Jacob looked over at the familiar sight of the undead pirate crew and smiled. The men were rushing about, their zombified forms hurrying to prepare the beached ship for combat. Several nodded at Jacob at they passed, spitting out a quick “Captain” as they moved about their duties.
“Permission for us to come aboard, Captain?” Jacob looked over at the grizzled undead face who had greeted him both times he had boarded the vessel. The undead face was locked in a eager smile, looking at the King Token out past the port side of the ship with an expression almost of hunger.
“A man as fine as ye never be needing permission, sir.” The Pirate at his side saluted roughly “When you’re aboard, ye be the captain.”
“Well let’s see if we can give ourselves some water to sail through.” Jacob cast the snare card Unholy Tsunami, and the entire ship suddenly floated upright as a massive wave enveloped the furnace they were within. With nowhere to go it bounced off the walls, quickly filling the space with just enough water to make the ship float.
The King Token slammed into a wall, crushing many of it’s subjects, before standing upright again. While the Tsunami had been enough to knock it off its feet, it wasn’t enough to completely submerge the Token, who stood on it’s legs like stilts above the water. In one portion of the furnace a massive burst of steam appeared, where the water met Stan’s still active Flame Column.
“Ye be the Captain?” Jacob looked wryly at what he had to remind himself was his first mate “Ye. Be. Now what kind of grammar is that?”
“After our last voyage the crew felt I should sound a little more… ‘pirate-y’” The first looked almost a little sheepish as he responded “Sir.”
“Pirate-y.” Jacob raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Stan, who shrugged.
“Aye Sir.” The First Mate nodded “Pirate-y”
“Alright, I’ll play along.” Jacob sighed “But I’m not doing the voice. Call over the crew, let’s get this show moving.”
“Aye sir.” The First Mate stepped forward as he called to the crew “Look Alive ye scurvy scallawags, Captain’s back on deck!”
The Pirate crew quickly dropped what they were doing, securing lines and standing next to their cannons expectantly. Several nodded at Jacob, and the crew overall seemed to be in jovial spirits. Jacob smiled back confidently.
“What be your orders sir?” The first mate turned, directing the crew’s attention to Jacob. He took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself to once again role play as the pirate captain.
“We’re off the edge of the map!” Jacob called to the crew “And we’ve found one of its monsters. Keep firing at that thing until it’s sunk to the Locker. If any Tokens get close, cut them down.Let’s send that creature back to the watery hell it spawned from.”
“AYE CAPTAIN!” The crew thundered it’s response in unison, before rushing to man the guns. The King Token had started to approach again, and was about to reach the ship when another volley was fired into it. Jacob smiled as he watched the crew work; Ghosts of the Derelict Ship was becoming one of his favorite cards, he’d have to take a voyage once he returned to Cascadia from the Factory. A few weeks at sea before returning to the monotony and paperwork of the CEA.
“Is this what it was like last time?” Stan gawked at the active ship around him, which continued to rain cannon fire on the King Token.
“No. Last time was even better.” Jacob smirked at Stan, then looked back upon the crew. “I activate the card effect of Ghosts of the Derelict Ship to equip Ancient Archer of Azaroth and Major Water Lord Labubuan to the ship’s crew. “
The figures of the Ancient Archer of Azaroth and Major Water Lord Labubuan appeared on the deck next to the Jacob, Stan and Veronica, and shot to attention.
“Archer, crow’s nest. If it sends out more tokens, take out as many as you can.” Jacob barked the orders harshly, leaning into his role as pirate captain slightly “Water Lord Labubuan, into the sea. Strike it from every angle with Water Spears, make it miserable.”
