CHAPTER 1: THE BLACK FLAG

It was many a night that I would find myself seeing the sights of a town... Also known as the pubs.

On this night, I was graced with the rare finding of a dockside bar: The Nassau, a boat made bar. It just so happened that the moment I stepped through the door, that I knew that something life changing would happen. Whether I liked it or not, I had to.

The real reason I had stumbled about The Nassau was because The Host had pointed it out for me, said it was "important for my next mission" or some random babble. To be honest, all I heard was the inclusion of a bar.

As I strided across the bar, I saw a variety of characters. Sailors, thugs, gamblers and alcoholics. Nothing I had to worry about too much about. Ordering a Crazy Jay, I tried to tune into anything interesting. Listening to the various conversations, I didn't even notice the drink being plopped down upon the table. As nothing caught my attention, I angled my head towards the newfound drink on the table. Taking a sip of the strong drink, I gulped down the bluish substance. I found that alcohol such as the Crazy Jay was enlightening aswell as empowering.

Snapped out of my alcohol inspired philosophical inquiries, I heard the sound of boots smashing the ground as a paticularly roughish group of fellows walked through the doors.

"TO ALL YOU BASTARDS IN SEARCH OF THE RICKETY, COME AND LISTEN TO ME AND MY MATES AS WE REGALE YOU WITH A TALE THAT'LL KNOCK YOUR DRUNKEN COWBOY HATS OFF!" One of the obviously drunken men said.

This statement was the one that practically tapped him on the shoulder and screamed in my ear. Rickety? I thought to myself. Who names a boat Rickety? That is simply bad luck in my personal opinion. Casting a glance over my shoulder, I watched as a respectable number of folks walk up to the table and pull up a seat. Sighing, I fumbled a twenty out of my pocket and placed it down on the counter next to my half finished drink.

Taking a seat next to the drunk gang of hooligans, I paid painstaking attention to every word they said.

"So... Some of you aiin't from 'round these parts... Ner...New Stickton... And thus some of yer might not know 'bout who me and my boys is." The seeming leader of the drunken band said.

"We is pirates, we sinks the tradeships and take all that we can... Shortly after we piss away all of our riches on shit bars such as 'is." He started up.

"Me specific name is... As far as you is concerned... Uhh... Hmm... Eddie! Yeah, Eddie's me name." Eddie the pirate blared.

"Movin' on from 'at.... When we's out at sea, shootin and lootin... We hears lots of stories! Lots a fake stories, lots of real stories... This is one of them real ones..." He said, bringing out a flask of seemingly no where.

"Mmm, good stuff that... Anyways... Onto the real story! Mmmkay, so... back along time ago... During SWWII, couple of sailors were trying to desert! Mmm, so, sooo... then. They was in a bar, drinkin some whiskey and chillin out, right? THEN! Then, then..." Eddie said with a confused expression on his face as he stumbled over his intoxicated words.

Unfortunately for Eddie, SOMEONE (mwah) was alittle tired of his theatrics. Standing up from my seat, I nonchalantly pushed the two rows of people seperating me from the drunk pirate out of my way as I thought of an easy take down.

Seconds after, yours truly was face to face with a drunken pirate who, to be honest, had been spewing shit for the last five minutes of my life. Before the cocky bastard could say a word, I grabbed him by the throat with one arm and backed him into the wall behind him, making him drop his stainless steel flask. Tightening my grip on him, I put out a hand behind me so Eddie's thugs didn't get the idea that they could approach me.

"Where is the Rickety, you little son of a bitch." I said, drawing him forth and then slamming him back into the wall for good measure.

"It-it's right off the bat of the Conch Shelf! Stuck all the way at the bottom, I mean.. Yeah! Yeah, thats where it is." He said reassuredly.

I merely grunted as I put a hand over the hilt of my Sensei's tanto and in one swift motion drew it and stabbed the pirate captain in the lungs twice in quick succession.

I only heard gasps and the dead sack of flesh hit the floor as I started my slow descent out of the bar. I threw up my hood as I left the shitty pub, remembering the important details of the night.

