Lust of the Pirates
Page 4
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
“Very well, I accept your terms.” You reply.
“Excellent.” Tia smiles. “I look forward to working with you.”
“So where is the island?” You ask.
“No, no Captain.” She smiles. “We may be about to become business partners, but I will not give up such a hard earned secret without something in return.”
“Oh?” You reply, narrowing your eyes suspiciously.
“A small favour, that is all.” She shrugs.
“This just gets better and better.” You grumble.
“You can steal the map or find the key stone first if you prefer.” She suggests, her alluring figure silhouetted against the daylight flooding in through the window. “Well Captain, where shall we start?”
Carry out the favour to learn the location of the island
Obtain the map
Retrieve the key stone
“I’ll go after the map.” You tell Tia. She nods and lowers her voice conspiratorially.
“The map is in the possession of Esteban Alvarez, the commander of the fort in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We need to... persuade him to part with it.”
“What do you know about him and the map?” You ask.
“Alvarez is said to be deeply religious, so we may be able to use that pious zeal to our advantage.” Tia replies. “He holds a number of artefacts in his personal collection, the map being just one. My contact tells me he keeps most of his relics within his dining room to show off to visiting dignitaries. I would suggest you either attempt to slip in to the fort and steal the map without anyone knowing or enter in disguise and acquire it that way.” You nod, both options having merit.
“It will take a few days to sail to Puerto Rico. I’ll decide on the way.”
“Very well. Good luck Captain.” She grins, her pretty smile lighting up the room.
A few days later, you stand on deck watching as the Spanish colony of Puerto Rico looms large in the distance. Though dwarfed by the neighbouring Hispaniola, Puerto Rico is still one of the largest islands in the Caribbean. As you close in to the port of San Juan, the high stone walls of the fort dominates the harbour, cannon bristling through the crenulations.
“Are you sure this is wise Captain?” Sykes asks, scratching his beard and gazing doubtfully at the imposing fortress.
“If you ask me, I think we’d be better served forgetting this nonsense and getting back to what we’re good at.” Anne grumbles. “We’re supposed to be bloody pirates!”
“Well I didn’t ask you Miss Bonny.” You snap back. “And as it happens, I have a plan.”
“Oh?” She replies, her eyes narrowing.
“You’ll see.” You grin. “Time for me to get changed.” You hurry away in the direction of your cabin, deciding which of the two plans to pursue.
Attempt to enter the fort disguised as a priest
Wait for cover of darkness and attempt to steal the map
Waiting until the early hours of the morning, you climb down from the Nemesis onto the jetty and make your way from the harbour and into San Juan. You glance up at the pitch black sky, thankful for the new moon. You are dressed all in black and keep to the shadows as you make your way through the all but deserted streets towards the fort. The town is eerily silent, the inebriated sailors either billeted in the brothels for the night or in a drunken stupor in the gutter. You approach the entrance gate to the fort. In a rare spell of peacetime in the West Indies, the Spanish fort is relatively laxly guarded with just two guards leaning casually against the gate. If you can just get past the guards on the gate, you should be able to infiltrate the rest of the fort relatively unhindered at this time of night. You just need to overcome this obstacle first.
Attempt to draw the guards away from the fort with a distraction
Attempt to scale the walls with a grappling hook
Attempt to use the element of surprise and overcome the guards
You find a pebble nearby and hurl it against the fort wall to one side of the gate. It clatters into the stone wall, making both guards start.
“What was that noise?” You hear one of the guards ask the other in his native Spanish tongue. The other shrugs disinterestedly, but the first unslings his musket and begins to descend the ramp to investigate. You smile to yourself, your task all the easier now you have separated the two guards. You watch from the shadows as the first guard begins to cautiously patrol the perimeter of the wall.
Attack the patrolling guard, steal his uniform and use it to slip past the remaining guard
Overpower the remaining guard
You walk purposefully towards the remaining guard. Perhaps a little more tense and vigilant after the distraction, he moves to stand across the gate and calls out a challenge. You ignore him, quickening your pace as you close the distance between you. He calls out a challenge again. You are almost upon him. He quickly unslings his musket and brings it to bear on you, but he is too late and you wrench it out of his grasp, punching him in the face. He staggers away, clutching his broken nose. You raise the musket in the air like a club. A gunshot booms out and you are knocked from your feet by the impact of a bullet tearing into your side. You cry out, the pain excruciating. As you lie there, you see the patrolling guard returning, his musket still smoking as he hurries back up the ramp towards you. The guard with the broken nose stands over you, gazing malevolently down at you. Blood pours from his nostrils as he aims his musket at you. The flash of the muzzle is the last thing you ever see.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
You stalk through the shadows until you are just a few paces behind the guard as he patrols the base of the wall. He pauses, gazing into the gloom ahead, searching for the source of the noise. You take your opportunity, pulling out a cudgel and treading lightly as you close the distance. You swing the cudgel into the back of his head and he crumples unconscious to your feet. You quickly strip his uniform from him and slip it on. The guard is a smaller man than you, so the uniform is a little tight, but you only need it to deceive the remaining guard long enough to get close to him. You sling the guard’s musket over your shoulder and retrace his steps back to the ramp up to the gate.
