Dropkick chan
You're the king of NOTHING!
Okay! So this is the first chapter of a story I've started working that you can kinda say is almost a One Piece fan fiction. It's not based on any events from the anime or manga, but it does take place in the same world. In other words, this story is based very very loosely on the anime. The heroine is an original character I created. Basically she's a bounty hunter who is a loud-mouthed thrill seeker who always winds up in some trouble or other. So far, the whole story that I've planned out consists of roughly eight chapters, but that may be liable to change. Anyways, here we go!
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Loguetown
Early Afternoon
Llinos stepped out into the sunny afternoon and, with hands on hips, stretched back. Her spine and ribs cracked audibly, her joints stiff from having spent the past couple of hours sat at a table with a few drinks and catching up with her only friend. Today was one of those lazy days. The streets were somewhat busy, but rather than the usual hustle and bustle that was Loguetown Central, the pubs and cafes were packed full with people who wanted nothing more than a quiet drink, a nice coffee or a light lunch. A very relaxing atmosphere had fallen over the place, and it made Llinos feel like she wanted to simply go and find a nice quiet spot in the sun and bask in its rays. But, she wanted to earn some money and she had a job lined up.
As she set off down the street, she pulled out the wanted poster she had taken from the pub to take another look at it. It didn't make any more sense now than it did when she first looked at it, which got her frustrated but at the same time, intrigued. “Well Mister Gravekeep,” she muttered. “You'd best have a good explanation.”
She walked at a swift, yet leisurely pace, enjoying the calming atmosphere that had settled over town. A couple of people who recognised her waved in greeting, to which she responded in kind. It was really good to be back in Polestar.
Working her way further inland, she passed through the outskirts of Loguetown and arrived at the cemetery. A man, who Llinos could only guess was the gravekeeper, was pacing to and fro and looking dismayed. “Gravekeep?” Llinos asked, walking over to the man.
The man leaped with fright and started fiddling with his fingers nervously. “Oh, h-hello,” he said. “C-can I help?”
“Actually, I'm here to offer you help.”
The gravekeeper's eyes widened with realisation. “Ah, the bounty!” he exclaimed.
He rushed over, almost tripping over himself, and reached out to shake Llinos' hand in both of his own. “I'm sure you have a lot of questions,” he said, seeming considerably less of a nervous wreck than he was a moment ago.
“If you can explain everything, that would be a good start.”
The gravekeeper nodded and began to relate the events leading up to him posting up the bounty request. Apparently, someone has been coming and going from the graveyard every night for the past week at least. Each time the person has visited, the person has been leaving behind some rather grotesque things. It started off with a single bone, but each night it would just be getting weirder and weirder. A dead bird, a bloodied crucifix, a skull... and most recently, an hourglass filled with blood. “It's rather intimidating,” the gravekeeper said. “I've alerted the marines, but they won't do anything.” He proceeded to mimic some marine that he spoke to. “Oh, but no one has been hurt. We've got more important things to deal with. We can't go chasing any ghosts for you, old man.”
Llinos nodded. On her return from Dawn Island, she noticed the lack of a strong marine presence in Polestar. Not to say there was all that much of a presence here, just a few to make sure nothing got too out of hand. But now there were none save for those stationed at the fort outside town. Llinos wondered if it had anything to do with this apparent increase in pirate activity. The rumours she heard made it seem like a war was brewing. “So this visitor... Does he show up every night?” she asked.
The gravekeeper nodded. “I've tried to catch him in the act,” he said. “But he always manages to get by unseen. I'm at a complete loss of what to do.”
He grew shaky again, racked with nervousness. Llinos smiled. “Well, I'll see what I can do,” she said. “A thousand beli, right? We have a deal!”
Llinos and the gravekeeper shook hands and she went back to town. She had plans to make and things to prepare. But most importantly, she wanted to go home for a nap before she undertook any of this. Tonight was going to be a long night.
Loguetown
Evening
Llinos awoke as the sun was hanging low in the sky. For a moment, she just lay there staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of the incident in Dawn Island still haunted her. Would this job wind up the same way? She didn't think she wanted to kill again. Granted, killing Erin the Ripper was in self defence, but that didn't make her feel much better about it. Her expression turned to one of disgust and she sighed irritably. Dwelling on it wouldn't help, and she still had to make a living. Death was an occupational hazard in the life of a bounty hunter, and she had to accept that sometimes it is kill or be killed. It's not like she goes out looking to kill a person. Better to just hand them over to the marines and make as little mess as possible. The job she took on Dawn Island was a painful realisation that sometimes things aren't so simple.
She got out of bed and walked over to her tiny little wash room. In her absence, Mair must have come in and cleaned the place out because a lot of the clutter and filth was gone. She should appreciate it, but at the same time it felt as though it was a violation of her privacy, even if she did give Mair a spare key to the place and was welcome to come and go as she pleased. Llinos ran the tap and splashed her face with water to wash away some residual make-up and didn't bother to re-apply it. She picked her clothes up off the floor and dressed herself before grabbing her bag and leaving her den.
The air was nice and cool by this time, and the streets were a bit more lively with the sound of people well on their way towards getting drunk and merry. Llinos slammed her door closed behind herself after double checking that her gloves were tucked into her belt. She didn't know what she was going to do to try and catch this guy, but she figured hanging around the cemetery might be as good a plan as any, so she made her way there.
The further towards the outskirts she got, the quieter the town became. It gradually got darker too as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky. Fiery shades of orange and yellow spread out from the west like a great big splash of paint, and the sky slowly turned dull. By the time Llinos reached the cemetery, the sky was starting to turn a greyish blue and she could see stars slowly twinkling into appearance. The gravekeeper appeared to have just finished work for the day and was putting some stuff away in his shed. “Evenin' miss,” he called out as he started locking his shed with numerous bolts and padlocks and keys. Llinos wondered why he even bothered, because the shack looked so flimsy that if someone did want to break in all they'd have to do is kick the door down. It didn't even seem like you'd need much strength to accomplish that either.