CHAPTER 2: INTO THE DEEP

"We've arrived." The driver of the boat I was currently seated upon stated monotonously.

"Alright, alright." I said/shouted, awoken from my partial slumber.

"Mhmm, okay, okay... Money, right?" I said, fumbling for my wallet.

"120 bucks sir." The driver said, hand out.

"Ahhhh...." I said, finding that I didn't have my wallet on me at all.

"Listen douchebag, it costs alot of money for me to row out here and drop your sorry ass off. The LEAST you could do is-"

Quickly thinking, I kicked him in the shins and grabbed him by his throat. Backing him to the edge of the boat, I lowered him until his torso was hanging over the water.

"I won't drop you if you don't call the police and give me a ride home. Then, I will fix your payment. Got it, Jackass?" I said roughly as I glared at him.

"Y-yes!" He cried out frantically, his life in the balance.

"Good man." I said, hoisting him back onto deck.

I dropped my cloak, revealing the SCUBA gear I donned. I put the mouthpiece in the aforementioned spot and readied myself for the dive.

Closing my eyes, I dived into the deep.

After letting the water do its thing and take me under, I opened my eyes; only to be greeted with eternal darkness and the sound of my heavy breathing.

Out of pure curiosity, I activated my evil eye as blood trickled down my cheek. I could see everything... with no fatigue? I let ten seconds pass, and felt none of the usual fatigue that greeted me normally when I activated my special gift.

Deciding to just roll with it, I swam across the deep until I was greeted with the distant x ray view of the Rickety. Quickening my pace, I soon saw that it was not unoccupied thanks to my eye.

CHAPTER 3: SODAS AND SCUFFLES

Toe, heel, toe, heel, toe, heel... These motions racked my mind as I silently stalked my prey, knowing her every movement. Being a sneaky bastard was hard when you are on a sub called the Rickety. Spotting scaffolding like material, I hopped upon the ladders and climbed up onto the rafters, as quiet as a whisper. Taking a closer look, I could see right through her. From body language alone, she appeared... frightened, almost. However, she continued to wait for her opponent to arrive.

Jumping from the rafters, I made the split second descicion for my attack: Land behind her, chokehold, wait for unconciousness to come knocking on the doors of my foe. Landing with grace, I made an attempt to wrap my forearm around her neck, not expecting her retaliation.

Quickly recieving a elbow to the stomach, I could only watch in surprise as she created space and drew a... Soda bottle? I was sitting like a retarded duck that was held back in the 2nd grade out of the fact she hadn't taunted me yet. Normally at this point, a enemy would come up with a cringe worthy one liner and then mess my shit up. But now? She readied her baton to hit me right in the nose. Masterfully, I performed a combat roll to flank the she-devil. Swinging at nothing but air, I took the opporitunity at a swift punch in the back knee. With amazing reaction time, my opponent jumped over my fist and bonked me on the backside of my head with a rock hard soda bottle.

Feeling all of the hit, I let the stars swirl around my noggin as I felt blackness start to creep over me. Shaking away the birds, I stood up with anger. Someone in the world thought they could beat me with a bottle of pop? I'll pop their ass!

Landing hit after hit, I watched my falter as I took a leap and kicked for the neck. Dodging the blow, she simultaneously popped the cap off of the bottle and took a quick swig. Smiling like a child who had just held up a candy shop and ate all the candy.

With a wild look in her eye, she zoomed into me and didn't stop there. Feeling the wind leaving my lungs, I watched as the soda bottle zoomed and backed my sorry ass into a wall. Looking insane, she pulled up the bottle and swung for the temple. Finding her mark, I gasped for air as my head ached. Winding up for another shot, she suddenly halted. Her eyes lost the gleam of the sugar induced trance as she lowered her baton.

