The Profane, A Warship

Joseph walked down the dock and met with the Captain of The Scarbourer.

"Evening Captain, are we ready to sail?" Joseph inquired, he looked over the large frigate.

"Indeed we are Master Wiles. The wind is in our favor. Shouldn't take more than four hours." The captain happily reported.

"Good. Let's make haste then. I don't want to lose that French ship." Joseph boarded the frigate, followed by the captain. They made their way past the mixture of black and red uniforms into the captains cabin.

Joseph sat down at the other side of the desk and the captain asked, "Why is the French ship even docking in Black Range? There is almost nothing there."

"I'm not sure. But I can trust my sources. And once we take that ship it will be a privilege to repay this favor, Captain."

John and Fredrick went and sat down on the starboard side of the ship. John did not want deal with anyone for a while. He just wanted to sit in peace and rest for a bit. Nowadays he did not get much time to himself. Running the Street Dogs kept him busy.

Fredrick how ever did not want to just sit. He wanted to talk with the men of the Knights and learn their stories and John could see it in his eyes. "Go ahead just do not over do it. Otherwise O'Riley will have my head." John said with a smirk.

Fredrick took of from John. Fredrick was like a kid in a candy shop. John just sat there enjoying the cold misty breeze of the ocean. John enjoyed the peacefulness of doing nothing.

The Knights were mostly new to the art of sailing. So they observed the practices of The Scarbourers crew and took every oppurtunity to learn. They helped the British crew with anything they could. After they took the French warship, they would have to sail it without the assistance of the brits, so they needed to learn.

Joseph walked around the deck, and brushed up on his knowledge of sailing. He spoke to a few Knights and assured them that they were doing great. He found Addison talking with the quartermaster of The Scarbourer.

"It truly is a great night for sailing. Shouldn't be more than two hours until we reach the warship." Joseph said.

Addison pondered, "What are we doing once we find it?"

"Well we are going to find fhe best way to take the ship with minimal casualties. If the crew is on Black Range and it is nearly empty, we can board it. If the crew is still on board, we can use the crew of The Scarbourer to draw them landside." Joseph leaned against a wall and smiled.

John still resting. He had his hood pulled over his head. John could over hear Joseph talking to Addison.

"How are you going to us the crew of a ship to bring the crew of a different ship on land?" he said from underneath his hood.

Addison was silent for a moment. "You intend to use the crew of the Scarbourer? Is the captain alright with that?"

"Of course he is. We will dock on the other side of the island, the English crew will go onto the island and draw the French crew out with gunfire and whatnot. While in the meantime, The Knights are traveling around the island via rowboat to board and capture what remains of the french, and their warship." Joseph leaned against the railing.

John could see the slight awkwardness in Addison's face. He was now between the two men that he to pick to follow and last time it almost ended bad.

John lean forward sliding off his hood, "Okay, the rowboats sounds like a good idea, but why would any french get off the ship. They have the high ground on the ship so shooting would be easier. Also I know the British and French are at war, but a random attack like this still would seem out of the ordinary don't you think?"

Joseph smirked. "John, you are a guest. A guest aboard an English and Knight ship. I will not have my authority or the authority of the captain questioned. Especially considering the fact that you are an illegal mercenary who has killed english citizens. The fact that your neck hasn't met a noose yet is purely me being a gentleman. The second the captain finds out what you really are, the second you continue to be a thorn in my side, is the second you decide to continue questioning me. I know exactly what I am doing. The French will be forced to leave the ship because they won't be in range to fight back. The English will be covered by the shrubbery of the island and even if they attack from the ship, we will come at them from behind on the boats. I kindly suggest you put a cork in it, before this trip gets uglier than it needs to be." Joseph said, turning to John and being clear.

Addison smiled and liked the idea. "It seems to be efficient sir."

Yes sir" John said with a smirk. John just started to think about the weapons on the french ships that reached more then musket could, but he was told to be silent, so he thought to himself "I hope the captain won't mind losing most of his crew."

John put his hood over his head and leaned back. He could tell that Joseph had gotten more experience under his belt, but he was not quiet as good as Joseph thought about himself.

