CHAPTER - 1 [In Search For A Crew, Part-I]

Covering the sky like a veil, the gray clouds slammed against one another with the forceful wind. With the amount of humidity in the air, it started getting difficult to breathe.

This time of the year, storms were frequent. Tides rise high, waves travel far, ships sail less and people approach the sea, none.

But this was also the time of the year, when the number of incidents relating to pirates soar up.

"Hahh… It's finally done! My masterpiece!"

Inside the dark and cold wooden room painted in wood varnish that gave off a pungent odor, under the dimming light of an old rusted metal lantern, a man with a short beard shouted in joy.

His shadow flickered under the light of the lantern as if trying to pull the man in darkness with it. His long black hair, tied in dreadlocks with beads swung on his face.

Around him were iron nails and an old iron hammer, scattered on the wooden floor. The man picked up the lantern and used it to find every last piece of nails so later saved him the time in cleaning.

While doing so, his face was visible due to the light. Completely pale as if the colors were washed away from his face.

Placing the hammer in his knotted striped-white sash which now appeared dirty and ragged due to being over used and washed, he stepped towards the only door in the room.

The rough hand finishing of the patterns on the door, the slightly foggy glass to see on the other side, all hinted that no specialized individual in crafting did it.

Gripping on the doorknob with his right hand, the man twisted it then opened the door letting him feel the fine lining touches of breeze on his dry cheeks.

"Huuu… It's cold."

The man muttered. He walked out of the ship's cabinet and now stood on the large empty deck.

'Already night? For how long did I work?'

Thought the man as he looked up, saw the dark sky filled with blurry-like clouds, stars and the moon hidden behind.

Nights were longer and days shorter in the last months of the year. Many times people get the chance to watch the sunset but never know if they could witness sunrise.

Not when there's pirates roaming at sea.

"Hahm…"

Exhaling the warm breath, he examined his creation, the ship, once again under the dim and undying light of the old lantern.

TAK! TAK!

His foot stuck on the wooden floor and produced a low and wide spreading sound, like the dong of a bell.

With three masts, the ship had the ability to travel faster in the sea with less manpower required. It had taken quite a bit of time to perfect the design of this ship.

As the man checked the masts, he continued to move and check other parts of the ship, he would only grow happier and more satisfied with his masterpiece.

Hopping on the grilled frame on the deck, with wide gaps to let sunlight pass through and provide light in the lower deck, he spread his arms open and shouted in joy.

"With you shall me travel in the sea! Me voyage will be with you an eternal memory! Me great masterpiece! Steer the sea!"

"I hereby command you! Aye as Captain! Come alive, My Beloved!"

His deep voice, like the sound of winds chasing, like the water streaming, like the grinding of a stone, and like the melody of a nightingale.

Closing his eyes he felt the heating of the air around him. The strong magic shuddering caused him to open his eyes and see for himself.

The rocking of his beloved.

RUMBLE!

The entire ship shook vigorously, the sails on the masts swayed, the ropes constricted while the chains chatted, the deck quivered, windows and doors juddered.

THUD!

The man stomped his right foot on the grilled frame, intending to stop the uninvited trembling of the ship. And was very well successful in doing so.

Silence followed after the sound of his stomping. With a satisfied look, the man walked to the taffrail and gently caressed it.

The polished surface of the wood, rubbed against his dry skin, the sensation of it was one of a kind that the man couldn't help but feel pleasure.

"Soon I will bring men, we will then set sail at sea where you will have the chance to showcase your magic."

The man slowly got down the ship and landed on the ground, the old lantern in his hand shook unsteadily but he quickly stopped its unnecessary movement.

Looking around the man, he seemed to be at the edge of an island, with a sudden separation of land and sea.

He raised the lantern in his hand, and looked at his beloved ship with loving eyes. He couldn't help but think of the joy when he sails with her.

"I will come back, and this time with a crew."

Said the man with a smile to the ship, then turned around heading towards the direction of the only human civilization on the island, a small port town.

His long brown coat, waved with the cold wind, the coldness entered his clothes and made the man shiver through bone.

'It's getting colder with each passing day. The time has begun, pirates will come soon. I have to leave the island before them.'

