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Tracking Down a Bloodline: Part Four


by medit92

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“Attack!” Scarblade shouted.

     “Watch out, mates!!” Garin shouted to his crew. They leapt up and drew their weapons. Garin ran outside and locked blades with one of the first oncomers of Scarblade’s crew. He shoved that one aside and he fell off of the platform of the tomb. Garin stopped for a brief moment to catch his breath, but that moment was all Scarblade needed. Scarblade drew out a crossbow and aimed at Garin. His finger tightened on the trigger.

     “Garin, look out!!!” Glint shouted.

     BANG!

     The crossbow went off, but hit a different target than the one it had been aiming for. Glint sank to the ground in front of Garin.

     “Glint!!!” Garin screamed. He caught him and knelt beside him. Jacques stopped fighting and ran over. Garin stared grief stricken at Glint, who was barely awake.

     “Glint?” he asked desperately. “Glint?” Glint opened his eyes slowly. “Oh Glint you crazy old goat, why did you do that?!” Garin asked. Glint smiled weakly.

     “To... repay the debt I owe you,” he croaked, but then his body fell limp. Garin’s eyes welled with tears.

     “Glint?” he asked. “Glint! Glint!!”

     “Garin, he’s... he’s gone,” Jacques said quietly, placing his hand on Garin’s shoulder. Garin gaped. He buried his face in Glint’s furred neck, tears slowly streaming from his eyes. Glint was the only one he had left that knew his grandfather, who he felt was close enough to him to be like a grandfather, and now he was gone. And all because of...

     Scarblade.

     Garin’s thoughts went from grief, to rage. He stood up and looked at Scarblade, his crystal eyes burning like an icy blizzard with hatred. He drew his Maractite dagger, pointed it at Scarblade, and spoke the most deadly challenge that no one would ever say to Captain Scarblade, EVER.

     “Cross-blades,” he growled. Scarblade stood there for a moment, but then grinned.

     “Accepted.” Scarblade drew his cutlass.

     He and Garin circled each other, not taking their eyes off of one another for a moment. Suddenly, Scarblade swung his cutlass at Garin, who simply held up his Maractite dagger and blocked. Garin attacked Scarblade with alarming strength and speed. Scarblade barely managed to block, but then he swung at Garin’s legs. Garin jumped up and the cutlass whizzed under his legs. He swung with his dagger, but then with his fist and hit Scarblade in the jaw. Scarblade yelped and jumped back. He snarled and swung at Garin twice in a row. Garin stepped back, but tripped backwards over a crumbled tombstone and fell onto his back. He rolled aside as Scarblade’s cutlass came down at him. The cutlass dug into the ground, barely missing Garin.

     “Yikes!” Sam yelped. The crew gasped, Jacques bit his lip. Garin leapt up and fumbled to pick up his dagger. Scarblade raised his cutlass behind Garin’s back.

     “Garin, behind you!!” Jacques shouted. Garin heard his friend’s cry and whirled around. He dodged Scarblade’s strike and pressed his own attack with his dagger. Suddenly, Scarblade yanked out his crossbow again and fired.

     Garin fell to the ground and the crew stared in horror.

     “Garin, NO!!!” Jacques shouted. Scarblade snickered.

     “Now, no one can stand up to me!” he said triumphantly. Jacques growled and drew his cutlass.

     “Not so fast, barnacle breath!” he shouted. Scarblade looked at him. “You haven’t gotten rid of the last person to stand up to you until you face me!! So let’s go!!”

     “No, Jacques. Leave him to me.”

     Garin stood up. Scarblade took a shocked step back. Jacques stared. Garin reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the ruby studded pendant he had put there earlier. The bolt had buried itself into the thick metal, and not in Garin’s flesh. Garin looked at Jacques.

     “I think we owe the baroness a hearty thanks, Jacques,” he said with a crafty smile. Jacques could hardly believe it! Saved by a stolen good, was that luck or what? Scarblade snarled.

     “You... You... Urrgh! Take this!!” Scarblade swung with his cutlass at Garin, who quickly jumped back. Garin kicked Scarblade in the chest, knocking him backwards, but all that did was make him ANGRIER. Scarblade struck at Garin, who blocked, and now found his back against a large tombstone, with his dagger keeping Scarblade’s cutlass away from his neck.

     “Looks like your luck’s run out, Garin!” Scarblade growled.

     “Luck?” Garin asked, a clever smirk spreading over his face. “Nah, I just call it family instincts. It’s in my blood.” Garin shoved Scarblade off of him. Scarblade regained balance quickly and advanced on Garin. Garin ducked as Scarblade’s cutlass swung over his head. Scarblade forced Garin backwards up the stairs of the tomb, he snarled viciously at Garin.

