I get a new job

General Summary

After catching my breath from the crazy puzzle dungeon, I sit and talk with Amara as we listen to violin music playing behind us. “Amara, I need you to do something for me. You told me this can open a door out of here, correct?” she nodded looking at me with big eyes, “Cap’n is down in the village below. I’m going to open up a door for you and you’re going to take this note down to Cap’n and send him back here to bring me help, okay?” She nods, and I write a carefully phrased note to Baron de Santa Maria. Most honorable Baron de Santa Maria, We have successfully discovered the source of the dastardly captain’s power, and are striving to counter his abilities. The foul villain has been sacrificing the children to a demon. Before we set out to destroy this demon, we are sending you Cap’n’s daughter whom we found in the chamber of this temple. Cap’n has summoned an ally of the Creator to bring you our news and send her to safety. If we are successful, the children will be rescued. Your friend and ally, Addie Then I sit and wait for at least an hour. The violin music is quite distracting, and I almost want to go through the door to see what’s going on, but I wait. As I wait, I take out the different items in our bag to see if there’s anything useful in there. There isn’t, but it did occupy the time while I was waiting. Eventually, I hear Cap’n knocking on the wall, and I cut a door in the wall. “Addie, I’m going to summon the ally, but I’m going to have to negotiate a deal with him, it may mean we have another errand to run after this,” I nod agreement as the door is closing up and Cap’n starts to chant and summon an ally. After a shorter eternity, the violin music stops and I cut open the wall again, and I can see Cap’n talking to someone through a window. “This is quite unexpected,” the ‘man’ says, “Of all the events that might happen, I was not expecting this.” Meanwhile, down the hall, I can hear a conversation going on in sea chant. “Who you talking to?” I call down the hallway. From the other end, I hear, “Hold on, I’ll get to you next.” Then the conversation starts back up in sea chant again. A thought struck me and I cut open the door again, “What’s your name?” I ask the man talking to Cap’n. That is when I was quite sure I needed to walk down the hallway. “Just a sec, Cap. I need to go talk to someone.” I walked down the hall and find a room with a large fire pit, a cushioned chair that does not look to be well put together, and more half-finished projects than I’ve seen in quite a while. “There, now wasn’t that easier?” the man asked. “Not really,” and I glance over to see a window with Cap’n standing outside, “Hey! That’s Cap’n.” “Yes I know,” the man said, “We were about to start negotiating, but I was getting bored. You seem to be quite interesting.” “Who are you?” I asked. “I am the One sent to correct Unfinished Jobs,” he answered picking up a half-finished project. “I got sidetracked by a matter of honor.” “What sorts of unfinished jobs?” “Oh, you know… The weather, death, brotherhood, wild places, and the seas. That sort of job,” he looked out the window. “I was in the middle of that when I ran into a matter of honor that I have to resolve.” “What would that be?” “”I made a bet with The Dark One. I was having a conversation with The Dark One about his not fulfilling his job, and he bet there wasn’t a mortal who could best me in a fight. Now I could not let that matter of honor stand unanswered, so we set the terms and I have been waiting for someone who could defeat me. So far no one has been successful. It’s been so tedious.” “Let me get this clear. The Creator sent you to correct those not doing their jobs and you made a bet with The Dark One that a mortal couldn’t best you? How are you supposed to find this mortal?” “Why you’ve found the way. If they are able to get through the puzzles up above, then they should be worthy of fighting me. If they are successful, then I’ll be able to go back about my duties.” “But the only people coming through here are children, how are they supposed to be worthy?” “I’ve answered that. If they can successfully get through the dungeon, then they’re worthy. Do please keep up, I’d hate for the conversation to get boring,” a dangerous tint entered his voice. “You’ve been slaughtering children for decades, and you’re talking to me about boring?” I asked incredulously. “No, no, no, they always have a choice,” he glanced down at the hilt I held, “You hold it right in your hand. If they didn’t feel ready, they could just use the sword and leave here. Many have done that before.” “The pirate captain, and the Raven Fairy,” I said. “Oh, but she cheated. She was supposed to leave the Unmade Sword behind, but she cheated.” “What about the pirate captain,” I asked struggling to contain my anger, “You let him go and feed you, children, to fight?” “He gave me his word, he would come back when he was ready to fight me,” The Undying One waved his hand, “It wouldn’t be fair of me to fight him if he didn’t feel ready. So I agreed to let him gain more experience and come back when he was ready to fight me.” “What happened to the children who left here?” “I think many of them became Jade Priestesses and some became Jaguar Soldiers,” he answered. “It gets hard to keep track.” “The pirate captain has had many years to get ready, don’t you think it’s time for him to finish the fight with you?” I asked. “Oh, but I couldn’t do that,” he answered shocked. “I gave my word, I would wait here and let The Dark One and Aeiea bring me, worthy opponents. It’s a matter of honor.” “You don’t think, it’s in their best interests to let you continue to sit here and send you inferior opponents who stand no chance against you, so you cannot compel them to finish their job?” I said through gritted teeth. “Whyever would they do that? It wouldn’t be honorable!” “I think we’ve established their lack of honor by their not doing their job,” I responded. The conversation went on like that for quite a while, and finally, I realized the only way to end this was to fight him, something I was rather loathe to do. “I see no other choice but to fight you,” I said standing up. “I hate to fight a servant of the Creator, but you are not doing your job while you sit here endlessly waiting for someone worthy of defeating you.” “Excellent!” he said drawing a sword, “I knew you would not be boring.” As he crouched, I heard him humming a song. I slashed, but he danced aside. He stabbed and I felt a light cut. That was it, a small cut. We danced back and forth, later Cap said our movements grew faster and faster, and I did hear his humming increase. He hit me again, and I chose to use one of the abilities from the dungeon. He smiled and the humming increased again. I managed a brief hit on him and again used my ability from the dungeon to dance aside from a second hit. The humming increased, and I got through his guard. The invisbile blade buried itself in his chest and I felt a similar stab on my shoulder. Our hilts were buried in each other’s bodies, and he melted away. Then I heard the humming in my head again. I look over at the half-finished painting and finish the last strokes. I look over the projects there, none feel important, so I leave the painting there to dry as I walked back over to the wall where Cap’n and everyone else is. I carve a doorway into the wall, and this time when I open it, the door stays open. I packed up all the stuff I’d gotten out of the pack and finally pack up the painting. “Come on, Cap’n,” I said as I close up the hole I’d carved. “We have a pirate captain to confront.” Then I marched around to the front of the temple and carefully sealed the entrance. “No more children will die here.” “Hey Addie,” Cap said, “Did you know you have a firebird tattoo on your forehead?” I reached up and I could feel the barest hint of the image on my forehead. Then I felt my shoulder when his sword had entered, and I could feel scar tissue there as well. I looked over at Lili and Thor and they both have firebird tattoos on their foreheads, but Cap says theirs are not as intricate as mine. As we walk down the mountain I hear the humming in the back of my head, and a voice telling me I need to fight the pirate captain one on one, in a “proper fight.”

Report Date

23 Dec 2021