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          Pike was pleasantly surprised, that Cutlass had extended the same order for him to help man the chase cannon at the bow of the ship. He was no longer one of the faster men on the Thunder Croc, after all. The wind had drastically increased in intensity, causing the ship to rock wildly up and down from the oncoming waves. These conditions made travel for a one legged pirate a treacherous journey. A few times,

              Pike almost found himself falling face first on the hardwood deck floor only to catch himself with his hands on nearby railing or crates. With every tumble, he pouted his frustrations.

          “Shiver me timbers!”

          Having stumbled his way to the steps, Pike hoisted himself up the railing, gradually reaching the armed portion of the bow. This elevated front portion of the ship served what came to be known as the den of the Crocodile Cannon. True to it’s name, the Crocodile Cannon resembled it’s scaled animal counterpart having been molded to resemble the reptilian creature. This was meant to incite confidence in Crossbone crewmembers, reminding them to always see themselves as the predators. At the same time it was also a means of paying homage to the crocodilian, scaled heritage responsible for birthing the Crossbones. The old cannon was one of a kind, designed by the best Crossbone minds, designed to incapacitate fleeing ship or send them send them to Davy Jone’s Locker. Scar Scales and Keelhaul had already managed to roll over cannon balls while little Skew panted and wobbled as he carried heavy bags of gunpowder.

          “Hurry up, powder monkey!” ordered Scar Scales.

          The frill lizard spoke in between pants as he pushed the bag of gunpowder onto the deck. “Skew coming! Skew coming!”

          Scar Scales grabbed the bag from Skew, throwing it over his shoulder as he brought it over to the cannon.

          “Man the wad worm stick while I load the croc cannon, Pike!” Scar Scales barked.

          Pike nodded as he grabbed the wad worm stick used to check the muzzle of the Crocodile Cannon for remaining debris. He also prepared a sponge stick soaking it in a bucket of water left by Hacks.

          Grabbing the wad worm stick Pike stuck it into the large black muzzle of the cannon.

          Gristles joined Keelhaul in pulling the cannon forward with the rope.

          “Heave, ho!”

          Scar Scales shoved the gun powder bag into the muzzle with Pike once again jamming a stick pushing it all the way back into the belly of the Crocodile Cannon.

          Skew waddled over struggling to continue carrying over more bags of gunpowder.

       “Why do we always give him this job?” muttered Pike, shaking his head.

          Scar Scales shrugged. “Because he acts like a powder monkey?” Scar Scales grunted as he placed the cannonball into the opening of the muzzle. Pike again shoved it to the back with his stick.

          Once Keelhaul had prepared the wick, he glanced over at Cutlass who continued to supervise the situation.

          “Ready fer action, sir!”

          Cutlass acknowledged with a nod, raising his sword as he searched for an indication from the captain to open fire.

          Pike backed off, holding his stick like a staff as he waited for them to be jolted into battle.

          Firing cannons used to be one of his favorite duties as a pirate, but having lost his leg in the last skirmish, he could not deny that he was feeling more than apprehensive. What if he were to lose both of his legs? Would he serve on deck in a wheel chair? Would he be waddling on two peg legs instead of one? Or would a cannon ball instead take his head this time, leaving him too irreparable for even a mad genius like Red to fix.

          None of these scenarios sat well with Pike. Feelings aside, he was a Crossbone pirate and Crossbones never shied away from danger, especially when under orders from the captain.

            “FIREEE!” rang the voice of Cutlass.

            Keelhaul who had already laid aim at the ship, lit the fuse bringing to life a familiar hiss.

            The Crocodile Cannon thundered bouncing it’s normal inch backwards. An explosion erupted from the shrapnel as it penetrated the back cabin.

            The rest of the crew joined Scar Scales and Pike into cheers at the first successful shot.

            “Take that, scallywags!” jeered Scar Scales, giving Keelhaul a friendly nudge to the shoulder. “Fine shootin,’ lad!”

            A distant explosion brought the Crossbones out of their celebratory state. “Hit the deck!” cried Cutlass.

            Pike hobbled back as a chain shot of two cannonballs whooshed between him and Scar Scales, crashing into a stack of crates, causing them to topple over onto Aldo the alligator and Scale Beard the bearded dragon, completely burying them.

