| He looked on with a sense of pleasure not his own, as his animated crew ripped through the loot they had taken off that ship, before sinking it to the bottom of the sea with all it's crew and passengers aboard. It was a poor hall. The pickings had been slim for years, but it was the fun of it that made it worthwhile. Watching the terrified faces of the women, and the brave faces of the men, a face that he was always sure to quickly erase before sending them to their graves. The storms had finally stopped and he wasn't going to waste a moment of it. They were coming around the curve of a cliff when a light caught his eye. Standing on top of the cliff was a woman, a ball of light shining over her head. "Captain." even though she was far away he could hear her as if she was standing next to him. "For crimes against the people, I have sentenced you to death." and before he could do anything the light came streaking toward them. The energy cut strait through the ship, and it began to sink, but she wasn't done yet. Flying off the cliff she landed on the sinking ship. Releasing another spell, his dead crew vanished in a sea of light, right before his eyes. "What have you done?!" he screams. "I have destroyed your crew, and now ether you can die in that body you stole, or you can come out and return to your master." giving him a cold look "How did you?" he breathed unable to understand how this girl could know what he was. "Are you nervous." Crow taunts from inside his head. He didn't know who this girl was but if she could get rid of the demon he was al for it. "What are you so happy about?. That girl could kill you in her effort to get me." "Yes, but at least I wouldn't have to listen to your hideous voice anymore." he laughs. "Will you release him, or will I have to drag you out of there?" the girl speaks up again. "Who are you?" he asks looking at her fearfully "I am Elina, the keeper of Myrithica. Now remove yourself." She yells and starts to glow. "Noo" Lunging at her, he grabs her around the waist. With light coming from her hands she holds his head. Inside he tries to grip to Crows mind as he is slowly being pulled out of his host. "Good by." Crow says coldly. Outside a dark mist starts to rise from his body. A scream can be heard from the mist as it floats in the air. Becoming slack, the man falls to the deck of the ship. Stepping over his body she pulls a jar out from inside her robes. Slowly the black mist is sucked into the jar until no more of it can be seen. Putting it back into her robes she turns back to the man on the deck. "Please forgive me, and may you find peace. But you will serve another." leaving him on the ship, she disappears as if she never was. * * * Quickly, the ship started to fall apart, and possibly would have taken him with it, but he was being watched over. Somehow he managed to land on a floating piece of wreckage. No one can say how long he floated there, moving back and forth in the waves, until he hit on the shore of a beach. How long he laid there no one can tell, but when he finally awoke he had glimpses of memory of everything that had happened. This would be the only time in his life where he actually cried, whether for himself or for all the people who died only he knows, on a quite beach, in the dark, where no one would ever know. Getting up off the sand, he starts walking. Where he thought he was going no one knows, maybe not even him. As he walked along the beach a figure came out of the morning mist. Paying the person no mind he just kept on walking, until the figure stopped him with his hand. "Captain, I was sent to find you. If you will come with me." Looking sideways at the man baring his way, he makes no comment, "Very good." steering him in another direction they start walking together. Not walking far they come to a little shack. Walking inside, it is decently furnished, but he hardly notices. Taking a seat, he waits. "Well, let me get straight to the point. My master has given me instructions to supply you with a little gift." Waving his hand, a 3-D image of a ship appears over a crystal table. Coming out of his stupor, he stares wide-eyed at it. "And why would your master offer such a gift?" "You killed his servant. It is only right that you take his place especially since you took his powers." The man says looking at him questioningly. "The demon?" he asks, "He's not dead he was taken." "No, not the demon." The man says disbelieving that he could have gotten it so wrong. "Who then?" Crow asks. "I know it was a long time ago but surely you remember." The man scolds. After thinking about it for a second. "Aqerious?" he asks. "Yes." The man says as though it should have been obvious. Ignoring the comment, he dips in thought seeming to contemplate the offer. "So, this is for me is it?" he says looking back at the ship. "It is. It's waiting for you off shore. It has no crew of course. My master thought you might wish to form one of your own accord much like the former captain." "He would be right in that. I accept. Give your master my thanks though I may very well regret it later." "It wont be necessary." and he heads toward the door. After waiting for the stranger to leave, he walks outside, with the man nowhere in sight, to find a small boat waiting for him and out at sea the ship. Getting in he starts to row. * * * Making it onboard ship he stares in wonder at the quality of it. As he begins to look around, finding things he would have to change, and people he would have to go find, a certain women being foremost on his mind, he doesn't know that someone's watching him. "Impressed?" he hears from in the shadows. "Who are you?" he asks putting his hand to the hilt of his sword that had somehow managed to stay with him though all this. A figure steps out of the shadows. "You should be. It took months to build it. Especially with what wood is left on the mainland." "You!" he says remembering the face. "You remember." Elina says sizing him up. "It's good to see you alive." "I owe you my thanks." He says sincerely "Your thanks! I destroyed your ship, and left you for dead." she states. "But you freed me from the demon." He counters "True." she admits "Did you mean for me to die on that ship?" he asks "I doubted you would." she admits. "Then I owe you my life. It is yours to do with as you wish." "Is it?" she questions. He says nothing "Very well then. Live your life how you choose and watch over your master. This is all I ask." and she turns away. "My master?" he questions. "The one who asked me to spare you. The one who had this built." And she waves her hand around the ship. "If there is ever anything you need of me, you have but to ask." He tells her making it clear he wont take no for an answer. "I will remember that." and she disappears. "Now, to find my crew." With great effort he casts off heading east. Back to the home he left behind. Next |