The Vengeful Tide Ch. 01

I remember water.

I remember pain.

I remember the cold sting...of betrayal.

Let me tell you lads and lasses a tale. Let me tell you the tale of a man who became known throughout the world as the Son of Poseidon. You are free to laugh at it if you so wish, but I hold the title with pride.

If you so wish to picture me, then I shall spin a weave of my physical body. I have been upon the earth for 45 years, and I have been a captain for at least half that time. I be about 6'1 inches tall. The tests of the sea left my body with no fat.

In order to conquer my enemies, I trained my body with rigorous dedication. A toned, lean, fit form was what rewarded my efforts. I have hair as black as a raven's feathers upon my head. My eyes be a hazel brown. Perhaps they are like those of an unwashed bronze coin. My facial hair cuts a thin beard around my chin. I dare not think myself handsome, but I have definitely held more fun than the average male, if you would catch me drift.

I be no weakling, but I like to think of myself as a fair captain. All crews desire wealth, fame, and prestige. I sought to give it all to my crew. Riches were divided between them when I felt I had taken what was to be mine. Mutiny was cut down without recourse, and I allowed for my crew to dictate the paths of our adventures. I forced none to join me, everyone was there because they contributed to the many adventures I led. Perhaps only now I am able to see how utterly foolhardy I was.

Now, allow me to state the obvious about my title. I be no son of the god of the sea. I am no demigod. However, I had the ability to control the waters as if they were my very own body. With this power, I ravaged land and sea. None could stop me. I drowned my enemies. I unearthed sunken ships and treasures. I drank the waters from the skirts of wenches. With a flick of my wrist, tsunamis rose up. With a wave of my arm, whirlpools devastated armies of ships. If I so willed, I could drown the very world.

I do not know how I came upon such mighty powers. It mattered not to me. All that mattered was that I had something none in the whole world did, and I held the power to make the world crumble. Where there was water, there was my domain. How rather hilarious and fit to my name that I might find myself drowning, eaten alive by sharks, and my soul carried off to Davy Jones' Locker.

I gag as water fills my lungs. My screams are muffled by the sea as another shark feasts upon my arm.

I descend further and further down. I can feel my heartbeat slowing.

I...am dying.

From below the deep blue, I watch...my First Mate and my beloved share a kiss that would turn the pants and skirts of a drunken tavern. It seems...some of my powers still work as I had clear vision of him squeezing her tits and massaging her crotch of its flowing fountain. He kissed her neck and she, like a wanton wench, moaned for him...and my crew. In her left hand...laid the cause of my demise. It's glowing radiance was clearly mocking me. It took away all that I had.

Bards call it a Moon Stone. They call it that because they fall from the night sky and into the beds of rock upon the earth. I had not thought much of them before, but now I see that...they disrupt the flow of my connection to my powers. I could hardly control even a drop of water if that cursed stone touched me.

Crap, I could feel my consciousness slipping. The pain is still there, but I can do nothing to stop it as I sink to the bottom. "Leah, my beloved. Barren, my best friend...my First Mate. Enjoy yourselves, because this is not the end of me! A pirate rarely forgets, and never forgives! I will make you both pay for this! I swear this upon my name, Eric Drakclaw, captain of The Great Tide" I swore.

If Davy Jones' Lock would have me, I would haunt them both until they became naught but rabid animals. And perhaps the pain was getting to me, but...I started laughing though this more came out as garbled water choking than anything else. However, behind my laughter was an anger enough to sink the entire planet if I willed it. Leah, my beloved, Barren, my First Mate, my crew of The Great Tide, if the god of death willed it, I would have my vengeance!

-x-

"Close your eyes all you want, Eric, but it's not going to make me disappear,"

I opened my eyes, and pain suddenly fired through my body which sent me falling to the hard ground. If this was Davy Jones' Locker then I guess ghosts and spirits can feel pain then.

I struggled to my feet. I slowly opened my eyes despite the pain and looked up. I noticed five men standing over me. Two of them were gruff, big-boned guards with ragged clothing, and even more ragged breath. The other three were strong, able-bodied men. The stench of dead fish stung my nose. To be honest, I couldn't tell if the smell came from them or from the sea itself.