“Anything?” The remaining guard asks as you walk towards him. You shake your head, hoping your face is hidden in shadow. The guard seems to gaze curiously at you. Your hand tightens on the musket strap as you approach. You could shoot the guard, but the gunshot may alert the rest of the guards. While it would be better to overpower him silently, you will have to get close and the risk of raising his suspicions will increase.
Shoot the guard
Get closer and overpower the guard
Your heart is thumping in your chest as you slowly continue up the ramp, just a few paces away from the guard. Conscious that the closer you get, the more chance of him realising you are not his colleague, you move your right hand, allowing the cudgel to slip out of your sleeve and into your fingers. You glance up at him just in time to see his eyes widen as he sees your face. He calls out in surprise as you spring forward, swinging the cudgel. You slam it into the side of his head and he drops to the ground, clutching the wound and groaning. You swing it again, knocking him unconscious. You hurry past him and into the fort, relieved to find the courtyard inside deserted. There is a tall building in the centre and you decide that looks the likeliest location for the fort’s commander. You slip into the darkened building and remove the guard’s uniform. Dressed again in black, you pause to light a candle and begin to explore, making your way up a stone staircase to the top floor. You find yourself in a hallway. There is a door to the left and a door to the right. You pause outside each. You sense a faint aroma of food from the door to the left, while you can hear what sounds like snoring from behind the door to the right.
Go through the door to the left
Go through the door to the right
You caut
iously push open the door and step into what appears to be a bedroom. You sweep the candle about, the tiny flame illuminating a bed and a slumbering figure beneath a sheet in the middle of it. You tread lightly, looking about you for any likely location for the treasure map. You move to the side of the bed, glancing down nervously at the sleeping occupant. You see long, dark curls and the delicate features of a beautiful woman. She shifts in her sleep, the sheet slipping from her bare shoulders as she rolls onto her back. The sheet rides down and your find your gaze drawn to the naked swell of her shapely breasts. You are so engrossed that you fail to notice her eyes flicking open before widening in surprise. You start as she suddenly screams in terror. You back away as she fumbles behind her. All too late, you realise she has pulled a pistol from her bedside cupboard. The muzzle flash briefly illuminates the room, the gunshot deafening in the enclosed space. You slump to the floor, the bullet having ripped into your chest. You gurgle blood while the woman continues to scream before you swiftly lose consciousness, lying in an expanding pool of your own blood.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
Lighting a candle, you make your way up a stone staircase to the top floor. You find yourself in a hallway. There is a door to the left and a door to the right. You pause outside each. You sense a faint aroma of food from the door to the left, while you can hear what sounds like snoring from behind the door to the right.
Go through the door to the left
Go through the door to the right
Feeling your deception will fail before you reach the guard, you pull the musket from your shoulder and quickly take aim. The guard cries out in alarm and fumbles with his own musket. Your finger tightens on the trigger, the gunshot echoing in the night. The guard is snatched back by the impact and you jog past him and into the fort. You hear a door open to your right and see a bleary eyed soldier step out into the courtyard, his musket in hand. His eyes widen as he sees you and the fallen guard behind you. While you are in uniform, your musket is still smoking. The soldier levels his musket at you as several other soldiers pour out into the courtyard. You are quickly surrounded and the musket pulled from your grasp. Your hat is knocked from your head and one of the soldiers murmurs something in Spanish to the others.
“He recognises you.” One snarls in heavily accented English. “He says you’re a pirate. We hang pirate scum here.” You notice he is distracted by something behind you and follow his gaze, glancing over your shoulder. One of the soldiers is kneeling over the body of the guard at the gate. He looks up and shakes his head.
“Muerto.” He calls out.
“You killed him.” The English speaking soldier tells you, his eyes blazing with fury. He turns to the others. “Find some rope!”
Minutes later, you are dragged up to the ramparts of the fort and a noose is tied around your neck.
“Time to die, murderer.” The soldier spits before shoving you off the edge of the wall. You plummet a few feet before the rope becomes taut, the snap of your neck echoing around the fort.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
Confident of the disguise evening the odds, you stride purposefully up the stone ramp towards the gate. The two guards straighten and eye you suspiciously, unslinging their muskets from their shoulders. They call out a challenge in Spanish, which you ignore as you close in on them. One swings his musket towards you, just as you reach them. You grab the barrel and wrench it out of his hands, swinging it like a club into the side of his head. The guard collapses to the floor, clutching his brow. You wheel around, bringing the musket to bear on the remaining guard. He has stepped backwards and is in the process of levelling his own musket. You pull the trigger, the two muskets blazing simultaneously. A bullet rips through your side and you cry out in agony before dropping to your knees and clutching at the wound. The other guard crumples to the ground too, his eyes gazing lifelessly at you before falling facedown onto the floor. Blood trickles around the cobblestones on the ramp, your own mingling with that of the dead Spaniard. You grit your teeth, trying to climb back to your feet and escape, but the pain is too great. You lie back, the ground cold against your back. You gaze up at the clear, starry night before your vision darkens and the stars slowly fade out of existence.
