Captain+Tory

 The candle flame softy flicked like a serpent's tongue in the moonlight, casting a eerie fluorescent glow upon Renie’s feet as they slowly tapped across the floor.  ”Are you ready?” croaked Tory.  The small boy nodded his head shakily as they both began to walk towards Port Harbor. It was a cold, foggy summer night, when suddenly they came to a halt on the stone street, their silhouettes illuminated against the ocean waves by a small brass lantern that Tory carried in one hand while the other hand was joined with Renie’s.  ”Now,” whispered Tory “This lantern has much power that many people would kill for.”  A puzzled look spread across Renie’s face.  “Here.” said Tory “I’ll show you.”  He swung his lantern 3 times and slowly the Schooner appeared. Mesmerized Renie’s eyes made an excellent impression of two extremely large dinner plates as he watched the Schooner’s masts and deck emerge from the still mist of the night. Suddenly, Renie dropped Tory's hand, realizing that the crew was a mass of cold, toothless skeletons. Fearfully Renie started to run. His action was in vain for there was a icy hand clasped around the collar of his shirt. He relaxed a bit thinking it was Tory’s grip on his neck. Although when he turned around it was not Tory, it was a grim skeleton with a cold toothless smile.  “Good bye, Renie.” Tory said sadly turning to walk away, abruptly he stopped and hesitantly tossed the lantern to Renie, then whispered  “At the dawns break hold it high, when the time’s right the flame will die.” And Tory slowly disappeared like a shadow struck by sunlight.  “Hello.” Cackled the skeletons dry pierced voice. Then he added “Slave.”

 That was the night that Renie thought of when he was in the captain’s quarters holding cell. He still had the small lantern that Tory had given him, although strangely, the flame never dies. Renie’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud door slam. Coracan, was the skeleton who had imprisoned Renie on the Schooner 18 years ago with the Title “Renside.”  “Well what do we have here?” Coracan spat in his cackling manner. “If it isn't a little escapee.”  “No Coracan soon I will be fully escaped from your treachery.”  “Hmm, the slave talks back to boss, does he?”  And slowly Coracan began to turn around. Yes! thought Renie he just needed Coracan to twist a few more inches and he could throw the dagger he had successfully saved, right through his skull and end this misery. But once again his slim opportunity faded to virtually nothing, as Coracan called for his head adviser Haculaus. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Now Haculaus take this little dump and give him 10, no 20 lashes with no healing. Renie knew all to well that the Schooner possessed exotic healing remedies from their many quests and raids, although most of the crew was already dead and had no apparent use for them. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Get going!” commanded Coracan, and slowly Renie walked through the ship into the punishment chamber, and quietly said <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Soon I’ll be rid of this ship.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “You stupid slave!”Roared one of the mindless skeletons. “This will teach you not to misbehave!” The skeleton reared up and hurled the whips tail at Renie. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Fifteen!” The umpire shouted. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Renie thought it would never end, and at the shout of twenty he was cut from the icy iron post, just as he heard the final rope being cut his knees buckled and he broke down crying in the cold darkness of the ship. Roaring and bellowing, the Schooner’s crew laughed at Renie’s babyish crying. Hearing this sort of abuse, Renie thought of revenge, he wanted revenge on every bony fool that had ever tread on this cursed ship. Tonight, he thought he would escape. If he failed he would die, and if he stayed he would lead a bloody life of whipping. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Moonlight shone through the small cold porthole of the tiny slave gallery room, consisting of twenty sleeping slaves crammed into the same room, as a sweaty tangle of shivering blankets. Renie sat in his bed wide awake staring at the wooden planks that served as a roof, going over his plan in his head. It was a simple plan that had no real precautions to any kind of sentry that might pass him by. He stared at the brass plated lantern Tory had given him. The sun was beginning to rise and he held it up to the port hole. As the sun soared through every crack and crevice in the lantern the flame slowly turned purple and started to emit clouds of effervescent green smoke. Suddenly, Renie thought he heard someone whispering. The sound seemed to issue from the lantern. The sound grew louder, until he could hear it fully. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Renie!” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “W-What?” he stammered. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Renie this is Tory. I'm going to help you escape!” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “How are you going to do that? How are you doing this?” Renie questioned. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Listen tomorrow night you will be docked at Port Harbor. Over half of the crew will be raiding shops for supplies. The rear flank of the Schooner will be exposed and unguarded. You will need to move undetected past the sentry's watch on the main deck, and take a detour through the whipping chamber. The crew will be departing on the quarterdeck. There will be a small locked crawl space that leads to the rear flank, I’ll give you the key in a second...” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Are you mad?!! I’m probably 200 miles away from you! ” “It’s not like you can just fly here, soar through the walls and not get caught! How will you manage that!” Renie roared triumphantly. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Yes, yes, do you take me for a fool Renie?! Do you take the magic man who made green smoke and purple flame for a fool?! Do you take the former captain of the Schooner for a fool?! <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “No sir I do not.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Former captain?” Renie thought. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Good lets get on with this, shall we?” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Yes sir.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Great and since you're so eager to have this key then here you go.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Tory took a few steps back from the lantern and hurried off, Renie heard some crashing. Tory was obviously getting this great key of his, but as Renie looked closer into the lantern he could see the town he had grown up in. Although it was not a small peaceful town anymore it was hurried villagers scampering out of burning house wreckage, and sprinting from skeletons that were armed with huge broadswords. Hacking and slashing, the skeletons were destroying the village bit by bit. Suddenly Tory came back into view. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Alright.” Tory growled. “Here you go!” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> And he threw a long shining silver key at the lantern. Renie half expected the lantern to shatter into tiny pieces, then he remembered that he was dealing with a magic man. The key smoothly passed through the lantern, as a knife does with butter, and hit Renie square in the nose. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “If you follow my instructions and remain unseen you will be free. Good bye Renie I wish you luck!” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> And with that he disappeared just as he had that horrible night at the harbor. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Renie quickly grabbed his razor sharp daggar, and dashed out of the slave gallery heading for the main deck, he stumbled upon a skeleton. This skeleton was sleeping and with a closer look Renie realized that it was Coracan. Now he could finally get his revenge on this bony fool who had put him through so much pain and agony. Slowly he unsheathed his dagger and it hovered in his hand right above Coracan’s skull, but suddenly he stopped. If he got his revenge, he would be caught in a matter of seconds, and this well forged plan would go to waste. Resentfully he put the dagger back in his coat and continued on his way to freedom. The floors moaned ruefully at his heavyweight touching their boards. He remembered the terrible day of his whipping, as well as the horrible ruin to his hometown, he decided to take as many weapons as he could with him. First he took a lance, then a battle axe, and last a broad sword. How he could carry this was beyond anyone who tried to guess. Filled with anger he charged the crawl space and with out using the key, destroying the pitiful little door quickly with his sword. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Renie flew out of the tiny dark tunnel, racing for the small bridge that connected the Schooner and the mainland, in a great single bound he flew off the Schooner and touched land for the first time in eighteen years. He bellowed a great battle cry and charged, although it was no ordinary charge, he had the battle axe firmly placed in one hand and the broad sword in the other, both weapons were dancing in a swift fluid motion of twirling circles, and long swipes. Soon he reached the town in unnatural time, still swinging his weapons as a battle master would. Extremely loud cracks of skeleton bones were all that Renie wanted to hear. He charged and killed like a mad man on rampage, suddenly he saw his sword snapped like a twig, buried underneath a skeleton’s sword. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Ha!” laughed the skeleton “I've got you n...” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Too late.” panted Renie then he drew his dagger and stabbed it right through the skeleton’s skull, at the same time he drew his lance and killed four more skeletons that were behind him.The villagers had put out the fires by this time, although the flames would seem to instantly reignite in a magical sort of way. Renie had just finished off another skeleton when he saw Tory right next to him shooting arrows, and wielding a sword. Tory’s large bright yellow, turkey feather arrow slammed into and killed yet another skeleton. The world seemed to freeze around Tory for he saw it a half a second before it happened. There was a skeleton archer not twenty feet away from them. This archer had a arrow knocked to the sting and he pulled it back, however this arrow was not aimed at any villagers it was aimed straight and clear at Renie. Renie sank to his knees whimpering with pain, a red arrow shaft protruded from his chest stained with blood. Renie knew that he was dying and with great effort he motioned for Tory to come to him. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Tory.” He moaned. “Take the ship.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Then Renie’s face hit the stone ground and his pulse went cold. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Tory stood to his full height and bellowed “Take the ship!!!” The villagers, seeing that this was Renie’s last request grabbed weapons and armour and marched toward Port Harbor, a angry mob out for blood.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The loud clang of sword on shield echoed through Tory’s ears until he could not hear any more noise if he tried. Tory’s own sword crashed on skeleton bones and cut them into tiny pieces. He could now see a red and black helmet on one of the skeletons heads, he knew this was the ship captain's helmet because he had worn it once himself. Cutting and ripping, Tory slowly made his way toward the Schooner’s captain, not stopping to tend any of his fifty wounds. Tory knew what this captain would do if he tried to kill him, the captain would take a step back, a side step then attack. Finally he reached the captain, he took out his bow knocked an arrow, pulled the string to full draw and released, the arrow shot through Coracan’s skull and the rest of the skeletons suddenly seemed to evaporate along with all of the dead villagers. Suddenly, the ship began to shake violently the masts snapped, the deck caved in. In a loud pop of wonderfully colorful sparks, one by one the villagers seemed to turn into small clouds of mist that spontaneously disappeared. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There were multicolored shapes of people forming all over the harbor this event was so magical that not even Tory could comprehend with this new form of magic that had brought them back to the harbor.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sparks flew hundreds of feet into the air from the great flaming bonfire as the celebration started. It was in honor of the two heroes that had saved the town, Renie and Tory. There was a enormous statue of marble, in the village square that showed Renie wielding his battle axe, knocking off a skeleton's head, and Tory was in a low crouch beside him picking off skeletons one by one with his bow and arrows, one of Tory’s arrows was knocked to the string and the rest were in his quiver. There was a golden plaque at the bottom of the statute that said : The dawn's light will shine once more.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Renie’s body had been put on a wooden stand about fifty feet above the raging bonfire that constantly had alcohol thrown into it, and it was in a coffin made from a large slab of wood cut off of Tory’s house. There were shouts and screams of laughter as the village people ate, drank, played games, and had great fun, even though Tory was now a natural celebrity who had constant attention directed at him, he somehow managed to slip away from his roaring crowd of fans and disappear among the villagers. Sweating and gripping, Story climbed up one of the wooden poles that supported Renie’s stand and sadly walked over to Renie’s coffin. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Well.” Said Tory hesitantly “Do you still have the lantern?” Tory did not expect a response he just wanted to make conversation even if he was talking to a dead man. “No, no of course you don’t.” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Tory got out his pipe and started to blow purple, blue, and yellow smoke rings, from one of his rings a ghostly ship emerged, it sailed a few circles around Renie’s coffin and plunged right into the heart of it. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “For you my friend, you're the new captain.” Tory smiled “Run to your ship the Schooner awaits, but before you do you do how about one last trick?” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Tory took a large green and pink object with a fuse out of his cloak and firmly attached it to Renie’s coffin. “This is where we say goodbye but not for the last time, I will see you soon as can.”

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sparks flew hundreds of feet into the air from the great flaming bonfire as the celebration started. It was in honor of the two heroes that had saved the town, Renie and Tory. There was a enormous statue of marble in the village square that showed Renie wielding his battle axe, knocking off a skeleton's head, and Tory was in a low crouch beside him picking off skeletons one by one with his bow and arrows, one of Tory’s arrows was knocked to the string and the rest were in his quiver. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Corsiva; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There was a golden plaque at the bottom of the statute that said : The dawn's light will shine once more.