I turned over and opened my eyes again. I then found myself picked up by the scruff of my neck. I was shoved against a stone wall. "Don't pass out on me, Eric. You owe me 100 silver coins, and 30 gold coins that you borrowed from me last month. How do you plan on paying me back?"

Silver and gold coins?! When was the last time I owed anyone anything? If nothing else, I was the one people owed money to.

I focused my gaze as much as possible and a sight that I thought I would never see again stood before me...along with her goons. "Ellen Sothshore," I said. My voice was rather hoarse and uneasy from the blow I had been given. My tone must have been taken for fear because the woman chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad you can still form coherent speech, Eric," she said, her voice harsh and filled with a sense of forced jovial mirth.

I previously say my tone must have been taken as one of fear judging by her response, but...it was more surprise on my part. You see, Ellen Sothshore was supposed to be dead for over 30 years. So why was she here pointing her gun, and her goons, in my face? If this was what hell passed off as for humor, then I was more annoyed than anything else. However, I found myself not so believing of this story I had thought for myself. It seemed more lay beneath the tides of my situation.

Perhaps I should give some insight into Ellen Sothshore. She's a riff raff just like me, but...she's a profitable riff raff. She's about 5'5. Her skin is rather...well-kept despite the harsh sea air. She wears sandy blonde hair which stops just at her neckline. Over her left eye in an eyepatch. Stories of that eyepatch vary from her fighting a pirate to her evading government officials. No one knows.

Currently, she was wearing a white, buttoned shirt with torn half-pants. Her eyes be blue like the ocean itself. Her body holds the type of curves that drives many men to fantasy. In my younger years, it was not hard to say that I dreamed of her many a time as well.

She owns a bar just off the side of the shoreline of island Draegnar, which be my hometown. 'Dead Tales' is what they call her tavern. It was called that because whomever spun tales of their conquests in that tavern was liable to end up dead. Such is the life of those without law.

Anyway, the last time I had ever seen Ellen was back when I was a smartass brat, so about 18 or 19. She was six years my age at that time I can remember. She was quick with the tongue and quicker with the blade. She made a habit of dealing in weapons, gunpowder, and even some medicine should the demand be high enough. She also lent money to poor sods who were foolish, or desperate, enough to go fund their treasure quests.

Whether they succeeded or not, Ellen always got her what she was owed. You could run to the ends of the earth and you would still find half your fortune stolen along with five of your fingers as payment for her services. For such a woman like her, I did not know how she died. I was not here during that time, but...I do distinctly remember owing her money when I was nineteen years old. It was for medicine for my ailing mother. I promised to return the money as soon as I could from a quest aboard a ship as a cabin boy. There were tales that great treasures laid in that ship's path. I felt that was my chance.

As one can see, it didn't work out. Now that I think of it, that medicine did not heal my mother, and she died about four years later. I was left with no mother, and a mountain of debt to be paid to this scheming wench. I paid it off, but...she had died not long after receiving it. Perhaps she had upset one customer too many. However, that left a question in my mind.

If she was here, around the time that I last saw her, in an encounter that I remember from my past, then...where was I? It was obvious from the sun on my face and from the pain in my chest that I was still alive.

I looked at my hands. They were not the hands of a man, but those of a bilge rat just barely settled into the harsh manners of the sea. I looked at my clothes. I remember these rags well. A dark blue tattered shirt with rags for pants. I did not know my father. Hell to this point I still don't know him, so it was just my mother and I. We were not well off if you would know what I mean. I did not have much more to wear.

If I was in these rags, then...

"Out of my way!" I said. I must have startled Ellen and her rotten group when I pushed them out of the way without much effort. I did not see what happened to them. All I knew was that I was running towards the sea. I stared upon my reflection.

"By the Five Isles of Tebethina," I uttered. My face, nay my entire body had turned back to the end of its teen years. How? What sorcery was this? Yes, the fact that I complain of sorcery when I wield the might of the waters is not lost on me.

I inspected my face. Not a hair was out of place. Everything...was as it was back when I was 19. I touched my face. Just the barest tints of facial hair formed on my cheek and chin. I pinched my skin. Had...the sands of time whisked me back before my death? Before Leah? Before my crew? Before my time as a captain?