The two creatures saluted, then rushed to their assigned stations. There was a large splash as the Water Lord Labubuan dove overboard, and began swimming over towards the King Token. It cried out as arrows and spears joined the cannon fire, struggling to stay on its feet. Jacob looked out at the creature, and frowned. Even with the cannons and constant attacks, the creature kept rising again. It’s defense stat needed to be at least 8000 to keep moving after so much damage in single combat, though Jacob wouldn’t be surprised if it had grown to over 9000. He made a mental note to discuss the effect of long term casting on a creature’s stats with the scientists of the CEA; normal Tokens didn’t have nearly the strength or longevity of the King they faced.
Suddenly the King Token roared, and all hell broke loose. Thousands of Tokens flew off the walls, and began attacking the ship. They came from every direction, raining down upon the vessel like furry missiles. The crew roared in response and draw their swords, cutting down Tokens wherever they could. A few pirates cried out as they were yanked from the deck by tokens, getting ripped into several pieces before being thrown overboard. One pirate was fully coated and consumed by Tokens, who promptly dropped dead the moment they finished. Jacob grimaced as he saw the consumed remains of the pirate slowly moved out of the dead tokensand begin to re-assemble themselves, and noticed several pirates climbing back on board from having been torn apart and thrown overboard. The pirates healed themselves similarly to how Jacob had in his duel with the Mysterious Figure in the stormy seas, an act that was nauseating to watch in real time. At the very least they seemed to be largely indigestible by the Tokens, which had learned from their deceased comrades not to consume the Pirate’s flesh.
Well, shit.” Jacob tucked the cards of his hand back into his deck box, and tapped his equip deck. It spat out a card and he placed it in his equipper, smiling grimly as the glimmering of the Twin Blades of the Ancient Elves appeared in his hands. He looked over at Stan, getting an idea. “Stan, equip Conquests of a Prince to the ship.”
“What?” Stan slashed with his cloud sword into a Token, then whirled around and slashed another. Both disintegrated as they disappeared.
“Conquests of a Prince, equip it to Ghosts of the Derelict Ship.” Jaocb lunged forward and slashed apart a Token with his elven knives. Another Token bit into his right bicep, and he grimaced before cutting it off. Blood began to run down his arm, and Jacob moved quickly to cut down two more Tokens. “It’ll turn every Token we kill into one we control.”
Stan slashed down another Token, then looked over at Jacob. He grinned as the realization hit him, then nodded. He tapped his deck box - where he had also replaced his hand - and it spat out the card.
“I equip Conquests of a Prince to Ghosts of the Derelict Ship” Stan posed dramatically as he placed the card on his equipper, and Jacob shook his head. The actor seemed to be getting into the spirit of things a little bit too much, greatly enjoying the adventure. Jacob glanced back at Veronica, who sat on the deck looking slightly queasy. To no one’s surprise the Tokens were ignoring her entirely, focusing on Jacob, Stan, and the Pirate Crew.
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“Veronica, go below decks.” Jacob barked out the order as he continued to slash at the Tokens. He saw the First Mate cut through one and it disintegrated, before re-appearing next to him. It trilled lightly at the pirate, then flew off to attack one of its Token brethren. Jacob glanced back at Veronica, who nodded weakly. She began crawling towards the hatch to below decks, before making her way down. As she did Jacob saw the Mysterious Figure make his way up, cradling a large pink yarn mass in his arms as he did. The Figure looked around curiously, seeing the carnage.
“I miss something?” The soft baritone of the Figure held a bit of surprise, and Jacob frowned.
“Now what could you want?” Jacob slashed through several more Tokens, grimacing as one or two managed to lash into him with their legs. Several more cuts opened up on his body, all of which were shallow. His shirt was slightly in tatters from the constant abuse, and he made another mental note to send Rama a bill for the tailoring it would take to fix it.
“I finished my crochet.” The Figure gestured with the mass of pink yarn in its hands, seeming to offer it to Jacob.
“I’m sure whatever you’ve made is lovely.” Jacob grunted, grimacing at the exertion of fighting off the Tokens “But I’m kinda busy.”
“But it’ll help.”
