Advent of Eternity - Chapter 68 (Patreon)

“Let’s go,” Thunder said, pushing himself upright. “Knock yourselves out, fools. Take what you can and pillage everything. Just remember – when you see our mark, do not pass any further. Do so and draw the ire of all the Blackfoot Bay Captains as well as Dread herself.”

The twelve captains and their attendants turned, striding into the cave. Several crews – presumably theirs – followed after them, leaving the rest of the pirates watching the cave nervously.

“Let’s go,” Knell said, rising to his feet after a little over a minute.

“Wouldn’t it be wise to wait a little longer?” Stix whispered. “I mean, so far, the only people that went in were the Blackfoot big guys.”

“Which is why we go now,” Knell replied, striding confidently toward the entrance. Stix and Cyll exchanged a glance, then followed after him.

Several other pirates that had been waiting for someone else to start moved as well, and soon a steady stream of people were flowing through the mouth of the cave. Knell and his crew blended into the crowd as they pushed deeper into Mount Bloodwater.

Torches sparked to life as pirates pulled them out, illuminating their surroundings. The main hall was riddled with long, winding corridors. There must have been hundreds, and Knell couldn’t even see the end of the hall itself.

Excited chatter filled the air as men split off, heading down the hallways. A fair number continued down the central pathway, likely hoping that better loot would be stored deeper within the crypt, but their number dwindled quickly.

Knell’s crew stayed at the front-middle of the pack, moving confidently but not at the lead. So far, the cave had posed no resistance at all. That worried Knell more than anything else. If this was really the resting place of a powerful pirate, he highly doubted the man had left his treasure undefended. No self-respecting pirate was willing to part with his goods, dead or not.

His suspicions were confirmed when a rumble shook the hall. One of the pathways behind them erupted with brilliant golden flame for several seconds. The roar of the fire almost – but not quite – drowned out the screams of the men that had been caught within it. A wave of heat washed over everyone before slowly fading away as the fire stopped.

“Oh, they’re dead,” Cyll said, rubbing his hands together. “Real roasted. I could feel that from here.”

A group of pirates beside them stopped and, after a brief discussion, quickly turned back and hurried back toward the entrance.

“Bah. Cowards,” Cyll muttered.

“The biggest treasure we get is our lives. Maybe they’re the smart ones,” Stix muttered.

“Who told you that one?”

“My dad,” Stix said, narrowing her eyes. “Why? Got a problem with it?”

“Nope. He sounds like a smart guy,” Cyll replied, looking away. “What’s the plan, Cap? We’re running out of crews to hang out with. I’m starting to feel lonely.”

“We remain silent,” Knell replied in a low tone. “And wait for my signal in case we need to attack – I’ll snap.”

The other two nodded and they continued on. They’d been walking for a few minutes now, and there were only one or two crews before and behind them. The rest had headed down the pathways or turned back. They passed more halls, and the echo of other pirates’ conversation echoed back from within them.

As the three turned a looping corner, they all came to a stop. A large door rested askew before them, and a red ‘X’ had been painted on the floor before it. Two men stood before it, their hands on their swords. One of them jumped slightly at their appearance.

“Shit, you little bastards scared me. That’s as far as you go,” the man said. His hair was tied into a neat bun behind his head, but he had a greasy grin that gave Knell an immediate dislike of him. “The Captains are beyond this point.”

The other man just nodded, but Knell didn’t care about him anymore. The first guard was jumpy. That could be used.

“Whoops. Sorry,” Cyll said, rubbing the back of his head. “We were looking for the good stuff. Did the big blokes have any trouble with traps?”

Greasy snorted. “Trouble? The Captains? Of course not. They mowed through every trap and killed what pitiful defenses this place had left.”

Then they probably weren’t too close to the inner sanctum yet. Knell rubbed his chin. He didn’t want to catch up to the captains too soon. A quick glance over his shoulder showed that they were now alone. No other crews had followed them this far.

“What you looking at?” Greasy asked. “I was there, you know. No funny tricks. The Captains told you lot to be satisfied with what you got. Or are you trying to lose your lives?”

“You don’t have to be so defensive,” Knell said, raising a hand into the air, palm out. “We were just exploring, after all.”

He turned, catching Stix’s eye as he moved. He gave her a slight nod and held up a finger, blocking the motion with the rest of his body so the guards couldn’t see it. He then spun back as quickly as he could without putting pressure on his lame leg. “Sixteen Seas!”

“What?” Greasy snapped.

Knell shook his head. “Ah, nothing. I’m sorry. This place has me jumpy, and I swear I just saw something behind you. Must have been my imagination.”

The pirate frowned and glanced over his shoulder. “Like what?”

“No, it’s nothing,” Knell said dismissively. “Just some face in the darkness. It looked kinda crispy and burnt. Pretty scary, actually. I thought it was a demon, but it’s gone now. Come on, guys.”

“Hold on,” Greasy said, glancing over his shoulder. “Are you sure? Blake, did you see anything?”

The silent guard shook his head mutely. Greasy frowned. “You’ve always been a bit blind. There could be some monsters that snuck past the Captains. Hey, you bloke, take a look beyond the doors and see if anything is there.”

With a sigh, the other guard turned and poked his head through the double doors. Stix glanced at Knell, but he tapped a finger against his leg and shook his head ever so slightly. The guards were too distracted to notice the movement.

Knell approached the two men, getting a little closer. He let out a yelp just as the two turned back toward him. “Oh shit! Wait – gods, it’s gone again.”

“What is?” Greasy yelled. “Where is it? What did it look like?”

Knell snapped his fingers. He let his hold on the Exhume spell release, and his face reverted back to its normal, damaged appearance.

“This,” he replied with a ghastly grin.