The Time Sail

An Ancient Power

"What...? How in the-"

"Yes, Victor. I'm back." Stood in front of Victor was Puerto. But he was different. His face was a sickly green and lumps of flesh protruded from his cheeks, blood-stained and hollow. His eyes were a deathly white with no pupils and his teeth were missing, or there were too little to count. A grey lump of tongue licked cracked bloody lips and a hand, with some fingers missing, retrieved what looked like a bright red stone from a torn bloody pocket. "You thought you could get rid of me?" The dead human bellowed. 

"How are you here?"

"The life stone. I picked it up from the same place you picked your Time Stone up from."

"Impossible. There are more than 2?"

"Of course." The thing smirked, "Didn't you know?" It clenched its knuckles and slowly, Puerto began to return to normal. "Death is a mysterious thing, the same as the time to be honest."

"How many are there?"

"Oh, I'd say around fifteen. The thirteen are still buried across the world. And I plan to find them. I'll start with your stone." Puerto lunged from the door to the underparts and grabbed onto Victor's arm. Victor lashed out and whacked Puerto off to the side. "Listen." He said through the grunts of the two opponents. "I don't want to fight."

"I don't care!" Puerto grabbed a cutlass from the deck and began to swipe at Victor. The terrified Victor began to shuffle back, flinging all sorts at Puerto. Eventually, they made it to the end of the boat. "Enough." Spoke Puerto. "I will spare your life if you hand me the stone."

"I can't."

"Very well. I will kill you. But first. I must tell you of the pain, and suffering I was forced to go through when you wounded me. I spent fifteen minutes just trying to get my breath. I was weak, weaker than ever. But from my pocket, I retrieved the led box. I cracked it open with what power I had left and died. There. I died. My body rotted for three hours, with flies swarming my face. Mosquitos ate my cheeks out. Seagulls pecked mercilessly at my lifeless corpse. The stone sensed me. I had merged my soul with it...something only someone who opened the box can do. It brought me to a ridiculously weak stage. I couldn't walk. When eventually I found the strength, my mind took me to a place. It was Sailor's Demise, I suppose. Fire and earth churned in an everlasting pit of flames. A man, crimson in colour, approached me and beckoned me to his throne, made of the bones of your crew. He told me of the power I possessed. The Stone of Life. The Stone of Selfish life. And my power to kill you. I returned and stowed away in the bottom of the ship for three days whilst you recovered. I could have killed your wasteful soul there and then. You would have been sent to the Crimson King to return his Cutlass and to be killed slowly. But I waited...to gloat. Call it my downfall, but I shall kill you now so you will see me as your life empties from your body."

"You're sick. You're a sick man. Do not kill me."

"I have hunted for that stone ever since YOU retrieved it from India. I will have it." Puerto brought his sword down but just as he did, Victor disappeared...

(Penultimate chapter coming soon. Check that out then!)