(Josie
Sayz: This is the other part of my duology story Moonstone Fortress: Saviour of
Ships that I shared a while back. It is very special to me and is tied to a
point in my life where I was the happiest I have ever been. It is based off a
MERP_UK game that an old friend (Kevin) and I started working on together. The
game got lost very early on and will never be revived. This is the alternative
route to the story. It isn’t finished yet; I am only halfway in writing the
story. I figured that if I shared this, it would force me to keep at it, as I
hate sharing unfinished work.
This is my Mary Shelley piece - he will be the most hated man to ever exist,
after I am through with him.
If you are interested in checking out Saviour of Ships, you can find the
prologue here: https://josiesayz.blogspot.com/2021/11/mf-saviour-of-ships-1-blackout.html).
Moonstone Fortress
Ruler of Seas
Prologue – The Charleston Mistake
Water flooded in through a crack in the wood. The ground shifted portside. Sliding across the cell, his head slammed into the metal barring. He seeped a breath through gritted teeth. Clenching his fists, he cursed. “I’ll be lucky if I’m not killed before we even get to port,” he growled to himself. His chains clattered against the bars, as he clambered to his feet. With a sharp inhale, he held his breath. His ears pricked up. A whistling grew louder. His heart raced. His eyes widened. Boom! The ground tipped starboard. As a stool, broom and bowls clattered across the room, he clung onto the bars. His head bashed into them once more. Kicking at the air, he howled in pain.
Footsteps thundered on the deck above. Bellowed voices, muffled cries and fearsome blasts echoed down to the dungeon. The ground swayed. His heart jolted. Another round was fired. Water tunnelled through the crack. It slimed through his toes. Snarling his nose at the seaweed stench, he threw a hand to his stomach. His insides lathered.
The whistling returned. Crouching, he balled himself into the corner. His heart pounded up into his throat, as he clung to the railings. Boom! They were struck again. Everything flung back portside. A bowl smacked him in face. He screamed out in pain. His pulse pounced at his temples. Thudding neared him. “Footsteps,” he gasped. Throwing himself to his feet, he rattled against the bars, determined to remind this visitor of his presence.
A latch clicked. A door creaked. Light shot into the room. The orange glow grew nearer. The footsteps loudened. “All men on deck,” roared a mane of white curls.
“Thought I was a prisoner,” he barked back.
“All men on deck,” the elder man growled. Holding the lantern above his head, a ring of keys clattered about in his other hand. With a screech, the metal frame opened. “Follow me.”
“What about the shackles?” he spat, hair flopping against his forehead. The older man grumbled, before crouching down to unfasten the shackles that bound his ankles.
“These too,” snapped the prisoner, shoving his wrists into the man’s face.
“You had better be worth this,” the elder warned, as the chains clattered to the ground. “Follow me.”
The tail of the man’s navy justacorps billowed out, as he mounted the stairs. Following behind, the prisoner slowed his breathing. Squinting, he strained his ears. Voices wailed. Footsteps scurried. Another whistle sounded. Bang! A third explosion. Grabbing onto the railing, he staggered back. The captain spun around, gripping his feathered tricorn hat. “Get out there and help them man the Long Tom,” he ordered, jabbing a finger up the stairs. “Quickly!”
“What’s in it fer me?” he asked, prodding out his chest.
“I’ll clear your sentencing; all charges dropped,” the captain told him with a nod. “If you’re any good, you can have a place on my crew.” A smirk slid its way onto the prisoner’s face.
“Interesting…” he mused with a slow hum. The ground trembled. Voices above roared. The ship swayed starboard.
“Quickly,” raged the captain. “Now!”
Clambering up the stairs, he staggered onto the deck. Blue blurs whipped back and forth, gathering ammo and feeding their weapons. ‘Like a well-oiled machine,’ he mused. ‘A guy could get used ta this.’ As cannons were aimed over the gunwale, he heard the commander yell, “Ready… aim… fire!” The ship shuddered. Staggering forwards, he took a look out to sea. Across the waters, a triple masted, double decked, black flagged ship had them cornered as its prey. He let out a whistle.
