Post 2211 of main thread.

Night 8

After taking a night off, the Four Horsemen had saddled up and were ready to ride again. While they had no actual steeds aboard (they had discussed this and were actually thinking of buying horses of their own with the treasure they had accumulated), they had all of the mentality required to take up the job as vigilantes answerable to no one. After all, it was they who had taken down a Maven and at least one British agent. It was they who had possibly ruined the British by killing another one, with the final autopsy investigation due this morning. It was they who had nearly disabled the Presence's mast in a spectacular attack on CountArach. It was they who were taking the ship's destiny into their own hands.

And so they rode.

Their target tonight was Reenk Roink, who they found above deck, softly humming a tune to himself. Drawing their cutlasses, they did not even attempt to stealthily approach him. Reenk, meanwhile, simply looked up, regarding the Horsemen coolly.

"Well," he said, "judging by your numbers and lack of rapier or blunderbuss or stories, it's clear that my vanquishers are going to be the Four Horsemen," and his lack of fear or even anxiety in his voice was what troubled the Horsemen the most. "So what are you going to do? Chase me around the ship, set some more fires, blow a hole through the rudder this time? All very entertaining propositions, but I'm afraid I must decline."

"Actually, we weren't," said the lead Horseman, "this time we were just going to throw you overboard. Plain and simple this time."

"Arr," said Reenk, falling back into his pirate demeanor, "but to do that, laddies, ye'll be needin' all yer Horsemen pals, and I only be countin' three o' ye."

"Wha-?" The Horsemen stopped for a second, looking at each other, counting. A split second after it finally clicked in their brains that one of them was indeed missing, Reenk charged at them, tackling one of them and beginning to gouge his eyes out.

"Ack!" the one on the floor gasped, unsuccessfully trying to pry Reenk's hand off him. "Get me some help, lads, me left eye's almost out!" The two other Horsemen jumped down, trying with all their might to pull Reenk off their buddy. Thirty long seconds later, they were all on the ground, panting from the effort, but Reenk had succeeded. The one Horseman was clutching his now-empty eye socket, moaning in pain.

"Now, lads," Reenk said to the two remaining coherent Horsemen, "we could duel and ye could get more of the same, or ye can help yer friend calm down and find him an eyepatch. It shouldn't be too hard to get one. This is a pirate ship, after all." He grinned and drew his cutlass for the first time. "So, what'll it be?"

After a moment, the two Horsemen cursed at him, helped their friend up, and took him back below deck, trying to pretend they couldn't hear Reenk's soft chuckling as they walked away.


A flash of silver caught Centurion1's eye. Even though the sky was cloudless, it was still night out, which meant the metal in question would have to be exceptionally polished to catch the moonlight. A moment later, Centurion was able to witness that he was right. The object in question was a rapier, moving so fast that it was a blur, yet its beauty still distinguishable in the moonlight. Centurion, who had very good reflexes, had to be as quick as he ever was to take his blade out and parry the furious attacks.

It quickly became clear that Centurion's typical pirate tactics were no match for the work of this blademaster, and he found himself backpedaling much faster than he would have liked. The dueling went on for some time, but eventually Centurion was disarmed and his attacker was about to strike the killing blow.

Suddenly, something caught his attacker's eye to the right. Three figures, blades out, were advancing on their position. The attacker looked at the helpless Centurion, regarded the advancing figures one more time, and then looked at Centurion again, hissing the words "next time" before retreating below deck.


"Lovely night," First Mate Louis VI the Fat said to his Captain, Crazed Rabbit. The two of them were killing time, the Officers' Cabin looking less and less appealing by the night. Instead, they were sitting on the edge of the Presence, their backs facing the water.

"Aye, Louis, that it is," Rabbit said back. "Makes ye truly appreciate the finer things in life, ye know?"

"Indeed," said Louis. "The calm sea, all of the treasure below deck, the promise of what all awaits us back home in Nassau, the thought that we owe our loyalty and fealty to no one but ourselves, that's a comforting and pleasant thought indeed. Sure, Captain, we may be needin' to follow yer word while we're aboard, but that's only temporary and nobody will care once we get back to Nassau. All of us aboard this ship are truly free, and there are precious few folk in the world who can say that. Personally, I'm right glad to be one of 'em."

Rabbit was silent for a long while. Finally, he slowly replied. "It may not be the case in the future, Louis," he said, choosing every word carefully. "Look at us. Our kind is dying out, much as we hate to admit it. The British don't need us anymore, so our years of friendship and business with them has turned to animosity. Likewise with the French. Heck, even our berth tells us something. We used ter have our pick o' the litter, port wherever it was convenient, be it Port Royal or Tortuga or anywhere else so long as they had a friendly governor. But now, all of us are stuck to the one place where the British haven't bothered cracking down on yet. Nassau. It makes for a great party, aye, but it's still a sad state."

Louis nodded. "Times change, mate," he said. "We're trying to fight it off for as long as we can, hold back the good life, but there's no denying it."