It would certainly explain why Ellen Sothshore was alive. It would explain why...she shouldn't be standing in front of me.

Suddenly, I felt the barrel of a gun at the back of my head. "You gonna walk the plank, you scurvy brat? Sorry, but I can't let you go that easily. That medicine should have made your mother well enough to work. She can help you catch a fair coin between a man's legs. Not a bad proposition," I heard Ellen say.

Out of all the words Ellen could have chosen to spire my ire, those were the correct ones. I quickly remembered the pain, humiliation, and the betrayal of my crew. My ship, The Great Tide, had turned against me. Now, I had another gun pointed to my head. When I had walked the plank due to my First Mate and my Beloved, I was out of reach of inflicting my vengeance upon them.. Now, that was not so true when it came to my most recent assailant.

In any case, Ellen stood behind me now, and I was not in the mood for it. Just remembering my prior experiences and memories made me angry. "Leah, I will find you and make you shiver beneath my heel!" I vowed with a clenched fist.

As soon as I clenched my fist, I felt a sudden...pressure wash over me. I could feel the waves outside the town. I could feel and see every creature which swam in its depths. I could smell the rainstorm that was threatening to come from my increasing anger. My power...my power was still with me! The seas had not forsaken me! If I have indeed flung back in time, then I still have an ally with me. The very seas themselves continued to serve me, and with them...I would take my revenge!

I stood to my feet. I felt Ellen's pistol against me the entire time. I then turned around to face her. Naturally, her goons were behind her watching the spectacle take place. I, on the other hand, suddenly smirked. "Careful where you point your guns, Ellen. The only people who should fire guns are those prepared to be fired at. Are you...prepared to be fired at?" I asked her.

No doubt my tone of voice made the owner of Dead Tales frown. Perhaps in her eyes, I had been the brat running around this island any way I wanted. Unluckily for her, I was not that brat any longer.

"Oh really? And just who is going to fire at me? True, I have made loads of enemies, but not a single one of them is on this island, Drakclaw. Now, how about we skip your idle threats and head back to my real ones? Pay me what you owe, or I have your mother as another wench in my tavern,"

I smiled. At that moment, I had decided. I had the power, knowledge, and the reasons to live a life better than my previous one. I still do not know how I came here, and I aim to find out, but such opportunities are not to be wasted. Especially not in front of a fantasy with a rude mouth.

"Hmm 100 silver coins, and 30 gold coins. Quite the payment, but you're a businesswoman so I understand. But, how would you like to make 200 coins and 60 gold coins?" I asked.

A bullet flew past my face and the sound of gunfire assaulted the sea air. Birds flew into the sky out of fear from the noise. I, on the other hand, felt my smile widen. If I were my younger self, I might have recoiled in fear of the shot, but when barrels of gunpowder are your bread and water you learn to grow accustomed to it.

Ellen pointed her gun back at my head. "Since when did you grow a sense of humor, Eric? Keep it up and the next one is going right between your eyes," She said. I could tell she wasn't joking, but...her sudden frown made her just that adorable to me.

I knocked her gun off my head. "No humor, Ellen. I promise I have the money. You just had to ask nicely instead of beating the crap out of me," I said. The truth was, I knew I didn't have shit, but I also knew I was a scavenger. I took things from many a people and hid them away. Ellen knew this about me too. It would be no surprise if she believed me.

"I don't believe you. Why would you spend five minutes running from me and my generous friends if you had the money?" she asked.

"Maybe I felt like giving your friends some exercise. Sea gods know they need it. Admit it, you're curious. If there's one thing you love, it's money. Oh come now, what do you have to lose? If you win, you'll still get what you're owed, and whatever were your stipulations before. You have nothing to lose...yet," I replied.

She seemed to think on this for a moment. However, it wasn't for very long. "Even the poorest man on this island would tread carefully if he found a sack of gold on the ground," Ellen spoke to me.

Hmm, more and more this woman enticed me. I had to give my younger self credit. I at least had appropriate taste in sassy lasses. It made me desire her all the more. I knew she would not turn me down. Perhaps I would be visiting Davy Jones' Locker for a second time if she had. It was obvious she would not believe me without proof. Good. I like that in my women.

