Blazing Glory Ch. 09

"We know we can't have you to ourselves, though you are a treasure we would love to steal for ourselves," Clarissa sighed. "You and Kendra truly belong together. But I love you and you can always count on me as a friend."

Marissa kissed his lips gently and nodded with a look to her twin. "As I love you too, Blaze. Captain Red is yours and no one else's. We will always come to your aide when in need of us. Remember that, lover..."

He nodded weakly as the three of them slid onto the bed together after Clarissa turned out the lamps. Blaze was glad to have made new dear friends in the Red sisters. He was fast asleep before he knew it with both twins on each side of him...

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The sun rose but Tyra could tell they would not see it for a few more hours. Upon flying up to the Crow's Nest for the morning shift, she could already tell they were in for an interesting morning. The light winds and ample moisture from the sea were perfect conditions and the sea fog swirled all about them now thickly. A few men peered ahead at the front of the ship to warn of any rocks as Tyra and the pirate beside her did their best to keep a sharp eye all about them.

The gorgeous gargoyle sighed as her eyes strained from looking about the mist, silently praying she didn't miss any land formations or rocks. She'd heard of plenty of crews meeting their demise by crashing into deadly rock formations and cliffs because of sea fog. The pirate had told her how some ports were now building structures called lighthouses to warn blinded ships of the land's direction and distance.

Tyra made sure to keep her eyes sharp for any such lighted structures. It was a relief when she could tell the fog was slowly beginning to disperse as her visibility increased in range. That was when she noticed a few shadowy objects that seemed fairly large to the bow of the Crimson Dawn.

"Hey! I think I see something ahead!" she quickly informed her companion.

The rough looking pirate brushed up beside her as he peered intently to where she pointed. He then saw the objects and muttered an unintelligible curse as he looked down to the steersman at the wheel.

"Ship ahoy! Dead ahead!" he bellowed down, before looking to Tyra. "Can you make out any flags yet?"

Both of them peered ahead intently as the ship began to turn to the left to avoid a collision. Tyra's eyes narrowed as she began to be able to make-out something flapping gently in the light wind. It hung limply most of the time and wasn't distinguishable in any crests or markings. They were drawing closer as they began to draw parallel with the ship. The pirate muttered angrily as he tried to make it out, saying that they've surely been spotted now as well.

Tyra gasped when a slightly strong breeze caught the other ship's flag and unfurled it. "I see it! It's a grey flag with a dark skull and crossbones on it."

"Bloody spirits," the pirate whispered as he blanched, seeing the flag too now.

"What is it?" Came the call from below. Both Tyra and the pirate looked down to see the Red sisters and Blaze with her friends looking up to them, having been awoken by all the commotion. The pirate beside her sweated profusely as he gripped the wooden edge with white knuckles, screaming only one name that said it all.

"BLACKBLOOD!!!"

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Marissa hissed angrily in pure disbelief as she watched the fog begin to more quickly disperse with the passing morning sun to reveal a sight she didn't like. Three clippers and two warships to her own one. All those ships bore the trademark grey flag with the black skull and crossbones of Blackblood. The damn fog had obscured any chance of seeing this and allowed her ship to coast right into the middle of Blackblood's fleet! Already she could hear the raised shouts of surprise and alarms from the ships all about her.

"Alright you scurvy dogs!" she roared to her stunned crew, snapping their attention to her. "Get yer bloody asses in it before we're all sent to the Deep Blue! Get to your posts! Man your stations at the ready and open the gun ports!"

"Gun ports?" Blaze asked in confusion.

"You'll see soon," she grinned in response.

"Turn us about," hissed Clarissa to the steersman above the crew running about. "They are all heading north! Turn us west so they have a harder time shooting at something narrow!"

Already Marissa could see one of the clippers turning about to pursue them in the direction they were starting to turn. She noted Blaze's friends getting their weapons ready and sincerely hoped they would last long enough to be able to use them. A sweating Bardok ran up to the half-lycans.

"Canons are ready and the foremost warship targeted, Captain Red!" he bellowed.

"FIRE!!!" the twins screamed.

