HoloPirates: A Tale of Adventure

Wrapping Up A Loose End

Finally, it was the moment. I held onto a large, cooked slab of beef, and with Marine giving me a nod, I threw it straight down into the water. It hit the water with a splash, and I watched as it sank slightly below the waves.
"Soooo, when are the sharks gonna get here?"
"Well, just give them a minute." She said. "Sharks are kinda like flies here. They move in packs, and there is bound to be one of them around here. They never, ever stray too far away from a ship of this size."
I nodded, making a noise of confirmation, and as I was watched, I saw three dark shapes moving through the water, and I turned to Sebastian and Ackner, who were still tied to the mast.
"Bring the prisoners!" I yelled with a grin. "We're throwing them overboard."
With that, all of the Houshou Pirates cheered, and I watched as they grabbed both Sebastian and Ackner, untied the ropes, tied their hands behind their backs, and dragged them over to us. They struggled and cursed against the binds and handling, but it was moot as Marine and Jansen both grabbed Ackner and set him down on a cannon before standing back, still holding him at sword point.
"Alright Ackner, unlike you, we're gonna hold to the Code." Jansen said. "We should just cut your neck and bleed you like a stuck pig, but we're gonna give you an opportunity to give us your last words."
"Okay okay okay." He said, looking at the ground as he tried to think of what to say. "For the record, I loved you guys, and I really didn't wanna go along with this—"
"Okay, lets stop you there for a minute." Marine said. "A Second mate that loves their Captain and First Mate won't lead a mutiny against them for money."
She gave him a nasty look, then waved her hand in front of her.
"But do go on." She said. "This is very entertaining."
"Okay, listen, please just let me go. Don't do this please."
"Is that all?"
"Aye, thats all."
"Good. Throw him overboard!!"
Right at that, Ackner began pleading for his very life, but I grabbed onto Marine and ignored his pleas as the crew grabbed him, hoisted him up, and tossed him overboard. He splashed into the sea, and I averted my eyes as a ferocious ripping, tearing, and violent splashing was heard from the side of the ship. I persisted for a minute, splashing water and a dark red fluid onto the deck, but after a moment, it was silent.
"Well, thats one of them down." The Storyteller said. "And now for the other one, yes?"
"Aye that!" I said. "Let's end this, once and for all."
The rest of the crew sat Sebastian on the same cannon, and for the first time, I saw a look of fear that was plaguing his face. But, the moment that he saw me staring at him with a curious look, he looked away from me with a growl.
"Hey, you fear death, don't you?" I said, trying to get his attention.
"No, mortal, I fear nothing." He said with a gulp. "I do not fear death, you, or you."
He gave the Storyteller a nasty look, and he smirked in response.
"Since you are not the rightful Storyteller, I do not fear you." Sebastian said.
"You continue to say that, and you know in your heart that it is not true." The Storyteller said. "You were revoked your privileges as the Storyteller. I am the Storyteller, and you are a lowlife, scummy maggot that wants nothing more than to bring pain to others."
With those final words, the Storyteller turned away from him, and he gave me a wave, wanting me to say something as well.
"Its all over, Sebastian." I said. "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"
"Yes, in fact." He said. "How about you kill him? Kill him and take his power, and we can rule the Universes together! Me and you, Micheal! We can take over the Stories of All, and we can rise to what we were always meant to be!"
I stood there as everyone around me was speechless, but I shook my head as I gave Sebastian a hateful glare.
"Ya know, I think that is right about the dumbest idea that I have ever heard in my fucking life." I said. "Now have fun in whatever nothingness you're about to get into."
And with that, I grabbed Sebastian, hoisted him over the deck, and got ready to throw him in the water. But, right as I was about to let go, his face still blurry, and I stared right into the dark, dead empty sockets that were his eyes. And the moment I did, pain rocketed through me, feeling like a thousand jolts of pain were exploding through me in a single moment. As I stared into his eyes, I felt myself unable to look away, and memories began to flash through my eyes, being some of the worst memories of my life. Moments like my first suspension, fights with my mom, the convenience store robbery, my first arrest, and the fight with Paolo all exploded through my mind, but right as I thought it couldn't get any worse, I was suddenly just not on the ship anymore.
I was on a planet, a Ecumenopolis, and when I looked up, there was a bright, bright blood red sky that donned my vision. But, like a stain in the middle of the sky, I saw a large black hole that seemed to be approaching the planet, and even I could feel the gravity of the planet shifting underneath me. The planet rumbled, but, somehow, louder than the rumbling, there was a cough from behind me, and when I turned, there was Sebastian, standing with his empty eyes seeming to scan our surroundings.
"W-what the hell did you do to me?" I asked, looking at the blood red sky.
"This is my home planet. It is nothing but a memory." He said. "Now look down there."
As much as I hated Sebastian and everything that he had done, I still looked down his pointing finger, and I saw that, underneath an overpass, there was a mother, sitting with her child in nothing more than a cardboard box for a home.
"Is-is that....?"
"Yes, that is my mother." He said. "This story may sound slightly familiar to you. My father left when I was very, very young. Much younger than what I appear there."
He waved his hand in the air, and suddenly, time around us seemed to halt, and I stared at Sebastian as he sighed.
"We truly aren't very different." He said. "Thats why I feared you, Micheal."
"I thought you feared no one." I spat. "You said you were all godly and shit, and that you feared no one. What the hell happened to that?"
"Its called acting tough, Micheal." He said. "This is the only place that I have powers anymore. Feel free to try and fight me now, because if either of us die here, we die in the real world as well."
"Then where the hell is this place?"
"I don't think you listen very well, now do you?" He said. "This is my home planet, but this is nothing more than a memory."
I was speechless as he turned back to the mother holding her child, frozen in time in a state of suspended nursing, and I heard Sebastian sigh.
"We truly aren't that much different. And you, Micheal. You have potential." Sebastian said, turning towards me. "We can be the next Storytellers. I know you reacted with hostility to my previous offer, but at least grant me the privilege of listening."
I thought about it, staring around at the frozen city around me, and my eyes rested on young Sebastian and his mother.
"Aye, I'll listen."