Author's Preface
A black and blue port town, downtrodden from the comings and goings of pirates, seems to be the norm for those who were unfortunate enough not to find a way out. Those who try to make a living doing an honest day’s work could see their fellow man be ransacked for their earnings, left with nothing but hopefully their lives to work another day and not have things stolen again. This port town was just the perfect place for Captain Oak Ashton Krook to gather the information needed to stop the distribution of the Blue Crab, a dangerous drug sweeping along the high seas and ruining the lives of those who are unfortunately in the path of its destruction.
Captain Oak was a simple pirate with one rule: don’t bother me and I won’t bother you. This Blue Crab was bothering him and his crew, preventing them from carrying out their adventures. Anyone who had used the Blue Crab, either on his crew or an adversary, only made trouble. The Blue Crab was a drug that enhanced the physical performance of the user, but in return made those who used it suffer one of the sins of man. When a man is to be engulfed in his sin, there is no coming out of it. The withdrawals could only be subdued by constantly taking Blue Crab, which only makes unstoppable folks with a sinful desire to be fulfilled.
Captain Oak looked to the bay at which most of the ships docked and noticed one ship bore a large brown and green hog skull in the front. This hog skull was a sign that this ship was under the watchful eye of Captain Gulliver Quincee, one of the legendary captains who made his own kingdom out at sea to rival any royal navy or take claim of smaller pirate crews. His stretch of power never seems to stop as he continues to eat up anyone who dares challenge him and his kingdom.
“Ash, prepare the crew to be ready to dock and make sure everyone is armed. I have a feeling Gulliver's men will be raising an eye on our presence,” commanded Oak, lowering his spyglass from his face.
“Yes, Captain!” replied Ash, “Alright, you planks of wood start moving and get ready to tie up, and make sure you're filled with powder!” Ash Sterling Hollow was the first mate and friend to Oak. From kids of the same town playing pretend to now actually being the pirates they always imagined. Ash was a shorter woman, with sandy blonde hair, cold blue eyes, and the cunningness of a fox. Decorated with her tricorn hat and the pistols of her foes.
As the Rhytidome made its way to an opening large enough for the ship to dock, the crew started throwing ropes and ladders onto the landing. A few men climbed down and hitched the rope to the rusted cleats. Another two crew members were starting to lower a gangway at the ones that tied the ropes steadily and secured it to the dock.
“Alright, Captain, lines are fast,” said one crew member.
“Good, let's get the information we need and hurry back to Parlay Cay. We do not need any blood to be spilled unless we want a fight we can not win.” Oak said. Walking down from the ship, he held tightly to his satchel with one hand and with the other started rummaging around inside the bag. Sounds of glass and jangling metals filled the air. “Blast it, where is my-”
“Here you are, sir.” Ash held out a bottle of clear liquid to Oak.
“Thank you.” Oak uncorked the bottle and took a light swig of its contents. “Gin, much cleaner and much more fun,” said Oak, winking at Ash. He put the bottle into his bag and started heading off in the direction of any pirate's favorite place to visit, a tavern.
As Oak started his way through the busy docks of fishermen unloading their catch and other welcoming pirates looking to swindle the fishermen, he took a moment to look at anyone who could be selling any kind of toxic substance, like Blue Crab. If anyone were to sell that curse of the sea, it would be around here. The captain spotted a younger man unloading a few boxes from his boat. “What might you be unloading, lad?” Oak raised his leg and placed his foot on the box, stopping the young man in his tracks.
“What’s it to you?” The man looked right into Oak’s eyes: “I’ve dealt with your kind before: either steal my goods and we have a fight, or show me the coin, and we can discuss. I would certainly hope to pick the latter.” The man lowered his hand to his side. He slowly showed his pistol.
“Now, now, I am not looking to cause trouble with you. I want to know if you might know where I can find some of that wonderful new drug these sailors keep talking about.” Oak put his finger to his chin. “What is it called now?”
“The Blue Crab?”
“Ah yes, that's it.”
“Sorry to say, I am not part of that business. I wouldn’t be here unloading boxes if I were anyway. Something like that would give me the funds for the missus and me to leave this place.” The man moved his hand back from his side and continued with his work. “I will say, if you are looking for anything like the Blue Crab, you would have better luck with others like you.”
“Like me?”
“Pirates.”
“Fair enough. Thought I would ask someone less troublesome than a group of drunken pirates, but seeing how you were quick to the draw to threaten me with that pistol of yours.” Oak said, staring at the man’s side. “What was that branding on the barrel, a Sea Slug?”
“Look, I can't help you anymore. Please go so I may finish up here.”
Oak took his foot off the box and had a swig of his bottle. As he looked back down, the box held the same image of a sea slug on the man's pistol. “Alright, you take care now.”
“Likewise, now please.” The man said, waving away the captain.
