THE GUARDSMAN SCREAMED a warning as he ran toward his hometown. One of his sworn duties was to protect everyone within their county and keep their borders of Cliffside secure. If he wanted to protect what he cherished most he would have to take charge of the situation. “Call the Fleet Admiral and Navy Command! Assist the citizens to shelter! They are coming; Those Pirates are coming!”

Earlier the head of the guardsmen had seen the ship drifting in the distance. The flags were down, and there were no movements seen anywhere on the deck of the ship. It was only when the sun had begun its steep descent into the horizon that the ship emerged with a vengeance.

The flag it carried proudly waved in the air with a strict maliciousness. The intended target was the postman’s hometown where all his friends and family resided.

He was not going to let those pirates set one foot on his town’s cove without a decent fight. Those pirates presumed that this town only had food, supplies, and women to steal; but in reality this was the town many pirates did not dare attempt to pillage from. After all, it was the hometown of the Fleet Admiral Rothschild: Best renowned for annihilating all seven vessels known for its ruthless leader Zaine. It dealt a serious blow to Zaine’s pirate fleets; it also helped in freeing all those slaves they captured for the black market. Not only did the Fleet Admiral’s skill commanding a fleet demand acknowledgement, the Fleet Admiral also was well known for his swordplay and pistol control.

His courage and bravery became blatant in his last battle with Zaine the owner to a pirating vessel. There had been quite the rumor that Zaine happened to be carrying some mystic jewels: The Relic Stones. As the State was sworn to protect its citizen from any threats, it was determined that the Fleet Admiral would take charge of the Relic Stones. Even if it was only a rumor of a legend passed down it could not be ignored.

The battle lasted for seven days straight, and it only ended when the General boarded its enemy ship and slain its pirate captain. This was before Gerald Rothschild had realized that Zaine had faked his death using those stones as a decoy.

The existence of these jewels caused many amateur pirates to fear both Zaine and the State. In several sad attempts to gain the stones from both sides, many of the fledgling pirate population diminished significantly.

As his legacy continued, the current Fleet Admiral Rothschild became a man to be feared. A majority of pirates found him to be their worst nightmare. This sole thought comforted the guardsmen as he ran up the cobble path. He knew that his commander would save them all. That was what their Fleet Admiral was there for.

Echoing his warning throughout the coast, the young postmen turned sharply into the alcove of the postman’s tower. He climbed the steps to the top of the building only to find his voice gone; worse, he could not feel anything down past his shoulders.

How could he have not seen the attack coming? He had thought he was ahead of the onslaught. It was thoughts like this that only prolonged the man’s life as his nerves finally recognized the tip of a poisoned blade sticking through of his abdomen.

The young man gaped in silence, blood slowly seeping from the corner of his lips. His last view was of his hometown colored in the rays of a blood red sun, hoping his family would not be stained red with it.

“We can’t have you forewarning everyone.”

“You betrayed us?” Zaine merely smirked before twisting his blade. He watched with enthusiasm as the man squirmed in agony.

“I was never on your side fool.” The man did not respond because the soul of the man was already gone at this point.

The pirate was disappointed by the swift kill, so without the grace and civility of a normal human he pulled his sword out of the man and watched as the body toppled over the tower. His body grazed the wall a couple of times before ultimately hitting the bottom of the ground. Blood splattered all over the paved road, along with brain matter and pieces of flesh.

Cracking his knuckles, the pirate wiped his sword clean and turned his attention over his right shoulder. Sitting casually in the shadows was a young woman dressed in all black with eyes locked in an icy stare. Her distinguishing features were her taunt cheek bones, fair skin complexion, messy curly hair, and piercing blue eyes.

“The target has been located.”

The man merely looked past the woman toward the sea, where his ship was sailing into port. His vessel was one of few left still sailing after being locked in battle with Rothschild for a lengthy amount of time. The battle for the small batch of stones he possessed continued for days and nights until it was finally only his main ship remaining. If it wasn’t for that damned cur Rothschild, he would have still reigned supreme in the Pirate realm with his pirate brigade as his front lines but  Zaine always followed through.

If there was one thing Zaine did not overlook it was an unpaid debt, and luckily it was obtained and locked away in a room.

All Zaine felt was a thirst for revenge. Many ships that were under his name had been annihilated by Gerald Rothschild, so with a devilish smirk he walked back toward the manor.

He foresaw the lands soaked with blood and gore. Men, women, children, helpless animals—they would all be spilled that fortnight and that would not be all. Zaine wanted the agonizing deaths to be slow and painful. The older male merely thought to kill two birds with one stone with this one fatal trip. He fetched the target as his employer wanted, but now he had a vendetta to fulfill. This land, which was cherished by the Fleet Admiral, had to burn. It was only fair retribution for the loss of his fleets.

Zaine and the young woman watched as the ship turned to the starboard side, cannons began to fire from the decks into the unsuspecting town. The men who had started to pile out of the ship began their descent into the town.

Screams, crying, and evil laughter spoiled the last remaining silence of the evening. The men within his crew knew their orders. Zaine, on the other hand, had other obligations. He was headed to the Main estate, where the General and his family lived. There he hoped to make it the Generals eternal resting spot. That was if his employer had not already beaten him.

It was unusual for Captain Zaine’s pirate guild to attack so full heartedly in the open. They normally kept quiet, working in the shadows toying with their victims before starting a massacre between the people. This scenario was a completely different story. The pirate knew the sister countries would spread the rumors of Relic Stones being held at this town, and it was because of those stones that he was there. He would let the world think that was the truth, as he spread terror and fear into the hearts of the people.

The goal all these pirates and avaricious men were to search for the beauty; a jewel that could grant the wishes of anyone who dared the seven seas to get it. Zaine was not as brainwashed as his pirate brethren, only wanting to seek the glory of capturing it for his own personal use. He could see the horror stricken faces of all those State officials hiding in their cabinet meetings if he were to succeed in his mission.

Zaine reached into his back pocket for a white mask and placed it upon his face.  The scars from previous battles and a burn mark were covered with this mask, but his smirk was shown underneath the broken fragmented bottom.

“Welcome to the never ending nightmare, forever shall you see the bloody reigns of fire, and of me.”

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