“Everything alright?” Llinos asked, looking around to see if anything was amiss.
“All's grand,” replied the gravekeeper. “Goodluck tonight, I hope you catch the blaggard who's been messing around with me.”
Llinos nodded. “Hopefully!” she said.
The pair said goodbye and the gravekeeper set off back towards town. Llinos took a look around once more, feeling glad that she'd taken plenty of snacks and drinks with her. She was thankful that the weather was nice too. After making a round of the graveyard to make sure all was well, she found herself a comfortable spot to sit, took out a book and began reading while munching on some oat bars. For a few hours, nothing had happened. At one point Llinos placed her book down in order to light a small lantern and then make another round of the cemetery. She was momentarily distracted by some weird young couple who were laying atop someone's grave while making out. Sneaking up on them, she gave them such a fright she doubted they would be showing up again anytime soon.
After her second patrol, she returned to her place and got back to her reading. It was getting cold now, so she bundled herself up in a thin blanket and drank some coffee. Tiredness was setting in. A mix of boredom as well as having only a couple of hour's sleep in the past twenty four hours. Try as she might, she found it difficult to keep her eyes open. She slapped and pinched herself to try and stay alert, but she was fighting a losing battle. Just about as she was about to give in to sleep's embrace, she noticed a peculiar fog spreading from the rear gate. Her eyes widened and she sat upright. "What's that?" she thought, narrowing her eyes at the unusual apparition.
A dim orb of light shone through the fog, almost ghost like in appearance. Llinos tensed up, suddenly feeling quite anxious. Here she was sat in a graveyard in the middle of the night, and now some spectral light obscured by fog was drifting around. And, for the first time in a long time, she was terrified. Sweat formed on her forehead and she felt paralysed. The light drifted lazily closer, swinging too and fro. A silhouette of a tall and imposing figure could just about be made out through the fog. “Get... Out...” came a deep and chilling voice that sent shivers down Llinos' spine.
A tiny little squeak worked its way out of Llinos' throat and suddenly she found herself able to move again. The figure stopped, and the fog swirled around it. Llinos scrabbled to her feet, managing to find enough resolve to stand and face whoever it was. However, the fog broke apart around the face to reveal part of a hideously grotesque mask of burned flesh and maliciously glinting eyes. “Get... OUT...!” the voice boomed, sounding as though saying each word was a strain on the person.
What little resolve Llinos had in her was completely shattered. She squealed and took off in the opposite direction. She had never run so hard and fast her entire life, and she didn't stop until she got home and locked the door behind her.
Loguetown
Morning of the following day
A very irritable and sleep-deprived Llinos was sat in the coffee shop. Her eyes were heavy and she looked incredibly glum. She stirred a spoon in her coffee absent mindedly, and merely grunted in acknowledgement when Mair came in. “What happened to you?” Mair asked, an amused smile flickering across her face. “You're never up this early.”
“Couldn't sleep,” Llinos said dully, recalling the horrific sight she witnessed last night.
“That bounty starting to feel like more hassle than it's worth?”
Llinos nodded.
“Well, it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record for getting things done,” Mair said with a shrug, earning herself a rotten look from Llinos.
“No one said anything about giving up,” Llinos retorted, lashing a fist out towards her friend.
Mair leaned back to avoid the blow. “Don't take it out on me!” she said, raising her hands defensively but she couldn't help but smile. “Go take it out on whoever it is who's terrorising poor gravekeep.”
Llinos stood up. “You really know how to motivate someone, Mair,” she said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. “I'll see you later, after I give this guy a beasting and earn my pay.”
Much of that day was spent in preparing for the coming night. Llinos went around various places, obtaining various items such as lengths of rope, pulleys and sheets of canvas and the like. Fortunately, her contacts had allowed her to get much of this at barely any expense. A few drinks, or obligations thanks to favours given in the past and promises of compensation in future, and Llinos managed to get all that she needed to set up enough booby traps to catch even the best of thieves. She returned to the graveyard that evening laden with all of her supplies. The gravekeeper watched her, wondering what on earth she had planned. “I hope you don't plan on tearing up this place trying to catch this person,” he said flatly.
“Err, no...” Llinos said evasively, making sure to keep out of sight the explosives she had managed to procure.
“They left another gift,” the gravekeeper continued shakily. “Two decapitated heads”
He gestured to where the heads were. Llinos went pale at the sight of them. They were the heads of that couple she had frightened off last night. “I've alerted the marines of the deaths, and it seems that they are more inclined to investigate now,” explained the gravekeeper.
Now Llinos was angry. This can not be allowed to continue, and like hell was she going to step back and allow some good for nothing devil dogs take over to investigate. Especially having fled in terror from this person. “I'll catch him this time,” she said.
“Well you certainly look equipped for it,” the gravekeeper responded.
“Yeah... you should head off early so I can set all this crap up. That bastard isn't going to know what hit them.”
The gravekeeper sighed in resignation, worried for the sanctity of this haven for the dead. “Just try not to make too much of a mess okay?”
Llinos smiled, assured him it would be okay, and then ushered him out of the cemetery and closed the gate behind him. It was time to get to business.