Off the docks and through the stained, trashed streets, hard men and women could be heard yelling and laughing to one another. Women who looked like they tried a little bit to put themselves together would be tempting drunken passersby, only for their little ones to pocket them. If you had money, you could easily find yourself at the Howling Wolves, a brothel that has been popping up at every port town or trading post. Someone with the foresight found an opportunity to make lots of money by taking from men who haven’t seen a woman for months. Oak couldn’t help but take a small glance over to see the bright pink building. From the door, a sign of two wolves with their mouths open to the face of a beautiful lady. As if the hungry seafaring men were hunting their next prey. Next to the brothel was the tavern. A crooked sign being held by one of its corners read, Fishermen's Pond.
The clinking of glasses could be heard from outside. Laughter filled the building. Some folks were sitting playing dice games or cards. Others could be seen trying to outdrink one another. Some were slumped over the bar or each other. As Oak scanned the room, he tried to take note of anyone who might know about the Blue Crab. The table that caught his eye was three men drinking, and on their coats bore the emblem of a black and green hog skull. Oak walked over to the bar, trying to avoid being noticed by Gulliver’s men.
“What do you want?” a raspy voice spoke behind the counter.
“Do you happen to have any gin? Mine seems to be running low.” Oak held up his bottle, which was about a quarter of the way full. When Oak turned around, he saw a man with weathered skin and a face covered with hair. All he could see were two black eyes that showed no emotion behind them.
“Gin!? What kind of fancy place do you think this is? I have ale and rum.” Said the hairy man, pulling out a smudged glass from the shelf.
“I’ll take water.”
The hairy man fished out some water from a trough and slid it over to Oak. Little particles floated around in the water. Oak could only raise an eyebrow before another voice shouted.
“You cheat! It's best to fess up if you know what's good!” An older man stood up and wildly pointed at one of Gulliver’s men. The other two stood up and punched the old man in the face. In one fluid motion, the two men grabbed the poor man and tossed him out the door.
“Next time it's your life.” Said one of the men. He was short and bulbous, almost looking like a piglet to the hog he serves. The other man was round but a little taller in frame. They both headed back to the table where the third man was sitting. His face was covered by his hat, and below the face was a gold necklace that had the same hog emblem as the coat and ship.
“Magnus and his goons have been here for a while now. God only knows why they won’t leave. Something about a new drug going around.” The hairy bartender said, staring at the table where they were sitting.
“New drug, you say,” said Oak, turning to the man. “You wouldn’t happen to know the name, would you?”
“Blue crap or something like that.”
“Great,” Oak looked down at his glass, “you wouldn’t happen to know if anyone else might have said anything about this drug?”
“They seem to be the only ones talking loudly about it.”
“I was hoping to avoid them,” Oak said to himself. Turning back at the man, “If we had to hide bodies, where would the best places be?”
The hairy man looked back at Oak and gestured behind him in the direction of the alleyway. “The excuse of a guard patrol we have in this town won’t be looking around these parts until it starts to smell.” The man looked back at the table where Gulliver’s men sat, shuffling the cards the older man threw around. “It always smells back there.”
Oak took a deep breath and shot down the glass of water, only for him to immediately spit it back into the glass. The water had a funny taste, and the little particles floating around gave an uneasy feeling when swallowing any of its contents.
As he walked over to the table, Oak glanced around the room another time. Outside one of the windows, Ash and two other members of Oak’s crew, Boso and Tiko, could be seen standing across the street staring at the Fisherman's Pond. Ash, you always got my back.
“Is this seat taken?” Said Oak with a friendly smile, looking at Gulliver’s men.
“Ey, look at this, Magnus. We got ourselves a diamond in the rough here.” Said the piggly man.
“What does a man like yourself doing in these parts?” Magnus looked up from under his hat and gestured to take a seat.
“You see, men, I am looking for something, information.” Oak pulled the empty chair and sat with his legs up on the table.
“Ey! Where do you get off on these manners?” The piggly man stood up, curling up his ham like fists.
“Grunt, sit down. That's no way to welcome our guests. Especially one who owes a debt to our captain.” Magnus threw back a shot of a brown-tinted liquid. The belch that followed smelled of rancid onions.
Oak quickly turned around to the hairy bartender, “Round for the table, your finest stuff in the back.”
The hairy man turned around and walked through a door that looked to be where drinks and other inventory would be stored. Oak then turned back around to Magnus and tossed his water at his face. Magnus kicked the table out from underneath Oak, sending him tumbling backwards. Oak rolled back up and ran to the door leading to the street. The three men quickly ran after him.
Oak looked at Ash and nodded with a mischievous grin. He then turned the corner down an alleyway towards the back of the tavern. Three of Gulliver’s men soon followed behind. Ash and crew, without a moment's thought, ran after the other men. Oak jumped over a few trash piles and dirty undergarments that looked to be tossed from the windows of the Howling Wolves. As Oak turned one more corner, he was met with a dead end. The other three men stopped right behind Oak with pistols drawn. The sounds of cocking pistols echoed right behind Magnus and his men, with Ash, Boso, and Tiko each holding a pair of their own pistols.
