There was only one survivor when the great ship Monumental crashed into an iceberg, dooming what was supposed to be an indestructible vessel and hundreds of men, women and children to eternity in the depths of the abyss. The rescuers thought it strange that only one woman had survived, given that the large wooden board they found her floating on had plenty of space for another person.
-Excerpt from the play ‘Monumental’ by Cames Jameron
A cannonball smashed into the ocean right beside the ship, sending up a spray of seawater that soaked Rose and made her loose shirt cling uncomfortably to her skin. Two more steps forward and then she braced, planting her feet as another shot tore through the stairs just ahead.
Her goal had been to make it to the poop deck, where she could stick close to the captain and have a potential height advantage when the pirates boarded the ship. It wasn’t going as she had hoped.
The ship rocked back and forth violently as the salvos of cannonfire churned the ocean around them, turning the calm seas into a furiously frothing obstacle course. By now, the crew had secured everything that needed to be tied down and loaded the cannons in case they ended up in a position to return fire.
They were now gathered on the main deck, armed and ready to battle for their captain and cargo. The cargo, for the most part, given that their livelihoods hinged on turning a profit in Highbream.
Not that they didn’t respect Captain Bradshawe, but loyalty wouldn’t feed their families. Beasts die for food and men die for gold, as the saying goes. None of them wished to die, but only a gifted few can see the future.
The captain spotted Rose when she eventually made her way to the top of the stairs. She’d come from the opposite side of the ship after the cannonfire blew the nearest one to pieces.
The pirates hadn’t yet boarded and already the ship was close to taking critical damage. Though they weren’t likely to destroy her before they could raid the hold and loot what they could. Ammunition was expensive after all, and with the number of cannonballs they had fired it would take a generous haul to turn a profit.
The captain gave her a strange look. It didn’t seem he was as averse as Leroy to having her on deck during the battle, but was still conflicted. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by a sharp whistle as a boarding hook shot through the air and smacked into his shoulder. He staggered and the wheel started to spin out.
Rose leapt forward and grabbed hold of the heavy wooden wheel, almost stumbling herself as the ship turned sharply but it set firm in its new direction with some effort from her. Her hands stung, but the bandages would hinder her, so she removed them.
Luckily the captain hadn’t suffered a serious injury, only a bruise and a dent to his pride from the sudden strike. The hook scratched a trail into the poop deck and then there was a thunk as it buried itself in the side of the ship.
Once the captain had regained his footing and taken over the wheel once more, Rose rushed over and sliced the rope, watching it fall to the sea below. Her efforts were futile however, as dozens more hooks sailed across the gap between the ships soon after.
The gap was small enough that she could make out the fearsome glares on the pirate’s faces. Her heart beat faster—a crescendo that soon had it thumping loud enough to drown out her thoughts. Adrenaline surged through her body and she drew the cutlass as the first of the pirates began to sprint across the taut boarding lines.
Rose started to hack and slash in a desperate effort to cut as many of the lines as possible before the first of the pirates made it on board the Unrequited Love. Above the pounding of her heart she heard a splash, but only had a moment to take in the news.
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You have learned a new skill!
One Handed Weapons 0 > 1
You have learned a new skill!
Blades 0 > 1
“Wretched wench, I’ll gut you like a silverback salmon,” cried a dishevelled pirate with matted black hair, who was sprinting across one of the boarding ropes towards her, wielding a wide cutlass that was nicked and chipped along the length of the blade.
Rose wasted no time in rushing towards the where the grappling hook had dug into the planks of the Unrequited Love, knowing that she would be outclassed in a fight with the man. She wouldn’t have time to reach over the edge of the ship and slice the rope where it was pulled taut and would instead need to try her luck hacking at where it was tied to the hook.
“YAARRR!”
The deafening yell startled her and her first swing fell short, only splitting a few of the weaved strands that made up the rope. Under the weight of the pirate it began to sag and split, however there was little time before he would be upon her.
Recovering her footing, Rose swung once more and this time her cutlass sliced clean through the knot. The rope dropped and the pirate roared in indignation as he disappeared beneath the edge of the ship.
Skill up!
Blades 1 > 2
She wondered why just one of the skills that she’d earned previously had levelled up now, given that the cutlass was giving her experience for both with every swing. Despite her efforts, plenty of pirates had already reached the ship and were streaming onto the deck with pistols drawn and blades raised.
Most wielded a cutlass, but she spotted a few other weapons among the invaders. Nothing that she could put a name to other than simply calling them swords, albeit variations on the traditional. Not that she knew much of blacksmithing.
She spotted Leroy clashing cutlasses with one of the pirates, the chef grinning as he parried and blocked blows with casual ease and delivered swift and effective counter thrusts that were wearing his opponent thin.
Jordan wielded dual cutlasses, one blade in each hand and yet no less effective with either of them. He was fending off two pirates at once and somehow they were on the losing end of the exchange. There were a few cuts on Jordan’s arms and legs but even as Rose watched he buried his right cutlass into one pirate’s gut and with both weapons then free to focus on his remaining foe it was just a matter of time before the other succumbed to his mighty blows.
All across the ship similar scenes were playing out, though not all of the crew were seeing as much success. Bellamy was struggling to defend himself against a particularly ferocious member of the pirates who wielded a hooked blade that Rose couldn’t recognise. There was no questioning its lethal effectiveness however, as it sliced through rigging and flesh like butter.
Her mind set, Rose took a step towards the fray with the intent of helping the boy out of his predicament. Thud. Amidst the clanging of steel and the booming clap of cannons being fired Rose just about made out the soft thunk of something hitting the outside of the ship.
Turning back to where she had cut a few of the boarding lines away, she saw a hand rise over the edge of the ship and grip onto the railings. Another followed and then the pirate who she had thought lost to the abyss clambered up onto the poop deck, cutlass held between his teeth and a dagger held in each hand.
She took a step backwards, knuckles white from gripping the handle of her own cutlass too hard. As she did, her foot snagged on a lopsided plank and she almost tripped.
Desperation gripped her and she looked around for help, but there was no one nearby. All the crew were engaged in their own battles as they gave their all to defend the Unrequited Love and more importantly—her precious cargo.
“Thought you’d seen the last of me, eh? No such luck for you today, wench. A little young for my tastes but that’s alright. My blades are just as thirsty and they don’t discriminate,” he cackled, flashing a mouthful of half rotten teeth and blackened gums.
A single golden tooth shone amidst the filth and it was all Rose could focus on as the pirate steadily approached her. He had sheathed one of his knives and now wielded the cutlass alongside the other knife.
Her only experience using a blade was the few ropes she had sliced moments before. And cutting vegetables with her mother—though she wasn’t sure how much that experience would help her here.
He was just a few steps away now, close enough that Rose could smell the disgusting acidic odour wafting from his body and taste his rotten breath on the tip of her tongue. Her cutlass quivered as she held it out in shaking hands.
She didn’t have the strength to go toe to toe with a grown man in a swordfight. A thought flashed into her mind as the pirate twirled his knife.
The pistol!