On top of the Black Pearl - Not Long After
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Back to the Black Pearl, our heroes had already started to sail away from the island. Jack was holding onto his jar of dirt as if his life depended on it and in a way it did. For he was unaware that the precious little item he had hidden in there had already been taken.
Artemis was looking from Jack to the island, a part of her wondering if James would make it out of there alive. Truth be told, she was not surprised by his actions if one would sit down and consider his noble side. On top of all, it was a fact that Elizabeth was in danger and he wanted to save her.
At the same time, Pintel and Raggetti were arguing while fixing the sails and Elizabeth was standing above an unconscious Will.
Soon, the said man woke up and came face to face with his fiancé.
"What happened to the chest?" Was the first question that came to his mind, and not if his lover was okay.
Artemis was standing next to her sister, her attention now on her childhood friend who was slowly lifting his upper body and rubbing the side of his head where he was hit by the oar.
"Norrington took it to draw them off" Elizabeth informed him as the arguing between two certain pirates became louder and louder.
"You're pulling too hard!"
"You aren't pulling hard enough"
Artemis let out a sigh at the drama and chose to walk away, heading towards the helm and Jack. Her head was killing her and no matter how much she rubbed her temples, it did not help. The bickering of those two was not helping either. She, also, should not mention how tight her stomach felt that she truly wondered if she would end up emptying it sooner or later.
Since they left the island, she had a terrible head ace and the constant feeling that something big would happen. She could sense it with every bone and muscle in her tired body. She had never felt it before, and especially to that extent.
Ever since they stepped foot on that damn island, she felt something had changed. As if something had come with them on the ship or at least, had come with her.
Gibbs noticed, clear as day that something was bothering her or that she was unfeeling well.
"You okay, Artemis?" he asked, worried about her like how a good old friend or even a father would.
She stood not that far away from Jack by now and she turned her head to look at him. She tried to keep her mask on and hide any of her worries or feelings of uncomfortableness. "Yeah. Just want us to sail as far as possible from that cursed island"
He nodded his head in understanding. "I see what you mean. And where is the commodore?"
"Fell behind," Jack said from behind the helm while one hand was on the wheel and the other around his precious jar of dirt.
"My prayers be with him," Gibbs said and shrugged faintly, not truly bothered by the news. He did not know James as well as others and considering how consistent the former Commodore had been in capturing them; one would not blame him for not caring. "Best not to wallow in our grief. The bright side is you're back. And made it off free and clear" Gibbs continued and jinxed it.
Because how couldn't he?
A second later, the Flying Dutchman popped out of the water next to the Pearl.
"Ah, the F-"Elizabeth didn't finish her sentence as fear took over and Artemis' eyes widened at the sight of the haunted ship.
She was not scared but she was not exactly happy to see it, especially with the damage they could do and of course, the people they could get harmed or worse, killed.
"Lord, I did that" Gibbs admitted and crossed himself before being pushed away by Jack.
Artemis would have commented on that but she had too many things on her mind. Her hand went to her sword, not sure what would happen next but she wanted to be ready for anything.
"I'll handle this, mate," Jack said with unusual confidence as he walked towards the wooden railings of the helm. "Oi, fish face!" he called out Davy Jones, holding up his jar of dirt high in the air. "Lose something, aye-" he never managed to finish his words, for he lost his footing by the stairs and ended up falling. The whole Crew left different sounds 'oohs's' and cringes in sympathy at his fall. Thankfully he was okay and he simply raised both of his hands to prove that he still had the jar with him and that nothing had been broken. "Got it! Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git. Look what I got. I've got a jar of di-irt, I've got a jar of di-irt, and guess what's inside it?" he continued, almost singing along the last few sentences; clearly and openly mocking the cursed captain.
However, Jones did not seem to truly care of anything at that moment; other than claiming Jack's soul for his locker. He gave an order to his first mate, a cursed pirate with the head of a hammerhead shark. A few seconds later the canons were pushed out, ready to sink the Black Pearl without hesitation.
While Jack just stared with shock and fear, the rest of his crew sprung into action.
