The Beast of the Sea~Chapter 27

I rushed outside the day spa with Angel, Joe, and El. That blast must have destroyed pretty much the entire front wall of the day spa and I hoped Circe wouldn’t be too upset. Blackbeard managed to get back to his feet, as well as several other pirates that had littered the beach.

“It’s over Blackbeard, give up,” Joe said as he pointed his spear at him.

“It isn’t over yet!” Blackbeard said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sphere.

“Look out,” I yelled at the others, but water from the nearby beach flew into the air and blasted us all back, everyone except El that is. She simply willed the water around her. Blackbeard rushed over to the nearest ship and jumped on board.

“That’s my ship!” El yelled as she chased after him. “Don’t worry guys, I got him this time!”

“Wait for us,” Joe called as he tried to get to his feet, but it was too late. Blackbeard got the ship moving and I watched El jump up on the deck after him. Before long, the ship was out to sea.

“Hurry up, we need to get to our ship,” I ordered and we got on deck. As we got the ship started, I saw a large shadow appear overhead and I looked up. Above us the Collector sailed in the sky after Blackbeard, most likely to complete their deal.

“Get this ship moving!” Angel yelled at Joe and I, which we did as the engine roared to life.

Catching up to the Orca wasn’t really a problem though. The ship seemed to be at war with itself as it couldn’t seem to keep to a straight line. The sails were constantly moving and no one was steering the ship as El and Blackbeard clashed over and over. The best I could figure, El and Blackbeard were both trying to control the ship at the same time and it didn’t know who to listen to. Meanwhile, the Collector was hovering above them, occasionally firing down at the ship trying to slow it down. He couldn’t get close however as the cannons of El’s ship would move on their own and fire back and I wondered if El or Blackbeard was controlling them. Meanwhile, the two were relentless and they fought each other. Their swords would collide and sparks would fly as a result. Every so often, water would fly from over the side and hit the other.

“Do we having anything to latch onto their ship?” I asked Joe and he looked down at the control panel.

“This says grappling hooks, will that do?” he said back and flipped a switch. The deck began to open up as a large cannon rose from the ground. I wondered how something like this couldn’t be considered a weapon.

I ran over to the large machine and looked through the scope to get a lock. With El’s ship moving around so much, it wasn’t easy but eventually I got a clear shot. I hit the trigger and the large cannon fired two shots instantly and I saw the ropes attached go tight.

“I got it!” I shouted, but when I got a good look at the hooks, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

“What are those?” Angel asked, looking at the hooks as well.

“I think those are plungers,” I said, having a very strange expression on my face as I said it. It was like I was in a cartoon where you could climb up a building with suction cups and explosives really were those large black spheres with the fuses.

“Hurry up and get over there,” Joe said, pointing to the ropes connecting our two ships. “Climb across.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said as I gave him a quizzical look, but the look he returned told me it was no joke. I walked over to where the ropes were tied off and grabbed hold of it. In one swift motion I jumped over the side of the ship and locked my legs and arms around the rope. “That wasn’t so bad.”

I started slowly pulling myself across, but it wasn’t easy as every so often the line would loosen and I would end up in the water, which at this speed really hurt. Joe did his best to keep it tight, but there was only so much he could do. I kept going and eventually hit my head on the side of the SS Orca. I reached my hand over the side and started to pull myself on deck.

“Oh no you don’t!” I heard. I looked up and saw Blackbeard marching toward me El was picking herself up off the deck, but was nowhere close to me. Blackbeard stood right in front of me with his sword about to chop me in half, but the boat lunged sideways and the sword missed, hitting the line connecting our ships together. Blackbeard’s sword also seemed to be stuck in the wood and I used that moment to jump on deck and help El to her feet.

“What are you doing here, I said I had this,” El commented as she got back into her fighting stance as Blackbeard pulled his sword from the frame of the ship.

“Well you know me, I can’t refuse a good fight,” I said sarcastically.

“Just wait for an opening,” El said as she got ready for another attack. I looked to the side and saw Joe trying to get close with the ship while Angel tried desperately to reload the cannon. That glance to the side almost cost me my life as Blackbeard moved like lightning. El managed to intercept the attack and drove him back a little. “Pay attention!”

I felt like an idiot as I had let my guard down as soon as she told me to find an opening. I wasn’t sure if I could even find an opening as I was having a hard enough time just trying to see their movements. There attacks were so quick and direct that each strike went right into another strike. The boat was also constantly shifting direction, making it hard to concentrate on anything other than keeping my balance.

“You’re mine!” Blackbeard shouted as their swords locked together. I couldn’t do anything but watch as he pulled a small knife from his belt and stuck it right into El’s side. She bit her lip to try and hold back a yell, but fell to the ground when Blackbeard used his much larger body to push her back. “Say hello to Davy Jones for me.”

He raised his sword above his head, ready to strike her down. It was a move I had seen him perform for the third time now. It was then that I saw it, the opening El had told me to look for. I rushed forward with my sword drawn and aimed right at his chest. Blackbeard seemed surprised as he didn’t make a motion. My sword collided with his chest, but it felt like I had hit a brick wall and my sword pushed back in my hand, causing hilt of my sword to hit my chest and knock the wind out of me. I fell backward onto my back and my sword fell to the ground, just out of reach.

“I’m invincible as long as I’m holding my sword,” Blackbeard laughed as he walked up to me. He placed his massive boot on my arm, pinning me to the ground and then traced the blade of his sword along my neck. “I would have you walk the blank, but you have caused me far too much trouble already. I want the pleasure of killing you myself.”

He changed his grip on the sword so he could stab it straight down and brought it up. I tried to move out of the way, but there was nothing I could do as my arm was still pinned. There was nothing more I could do and I closed my eyes waiting for that final strike. I heard the sword plunge into flesh, but it wasn’t mine. I opened my eyes to see El crouching over me on her hands and knees, our eyes locked on each other.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” she said, but a couch escaped her lips and blood began to trickle from her mouth. My eyes broke from hers and I looked down to see that the sword had gone right though her chest, just barely reaching me. “I’m responsible for you after all.”

El was then lifted off me by the sword, being stung out on the end of it. Blackbeard stepped off my arm and grabbed her shirt, slowly pulling her off his sword before flinging her across the deck, She landed with a thud, not moving at all and blood forming a pool around her body.

“Now on to you,” Blackbeard said, turning his attention back to me. I didn’t care, I was in shock at what had just happened. I was also scared and confused, but most of all I was angry. Then, it felt like something took over.