     “Surrender the treasure, Garin,” he said, locking blades with the young captain. “And I may be generous enough to let you live!” Garin bared his teeth and glared at Scarblade. He shoved him back a few feet.

     “You want the treasure?” he asked, grabbing a torch. “Well, go get it, you black hearted scoundrel!!”

     Garin threw the torch into the tomb... right next to the pile of gunpowder. His crew let out an alarmed yelp and jumped away as quickly as possible. Garin followed.

     “No!” Scarblade shouted.

     KA-BOOM!! The whole tomb blew up into smoke and rubble. Scarblade, his crew, and Garin and his crew were sent flying backwards onto their backs, the explosion was so massive. Garin sat up and stared.

     “That was a lot bigger than I expected it to be,” he said. Suddenly, Scarblade grabbed Garin by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

     “You’ve made your last foolish mistake ever, Garin!” he shouted angrily. Garin gulped. Jacques tackled Scarblade from behind. Garin wriggled free and hit Scarblade in the face, knocking him back. Jacques slammed both of his fists into Scarblade’s stomach, causing him to buckle over.

     “That was for Glint!” Jacques growled. Garin drew his dagger, but Scarblade hit both of them back and shouted to his crew,

     “Fall back! We’ll deal with them later!” He and his crew ran out of the cemetery. Garin sheathed his dagger and bared his teeth as he watched them go.

     “I really hate that guy,” he grumbled. Jacques sighed.

     “At least that’s over, Garin.” He looked at the pile of rubble that was the tomb. “Why’d you blow it up?” he asked Garin. Garin shrugged.

     “Ah, who needs an ultimate treasure?” he said. “I’ve already got one.”

     “You do?” Jacques asked.

     “Yep. It was the same thing my grandfather and Glint valued...” Garin looked at him. “My friends.” Jacques stared for a moment, then smiled.

     “Thanks, Garin.”

     “I’m not just saying it, Jacques, I mean it,” said Garin. “My grandfather and I obviously have one definite thing in common; our mates mean more to us than a pile of gold. Just like Glint’s friendship with King.”

     Jacques shook his head. “I’m not sure if that’s Garin the Foolish or the Heir of King talking, but whoever it is I think the day must have gotten to their head!”

     “Oh, shut up.”

      *****

     Garin stood on the beach and stared at the rising sun. He couldn’t shake out the thought that he had let Glint down, but something else told him he did what he could. Jacques walked over towards him, but stopped, sensing Garin wanted to be alone. Never the less, he walked over to his best mate.

     “Searching for a way to handle the day’s events?” he asked.

     “Yeah, if that’s what you wanna call it,” Garin said. He sighed. “At least Scarblade’s out of our hair.”

     “For now, anyway,” Jacques put in.

     “Quit reminding me.” Garin groaned.

     “Sorry,” Jacques said with a bit of dry humor. He took a deep breath of the salty air. “Whew, what a day! First we’re being chased by a bunch of soldiers, then we found out that you’re really the Heir of King, then we nearly get killed by Scarblade, then all the treasure goes up in smoke.” Jacques held his hand to the side of his head. “Man, I could get a head-ache just thinking about it!”

     “Jacques... the treasure...” said Garin. “It’s not all gone. Not really.”

     “Huh?” Jacques asked. Garin reached into his pocket.

     “I saved this one piece,” he said, handing it to Jacques. He looked at it. It was a plain gold locket in the shape of a heart, but there was nothing inside.

     “It’s empty,” he said.

     “I know, but look at the back.” Garin said. Jacques flipped the locket over, and saw the letters, ‘K’, and ‘R’, etched on the back. He smiled.

     “King and Rebecca,” he said with a nod. He handed the locket back to Garin. “Well, I think what we got from the baroness is enough treasure for us for one day anyway. We went through a LOT to get it.” Garin laughed.

     “We did, didn’t we?” he said. “Well, let’s shove off.” Garin slipped on the locket. “There are plenty more riches waiting for us to steal them away!”

     “Aye, captain.” Jacques walked off towards the rest of the crew.

     Garin followed, but suddenly got the feeling someone was watching him. He turned around, and gaped. Two ghostly figures stood a small distance away from him down the beach, a male Usul pirate, and a female Usul wearing a white streaming dress. The male... had crystal blue eyes. Garin smiled, he gave the two figures a bow, and they returned it. Garin turned and continued walking down the beach. He looked at the beckoning waters of the sea, where he would always feel home, feel free, and feel complete, knowing that he was born to be none other than who he was.

     A pirate.

The End

 
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Other Episodes


» Tracking Down a Bloodline: Part One
» Tracking Down a Bloodline: Part Two
» Tracking Down a Bloodline: Part Three



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