An hour later, the island came into view. They approached from the rear of the Island, where the ship would be unseen. They got as close to the island as they could, and sent the naval Marines and soldiers off onto the island, along with the captain. They walked through the snow to the middle of the island, where the french vessel could be seen, and the British were hidden by the white snowy trees.

At the same time, The Knights were rowing around the island. Joseph decided to take John with him because he knew although the man was annoying, he is a good fighter. He also brought the patient so that he wouldnt have to waste time taking him off the Scarbourer later. The Knights were just around the corner from the ship, while the British were preparing to attack.

Joseph ask, well more demanded that John and Fredrick come with them for the sneak attack on the french ship. John was glad to come, but less so for Fredrick to come along. Even though Fredrick could hold his own in a fight and could probably give Joseph a run for his money for shooting, Fredrick was not fit to fight. John could already see Fredrick to start turning pale for not having the medicine he needed.

Fredrick had some kind of sickness that would drain him of all of his energy with in three days of not taking his medicine. The first two days with no medicine, Fredrick would look perfectly normal, but the third day he would start to grow extremely pal. He would become very sleepy and after a while he would be in a state of almost a coma. O'Riley had no idea of the actual disease, but he was able to at least keep it under control.

John would have never let someone John the guild, at least not as a normal worker, but Fredrick did not really get a choice. He was left in the hands of O'Riley about a month and half ago after a few local mercs came in after a bad job. They had came in got fixed up and before Fredrick recovered they were gone. O'Riley used one of his favors to make John let Fredrick join.

Fredrick quickly grew on John. John took him under his wing and was slowly letting him go on jobs, until just recently when O'Riley told John they were running low on the medication.

John and Fredrick were on a ship with Joseph, Addison, and a few other Knights. As they turned the corner The ship came into view. John recognized the ship. He had a slight chill down his spine. He then leaned over to Joseph and said, "Is that the ship you are going after?"

Joseph sighed, annoyed. "Yes, it is. And iTs also the ship which will help us retrieve your medicine. So if we fail, your friend dies. I implore you to fight as hard as the Knights will." Joseph kept to a whisper, and the sound of the oars hitting the water was peaceful and quiet.

They were slowly approaching the ship. They just had to close the remaining distance and await their qeue to board.

"Yeah I know I had to fight hard. You already know that I enjoy a good fight, but do you realize what ship that is?" John responded back in a whisper, but with a little unease in his voice. John's face also showed a little fear on it.

"Something along the lines of the sword, or the shield in french. I never cared much to remember the name of a ship which won't be french much longer." Joseph checked to see that his hidden blades were operational, and ejected them as they slowly approached the rear of the ship.

"That's the thing, is not a french ship. It flies a french flag and has a french shield on it only for looks. It is a that was taken during the war by pirates. They use the french look to get past check points with ease. The men on that ship can fight a lot better the the french cowards. They also a lot more willing to spill blood," John finished looked directly into Joseph's eyes.

"Lucky for them, so are we. I've fought pirates before. They are talked about as monsters but they are just men. Men with nothing left to live for in their homeland." Joseph stood up as they reached the ship and announced to all of the men, "Alright, Addison and his ten men will climb into the crews quarters quietly and kill as many men as they can stealthily. The rest of us will climb the side of the ship and wait for our signal from the British soldiers. The signal is the sound of gunfire in the distance." Joseph turned back to John.

"You can go with Addison or fight with the rest of us when we get the signal. I don't really care which you choose. Just don't get in the way." Joseph said. He flipped up his black hood and scaled the side of the man o war along with his 20 men. The other ten, and Addison, crawled up the side of the ship, and into the crews quarters via the gun holes.

"Fredrick stay here if anything goes awry make sure there is a clear way for us two to get out of here. Fredrick nodded holding his a musket. He was getting paler.

John went along with Addison to take out the men on the inside. As they entered they could see the men. Only a few of them were actually asleep. Most of them were still up gambling. There was about fifteen men. They were broken up into three groups of gamblers.

