Hello All,
Arrrlex here, I am excited about the whole production of SoT, that I wanted to write a story in the midst of all the hype. I would like to say that none of my content has been given to me by the devs, nor in any way is it affiliated with the production of SoT. I may use what SoT has given us and already developed to write my story. Thank you for all the support, and if I receive none, well tis a pirates life I guess :) Thank you for your encouragement Shaggiedo, as I promised, this first chapter is dedicated to you my friend. I will be updating (via edit) the chapters of this story if people like it. I may or may not update daily based on how well it goes prior. Please post what you think, would like to be worked on. I'd appreciate all help. I am no author, so without further ado, let us begin.
Chapter I : Blood on the Water
“SAAM! WHERE ARE YOU SAM!” screeched the frightened cabin boy. He rushed past the sleeping quarters, the hammocks that were ragged and torn, he could smell the sulfur and taste the salt peter in the powderous air. “SAM!” he choked, ftttwwwwwww THUD! The cabin boy was thrown back by the splinters of the ballast that were torn from their hull. It has been what seemed like eternity, the boy awoke to the sound of screams, orders, and smoke. Time had slowed down, he was confused, all he could hear was the, eeeeeeeee, ringing in his ears; he could only feel the thud….thudump… thudump thudump thudump of his heartbeat faster and faster. THWACK The doors to the lower deck were slammed opened “BOY! Get up. NOW BOY!” A man with a bloodied face entered, his jacket was doused in blood, sweat, soot; it was difficult to tell weather this was the first mate or the captain. “We are under attack, we need all hands-on deck, take this pistol, if you see anyone with tattoos on their face, pull the flint back, aim at their heart and by god do not miss.” The man turned away towards the door where he came from “And if you see Henry, tell him I need him!” The boy arose, unable to comprehend what had just happened, his eyes were tearful from the burning sensation, “Sa..am” he croaked as he rose up the creaky stairs to what hell awaited him in chaos above, his left hand cut and bloodied from the splinters, his right hand shaking as he grasped onto the handle of the long-barreled pistol.
The boy pushed through the door and what he saw made his knees become weak. There was blood, so much blood it seemed one could drown in it. The lifeless corpses laying in unnatural positons, all bloodied and what faces were shown were in terror. The boy veered his gaze towards the left broadside, he trembled as he saw a man sitting upright against rails of the ship, the same man he had seen just moments ago. He had a long object, what looked like a sabre of some sorts, dug deep into his left flank. The man caught the boys’ gaze and said, just loud enough, one word as blood flowed from his mouth down his sweaty beard “ rr..u..n”. The Boy saw the life leave the still man, it was an unnatural thing to see, a thing that would never leave one’s memory. He saw a shadow swallow up his own, as he turned to run, he was stopped in his tracks by a man, big and burley, this man had particularly large shoulders. One would almost argue that this man could have been a beast of some sorts, all bloodied and dark-skinned. As the boy looked toward the man’s face, he saw blood and sweat, he also saw three long, curved, black marks that ran down each of the man’s cheeks, as if a tiger or a massive animal had clawed him. A tattoo. The boys’ hands shook frantically, he dropped his pistol as his knees gave way, he stumbled and fell backwards down the creaky stairs into the sleeping quarters of the ship. He had hit his head against the floor on his way down, the last thing the boy saw were the massive hands of the tattooed man looming towards him…. a plank…. a ship… darkness.
It was dark and musty where the boy had been taken, in fact at this moment, if he were awake, he would think he were in a place in between life and death. The boy awoke to a frantic screeching, he felt something crawling about his leg, he gave a big yelp and kicked frantically in the darkness. The screeching stopped as the sound of what had touched him, echoed in its escape. The boy looked around, trying to see anything, but was greeted by a dark, cold blackness. The boy felt the slow and steady sway, as the room tilted slightly onto its left and then its right: he was on a ship. “Hello?” asked the boy, he tried to get up, but was immediately pulled to the ground as he felt something holding him tightly... chains. An immense pain surged through the boy’s body to where he had hit his head as he had fallen. He reached to his head, the chains were just long enough for him to hold his head and assume the fetal position. Where am I? he thought, how can this be happening? Will I see my mother agai There was an abrupt light! The boy placed his hands frantically over his eyes, the light was blinding, his head was pounding with pain. He peeked through the cracks of his fingers, he could not tell he was in a room, it was about the size of the store room of the ship he was from, though an unrecognizable room to him. This room seemed to be at the back of the ship as it had no doors behind it, there were wooden walls that were splintering from the result of their age, chains, there were chains everywhere, oh and the metal bars if front of him that formed a gate: it was a cage, he was in the Brig. “He’s in there Cap’n” the boy heard a voice from behind the entrance of the light. He heard footsteps, not in a rush, but slow and steady. These particular footsteps were different, he would here a creak, and then a thud, a creak and another thud, as if wood was hitting against wood. A face pierced through the light, a man approached him, this man had funny way of walking, as if almost hobbling. The boy could see he had one leg, as the other was a wooden-sculpted stump. The man himself was not a small man, but not a big man either. He had broad shoulders, a long jacket, and wore a tri-point hat. The man came close and leaned against the bars of the gate and grinned. The boy could see the long black beard he wore, and the gold tooth that was crookedly placed in his mouth. “What are ye gawking at boy?” the man said, he slowly drew the blade that his right hand had been resting on, he inspected the blade and most instantly caught eyes of the boy. The boy scrambled frantically but got nowhere as the chains had held him in place. The man opened the gate with a long silver key and said “ The name’s Shagg … now who might ye be?”