The order to fire bellowed in a chain of voices to below as the sisters grabbed the side-railing. Blaze looked to them with confusion as to why they'd want to start a fire on a wooden ship and not understanding what these 'canons' were. He was about to ask when he was forced backwards by stumbling as the whole ship was rocked by several deafening explosions. Kendra's arm caught him as she also used him to steady herself.

Both lovers stared in shock as smoke rose from one side of the ship. Blaze thought he could make out some kind of round objects speeding away from the Crimson Dawn before the warship closest to them suddenly exploded in sections of showering wood and pained screams.

Marissa was glad they tore the ship asunder as it had begun to open its gun ports too. Thankfully her crew had been much quicker and now the warship tilted as the gaping holes in its side allowed water to pour inside. Soon, it would sink into the Deep Blue forever.

"What in Stavros's name was that?" Blaze shouted loudly, his ears ringing from the loudness. "And is the ship on fire?"

"No," Clarissa laughed as they sighted the other ships turning after them in pursuit. "That's the trade secret of the pirates I saved you from with the gun. A trade secret stolen from a researcher by pirates long ago before they killed him. This alchemist formulated a powder that can explode when lit by a spark or fire. Pack that into a tube and an object resting ahead of it."

"Ignite the powder and that object has nowhere else but to go forward from the explosion, propelled at a devastating speed. Those larger cannons did the equivalent with the heavy iron balls to that warship as the gun's pellet would have to your head," Marissa finished with a mischievous grin before it disappeared as she saw the two clippers gaining on the larger Crimson Dawn swiftly.

"CHAIN SHOT!" roared one pirate as he pointed to the remaining warship and something spinning away from it.

"SHIT!" both twins screamed in unison as they ran to view where the pirate point.

Tyra launched into the air as she already knew what it was through her conversations with the pirate lookout. It's the worst nightmare for any pirate in the crow's nest. Two cannonballs chained together and fired from one cannon. The resulting firing sent the cannonballs spinning around each other to help carry their momentum to their intended targets: the masts. With such force, chain shots easily tore through even thick masts of ships and crippled them by bringing their driving sails down.

The red-headed gargoyle winged out towards the oncoming shot as swiftly as she could until she stopped. Tyra was right in its path. Either she would stop it or cause it to lose its momentum as it tore through her. Either way the chain shot was not going to make it to the Crimson Dawn while she was around! Muscles bulging and eyes glowing a hot white in her gargoyle fury, she howled as the chain shot came at her.

She couldn't have timed it more perfectly as her thick powerful claws caught one of the balls. Tyra grunted with the tearing strain on her muscles as she spun about with it rapidly. Spreading her wings to steady herself, she now carried the momentum of the shot into herself and spun about more rapidly. With another gargoyle scream, she looked and released it towards her intended target. Back to the enemy warship! The chain shot sailed far before tearing through the main mast of it rather than the Crimson Dawn's. It tore through with such force that rigging snapped as the mast lifted up and came down sharply to spear the warship fatally through every deck to allow water to rush in.

Tyra gasped at the exertion and pain from the incredible strain that had put on her muscles. She would be incredibly sore after this was said and done. Flying back to the cheering crews of the Crimson Dawn, she couldn't help but grin and wave in return up to her grateful companion in the crow's nest waving wildly to her. Clarissa was ecstatic to have Blaze and his friends among her crew to help or surely they would be done in by now. But looking back to see those clippers even closer, she knew this was far from over.

"Get yer blasted cutlasses out and prepare to be boarded," Marissa roared as she knew they would be caught and overrun soon. "When they come, give 'em bloody hell! NO QUARTER GIVEN!"

"ARR!!!" came the roaring answer of Captain Red's crew.

"Come about," ordered Clarissa with a vengeful hiss. "I want to show that bastard Blackblood we'll take him on. We won't run any longer!"

Marissa nodded and signaled the steersman to do so. The man grunted as he worked to rapidly spin the wheel. Slowly the Crimson Dawn turned to face her pursuers defiantly. The clippers where still a distance away as she pulled up perpendicular to their path, showing her broadside. Never one to miss an opportunity, the sisters capitalized as they were famously known to do.

"FIRE!!!" they screamed again.

