(Normal pov)
A small of fleet of pirate ships were completely surrounded by the massive monster that was half the British navy and the fleet of hunters all led by Vaughn Grimborn. It didn't take long for the English fleet to complete decimate the small fleet of pirate ships, however, Vaughn ordered that the pirate command ship was to be boarded, so the George's naval commanders obeyed their commanding officer for the time being and allowed Vaughns flagship, Reaper to board that pirate vessel.
Once boarding that pirate vessel, Vaughn and his hunters engaged the pirates in heated combat. As pirates rushed at Vaughn, the pirate hunter cut them all down as if it were child's play, with a neutral expression on his face. These... animals who appear to be men aren't worthy adversaries, they're nothing more than a nuisance that will be swatted out of existence.
Vaughn smoothly dodged a blow to his head, then ran his sword through a female pirate whose war hammer he had just avoided. The pirate gasped, looked at Vaughn with her eyes bugging out, and then fell dead, and so Vaughn moved onto his next opponent.
The pirate hunter was enjoying the battle. There was something about the rending of flesh and the spilling of pirate blood that made him high. The air smelled of blood, gun powder, steel and salt, and he wished he had the time to just drink of that scent.
Vaughn witnessed as one of the pirates smashed his warhammer into one of his men's head. The man's skull split and his brains leaked out as he crashed to the deck of the ship, that pirate then charged the hunter leader, but Vaughn drew out a flintlock pistol strapped to his left thigh and shot the pirate right in the heart, killing the pirate instantly.
Soon enough, the head pirate hunter was engaged in a heated blade lock with another pirates, who actually managed to pin Vaughn's back against the railing of the pirate vessel, the pirates blade was inches away from the hunters neck, but Vaughn let out a snarl and kicked the pirate in the groin, successfully staggering the pirate and causing him to back off. Vaughn however pressed his attack and managed to slice off that pirates sword hand, causing the hunters opponent to scream in agony while clutching his rapidly bleeding stump that own held his right hand, Vaughn then silenced that pirates screams forever by sticking his sword straight through the pirates mouth.
Quickly pulling out a flintlock pistol tucked behind his back, Vaughn cocked the pistol and fired a charging pirate armed with an axe, the shot hit the pirate right between the eyes and dropped him instantly. Casting aside that pistol, Vaughn laid eyes on a pirate that was a mountain of muscle, this hulking man too was armed with an axe and was easily killing any of the hunters that engaged him.
So, making his way over to this mountain of a man, Vaughn pulled out a second flintlock strapped to his hip and fired, the shot struck the massive pirate in the shoulder, causing the man to cry out in pain and fall to his knees. Racing over towards the downed pirate, Vaughn raised his blade to strike, but he was surprised that this mountain of a man reacted in time to halt his attack. Shaking off the pain of getting shot, the massive pirate rose to his feet and then kicked Vaughn's left knee in, causing the hunter to grunt in pain and fall down, he then rolled away just as the pirates axe embedded itself on the deck of the ship. Drawing out a his long knife, Vaughn plunged his smaller blade into the pirates leg, causing the bulky man to scream in agony.
The big man kicked Vaughn across the face, causing blood and spit to fly out of the hunters mouth, quickly getting back up on his feet. Vaughn sidestepped another fatal strike and swung his sword, but the hulking pirate spun around and caught it on the head of his axe. He met Vaughn's eyes, and he saw nothing but twisted malice and obsession there.
Vaughn then drew back from him, jumped out of the way of his axe, just as the pirates axe split a piece of the deck. Seeing the opportunity, Vaughn took one of the splintered pieces and threw it at him, the massive pirate was clipped on the shoulder, sharp wood tearing through his tunic and his flesh. He yelled in pain and fury, swung his axe to chop off Vaughn's head, but the hunter ducked and kicked out, hitting him in the stomach and sending him reeling backwards.
They weren't apart for long. They came back together, weapons clashing. Vaughn was rather limber for his size, much more so than this brute, but the massive pirate made up for it in sheer rage. The fight went on, sparks flying as their weapons clanged together. Sweat dripped down their faces, into bloodied wounds that they opened on each other.