THE END
Go back a few moments and rethink your actions
Deciding against any direct contact with the guards, you move away from the gate, moving around the perimeter of the fort until you are no longer overlooked. You unsling a length of rope from your shoulder and take the grappling hook in your hand. You swing it around before throwing it high above your head. The hook disappears over the crenulations at the top of the high stone ramparts. You wince at the loud echoing clank as it hits the far side of the wall. You slowly pull the rope back before grinning with satisfaction as it locks fast against the top of the wall. Testing the rope with your weight, you begin to slowly scale the wall, pulling yourself hand over hand and looking for even the slightest of footholds as you scramble upwards. As you steadily ascend, you glance behind you over the rooftops of the Spanish colony, noticing the dims lights and masts of the Nemesis amongst the array of vessels moored up in the harbour beyond. You glance upward. Just a few more feet to go. Your shoulders ache, but you pull yourself the remaining distance, hooking a leg over the wall and scrambling over the top. You glance down into the fort and notice with relief that there are no patrolling guards within. There is a tall building at the centre and you decide that looks the likely location for the fort’s commander. You descend some steps into the courtyard and slip into the darkened building. You pause to light a candle and explore, making your way up a stone staircase to the top floor. You find yourself in a hallway. There is a door to the left and a door to the right. You pause outside each. You sense a faint aroma of food from the door to the left, while you can hear what sounds like snoring from behind the door to the right.
Go through the door to the left
Go through the door to the right
You slowly push open the door to the left. Swinging the candle around the room, you smile as you see a long wooden dining table and a couple of plates with the remains of a meal still resting on it. You move further into the room, sweeping the candle about before its faint glow illuminates a small cabinet against the far wall. You eagerly drop to your knees before it, trying the door. Locked. You stoop lower, studying the lock and determining how difficult it would be to pick. As you reach for the lock pick in your pocket, your heart sinks as you hear the metallic click of a flintlock’s hammer being pulled back behind you. You climb slowly to your feet, your hands raised, the candle still in your hand. The tiny flickering flame illuminates the muzzle of a small pistol and behind it, the delicate features of a beautiful dark haired Spanish woman.
“Quién eres tú? ” She asks you. You look at her blankly, your Spanish momentarily forgotten in your moment of shock. “Who are you?”
“I am a pirate.” You reply. “I mean you no harm. I simply want to relieve the commander of his Mayan treasure map.”
“You would steal from my husband, you dog?!” She glares at you in the candlelight. “I should shoot you now and save the magistrates and hangman some time.”
“Over a scrap of parchment?” You grin. “That would seem a little harsh. Perhaps we could come to some arrangement?”
“Arrangement?” She replies suspiciously.
“Yes, I could cut you in for a share of the treasure.” You suggest weakly. She chews her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment. As your eyes adjust to the light, you can see a little more of your captor. She is slender at the waist, but pleasingly full about the hips and chest. Her long wavy hair cascades down to the low-cut neckline of a pretty dress. Her brown eyes examine you curiously.
“I don’t think so.” She replies, a hint of a smile on her lips. She raises her free hand, a small brass key dangling from her finger. “This is the key to the cabinet
behind you. The treasure map you seek is within.” She draws her hand back to her chest and drops the key down her impressive corset enhanced cleavage. “The only way you’ll get the key would be if you were to overpower me, tear my clothes off and take it…” She leans back against the edge of the dining room table and slides the pistol away, her eyes gleaming in the candlelight. You blink, your mind reeling at this bizarre turn of events. You lower the candle to the table and approach the beautiful woman. Her full lips pout and a low moan escapes her lips as you draw closer. You reach out, the woman gasping with excitement as you grasp the top of her dress and rip it open. The tattered garment slides down to collect at her feet, leaving her standing there in just an ivory corset. Her heaving breasts threaten to spill out of the top of it and you can feel yourself stiffening as you reach out and begin to unlace the corset. The garment slips from her body, her breasts liberated and her naked, curvaceous figure revealed to you in the flickering flame of the candlelight. The brass key that had been trapped in her cleavage clinks as it bounces on the stone floor. You stoop to collect it, your face passing close to the dark triangle of curls between her thighs and catching the scent of her arousal. As you straighten, your gaze is drawn to her generous breasts and her alluring smile.
“You have what you want, you scoundrel!” She purrs. “Now go! I see how you look at me, but I am a married woman! You must not ravish me!”