The Crimson Dawn roared its rage with explosions of canon fire into the pursuing and unsuspecting clippers as she continued to turn about. Many of the cannonballs missed the closest but made the one near beside it pay dearly as they tore through masts and part of the hull. Still, it wasn't as much damage as they could have hoped for.

Death's Mistress strode forward, shoving others aside until she was at the railing. Thrusting her hand forth, she hissed in drow before black flames exploded from it. The flames thundered through the air with a sickening crackle of death before tearing into the wounded clipper in half with a fierce fiery explosion.

"I would not let my cold friend be delayed in his fun in claiming their lives," Death's Mistress hissed and smirked back over her shoulder to the rest of them.

The amazed crew roared in their approval as the dark elf whipped out her ring sabers. The distance between both ships rapidly closed now that they charged each other. Blaze and the women were pushed back by the red sisters as weapons were continually drawn by the crew as the Crimson Dawn was nearly upon the oncoming clipper.

"Prepare to be boarded," Marissa cried about the challenging roars and insults from both pirate crews as the ships neared each other.

Blaze swallowed nervously as he'd heard how dirty pirates can fight and mentally prepared himself for an 'anything goes' battle. The sight of the things called pistols were even more unnerving as he wasn't sure how to deal with such in a fight. No sooner had the two ships drawn side by side did numerous grappling hooks sail upwards to find purchase on the deck's railing. Pirates immediately scaled the ropes onto the larger ship while some of their Blackblood companions swung over on ropes. Smaller explosions rang sharply in the air as shots were fired and numerous pirates fell on both sides. Rae, having seen what the cannons could do instinctively raised a darkness shield of magic about her friends and the Red sisters, deflecting the projectiles away harmlessly. Chaos then ensued as pistols were forgotten in the mad rush as cutlasses met each other with harsh metallic clangs.

As soon as Rae dropped the shield, the Red sisters charged forward into the melee with fierce hisses of challenge. Blaze and the others were right behind them as they merged into the combat to live or die as a result. Several pirates fell by Blaze's twin blades as they were no match with their single cutlasses and simple hacking swings. The young warrior cut a bloody path through to Marissa and Clarissa who stood at the forefront of the massacre taking place on the Crimson Dawn.

Between slashes and dodging blows as swiftly as he could, Blaze was impressed by what he saw in the twins. Captain Red's legendary fierceness was revealed as the half-lycans used their lycan blood to their advantage. Hissing with grins of bloodlust, they dodged every single attack by the opposing pirates with feline grace and swiftness before countering with lycan strength that fell their enemies before them in bloody ruin. Their bladework was precise with not a single motion wasted without killing or severely wounding. Ordinarily this contest would have been evenly matched if not for their commanding presence. With Blaze at the twins' side, the Blackblood crew was distinctly at a disadvantage. But to his amazement, they kept on coming as if the demons of the Abyss were at their backs. Failure was not an option for these pirates. Only victory or death.

Kendra watched all of this from above as she flapped her wings. She often lashed out with her whip to yank a pirate up into the air towards her and kill them. Sometimes her whip wrapped about the neck of some and she simply ripped their heads clean off their shoulders. The succubus never made a mistake in her bloody efficiency as all pirates were easily identifiable by wearing their captain's colors.

The powerful Tyra flew nearby her, keeping an eye out for any Red pirate needing assistance rather than barging in and making one big target out of herself. Whenever she saw a few Reds surrounded, the gargoyle would come crashing down into their midst and send Blackblood pirates flying away, saving numerous lives. Nadine herself had clawed her way up the masts and roping to battle with the other red pirates to prevent the rigging and sails being damaged beyond repair. The nimble catwoman flipped about and used her claws to move about like no other pirate could. With her powerful martial arts kicks and punches, Nadine sent the enemy pirates crashing down into the chaos below or the deep blue waters.

Death's Mistress had thrown herself into the fray without a care of whether she had support behind her or not. She could handle herself and she did exactly that. The assassin spun about through the pirates and tore a gory trail through them with her ring sabers. Pirates screamed in agony as she disemboweled some while dismembering others.

"Blaze! Look out!" Clarissa roared as she speared an enemy pirate through his heart with her cutlass.

