Oak, Magnus and Ash stood atop the poop deck waiting for anyone to greet them or show signs that someone was nearby. Just then four massive harpoons flew to the side of the Rhytidome, holding her in place. The crew down below fought the temptation to unhook the harpoons. The sight of the Rhytidome being held down into submission, broke the hearts of those who called her their home.
Two large gangways started to reach out and land on her side. As the gangways hitched themselves on board a large bang echoed in this amplified manmade dock inside the Sanglier. Heavy footsteps could be heard approaching the Rhytidome, as if a small stampede of hogs, boars, and other swine rushed to attack. We are in their territory, this is their waters.
Twelve of Gulliver’s crew members hopped on board armed with various weaponry and guns. They snarled and growled like wild animals. They foamed at the mouth ready to eat. Then a loud thud echoed along the gullet of the Singlier and the Gulliver’s crew turned to look up from where the sound came from. A thin gray looking man with thinning hair and a beak of a nose squealed.
“Captain Oak! How dare you show your face in these waters. You better have a good reason why we don’t kill you and your crew.” The thin man said, holding a rifle to his side.
“I have come to parley with Captain Gulliver Quincee. We have his son, and in good faith we plan to return him unharmed for safe passage through these waters.” Oak replied.
“Which son is he?” Said the thin man, now aiming his rifle at Oak.
“Magnus.” Said Oak as he pointed over to Ash who had one of her pistols drawn on Magnus head.
“Magnus! Why did you get caught by these fools?”
“I made my escape, but then some weird net shot at me and next thing I know some girl and Oak’s men started dragging me to their ship.” Magnus replied.
“A girl? Oh Magnus, what a shame you have become. Your father would not like this. And what of the ship?” The thin man asked.
Magnus' eyes widened and he started to shake.
“The Royal Guard ceased it and is now at the bottom of the ocean.” Magnus said.
“Well you best retrieve it back from the bottom of the ocean.” Said the thin man.
Oak rubbed the bridge of his nose, and turned to Magnus who shook and looked down at his feet.
“How about you pick yourself up Magnus and get us to Gulliver.” Oak said.
Magnus’s head seemed like a massive weight was holding it down as he attempted to look up at the thin man.
“Gilsom, take us to my father. Captain Oak here wants to make a deal with our Captain. He plans on repaying his debts.” Magnus said with a faint feeling of disbelief in his voice.
“How do you plan to do that? You hardly have a penny to your name.” Gilsom said.
“That is a discussion between captains. Not a deck hand like yourself.” Oak replied.
The animalistic crew started snorting with laughter. Gilsom lowered his rifle and slammed the stock on the ground. A loud thud followed by a shot fired from the rifle rang out into the man-made dock within the Sanglier. The deck hands went silent and looked back at Gilsom.
“Bring Magnus and Captain Oak up to the main deck. All the others put them in the brig.” Gilsom commanded.
The wild deck hands started charging towards Captain Oak, Ash and Magnus. The rest of the crew down below surrendered as they marched their way out of the lower deck. Captain Oak and his crew had their hands bound up but Gulliver’s crew. Captain Oak and Magnus were separated from the rest of the crew and taken up to the main deck. The smell of decaying animal remains lingered in the halls of the ship. The sight of butchers and cooks working tirelessly to prepare food. Boxes of different alcohols and other spirits were being broken open and its contents haphazardly being spilled out. Different kinds of wood workers and carpenters were seen tearing apart pieces of boats and ships to add on and build out the Singlier.
Once Captain Oak and Magnus made it up to the main deck they were greeted with the sight of a large table plated with different meats and goblets of various liquids. At the end of the table was a man who looked like he ate a hill on the side of a country road. His mouth was covered with crumbs of bread and bits of meat. The man's sides hung over his throne of a chair and in his hand was a turkey leg and the other was a hog skull carved in a way to hold his drink of choice. This man was the notorious legendary pirate, Captain Gulliver Quincee the Gluttonous.
