The feast was brought to a halt as the pirates came through the wall, its defenders left dead in their tracks. The change in commotion caught the Captain’s attention. He rose to see his men engaging the bandits and his crew gathered around him, wondering if they’d get out to help their crewmates. He was glad Kita had pulled it off. “But where is she?” he said to himself.
The answer came clad in black and holding a key. “Look what I found,” Kita said cheerily as she unlocked the cage and let the pirates out. She pointed to a stack of crates, “Your weapons are over there.” The pirates made haste in retrieving them and returned to their captain. Cyril handed Leo his sword.
“Your gun was missing, cap’n,” he said, “We looked but couldn’t find it.” The Captain nodded. He figured one of the bandits had swiped it.
Leo faced the warriors, “Alright men, let’s show them what we’re made of!” His crew cheered and set off into battle.
The Captain turned to Kita. “Thank you,” he said with a nod. She smiled.
“It’s not over yet, though,” she responded. “There’s still one large problem to take care of.” He nodded again. She ran off past him, heading into the ongoing battle as he made his way to the table.
Leo moved towards the bandit king, who was still at the head of the table. The Captain climbed atop the opposite end and began walking down its length. He increased his speed into a full sprint as he hit the last stretch of the table. He gave a fierce cry as he leapt from the end of the table at the beast of a man.
Brutus spun around to see the lone pirate sailing through the air towards him. He jumped back, barely dodging the blow. Leo hit the ground hard but kept his composure. He kicked himself up off the ground and unleashed a hurricane of attacks. Unarmed, Brutus used his gauntlet-clad arms to protect himself. The Captain let off for a moment and stepped back. Brutus took this opportunity and came in fast, his massive fist leading his body.
Leo didn’t have enough time to completely avoid the attack. He was hit hard and was sent spiraling to the ground. He rose, grasping his left shoulder. The large man tried once more but this time the Captain was ready. Brutus’ fist caught only air as the pirate moved out of the way. Leo struck quickly, splitting the flesh of his enemy’s arm. Brutus grunted and threw all his weight through his arm at Leo. The blow caught him square in the chest and sent him hurdling through the air. He hit the ground a few yards away. He tried to rise but his body denied him the ability. Brutus trudged over to where the Captain lay. He chuckled as he picked the pirate up with both his hands. Leo’s arms were pinned to his sides, causing him to drop his sword.
He stared hard into the cold eyes of his enemy. Brutus stared back for a moment before glancing over the Captain’s shoulder. The brute did a double take and glared at whatever was behind him. Leo didn’t care what it was; he knew this was his only chance to take the monster down. He kicked with all his might, his foot crushing up between Brutus’ legs. A soft crunch and a grunt of pain freed Leo from the bandit’s grip. Brutus fell to his knees, grasping his damaged groin. The Captain quickly retrieved his weapon and brought it up to the neck of his nemesis. “You’re tough,” he said, “but you’re not that tough.”
Kita cut down with ease the bandit that had flung himself at her in an attempt to bring her down by sheer manpower and greater physical build. This was only the seventh idiot to try this tactic and she was becoming rather annoyed. When she noticed a piece of her mask hanging loosely from her face where his blade had hit home, she tore it off completely before spinning and thrusting her blade behind her into the stomach an oncoming bandit.
Shaking his blood from her sword, she turned in time to see the traitor, Rhea, with a six-shooter aimed right at the captain’s back and a murderous smirk on her face. Kita had little time to act. “Leo!!” she screamed as she ran with lightning speed and tackled him to the ground. In the process, she chucked a shuriken at the weapon, knocking it from Rhea’s hand. Unfortunately it had already been fired and the bullet grazed her right arm as she and the Captain fell.
“Are you nuts?!” he yelled as he rolled her off of him. “This is no time for you to be on top of me!”
“This is a perfect time for me to be on top of you!“ She winked and added, “You can thank me later.” They stood in one fluid motion, back to back and facing their respective opponents. “Avenge your friend. I’ll deal with her.” He nodded and he returned his focus to the ugly oaf in front of him. At the same instant they broke from each other and lunged into battle with their rivals.
Rhea had scrambled for her gun after Kita’s shuriken knocked it from her grasp. As the ninja woman had begun her attack, Rhea managed to get a hold of it again and fired three blind shots. Kita threw two throwing knives to intercept or block two of them while dodging the third bullet entirely. She drew a short blade from the inside of her left boot and lunged for Rhea’s throat.
The bandit woman was not about to let herself be taken so easily. She fired another shot as Kita got too close to dodge it and it penetrated her right shoulder just below the collarbone. She cried out in pain as the bullet tore threw the flesh and muscle. She dropped her knife as she clutched her shoulder with her free hand and Rhea took advantage of her momentary distraction. She drew her own sword from her back and swung it low at the ninja’s exposed waist.
Kita leapt into the air at the last moment and a thin line of blood dripped from her stomach as Rhea’s blade skimmed over her. She flipped and landed several yards away. With her dominant arm nearly incapacitated, drawing her sword proved to be a difficult and painful task. What normally took no time at all took several precious seconds now, but once out of its sheath she tossed her sword over to her left hand in time to block Rhea’s attack.