Chapter II : A Light in the Darkness
Captain Shagg sat in his quarters, it was a long day and he had sat down to recall everything that had happened today, with brandy of course. He leaned back on his chair and placed his wooden stump over his leg, on the table. Today was a great victory, those merchant s**m stood no chance against Riptide he thought. The captain was a coward, gave up without a fight.. yet it was the first mate that rallied everyone together… shame the lad had to be skewered like a pig. Captain Shagg took another long swig of his brandy.. he looked at the bottle perplexed, there was a problem. “BRRRrrriiiiiggs” the captain bellowed. The captains doors opened shortly after, entered by and older man with a white beard, he was a short fellow, short but stout, more likely to trip over himself that to successfully get to his destination. “Yyess cap’n?” asked the frightend Briggs, “me rum’s gone.. why is me rum gone?” asked the captain as he tossed the bottle toward Briggs. “Aye Cap’n I mus’tve forgattan to restock your bottles t’day with the fight’n and all” Briggs quickly added “I give ye me word Cap’n it wont happ’n again”. The captain stood up “It’s good of ye to remember that, Nothin gets in between me ship or me rum”, “Gather the lads, its about time they heard me voice”. Briggs raced out of the captains cabin, falling on his face as he exited the door. Insolent fool thought the captain.
Briggs entered the top deck, it was alive with able bodies swinging from rope-ladders, to lowering the sails. The first mate of the Riptide was shouting orders as the ship started to move. “aall h..hands on deck!” demanded Briggs, he looked about as he drew no attention from the crew, “ALL HANDS ON D..DECK” he shouted, everyone stopped what they were doing, there was silence, immediately there was laughter ,immense laughter, the sort of laughter that one would have thought the ship was filled with hyenas. A particular man named Slade, started mimicking Briggs in stuttering laughter “A..all hh..hannds on D..deck, th..tt-this in-instant” The crew roared with laughter. “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS” roared Captain Shagg as he slammed the door open, “ALL BLOODY HANDS ON ME DAMN DECK”. There was a sudden flurry of movement, knees springing to life from the floor. There was something about the captain’s voice that bent the will of the strongest man, everybody on the crew dared not get on the wrong side of Shagg. There was silence… It was a minute or two before the captain spoke. “Lads… today we ave had a victory, that merchant ship was no match fer yer own Riptide. You seadogs av given them poor souls somthin to fear, never forget that.” The captain was quiet for a short period of time, “alas this victory was not without it’s losses, those scallywag scoundrels took Billy and Pete. Ear’s to Billy and Pete!” shouted Shagg, “Hear Hear” echoed the crew. Shagg continued, “let us have a moment of silence fer our departed mates as they travel to Davy Jones Locker” There was silence, not even one minute passed as the Captain yelled out “Thar be enough of that lads! Now let us celebrate our victory! Briggs, bring out the barrels of wine and double rations fer every sorry slob on er ship.” The crew roared in approval as Shagg gave a sly grin and turn back to his cabin and stopped: “and Briggs… bring me the boy.”
The boy was seated in the captain’s cabin, as he looked around, there was nothing fancy about this cabin. There were no paintings or extravagant works of art, there was simply large map. This map was about three meters in length and two meters in height, it was so large that it enveloped the whole table it was set upon. The captain’s quarter was a dark place lit by a flickering candlelight, which one would think would go out at a moments notice. Thud… thud.. THUD “Ahh, there ye are laddy, or should I say Will. Ye’ve been through quite a voyage, yes ye’ave.” “Where am I? What do you want from me?” asked Will. “Ye are aboard the mighty Riptide, the finest in all er land, yes it is.” The captain’s chest puffed up the moment he mentioned the pride and joy of his life. “We are afloat far from land, lad, ye will become the Riptide’s cabin boy, until we here find a use fer ye.” “ I will not!” the boy protested “you cannot hold me hear like a dog!” The captain stood up in rage “Ye bloody bet’r lower yer voice, ye very well will become a dog if I say so, or lashes ye shall receive.” “BRIGGS, throw the scoundrel into the cell.. and no rations fer him tonight.”
Will was thrown back into the brig that he came out of, THWAACK, Will’s face felt the burning sensation of pain as the pirate that threw him back into the cell gave him a farewell smack to the face, “That should teach ye not to talk to me cap’n that way ye dog!” the pirate exclaimed as he locked the door. Will cursed under his breath, the pain was overwhelming, he should have kept his mouth shut. Will suddenly felt something different, hmm, he thought; the pirate must have forgotten to put the chains back on me… at least I have some freedom. Will, relieved as he was to be free of the chains, crawled back to the corner where he was chained and lied down to rest. It was not even a few moments when he heard a sound, a rustling sound, the type of sound that would make one think a rodent or a mildly small animal had come around. “Whos there!” cried Will, there was a short pause… then the rustling noise came again, but closer. Will took a deep breath and moved closer to the gate. There was some light in the room, but not a lot, the pirate who had forgotten to place our hero Will had also forgotten to close the door. As will moved towards the gate he caught a glitter of movement from the corner of his eye, and it caused him to gasp “SAM!”.
