“Where are we now?” Robertson asked, his eyes narrowed and his hand clutching his cutlass’ hilt tightly.

“From the looks of it, the next spot should be somewhere here…” Archer answered.

Their footsteps echoed within the large, dripping cavern, with the only light sources being the torches Jibb, Robertson, and Grog held. Damp with a small shoreline dipped into shallow water that extended far beyond the abyss and, unexpectedly, a small but crude dock waiting for the next boat to arrive. In the opposite direction was the rocky floor and a narrow passageway that led them into an open area and their current destination.

“It’s like a hideout,” Robertson commented while loosening his grip on his weapon.

Roughly made furniture sprawled about the opening. A makeshift bed rested in the back, a table in the center with chairs, and empty barrels stacked up on each other in the distance. There weren’t a ton of things, but the place impressed Archer.

“A bed, huh?” Archer said while walking over to the bed. Straw was used to make the bed and although it was hard, it was far better than sleeping on the uneven ground. “But if there were other people with him, why only one bed?” He mumbled to himself.

“Is this what you were looking for, Captain!?” Grog called out, interrupting Archer's thoughts.

“Is it an arrow like before?” Archer asked.

“Ay, it is.” Grog answered and Archer rushed over.

“Let’s see what we have here,” he said, taking a peek. The arrow led them to a plank of wood which, when removed, exposed a small hole just large enough for a hand to fit in. “Bring me a torch,” Archer demanded, and after Robertson finished lighting up the room with the leftover torches, he rushed over to Archer and handed the torch over. “There is it,” Archer said in an exciting tone while reaching through the hole and taking out the small identical chest as before.

“So what’s the plan now, Captain?” Grog asked.

“We’ll be staying here for the night. Best to look around for any other bedding tucked away somewhere, since I doubt that bed is the only thing here.” As he talked, Archer walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down at the table.

Grog, after unloading the bag, sat down and took a break. Out of the four of them, he was by far the most exhausted, having to not only carry the heavy bag, but swing his sword when needed. “You two have been quiet lately,” Grog said after taking a sip of water.

“I just feel like I need to be focused,” Robertson responded quickly while Jibb kept silent.

“The pressure’s on, ay?” Grob said in a joking tone. Robertson was one of the newer ones that joined the crew. His admiration for Archer caused him to sneak on board about two years ago. For the first year, he did odd jobs and a lot of labor, but after proving himself enough, Archer allowed him to join and although he’s still shaky in some aspects and quick to jump, he was getting better since the retrieval of the notebook.

“I’m just doing my part,” Robertson said.

“How about you, Jibb?” Grog asked, but there was no response. “Jibb!” Grog yelled out with furrowed eyebrows.

Jibb, who was sitting on the floor with his arms around his knees, jumped at the call of his name. “Yes!? Yes!?” He repeated twice while looking around the room, and after registering who called out to him, turned his attention to Grog. “I’m sorry. What did you ask?”

“How’ve ya been?” Grog asked.

“Ah,” Jibb hesitated. “Alright. It’s been alright.” He answered.

“Ya don’t seem alright,” Grog pointed out.

“It’s fine-”

“No, it’s not,” Grog interrupted. “It’s only us four on this island and we need every hand on deck. If you continue to act this way, then it will only lead us to trouble.” Grog’s voice was stern as he attempted to mimic the way Archer spoke.

It took Jibb a moment to respond, but after a few minutes, he spoke. “I feel bad,” Jibb spat out. “I feel bad that I shot.”

Grog, after staring at Jibb, sighed. “I get it, but there’s no reason to hang on to it. I wouldn’t take the Captain’s response seriously either.”

“I know,” Jibb said weakly. Although his admiration wasn’t nearly at the level as Robertson, he, just like the others, joined later on out of admiration of Archer alongside some other purposes.

“Don’t worry about it,” Grog reiterated as he stood up and smacked Jibb on the back. “That said, I would prepare yourself for some kind of punishment when we get back.”

“Hopefully it won’t be all too bad,” Jibb said with a weary smile.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“We’ll find out when we get back. Now then, let’s go see if there’s any other bed.” Grog grabbed Jibb by the back of the neck and led him away to join Robertson on his hunt for something to sleep on.

Archer smiled while listening to the three of them talk. Although he had opened the chest and looked like he was reading the note, he waited and listened in. He was proud of them, seeing Grog stepping up, Jibb reflecting on his poor decision making, and Robertson maturing in his own way. It was impossible to say he wasn’t worried about the future after Jibb shot, but thankfully they all listened, followed, and matured in their own way like a father watching their child learning to ride a horse.

“Now then,” Archer coughed into his hand and brought his attention to the note on hand. Just like before, it was two pieces of paper. One was a note just like before, and the second was a near identical map with a new location.

……

This is exciting!

