Rise of the Shark((Void)

While Darcey confronted the Assassin, Bryan had gotten all the information he could from the few men who had remained in the town of Nassau, disposing of them as he went so that Darcey and his own men wouldn't get outnumbered right away. Now, he was making his way back to her ship, his swords out and their blades wet with the blood of the Assassins he'd just killed. His own men marched as his back, their weapons out and ready for a fight. The people parted like a sea when they saw him coming.

He was close enough now to the Dark Tide to hear Alvarez's words to Darcey and it sparked his Blood Frenzy. He stepped away from his men as they mingled with the five good men behind Darcey to stand at her side, the blood on his blades shimmering black in the light. He glared at the Assassin as he parted through to her side and his voice growled low in his throat behind his mask. "I'd be careful what you say to Captain Sinner, Assassin." He warned, his eyes narrowing from beneath his hood. "You don't know what kind of creature she's befriended."

"Brother, why do you side with this Bitch?" They were in luck. Alvarez thought that Bryan was an Assassin. He had no idea that Bryan was an incredibly dangerous Templar. Darcey edged closer to the Assassin, yet moved in front of Bryan at the same time.
"He has nothing to do with it, Alvarez! This is between you, me, and the mutinous rats that followed you!"
"Captain Sinner, protecting someone? She's never done that before." The Assassin stood their for a while, looking at Bryan and Darcey as he tried to figure things out.
"Love? She clearly has feelings for you if she's trying to protect you. And as for you? Well you must have really strong feelings for her if you're willing to betray the Brotherhood. Tell me, is she as good a fuck as I imagined her to be?"

Bryan's eyes dilated and, in a single leap, cleared the gap between the deck of the ship and the dock they'd been standing on. He stood a mere food in front of the Assassin, so close that his eyes glared into those of Alvarez. His voice grew to a quiet rumble and growled low in his throat. "Speak bad about her one more time," he hissed slowly, his grip on his twin swords tightening until his knuckles turned white. It seemed as though he was just barely keeping his anger at bay and even his crew muttered nervously, knowing their captain was about to become the shark, as they had always said. "I'll run you through before you have time to react." He drew his tongue across his lips behind his mask and a dark grin cracked his lips, rising his cheekbones from beneath the mask and his eyes squinted slightly at the action. "You were a fool to send half your men to shore, Assassin. They're all dead. Each and every one spilled information about you before I slit their guts open in an attempt to spare their own pathetic lives.
"As I said before, you know not the creature Captain Sinner has befriended."

"I was wrong, she must be a better fuck than I could ever dream of" Alvarez said with a laugh before he looked at Darcey, and licked his lips.
"You disgusting maggot! I'll cut you from prick to sternum" Darcey roared.
"Ooh, captain. You're making me hard. Why don't you come over here and we can have some fun." Darcey looked at the Assassin's erection, and spat in his direction.
"NEVER!!!"

It was that that threw Bryan's humanity into the water. His crew all stiffened and some even backed up in terror as he lunged for the Assassin, swords cutting in an X formation rather quickly. Too quick for anyone not accustomed to his fighting style to see. He spun after his swords struck out and caught the Assassin across the stomach with his foot, balancing as lightly as a dancer on one leg while his eyes were narrowed, pupils dilated. He was thoroughly mad and everything was dulled down to a dull hum in his ears. It sounded to him that his ears were ringing and any sound that would reach his ears would be instantly dull and not even be able to be heard by the frenzied Templar.

"I warned you, Assassin." Bryan hissed like a snake from beneath his mask as he straightened back up onto two legs, their stance splayed and each sword held a certain way that was good for both parrying and attacking. "Now, I'm going to kill you and let the sharks feast on your corpse!"

color=#6699ff]"Not if I kill him first"[/color] Darcey growled. The Assassin flexed his wrists, the hidden blades sliding out. Darcey moved closer to Bryan and Alvarez, her swords ready for battle. "I think it's time to teach you a lesson." Darcey thrust her sword at the Assassin, nailing him in the family jewels.
"Little Bitch!"

Bryan lunged as the Assassin shouted at her, fury in his eyes. His swords lashed out. He'd make the man suffer first. And then he'd slowly kill him. His men knew exactly how he worked and they remained on the dock, waiting for his command to strike. He'd never give it unless he was outnumbered and right now, it was Alvarez who was outnumbered.

Alvarez lunged towards Darcey, the Templar he had been ordered to kill, his movements slowed by the pain between his legs.
"He is mine to kill" Darcey growled before she kicked the Assassin to the floor.
"You won't get away with this, Sinner!"
"Who fucking cares" Darcey growled before she thrust her sword into the Assassin's heart. Darcey knelt there, a trembling mess as her rage slowly washed away.

Bryan sat there for a moment before he used Alvarez's shirt to wipe the blood off his swords before he slammed them into their sheaths. His head turned toward the men, who all backed up, expecting him to eat them alive. "Whoever is Darcey's crew, you will need to build up your numbers again. I've already killed those who followed this Assassin. But I swear that if any of you double cross Captain Sinner ever again, I'll rip your throats out and feed you to the sharks!" Then he turned to his own men and swept a hand toward the body. "If Sinner wishes it, men, dump this bastard's body into the ocean for the sharks. They'll eat well tonight."

