Poseidon's Guide: The First Adventure // #Wattys2018

Chapter 21

Commodore George Hadly marched forward, through the dense shrubbery and trees that lined the tropical paradise. Behind him came his personal guard; two ship captains, the smart man who's name he still didn't care to ask and fourteen of the Descent's best men to defend. Ahead and above was the ever daunting and terror-striking volcano, rising thousands of feet in the air.

George kept the unnamed man close by his side, even with all his previous uses George held no trust for the man. He knew he was smart and had an odd determination towards the success of this endeavour. George could've cared less about his origins or even his name, yet he remained close due to his knowledge and current rank in the navy. George saw fit to promote him, now he acted as George's own personal advisor... Despite George ignoring his 'advice' whenever it left is insignificant mouth.

"Commodore, we approach the base of the volcano. Do you wish to hold up there until our other ships and men break through to join us?" One of the blue-coated captains asked.

George snarled at the short man, his deep green eyes glistening in the bright sun. Behind those eyes lay a sinister intent, one George suspected Benjamin Henley had discovered before his timely betrayal. George had no intentions of revealing his plans to anyone in his service, not until it was too late to be stopped. "The K'o'ox won't be able to repel our forces, but we cannot hold up and wait!" George spat. "We continue forward and find our prize..."

The man nodded his head and turned heel. George watched the shrubbery in front of him get slashed from his path, revealing the base of the volcano. The structures surrounding it were made of roughly chiselled sandstone. The base of the volcano was an opened passageway leading into the hot belly of the violent landmass. The unnamed man dropped to one knee, his hand firmly on the ground.

George rolled his eyes, bored of his mysteries. "What is it?" George asked with discontent.

"The ground feels... Unstable. We must move fast Commodore." The unnamed man warned. "The seismic act-"

"Shut up man. I have little care for what you feel beneath the ground."

George remained silent, his eyes pinned on the man now exiting the volcano. The muscular man was covered in tattoos and bare-chested. He wore a tattered loincloth with bones covering his legs from below. He kept his hand firmly around the bone hilt of his crudely made sword around its cloth sheath. He wasn't a man of words, only warning stares.

"The tattoos, Lawrence Vallenzo documented that only K'o'ox High Chieftains bore such tattoos," The unnamed man informed, "The High Chieftain is always highly skilled..."

"Did Lawrence Vallenzo ever battle one?" George asked.

The man looked confused, but answered, "No he wasn't a man of violenc-"

"Then he doesn't know how skilled they are." George drew his sleek sword, the sun bouncing off it. "He is mine. Defend this point whilst I dispose of our obstacle."

George stalked towards Wak-Tee, the Chieftain calmly approaching as well. Wak-Tee drew his sword and took an unfamiliar stance. George looked into the near red eyes and was met with the same sinister look plaguing his face almost all his days. George took the first move, lunging forward and clashing swords. George continued his offence, showing no sign of faltering or opening up his defence. Wak-Tee held his ground extremely well, his defence the most solid George had ever seen.

Wak-Tee quickly side-stepped and attempted to slash George's back, but George spun and caught the sword effortlessly with his own. The duel was perfectly matched blow for blow. A slash from Wak-Tee caught George's bicep, but the Commodore exchanged it for a swipe of his own across the forehead of the Chieftain, leaving a thin red scratch. The duel continued, neither party letting up. Both the Commodore and the Chieftain had never met a challenge so even, both so accustomed to vanquishing their enemies with ease. The Chieftain lunged forward, perceiving a weakness in George's defences. But George caught the blow easily, his gimmick paying off fatally.