Into the Crossfire, Part 2

In the meantime, Will had been taking up a new mission. Now that Flame was dead, he could finally relax. But before that, he needed a new ship. The Howler had sunk in the battle, so he was going to have to steal a ship, and Will knew where to find one.

Solemner’s fort was a small fort in southern England. It was most known for housing one of the British navy’s biggest ships, The Hellbound. But other than that, it was not very relevant. So the soldiers posted at Solemner’s fort were more than surprised when the well-known pirate Will Harbor sailed into the harbor and sidled next to The Hellbound.

“Halt right there, pirate!” Yelled the General. The soldiers pointed their muskets at the opposing crew.

“No!” Yelled Captain Harbor. “We’re taking your ship.”

“I said, Halt!” Screamed the General. Will and his crew ran below decks before the soldiers could fire.

“Board and kill them.” He ordered. The soldiers hurried to put up a boarding plank, and they ran over to Will’s ship. But belowdecks, they found no one. Only a hole shot into the floor and water starting to seep in. But by that point, it was too late.

Back on The Hellbound, The General clenched his fists as he watched The Crossfire sink.

“Well, at least Captain harbor is dead.” He muttered, turning around.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” To his horror, the General found himself staring down a pistol muzzle, held by Will Harbor with his entire crew behind him. Before he could do anything, there was a shot, and the General was dead.

“Throw the body overboard. We’re taking the ship.”

Right after they set sail, Will’s cabin boy ran up to the quarterdeck and to the helm, where Will was conversing with the navigator.

“Captain,” he panted. Will turned to the boy.

“What is it?” He asked, turning to face the boy and putting down a map that he had been holding.

“It’s the fleet. They want you to come to the headquarters immediately.” In all of the confusion with Captain Flame, he had forgotten. He was part of a famous pirate alliance, which although not very active, was still feared by the Navy and pirates alike. It was his tie to Crismon the First that had gotten him into the alliance. But after so many years of inactivity, why would they call a meeting now, Will thought.

“Set sail for the Trojan Isles!” Will ordered.

Captain William Crismon the second sat in his chair smugly. After betraying Chris and Phillip, he followed the fleet that tried to attack them, and when they realized who he was, they let him in immediately. As soon as he found out that Will was in the alliance, he convinced them to call a meeting. So the council was waiting in the meeting room when the messenger opened the door and held it. The man walked in.

“Welcome back, Captain Harbor,” said one of the Captains. Will Harbor looked around the room until finally laying his eyes on Crismon.

“Crismon!” He exclaimed. “Where’s Chris? Where’s Phillip?”

“Don’t worry about that. Sit down, we’ve been waiting.” Will pulled out the empty chair and sat down. The council scribe walked out from the corner and took out a scroll.

“This meeting has been called to decide on a new leader. I give the floor to whoever would like to speak.”

Crismon cleared his throat. “I suggest a duel between the candidates,” he said. Will knew what Crismon was up to. The scribe scratched something down in his book.

“Every Captain who would like to compete, say ‘Aye’,” said the scribe. One by one, the members said, ‘aye’. No pirate doesn’t like a duel. The last man was Crismon, who had remained silent.

“Nay,” he said with a grin. “Would the candidates please make their way to the beach?” The messenger opened the door, and the Captains shuffled out. Crismon picked up a bottle of beer and took a swig.

Captain James R. Smith was feared throughout the Mediterranean for his massive fleet of ships that he used to disrupt trade routes. He had hidden inside a fishing shack on the beach. He planned to wait it out to have a better chance at winning. Sitting down on a crate, the pirate took out a flask. Suddenly, there was a noise. Captain Smith got up and took out his pistol. There was a gunshot, much closer than the distant fight further down the beach. It hit a crate, and the dead fish fell onto the floor. Captain Smith bent down to find the bullet. If he could find the bullet, he could know where the shot came from. But by the time he found it, it was too late. Will had plunged another bullet into the Captain’s back, and he watched the man slump over on top of the fish.

Will returned to the main fight, where he was instantly met by a fist to the stomach that knocked him to the ground. One of the pirates had a cutlass pointed at Will’s chest. He rolled out of the way and jumped up, shooting his pistol at his opponent. Will looked around, and saw that there was only one man left. Will pointed his pistol again and pulled the trigger, but it was out of bullets. He tossed it to the ground, drawing his cutlass. Locked in tight combat, the two pirates circled each other back and forth. But Will was gaining ground, and he knew that he was winning. The fight moved into the water, where Will knew there was a steep drop. The other man tripped on the drop and Will lunged forwards and killed him.

Crismon was watching the fight from the mountainside as Will climbed up.

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it? To destroy the alliance?” Asked Will, panting. Crismon nodded, Will chuckled.

“What happened to Chris and Phillip?”

Crismon sighed. “You know what happens when the Captain of The Incinerator dies, don’t you?” He asked slowly.

“Yes. Whoever kills the Captain is the new Captain,” said Will.

“Chris killed Captain Flame.” Will’s eyes widened. “And Phillip killed the Captain of The Typhoon,” Crismon said. “

I certainly trained them well,” muttered Will.

“Clearly not well enough,” chuckled Crismon. “After that, I tagged along with them, and we came across your alliance’s fleet, who wanted to battle. Chris and Phillip asked me for help. But I knew that fighting that fleet would mean that I would die, although Chris and Phillip probably would’ve won. So I did what I had to do. I sunk The Incinerator. I’m not done yet,” said Crismon, noticing Will’s shock. “Because then, I sunk The Typhoon.”

“I don’t believe it for a second.” Will knew that the Crismons were capable of doing great things, but not that. Those two ships were probably the most powerful ships ever.

“I didn’t think you would.” Chuckled Crismon. “So I brought proof.” From a chest, he pulled two big sheets of fabric and unfolded them. There, with the silver X on them, were the tattered flags of The Incinerator and The Typhoon. Will stared in awe. The flag, Lucifer’s Cross, had terrorized the seas for years. The flag that used to loom in the sky, the omen of death, was now just a piece of fabric in Cismon’s chest. Will felt it. These were the real flags, not fakes.

“Phillip and Chris were not harmed,” Crismon said with a smile.

“You say that as if you haven’t just told me that you destroyed the two most powerful ships on the planet with just a few rafts.” Crismon couldn’t help but laugh.

The two men continued talking and laughing on the mountain for a long time.

“Look, the sun is about to dip below the horizon.” Crismon pointed at the last edge of the sun set down below the water. But as the sun disappeared, a thick fog arose around them. It hit Will like a bullet. He recalled that man in the basement of the tavern of the ruined town. ‘There’s a bit more to it than that,’ the man had said.

“What’s wrong?” Asked Crismon.

“I have to go.” Said Will. He was already running down the mountain. As he got to the dock, he shouted orders.

“Haul up the anchor. Let us loose from the dock. We’re going to Jack town.”