffin turned to the remaining leopard and tackled him into a few wooden barrels. The foe rolled on top of Griffin and began to pummel him. The captain blocked what he could but he was unable to make any counter attacks of his own. The pirate reared back in pain as Esmeralda bit into his neck, wrapping her arms around his tight as her corset, pinning them to his side. The distraction gave Griffin time to snag a small dagger off the man’s belt and thrust it into his chest. All four bodies laid on the deck resting for a few minutes, two dead, two feeling half way there. “I thought you were going to kill me.” Esmeralda said breaking the silence.
Griffin took a moment to consider this and then replied. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but in that moment, I did what I felt was right. Credit for that goes to someone else who told me that’s how they find peace. Doing what other people tell me is right hasn’t been producing stellar results, so what the hell.” Esmeralda’s olive colored hand fell on Griffin’s and she said. “Thank you, truly.”
A yell came from a leopard above. “Captain! Some demon has boarded us! Where are you?” Suddenly, the top deck came alive with commotion. Shots were fired and screams filled the air. A veer crab had climbed onto the Snake Pit. It was slashing its red bulging claws menacingly at the pirates onboard. It stood ten feet tall with eight sharp and long legs sprouting from the oval center. Underneath, it’s mouth was chomping ferociously. It heavily stamped across the deck, crushing boards and piercing men along its path. After felling three leopards, the monster finally succumbed to the dozen bullets puncturing its rough armor. It’s beady black eyes went gray and each tall spiny leg toppled over the ship’s ledge, splashing in the water below. The two remaining pirates went to look and make sure it was dead. Relief washed over them as they saw it belly up in the shallow water’s next to the shore. They turned to smile at each other, but one man was ripped high into the air. The other two veer crabs were onboard, one on the p**p deck and the other hanging from the mast gripping onto his prey’s leg. The beast pulled the man towards its mouth and the four fangs, a foot long each, ravaged his flesh. Chunks of his body were slopping back onto the deck, showering blood as his friend looked up in horror. The monster on the p**p deck began to charge the last leopard who took off running to the bow. He dove off landing onto the beach below twisting his ankle. Fear motivated him to continue forth as he hopped and crawled toward the trees ahead. The veer crab was in pursuit and just about to crush down on the man when it was hit by a golden spear. Queen Charlotte rushed the crustacean on her freshly transformed legs and scaled the it’s back to retrieve her spear. The monster’s bladed arms flailed about to reach her but could not angle its claws that far. She smashed her spear in deeper and deeper. Each thrust was met with a howl of torment from the demon until he could take no more and dropped to his chest. Charlotte stood up and the man trembling below thanked her. “Miss, I owe you my life! Whatever I can do to repay you, I’ll gladly do!” Charlotte smiled at the man and saw her daughter walk up out of the corner of her eye. She pulled her pistol and the man barely got the chance to let out one last cry before she blasted him into the next life. “Good job, Mom!” Brandy said as if she had swatted a fly. Charlotte looked at her daughter with pain and questioned her. “What are you thinking, Brandy?”
Brandy seemed confused and realizing she meant the leopard she just killed she explained herself. “This is one of the men that attacked me earlier. My friends as well. He was trash, mother. He had to die.”
“Brandy, life is precious. You don’t know that man’s circumstances. What if he was doing this against his will? What if he realized his wrong and this would have been a new start for him? You are not the one to decide who lives or dies, Brandy.”
Brandy was confused by this concept. He tried to hurt them so he was just an obstacle to be removed, right? Why risk him attacking again? But if that was true, why didn’t Griffin simply shoot her and Esmeralda? Maybe he was weak or scared. Brandy then thought of his determination to sail a galleon alone in the raging storm after capturing her and Esmeralda single handedly. That couldn’t be it. Maybe there was something more. Something her mother also understood. For now, she would try to obey her mother, but it was a foreign idea to what her father had taught her. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll try to be better!” Charlotte took in her daughter’s words with a smile as she hid her lingering concerns. The other mermen warriors made quick work of the remaining demon and found Esmeralda and Griffin below. Griffin came onto the island with Esmeralda’s good arm across his back to balance her stance. Brandy’s eyes lit up as she ran up to greet them, but felt a bit awkward upon seeing Esmeralda snuggling against Griffin. “Brandy? What the hell are all these mermaids here for?” Griffin whispered.