            “Augh!”

            “Ooof!”

            “Arrgh! So that’s how they want to play!” growled Cutlass.

            “They’re goin’ fer our mastsss!” hissed Snarky the python, as he slithered by.

            “Step to it, boys!” ordered Cutlass. “Or I’ll toss ye like scabby sea bass!”

            “Aye!” replied Pike with his team. Repeating the same routine, Skew hobbled over with another bag of powder. “Skew coming! Skew coming!”

            “Hurry up yeh powder monkey!” growled Pike, snatching it from Skew’s grip.

            Once prepared, the cannon returned fire, again making contact with part of the ship. Counter fire followed shortly after this time clipping the very tip of the bow. Wood splintered up flying onto Pike and Scar Scales.

            “Shiver me timbers!” Pike shouted in unison with Scar Scales.

            As he staggered back, Pike managed to catch a glimpse of the cannonball careening against Gristles, knocking him back.

            “Uggh!”

            Although, stopping the journey of the cannonball before it could do anymore damage, Gristles was left sprawled on his back, unconscious from the impact.

            To the side, Aldo and Scale Beard had managed to stagger out of the rubble which had previously buried them, limping their way out of the line of fire.

            “If ye galley slaves don’t take out that ship, thee next target will be you!” snarled Cutlass.

            Pike immediately resumed his duties, jamming a sponge stick into the cannon, in preparation. Scar Scales carried a cannonball as Skew again, hobbled over with another bag of gunpowder.

            “Skew coming, Skew. . .”

            Pike snatched it out of Skew’s grasp. Skew began to giggle as he continued gripping the gunpowder, leaving him dangling in the air.

            “Get off, ye crazy frill!” snarled Pike, trying to shake him off the bag.

            Suddenly the ship did a hard lean forward, driving Pike to fall flat on his back.

            Pike moaned as he struggled to push himself up with his hands. He felt Scar Scales grip him by the claws, helping him to return to his feet.

            “Get off thee floor, ye clumsy oafs!” threatened Cutlass.

            Pike joined Scar Scales and Keelhaul in scrambling over to the cannon.

            Pike noticed the once clear sky had begun to cloud with the wind picking up considerably. The waves had become rough and he swore he could smell rain in the distance.

            Fine time fer a storm! He grumbled to himself.

            Pike had just stuck his wad worm stick into the muzzle of the cannon and gave the thumbs up to Keelhaul that the Crocodile Cannon was once again good to go.

            “Fire!” ordered Cutlass, again raising his sword.

            Keelhaul was about to light the fuse when Scar Scales leaped in front of the cannon waving his arms.

            “Wait a minute!”

            “What is it?” queried Pike, perplexed by Scar Scales sudden hesitation to let them fire.

            “Where be Skew?” Scar Scales asked, suspiciously.

            Pike exchanged a confused glance with Keelhaul as the two shrugged.

            Scar Scales growled as he approached the muzzle, reaching his arm inside.

            With one hard yank, Scar Scales pulled a blackened Skew from the interior.

            “Hey, I wanna go for a ride!” protested Skew in anger.

            “Not this time, ye little monkey lizard!” growled Scar Scales, flinging him back across the deck.

            Pike rolled his eyes as he again, jammed his wad worm into the muzzle.

            “Blasted frill!”

            The cannon thundered the pirates fired their next shot. To their dismay, this time they completely missed. Visibility had become considerably impaired with the ever increasing cloud cover. The location of the ship appeared hazy as though it were pouring down rain.

            “Orders cap’n!” Cutlass shouted back, toward the helm, where Komodo stood with Tyrannus, next to their helmsman Flint who stood faithfully at the wheel..

            Komodo motioned forward with two fingers.

            Cutlass turned to face his munitions crew. Continue the battle, men!”

            Pike felt a raindrop on his bare upper torso.

            “Them clouds look mighty wicked, sez I!” Scar Scales worriedly spoke as he strained under the weight of another cannonball.

            “Aye, quite wicked indeed,” Pike replied as he drug another bag of gunpowder, this time brought by Hacks who had relieved Skew.

            “It is bad fortune to sail into a storm such as this!” Hacks warned, handing the bag over.