"Fine, allow me to put your doubts to the sword," I said. I walked to the edge of the pier. In her eyes, I must have been reaching underneath the wooden bridge to a secret pouch of coins I had saved.

Please, I would not do something so boring. Instead, I dipped my hand in the sea. Its spirit filled with me a sense of triumph. How I had missed this feeling.

It's not so farfetched for sailors to lose their coin to the seas during their travels. Many lads swim its depths to try and find these fragments of lost purses and pouches. What I was doing was no different, but...the sea gave it to me. I pushed a fistful of sunken coins into my hands. With my senses enhanced by the water, it wasn't hard to sense the metal. I showed them to her.

"Now do you not believe me?" I asked.

How I wish I held a picture that would capture her face. She holds the face that many pirates hold when they see shiny things. There is a glimmer in their eyes. There is a desire to take, an urge to possess, and a will...to plunder! The dangerous Ellen Sothshore was no different.

She glared at me. It was obvious she was trying to feel me out. "I'm listening," she said.

I tried to keep the smile off my face. Given that she didn't fire another bullet at me, I'd say I won out on that one. I flicked the coins up in the air and back into my palm. I decided not to try her patience any longer. Oh I could have, it just didn't interest me. "Good. It's simple actually. You don't even have to do anything. Your generous friends gave me a nice greeting so I'm gonna give them one. I bet I can knockout all five of them...with just one finger," I said.

As soon as those words left my mouth, her guards started laughing. To be honest, even calling them guards was...showing the lot any kind of respect, but it wasn't the point.

Ellen was the only one not smiling. Though my situation, and my former crew would state otherwise, I held the eyes that could delve into the minds of others. She was wondering just what I could come up with to make such a ridiculous claim. To her guards, this must have been the easiest coin they would ever make. To her, this smelled worse than a dock rat's ass.

"So I get double the coin if I win. Tell me, if you had so much coin, then why did you not spend more to give your mother medicine?" she asked.

"'Always save what you can for when you need it most.' That is what my mother taught me. If I'm about to die, then no point in needing it anymore," I replied.

Ellen seemed...skeptical of my reply, but there was some truth to be had in it. "And if I lose?" she asked.

Without even missing my step, I pointed towards her. "Since I'll no doubt lose my life if I lose, then I think the scales of the tides shall judge us fairly! I will take you, and you will be mine until the seas themselves dry up," I said.

The guards quickly stopped laughing. It was no secret that many men sought to try and bed the owner of Dead Tales. As far as Eric knew, none of them had ever succeeded. He wasn't so naive to think that the woman had never been with a man before, but who's to say? Dead men tell no tales. He would be finding out soon enough.

Ellen exploded in laughter, and she clutched her stomach upon my wager. It was obvious what I was taking her for. I would seek to plunder her! I would seek to conquer her! I would seek to subdue her to my own whims just as my fantasies of old had led me. It is the heart of a nineteen-year old boy. However, that was not such a simple case with me.

"An interesting proposition, Drakclaw. Fine, I'll accept, but you best be prepared because I can think of worse things to do to you than kill you," Ellen said. I nodded my head.

I stood at one end of the docks. The five men stood at the other. They say that pirates know no fairplay, but in order to show that there was no misconduct during this little...business transaction of ours, I decided that fairplay would be allowed here. They would need it.

"Since this is your funeral. I'll give you the first move," Ellen said.

"Why thank you, fair lass! I shall make the most of it!" I said.

I raise my right arm and index finger towards them. "I suggest you guys guard your bodies. You might die if you don't," I warned. They chuckled, but it did not matter to me. Ellen Sothshore, owner of the Dead Tales, I would take you as mine and, while I drank the wine from beneath your skirt, I would plan the beginnings of my revenge!

I drew power into the tip of my fingers. The crashing waves grew more and more violent. Each was more destructive than the last. Ah, there was the fear I was expecting. The smiles and confidence that were painted on the faces of my adversaries were being drained away. I could see the shock on Ellen's face as the dock's wood planks cracked beneath the force of my power. Tendrils of seawater rose from the water and concentrated themselves towards my finger. The skies darkened, and thunder clapped in the air. The sun had quickly been bloated out.