Dark Destroyer- The Ending

"So honoured I was to stand alongside my master, so proud my father was of me! Imagine the glory! Me, Peter McGuffin, going into a new age of warfare as a guard for the true leader of the oceans. Just to stand in the man's shadow made me weak at the knees!"

"But who was he?" said Tom.

"No time for that!" shouted McGuffin, rattling his chains. "He was so grand, so powerful, you would have been unworthy to hear his name!"

"But we need to know his name!" shouted James.

"Patience! Very few of us did know who he was at the time, he was simply the leader, or the Indescrutible as we called him. That's what he was! Indestructible! Swords and spears and even pistol fire seemed to have no effect on him! He simply cut down his foes, ignored his wounds, won battles and duels almost effortlessly! Have you ever met a man like that?" 

The brothers glanced at each other, and for a while, there was silence

"Although, there was another..." croaked McGuffin. "Another man who was almost his equal, perhaps a shade less glorious, but equal nonetheless. They say my master feared him, for good reason, his notoriety spread even to the deck of his ship. My master ruled many ships, many colonies, as did his equal. They continued on unknowingly for years, the equal grew stronger and more powerful, amassing ships and men. And suddenly, the day came when they saw that neither could prosper while the other survived. And on one fateful day, sometime in 1682, they confronted each other..."

McGuffin was trying to hold back his tears.

"But, alas, my master was not – ready for such a quick – appearance from his enemy. He burst into his court, far north – in the Arctic, with a monstrous – blade at his hands and an army of – pirates at his side. The – Indestructible barely had – time to summon the –  bulk of his army before the – pirates sealed the exits. And – Slayg spoke to my master..."

"Slayg!" shouted Tom. "He was the enemy?"

"So it was Slayg who equalled your master?" said James, in awe.

"Don't interrupt" sniffed McGuffin, who was weeping openly. "That Slayg spoke to my master in a harsh tone, demanding, wanting, an amulet.... an amulet he wore around his neck. But my Master refused, he denied his enemy of this greatest treasure he had. This made Slayg angry, and he fired the first shot, it pierced Master‘s shoulder and made a hole in this great throne. Master became angry too, and a battle began.

My Master‘s soldiers outnumbered Slayg‘s pirate crews nearly three to one. But the pirates were valiant fighters, and soon, the dead began to steadily fill the floor of the Great Court. A man in a many-coloured cloak wanted to try and stop the fight, but Slayg would not listen! The Indestructible‘s Grand Army entered swiftly, but Slayg had brought further shiploads of his men. I saw my Master in danger, and I ran to his aid. But Slayg got to me first, he sliced off my hand..."

McGuffin wiggled the oddly shaped stump at the end on his left hand, and then brushed away his tears.

"The man in the cloak fought off the Grand Army with ease, all the while trying to halt the fighting. I recognised him from tales of pirate lore, the Lord of all piracy! Tibolt Sarkswallow was on the enemies' side! What chance did we have!"

"Tibolt!" shouted Tom

"Yes, he is a legend among seafarers! Who else can claim they are the greatest living duellist and defeat anyone who says otherwise? Only Sarkswallow! And yet he was begging us to stop fighting! Slayg would not listen. He cut off my hand, took my sword and I fell to the ground, defenceless. I could only watch as duels erupted not just all over the Great Hall, but all around my Master's colony town. Outside, buildings were burning, famillies fled and children ran crying. We had underestimated the Saarrdollowman forces, the Grand Army began to crumble under the immense pressure. Many of the cowards fled. But soon, my attention was focused on the incredible duel that my Master and Slayg fought in. My Master kept a strong defence, his blade did not fail him, but Slayg...Slayg was like war itself!"

Men rushed to my Master's aid when they saw his life was in danger. But Slayg proved to be just as invincible as he was. He fought eight opponents, along with my Master, he blocked, he parried, he dodged the blades of nine swords all pointing at him. And one by one, he began to cut his opponents down. The duel soon became the centre of everyone's attention, men fought alongside their leaders, to aid them. But when I saw my Master skewer three pirates at once on their own blades, Slayg saw that unless he killed my Master now, he would lose all his men. He demanded that he fought him alone"

"What were you doing?" said Tom. "Playing dead? Surely you could have gotten up by then!"

"I do not admire your tone, you sound like that dreadful Slayg. Perhaps you know of him? He was not merciful, not trustworthy like my Master. Slayg deserved to die, but as the duel went on, it slowly became clear that his victory was possible. Their blades collided and they pushed as hard as they could, each trying to knock the other off balance. They whispered to each other, I never heard what they said. Neither could get an advantage, and Slayg eventually performed a wily but dirty move. He pushed strongly, then sidestepped out of the way. The momentum made my Master fall forwards...

McGuffin wiped his eyes and sniffled.

"We expected him to get up, but he did not. And then, I screamed as I saw that Slayg had thrusted a silver dagger into my Master‘s back. He cursed in an ancient tongue as he groaned in pain, cursing the ones who betrayed him, the people who had forged his downfall. Slayg said he was indestructible no longer, and then....he cut off my Master's head!

The amulet fell into his hands, and the hall was silent. People were in shock as Slayg picked up the decapitated head declared himself the victor, The pirates seized our men, our belongings, the entire colony. Many of them joined Saarrdollowman Town, but I did not. And as a final humiliation, Slayg took my master's flagship and took it for his own. The amulet was now his too...and it was over" 

"But what happened to you?" said James.

"I refused to join him, so he took me and locked me in this brig. I escaped, and returned to my Master's court. I wanted to bury his body...but that wasn't the only thing I did. I discovered that my Master had a son, a tiny baby which I found hidden in his sleeping room. So I raised him, he grew to hate piracy and the man who killed his father. He built his own vessel, he became a fine sailor, and decided to exact his revenge..."

"We know what happened" said James. "We've seen him...The Dark Destroyer"

"Is he alive?" crooned McGuffin. "Did he finish his task? Did he kill that monstrous Slayg?"

"I'd keep your mouth shut!" announced an intimidating voice.

Half-weeping, half-terrified, McGuffin crawled into a corner, away from the wooden chair he had sat on. The stump at the end of his left arm began to shake with fear. The voice was all too familiar.

Captain Slayg marched up the staircase and thrrough the door of McGuffin's cell.

"Any information you#d like to give me, McGuffin?" said Slayg. "Or shall I be cutting away your other hand too?"

McGuffin whimpered. The guilt on his face told Slayg everything he needed to know. Insanity crept into the poor man's mind, he began to shiver.

"He's told you everything, hasn't he lads?" said Slayg.

"There was just one last thing..." said Tom. "You never gave us your master's name"

"What would you care? He was above you, he was above all of us, even you, Captain. None of you are worthy in his eyes!"

"But what was his name" said Tom.

"Well, I'd have thought you'd have figured it out by now. His name was Vincent....Vincent Drakona"