            Scar Scales snorted. “Don’t know if I would be callin’ it ‘bad luck’ Einstein. Storms have always been the bane of pirates and sailors alike.”

            Pike could now feel the constant patter of rain on his bare, shirtless body. The sun had completely disappeared behind the clouds leaving the Thunder Croc in dark hazy conditions.

            Pike loaded the bag into the cannon as Keelhaul carried over the heavy cannonball.

            “We’re not gonna be able to fight much longer in these damp conditions,” coughed Keelhaul, straining his eyes and shielding them with a hand to aim the cannon.

            Pike shoved his wad worm stick into the muzzle. “Thee cap’n needs to order a cease pursuit!”

            “Whaddya waitin’ fer, boys!” growled Cutlass. “Fire!”

            Keelhaul again took his place behind the cannon, squinting through the rain as he struggled to aim.

            “Blasted storm! I can barely make out the ship!”

            Pike’s shorts as well as his entire body were completely drenched as though he had just come out of the ocean itself. He also cupped his hands against his forehead, as he attempted to make out the silhouette of the ship they had been chasing. The ship was wildly bobbing through the waves, sometimes appearing as though it were about to be completely submerged. There was no doubt in Pike’s mind, that they were not safe at their current location.

            “Uhhh, sir?”

            “Arrrgh! If ye too yella bellied to fight during a storm, I’ll have ye thrown to thee depths of Davy Jones. . .”

            Suddenly a large blast of water smacked into Pike, knocking him back. He felt his body painfully collide with Scar Scales and Cutlass, driving the pirates to tumble down away from the bow. The force of the water knocked Keelhaul from the bow as well.

            “What the devil?” growled Cutlass, as he, Scar Scales, and Pike angrily snapped their jaws at one another.

            “Batten down the hatches!” shouted Rapscallion as he struggled to remain perched on the crow’s nest. “Cap’n says batten down the hatches!”

            Pike moaned as he rubbed his sore back. “Now he tells us. . .”

Drawn by CheekySoup4U

Thanks for reading!

Crossbone Chronicles: The Devil's Hexzon Part 5

Crossbone Chronicles: The Devil's Hexagon part 1

Description

          Pike was pleasantly surprised, that Cutlass had extended the same order for him to help man the chase cannon at the bow of the ship. He was no longer one of the faster men on the Thunder Croc, after all. The wind had drastically increased in intensity, causing the ship to rock wildly up and down from the oncoming waves. These conditions made travel for a one legged pirate a treacherous journey. A few times,

              Pike almost found himself falling face first on the hardwood deck floor only to catch himself with his hands on nearby railing or crates. With every tumble, he pouted his frustrations.

          “Shiver me timbers!”

          Having stumbled his way to the steps, Pike hoisted himself up the railing, gradually reaching the armed portion of the bow. This elevated front portion of the ship served what came to be known as the den of the Crocodile Cannon. True to it’s name, the Crocodile Cannon resembled it’s scaled animal counterpart having been molded to resemble the reptilian creature. This was meant to incite confidence in Crossbone crewmembers, reminding them to always see themselves as the predators. At the same time it was also a means of paying homage to the crocodilian, scaled heritage responsible for birthing the Crossbones. The old cannon was one of a kind, designed by the best Crossbone minds, designed to incapacitate fleeing ship or send them send them to Davy Jone’s Locker. Scar Scales and Keelhaul had already managed to roll over cannon balls while little Skew panted and wobbled as he carried heavy bags of gunpowder.

          “Hurry up, powder monkey!” ordered Scar Scales.

          The frill lizard spoke in between pants as he pushed the bag of gunpowder onto the deck. “Skew coming! Skew coming!”

          Scar Scales grabbed the bag from Skew, throwing it over his shoulder as he brought it over to the cannon.

          “Man the wad worm stick while I load the croc cannon, Pike!” Scar Scales barked.

          Pike nodded as he grabbed the wad worm stick used to check the muzzle of the Crocodile Cannon for remaining debris. He also prepared a sponge stick soaking it in a bucket of water left by Hacks.

          Grabbing the wad worm stick Pike stuck it into the large black muzzle of the cannon.

          Gristles joined Keelhaul in pulling the cannon forward with the rope.

          “Heave, ho!”