Vaughn dodged several fatal swings from the pirates axe, but took a vicious left hook across the face and stumbled into one of the ships masts. With his back pinned, the hulking pirate tried taking the hunters head off his shoulders, Vaughn however managed to duck just as the pirates axe embedded itself in the ships mast, he then proceeded to spill that pirates guts open; causing blood and intestines to spill out on the deck and causing the pirate to roar out in unimaginable agony.
However, using the time of life he had left, the massive pirate drew out his own flintlock pistol and fired at Vaughn, the hunter barely evaded the shot, with a snarl, he then proceeded to decapitate that pirates head off.
Panting heavily, Vaughn watched as his hunters soon gained the upper hand and held the remaining pirates at sword or gun point, preventing them from making a move to attack. With the pirates incapacitated, Vaughn exhaled slowly and boomed out. "Who among you stands as captain?" When none of the pirates answered the hunters question, Vaughn nodded at one of his men, one of the hunters then proceeded to slit one of the incapacitated pirates throats open, causing blood to spray out on the deck and killing the pirate in seconds.
"I will not ask you dogs again." Vaughn snarled out, he approached the nearest pirate and pressed the tip of his blade to that pirates throat and seethed out. "Who. Is. Your. Captain?"
Again, none of the pirates answered, nodding at the pirates rebellion, Vaughn then looked up at his men and nodded at them. "Kill them all. Strip their ship of anything of value and we'll move on." Nodding at their leaders orders, the hunters all drew out their flintlocks and shot all the defeated pirates in the back of their heads. Vaughn took great pleasure at the sight of the dead pirates and would look forward to seeing every last one of them dead.
But today was not that day.
"Mr. Grimborn! A word."
Groaning at the owner of that voice, Vaughn turned around to be greeted by the head of His Majesty's naval forces, Commodore Preston Black, captain of the Nightmare. The man removed his hat and exposed his spiky black hair, which shined in the morning sun and his brown eyes bore right into Vaughn's very own, once Preston was arms length from the pirate hunter, he addressed him. "Sir, if I may?" Vaughn gave him permission to continue speaking. "Sir. We are on a tight schedule and if we are to see this task to completion. We must reach the Bahamas quickly, sparing one pirate ship out of an entire fleet only wastes valuable time. Why not simply sink every pirate vessel we come across? Rather than waste time and energy combating inferior opponents."
"Because I am not arrogant like yourself Commodore Black." Vaughn simply said, the hunter could see Black's face twist with anger and confusion. "Beg you pardon?" Black asked in a cool tone, Vaughn looked right into the commodore's eyes and repeated. "Because I am not arrogant like you." Before Black could speak, Vaughn beat him to it. "Arrogance is what defeats many men of high position. Especially when underestimating unworthy adversaries." Licking his lips, Vaughn nodded and continued. "In ancient Rome, there was a time when the Roman Empire had been at war against an army of its own slaves. And those slaves were led by a Thracian gladiator named Spartacus. Many of Romes legions underestimated Spartacus and his rebel army because they believed themselves better than and army of slaves and saw them nothing more as insects, just waiting to be crushed. And surprisingly? Spartacus and his army of slaves struck down many of Romes finest legions and caused Rome itself to shake with fear."
Chuckling lightly, Vaughn continued his story. "When Rome was practically at Spartacus's mercy, they had the wealthiest Roman in their senate to deal with the rebel army. That Roman was Marcus Licinius Crassus. He, alongside Gaius Julius Caesar managed to end the threat of Spartacus before he ended Western civilization. They saw Spartacus as a threat and they didn't underestimate the Thracian rebel."
"What is your point, Mr. Grimborn?" Black asked.
Vaughn then gestured to the dead pirates lying dead on the deck of their own ship and continued. "Now? When civilization is threatened by pirates? I will not allow the British Empire to be paralyzed with fear by pirates when they destroy a portion of His Majesty's ships or raid merchant or trading vessels doing business with the British Empire. But at the same time, I will not allow us to underestimate the opponents we face either. Nor will I allow arrogance to get the better of us." Vaughn moved closer to Preston and when he was inches away from the British commodore's face, Vaughn spoke in his own cool tone. "You may command His Majesty's navy and forces Black, but our king has made me your superior. I know what I am doing, I know pirates well and I've dealt with them far longer than you have." Vaughn then whispered in Preston's ear. "If you attempt to undermine or usurp me of my command? I will kill you myself. Am I understood?"
