Advent of Eternity - Chapter 22 (Patreon)

“He’s got a point,” Maya said with a smirk. “Just blacklist the fools. None of the other captains should object, they’re a bunch of nobodies. They can beg for favors in tavern bedrooms to work their way off the island.”

“Don’t presume to tell me what to do, girl,” Sorfina growled. “You might have talent, but your ego is too big for your head. That being said, I like it. My floor is nice. Get out of my sight. I’ll give you a few minutes to hide out of the kindness of my heart before I send word of the blacklist.”

“What?” Stix exclaimed. “Why, you snout nosed–”

“Enough,” Knell said, grabbing Stix’s hand and pulling her out the door. Ten seconds lost. That was more than the two of them were worth. Stix spat on the ground as they left and Cyll slammed the door shut behind them.

“How can you let them just push you around like that?” Stix demanded. “They blacklisted us. For doing nothing! Why in the Sixteen Seas would that bitch captain do something like that? We aren’t going to be able to work with anyone now.”

“We were never going to get a ship from her,” Knell said, starting down the stairs carefully. “I was hoping she’d sponsor our names so we could do things the proper way, but that’s no longer an option.”

“Does it even matter?” Stix asked. “If you let people grind their heels into your face all day, you’re not going to be much of a pirate.”

Knell reached the bottom of the stairs and turned back to face Stix, his eyes burning with fury.

“You misunderstand,” Knell said, his voice a harsh whisper. “I am not retreating. I am simply choosing a battle I am certain I will win. Now, come. The good captain was kind enough to give us time to hide. I will ensure she regrets it.”

He and the others set off down the street, making his way toward an alley beneath a crooked wooden house. A pirate stationed at the bottom of Sorfina’s headquarters broke away and followed them.

“An opportunist tails,” Cyll said, running his tongue along his lips. “Sounds like someone was listening into our conversation. Probably thinks there’s a reward for our heads.”

Knell paused halfway into the alley and leaned against the wall. “Let’s greet him, then.”

They all turned as the pirate stepped into the dark street, a short sword in his hand. He gave them a gap-toothed grin as he approached. “Accepted your fates, have ya? Good. Makes things easier for me. I didn’t want to have to tail you for too long, so this makes things easier.”

“Can I have this one?” Cyll asked. “Please, Cap. I’ve been a good boy.”

“I don’t care,” Knell replied. “He isn’t worth the energy.”

“What did you say?” the pirate snarled, lunging forward and driving his sword clean through Cyll’s chest. He smirked as he ripped the blade free in a spray of blood. “You don’t even have a weap–”

Cyll reached out, grabbing the man’s face with his both of his hands. The pirate’s eyes widened and he twisted the sword, but Cyll didn’t even flinch. He forced his hands into the other man’s mouth, pulling it open with a savage grin.

The pirate grabbed at Cyll, trying to push him away, but the old man was was unrelenting. He forced his hands into the pirate’s mouth and pulled, slowly but surely forcing it open. He didn’t stop, his grin growing wider, until a loud snap tore through the alley.

Cyll laughed, pulling even harder. The pirate let out a garbled scream. Another snap rang out and the immortal man jerked his opponent’s head to the side, breaking his neck. He let the pirate crumple to the ground in a broken heap.

“Smelled terrible,” Cyll said, drawing the blade from his chest and flicking the blood off. “Sword doesn’t seem too nice either. What a waste.”

“You need to learn how to fight,” Knell said. “If you’re up against someone that knows what they’re doing, they’ll chop you up into little pieces before you can kill them. Even if you can’t die, you can still be rendered useless.”

Cyll grunted. “We’ll see about that. Lead on, Cap.”

“And let me get the next one,” Stix added. “I’m starting to feel completely useless here.”

“You aren’t a full member of my crew yet,” Knell pointed out, setting back off down the alley. “I trust Cyll more than you.”

“You trust him,” Stix nodded in Cyll’s direction, “more than me? I’d trust him least of all!”

“He’s got a reason to stick with me,” Knell said with a shrug. “You’re only on board for a few weeks. Unless you want to change that?”

Stix turned her nose up. “Not if things keep going like they have. We’re currently stuck on this shithole of an island and everyone and their mother is grinding you out under their heels. That’s not very inspiring.”

“We’ll deal with our new enemies soon enough,” Knell said. “One step at a time. We need a place to plan, and this alleyway is far from safe.”

They pressed on, falling silent as they headed deeper into Blackfoot Bay.

The smell of saltwater permeated every single portion of the city, but it somehow managed to grow stronger the farther they got from the docks. Through gaps in the alleys they slipped between, Knell caught flashes of vendors as they hawked their goods.

“It’s almost like a normal city,” Stix whispered. “Just… worse.”

“Speak for yourself. I rather like the smell of salt,” Cyll proclaimed, keeping his voice low.

“Salt is fine. It’s the ripe, three day old rotting carcass mixed in that’s ruining it for me,” Stix said. “What are they even selling? It smells like death warmed over and let its guts bake in the sun.”

“Salt-fish,” Knell said, stepping over the remains of a broken barrel still covered in a dark brown liquid. “They brine it for three months underground. Your assessment wasn’t too far off. It basically is death warmed over.”

“Why do you know about that?” Stix asked with a shudder. “Don’t tell me you like it?”

“Hardly. My father’s tastebuds were dead enough to find some value in it, though. The rest of our camp were subject to the consequences.”