There was a small explosion behind him, and Jacob looked back to see an arrow sticking out of the deck, still impaled with pieces of Token. He glanced up and the Ancient Archer saluted at him before continuing to shoot. Jacob took a deep breath and looked back at the Mysterious Figure, who was waiting patiently.
“Alright, I’ll bite. What did you make.” Jacob gestured at the mass of pink, and the Mysterious Figure dropped most of it to the deck. It held a single corner, revealing the pattern of what it had made.
It was a giant net. A massive, lacy, hot pink net. Jacob stepped forward and grabbed a portion, testing it. The net was incredibly sturdy and strong, made out of a material that only looked like yarn. Jacob glanced over at the Mysterious Figure, who shrugged.
“It’s a net.” Jacob said simply.
“A King Token sized net.” The Mysterious Figure nodded, with a hint of pride in its voice.
“I’ve gotta admit, I was a little harsh but this could actually help.” Jacob looked over the net, as an idea began to pop into his head. Jacob looked back at the Mysterious Figure, then over at Stan. The idea crystallized further, and Jacob groaned internally. “Stan, come here.”
“Coming!” Stan slashed through another Token, and made his way over. The amount of Tokens was thinning significantly, but they still rained down from every direction at an impossible rate. Rama must have cast thousands for them to last this long, continuing to pour from the hole in the ceiling even as their own brethren turned on them.
“That is a lovely color.” Stan looked down at the net as he reached the two of them. “I quite like the pink.”
“Thank you.” Pride mixed with pleasure in the Mysterious Figure’s voice, and Jacob shook his head.
“Stan, I have an incredibly stupid idea.” Jacob interrupted, pulling the Twin Blades out of his equipper. The knives disappeared from his hands, freeing them for what he had to do next “But I’m going to need to borrow your sword. You can have the knives.”
Jacob held out the equip card to Stan, who looked at it critically.
“What exactly is this stupid idea?” Stan looked at the card skeptically, before looking back at Jacob.
“Something so dangerous and stupid I don’t even want to say it.” Jacob gestured with the card, and Stan finally took it. He removed his own equip from his equipper, passing it to Jacob. Jacob moved to place it in his own equipper and frowned. He removed Bubbles of a Treasure Chest from his equipper, and placed Sky Sword of the Cloud Gods in its place. Across the starboard side of the ship the acidic stream of bubbles disappeared, and more tokens flowed through in its place. “I forgot I still had that equipped.”
“Should I remove the fire Column?” Stan looked over at Jacob sheepishly “I kinda forgot that was there too.”
“No, I think we can use it.” The Sky Sword appeared in Jacob’s hand right after he replaced the Bubbles of a Treasure Chest into his deck box, and Jacob swung it experimentally. It was significantly lighter than the blade he had used last time he was on the ship, and the air seemed to crackle slightly as it moved through it. The distinct smell of ozone followed it, along with a feeling that could only be described as the distinct power of thunder and lightning. “Helm! Bring the ship about! Drive us towards the King Token!”
“Captain, are you sure?” The helmsman slashed a token and looked down at Jacob like he was crazy.
“Do it!” Jacob nodded at the helmsman, and the pirate shrugged. He turned the wheel, and the cannons stopped firing as they faced away from the Token. The crew paused and looked over in surprise as they turned, glancing over at Jacob.
“All hands!” Jacob called to the surprised crew “If you’re not actively killing a token, grab onto the net. We have a beasty to cast. Helm! Take us through the steam next to the Column of flame.”
“AYE SIR!” The crew rushed to follow his commands, picking up the hot pink net and carrying it to the port side of the ship. The never ending rain of Tokens slowed as the number of allied ones began reaching a rough equivalent to those flowing through the hole in the ceiling. Jacob walked to the railing of the vessel, spotting the Major Water Lord Labubuan battling the Token fiercely in the water. It appeared to have been single handedly keeping the token at bay with it’s water spears, an impressive feat that Jacob wished he had had the ability to see.