          Scar Scales shoved the gun powder bag into the muzzle with Pike once again jamming a stick pushing it all the way back into the belly of the Crocodile Cannon.

          Skew waddled over struggling to continue carrying over more bags of gunpowder.

       “Why do we always give him this job?” muttered Pike, shaking his head.

          Scar Scales shrugged. “Because he acts like a powder monkey?” Scar Scales grunted as he placed the cannonball into the opening of the muzzle. Pike again shoved it to the back with his stick.

          Once Keelhaul had prepared the wick, he glanced over at Cutlass who continued to supervise the situation.

          “Ready fer action, sir!”

          Cutlass acknowledged with a nod, raising his sword as he searched for an indication from the captain to open fire.

          Pike backed off, holding his stick like a staff as he waited for them to be jolted into battle.

          Firing cannons used to be one of his favorite duties as a pirate, but having lost his leg in the last skirmish, he could not deny that he was feeling more than apprehensive. What if he were to lose both of his legs? Would he serve on deck in a wheel chair? Would he be waddling on two peg legs instead of one? Or would a cannon ball instead take his head this time, leaving him too irreparable for even a mad genius like Red to fix.

          None of these scenarios sat well with Pike. Feelings aside, he was a Crossbone pirate and Crossbones never shied away from danger, especially when under orders from the captain.

            “FIREEE!” rang the voice of Cutlass.

            Keelhaul who had already laid aim at the ship, lit the fuse bringing to life a familiar hiss.

            The Crocodile Cannon thundered bouncing it’s normal inch backwards. An explosion erupted from the shrapnel as it penetrated the back cabin.

            The rest of the crew joined Scar Scales and Pike into cheers at the first successful shot.

            “Take that, scallywags!” jeered Scar Scales, giving Keelhaul a friendly nudge to the shoulder. “Fine shootin,’ lad!”

            A distant explosion brought the Crossbones out of their celebratory state. “Hit the deck!” cried Cutlass.

            Pike hobbled back as a chain shot of two cannonballs whooshed between him and Scar Scales, crashing into a stack of crates, causing them to topple over onto Aldo the alligator and Scale Beard the bearded dragon, completely burying them.

            “Augh!”

            “Ooof!”

            “Arrgh! So that’s how they want to play!” growled Cutlass.

            “They’re goin’ fer our mastsss!” hissed Snarky the python, as he slithered by.

            “Step to it, boys!” ordered Cutlass. “Or I’ll toss ye like scabby sea bass!”

            “Aye!” replied Pike with his team. Repeating the same routine, Skew hobbled over with another bag of powder. “Skew coming! Skew coming!”

            “Hurry up yeh powder monkey!” growled Pike, snatching it from Skew’s grip.

            Once prepared, the cannon returned fire, again making contact with part of the ship. Counter fire followed shortly after this time clipping the very tip of the bow. Wood splintered up flying onto Pike and Scar Scales.

            “Shiver me timbers!” Pike shouted in unison with Scar Scales.

            As he staggered back, Pike managed to catch a glimpse of the cannonball careening against Gristles, knocking him back.

            “Uggh!”

            Although, stopping the journey of the cannonball before it could do anymore damage, Gristles was left sprawled on his back, unconscious from the impact.

            To the side, Aldo and Scale Beard had managed to stagger out of the rubble which had previously buried them, limping their way out of the line of fire.

            “If ye galley slaves don’t take out that ship, thee next target will be you!” snarled Cutlass.

            Pike immediately resumed his duties, jamming a sponge stick into the cannon, in preparation. Scar Scales carried a cannonball as Skew again, hobbled over with another bag of gunpowder.

            “Skew coming, Skew. . .”

            Pike snatched it out of Skew’s grasp. Skew began to giggle as he continued gripping the gunpowder, leaving him dangling in the air.

            “Get off, ye crazy frill!” snarled Pike, trying to shake him off the bag.

            Suddenly the ship did a hard lean forward, driving Pike to fall flat on his back.

            Pike moaned as he struggled to push himself up with his hands. He felt Scar Scales grip him by the claws, helping him to return to his feet.

            “Get off thee floor, ye clumsy oafs!” threatened Cutlass.

            Pike joined Scar Scales and Keelhaul in scrambling over to the cannon.

