Dark silhouettes slowly emerged from the curtain of rain. Sage counted two ships and more, sailing leeward. A third silhouette lingered further back
As the rain grew heavy, the men scurried around the deck, unfurling the sails and fumbling with ropes. The Sun Strider was a fast ship but he doubted the vessel would be able to outrun the pirate fleet. The vessel carried six cannons in case of emergency but no one was trained to fire them. Beyond that, only the captain and the first mate were armed with weapons. Noticing Wayland shaking with fear, Sage picked him up and retreated to the galley. A cook and a cargo boy had no business on the deck during a battle
"Are we going to die? Is this how we die?" Wayland asked, still trembling.
"Most likely. Hold on to something." Sage said, taking a moment to throw in pots, knives and ladles into a sack. Anything and everything he could use as a weapon. He gave Wayland a small knife, patting his head. "If you hear gunshots, run for it. Make your way to the back of the deck and jump. You have better chances with the ocean than with those scumbags." Wayland nodded, not understanding what was happening.
Sage made his way back to the deck and to the quarterdeck, finding Jacques and Captain Harlow. "The fuck do you want?" Jacques growled. Ignoring Jacques, Sage locked eyes with the captain. "You may know me as a cook because that is all the files will tell you. Captain Harlow, I am more than just a cook."
"What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?" Jacques stepped forward, hand already reaching for his knife.
Sage moved first.
His forehead smashed into Jacques's nose.
Crunch!
The satisfying noise of his nose breaking filled the air. Sage had headbutted him mid sentence and he followed up with a front kick, sending the first mate into the officer's quarters. Jacques lay crumpled on the floor, holding his nose. Sage found the first mate more aggressive than usual. Alas, now was not the time to think about small issues.
"Listen to me, I can do something over nothing." Sage said, making the captain raise an eye.
"This is mutiny."
"If we live through this, Captain."
Captain Harlow pinched his nose bridge before making his decision. "What do you need me to do?"
"Get the men to load the cannons. We have speed, we'll use it to our advantage. Get the boatswain to zigzag us toward land. Make it harder for them to aim. Where is the navigator?"
Captain Harlow fell silent before speaking again, "The navigator threw himself overboard two nights ago. The boatswain hung himself over the rails this morning. They kept saying the devil was coming."
The devil was coming?
Sage frowned unaware of this information. This only confirmed that the chest was indeed the problem. Only three people were in direct contact with the chest. The navigator, the boatswain and himself. Unlike the other two, Sage hasn't experienced anything out of the ordinary. However, this would only matter if he was still alive later.
Without a navigator and a boatswain, they had no one to steer or guide the ship.
A thunderous boom echoed, not from the storming skies but from the approaching pirates.
"Change of plans. Get Jacques up and get him to drive the boat. You handle whatever captains do. I will handle the fight."
Captain Harlow nodded, allowing Sage to focus on what he knew best. Violence.
"MEN," Sage bellowed, grabbing their attention as he kicked his sack over. Pots, pans, ladles and knives spilled out from it. He grabbed a long slender knife and a ladle for himself. "This is all I have. Grab what you can, arm yourself. Those without a weapon grab a stick, a plank, a rod. Grab something and sharpen it if you can!"
The men did not question him, they didn't have the idea or time for it. They just needed someone to guide them.
"I need three men per cannon! Remember, throw in the gunpowder with the waterproof paper on it. Don't use it if it's wet. Use the prongs to rip the paper, load the cannonballs and shove it with the plunger three times and then fire! One man for one action!"
Listening to his words, the men moved, doing as he said.
BOOM!
The first volley of cannonballs were fired, most missed completely, but two managed to rip through the sails. Sage took the effort to cut down the sails, the ripped sails will only slow them down. The Sun Strider would begin to tilt, making the men stumble.
"Hold onto the cannons! Help each other!" Sage yelled as he dug his fingers into the masts for a better grip, splinters driving into him.
"Fire at will!"
BOOM! BOOM BOOM!
Sage wasn't hoping for much. They were merchants, not fighters. They faced the sea so their families could have food on their table and a roof over their hands. Families they would never see again. The Sun Strider turned broadside, exposing them to the pirates.
What the fuck is Jacques doing?
Before Sage could make his way to the stern, he heard another boom of a cannon followed by the creaking of wood. A chain shot had ripped through the sails and hit the mast. "Move!" Sage yelled as he dived out of the way, but some were not so fortunate. The white sails soaked red, a splatter of guts by his feet. Grapples whistled by, embedding themselves into the wood of the vessel.
"Kill them all!" He heard a pirate say as some climbed onboard. Sage did not hesitate, his knife slicing into the grip of a pirate that held a proper weapon. The men of the Sun Strider joined the fray but they fell one by one. What good are pots and pans against swords and guns? Sage used the environment to his advantage, sliding using the wetness and guts of the fallen, his blade severing joints and tendons. Killing took time, disabling men was faster.
But what is one man to a crowd? He eventually dropped to his knees, his clothes in tatters. He had gashes and cuts on his flesh. He forced himself up again, raising his blade. If he must die, he will die a warrior's death. That is his way. That was his upbringing.
Applause could be heard from behind the pirates, and they parted the way for a man with blue hair.
A Sequence 9 Sailor? Sage thought. He has heard that the beyonders of the Sailor pathway sometimes have blue hair.
"You made 15 of my men useless. Are you a beyonder?" the Sailor asked to which Sage shook his head. "Then you are a monster."
Sage didn't know how to feel about being called a monster by a beyonder. They were the monsters who fought madness with madness. With his current condition, he doubted he could fight the blue haired Sailor.
The pirates stowed their weapons, looting the bodies and ignored Sage. Their captain, the Sailor, will be taking his life. "Captain!" Jacques called out, one hand holding the severed head of Captain Harlow and the other carrying a chest covered in linen.
The rotting chest.
"I had a score to settle with the cook."
The Sailor's eyes narrowed, but he simply shrugged it off, allowing Jacques to step forward.
"Careful," he warned his crew. "This one fights like a madman."
Clearly it didn't matter who killed him, as long as he was fish food in the end. Sage lowered his blade, taking up his stance once more. Palms open, left hand before right. The crooked nose Jacques smiled, pulling out his stupid knife. Sage lunged first, completely missing Jacques. Jacques was never his target. He ripped open the cloth and picked up Harlow's head, taking the opportunity to smash the chest open, a wave of nausea affecting the whole ship. The chest had a card and a red quartz stone dotted with black spots. Sage fought against the nausea and grabbed hold of the items.
Snatching a fallen blade, Sage swung upwards, cutting the face of the Sailor.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three bullets sunk into his flesh, the Sailor's gun smoking. Sage grinned as he leaned against the railing, the red quartz between his teeth, a strange sweetness flooding his mouth. With a forceful gulp, it was gone. They wanted the chest and now the chest will be lost to the seas.
"NO!" The sailor screamed but it was too late.
Sage had already taken his plunge into the cold dark waters.