“Best drop your weapons,” started Ash, “unless you want to sleep with the pile of trash tonight.”
Magnus and his two crewmembers sadly lowered their guns. “Captain Gulliver will have your head for this, Oak,” Magnus said, spitting at the ground towards Oak.
“He hasn’t got it yet, and I plan to keep it that way.” Oak grabbed the bottle out of his bag and took a swig. “Now, tell me about the Blue Crab, who is distributing it?”
“That’s what we’re trying to find out.” Replied Grunt in between wheezes.
“Allow me to refresh your memory,” Ash replied, raising the barrel of her gun closer to Grunt’s skull.
The bulbous man was sweating profusely. He shook at the sight of his life being snuffed out at any second. Only when the sudden slamming of an alleyway door caught everyone's attention. A half-naked, fully drunken man tripped out into the alleyway while two women covering themselves with sheets threw what looked like the man’s belongings. This distraction gave Magnus enough time to duck under Boso’s guns and run right between Oak’s crew. As Ash, Boso, and Tiko looked to draw their guns, Magnus Grunt and his crewmember grabbed Oak and held a knife to his throat.
“Now you drop your weapons, or your captain's head here will be served to Gulliver.” Grunt is pushing the knife closer into Oak’s neck.
“Let’s try not to spill any blood, shall we?” Oak looked at Ash. “Get Magnus; he is more useful to us than these two.”
“Boso. Tiko. You heard our captain. Let's go; he's got it from here.” Ash gave a wink to Oak. “If you die, remember I’ll-”
“I’ll kill you. Yes, I know, now go.”
Oak’s crew holstered their pistols and ran after Magnus. Jumping over the drunken man still lying on the floor of the alleyway.
“You think you could take us on?! You're outnumbered and have a knife to your neck.” The taller man said, leaning into Oak’s face. His hands made their way to the strap of Oak’s bag. “I think I’ll take this off your hands. I need a new bag to hold your head in.”
“By all means, it's yours,” Oak said, gesturing to the man to take it off him. “But I don’t think there is enough room to put my head in here. Let me dump it out.”
Oak poured out the contents of the bag onto the feet of the two men. A glass jar, a now nearly empty bottle of gin, a few coins, a solid oak billy club, and two round shots weighing four pounds each fell onto the toes of Grunt and the taller man. They both let out a loud yelp from the sudden pain. Oak quickly grabbed his club and swung at the hand of Grunt, making the knife fly out of his grasp. With another swipe going across the face of the taller man. The taller man fell to the floor while Grunt, now holding his hand, tried to run, but tripped over the man on the floor.
The alleyway echoed the moans of pain from Magnus’s men and weeping from the drunk on the floor. Oak walked over to Grunt, pinning his club to his chest.
“Please tell me what you know about the Blue Crab. I don’t want to have to hurt you more than I already have to.” Oak said, looking straight into Grunt’s water-filled eyes.
“All I know is a rumor about some plant being the main source, and that some other no-name pirate crews have been popping up pumped to the gills with this stuff.” Said Grunt.
“And where are these no-name pirates coming from?” Oak pushed the club deeper into Grunt’s chest.
“Somewhere west of Gulliver's territory. We only found out about them when one of the captain's lower ship recruits kept getting attacked by them from the same direction. After the fifth assault, only one survivor remains to tell us this.” Grunt placed his hands on the club. “Gulliver is ruthless, but he won’t send his own fleet if it means weakening his territory for only rumors.”
A loud bang rang in the alley, and Oaks' hearing went muffled, and his vision blurred as he spun to the floor. His arm stung from a fresh new bullet hole. The taller man held a smoking gun and ran to pick up Grunt off the floor.
“You said too much, you idiot. Let's get to the ship. Magnus and some of our men should be on board by now.” Said the taller man as they ran out of the alleyway into the streets.
Two more bangs soon followed as Ash’s face came into Oak’s view. She sat him up against a pile of trash and took a sash off her coat and wrapped it around the wound. Looking around, Ash pointed to a pile in the farthest corner. Boso and Tiko were carrying two limp bodies in the direction Ash pointed. Next, she went and grabbed the bottle of gin and poured it on the wound.
“Not my gin.” Oak winced at the burning feeling as the alcohol and flesh met.
“Oh, get over it. We’ll find you more,” said Ash. “Be happy you still have your life. Besides, you said you could handle it, but now look at you.”
“I was hoping the whack to the face would have kept him down more.”
“Well, now they both have holes in their heads. So I don’t think they will be getting up anytime soon.” Ash helped Oak to his feet. “Now let’s head back to the ship. We have Magnus, and it's only a matter of time before word gets out to Guilliver or the patrol that a few pirates have some sort of alterations. This is a powder keg we need to stop the fuse from igniting.”