“Gilsom, where is my drink?” Gulliver demanded, as he threw his half eaten turkey leg to a pin of boars off to the side.
“Ey captain. Men fill up your captain's drink!” Gilsom said ordering a few men to pour a giant pitcher of wine in the hog skull.
One of the crew men knocked into Captain Gulliver’s chair. A sudden silence fell in the room as Gulliver splashed his drink in the crewman’s face and with the other hand pulled him by the collar and threw him in the pin with the boars. The boars started to gnaw at the crewman as he tried to claw his way out of being eaten alive. The squeals drowned out the screams of the poor man. Nearly escaping the pin with gashes and bite marks over his body.
“Now look, you made me waste my drink. Now pick it up.” Commanded Captain Gulliver, he shifted his gaze towards Magnus. “Why are you here?”
“Oak and his crew captured me, but I led them back here for you to deal with them.” Magnus said with an evil grin.
“Why do I need to deal with him? I made you a captain of your own crew to be a part of my fleet, and yet here you are with no crew, and no ship.” Gulliver remarked, as he grabbed another turkey leg from the table.
“But father, Oak owes you a debt, and you can get rid of him now-”
“And not get my debt repaid?” Gulliver interrupted as he slammed down his meaty fist on the table.
Magnus jumped back from the sudden ring of the slam. He held his head down, looking back at Oak.
“Captain Gulliver Quincee, I am here to negotiate with you.” Captain Oak started. “We have word that your territory is being hit on the far west, and that you can’t eat up those no name pirates. For the seas to hear that, a legend as yourself, is growing weak, will only allow others to take your waters, and your food.”
Gulliver stopped eating, and stood up. His height towered nearly twice the size of Captain Oak. Each foot step taken sounded as if a walrus slapped against the soggy wood. Captain Gulliver bent down into Oak’s face and burped. The smell nearly made Oak wobble on his feet and pass out.
Oak held his composure enough to continue, “I may not have a large enough bounty to cover my debts, but I hate this Blue Crab drug that has been going around. These basically, mercenaries, have been pumped to the gills with this stuff. Now imagine Captain Gulliver being over thrown by some no name who is more gluttonous than you. You would be a laughing stock to the other pirates. Your legacy would be nothing more than a fat man who did nothing.”
Gulliver quickly grabbed Captain Oak by the throat and lifted him closer to his face. His eyes peeking out of the folds of his puffed up face.
“Choose your next words carefully or it will be you and your crew on my table for dinner.” Captain Gulliver warned.
Oak mustered a sentence out, “We find…the Blue Crab…You take the riches…”
Captain Gulliver let down Captain Oak. He flopped back to his throne of a chair, and picked up his hog skull to take a drink.
“Why should I believe you?” Captain Gulliver asked.
“We aren't pirates for wealth or name. We want to discover an adventure.” Replied Oak.
“That’s childish thinking. The only way to be a pirate is to take everything in your path. Nothing will ever satisfy which makes taking everything a never-ending indulgent.” Captain
Gulliver said, as he wiped his mouth from the wine leaking out onto his chins.
“If you give us safe passage to Parley Cay, and back to where the attacks are happening, we can kill, or eat two birds with one mouth, in this case.” Oak said, as he rubbed his neck. “I get closer to finding the Blue Crab, and you can take everything west without thinning your fleet.”
Gulliver sat and pondered the idea. He shook his head as he was in mid thought and finally looked up from his thoughts.
“Gilsom, give our guest here a chair and pour some wine in his cup.” Said Gulliver.
“Ey Captain.” Gilsom replied as he shuffled his feet and dragged a chair, placing it lazily at the table.
“Captain Oak, you may have safe passage through these waters, but you only get one shot. If you fail to stop these no-namers, and they continue to assault the western reaches, then it’s your head on this table. Now drink, for we have an alliance.” Said Gulliver, as he raised his hog skull in the air.
Oak reluctantly raised his glass and looked down at the table where a black and green hog skull was pushed in front of him on the table.