There was a roaring sound as the ship approached the Flame Column of the Dying Volcano, passing within a few feet of it on the starboard side. Steam enveloped the ship, and Jacob instantly began sweating at the humidity and heat radiating off of the column. A sizzling sound joined the roar, as they came close enough to hear the water below being vaporized by the flame. Two immense forces met in a single place, and Jacob lost all ability to see the Water Lord battling the King Token as they were swallowed by the fog. For a brief moment they were immersed in forces like those found in ancient mythology, the realm where fire and water met in a vapor filled inferno. Stan walked up next to Jacob and looked at him skeptically.
“Care to fill me in on whatever this stupid idea is?” Stan raised an eyebrow in the fog.
“Not particularly.” Jacob tapped his equip deck and it spit out a card. It rapidly placed it in his equipper before Stan could see. The power of the Hand of Aman’thea rippled through him, and he noticed the pirates around him slightly standing taller as it went into effect. “I activate the secondary effect of this ship, and substitute myself for the Ancient Archer.”
Jacob blinked, and found himself suddenly on the crow’s nest of the ship. His body was suddenly pallid and cold, and he felt as the undeath of being on the ship’s crew took hold. Jacob shook his head and prepared himself. Below he heard Stan cry out as Jacob disappeared from the main deck, and he saw the actor glance up in surprise. Jacob saluted down at him, then looked at the helm. He nodded, and the helmsman turned the wheel. The ship slowly emerged from the fog, circling about behind the King Token. The giant creature was still locked in battle with the Water Lord, and hadn’t noticed the ship yet.
“Deploy the net!” Jacob called down to the crew. The pirates surged forward as the Tokens began attacking again, having located the ship outside of the fog. The net sailed over the King Token, where the Water Lord quickly spotted it and grabbed it. The massive Token quickly got entangled in the Hot Pink creation, Crying out as it lashed about. The Major Water Lord yanked on the net, and the Token King was pulled off it’s feet. Jacob looked down at the King Token with disdain.
“Hey, Fuzzball!” Jacob called down “You hungry?”
The King Token thrashed until it faced Jacob, then roared. It’s mouth opened wide in rage as it unleashed the sound, shaking the room again. Jacob hesitated for only a moment as he leapt of the crows nest, cursing under his breath at his own stupidity. He flew downwards towards the open maw of the beast, pointing his Sky Sword in front of him like a giant lance. He reached the maw of the creature, and the world went dark as it snapped shut behind him.
love writing the pirates. I never expected them to become one of my favorite things to write, but they are. I hope they’re fun to read. And before you ask, no I am not listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean film soundtrack while I write. I’m listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride soundtrack while I write, along with a recreation of the 2008 Caribbean Plaza Area Music loop. Totally different, don’t question it.
very enlightening conversation with whatever poor soul ends up being my future therapist), I live in a coastal town and was actually crew on a small fleet of tall ships for a few years in my early college days. We did both active sailing and maintenance, and my time there has some of the best memories of my life. I miss it greatly, but unfortunately haven’t had time to return to the sea with my current jobs of coaching archery and managing a large local archery range (my life is an adventure, I have a lot of stories - my friends call them ‘Lore Drops’).
have then consider following the book, favoriting the book, leaving a rating, and maybe even leaving a review! As a reminder we have a series of goals for those metrics; to sweeten the pot even more I’ll add one last goal based on ratings: Earlier in the book I had a throwaway line by our Avenged Water Demon, while they were bringing Kerl’s remains aboard the Pirate Ship in the Stormy Seas:
“The Mer-people had already gotten to him” - Chapter 27: The Stormy Seas
Avenged Water Demon managed to retreive Kerl from the mer-people, and escape the Coral Kingdom. As a reminder, this writing would not replace the current chapters (current chapters always take writing priority) nor replace their current posting schedule. This is a bonus short story, posted in addition to current chapters.
Avenged Water Demon Short Story Ratings: 8/15
trust in the cards…
Would you like seeing more of the Pirates in future books?