Even though she was restricted to her left hand, she knew she was a better swordswoman than the dirty traitor she was dueling. After blocking several poor attempts and low swings, she found her window of opportunity. Rhea had swung her sword back after a failed attempt at the ninja’s neck and was preparing to swing it back when the other woman, with surprising quickness, thrust the sword forward and straight through her neck. For a few long seconds they stared at each other. Kita’s eyes were cold and merciless as she watched the fear in her opponent’s eyes. “There’s a special circle of hell waiting for traitors like you,” she snarled just before she ripped the sword to the side, in effect, beheading the bitch that had caused her new friends such pain.
The battle raged on around her as she stood still, the blood of her enemy still dripping from her blade. She held her shoulder gingerly and after staring at the dismembered head before her, turned back to see how Leo was faring.
Brutus had recovered slightly and was able to stand. Leo’s arms seared with pain from being crushed. He swung his sword the best he could, but Brutus shielded himself with his giant arms. Leo was growing tired and weak. I can’t stop now, he thought to himself, I’ve come too far. He gripped his sword with two hands, his shoulder still aching from the earlier punch.
He thrust his blade at Brutus’ throat, but the beast caught the sword between his gauntlets. Brutus quickly crossed his arms, disarming the Captain once again. The bandit king dove forward, looking to crush Leo under his weight. The Captain was fast enough to avoid the attack, and Brutus hit the ground. Leo kicked at the back of Brutus’ head in an attempt to smash his skull. It seemed to have little effect on the brute. For being so empty, his skull was thicker than expected.
Brutus rolled away from him and pushed himself up off the ground. He looked around, spotted what he was looking for and took off for it. About thirty yards away, Brutus had picked up a huge battle axe, with a human skull set between the dual blades. He gave a threatening swing and shouted, “Now it’s time fer Roddy to ‘ave ‘is revenge!”
“That must be Roddy’s skull,” Leo mumbled, “that sick bastard.” The Captain stood ready to dive to one side and avoid the deadly blade. Brutus came right at him, heaving the axe over his head. His eyes were locked on the pirate, causing him to leave the approaching ninja girl unnoticed.
Kita came running towards the Captain, a pistol in her hands. “Leo!” she shouted as she drew nearer, “use this!” She sped up and threw the weapon to him.
So that’s where my pistol went, he thought as he grabbed it from the air, cocked it, and pointed it towards his rival. Brutus was moving too fast to stop himself. Even if he had tried it would have been too late. The Captain sprinted towards Brutus and slid feet first towards him. With just a few feet between them, Leo secured his aim between the bandit king’s eyes and pulled the trigger. Blood and grey matter filled the air behind Brutus. His face was a tattered mess. His sudden death stopped his legs and he lurched into the air. Leo covered his face with his arms as he slid right under the airborne man. He came to a halt as Brutus’ body met the dirt with a loud thud that rippled through the air.
One of the other bandits witnessed this event and cried out in disgusted terror. “Oh my god!” he screamed, “he killed Brutus!” More and more bandits ceased their fighting to view the faceless body of their master.
Soon Rhea’s decapitated corpse was found. “They got Rhea, too!” Another shouted. The pirates stopped their assault as the bandits began to flee in horror. They couldn’t go on with both their leaders dead. They ran for their lives and didn’t turn back once.
The Captain called Cyril over. “I want you to go and check on everyone,” he said to him, “and report back to me with any casualties.”
“Aye aye, cap’n” came the curt reply and he set off.
Leo walked over to see how Kita was doing. “So,” he said as he approached her, “where did you get my pistol?”
She gave a little smile, “Oh, so that was your gun?” She pulled back the ripped cloth on her shoulder to show him the wound she had sustained from Rhea. “I guess that means that this is your fault,” she said jokingly. He let out a slight chuckle.
His eyes softened and with his tone sincere he said, “Thanks for saving me back there. I owe you my life.” With her mask off, he could see her face redden ever so slightly. “I am very grateful.” He locked her gaze with his as he took her hand and lightly brushed his lips upon her fingers. For a few moments they didn’t look away from each other. Kita’s heart was pounding in her head, she almost failed to notice the medic approaching them.
“Cap’n,” Cyril said, breaking the tender moment. “I have some grave news.”
“What is it, Cyril?” Leo asked, finally breaking his gaze from the blue-eyed ninja woman before him.
“Eight of our men are dead,” he said rather quietly, “and there are others who are wounded.”
The Captain stood silent for a moment. He looked out over the ravaged camp. “Gather the dead. We shall give them a proper burial at sea.” he said finally. Cyril nodded in agreement.
As Leo began giving orders, Kita wandered the battlefield. She collected her shuriken and throwing knives from the bloodied, lifeless bodies of the bandits she had slain. There were a lot of dead men, but what halted her were the bodies of a few women who had been caught in the crossfire. She waved over a few of the pirates to help her carry away the innocent victims.
“What are you doing?” Leo asked as he saw his men carrying some of the bandits’ dead away. “I said to leave them where they were!”
