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The Ballet of the Dancestors [Benny]

Benjamin's first night on the ship was spent, not in the crewman's bunk he'd been assigned, but in a separate cabin. It was small and almost unfurnished, but it was his. Dominik's face was amazing to look at when Nereida had announced that Ben was the Player. Worth the price of everyone treating him oddly, ten times over.

The only bad thing was that he was assigned a guard, just like Nereida, who followed him around. To cap it all off, his guard was a girl... who seemed very interested in Benjamin. If guards weren't clingy enough already, now he had a love struck guard.

"Stay here," he was saying for the millionth time, "While I go talk to the Princess-" Just then, she came bursting out of the cabin, yelling triumphantly.

"We've got ourselves a pursuit!" She whooped. "It's time to test our mettle, boys. No matter if it's part of the cycle or those idiot murderers, this is what we were made for!" The pirates cheered wildly and drew their swords, a combination Ben was quite sure would not end well.

He headed below decks, trying to avoid attention. But, like magic, his guard materialized beside him. "Here's a sword," She said, shoving her own at him. "Go above and fight." He met her eyes, and was surprised- and maybe just a bit pleased- to see disappointment and frustration in them.  "I'll be above in a minute."

Benjamin nodded. "Thank you," he said politely, before jogging upstairs. But he hesitated at the last moment to hear something.

"Player's got the black sword. Just spot 'im and kill on sight."

Benjamin drew the sword slightly out of its scabbard. It was, indeed, black. Being very careful not to draw it, he ran out into the chaos.

The crew was small compared to their invaders- there were hundreds of men in black armor- but they could each take many at a time. Benny darted past a mecha just in time for her to see her roll cherry bombs under the feet of a dozen of them. A moment later, a small explosion scorched the deck.

Benny somehow found his way through the violence to the edge of the deck. He threw the sword into the ocean. Unfortunate thing to do, that, because just then another bunch of pirates surrounded him.

"You're dead, cabin boy," they laughed, picking Benjamin up by the front of his shirt.

"Well," Benjamin replied, interrupting their laughter, "I am, currently, alive. Please, do feel free to say that when I am actually dead, in which case I am clearly not."

The thugs looked at one another in confusion. Perhaps they'd never met someone who didn't quake in his or her respective boots at the sight of them.

Benjamin really was scared, of course. He had read enough books to figure out what "You're dead, cabin boy," meant. But some sort of calm overtook him. As though he knew that they couldn't kill him...

And, speak of the devil, a knife appeared in all their chests, in rapid succession. They dropped Benjamin, who managed to scramble out of the way before they fell on him. Princess Nereida stood there, smiling. Rudolf covered her. "You should be more careful, Cabin Boy," she said.

"It's not my time to die yet," Benjamin whispered.

"Well, take this sword if you wanna live," Nereida insisted. She held out one of her own blades, white as moonlight.

"Thanks," Benjamin replied, taking it. He didn't really know how to fence, but he would figure it out. Hopefully.

Ben looked around the deck. Everything seemed pretty squared away... but there was one evil on the Princess' ship that he could take care of himself.

He descended below decks, making sure not to make a sound. Steps as light as a cat's, he crept to the hallway near the bunks, where he'd seen her last. Sliding against the wall, he took a quick look around the corner.

Rudolf was slumped over his guard's sword.