I knew what she had going on in her head. Some people, admist a battle would lose the ambition to finish the fight... permenantly. Seeing her mercy, I decided I might aswell return the favor as I grabbed her bottle-hand and chopped at her wrist with my hand. Dropping the bottle, I grabbed her by the neck and slammed her up against a seemingly innocent locker as on the second slam it bursted open with such an array of weapons that I couldn't concievably count. Making a mad grab for one of the pointy-er objects, I slapped it out of her hand and kicked her in the knee cap, making her sink in the seemingly zero gravity water filled cabin.

Finding a sturdy wall, I loosened my grip and grabbed her by her shoulders.

"What's your name?" I asked, keeping the menace in my voice so she didn't get the idea that I was losing control.

"N-ned." She said quietly.

"Right, Ned. Listen, I am going to show you kindness and not shatter your neck and/or rip apart your vocal cords." I said.

"BUT! That also means that I expect you to say to the Host that you lost, and no matter the rules.. I will kill you if you lie. Even if it means me forfeiting this fucking competition, I will tie you up and slowly rip the teeth out of your loved ones and then shove a knife deep into their throats as you scream in terror. I will leave you helpless with nothing that you could possibly do, as your reality crumbles and you beg for a way out... I will kill you." I said so quietly that she could barely hear.

"Of course, I-I mean... I would never lie!" Ned shuddered as she spoke.

A slow clap entered my hearing as I heard the electronic voice of the Host enter my mind. Not letting go of Ned, I lent an ear to the ever so important Host. Oh how I would love to rip apart the Host and simply find out whatever the fuck he knew about my family.

"Good job, Mr. Rindar. Report back to where this all became... You've earned a small reward for the moment." The mysterious Host stated in his monotonous tone.

"The fu-" I started before I was cut off.

"Transmission terminated." The voice said as it left the sub.

What the hell was that about? What was that supposed to mean? A little thing about my family, about the killers?

"If its any consolation, you fought very well Ned. If I were your teacher, mother, father, dog, cat, fish.... I'd be very proud of you. If I were you, I'd be very proud of you. It isn't your fault that you lost, it was really the fact that I'm such a dirt bag that you lost." I told her, trying to lighten the moment abit.

"Thank yo-" Ned started before I cut her off.

"Don't worry about it, anyways I have got to get going. Got places to be, people to see." I said as I backed off and searched for the door.

CHAPTER 4: DADDY ISSUES

"I gotta tell you dude, You are kinda a beast." The man I had met in the abandoned ware house said.

"I didn't see all of the fight, but the parts I did see? Damn, that was legendary!" He said.

"Yeah, yeah.. I was gonna get an award or some shit?" I said, patience wearing thin. I mean, I know I am sort of the most badass man to ever walk the world, but could you help a brother out every once and a while?

"Oh yeah, sorry dude. But yeah, I remember. So, the murderers weren't acting alone, nor were they doing it out of spite. Someone in your family ordered the murder..." The dude said to me as if it was nothing. How the hell can you just say that without meaning?

"Th..Thanks..." I said, taking in the information. After all these years, I, me, mucho mios, the Saint, couldn't find this shit out in 5 years but these sons of bitches knew it seemingly from the start, almost as if they were a snot nosed kid typing this up on his laptop at night while his father was snoring?

"Seriously man, thank you... It means alot to find this out..." I said, giving the man a embrace that could snap bones.

"MMKAY, YEAH... LET ME THE FUCK GOOOO!" He groaned out, pushing me away.

Panting, the man leaned against one of the walls, catching his breath.

"What's your name?" I asked him.

"David." He said inbetween pants.

"Keep in touch." I said as I started my walk out of the warehouse.

"Wait! I don't know your number, or anything really!" He shouted.

"I'll find you." I said cryptically. I loved messing with people, and when you are me, you can simply say some creepy stuff and watch it all unfold.

On a more serious note, I wondered who would do this? Order a murder on your family? An jealous pompous aunt? A fed up father? An angry uncle? These questions infected my mind like the plague.

I'd find out. Yeah, I'd find out if it meant I'd die. I'd find out if it meant winning this damn competition.

I will find out.