Cpt Crash
Member

Posts: 1047
From:Poland
Registered: May 2000

  Topic:   Ye House Of Pyrates Closed Down

posted 03-20-2001 01:19 PM

As Captain Greenbeard entered Ye House Of Pyrates tavern he was far more than surprised to see how low this once-proud establishment has fallen. Paint falling off from the greasy walls, floor sticky from dirt and broken glass all around. Tables looked as if someone practised fencing on them, judging from the way they laid chopped on the dirty floor, littered with bits of moulded food and empty bottles. Few limp bodies of local drunkards laid on the floor surrounded by spilled alcohol and their own vomits. The stench of the stale air was making Greenbeard frown with displeasure. He still remembered this tavern from the old days, when it was literally swarming with activity, with drunken seafaring men enjoying their shore leave, captains looking for eager crewmembers and other shady types lurking at the corners. These were the golden days of Ye House Of Pyrates tavern when cap'n Crash used to tell his stories to the buccaneers who frequented the tavern. It famous for both finest rum served here and famous pirate captain who used to tell stories of his adventures whenever he happened to be in Tortuga. During his last voyages Greenbeard heard tales of Ye House Of Pyrates falling into decline, but he thought these were just rumours. Yet the rumours turned up to be true. Various people told Greenbeard how Crash stopped telling his yarn in the middle of one story many months ago, never finishing it. Now that was not like Crash, thought Greenie. People said Crash turned to heavy drinking since, abandoning both pirating and running the tavern. Greenbeard took another look at the inside of the remains of a fine tavern with disgust and spat to the floor. The rumours were true. He had to find his old mate Crash and bring him back on the evil way!

"Yo! Yew there in dat green cap!" sounded Greenbeard's powerful voice. "I's talkin' tew yew!"
"Who? Me?" the git raised his head from the floor, showing few missing teeth when he grinned stupidly.
"An' yew think who?" asked pirate menacingly, taking a step closer. This bugger was just a petty thief, a cutpurse. Scum like this would never be allowed in Ye House Of Pyrates in the old days, thought he and sighed sadly.
"I ain't got your money, sir!" drunk's eyes grew bigger as he saw corsair's impressive frame.
"Where's Crash?"
"Crass who?" asked the thief completely puzzled. It seemed he didn't even know this name.
"Ne'ermind. Who runs this place?" asked Greenbeard.
"This fat fella on me left. Now go bother someone else!" said finally thief, yawned loudly and slammed his head against the floor falling asleep almost instantly.
Greenbeard walked slowly to the ugly, fat man sleeping on one of the very few still intact benches. As he looked at the man's face, he suddenly gasped for breath, recognising the bastid. It was Jack th' Slimy, long-time landowner of the tavern and former first mate on one of Crash's ships. He was still here! Now if anyone knew where Crash was it would be him!

"Wot 'appened 'ere, ye ugly cuss?" asked Greenbeard.
"Nothin' really. Nothin' at all" said Jack th' Slimy and rearranged his black from irregular washing coat. He looked even uglier than before, with unshaven cheeks and greasy, uncut hair falling on his face. It seemed as if Jack lost few pounds since Greenbeard's last visit, judging from the way his clothes were hanging on him.
"Where's everybody?"
"Went away. Dis place stopped ta be nice, wit' Crash tellin' no more o' his stupid yarn, but gettin' drunk an' makin' trouble to th' patrons. E'erybuddy simply moved somewhere else. Only dis scum stayed 'ere. Sad story but 'tis none o' my fault!" said Jack with his eyes telling Greenbeard not to pursue the subject further.
"Where's Crash?" asked he quietly.
"Why? He's right there" said Jack pointing a lone dark figure spread on the floor with his dirty thumb. Greenbeard looked scared as he regarded the dark corner and the dark-clothed body, still clutching a square bottle in one hand.

"Wake up, yew smelly pig-spawned fat bastid!" roared angry Greenbeard to Crash's ear. it seemed Crash was sleeping but good and nothing short of cannon wouldn't wake him up. It was this kind of drunken sleep that ends in a dizzy blur of reality and terrible pain in the head which lasts about as long as it takes to dry up another bottle and stumble again to the plain oblivion of alcohol flush. Needless to say, Crash was on a straight way to get himself drunk to death.
Greenie hesitated for a while and then pulled out a pistol, uncocked it and fired in the ceiling. The noise was still ringing in his head when he saw Crash's eyes open slowly.
"Whaaaa thaaaaaaa heeeelllll???" mumbled Crash slowly. He looked worse than Henry Morgan without his card. Black rimmed eyes contrasted with sickly pale skin. Few weeks old beard was sticky and wet from rum, his hair a complete dirty mess on his head. The tattered rags Crash was wearing seemed to have more holes than cloth. Nothing resembled former daring and bold pirate captain who feared neither death nor capture. The wretched creature that was looking at Greenbeard was no longer a pirate, thought Greenie and his heart tightened for a moment from grief and great sorrow.
"Crash, wot are yew doin', man?" he asked quietly.
"Canna ye see?" answered Crash with a scorn. "Embracing life to its full" said Crash and took a long swig from the bottle.
"And yewr friggin' tavern?"
"It's not mine anymore" said Crash louder than it was necessary.
"Wot?" Greenbeard couldn't believe his own ears.
"I's lost it in a card game last week. Th' new owner wus stabbed th' same e'enin', but still it don't change th' bleedin' fact dat this stinkin' hole's not mine!" Crash finished the bottle and threw it with anger against the wall.
"Crash, wot's become o' yew?" he shook his head slowly.
"Mind yer own business, mate!" cried Crash angrily. Then he suddenly changed the tone to a more civil, almost friendly "Greenbeard, 'ud ye borrow few pesos to a fella pirate in need?"
"Yew're sick, man!" Greenie spat to the floor again. "I'm outta 'ere!"
"Wait, ye rotten pig-face! Gimme some pesos, fer God's sake!" shouted Crash at the back of walking Greenbeard.
Enormous pirate turned at the door. "Wot Mandy 'ud have said?"
"Damn ye!" cried Crash an' threw something in the general direction of the broken door.
"No! Damn ye, Crash, fer wot yew've done tew yewrself!" bellowed Greenie and disappeared behind the wall.

