The Lone Shadow Templar
18: Pirate’s Cove
A couple of days had passed since the initial brawl between the Lady Lumbridge and the Lady Zay. A couple of days since I had been pulled out of the ocean, saved from drowning, by a ship full of pirates. I owed my life to a filthy bunch of bilge rats that scoured the world for treasure and gold. They certainly knew how to live life to the fullest.
“Me Lady, the Captain wants to see you,” Beady-eye Jones humbly told me. I thanked him and climbed the stairs to his cabin. Before I could knock, he swung the wooden doors open and welcomed me in.
“Now we be sailing for three days, and are nearing the eastern borders of known RuneScape.” He motioned me to look on the map, “We be docking in Pirates Cove to stock up on supplies, then we set sail for the unknown.” He looked up at me with his hearty stare, “You be leading us on this voyage from there on.” My eyes followed his fingers as they created a route towards the east and off the map.
He rolled the parchment up and stuffed it back onto the shelf. Then, he plopped himself down on his creaky chair and propped his booted feet onto the table. “So…” he grinned, “In a few hours, you will see just how exciting a pirate’s life can be.”
…..
A beer bottle careened overhead and smashed into the wall, spraying me with a foam of fermented slush. The brawl between the two fat men in the middle was getting loud, escalating as every second passed by the jeers of the drunken crowd cheering them on. Wild laughter reverberated through the bar in Pirate’s Cove. A woman ran past, followed quickly by a man, who was giggling incessantly as he chased after her bottom.
I turned back over to my mug of rum and looked at the captain, who had just chugged down his fifth beer. “Is this how it’s like then?” The sound of more glass smashing into bits reached our table.
“That it be,” he sighed and slammed his cup down, “But that be only half. The other half is the treasures we find!”
“That must be some damn fine treasure if you have to go through this,” I said to myself. I turned back to look at the commotion but the cufflinks on my sleeve knocked over my rum, which splashed to the floor, forming a dark pool. “Do I really have to wear this?”
Captain Bentley had outfitted me with a slim pirate’s outfit made especially for a lady. When he made me put it on, I had questioned the need, since no one in his crew was a woman. Of course he just blamed it on the pillaging. But then again, it was a very nice outfit. The overcoat was a dark blue and had intricate patterns sewn on. Underneath, the frilly white undershirt was actually very comfortable and warm, despite the thin material. The crew of the Lady Zay had found me a pair of black buckled boots that actually fit me. It was a good thing I was captured by this lot. At least they were slightly fashionable.
“Aye ya do lass,” Bentley replied, reaching for another beer. “Ye don’t want to attract too much attention do ya?” But right when he said that, two drunken men both wielding a bottle of rum wobbled over to our table, their eyes fixated upon me.
“How ye doing me buxom beauty,” one of them slurred as the other took a drink of alcohol.
I looked at the captain, who immediately stood up, drawing his sword. “Ye talking to me navigator, grogs! Show her some respect!”
“Whaaaa?” one of them let out a long burp afterwards, “A miss as an officer? Preposterous! C’mere you!” He lunged at me. As his face came down towards mine, I leaned back in my chair and met his chin with the toe of my boot. He fell backwards, limp and knocked out cold. His buddy became drunkenly enraged.
“Swords at ye neck!” he shouted as the ringing of metal filled the air, momentarily drowning out the fight in the background. Then, before I knew it, the captain had pounced onto the table, his own sword drawn at the drunkard.
“You best choose yer next words carefully, boy” he warned as he stood protecting me. It was so strange not being able to read anyone’s minds in this world, yet I knew exactly what Bentley was thinking. If there was ever such thing as a noble pirate, he would be it.
“Whoeryou?” he slurred, “Never mind that…” Before finishing his sentence, he had lunged forwards, bringing down his sword in an arc. However, Bentley’s blade instantly parried it away, making the man lose his grip and sending the sword clattering away onto the floor. The captain pointed the tip of his cutlass to the man’s neck.
“Run along cur, and save your gizzard before I nail it to the table,” He growled. The drunkard’s eyes shifted between the sword, Bentley, and me, and then decided wisely to stumble backwards and run off, muttering profanities as he went.