"Understood, sir."
Preston said through gritted teeth, when Vaughn backed away, the pirate hunter nodded firmly at the British commodore and raised his eyebrows. "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Preston licked his lips and shook his head. "No. Nothing else." Was Black's response, Vaughn nodded and watched as Preston put his hat back on his head and then dismissed himself off the pirate vessel and walked the gangplank back to the Nightmare. Vaughn once more let out a heavy sigh and looked up into the cloudless sky, closed his eyes and absorbed the rays on sunlight, warming his face. He knew there was much at stake here, though the pirates in the Bahamas alone aren't enough to withstand the British forces baring down on them, Vaughn knew that they'd likely try to get other pirates to join this fight.
Specifically pirates in other corners of the world.
Vaughn simply could not allow the pirates reinforcing their numbers and making this fight any more complicated than it already has to.
But he would see this task to completion.
No matter the cost.
"Sir?"
Vaughn opened his eyes and laid eyes on one of his hunters who held a letter in hand, the hunter waved the letter in his hands and revealed what it actually was. "We swept the captains quarters and found this. The letter was written by one Harper Haddock, captain of the Night Fury." The hunter leaders eyes widened his surprise at this news, he knew that name. "Haddock? Wasn't Samuel Haddock part of His Majesty's navy?" The hunter wielding the letter nodded in confirmation, Vaughn hummed and then gestured to the letter. "What does it say?" The hunter passed the letter to his superior, taking the letter out of his mans hand, Vaughn read it to himself.
"To all my brothers and sisters who sail beneath the black sails, we now face total extinction at the hands of the British Empire. I, Harper Haddock, captain of the Night Fury have been elected as ruler of Dragon's Edge and I hereby declare all pirates rally to my side and join me in defeating the British.
We have suffered their tyranny long enough! They wish to strip us of our wealth, our legacies, but most importantly? They wish to strip us of our freedom. I would rather die than be dragged back to London in chains and sentenced to be hanged by the gallows. I would rather fight and defend my freedom against those who claim to clothe themselves in light and righteousness. Those who are of the same mind? Come to Haiti. I've already dispatched one of my best crews to gather reinforcements and I am en route to Haiti to do the same.
Long live piracy and death to King George II."
Harper Haddock
After reading Harper's letter, Vaughn looked up at his man and nodded at him. "Inform Commodore Preston to continue on to Dragon's Edge. We're going to Haiti and intercept Harper Haddock." The hunter nodded and raced off towards the Nightmare and inform Preston Black of the situation. As Vaughn looked over the letter once again, he began to realize that Harper was going to the last known sighting of Darius Bludvist.
If Harper Haddock succeeds in enlisting the aid of one of the most deadliest pirate warlords in the world? Then this fight will get a whole lot trickier; there are millions of pirates under Darius's command as well as three other pirate warlords who stand as Darius's equals, there are tens of thousands of ships that easily eclipse the combined number of British and hunter ships gathered and Darius Bludvist has enough firepower to raze an entire colony to the ground.
"We go! Take what we can and set a course for Haiti!!" Vaughn barked out to his men that were stripping the pirate vessel of its cannons, gun powder and other weaponry. They then torched the pirate vessel as they boarded the Reaper, once Preston Black and British navy were informed of Vaughn's plans of intercepting Harper Haddock and the Night Fury? They wished him good luck and continued their course for Dragon's Edge.
As the Reaper and the fleet of hunter ships accompanying her were en route to Haiti, Vaughn made his way into his quarters and sat down in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. On his desk was a memorable board game that was down from generations, it was called Maces and Talons. During the Viking era, Vaughn's ancestors played this game to test the abilities and decision making process future chieftains in the heat of battle.
Right now? Harper Haddock could very well gain a very dangerous and powerful ally to swell the pirates ranks in defeating British forces in the Bahamas. Vaughn knew that is he could intercept Harper Haddock before that happens?
Then this war will be over as soon as it begins for the pirates. Law and order will return to the Bahamas and the high seas will no longer need to fear pirates raiding their ships and plundering their wealth.
But only if Vaughn could catch up to the Night Fury.
And they needed to move with haste.