Crash was sitting in the darkness with his head lowered. He was holding a new bottle of rum in his hand.
"Wot Mandy 'ud have said?" - these words bounced back and forth through his head, over and over again.
Indeed what would she say if she saw Crash in such a condition. It's been months since she packed and left without a word. He couldn't understand why. The only way to ease the pain lied on the bottom of the bottle. Most of his treasure dwindled away on his drunken revelry and all of his crew went away to find other, more sane captains. He was left with nothing, and nothing he wanted. Crash removed the stopper from the bottle.
"Wot Mandy 'ud have said?" - the words came again.
He put it down. Why Greenbeard had to come and torment him? What did he want? And why he seemed so hurt when he was leaving? Maybe he cared for his old matey?
"Wot Mandy 'ud have said?"
Crash stood up suddenly and kicked the bottle. It went loudly few feet and began to spill the dark liquid on the floor.
"Enuff! Tyme ta change somethin'!" said Crash to himself, shook his head and began looking around as if woken up from a long slumber.

Cpt Crash
Member

Posts: 1047
From:Poland
Registered: May 2000

posted 03-23-2001 02:59 PM

Crash slowly walked down the dusty road. For the first time in a very long time he was painfully aware of the way he looked like. Like the worst beggar, Crash was dressed only in unidentified torn pieces of dark, stained cloth. With eyes half-shut from bright sunlight Crash slowly walked forward, towards the docks.

Crash stood on the quay in silence watching 'Virgin Rose' swaying slightly in a light breeze. She was anchored not very far away from the docks, in a place where she wouldn't bother anyone. The ship fell into disrepair during the months it was staying uselessly in port. Sails seemed to be in very poor condition, and it was clearly visible even from such a distance that 'Virgin Rose' needed some serious careening to be done.
A lot of memories fell on Crash as he watched the brig. A real lot of memories. Even yesterday, such moments like this one would make Crash reach for another bottle, but today Crash was already another man. He smiled under his beard and took a deep breath of salty and cool sea air. He quickly looked around and turned towards few small boats tied to the harbour. Minding not whose it was, he jumped into one of them, untied the rope and started rowing.

The boat crashed with a loud noise against the hull of the 'Virgin Rose'. Crash grasped the rope ladder hanging from the side of the ship and climbed on it. It was slippery from moisture and seaweed, but still strong, so Crash had little trouble with getting onboard.
As he entered the deck he looked around. It was his first visit to the 'Virgin Rose' since few months. Despite this, all looked so familiar. Another surge of memories overcame Crash and he stood there like hypnotised for quite some time, before moving forward. The deck was in such a state of disrepair that it was dangerous to even move across it. Pieces of broken barrels and various instruments littered the deck and insides of the cabins. But Crash minded not this little hindrance. What he wanted to see was the condition of the hull, keel and the base of the masts. He knew that if they were rotten or eaten by the woodworms, the ship would be lost. He carefully went below and after a while he emerged again with a big grin of his pale face. It seemed ship was still intact, despite being not cared for for a long time. Crash went to his cabin and removed an oil painting from the wall. It was not very good, but he could still sell it on the market in Tortuga for some money he needed so badly for immediate repairs.
'Virgin Rose' still had some objects of value on her, but Crash never dared to sell anything from the ship, even when he had no more money of his own. Thieves also never attempted to steal the unguarded ship. At first, reputation of Mandy and Crash were keeping them at bay and once Crash has lost most of his previous prestige, 'Virgin Rose' was already forgotten by most.
With the painting under his arm Crash entered the boat and rowed back to the shore.