“Thanks,” I replied, “But I think I could have handled them on my own.”
“Really now, Miss Natalie,” He smiled at me. After taking another swig, he continued, “You have been trained with a sword?”
My heart sank, as I stupidly remembered that there were no guns here, and that my own were freezing at the bottom of the ocean. “Well… no… but I can fight hand to hand.”
“Ye be needing more than just yer fists around these lands,” he mocked me, “But don’t worry lass, Lecherous Lee will give you the run down on how we fight in these parts.” Lee was the best swordsman in the crew. He was actually picked up by Bentley on a deserted island. His ship had been wrecked by a freak storm, leaving him the only survivor. I did wonder though, how he got his nickname, ‘Lecherous’…
“Anyways, how long will we be in port,” I asked. Then my pupils dilated. Not once in the past few days have I even thought about getting back to my own world, back to MapleStory. For some reason the environment here, the people and lifestyle made me forget about where I came from. It was, dare I say it, fun. I was living in a fantasy world.
The captain however, did not notice my lapse, and he replied, “We’ll be here for three days. Beefy Burns needs time to collect the necessary provisions. I do hope he cooks us up something good before we head into the unknown.” He finished his cup and then looked back at me, “That should give you and Lee enough time to train. You do learn quick.”
I guess it was true, since I now knew how to do most of the crew work on the Lady Zay, albeit most of it was just scrubbing the deck, hoisting the sails, or mounting the colors.
“I think I’ll head back to the ship,” I said, and downed the remaining of the rum. The lingering aftertaste actually started tasting a bit pleasant in my mouth. “Goodnight, Captain.”
“Know yer way back?” he asked as he chugged.
“I have a good sense of direction,” I responded, “Farewell.” He waved me along and I exited the bar into the crisp night sea air.
It seemed like the night never rested in Pirate’s Cove. All around, the ringing laughter of men and women slammed off their knockers echoed out into the sea. The moon shaped island inner crescent was lit up like a Christmas tree from the numerous bars, all still shoving alcohol into people’s throats. Though back home I would have seen this action as putrid and disgusting, there was something about pirates that made it seem ok.
The moon above was barely lit; only a sliver of the crescent was visible. A new moon, perfect for the journey ahead. I strode through the noisy streets and turned right onto the docks. Ahead of me loomed the massive Lady Zay. She was three stories tall, and I could only assume one of the biggest ships that had ever sailed these waters. Her three tall masts rose proudly into the black sky. The diamonds up in the heavens sparkled madly in response. Likewise, the sea only broke gently upon The Lady Zay’s hull, as if not daring to provoke her might.
A breeze ruffled the captain’s black flag that flew proudly at the top of the middle mast. The crossed cutlasses were accompanied by a red emblem that was etched upon the white skull. Even from far away, there was something about that insignia that seemed familiar.
“Mistress Natalie!” Someone called from aboard the ship. I walked forwards and saw the cabin boy waving at me. “I’ll let down the gangplank!” I nodded in appreciation and in no time, he had set down the wooden board for me. For a small kid, he was mighty efficient.
Giving him a smile as he raised the walkway back up, I headed to my cabin, which was on the main deck, right below Bentley’s. It was strange that the second biggest room was conveniently available for me, the navigator. I wonder what happened to Zay’s former. Lighting up the oil lantern, I closed the door and placed it on my desk along with my own pirate hat. Setting myself down on the mildly comfortable white sheets, I unbuttoned my dark blue overcoat and threw it on the bed. Breathing a sigh of finality, I laid my head down on the pillow and turned to the side, looking out the porthole.
Zay rocked gently in the tide, like a baby being cradled by a loving mother. My side faced the open ocean; the blackness of the water matched the infinite darkness of the night sky. It had been a wild two days, but was also surprisingly fun. Perhaps I actually was dreaming. Maybe all of this was just a figment of my erratic imagination, and that I was still asleep in Henesys. I didn’t have long to ponder as my mind wandered off into another dream world.