"Aye," said Rabbit. "Do you realize that we very well have pulled off the last great raid in the world? The Brits are clamping down everywhere. Once word of this gets back to Mother England, you know we'll pay for it in spades. You can tell the pickings be mighty slim these days when another crew, desperate for payout, tries to take what's rightfully ours. If we ever get back to Nassau alive, we'll be regarded as heroes, sure, but then eventually the money will be gone, and we'll need to set out again."

"And lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place," Louis said.

"Aye, ye said it. There will never be another Charleston," said Rabbit, sighing. "The payouts will be less and less, the opportunities fewer and fewer. And if this cursed voyage be any indication, the few truly free people left in the world will be turnin' on each other, trying to stay afloat. We'll be doin' the Crown's work for them. And our kind will slowly die out, forever replaced by the shackles of bondage."

Louis nodded, looking seriously depressed at the prospect. "Then I suggest we enjoy our time in Nassau more than anybody has ever enjoyed anything."

"Evenin', First Mate," came a voice off to Louis's right. He turned, acknowledging the voice's owner, hoping that he would continue with his business. However, much to the First Mate's chagrin, he did not, instead plopping right beside Louis on the ship's edge.

"You know," said the newcomer, "a night like this reminds me of Francois l'Olonnais. Ye both know who the great l'Olonnais was, right? A pirate in the time of Morgan, some say his greatest rival..."

"Please, sailor, no stories tonight," said Louis, holding his hand out. "The Captain and I be needin' some time to think, and thinking's done best in silence."

"Really?" said the sailor, mildly off put. "That be too bad, matey, fer all that my story does is delay yer own death." In a flash, the newcomer had his cutlass out, slashing directly for Louis's neck. The First Mate was barely able to duck out of the way when Rabbit drew his own Captain's blade out and started to duel Louis's attacker.

"This be an interestin' prospect," said the attacker. "Protectin' yer mate solo? Now, unless ye be a Steward, methinks that really not be workin' out."

"Be silent," Rabbit growled. "Surrender now and I'll kill ye now instead of in front of the crew."

"Okay, fine, I surrender," said the attacker, dropping his cutlass. Using Rabbit's temporary shock wisely, he grabbed Louis and whirled him in front of him before either of the officers knew what was happening. Certainly, Rabbit didn't comprehend it quickly enough, for he finally recovered from his shock to stab the attacker, not registering that Louis was in the way until the blade had pierced his heart.

"Oh... Oh God, Louis..." he muttered, as the soon-to-be-former First Mate had already fallen to his knees. Meanwhile, the attacker had already retreated.

Louis, in shock, stared down at his wound, and then up at his Captain, his eyes glazing over. The First Mate would never enjoy himself in Nassau for possibly the last time, after all.


As dawn broke, Captain Crazed Rabbit ordered, for the first time, a full funeral for the First Mate. There was no chaplain aboard, of course, but it was a worthy ceremony for a lifelong man of the sea, with his body being lovingly lowered into the water to end it all. Afterwards, Rabbit was so distraught that he immediately withdrew into his cabin, leaving Quartermaster TinCow to begin the day's voting and announce the day's autopsy investigations.

"Well lads," he said, "this be a sad day fer all of us, but I do have excellent news. Sasaki Kojiro was at one point a loyal crewmen, but at some time during the voyage got charmed into becomin' traitor and joining the British. Likewise with Yaseikhaan. It's likely that they were both recruited by CountArach, who was as British as they come - he was their Special Officer, their lead man. All of this means that the British presence aboard is likely gone. Take heart while ye vote today."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is now Day 9. The round will end Tuesday, October 20th, at 14:00 US Eastern.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Attacked: Centurion1 (n1, n8), LittleGrizzly (n1), taka (n2), Andres (n3), Askthepizzaguy (n4), Beskar (n5), SSNeoperestroika (n5), Reenk Roink (n8)

Murdered: LittleGrizzly (n1), atheotes (n2), gibsonsg91921 (n2), Tratorix (n3), Iskander 3.1 (n3), Beefy187 (n3), scottishranger (n4), DisgruntledGoat (n4), Andres (n4), Diana Abnoba (n5), pevergreen (n5), CountArach (n6), Psychonaut (n7), Beskar (n7), Chaotix (n7), Askthepizzaguy (n7), Louis VI the Fat (n8)

Lynched: woad&fangs (d2), Sigurd (d3), Jolt (d4), ricera10 (d5), Sasaki Kojiro (d6), Khazaar (d7), Joooray (d8)

Abandoned Ship: SSNeoperestroika (n7)

Committed suicide: Yaseikhaan (n6)

Removed from play: Xehh II, johnhughthom, YLC

Souls aboard (22):
a completely inoffensive name
A Very Super Market
A1 Unit
Captain Blackadder
Centurion1
Crazed Rabbit
Cultured Drizzt Fan
Death is Yonder
Double A
KukriKhan
Lord Winter
miotas
Reenk Roink
Seamus Fermanagh
shlin28
slashandburn
spL1tp3r50naL1ty
Subotan
taka
TinCow
White_eyes:D
Yaropolk