Later this day Crash stood in a dark alley grasping tightly a pouch filled with 52 pesos. His palms were sweating as he looked greedily at the shining coins. It would suffice for at least a week of drinking. Later he could return to the ship for something else and sell it as well. The urge to buy a bottle of grog was so strong that Crash's hands were shaking. But then an image of Greenbeard standing in the doorway of the tavern came to him and he quickly walked away from the back alley and enter the market again. He managed to get only 52 pesos for the painting he got from 'Virgin Rose'. The buyer was aware that it was worth at least 5 times more, but he was also aware that a beggar that was selling it was in no position to haggle over rice too much. With his teeth gritted crash had to let go of the painting and take what was offered.
Crash went to a small man selling tools on his stall and bought the necessary stuff to repair 'Virgin Rose'. All the stuff a carpenter would need and a sail-repair set. It was expensive but Crash bought all he wanted. He could never afford his ship to be repaired in a local shipyard so he had to return the floating piece of wood to a seaworthy vessel all by himself. Then he would worry about recruiting some crew.
The worse part was buying some timber and cloth for new sails, as the old ones were rotten through. They were not too expensive, but still only a handful of coins remained after Crash paid for all the stuff.
Carrying it all to the port was a real venture, but after few hours it was done. Crash "borrowed" another boat and carried it all onboard 'Virgin Rose'. The sun already began to set when Crash started throwing litter overboard and cleaning the deck with a mop made of torn ropes.

Captain Greenbeard smiled broadly as he took the spyglass away from his eye. He looked at 'Virgin Rose' for a while before going to his cabin. The grin was still on his face as he lay don to rest.

Cpt Crash
Member

Posts: 1047
From:Poland
Registered: May 2000

posted 03-28-2001 12:13 PM

As first rays of sun reached Crash's eyes, he woke up with a loud curse. He was still tired from the work he'd done yesterday evening and really wanted to get some sleep, but when he rolled on the other side, a group of seagulls began circling above the mast, crying louder than slaughtered gentry folk. Crash sighed and stood up.
After some time he went to the deck to see how far was the progress with cleaning up. It seemed most of the deck was good. It only seemed to be in very poor condition from all the dirt and slime that covered the surface of the wood. Underneath the boards were strong and clean. It cheered Crash so he spent most of the day cleaning under the deck; in the cabins, gun stations and hull. Taking a short break only to get ashore and buy something to eat, Crash managed to clean the mess below deck and was even more tired, but at the same time very satisfied when he finally went to sleep.
But the really serious work was waiting to be done. Crash was aware that the rolled sails that hung from the yardarms were so rotten from the humid air that a slightest breeze could tear them. They had to be completely replaced by new sails.
In the morning Crash was climbing the ropes up to reach the lower yardarm. On his way up he admired the thick mast, strengthened by metal rods, giving it ability to withstand even a direct hit from 15 lbs cannon. Crash was proud of 'Virgin Rose's' masts, as it has cost not a small fortune to upgrade them. With all the rust removed the masts will look like encrusted with jewel from afar – thought Crash. He jumped to the yardarm and began cutting the ropes free, letting the lower sail to drop loosely to the deck. When he finished and was ready to climb higher, he began to wonder how in the nine pits is he supposed to carry sails up here and tie them up to the yardarm. A single sail was far more than he could lift. Just as he began scratching his troubled head, he heard a shout from below. Looking down he noticed a big rowboat nearing 'Virgin Rose', filled with several mean-looking bastids.
"Thieves!" cried Crash and began sliding down. When he reached the deck he grasped for his blade only to discover the empty air where his old sabre used to hang. Ashamed he turned red when he remembered a drunken game of dice, when he put his once-famous sabre on stake. Of course he lost it.
"Permission to come aboard!" the voice below thundered.
Strange – thought Crash - Thieves ain't askin' fer permission.
"Granted!" shouted he back, slightly confused.
Eight scurvy thugs came on board. They were definitely seamen, judging from their looks and the way they swayed to the sides as they walked.
"Name's Hoods" said one of the bastids. "Cap'n Greenbeard sent us 'ere to yer disposal until he calls fer us" he said spitting overboard.
Crash was stunned, didn't know what to say.
"But if this 'retched pig thinks o' getting away wit'out us, 'e's gonna regret it!" murmured another pirate.
"We're s'posed to help ya repair this piece o' wood" said Mr Hoods.
Crash still stood in silence.
"Hey, you're Crash, ain't you?" asked yet another pirate. "It 'ud be good if ye gave some orders or sumfin..."
"Shut yer yarkin' trap, dumb@ss!" another pirate shouted at him. "I ain't gonna strain meself too much o'er this friggin' brig!"
"Silence!" roared Crash. Even though he looked like worst beggar, his voice still held an aura of a man that people followed. "We're gonna git th' new sails up there, so move yer lazy butts if'n ye don't wanna git 'em fried wit' a red-hot cannonball forced right in!"
"Yessir!" said pirates and without a single whine began to pull the first sail up.

Greenbeard's men were a real help. Within one day Crash managed to replace all the sails on 'Virgin Rose'. Mr Hoods, who turned up to be one of Greenbeard's officers, turned out to be a prime sailor himself and was commanding his men very efficiently. They already began to replace the ropes that were threatening to snap when the sunset forced them to end the work for the day.

To be continued?...