"Hard to starboard!" Elizabeth shouted out loud, realizing what was going on.
At the same time, Artemis rushed towards the wheel; hoping somehow to help save the ship from extensive cannonball damage. "Raise the foreyard!" she shouted, gripping the round wooden structure tightly.
Usually, they had good wind when she was behind the wheel and she deeply prayed they had it again, for they would need it. Surprisingly, they did and the Pearl was quick to move and start leaving the haunted and cursed ship behind them.
"Raise the foreyard" Will repeated loudly to make sure each ship member heard the order.
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On the Flying Dutchman
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Davy Jones was not surprised by their futile attempt to escape him. Many had tried and all of them had failed. Jack Sparrow was not going to be the exception, he would make sure of that.
He turned to his crew. "Rack the starboard! Send his beloved Pearl back to the depths" he ordered and watched as canon balls started to fly from his ship; aiming to destroy and sink the Black Pearl.
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On the Black Pearl
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Canon balls came at them by the dozens, with some managing to actually hit and damage the Pearl. Artemis did her best to keep a steady course and take advantage of the currents and the wind that seemed to favour them. Of course, from time to time, she had to make sudden manoeuvres and try to predict where the attacks would land; a rather successful attempt to dodge some of the enemy fire/
Raggetti bent and managed to spot the haunted ship through the hole that a cannonball made on the side of the ship. He paled a few tones as he noticed that the Dutchman was on hot pursuit.
"She's on us! She's on us!" he shouted.
"Shit" Artemis commented and took a deep breath. Her knuckles relaxed and then she held the helm tightly.
She had suspicions that the previous cannon balls were not the last ones and she had to be ready if she wanted the ship to survive and along with it, them.
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She was right and not long after, Davy Jones had the triple front guns ready. Now right behind the pearl, he had a far easier view and they were a rather easy target as well.
Artemis looked behind her often and she was forced to steer the wheel sharply to one side and then to the other, almost causing her fellow mates to lose their balance. However, she effectively avoided most cannonballs and minimized the damage the ship took.
Jack quickly joined her and tried to take the wheel but she was not going to let him. She was doing just fine and right now, they needed all the skill and luck they could get because their lives were literally on the line.
She pushed him back and he tried to glare at her, but she only glared back at him. Both were too stubborn for their good but in the end, it was the redhead that emerged victorious from their silent argument.
"Fine" he muttered as he held his jar of dirt close to his chest like a little kid.
Artemis would have commented something but chose not to since there were more important things to worry about. However, she did eye the jar carefully, but her attention went to the back of the ship to see what was happening with the Flying Dutchman.
At the same time, Will was manoeuvring the sails. Once the attacks stopped, he handed the rope over to a crew member. "Make fast" he ordered.
Pintel kept petting the ship's railing as if it were a fragile woman or animal. "Don't let me down. Show us what you've got" he kept saying and as if his prayers had been heard, a gentle but good wind helped them put more distance between them and the haunted ship.
"She's falling behind!" Elizabeth noticed and shouted in relief, a smile on her lips while her heart kept beating loudly in her chest.
"Aye, we've got her" Gibbs agreed.
"We're faster?" Will asked.
"Against the wind, the Dutchman beats us, that's how she gets her prey. But with the wind..."
"We've got her advantage"
"Aye"
Artemis had a small smile forming on her lips as she heard those words and she could see that they were already out of range. She relaxed faintly and mentally thanked the sea and the mighty ship.
She turned her head to look at Jack, giving him the same smile which he returned.
However, they were not as safe as they thought they would be.
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On the Flying Dutchman
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A blowfish-headed pirate approached his Captain, the one chosen to bring the bad news. "We're out of range!" he informed, waiting for the latest orders from Davy Jones.
Whether Jones expected it to happen or not, he did not let it show. Instead, he focused on a newly formed plan that would ensure Jack and his precious Pearl would end up at the bottom of the sea."Break off pursuit, run on light and douse canvas!"
His first mate dared to speak up and voice a question that almost all of his crew members had in mind. "We've given up, sir?"