Loguetown Cemetery
Night
Llinos finished her first round of the grounds, mostly to make sure the traps were rigged properly, but also to make sure that nothing was amiss. Satisfied that there was no way someone was about to get in without her knowing, she went back to her comfortable spot and sat down to read her book and enjoy her coffee and biscuits. Hours passed uneventfully, until suddenly the bells she secured to the wall of the shack jingled. Her breath caught in her chest. Again, the bells jingled. The fishing lines that were attached to those bells lead to the north entrance, so that must be where the intruder had come from this time. Llinos got to her feet and pulled her Garuda Talons up over her hands. Ignoring the increasing feeling of fear, she headed north.
Once more, she saw that ominous fog and the eerie lantern light. Flexing her fingers in their gloves and fixing her expression in a look of determination, she marched bravely into the fog. As soon as she neared the first of her traps, she stopped and waited. “Hey, you little bastard,” she called out. “I'm over here.”
The lantern stopped moving for a moment, as if hesitating about something. And then it advanced towards her. Once more, Llinos could see the silhouette of the tall and imposing figure. Once more, the fog dispersed around that grisly face. “Get... Out...” came the voice, grating like nails on chalkboard. Llinos stood her ground, a nervous smile spreading across her face. “Any second now...” she thought.
“Get... OUT...!”
“You get out,” Llinos muttered under her breath.
“Get...OuaaARGH!”
The figure stumbled and was suddenly yanked up into the air. He dropped his lantern, and suddenly he couldn't be seen in the fog. Llinos could here him up above, however, struggling to free himself of the little noose that was now holding up by his ankle. She ran towards the lantern, seeing that it was also the source of all the smog. She picked it up and smiled up towards where the now invisible visitor was dangling. “Nyah!” she stuck her tongue out at him and offered a rude hand gesture, only to flinch back as a bullet whizzed by, missing her head by mere centimetres. “Shit,” she said and ran off, taking the lantern with her as another shot thudded into the ground where she was stood a second before.
Behind her, she heard a heavy thud, which could only mean the visitor had succeeded in freeing himself. Another shot was fired at her, knocking the lantern out of her hands. By now, adrenaline was coursing through her, and she was beginning to enjoy herself. She yelled out, feigning agony, and lay down a couple of meters away from the lantern and out of sight. “Please don't kill me!” she howled, struggling to hold herself back from laughter.
The ghostly figure stepped into view, looking around and immediately narrowing his eyes, anticipating another trap. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for Llinos to charge out from the smog roaring like a beast and leaping at him in an attempt to claw his face off with her talons. Llinos succeeded in landing a stinging blow across his scarred face, opening up a series of fresh wounds on top of his burns. He grunted in pain and staggered back, taking a second to bring a hand up to touch the opened cuts while using his other to pull out his cutlass. He braced himself as Llinos pressed her assault and brought his sword down to meet her. At the last second, Llinos turned her hands around in order to use the light armour plating on the outside of her talon gloves. She deflected the blow, letting it slide down her arms and off to the side and took the opportunity to deliver a sharp kick to his stomach that pushed him back further.
“Such a fierce young lady,” he said, backing away several steps more to distance himself away from the ferocious attack. For the first time, Llinos got a proper look at her opponent.
His face was horrifically scarred on his right side, the eye turned a milky white. His hair was long and white and he was garbed in a simple white kimono with black stripes, belted at his waist and open at the chest. A scabbard for his sword rested on his hip and he wore a black sash across his chest, from which hung five flintlock pistols. He had a smile on his face as he looked at Llinos. “I was half expecting you to flee like a little bird once more, but this time you have me surprised,” he said and then bowed. “My name is Captain Kenneth Kentisch, a lieutenant of Blackbeard.”
“Llinos Terrwyn, bounty hunter.”
“Ah, so that is why you have returned. Then let's be quick about this so I can get back to business.”
He lunged forward, wielding his cutlass one handed, and aimed a diagonal slash upwards towards Llinos' throat. The bounty hunter ducked and rolled forwards, coming back up and pretty much mirroring his attack with her talons. He leaned back just out of reach, twisting his blade around to bring it up at her arm. Llinos pulled back and the blade clipped off a talon from one of her fingers. She gritted her teeth and balled her other hand into a fist and aimed a punch at his face, connecting the blow with a sickening crunch. Kentisch grunted in pain as Llinos' fist smashed into his nose with an audible pop. Blood gushed forth, almost completely covering the lower half of his face. “How was that, Kenny?” Llinos asked, standing proudly with her hands on her hips.
“You scoundrel...” Kentisch snarled, whipping out one of his pistols and firing a shot at her.
Llinos was already running though, skipping over and around gravestones. Kentisch smirked and calmly reloaded before taking aim, closing one eye and squinting down the sight with the other and fired once more. This time, Llinos let out an agonised yelp and fell to the floor as the bullet pierced her shoulder. She rolled about on the floor, grasping her shoulder and screaming every obscenity imaginable. The pirate captain strolled over at a leisurely pace, taking his time with reloading all his pistols. He was so confident that victory was his that he didn't notice the line that he broke, nor hear the soft clink of metal before all hell broke loose.
The graveyard suddenly seemed to have turned into a war zone as explosions set off all around him. All of his senses were assaulted. The deafening noise, the smell and taste of cordite and the agonising pain of shrapnel tearing through him. The blast knocked him flat on his face and it took a while for him to realise what had just happened.
Llinos, meanwhile, was just out of the blast range. After the explosions had stopped, she scrabbled up onto her feet, being careful not to put too much pressure on her wounded shoulder. She would have to see a doctor, or someone, to get the shot dug out of her shoulder and the wound patched up. However, she managed to laugh at the predicament the pirate captain had landed himself in. “Didn't expect that did you Kenny?” she sneered as she started walking towards him. Suddenly, she found herself being yanked up by the ankle, hitting her injured shoulder hard against the ground. “Shit!” she screamed, her voice a mix of pain and anger.