“It’s a long story but they are here to help.” Brandy began and then noticed the dried blood around his new eye patch. “What happened to you!?”
“That bomb from the leopards got me. I see you got some lasting scars as well.” Griffin noted as he took in the white slashes on Brandy’s hands and face. She pulled back a little embarrassed and he quickly added, “It looks good. Now people will know they are facing a strong, tested woman.”
Brandy smiled and introduced her mother to the ragged pair. Charlotte ordered her warriors to provide healing for the two. Mermaids were very adept at this and had all their wounds redressed with various oils and herbs to speed their healing while also soothing the pain. The humans settled in next to a campfire to keep warm as the mermen kept to the waves at the shoreline. The storm had broken and the night’s stars were visible to all. “So you’re royalty, Brandy?”, Esmeralda mused. “I can’t say I quite see it, but I like the perks.” She said noting the healing marvels and extra security in the form of merman warriors. “I guess you and the prince have a little in common after all.”
“Prince?” Brandy questioned. Griffin looked annoyed and explained that was her dumb nickname for him due to him being brought up in a very prominent and wealthy family. “I love that!” Brandy played. “You do seem to have a gentleman’s heart, but I see something wild in you too.” Brandy caught Griffin’s eye and smiled as they looked at one another.
Esmeralda took notice and laughed. “Hey girly! I got claim to this prince. I’ve had to put up with him much longer than you!” They all chuckled and rested on the beach a while more, sharing the details of what took place in their separation. After a while, Esmeralda passed out against Griffin’s shoulder and the captain turned to Brandy. He looked at her seriously and said, “If all this is true, you are the only one who can get the key from the Water Tower. Do you realize what that could mean for this world? I’ve seen so many people, and even mermaids murdered and displaced by these demons. You have the chance to really make a difference here. Do you understand how important that is?”
“Course, I do.” Brandy replied. “I’m willing to help. Can’t have the world being overrun by monsters. Would make life tough on all of us. Besides, the more prosperity there is, the more money I can make!” She winked at Griffin who wasn’t sure of such a motive but agreed with the overall result. “I’m with you then. I’ll follow you wherever this mission goes. My calling is to bring about peace. The Navy isn’t going to afford me that. If I help you, then I can effect some real change. Will you have me?”
Brandy was impressed by his resolve and purity. “Are you sure you can join the ranks of us vile pirates?” She asked. He nodded and it was settled. Griffin would join Brandy’s crew to see the end of the hell gate plight. Charlotte called Brandy over to where the mermen had settled. They preferred to keep their distance from the campfire as the smoke irritated their skin. Griffin and Esmeralda continued to rest as Brandy went to her mother. “What is it, Mom?”
Charlotte replied. “The sun will be up soon, darling. We must return to the sea. You must come with us so I can teach you more about our way of life below the sea. How to survive, how to fight like us, and then we will discuss a way to approach the Water Tower.” Brandy looked troubled. “I know you don’t want to leave your friends, but this is important. Brandy we must do this.”
“I know, but I at least want to find Uncle James. I have no idea what’s become of him. Also Herb and Elsa! I can’t just up and disappear, Mom.” Brandy resisted. The queen was pleased to see her daughter did have a heart for some people. She told her daughter that her warriors had found them all heading this way on a long dark sloop that had been producing billows of dark smoke. “Wow, they are on the Shadow Fox? That must mean Dad sent help. I’m relieved to hear they are alright. Can we just wait until I see them one more time? I will come straight back to you after that. I promise!”
“Ok, Princess. Come straight to us after that. We have to go now, but I will see you again soon.” Charlotte kissed her daughter on the cheek and leapt into the ocean with her guards. Brandy waved from the shore as they took off to their hidden palace beneath the sea. Brandy went back to the others and curled up by the fire as her eyes shut for the first time in a long while.
“Brandy, wake up.” James whispered. He shook his niece until she came too and he put his hand over her mouth before she could speak. “I missed you too, but we have a problem right now.” Brandy looked up and saw the eerie glow of purple waving right next to them. Ten feet away a gate to the underworld had appeared while they were asleep. Brandy looked all over but couldn’t find any foes. James said he hadn’t seen any. The shadow fox had pulled up next to the Snake Pit a bit earlier and saw the gate, but no monsters with it. “Wake the others, we need to leave.”