“I asked them to help me,” the ninja informed him as she ran over. “These women were not supposed to be in the battle. I expect they were probably even slaves. It’s not fair to make them suffer the same fate.” He nodded at her pleading gaze and she followed the men to make sure the burial was done properly.
Leo supervised the extraction of his men to the shore. Everyone left carrying someone else or helping to carry off some of the loot. Cyril was hard at work mending to the most severely wounded so as not to lose any more men. They’d only lost eight men to the ruthless bandits, but at least twelve were wounded with four of those in critical condition. The Captain placed a reassuring hand on the medic’s shoulder. It had been a long day. “Keep up the good work Cyril. I promise you’ll have plenty to eat and drink and a nice long rest after this.” The young man’s smile was small and tired, but he diligently kept working.
Jeremiah had brought some men from the ship out to the shore to help with the wounded and the treasures. He waved to Leo as they came closer and was grinning from ear to ear, eager to be of some help. Leo chuckled to himself as he waved back to the old man and continued his patrol.
Lucas was busy loading their dead into one of the boats and ordering a few men to take it back to the ship. He’d cleaned the blood from his face and an eye patch covered the right portion of his head, protecting the wound he had suffered in the battle. His dark hair was mussed up and his body slouched with fatigue. The Captain came over and clapped an arm around his shoulder. “You’ve done well, boy.” he said with a smirk.
“Thank you, sir,” the new first mate responded automatically. “I was just doing my duty.”
Leo patted him on the back and replied, “You’ve gone above and beyond. You’ve accepted your promotion without the slightest hesitation, even in light of Phineas’ death.” He stopped talking for a moment and looked out to his ship, trying to choke back his grief.
The young man at his side looked to the sea as well. “No one can replace Phineas,” he said quietly. “I certainly don’t intend to. But I want to make him proud and live up to everything he did and was. Maybe after many more years I can be half the pirate he was.” Tears streamed down his face from his good eye and he tried to resist the trembling sob that managed to escape.
The Captain wiped away a tear that threatened to roll down his cheeks as well and placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder again. “You’ll do fine,” he said and hugged him briefly. “You’ve already proved yourself worthy of being my first mate by your actions today. I have the utmost confidence in you and expect great things. I knew what I was doing when I made you second mate all those years ago.”
He smiled again and Lucas nodded. “Thank you, sir,” he said again.
“Of course,” Leo said. “I’ll let you get back to your task. You seem to have things under control.” With a final reassuring clap on the back, Leo left Lucas to get the dead men back to the ship. He wandered the camp, half wondering where their ninja friend had gone. He spotted the men she’d borrowed earlier sitting on a log, waiting to have their minor injuries looked after. “Oi! You two, front and center,” he ordered.
They rose and briskly walked over. “Aye, cap’n?” they said in unison.
“Where’s the ninja woman?” he asked.
“She sent us back after we buried the dead bandit women,” one said. “She said she was gonna go clean her wounds and get something to eat and she said to tell you she’d see you before we left.”
Leo smiled at them both. “Thank you, gentleman. Get yourselves back to the ship. Cyril will treat you there once he’s had some rest.” They saluted him and headed to the second rowboat that was returning to the ship. They had managed to fit all the loot onto one rowboat and had already sent that one back. There should be enough to trade for food and supplies in the next port town they came across, but he had no idea where they were to even get to one.
The sun was beginning to get low in the sky by the time they had gotten most everyone back to the ship. Only Lucas, the Captain, and a few other men remained. He began to wonder if she really would come to see them off. They couldn’t stay too much longer. They had to find another island with a port town to get more supplies so Cyril could better treat the wounded.
Just as the men were loading the final boat back to the ship, a flicker of orange and black caught his eye from the edge of the forest. He turned to see her leaning against a tree at the tree line, mask-less with her hair down and floating in the light breeze. “I’ll be right back,” he said to Lucas and the men before turning and jogging over to her.
She grinned and watched him from where she stood, waiting for him to get close enough to talk to. “I almost thought you were gonna leave without saying goodbye,” she said coyly.
“Yeah, I thought the same thing about you,” he replied. She had tightly bandaged her shoulder where the bullet from his gun had torn threw, leaving a nasty wound, and he noticed the arm hung rather limply. There was a thin line on her face from where the bandit had successfully cut threw her mask and another on her stomach from her battle with Rhea. She had other minor gashes and scrapes, mostly evident by the tears in her clothes. “Are you alright?” he asked.
Kita nodded. “I’m fine. Are your men okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Cyril’s been working hard to make sure everyone survives.” She glanced out to the ship and stared for a few moments in silence. “You know,” he said, breaking her train of thought, “we lost several men out there and many good fighters. We could use someone with your talents on our crew.”
She turned her gaze back to him and he was complacently pleased that she seemed surprised. After a minute of staring at him in bewilderment, she shook her head. “I couldn’t. The sea isn’t the place for a ninja.”
“You still think I’m a ninja,” he replied without hesitation, “or you likely wouldn’t still be here.” She looked awa
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PNB,OM! Part 3: Final Battle blog
