Jack's Blasphemous Heist [2]

Both of them found refuge to port, hidden by the looming presence of the grand wooden cabin amidship.

The guard turned about, senses keen and alert, his gaze sweeping the dark expanse, but a surprise awaited him as a swift strike from none other than Jack, the captain, met him square in the face.

Meanwhile, within the cabin's confines, Mary ventured, the interior void of sentinels, save for a solitary figure on the lower platform, attainable by ladder in the far corner.

The man, his visage marked by a sharp jawline framed by a rugged beard, his hair cascading in ebony waves, crowned by a bandana of deepest black, was sent sprawling by the force of Jack's blow.

As Jack poised for his next assault, a strange metamorphosis gripped the man, elongating his fingers into feline-like claws, each digit extending a menacing three centimeters, while his forearm gained an ominous bulk.

Thoughts raced through Jack's mind, This one, he wields powers akin to our own.

While bereft of offensive abilities, Jack clutched his trusty blade, its steel gleaming dully from its leather abode, a silent witness to countless skirmishes.

Cling

The clash ensued, the man's onslaught a flurry of strikes, Jack's lithe form swaying and evading, a wry grin dancing on his lips.

"Not a bad dance, indeed," Jack quipped, poised to unleash his own flurry of steel.

He raised his blade aloft, a lightning-quick swipe, sidestepped, followed by another. Then, a direct lunge, only to meet the man's grasp, as if wielding not a blade of steel, but one of wood, the edge left unmarred.

Jack's grin held fast as he deftly withdrew his revolver, leaping back, deftly cocking the hammer with an index poised on the trigger.

Bam

The shot found its mark, the man's shoulder echoing with a cry of pain, relinquishing his grip on the blade.

From the flat rooftop of the cabin, a second assailant descended, tendrils of vine extending from his grasp, seeking Jack's throat.

Awareness struck Jack, eyes skyward to behold a torrent of tendrils, a ten-pronged onslaught, converging toward neck, torso, and limbs. He vaulted forward, a swift roll culminating in the retrieval of his blade.

The intruder now stood upon the deck, the other guard rising to his feet.

"Persistent, aren't ye?" Jack mused.

A signal passed betwixt the two assailants, a silent accord forged amidst the chaos.

Jack arched a brow and ran. The guards, their pursuit unyielding, closed the gap.

Halting abruptly, Jack stood firm, one hand gripped his blade, the other swift in sheathing his revolver, before a parting remark, "Farewell, lads." The blade sliced through the main mast rope, a resounding severance.

With single-handed grip on the severed tether, Jack ascended skyward with the swiftness of a bullet, a cacophonous laughter mingling with the night air.

Empowered by the artifacts strength, he released his grasp, limbs spiraling in a comical whirl. Grasping the nearest rope with a vice-like grip, he dangled, a spirited cry akin to Tarzan's echoed through the night.

The two guards, eyes widened in disbelief, swiftly regathered their senses, hurtling towards the bow of the ship.

As the rope slipped from Jack's grip, he descended, a fall of mere meters, rolling nimbly as the two adversaries closed in.

"This proves trickier than anticipated," Jack muttered to himself.

To his right lay a wooden crate, seized with haste and thrown, its contents of gunpowder spilling forth, enshrouding both deck and assailants in a haze.

In their fury, they lunged forth, encrusted in powder, Jack's elevated stance granting him the advantage. With a leap, he soared above them, racing toward his gleaming blade.

As steel met hand, Jack stood armed and ready, a defiant gesture signaling, "Come, if ye dare, for I'll carve ye up."

And so they came, vines snaking and claws unsheathed, their advance unwavering.

Yet ere their final onslaught, Mary emerged from the shadows, her gaze fixed upon her captain ensnared in peril, the two assailants, power wielders, their forms caked in the residue of gunpowder.

"OI MARY, ZAP 'EM GOOD," Jack roared.

Swiftly, Mary summoned the power of her Link, conjuring forth a spark that ignited the volatile powder. The ensuing detonation echoed across the harbor.

"Har, har, har! Well done, Mary. Although I reckon I could've handled it meself," Jack chuckled.

Curiosity gleamed in Mary's eyes, "They wielded powers akin to our own?"

"Aye," Jack affirmed.

Pressing on, they came upon two peculiar stones, bereft of markings, yet bearing an enigmatic shape, glistening with the life's essence that once coursed through those who bore them.

Before he picked them, he summoned the power of the Link, causing his eye to blaze pure blue with the gleaming golden symbol. In that arcane light, he discerned the items' true worth, an instinctual knowing that affirmed their value. Swiftly, he stowed them away in his trusty leather pouch and returned his blade to its rightful place.

"Find anything?" he inquired.

"Ye, captain. I relieved the vendor and the guard of their burdens. Silk and gleaming coins lie below," she reported.

He couldn't help but muse, Her power surpasses even mine. What's a captain to do? Rely on her?

In due course, they plundered all they could, the bulk of their haul consisting of precious silk. Through his innate ability, Plunder, he unearthed 15 Nord coins, a treasure he might have otherwise overlooked.

He cradled a small cask of rum, while she clutched as much silk as her arms could bear. Together, they plunged into the sea.

Scaling the zigzagging wooden stairs, they encountered three men adorned in crisp white breeches, navy blue coats adorned with silver trim, and tricorns of the same hue, adorned with silver braid. These were officers of the formidable Sea of Lerton navy.

With haste in their steps, Jack and Mary wove a dance of evasion, narrowly avoiding the lethal leaden projectiles fired from muskets.

For a tense ten minutes, they sprinted, until they reached the spot where their anchor lay secure. With a fearless leap, they plummeted into the welcoming sea, swiftly ascending the ladder to the familiar deck of Jack's revered ship, The Creature.