Blaze whipped around but it was too late as a weaponless pirate come up from behind him and landed a solid punch to Blaze's face. The young warrior staggered backwards to the railing before he knew what was happening. It was too much momentum and little balance as his waist hit the railing and he began to tumble backwards overboard. Oh shit!

As quickly as he could, Blaze put the hilt of his right blade in his mouth to be clenched tight by his teeth. His freed right hand frantically grasped out for the only thing he hoped could be there. Much to his relief his hand found purchase on that very rope he'd been hoping would be there. Grunting with the jarring of his body, the fall was halted through his one arm. Blaze dangled there for a moment as he regained his wits. When he did, Blaze heard a distinct cracking over the turmoil above. Looking up he saw the railing, weakened by missed blows of weapons, crumble and release the grappling hook. His body dropped and swung him rapidly towards the clipper.

Oh for crying out lo-

WHAM!!!

"Ouch....." he muttered through the hilt in his mouth.

Blaze groaned as he tightly gripped the rope barely after being splattered on the side of the clipper. The force had nearly thrown him from the rope he held but he managed to keep purchase through it all. Teeth chattering on his hilt from the blow, he slowly began to climb with his one arm and feet against the hull. He had trouble because of the wind nearly being knocked out of him or else it would have been easy. But he still managed to hoist himself up and over onto what he saw was the deck at the rear of the clipper.

After falling on his ass from crawling on board, he staggered to his feet and looked up to see what he rather would have not. A bear of a man stood not far from him and was looking at Blaze over his shoulder with cold beady black eyes. The man wore a long black pirate coat over his grey shirt and black leggings. A mass of curling black hair and black beard gave the man a very dark appearance, leaving no doubt in Blaze's mind who this muscled behemoth was. The few remaining pirates aboard below saw Blaze and cried out as they rushed to kill the lone enemy on their clipper.

"No," the deep voice rumbled from the man as he held out a hand to stay their charge, or rather the metal hook in the place of where the hand would have been. The crew stopped as he looked back to them. "Focus on capturing the Red sisters alive! I could use a bit of entertainment in the meantime."

Blaze swallowed deeply as he cursed his confounded luck getting worse by the minute as he took his sword from his mouth. First the blow sending him overboard. Then becoming a flatcake on the side of a ship. And now he was about to go toe-to-toe in a battle with Blackblood himself! The crew scurried back to complete their assigned orders, considering Blaze as good as dead already. The massive pirate before him turned about as he removed his lengthy coat and placed it on the steering wheel. Blackblood removed his long cutlass and glared down at the much shorter and lighter Blaze.

"Ye'd better give me some good fun, little boy," he growled confidently, "As I dunna want the fun and blood ta end quickly."

Blaze moved to his right with Blackblood as the two cautiously circled each other while they sized up their opponent. Blaze already didn't like his odds. He had exerted himself quite a bit on the Crimson Dawn and the crash against this ship hadn't helped. He knew he wasn't at full strength and had to stall for time to recoup some of it.

"So you're the one who left Clarissa?" he asked while keeping the twin blades raised in a defensive posture.

Blackblood blinked and lowered his blade at hearing this, not thinking the man in front of him as a threat in any regard. "Ah, so the half-pussy whore filled ya in on me using her. When I tired of dat filthy rat as a fuckbag and gained enough support, I cut all ties and left with a substantial prize! Me own crews and fleet to do whatever the bloody hell I want!"

"I see you're missing a hand there," Blaze pointed slightly to the hook with one sword. "I hear she cut it right off. So... How many holes do you have now after scratching your ass with it, asshole?"

Blaze blinked and groaned inwardly as those words left his mouth before he could even think about them. Once again his mouth had just landed his ass in hot water! Blackblood stiffened. No! He bristled with rage at the insult. Blaze swallowed and managed a grin in response before cringing at a furious roar erupting from the massive pirate. So much for buying time to regain some of his strength.

The young warrior yelped as the raging bull of a pirate charged into him, barely dodging the massive downswing of the cutlass that easily shattered the wooden railing from the brute strength. Nimble Blaze danced away on his feet, putting as much distance between the two of them as he could. But the evil pirate captain was beyond livid in his anger and was soon right after Blaze. Thick veins pulsed on Blackblood's forehead as he roared towards him.