Spyder the Pirate

I.- The Dream calls you again

“Can you taste it my boy” Said the old man dressed in rags as he and a younger red headed man, dressed in his own set of rags although his were of a washed out red, crossed through a small cavern which they could barely traverse. “Freedom at last!”

The smell of salty water filled both their nostrils, then dim light feed their eyes and finally and with great joy they both rejoiced as they reached the end in which they found themselves on a beach.

“I can’t believe it” Said the read-headed man “It is true, we are out, by the gods old man you spoke the truth”

“The sun is blazing hot, the warm air caresses our skin and still it all feels uncomfortable”

“We still have to find a way out of this death trap old man”

“We can’t, not until we have managed to get the wizards attention out of our path” The young man looked puzzled as the old man pointed at a decaying old tower in the distance which was barely holding itself from the edge of a cliff. “Unless he is dead we won’t be able to escape, no one will”

“But why does it matter, what can he do to stop our escape?” The young man turned back into the old man who had turned into a skeleton dressed in the rags of the old man.

“No one escapes alive from this nightmare and you will join his under armies for the day when he awakens and his vengeance falls into this pathetic world” The young man began to run but it was useless, no matter how fast or how hard he tried the image of the tower was ever present on his back and from the distance he could hear the old man laughing at him while his threatening voice echoed in his head “No one escapes alive!”

II.- En Route

The young man woke up gasping for air, sweating heavily and panting afterwards, then he grabbed a jar full of wine and drank from it.

“Gods… what curse is this you have sent onto me?” There were heavy knocks on the door. “Who calls so early in the morning?”

“Captain Spyder” Spyder, for a second he had forgotten his name, identified the voice as that of his most trustworthy man. “Captain Spyder we need you on the deck!”

“Mister Crosthwaite it is too early on the morning for this, come back later on when this horrible headache is gone”

“Ye’ll have another headache sir when you see the men of the king” Spyder sprang from the bed, opened the door and ran into the deck where he almost went blind. “Top o’ the morning sir”

“Gods, why does it have to be so bright!”

“It be midday Captain and you be hangover from yer three day drinking binge”

“That would explain it, now where are the men?” Mister Crosthwaite pointed at the docks where Captain Spyder men were trying to stop the soldiers from boarding the ship. “Ahh, prepare the cannons on portside but be discrete about it”

“Aye Capt’n, we be blowing our way out of here?”

“Yes, get me my sword” Mister Crosthwaite ran to the Captains room and from it he retrieves a rapier still sheathed. “Excellent, on my command you will fire the cannons”

“Will do sir” Mister Crosthwaite ran into the belly of the ship where he ordered the remaining crew to prepare the cannons on portside and to be on standby to fire. On the deck Captain Spyder approached the boarding plank and with his rapier, now unsheathed, he approached the men of the King.

“Gentlemen, is there a problem here?”

“By edict of the King all ships must be inspected and resisting is punishable with death in the gallows” Yelled one of the soldiers dressed in a blue and yellow trousers and shirt combination and for protection against weapons he had a cuirass with the royal crest and a metal cap, on the side a short sword with a broken hilt seemed as it hadn’t been used in years. “Now drop your weapon and come with us!”

“I don’t think so, have at thy!” With a swift strike Spyder made a cut on one of the soldiers legs which confused the rest of the soldiers. Soon a brawl began on the port and without notice more soldiers began to pour into the small section of the port. “Mister Crosthwaite, now!”

It took him two or three times to get the message through but once Mister Crosthwaite was sure he ordered all cannons on portside to open fire, the roar alerted everyone in town that an attack was underway and a building came down into one of the streets blocking the access to the soldiers.