The man quietly walked on the hard ground, his footprints trailing behind on the sand. After passing through some trees and bushes, he came before the foot of the sole mountain of the island.

He used the lantern's light to see his path on the moist ground covered with small plants and grasses. Soon he came before the mouth of a cave, the walls uneven, rough and wet.

Pebbles and stones were so small that it was giving the man a hard time to walk down into the cave, while also one of his hands holding the lantern.

After an hour or so, the man came out of the cave and finally reached the open ground.

He looked back and wondered whether anyone else knew about this cave he discovered or not as he had never seen someone walk in or by.

"It's better if they don't."

Continuing on his path, the man walked down the ground before arriving near the port town, [Anbis Dele].

It was a port town that prohibited the entry of pirates and was strictly ruled by a governing body of selected individuals from the [Augustus Empire].

"Ahaha!"

"More rum! Bring more rum!"

On the streets of the town, even though it was night time, men could be seen enjoying the company of rum and women.

"Hey beautiful! Come to me!"

"Wanna have a bit of me?"

"Hi hottie!"

Along the way to his destination, the man encountered tens of women prostituting themselves on the streets for making a living.

In the current Pirate Era, most of the ordinary illiterate women focus on being prostitutes which have rich income while the men dream to achieve great heights in piracy.

There were also the ones, the literates, who swore to themselves in gaining respect and high social standards through their works.

[Rimmy'Bar]

Arriving at the doorstep of this familiar bar, the man slowly pushed the doors open and entered with a calm demeanor.

TING!

The small bell on the door rang out. But the people inside were too busy drinking to notice the man.

[Rimmy'Bar], one of the most famous and favorite bars in the town, hundreds of citizens, sailors and even the Navy soldiers protecting the port town come here at least once a week.

THUD!

Placing the old lantern on the counter table, and taking a seat there, he waited for the bartender to ask for his drink.

"Why are you here?"

A woman's voice sounded before the man behind the counter. Raising his head, he saw a woman who was actually similar in age to him, with a large bottle of rum in her hands.

Rimmy, the owner of this bar. Her face didn't have the slight hint of aging, she appeared to be still in her twenties and with a body bloomed on the right areas to the fullest.

She placed the rum bottle on the counter, then pulled out two big wooden mugs. Pouring the two mugs till the brink, she handed one to the man while drinking the other herself.

"I need a crew. Strong men, with the will to become pirates that will terror the sea."

He answered Rimmy in a low voice so others couldn't hear him. Sighing, Rimmy took another gulp of the rum before staring straight in the man's eyes.

"This isn't a place for you to find pirates. Go somewhere else."

She said seriously, her face showed the worry she had for the man before her. It wasn't a secret for the people that these two had known each other since they were little kids.

Actually, she was the reason why the man was able to build his ship in the first place. She had used up her savings to help the man complete his masterpiece.

"You could just sell the ship to the Navy and earn a lot of money, then we could live together. Just you, me then our children in the future. You will be a loving husband, and a doting father! Consider that for a moment. Happiness that you can get out of it, it's a life worth dying for!"

Her words had heavy meaning to them, her emotions truly expressed through the sentence. She wanted to save the man, from what one will face if they become pirates.

She held out her hands and tightly gripped on the man's hands, his rough and cold skin rubbed against her palms.

These were the same hands that were once soft, smooth and full of vigor. In the past she could feel them as much as she wanted but now, maybe once a year?

"Pirate's blood flows in me. And you know what I want, right? Being a pirate is my destiny, something I longed for in my life."

He pushed her hands away, then drank the entire mug filled with rum in one go. One of the weaknesses of a pirate was love, and he didn't want to have such a weakness that anyone could exploit.

"Damn you!"

She lowered her head to hide her face, then let out a curse. Her figure did tremble a little but she shook her head then calmed down.

"Tomorrow at night, I will prepare for a crew with my best abilities. That's the last thing I will ever do for you. After which never show your fucking face to me, ever again!"

"As you wish. And I will forever be in your debt."

Saying so, the man grabbed the handle of his old lantern then stood from the seat. Watching his back, Rimmy slammed her tight fist on the counter.