The Parting Glass

Tavern Tales

The captain examined his new clothes, in these he would be indistinguishable from anyone else. Captain Ellery entered a tavern, recognizing several drinkers as members of his crew but paying them no mind. He sat next to a deckhand whose name he could never remember, within earshot of a conversation between two off duty soldiers. He ordered a drink, and focused on the subject of their conversation.

One of them said, "They aren't even holding a party or anything! We're not getting paid overtime either."

"This is ridiculous,” replied the other, “Why do they hire us when they're rich enough to have their own damn army."

Captain Ellery grinned, and downed his whiskey in one. Whoever these nobles were, stealing from them would be the biggest bounty yet.

"We are their army."

"I mean a traveling army. It's the bloody king!"

"Shh! Dumbass, don't say that!"

"Worried for pirates, Wee lass? There aren't pirates here!"

"How're you to know that?!"

The soldier stood up, and drunkenly shouted,

"Any pirates here?! Piraaates?!"

Captain Ellery shared a glance with the deckhand he sat beside. The deckhand nodded slightly, and studied the soldiers faces. He'd remember them for a later execution. Captain Ellery grinned, stood up, and left the tavern. He collected his clothes from the place he had them stashed, and regained the appearance of a pirate yet again.

*

Captain Ellery scaled the side of a building that guarded the main square, watching the crowd along the street swell in size. Archers, supposedly belonging to the royal army of wherever they had docked, were posied along the rooftops as well. Ellery groaned, "Where’s the quartermaster when ya need 'im?"

He sized up the situation. Flat roofs were in his favor, that was for certain.

"sod it." He grumbled.

Captain Ellery drew his cutlass. No way around it now. He stalked behind one of the archers, stealthily ending his life with a hand round his mouth and the sword across his throat. Of course this anonymity was short lived, as four other rooftop warriors charged his way.

Ellery screamed, "come at me ya bilge rats! I'll send all ye to dance with Davy Jones 'imself!"

One of the soldiers mocked, "You've got the first dance with Jack Ketch, you filthy pirate!" He looked down his sword into Ellery's right eye.

"Oh come now, I've met Jackie before. Mr. Ketch is a terrible dancer." Ellery retorted.

With a few elegant swings of his slender silver sword, Captain Ellery felled each of the rooftop guards. Just as he would have relaxed to scope out the royal family, a bell rang out at on an adjacent rooftop. With a quick glance, and intuitive aim, he fired one shot from his pistol, the man who rang the bell fell dead, his corpse cracking and squishing onto the street below. Ignoring his own instructions to his crew, Captain Ellery raised his outstretched hand, and closed it into a fist. The sea eagle flying above screeched, and soared above the rooftop containing the offending soldiers. “Come on, lads! Blow the men down! Dead men tell no tales!” He cackled.

From the streets below, a rousing cry of, "Aye, Captain Ellery!” echoed through the crowd. Several of his crew mates scaled the building opposite to their captain, drew their own cutlasses and daggers, and felled every soldier they could find.

Captain Ellery screamed, “Take what your fingers can snag on your way out, and return to the ship! Tha’s an order! Lower the jack, and run the Joli Rouge! Wait for no man! And wha’er you Bilge Mongers do, DON’T get yerselfs caught!”

Yet again, the streets were filled with the rousing cries of, “Aye, Aye Cap'n!”

Unheard by Ellery though, these affirmations were drowned out by the sheer chaos caused by the townspeople as they realised it wasn't guards, but pirates, that had invaded. And the pirates where doing whatever they damn well pleased.

Captain Ellery surveyed the scene beneath him. Due to the chaos, the royal family had been quickly ushered to a safer place. Which didn’t bode well for his chances at wealth.

“Looks like the devil’s took ‘is luck back, aye, Captain?”

Captain Ellery glared at the quartermaster, a man named Flynn Rogers.

“You missed out on all the action,” cried Ellery. “Too busy getting loaded to the gun walls or fiddlin’ with some strumpet lass?”

The irishman grinned, “Nigh, sir. Had my own action to deal with.”

“So long as it wasn’t on the ship.”

“Sir, I was searchin’ for clues to yer sword, me ‘n the provost. But lets ignore that for now. What’re ya goin’ to do? Orderin' a retreat ransack? Yer usually more steadfast than that.”

Captain Ellery put his sword back into its sheath, “Aye, 'twas best for what I’m to do.”

“Which is...?” Rogers' grin faded.

“I’m about t’ see if the Devil really has taken ‘is luck back.” Ellery's face lit up.

“Will this end up like that one time in Havana? Sir, we don’t have enough men to do that again.”

“Nay, this’ll be smaller than Havana. I’m goin’ on my own. And this’ll end in much better pay for us.”

Flynn rolled his eyes, “Does this nutjob scheme involve the crew n’alI in any dangerous way.”

“Ya lily-livered bunch a' yellow bastards?! Aye! You’ve got the most dangerous part!”