            Pike noticed the once clear sky had begun to cloud with the wind picking up considerably. The waves had become rough and he swore he could smell rain in the distance.

            Fine time fer a storm! He grumbled to himself.

            Pike had just stuck his wad worm stick into the muzzle of the cannon and gave the thumbs up to Keelhaul that the Crocodile Cannon was once again good to go.

            “Fire!” ordered Cutlass, again raising his sword.

            Keelhaul was about to light the fuse when Scar Scales leaped in front of the cannon waving his arms.

            “Wait a minute!”

            “What is it?” queried Pike, perplexed by Scar Scales sudden hesitation to let them fire.

            “Where be Skew?” Scar Scales asked, suspiciously.

            Pike exchanged a confused glance with Keelhaul as the two shrugged.

            Scar Scales growled as he approached the muzzle, reaching his arm inside.

            With one hard yank, Scar Scales pulled a blackened Skew from the interior.

            “Hey, I wanna go for a ride!” protested Skew in anger.

            “Not this time, ye little monkey lizard!” growled Scar Scales, flinging him back across the deck.

            Pike rolled his eyes as he again, jammed his wad worm into the muzzle.

            “Blasted frill!”

            The cannon thundered the pirates fired their next shot. To their dismay, this time they completely missed. Visibility had become considerably impaired with the ever increasing cloud cover. The location of the ship appeared hazy as though it were pouring down rain.

            “Orders cap’n!” Cutlass shouted back, toward the helm, where Komodo stood with Tyrannus, next to their helmsman Flint who stood faithfully at the wheel..

            Komodo motioned forward with two fingers.

            Cutlass turned to face his munitions crew. Continue the battle, men!”

            Pike felt a raindrop on his bare upper torso.

            “Them clouds look mighty wicked, sez I!” Scar Scales worriedly spoke as he strained under the weight of another cannonball.

            “Aye, quite wicked indeed,” Pike replied as he drug another bag of gunpowder, this time brought by Hacks who had relieved Skew.

            “It is bad fortune to sail into a storm such as this!” Hacks warned, handing the bag over.

            Scar Scales snorted. “Don’t know if I would be callin’ it ‘bad luck’ Einstein. Storms have always been the bane of pirates and sailors alike.”

            Pike could now feel the constant patter of rain on his bare, shirtless body. The sun had completely disappeared behind the clouds leaving the Thunder Croc in dark hazy conditions.

            Pike loaded the bag into the cannon as Keelhaul carried over the heavy cannonball.

            “We’re not gonna be able to fight much longer in these damp conditions,” coughed Keelhaul, straining his eyes and shielding them with a hand to aim the cannon.

            Pike shoved his wad worm stick into the muzzle. “Thee cap’n needs to order a cease pursuit!”

            “Whaddya waitin’ fer, boys!” growled Cutlass. “Fire!”

            Keelhaul again took his place behind the cannon, squinting through the rain as he struggled to aim.

            “Blasted storm! I can barely make out the ship!”

            Pike’s shorts as well as his entire body were completely drenched as though he had just come out of the ocean itself. He also cupped his hands against his forehead, as he attempted to make out the silhouette of the ship they had been chasing. The ship was wildly bobbing through the waves, sometimes appearing as though it were about to be completely submerged. There was no doubt in Pike’s mind, that they were not safe at their current location.

            “Uhhh, sir?”

            “Arrrgh! If ye too yella bellied to fight during a storm, I’ll have ye thrown to thee depths of Davy Jones. . .”

            Suddenly a large blast of water smacked into Pike, knocking him back. He felt his body painfully collide with Scar Scales and Cutlass, driving the pirates to tumble down away from the bow. The force of the water knocked Keelhaul from the bow as well.

            “What the devil?” growled Cutlass, as he, Scar Scales, and Pike angrily snapped their jaws at one another.

            “Batten down the hatches!” shouted Rapscallion as he struggled to remain perched on the crow’s nest. “Cap’n says batten down the hatches!”

            Pike moaned as he rubbed his sore back. “Now he tells us. . .”

Drawn by CheekySoup4U

Thanks for reading!

Crossbone Chronicles: The Devil's Hexzon Part 5

Crossbone Chronicles: The Devil's Hexagon part 1