She cursed herself for being foolish enough to fall for one of her own traps. She tried to reach up to cut herself free, only to further strain her shoulder and cause further agony. Swaying to and fro upside down, she frantically looked around for a means of escape. There was nothing but the dead tree the rope is secured to. “You're friggin' stupid, Llinos,” she muttered to herself as she began swinging herself backwards and forwards to try and bring herself within reach of the tree.
It was a painstakingly intense moment. With each swing, she got closer to the three. However, each second that passed brought the captain closer to regaining consciousness. She could hear him coughing now, and she glanced towards him to see that he was trying to push himself up to his hands and knees. He must still be disorientated from the blast, because he didn't seem to notice that Llinos was strung up like a piñata, presenting a laughably easy target for him. With renewed vigour, she tried to widen her swings. She ignored the sharp pain that shot down her arm each time she tried to reach out and grab the branch. Her talons grazed across the bark. Next time she swings by, she would be able to grab hold of it. She swung back just as the captain managed to get to his feet. “Fell for your own trap?” he asked loudly, no doubt on account of his muffled hearing after the explosions.
Llinos closed her eyes as the captain aimed a pistol at her. She was about to die because she was too stupid to remember where she placed her own traps. The shot rang out loudly, except it was a fiery pain in her thigh that she felt. She screamed, but promptly clamped her mouth shut, gnashing her teeth together as she threw her whole body into the next swing. The tree drew tantalisingly close. She reached out with her arms, grinding her teeth together furiously to distract herself from the pain that racked her body.
And then the rope snapped.
Her eyes widened and a startled gasp came out of her as she flailed her arms, trying in vain to grab hold of something. She fell to the floor and the air was knocked completely out of her lungs. “Oof!”
Survival instincts running on full steam, she quickly got to her feet and darted behind the tree as two shots narrowly missed her. Kentisch came after her, tossing aside the two pistols he was holding and pulling out another two from his sash. “This ends now,” he said, his bloodied face contorting into a demented smile. As he turned the tree, he noticed too late that Llinos was waiting there, grasping the remains of an angel carved from stone, a remnant from one of the destroyed gravestones. He was struck full in the face with the stone sculpture, teeth and blood flying forth as he sailed backwards and landed with a heavy thud on the ground. “TAKE THAT YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Llinos screamed at him, tossing aside her makeshift weapon and doing a victory dance.
She stepped over to him and kicked him hard in the ribs. There was no response, though it was evident from the rising and falling of his chest that he wasn't dead. He wasn't going to be recovering from that anytime soon. She loosened the noose that tightened around her ankle and picked up the rope and began trussing him up ready to be taken in to the marines.
Polestar Marine Base
Two hours later...
Captain Kentisch's body was dumped unceremoniously on the ground in front of the two marine guards. The commanding officer made a swift appearance. “Oh, so you got him...” he said, a reluctant hint of gratitude in his tone.
Llinos nodded. By now, her face was like a ghost after the amount of blood that streamed from her gunshot wounds. “I need to see a doctor,” she said, on the verge of collapsing.
The commanding officer nodded and ordered one of the two guards to bring her to the medical bay. He followed, drilling Llinos with questions. How many innocents had he killed? Was he affiliated with Blackbeard? What was he doing in Polestar? Llinos answered as best she could as the medic went about the business of treating her wounds. She screamed in pain and had to be restrained to the bed as the medic dug out the bullets that had lodged in her shoulder and thigh. Finally, he cleaned and dressed the wounds. Eventually, she was left to sleep.
Llinos woke to the sound of birds chirping and a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. She opened her eyes slowly and it took a while for her to realise she wasn't somewhere familiar. Startled, she sat upright quickly and yelled in pain as she pulled on her shoulder. Memories of the previous night came flooding back to her. She took a moment to regain her sense of self and then got out of bed. Her thigh hurt really badly, and a dull pain spread down from her wounded shoulder. As long as she didn't make any big movements, she didn't feel in too much agony. Suddenly, she could hear yelling and the sound of gunshots. Llinos went outside to investigate, only to be greeted by the medic, armed with a flintlock and musket. “Bloody pirates,” he growled. “Stay in here, ma'am. You're in no state to fight.”
“Are you guys really that incapable of keeping a prisoner in custody?” she asked in exasperation.
She must have struck a nerve, as a vein started throbbing visibly on the marine's forehead. “Tell that to command and maybe they'd stop calling back the troops we have stationed here,” he retorted irritably.
Llinos shook her head disappointedly. “It's a surprise these pirates haven't wiped you guys off the face of the four blues yet.”
The marine medic laughed bitterly. “On top of that, we've had deserters and turncoats,” he said. “We've got both pirates and revolutionaries to deal with and we're woefully outmatched. Command is consolidating the majority of our forces to places of strategic importance. I doubt it will be long before we completely pull out of Polestar.”
“Huh...” Llinos mumbled, not really knowing what to say. Marine presence on the archipelago had been quite a bother, but they had succeeded in bringing at least a little order here. She wondered what things would be like if they were to abandon their station. No doubt the real hell raisers would come out to play.
Then the commanding officer showed up. “They were after Captain Kentisch,” he snapped, kicking a discarded mop bucket across the room in frustration. “They managed to break him out of the detainment unit. Nothing we can do but allow them to retreat.”
“You guys really have been caught with your pants around your ankles haven't you?” Llinos said.
“Piss off out of here and claim your reward,” the commanding officer replied angrily.
Llinos was happy to oblige.
End.
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Some feedback for this would be very much appreciated.
To get a better idea of the character, here's the bio that I posted for her. I RP as her a lot elsewhere, though this chapter and the following ones that I'll be writing serve as more of a stand alone story than an RP.
