Skull and Bones || Creek ✔️

Part I

August 5th 1717
Atlantic Sea
Craig

The coldness in the air of the Atlantic Sea hits my face as I stand at the helm of the ship, my eyes move towards the Black Flag swaying gracefully on the wind at the top of the mast. The Skull and Bones of our creed that meant so much to only a few as the creed was everything to them where as the rest only were in it for the gold. What side of the fence I sat on is a mystery even to myself.

Yet here I stand, Captain of Serendipity. A ship that once belonged to the Royal Navy but now adorned with a Black Flag with skull and bones embroidered onto it as a warning for others to stay clear.

I breathe in the salty air and glance around the deck as the crew moves about their day, doing all their jobs to make this oversized boat keep staying afloat. "Captain, look!" My first mate, Clyde shouts over the calming sound of the ocean. He points in a direction and I follow his gaze to see a flock of seagulls circling over something in the water.

A smile creeps onto my face and stand tall and proud over my underlings, my hand wraps itself around the handle of my cutlass as I ready to unsheathe it. "Boy's! Gather 'round," I say, "Looks like Poseidon is smiling down on us today, time for some easy loot. Helmsman, take us over there, it's time for an quick score."

I raise my sword in the air and the crew cheers and raise their own. They all move to get ready for some good ole piracy and plunder, the ship turns and begins making its short journey to whatever remains in the ocean.

As we get closer I start to make out what looks like wreckage, it seems as though a little skirmish took place here. A feeling of unease sets in as the smell of gunpowder and decay fills my nostrils, I look overboard to the floating bodies, barrels and burnt wood. A lone British flag floats beside it.

"It's a navy ship Capt, could it be other pirates?" Token, my helmsman a man with dark skin and an eye patch, asks carefully guiding the ship around the wreckage.

"Perhaps, keep an eye out for anything," I reply, "No pun intended."

"You knew what you were doing asshole." Token pouts and then he calls for the anchor to be dropped.

The ship comes to a halt and some of the crew begins boarding the rowboats to scavenge the corpse of this once functional vessel. I join one of the two boats and we begin our search for anything not already seized by the attackers.

I look over the battlefield... more like a massacre, I look for anything worth value, we end up finding some barrels of sugar and tobacco, some rum too. We we're about to go back then suddenly; "Captain! We got a survivor!"

***

August 6th 1717
Atlantic Sea
Tweek

My eyes slowly flutter open, my body starts to crave water as my mouth feels like it's fill with sand. I look around the small room I'm in to see a small tankard sitting not too far from me, I scramble to get it but am unable as the chain around my foot doesn't let me.

I reach out with all the remaining strength left in my body but I'm still not able to get it.

Where am I? I ask myself, looking around the room and feeling the classic sway of a ship, I have some clue of where I am but on what ship and who runs it? It's too dirty for a naval vessel and too large for a merchant ship... it can't be.

My thoughts begin to race, Pirates? No it can't be, I would already be dead. Pirates don't keep prisoners, they kill them. I must be somewhere else, is this a dream maybe a nightmare. What the fuck is going on?

I start to try and pull myself free, the rattling of the chain echoes through my mind as the splintered floor digs into my leg causing it to bleed. All attempts to escape are futile, there is probably a battalion of pirates on the other side of that door anyway so breaking free from these chains is useless. Just like me... I let my ship get destroyed and was powerless to stop it.

"I'm a failure as a ca-captain, the King would have my head if he know I didn't die, I should have died with my ship, as all gr-great Captains before m-m-me." I state aloud.

"You're a failure are you and only idiots die with their ships, when this ship eventually sinks I'll just go get another one." A man speaks from the now open door, I was distracted with my own pity that I didn't even know someone entered the room, "And the King still thinks your dead so your head is probably safe."

"I'm not t-t-talking to you pirate! Agh" I yell to the man, he is not worth my time. A damn pirate speaking down to me and the King, disgraceful.

"What's with all the stuttering, did you get hit on the head with a cannonball when you were born?" The pirate mocks kneeling down beside me with a smirk on his face.

"I was b-born with it, so f-fuck off asshole."

"Woah, got quite the mouth for someone who is chained up on a pirate ship."

"When th-th-the k-k-king finds..."

"I'm gonna stop you right there, your precious King can't touch me, you see, he has sent plenty to try and kill me and my crew and yet here I stand and by the way how exactly are you going to tell your King about me anyway? It's not like you can just waltz on out of here."

I glare at him, he has me there, I am his prisoner and there is no point negotiating with lying no good pirates.

"What? Kraken got ya tongue?"

"Who are you anyway? I-i-f I'm gonna d-die I wanna know who's g-gonna kill me?"

"Oh little ole me? I'm a nobody, not for someone of your stature. Tweek, the captain of The Polaris, the same ship that destroyed many of my friends." I look at him shocked, how does he know my name, I never said my name did I?

"Yes I know you Tweek, this little notebook of yours has been quite... insightful to say the least," he says glaring daggers into my skull, "To be honest I was gonna let you drown with your ship but when I found out who you were I had to see if it was you. But it's quite a disappointment."

"Who are you, agh?" I ask again, I want some answers, he wants to keep me alive. For what? As a ransom, as a punishment? What?

"If you insist on knowing, my name is Craig Tucker, ex-navy man turned Pirate Captain and let me be the first to welcome you aboard the Serendipity." Craig states, I look at him shocked, he is The Ghost, a man of ruthlessness and cunning, he has sunk many British ships with his galleon and only a few can tell tales of him as he barely leaves anyone alive. Craig stands and hands me the tankard and then leaves me to my sorrow.

I am a prisoner of the Ghost and it's only now that I truly feel dead.