"I wouldn't want the sharks to choke on him, but I wouldn't want them to starve either." Darcey looked down at the Assassin, and smiled happily. "Come on, men. We have a month before we need to set sail. I'll pay for the supplies, and we can start work tomorrow." Darcey made her way to her quarters, and returned a moment later with her old, leather tricorn hat. "Bastard took my hat. Nobody takes my hat" Darcey said as she dusted off the hat, and put it on. She was smiling from ear to ear. She stripped the Assassin of all weapons and valuables."Toss him overboard. We'll just have to hope that the sharks can digest him." Darcey made her way over to Bryan, a warm smile on her face. "Thank you so much, Bryan. Thank you for everything."

As a couple of his crewmates began to toss the Assassin overboard, Bryan nodded his head at her and grinned behind his mask. A laugh escaped him, sounding as demonic as possible. "He died believing me an Assassin. The Fool." He stated cooly, shifting his hood for a moment. "That is one thing I will never be." The Templar ring shimmered on his hand as though emphasising his words. Then his hand swept around to the rest of his crewmates who had joined him. "Like I said before, my men will help with the repairs of your ship, as well as the recruitment of loyal men to bolster your crew. Don't worry. They know what to look for." He waved a hand in their direction and, shouting "Aye Captain!", left to find her some good loyal men.

"Bryan, could I have a word with you, in private" Darcey asked quietly as she stood close enough to Bryan so that only he would hear. She looked like she had quite a bit to say.

Bryan nodded his head as the splash signaled that the body of the Dead Assassin was now overboard. "Of course." He sounded concerned and glanced between the two ships. "Here in your quarters or in mine?"

"My quarters are closer. So we can talk there. Don't worry, it's nothing to be concerned about." Darcey didn't even wait for an answer, she was already on her way back to her quarters. She disappeared, much like an Assassin.

Bryan followed after her and closed the door once he'd slipped inside. He dropped his hood and pulled his mask off, breathing a sigh of relief at the cool shadows touching his sweaty face. "Now, what did you want to talk about?" He asked calmly, laying his mask on the dresser sitting next to the door.

Darcey quickly wrapped her arms around Bryan, and gave him a huge hug.
"I didn't want to embarrass you in front of your men" Darcey said softly, still hugging Bryan. This was the only way she could think of to express her gratitude to the man who saved her life, and helped her take back her ship.

Bryan wasn't expecting a hug. The instant she'd flung herself at him, his arms had opened and remained suspended in the air for a brief moment before they closed around her in a light embrace. No one had ever hugged him before and he could feel heat radiating from his face. No doubt it was as red as a tomato. After a moment, he cleared his throat in an attempt to regain any composure that he lost. "You're welcome, Darcey." He said, his voice quiet.

Darcey finally released Bryan from her bear hug, and stepped back.
"I owe you a great deal, Bryan. I know you won't stick around. Youhave your own ship, and men to care for. I have to get this wreck fixed, and that'll take about a month. I don't want to weigh you down."

Bryan waved a hand dismissively. "My men will be glad to help. Between you and me, I think they could use a little land time. And a month gives me time to get information on the Twins, more than what I've already gotten. Someone here is bound to know, right?" A grin cracked his face and for a moment his eyes shone. "You're the strangest woman I've ever met, Sinner. I hope I can get to know you better." With those words, Bryan grabbed his mask, put it on and tossed up his hood before he exited her cabin, shouting to his men to remain and help Darcey fix her ship while he slipped onto the land in search of his query.

Darcey watched Bryan leave, her heart sitting in her throat. She shook her head before pulling on her old captain's coat. She left her cabin, and headed straight for the Old Avery. If she was going to help Bryan in his quest for information, the Old Avery was the best bet. Besides, she needed the drink, and the time to think.

Bryan wandered the town, steering clear of any whom he thought looked shady. He didn't know where to even start. Nassau was a place for Assassins and filled to the brim with them. He felt uncomfortable, even with his clothes that hid his identity. The only comfort he had at the moment was the Templar ring sitting proudly on his hand and the weapons that were on his person, the guns at his hips and the twin swords at his back. His eyes were ever watchful.

Darcey sat at the tavern, talking with the barman to get information regarding the twin Assassins. She didn't seem to be bothered by Assassins. Nassau was teaming with thieves, pirates, Assassins, and others that society would consider lowlives. She sort of just blended in amongst the riff-raff.

One man in the tavern was drunk, as was pretty much normal here. He had a bottle of rum in one hand and the other bore the ring of an Assassin. Of a master Assassin. The barman nodded toward the fellow as he drank from the bottle before speaking in a low voice to Darcey. "That man'll probably know more about them than me." He said, flicking his eyebrows up and poured her a drink, as though he'd never said anything at all. "Here you are. Your drink, as requested."

"Thanks." Darcey gave the bartender a few gold coins, and made her way to the Assassin. She took a seat opposite him before taking a sip of her drink. "Nothing is true..." Darcey said calmly. Maybe she could trick the man into thinking that she was an Assassin.

"Eh, what?" The man looked up at her, his eyes narrowed for a moment before he waved his hand dismissively. "Bah. Did the twins send ye? Look, I'm not on a contract! Filthy Templars wouldn't be able ta come here. It's too filled with us Assassins." He hiccuped and took another drink of rum. "Those two will be the death of enjoyment here! They're always so serious." Another hiccup. His breath even smelt heavily of alcohol. He was indeed very drunk. Pff...Assassins.