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Loguetown
Early Afternoon
Llinos stepped out into the sunny afternoon and, with hands on hips, stretched back. Her spine and ribs cracked audibly, her joints stiff from having spent the past couple of hours sat at a table with a few drinks and catching up with her only friend. Today was one of those lazy days. The streets were somewhat busy, but rather than the usual hustle and bustle that was Loguetown Central, the pubs and cafes were packed full with people who wanted nothing more than a quiet drink, a nice coffee or a light lunch. A very relaxing atmosphere had fallen over the place, and it made Llinos feel like she wanted to simply go and find a nice quiet spot in the sun and bask in its rays. But, she wanted to earn some money and she had a job lined up.
As she set off down the street, she pulled out the wanted poster she had taken from the pub to take another look at it. It didn't make any more sense now than it did when she first looked at it, which got her frustrated but at the same time, intrigued. “Well Mister Gravekeep,” she muttered. “You'd best have a good explanation.”
She walked at a swift, yet leisurely pace, enjoying the calming atmosphere that had settled over town. A couple of people who recognised her waved in greeting, to which she responded in kind. It was really good to be back in Polestar.
Working her way further inland, she passed through the outskirts of Loguetown and arrived at the cemetery. A man, who Llinos could only guess was the gravekeeper, was pacing to and fro and looking dismayed. “Gravekeep?” Llinos asked, walking over to the man.
The man leaped with fright and started fiddling with his fingers nervously. “Oh, h-hello,” he said. “C-can I help?”
“Actually, I'm here to offer you help.”
The gravekeeper's eyes widened with realisation. “Ah, the bounty!” he exclaimed.
He rushed over, almost tripping over himself, and reached out to shake Llinos' hand in both of his own. “I'm sure you have a lot of questions,” he said, seeming considerably less of a nervous wreck than he was a moment ago.
“If you can explain everything, that would be a good start.”
The gravekeeper nodded and began to relate the events leading up to him posting up the bounty request. Apparently, someone has been coming and going from the graveyard every night for the past week at least. Each time the person has visited, the person has been leaving behind some rather grotesque things. It started off with a single bone, but each night it would just be getting weirder and weirder. A dead bird, a bloodied crucifix, a skull... and most recently, an hourglass filled with blood. “It's rather intimidating,” the gravekeeper said. “I've alerted the marines, but they won't do anything.” He proceeded to mimic some marine that he spoke to. “Oh, but no one has been hurt. We've got more important things to deal with. We can't go chasing any ghosts for you, old man.”
Llinos nodded. On her return from Dawn Island, she noticed the lack of a strong marine presence in Polestar. Not to say there was all that much of a presence here, just a few to make sure nothing got too out of hand. But now there were none save for those stationed at the fort outside town. Llinos wondered if it had anything to do with this apparent increase in pirate activity. The rumours she heard made it seem like a war was brewing. “So this visitor... Does he show up every night?” she asked.
The gravekeeper nodded. “I've tried to catch him in the act,” he said. “But he always manages to get by unseen. I'm at a complete loss of what to do.”
He grew shaky again, racked with nervousness. Llinos smiled. “Well, I'll see what I can do,” she said. “A thousand beli, right? We have a deal!”
Llinos and the gravekeeper shook hands and she went back to town. She had plans to make and things to prepare. But most importantly, she wanted to go home for a nap before she undertook any of this. Tonight was going to be a long night.
Loguetown
Evening
Llinos awoke as the sun was hanging low in the sky. For a moment, she just lay there staring at the ceiling. Thoughts of the incident in Dawn Island still haunted her. Would this job wind up the same way? She didn't think she wanted to kill again. Granted, killing Erin the Ripper was in self defence, but that didn't make her feel much better about it. Her expression turned to one of disgust and she sighed irritably. Dwelling on it wouldn't help, and she still had to make a living. Death was an occupational hazard in the life of a bounty hunter, and she had to accept that sometimes it is kill or be killed. It's not like she goes out looking to kill a person. Better to just hand them over to the marines and make as little mess as possible. The job she took on Dawn Island was a painful realisation that sometimes things aren't so simple.
She got out of bed and walked over to her tiny little wash room. In her absence, Mair must have come in and cleaned the place out because a lot of the clutter and filth was gone. She should appreciate it, but at the same time it felt as though it was a violation of her privacy, even if she did give Mair a spare key to the place and was welcome to come and go as she pleased. Llinos ran the tap and splashed her face with water to wash away some residual make-up and didn't bother to re-apply it. She picked her clothes up off the floor and dressed herself before grabbing her bag and leaving her den.
The air was nice and cool by this time, and the streets were a bit more lively with the sound of people well on their way towards getting drunk and merry. Llinos slammed her door closed behind herself after double checking that her gloves were tucked into her belt. She didn't know what she was going to do to try and catch this guy, but she figured hanging around the cemetery might be as good a plan as any, so she made her way there.
The further towards the outskirts she got, the quieter the town became. It gradually got darker too as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky. Fiery shades of orange and yellow spread out from the west like a great big splash of paint, and the sky slowly turned dull. By the time Llinos reached the cemetery, the sky was starting to turn a greyish blue and she could see stars slowly twinkling into appearance. The gravekeeper appeared to have just finished work for the day and was putting some stuff away in his shed. “Evenin' miss,” he called out as he started locking his shed with numerous bolts and padlocks and keys. Llinos wondered why he even bothered, because the shack looked so flimsy that if someone did want to break in all they'd have to do is kick the door down. It didn't even seem like you'd need much strength to accomplish that either.
“Everything alright?” Llinos asked, looking around to see if anything was amiss.
“All's grand,” replied the gravekeeper. “Goodluck tonight, I hope you catch the blaggard who's been messing around with me.”