“Now that’s a ship,” he grinned. More than twenty gunned portholes faced them. He swallowed. ‘This is bad,’ he noted, clawing a hand through his sodden curls.
Throwing his head over his shoulder, he searched the deck for those manning the Long Tom. “Over here!” called the captain, nudging his head towards two of his men. The prisoner raced over, placing himself at the rear of the cannon. Scrunching his face up, he forced his feet forwards. A groan escaped him, as his biceps strained.
“‘At a do it, solider,” beamed the darker-haired man, patting him on the shoulder. “Watch yer back, whilst I help Lawson load ‘er up.” He nodded.
Looking back out across the sea, fog curled its way around the opposing ship. Holding a hand up to his brow, he squinted. The rocks grew hazy. The opposing ship swayed. A wolf’s head twisted towards them. Lightning flashed. He staggered back. Rain lashed on the deck. Tossing glances to the sky, the crew groaned. “That’s all we need,” the captain growled, from behind him.
“The ship’s changed position,” the prisoner shouted. A roaring thunder buried his voice. “You’ve gotta shift t’ port.”
“And who’s captain here?” bellowed the tricorn leader. “We head starboard. Twenty degrees east,” he ordered to the man at the helm.
Cursing under his breath, the prisoner kicked the air. Clenching his fists, his heart hammered. “He’s a fool,” he growled. Returning his sight to the sea, the other ship had caught up to them.
“Fire!” bellowed a man over his shoulder. Throwing his hands to his ears, the prisoner snapped his eyes shut. His stomach whirled. The ground trembled. Smoke wafted into his throat. Staggering forwards he let out a whooping cough. The dark-haired man thumped a hand to his back.
“Careful,” the man muttered.
Waves lashed up the side of the ship, as the crew prepared for another firing. Running an arm across his face, the prisoner turned towards the captain. “Down!” the dark-haired man gasped, from behind, grabbing a hold of him. Snapping his eyes shut, he dropped to his knees. “Everybody down!” Whistling swung towards them. A flash flickered through his closed lids. The ground trembled. Wood cracked. Everyone slid starboard. Crashing into the wall, the crew howled out in pain.
Seeping a breath through gritted teeth, he clambered to his feet. “You shoulda listened to me!” he wailed, jabbing a finger in the captain’s chest. Water lashed over deck. Long Tom rolled towards him. Dropping to the ground, he rolled out of the way. The bow dipped. Wood cracked as the cannon lodged into the main mast. Clambering to his feet, the captain raced towards the mast. “Leave it,” the prisoner warned. “There’s no time.” The ship dipped aport, dragging everyone towards the sea.
“Bring ‘er around!” barked the captain, with a snarled nose. “Bring ‘er around!”
The sea engulfed them. Holding his breath, the prisoner grabbed onto the shrouds. His heart raged. His arms tremored. Grinding his teeth, he pinched his eyes shut, allowing the shouts and screams of the crew to drain over him. The ship tilted to the right. Men toppled to their knees. “We need a plan,” he growled. Opening his eyes, he ran to the portside gunwale. His eyes widened. He heart rapped at his ribcage. The other ship was gone – lost to the fog. ‘But why?’ he frowned. ‘They were winning.’
“Rocks!” came a yelp from the crow’s nest. Spinning his head around, he shot towards the starboard edge. Waves lashed over the deck. Drenched, he coughed the salty water from his burning throat. His eyes pierced. His heart sank to his stomach. Turning to the captain, his feet skidded. Rocks beat against the boat’s shell. They stumbled portside. Wood cracked. They rocked back. The starboard bow tipped towards the sea. The blood raged through his body.
“You didn’t listen to me,” he screeched, as the ship hurtled into another rock. The mast trembled. “Look out!” he cried, shoving the dark-haired man to safety. Plummeting through the deck, the mast shattered. The bow plunged into more rocks. The ground quaked. Wood splintered. The sea engulfed them. All went black.
- Josie -