Jones didn't answer but smiled wickedly. He did not have to say something as the cursed pirate was fast to understand what he wanted and quickly rushed to summon the terrible beast that Jones so much loved.
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On the Black Pearl
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Seeing the Flying Dutchman actually stopping her pursuit, quickly brought joy to many.
"They've given up. Yeaaaah!" Marty shouted and the crew cheered while Raggett and Pintel did jig.
Artemis looked behind her to see that it was true but her instincts hadn't stopped warning her. Something was suspicious. She doubted Jones would give up that easily, considering how badly he was after Jack and after all that trouble he went through, already. Unknown to her, she would soon know exactly why she had this feeling.
While everyone cheered, Will did not seem to share their enthusiasm or their joy. Instead, he climbed a few of the wooden steps leading to the helm and focused on Jack. "My father is on that ship. If we can outrun her, we can take her. We should turn and fight".
"Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage" Jack said and placed the jar of dirt on the bannister.
Suddenly, the ship shuddered and came to a halt which caused the jar to fall and break. Dust and sand were scattered everywhere. It worried Jack, who immediately rushed down the stairs and started to look through the dust but couldn't find what he was looking for.
"Where is the thump thump?" he asked himself as he kept searching, suddenly feeling very anxious and he had every right to do so.
One sailor rushed to the starboard and peered into the waters. "We must've hit the reef" he suggested and pointed down where the water was bubbling under the hull.
While some joined him and were thinking to agree, it was Will, who knew the sailor was mistaken. "He. It's not a reef!" Will shouted as he grabbed Elizabeth. "Get away from the rail!"
"What is it?" she asked him, seeing the sudden worry in his eyes.
"The Kraken. To arms!"
Artemis froze for a moment, feeling a shiver going down her spine. The Kraken was a myth, a legend and yet apparently quite real in their case. She had never fought it before and doubted anyone truly did, but she was not going to sit with her legs and hands crossed and let the beast attack them.
"Load guns, defend the ship!" Artemis shouted as she let go of the helm and rushed to grab a gun.
Since they were not really moving, there was no need for her to hold the wheel. Instead, she was going to be needed more in the heat of the upcoming battle than anywhere else. While time had passed since she last held a gun, she still remembered how and she was ready to bring back those very useful skills she had picked up while travelling with her father and his crew.
"It'll attack the starboard, I've seen it before. Roll out the cannons and hold for my signal" Will instructed and without a second thought, loaded his gun and ran out the cannons to the left side of the ship.
The men were quick to obey him, none wishing to stay and find out if his words were true or not. The Kraen was the nightmare of every sailor, along with Davy Jones and they wished to survive it; not let it drag them to the depths of the ocean like it was known to do so.
Slowly, the giant tentacles of the Kraken began to creep up the ship's left side. Artemis gulped and her single eye widened at what she was seeing. The real-life thing made any imagination of the creature and any story about it, pale in comparison. However, she kept her place and hand steadily on the canon along with Gibbs; while a gun was laid by her feet, ready to be used if needed.
The Tentacle was slowly climbing higher and higher, its suckers as big as someone's head.
"Easy boys," Will said, knowing very well that people would start to worry and he did not blame them.
The first time he had faced it, he was too but after seeing what it could do; he was readier than before and of course, calmer.
"Will?" Elizabeth asked as the tentacles rose higher and higher.
"Steady! Steady"
"Will?"
"Hold. Hold!"
"I think we've held fire long enough!" Pintel commented, close to losing control over his fear. It was a miracle he had held this long but he knew, he was not going to be able to hold for much longer,
"Will!" Elizabeth shouted his name, fearing for the worse as the tentacles had almost covered the son due to their height.
Artemis could feel and hear her heart beating in her ears, her mouth dry from waiting for so long. She kept her breathing as quiet as possible and with one look at Gibbs, she knew he was in a similar position.
However, both could only put their trust and faith in Will and his plan.
At last...the said man said the words that everyone waited to hear for what felt like hours...
EDITED: 05/03/2024