Llinos nodded. “Hopefully!” she said.
The pair said goodbye and the gravekeeper set off back towards town. Llinos took a look around once more, feeling glad that she'd taken plenty of snacks and drinks with her. She was thankful that the weather was nice too. After making a round of the graveyard to make sure all was well, she found herself a comfortable spot to sit, took out a book and began reading while munching on some oat bars. For a few hours, nothing had happened. At one point Llinos placed her book down in order to light a small lantern and then make another round of the cemetery. She was momentarily distracted by some weird young couple who were laying atop someone's grave while making out. Sneaking up on them, she gave them such a fright she doubted they would be showing up again anytime soon.
After her second patrol, she returned to her place and got back to her reading. It was getting cold now, so she bundled herself up in a thin blanket and drank some coffee. Tiredness was setting in. A mix of boredom as well as having only a couple of hour's sleep in the past twenty four hours. Try as she might, she found it difficult to keep her eyes open. She slapped and pinched herself to try and stay alert, but she was fighting a losing battle. Just about as she was about to give in to sleep's embrace, she noticed a peculiar fog spreading from the rear gate. Her eyes widened and she sat upright. "What's that?" she thought, narrowing her eyes at the unusual apparition.
A dim orb of light shone through the fog, almost ghost like in appearance. Llinos tensed up, suddenly feeling quite anxious. Here she was sat in a graveyard in the middle of the night, and now some spectral light obscured by fog was drifting around. And, for the first time in a long time, she was terrified. Sweat formed on her forehead and she felt paralysed. The light drifted lazily closer, swinging too and fro. A silhouette of a tall and imposing figure could just about be made out through the fog. “Get... Out...” came a deep and chilling voice that sent shivers down Llinos' spine.
A tiny little squeak worked its way out of Llinos' throat and suddenly she found herself able to move again. The figure stopped, and the fog swirled around it. Llinos scrabbled to her feet, managing to find enough resolve to stand and face whoever it was. However, the fog broke apart around the face to reveal part of a hideously grotesque mask of burned flesh and maliciously glinting eyes. “Get... OUT...!” the voice boomed, sounding as though saying each word was a strain on the person.
What little resolve Llinos had in her was completely shattered. She squealed and took off in the opposite direction. She had never run so hard and fast her entire life, and she didn't stop until she got home and locked the door behind her.
Loguetown
Morning of the following day
A very irritable and sleep-deprived Llinos was sat in the coffee shop. Her eyes were heavy and she looked incredibly glum. She stirred a spoon in her coffee absent mindedly, and merely grunted in acknowledgement when Mair came in. “What happened to you?” Mair asked, an amused smile flickering across her face. “You're never up this early.”
“Couldn't sleep,” Llinos said dully, recalling the horrific sight she witnessed last night.
“That bounty starting to feel like more hassle than it's worth?”
Llinos nodded.
“Well, it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record for getting things done,” Mair said with a shrug, earning herself a rotten look from Llinos.
“No one said anything about giving up,” Llinos retorted, lashing a fist out towards her friend.
Mair leaned back to avoid the blow. “Don't take it out on me!” she said, raising her hands defensively but she couldn't help but smile. “Go take it out on whoever it is who's terrorising poor gravekeep.”
Llinos stood up. “You really know how to motivate someone, Mair,” she said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. “I'll see you later, after I give this guy a beasting and earn my pay.”
Much of that day was spent in preparing for the coming night. Llinos went around various places, obtaining various items such as lengths of rope, pulleys and sheets of canvas and the like. Fortunately, her contacts had allowed her to get much of this at barely any expense. A few drinks, or obligations thanks to favours given in the past and promises of compensation in future, and Llinos managed to get all that she needed to set up enough booby traps to catch even the best of thieves. She returned to the graveyard that evening laden with all of her supplies. The gravekeeper watched her, wondering what on earth she had planned. “I hope you don't plan on tearing up this place trying to catch this person,” he said flatly.
“Err, no...” Llinos said evasively, making sure to keep out of sight the explosives she had managed to procure.
“They left another gift,” the gravekeeper continued shakily. “Two decapitated heads”
He gestured to where the heads were. Llinos went pale at the sight of them. They were the heads of that couple she had frightened off last night. “I've alerted the marines of the deaths, and it seems that they are more inclined to investigate now,” explained the gravekeeper.
Now Llinos was angry. This can not be allowed to continue, and like hell was she going to step back and allow some good for nothing devil dogs take over to investigate. Especially having fled in terror from this person. “I'll catch him this time,” she said.
“Well you certainly look equipped for it,” the gravekeeper responded.
“Yeah... you should head off early so I can set all this crap up. That bastard isn't going to know what hit them.”
The gravekeeper sighed in resignation, worried for the sanctity of this haven for the dead. “Just try not to make too much of a mess okay?”
Llinos smiled, assured him it would be okay, and then ushered him out of the cemetery and closed the gate behind him. It was time to get to business.
Loguetown Cemetery
Night
Llinos finished her first round of the grounds, mostly to make sure the traps were rigged properly, but also to make sure that nothing was amiss. Satisfied that there was no way someone was about to get in without her knowing, she went back to her comfortable spot and sat down to read her book and enjoy her coffee and biscuits. Hours passed uneventfully, until suddenly the bells she secured to the wall of the shack jingled. Her breath caught in her chest. Again, the bells jingled. The fishing lines that were attached to those bells lead to the north entrance, so that must be where the intruder had come from this time. Llinos got to her feet and pulled her Garuda Talons up over her hands. Ignoring the increasing feeling of fear, she headed north.
