The Beginning

Joseph:

"30 years ago," I start, "Right before I first met Ebonie Ken, I worked as a guardsman, guarding the city of Rockies. I was set up in an outpost about ten miles from the city. I was preparing to head out one day."

30 Years Ago

"Joseph," Peter yells. "Joseph! Where the hell are you?"

"I'm right here," I say, waving my hand in front of the fat bastard. He chuckles and throws me a gun. A modified rifle with a better grip and more extended range, I look through the scope on the top before lowering it. "Not bad. Thanks."

"Don't thank me," Peter says, "Pay me."

"Fine."

I pull a sack of stones from my pocket and throw it. Peter catching it, we nod our heads and part way. Walking through the crowded city of Rockies, I check my supplies. I have my new modified rifle and about seven clips in total. I have a large bag filled with bottles of water. The last thing I need is some food.

Stopping at a bird farm, I pick out a few large birds, all pre-roasted and fried. I pay for them before throwing them on my back and heading out. As I approach the city's port, I see a familiar face.

"Joseph," Kidd shouts. A short, thin kid with long, pitch-black hair, Kidd is wearing a yellow shirt and torn shorts. As he sees me, he stops eating and pushes himself off a wooden box. Running up to me, we shake before nodding our heads.

"Kidd," I yell, smiling and laughing. "How are you doing? Enjoying your breakfast?"

"Yeah," Kidd replies, looking at the half-eaten bird on a stick. "It's a little dry though. You got any water to spare?"

I roll my eyes.

"Fine," I say. I drop to a knee and reach into my bag. Pulling out a small bottle of water, I give it to Kidd.

"Thanks," Kidd says, taking a sip. "By the way, where are you heading with all that?"

"I'm heading to work," I answer, standing back up. "It's my turn to guard the city."

"Are you leaving," Kidds asks, "Wait, are you leaving the city? Joseph, listen to me. Don't go out there. Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what? About the increase in pirate activity? Kidd, why do you think I'm heading out in the first place? Besides, I doubt there's anything to worry about. Pirates only hunt near trade routes, and the outpost I'm going to isn't near one. It's a lookout station. I'm going to be looking at a black sky."

I ruffle Kidd's hair before walking away.

"Try to stay out of trouble while I'm away," I shout as I approach the government official. Pulling out and showing the official my ID and pass, he nods and steps aside. Grabbing my luggage, I step onto the ramp before entering the airship. Finding an empty seat near the side of the airship, I place my supplies in the empty seat next to me before sitting down.

I watch for a while as other people board the airship. Most of them look exactly like me, guardsmen with weapons and bags of supplies.

"I guess the rumor isn't a rumor after all. There is an increase in pirate activities. Well, there's nothing I can do about it."

I look over the side at the boiling ocean of lava below as I hear the crewmembers pull the ramp in before the captain yells from the airship's bridge. Yelling into a funnel, the crewmembers running around, he pulls on a series of ropes and flips a bunch of switches. I look up at the balloon as they open up and the heat from the lava rises them.

Rising higher and higher, the captain pulls on another rope and I watch from my seat as flags shoot out from the side. They capture the wind and before I know it, we're sailing away.

Present

"The trip took over three hours," I say, staring at my reflection in my drink. "We had to stop a few times to drop off the other guardsmen. They had posts closer to the city and apparently, were more important than a lone guardsman in such a remote outpost."

"What does any of this have to do with Ebonie Ken," Heather snaps, slamming her hands down on the counter. "I paid you to tell me the true story of the infamous pirate captain. Not tell me about your daily life from before you had grey hair."

I shake my head as I run my hand over my aging grey hair.

"If you're not happy," I say, "Then you can leave."

I nudge my head toward the door.

"But know that everything I'm telling you is important. It may not seem important but it is."

"How is buying food for your lonely days at some stupid outpost far from the city important?"

"It was because I was sent to that outpost that I met Ebonie Ken. He found me there."

Suddenly, Heather's eyes go wide and her back straightens.

"Now I got your attention," I say, taking a drink. "Anyway, I was three days into my two weeks at that outpost."

30 Years Ago

Splitting into a rag, I wrinkle the same rag before using it to wipe the scoop on my rifle. Once cleaned, I line up the shot. With the barrel sitting on the window's ledge, I place the butt against my shoulder and position my head. With one eye closed, I slow my breathing while putting my finger on the trigger.

"Everything had to be right," I tell myself. "A straight line. There can be no crook or bent. No curve or turn. It had to be a straight line."

I take one last breath before squeezing the trigger.

"Boom," I scream, shooting a fictional bullet at a piece of rock floating in the lava. My fictional bullet hits the rock, causing it to jump

Pulling my rifle back, I look through the outpost's only window. As expected, I see nothing but a black sky and an ocean of lava. Grabbing my rag, I start cleaning the barrel of my gun.

Splitting on it again, I wipe the entire thing until the barrel is shiny. As I bring it up and examine it, I see something in the reflection.

"What," I say, looking around. "No way. It can't be."

Getting up from my chair, I rub my eyes just to be sure I'm not hallucinating from the loneliness or the heat from the lava.

"No," I say, "It's real."

There, floating closer and closer toward the outpost is an airship. Unfortunately, this airship is unlike the one that brought me here. The balloons that are holding it up are red, and only one kind of airship uses red balloons.

"A pirate airship," I say. "Why is there a pirate airship all the way out here? There's nothing worth wild all the way out here."

I check the bags of supplies. Grabbing and shaking the bag, I throw the empty bag to the side and grab a clip. Checking to make sure it's loaded, I then jam it into the bottom of my gun. Before lining up the shot, I look toward a lever on one of the outpost's walls.

"There's no need to send a signal yet," I think, turning back. Lowering my head, I close one eye and look through the scope.

"Everything had to be right," I tell myself. "A straight line. There can be no crook or bent. No curve or turn. It had to be a straight line."

My finger slowly squeezing against the trigger, I watch as the pirate airship approaches. It moves quickly and in only a few minutes, it's within my range.

I fire and pop a hole in the red balloon. I can see clearly that my bullet goes right through, hot air now rushing out and the pirate airship slowly sinking down. I pop another hole and the airship sinks faster. Despite this, the airship is still making its way toward me.

"Turn back now," I yell, lining up a third shot. "Or take a swim in lava! Your choice."

The airship chooses to take a swim so I fire and pop open another hole in the balloon. Now, the airship is on the same level as me. Looking at the airship's deck, I see someone standing there.

"Who are you?"

The person standing on the deck is a man in a black hoodie and vest with long pants. His face is hidden in the hoodie's shadow. I watch as he runs from the ship's deck and jumps right off.