Can you believe it? Walking skeletons! It’s amazing and makes absolutely no sense! Although the scripts I found clearly mentioned them, it was hard to believe it without seeing it with my own eyes. Yet, here I am, seeing them in action!

They are surprisingly weaker than I expected, but they have numbers far exceeding what any person could handle. But as long as you strike them quickly, you should be fine. Aim for the neck or head and ensure you destroy the head. If you don't destroy the skull, it will eventually reattach to the body. The only way to fully kill off a skeleton is to destroy the skull. Also, be careful of any loud noises! Their weird chattering they do with their teeth may bring in others around them, and could cause a chain reaction, but any loud noise will instantly alert way more than you may expect.

Seeing these skeletons makes me wonder how on earth do they move, and how do they function? I was never a believer of the supernatural since it never made sense, but I think I am now. How could I explain something as ridiculous as this?

Anyway, to whoever is reading this note, I forgot to do this before I left, but I will leave a map at the shore which brings you to this location. It’s most likely one of the safest spots on this map, and it’s only because the skeletons do not patrol here. However, avoid any loud noises like a gun since there is still a chance one of them could hear it and head towards this location.

I hope you’re as interested as I am in these skeletons and I’ll be curious about your findings from whatever hellscape I may be in after death.

Augusta

……

“So he tells us this now?” Archer clicked his tongue while leaning back in his chair. He was hoping for some more information, but it made sense. Augusta was writing as he traveled through the island since going back to leave notes would be far too stupid, and from what he wrote, Archer could guess he had some kind of guide to go off on. “Scriptures, huh?” Archer mumbled. He never came across such scripters or even heard of them before, so it only meant that Augusta didn’t allow them to see the light of day after his adventure around the world.

“What’s going on, Captain?” Grog asked. By now, the three of them found makeshift beds and sprawled three of them on the floor. Grog stood to the side of Archer, while Robertson was preparing meals and Jibb was pacing back-and-forth mumbling to himself.

“This man is insane,” Archer said with a laugh.

“What do you mean by that?” Grog asked.

“He had even more of a fascination with the supernatural than I ever did, and he wants me to experience exactly what he did. To add on to it, these notes aren’t all too helpful either. Well, they might be sometimes, but I’ll more or less be reading about a dead man's adventure.” Although to others it may sound like complaining, Grog could see a smile on the man's lips. A smile that only appeared when he found something interesting.

“You look excited more than anything,” Grog smiled.

“Damn right I am. Spoilers are no fun and now it’s turned into a game, but I’m excited to see what Augusta saw and hopefully even more.” Archer sat there quietly, tapping his finger against the table while looking at the map. The next location seemed like a bit of a struggle to reach, and based on his initial assumption, the next location would not be as safe as he expected if the current one he was at was the safest. Maybe he was wrong? Archer thought, but brushed the idea away. He clearly knew the layout of the island, and he having records of who knows when explained how he could map such a place as well as he did. Augusta didn’t want to give up the original, so he made copies.

“Captain,” Jibb said in a low voice, with no response. Archer was too deep in his own thoughts, so Jibb waited patiently, hands in front, as if he was a kid waiting to be disciplined. Then, when Archer finally came to his senses, looked over at Jibb, moved his chair to face Jibb, then crossed a leg over the other and leaned back.

“What’s wrong?” Archer asked.

“Captain,” Jibb repeated, paused, and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he quickly said, biting his tongue lightly.

“Sorry for what?” Archer asked. He knew what he meant. Everyone knew, but Archer couldn’t help himself.

“I’m sorry for shooting my flintlock, sir,” Jibb answered after fanning his mouth from the pain.

“Is that it?” Archer asked with a raised eyebrow.

Archer waited patiently as Jibb looked around, trying to figure out what he meant, then thought about it for a couple of minutes longer. Grog held his laugh in while Robertson walked over and handed out meals. Signaling Grog and Robertson to join him, the three of them ate while Jibb continued to ponder until he finally yelled out, “I get it!”

“Took you long enough,” Grog commented in between bites.

“So, what is it?” Archer asked.

“I didn’t listen to your orders,” Jibb said.

“Correct. I told all three of you that you must listen to everything I tell you, yet you shot your damn flintlock without even thinking just because of some sound.” His voice was casual, yet it held weight, causing Jibb to hold his breath. “Listen,” Archer put down his bread and gave Jibb his full attention. “I obviously will not shoot you. That would be stupid. But I need you to shape up, listen to what I tell you to do, and not fuck up. You understand?”

Jibb nodded his head in agreement.

“Good. Go get your portion of your food, sit down, and eat. We have a long day ahead of us.” Archer went back to his food, taking a bite of his bread. “Oh, but you will get some kind of punishment when we get back. That’s unavoidable.”

Jibb stopped, food in hand. “I understand,” he said with a deep breath.