Once more, she saw that ominous fog and the eerie lantern light. Flexing her fingers in their gloves and fixing her expression in a look of determination, she marched bravely into the fog. As soon as she neared the first of her traps, she stopped and waited. “Hey, you little bastard,” she called out. “I'm over here.”
The lantern stopped moving for a moment, as if hesitating about something. And then it advanced towards her. Once more, Llinos could see the silhouette of the tall and imposing figure. Once more, the fog dispersed around that grisly face. “Get... Out...” came the voice, grating like nails on chalkboard. Llinos stood her ground, a nervous smile spreading across her face. “Any second now...” she thought.
“Get... OUT...!”
“You get out,” Llinos muttered under her breath.
“Get...OuaaARGH!”
The figure stumbled and was suddenly yanked up into the air. He dropped his lantern, and suddenly he couldn't be seen in the fog. Llinos could here him up above, however, struggling to free himself of the little noose that was now holding up by his ankle. She ran towards the lantern, seeing that it was also the source of all the smog. She picked it up and smiled up towards where the now invisible visitor was dangling. “Nyah!” she stuck her tongue out at him and offered a rude hand gesture, only to flinch back as a bullet whizzed by, missing her head by mere centimetres. “Shit,” she said and ran off, taking the lantern with her as another shot thudded into the ground where she was stood a second before.
Behind her, she heard a heavy thud, which could only mean the visitor had succeeded in freeing himself. Another shot was fired at her, knocking the lantern out of her hands. By now, adrenaline was coursing through her, and she was beginning to enjoy herself. She yelled out, feigning agony, and lay down a couple of meters away from the lantern and out of sight. “Please don't kill me!” she howled, struggling to hold herself back from laughter.
The ghostly figure stepped into view, looking around and immediately narrowing his eyes, anticipating another trap. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for Llinos to charge out from the smog roaring like a beast and leaping at him in an attempt to claw his face off with her talons. Llinos succeeded in landing a stinging blow across his scarred face, opening up a series of fresh wounds on top of his burns. He grunted in pain and staggered back, taking a second to bring a hand up to touch the opened cuts while using his other to pull out his cutlass. He braced himself as Llinos pressed her assault and brought his sword down to meet her. At the last second, Llinos turned her hands around in order to use the light armour plating on the outside of her talon gloves. She deflected the blow, letting it slide down her arms and off to the side and took the opportunity to deliver a sharp kick to his stomach that pushed him back further.
“Such a fierce young lady,” he said, backing away several steps more to distance himself away from the ferocious attack. For the first time, Llinos got a proper look at her opponent.
His face was horrifically scarred on his right side, the eye turned a milky white. His hair was long and white and he was garbed in a simple white kimono with black stripes, belted at his waist and open at the chest. A scabbard for his sword rested on his hip and he wore a black sash across his chest, from which hung five flintlock pistols. He had a smile on his face as he looked at Llinos. “I was half expecting you to flee like a little bird once more, but this time you have me surprised,” he said and then bowed. “My name is Captain Kenneth Kentisch, a lieutenant of Blackbeard.”
“Llinos Terrwyn, bounty hunter.”
“Ah, so that is why you have returned. Then let's be quick about this so I can get back to business.”
He lunged forward, wielding his cutlass one handed, and aimed a diagonal slash upwards towards Llinos' throat. The bounty hunter ducked and rolled forwards, coming back up and pretty much mirroring his attack with her talons. He leaned back just out of reach, twisting his blade around to bring it up at her arm. Llinos pulled back and the blade clipped off a talon from one of her fingers. She gritted her teeth and balled her other hand into a fist and aimed a punch at his face, connecting the blow with a sickening crunch. Kentisch grunted in pain as Llinos' fist smashed into his nose with an audible pop. Blood gushed forth, almost completely covering the lower half of his face. “How was that, Kenny?” Llinos asked, standing proudly with her hands on her hips.
“You scoundrel...” Kentisch snarled, whipping out one of his pistols and firing a shot at her.
Llinos was already running though, skipping over and around gravestones. Kentisch smirked and calmly reloaded before taking aim, closing one eye and squinting down the sight with the other and fired once more. This time, Llinos let out an agonised yelp and fell to the floor as the bullet pierced her shoulder. She rolled about on the floor, grasping her shoulder and screaming every obscenity imaginable. The pirate captain strolled over at a leisurely pace, taking his time with reloading all his pistols. He was so confident that victory was his that he didn't notice the line that he broke, nor hear the soft clink of metal before all hell broke loose.
The graveyard suddenly seemed to have turned into a war zone as explosions set off all around him. All of his senses were assaulted. The deafening noise, the smell and taste of cordite and the agonising pain of shrapnel tearing through him. The blast knocked him flat on his face and it took a while for him to realise what had just happened.
Llinos, meanwhile, was just out of the blast range. After the explosions had stopped, she scrabbled up onto her feet, being careful not to put too much pressure on her wounded shoulder. She would have to see a doctor, or someone, to get the shot dug out of her shoulder and the wound patched up. However, she managed to laugh at the predicament the pirate captain had landed himself in. “Didn't expect that did you Kenny?” she sneered as she started walking towards him. Suddenly, she found herself being yanked up by the ankle, hitting her injured shoulder hard against the ground. “Shit!” she screamed, her voice a mix of pain and anger.
She cursed herself for being foolish enough to fall for one of her own traps. She tried to reach up to cut herself free, only to further strain her shoulder and cause further agony. Swaying to and fro upside down, she frantically looked around for a means of escape. There was nothing but the dead tree the rope is secured to. “You're friggin' stupid, Llinos,” she muttered to herself as she began swinging herself backwards and forwards to try and bring herself within reach of the tree.