Brandy woke Esmeralda and Griffin and whispered the situation to them. They understood and followed Herb and Elsa who had their blunderbuss’s at the ready. Brandy, Elsa, and James got on the Shadow Fox while Esmeralda, Elsa, and Herb got the Snake Pit moving. Brandy scanned the beach for any sign of an enemy. It was just sand, rocks, the veer crab’s body, and then she saw it. The man she had killed earlier was sitting up on the beach staring right at her. She was startled by his glowing green eyes. He rose up and charged the boat at full speed. His flesh dropped to the sand with each thud of his foot until he was completely boney aside from his tattered clothing. Brandy went to the captain’s quarters for her dual blades as she shouted, “SKELETONS!”
Aboard the Snake Pit, Esmeralda’s crew was fending off several skeletons formed from the dead leopard crew men. Luckily, the mermaid’s had done a remarkable job healing Esmeralda’s wounds and she was able to help some in this fight. She fired daggers expertly into the demon’s joints staggering them for Herb and Elsa to blast away. The skeleton Brandy executed the day before lunged onto the ship. His bones had become encased in gold. He clanked toward the captain’s quarters. James and Griffin stood in his way but their slices bashed off the metal bones and didn’t slow him down a bit. Griffin grabbed one of his golden arms and James grabbed the other. They halted his progress and he roared at them. With a spin of his shoulders, he knocked both men overboard. Brandy came out of the cabin and dug her blades into his rib cage. He staggered back a bit, then grabbed her throat lifting her into the air. The skeleton bashed her into the mast and spoke with a ghastly tone. “The spirit of this body lingers. It wants to see you die.” Laughed the skeleton. “I suppose I can allow him that simple pleasure before consuming the rest of his soul.” Brandy kicked at the skeleton’s neck but it was too solid to cause any damage. She grabbed at his hand as she began to suffocate and struggled to loosen his grip. The golden demon grabbed one of her swords out of his chest and raised it toward her face. Griffin bashed into the skeleton with surprising success. The monster staggered enough to drop Brandy. The area Griffin hit looked a bit tarnished. The captain realized he had been soaked from falling into the water and noticed the water seemed to have some effect on the golden bones of his foe. He took off his coat and whipped it at the skeleton who pulled back in anger. With each hit, the tarnish spread on his bones. James got back on board and wrapped his wet body around the skeleton from behind. The beast wretched from side to side until he broke James loose, but the damage had been done. His body had rusted brown. Brandy grabbed her other sword from inside the skeleton and struck his neck solidly. His skull toppled off and his body dropped lifelessly.
Brandy and her crew relaxed, but then the skull began to laugh. “It’s delicious to see how hard you are willing to fight. Our King thirsts for this and will soon come to this world to consume you all. We grow stronger by the day. Fight all you want. The more blood you spill, the tastier your soul will be for us to devour!” Brandy kicked the skull into the water with a plop. On the outside she laughed with her Uncle, but inside she felt the dread that was written across Griffin’s face. Maybe her mother was right. Maybe killing needlessly could cause more harm than good. And who was this King of the underworld? He didn’t sound very friendly.
The group conferred after the battle and it was decided that Herb and Elsa would help Esmeralda get the Snake Pit back to Ica. There Herb could check on his wife and his daughter swore to help Esmeralda rebuild the Golden Serpents. Herb hugged Brandy tightly and told her that he saw her as a daughter of his own. They wished each other well and promised to cross paths again as soon as they could. Esmeralda patted Brandy and James shoulder’s and told them next time they saw each other they should watch their selves as she might not be so friendly. Pirating wasn’t easy and she was sure they would soon be her biggest competition. She then went over to Griffin. “Well Esmeralda,” He began. “We haven’t had the most typical relationship, but I am sad to see you go. You’re not as filthy a pirate as I originally estimated.”
Esmeralda laughed and said, “Lovely Prince, you are not as good of a sweet talker as you might think, but I’ll let you off easy this time since you caught me feeling a little sentimental.” She grabbed him by his collar and kissed him on the lips opening one eye to catch Brandy’s reaction. She was very pleased to see her jaw drop. She patted Griffin’s stunned face and left with Herb and Elsa sharing chuckles. James turned to Brandy and stirred her soul. “We got a lot to do little lady! Are you up for it?” Brandy shook off her disgust and focused on the task ahead, a smile growing as she thought of the adventure that lie ahead of her. “Let’s do it!” She said. “Let’s go find the Water Tower!”
