The Raider

Chapter I

I quickly shuffled my way through a bunch of drunken sailors and half-nude women and away from a piece of parchment nailed to the wall. I had just signed up to join a random pirate crew, in the middle of a bar, so that I could finally get away from this place...and the drunks. I lived in the most boring place on earth with the most boring job on the planet. I was a Spanish fisherman.
A while back, I was picked off the road to the depths by an old fisherman named Inigo Sanchez, who really should not be fishing anymore. He is almost 87 years old, with back problems and a way of not catching anything, though he always talks about how great a fisherman he thinks he is.
I got outside the door and looked at the big clock. 7:45. I should be heading home now since it was beginning to get dark. I was one of the poorest boys in town but I got around the fastest way in all of the town's 12 year olds, because I would hitch a ride on anything in sight without even being seen. I loved hitchhiking, it was what I lived for during my sad, lonesome life. But my new life as a pirate will be about living for more than just hitchhiking.
Besides, I was born a pirate. Well, it's not in my bloodstream, but still. I always stole from the jeweller or the merchants. I'd bring the gold to Inigo, hoping he would be pleased, but he would always make me bring it back and apologize.
I hopped off at the blacksmith's shop since my friend Lucas was his son. Anyone can tell that Lucas was a blacksmith due to his rough hands and dusty
face. He was one of the scrawniest kids in Spain but he could still swing a hammer. I walked in the front door, and Henry, their donkey, stood up and greeted me with a loud bray. I walked up to him and patted him on the head, fed him a carrot and strolled on over to the sleeping quarter. No one was there. I figured that they must have gone to grab some food or something. I wanted to go find them, but Inigo would be waiting for me to go 'fishing'.
I was about to jump onto a passing fruit cart when I got pulled into a back-alley and was thrown to the ground. I got back up and held a stance. When my vision cleared up, I got a good look at the culprit and saw something that I should have expected. Bullies. Specifically Jack Raven, and his two thugs Craig and Hank.
"Saw you signed up for a crew." Jack boomed, closing in on me. "I did yesterday, got on the Scarlet Diamond." The Scarlet Diamond?! I thought to myself. That's the best ship on the list! And the hardest to get on! "Know what you thinking. Surprised you signed up. I thought you were too busy hitchhiking!" They all had a good laugh at that. But I gave a small grin and left without another word. They must have followed me to the road because when I hopped on a passing fruit cart and snitched some oranges, I felt them chucking pebbles at me. I looked back and laughed silently to myself when I saw them getting a pep talk from an Spanish guard.
It wasn't far to the docks where I lived but while I was riding, I searched the sidewalks for Lucas or his dad. When the cart finally reached the docks, I jumped off and headed towards my house. I didn't live with Inigo, I just worked with him. I lived by myself ever since I started thinking about being a pirate. On a hill in the middle of the forest near the ocean, is a small log cabin where I have all of my favourite paintings and a sword that I got from Lucas. I crawled into my hammock on the top floor and started reading. I was on the last chapter, when the main character finishes off the villain, in this case, the famed pirate captain, Michel Pau. Named after his father who's fingers were sliced off by an English official.
When morning came, I found myself on the floor of my cabin with my book lying beside me. It was still dark so I crawled back in my hammock and tried to get some more sleep. I was just about asleep when the sound of a gunshot woke me up. I slipped down the ladder, ate a piece of cold fish and some sour milk, and trudged out the door with a net and a few knives. It was about dawn that Inigo went fishing. I walked on over to his home and took some more fish off of the rack. He greeted me at the door by grabbing me and taking me into the storm cellar. Strangely, he was sweating with a crowbar in his hands.
"Wha-What's going on?" I asked as Inigo huddled me into a corner and started talking very quietly.
"Devon, I want you to know that while I was fishing, pirates jumped aboard my boat and they took all the fish I had caught that morning. they didn't see me because I was hiding in the sleeping quarters."
I had so many questions like who came, and why he dragged me into a cellar, and why I the heck I cared. But Inigo only answered one without me asking.
"Dev, did you hear a gunshot this morning?" I nodded. "That was from them. The pirates. They named off the people who signed up for a crew." I never thought it would take this short of time. When I was about to ask what position and crew I was put on. Inigo answered for me again. "You were assigned to be the crow of the King's mark."