It was a painstakingly intense moment. With each swing, she got closer to the three. However, each second that passed brought the captain closer to regaining consciousness. She could hear him coughing now, and she glanced towards him to see that he was trying to push himself up to his hands and knees. He must still be disorientated from the blast, because he didn't seem to notice that Llinos was strung up like a piñata, presenting a laughably easy target for him. With renewed vigour, she tried to widen her swings. She ignored the sharp pain that shot down her arm each time she tried to reach out and grab the branch. Her talons grazed across the bark. Next time she swings by, she would be able to grab hold of it. She swung back just as the captain managed to get to his feet. “Fell for your own trap?” he asked loudly, no doubt on account of his muffled hearing after the explosions.
Llinos closed her eyes as the captain aimed a pistol at her. She was about to die because she was too stupid to remember where she placed her own traps. The shot rang out loudly, except it was a fiery pain in her thigh that she felt. She screamed, but promptly clamped her mouth shut, gnashing her teeth together as she threw her whole body into the next swing. The tree drew tantalisingly close. She reached out with her arms, grinding her teeth together furiously to distract herself from the pain that racked her body.
And then the rope snapped.
Her eyes widened and a startled gasp came out of her as she flailed her arms, trying in vain to grab hold of something. She fell to the floor and the air was knocked completely out of her lungs. “Oof!”
Survival instincts running on full steam, she quickly got to her feet and darted behind the tree as two shots narrowly missed her. Kentisch came after her, tossing aside the two pistols he was holding and pulling out another two from his sash. “This ends now,” he said, his bloodied face contorting into a demented smile. As he turned the tree, he noticed too late that Llinos was waiting there, grasping the remains of an angel carved from stone, a remnant from one of the destroyed gravestones. He was struck full in the face with the stone sculpture, teeth and blood flying forth as he sailed backwards and landed with a heavy thud on the ground. “TAKE THAT YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Llinos screamed at him, tossing aside her makeshift weapon and doing a victory dance.
She stepped over to him and kicked him hard in the ribs. There was no response, though it was evident from the rising and falling of his chest that he wasn't dead. He wasn't going to be recovering from that anytime soon. She loosened the noose that tightened around her ankle and picked up the rope and began trussing him up ready to be taken in to the marines.
Polestar Marine Base
Two hours later...
Captain Kentisch's body was dumped unceremoniously on the ground in front of the two marine guards. The commanding officer made a swift appearance. “Oh, so you got him...” he said, a reluctant hint of gratitude in his tone.
Llinos nodded. By now, her face was like a ghost after the amount of blood that streamed from her gunshot wounds. “I need to see a doctor,” she said, on the verge of collapsing.
The commanding officer nodded and ordered one of the two guards to bring her to the medical bay. He followed, drilling Llinos with questions. How many innocents had he killed? Was he affiliated with Blackbeard? What was he doing in Polestar? Llinos answered as best she could as the medic went about the business of treating her wounds. She screamed in pain and had to be restrained to the bed as the medic dug out the bullets that had lodged in her shoulder and thigh. Finally, he cleaned and dressed the wounds. Eventually, she was left to sleep.
The following morning...
Llinos woke to the sound of birds chirping and a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. She opened her eyes slowly and it took a while for her to realise she wasn't somewhere familiar. Startled, she sat upright quickly and yelled in pain as she pulled on her shoulder. Memories of the previous night came flooding back to her. She took a moment to regain her sense of self and then got out of bed. Her thigh hurt really badly, and a dull pain spread down from her wounded shoulder. As long as she didn't make any big movements, she didn't feel in too much agony. Suddenly, she could hear yelling and the sound of gunshots. Llinos went outside to investigate, only to be greeted by the medic, armed with a flintlock and musket. “Bloody pirates,” he growled. “Stay in here, ma'am. You're in no state to fight.”
“Are you guys really that incapable of keeping a prisoner in custody?” she asked in exasperation.
She must have struck a nerve, as a vein started throbbing visibly on the marine's forehead. “Tell that to command and maybe they'd stop calling back the troops we have stationed here,” he retorted irritably.
Llinos shook her head disappointedly. “It's a surprise these pirates haven't wiped you guys off the face of the four blues yet.”
The marine medic laughed bitterly. “On top of that, we've had deserters and turncoats,” he said. “We've got both pirates and revolutionaries to deal with and we're woefully outmatched. Command is consolidating the majority of our forces to places of strategic importance. I doubt it will be long before we completely pull out of Polestar.”
“Huh...” Llinos mumbled, not really knowing what to say. Marine presence on the archipelago had been quite a bother, but they had succeeded in bringing at least a little order here. She wondered what things would be like if they were to abandon their station. No doubt the real hell raisers would come out to play.
Then the commanding officer showed up. “They were after Captain Kentisch,” he snapped, kicking a discarded mop bucket across the room in frustration. “They managed to break him out of the detainment unit. Nothing we can do but allow them to retreat.”
“You guys really have been caught with your pants around your ankles haven't you?” Llinos said.
“Piss off out of here and claim your reward,” the commanding officer replied angrily.
Llinos was happy to oblige.
End.
________________________________________________________
Some feedback for this would be very much appreciated.
To get a better idea of the character, here's the bio that I posted for her. I RP as her a lot elsewhere, though this chapter and the following ones that I'll be writing serve as more of a stand alone story than an RP.- Character Name: Llinos Terrwyn
- Personal Information
- Personal Appearance
- Personal Appearance
- Roleplay Information
- Roleplay Information
- History
- History
- [/media]
Weaknesses:
- Lack of patience with others.
- Short temper.
- Never knows when to back down.
- Often finds herself depending too much on other people.
Strengths:
- Physically strong and fit.
- Persuasive.
- Stubborn.
- Street smart.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