John then looked at Addison and tapped his nose as he sniffed. Addison sniffed a few times, "I do not smell anything."

"Exactly, where is the rum," John responded. These pirates weren't drink.

The whole group slowly moved close. A few of knights went to kill the men a sleep. John could hear them slipping their hidden blades into the men throats, but then all of sudden one of the pirates start to flail causing a large ruckus. All the men in the circles turned and drew blade. They had spotted them.

"well this went well," John drew his blunderbuss. As he did that he heard the sound of the British men firing.

The British captain yelled, "Fire!" And Lead bullets fell upon the pirate crew. A few pirates were hit on the top deck but most were out of range. As they heard the gunshots, most pirates turned and focused more on the island. Which is when Joseph and his 20 men erupted from the opposite side of the ship.

The Knights drew their blades and got a few pirates off guard. Then they realized what was happening and one of them shouted "We're under attack!". The rest grabbed their weapons and began to fight The Knights. Joseph grabbed his sword and dagger, and ruthlessly slaughtered pirate after pirate. He had a smirk on his face the whole time. The first swung his sword and Joseph, so he blocked with the dagger and stabbed him with the sword. The second and third rushed him at the same time, so he drew his pistol, shot one of them, and sliced the other while he was caught off guard.

The bullets hitting the deck sounded like a heavy rain. John then fired his blunderbuss. The pellets shot out and killing one and crippling two others. The knights attacked. Addison led the charge. Some of the pirates rushed the on common attackers while other pulled their pistols. A few fired and a few knights hit the ground. John charged in with his ax drawn. Addison blocked a slash and John finished him off with a slash to the stomach.

Addison and John worked together. John caught a blade with his ax and Addison lunged in for the kill. Addison kicked a man off balance and John slashed through his neck. John blocked for Addison and Addison would take the opening. They worked well together.

The knights had finished off the pirate blew and started to head to the deck. John and Addison fellow them and then out of nowhere a shot was fired. John turned to see Addison falling to the floor. One of the pirate on the floor pulled his pistol out. John quickly swung his ax to smash in the pirates head.

He then went to Addison, "Are you alright?" He said as he bent down to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nothing to major, just hit my shoulder," Addison respond with his teeth slightly clenched, "Now get up there and help Master Wiles."

John rested Addison against the wall and then head up on deck. He could see that there were more pirates then Knights, but it looked like the knights were holding there own.

Joseph killed two more pirates, and then a third as he let out a battle cry. He viciously swung and slashed, heavily hitting anyone who got in his way. His fighting style was a mix between Edward Kenway and Shay Cormac, free style, yet well performed.

The Knights were holding out well. They only lost a few when the pirates were closing the distance with guns. The Knights continued fighting bravely and savagely. The pirates began to notice how much of a fighter Joseph was, and began to see him as a monster.

John could see the pirates were slowly being pushed back by the knights. John then laid his eyes on Joseph. It look like he was doing a pretty good time, but something was off. Joseph looked a little to wild. His kills were sloppy. Some didn't even look like full kill strokes.

Before John could figure out what made him uneasy about watching Joseph a pirate slashed at him. He dodged and tripped the man with his ax and then crushed his skull. John had to start paying attention to the fight.

Joseph came across the captain, after killing two more pirates. The captain charged Joseph with a flurry of fast slashes and cuts. Joseph took a few steps back and shot him in the head with his second pistol. The pirates stopped fighting as soon as they realized their captain was dead.

Joseph lowered his hood, and spat on the dead captains body. The Knights rounded up what was left of the pirates, around 20 people, and put them in a group for Joseph to talk to.

"I know what it's like to live under a tyrant. We all do. His shit wages, his intolerable stupidity, and his rediculous plans." Joseph gestured to the dead captain as he strafed back and forth. "I will give you a choice. You can take an English pardon and return to London penniless, but free. Or you can join The Knights, and sail this beautiful vessel once more, for the good guys. Working under me, you make a steady income, receive free training, and get food and places to stay."Joseph stoppedand looked at the mood of the audience. They all looked intrigued. "Not to mention everytime we take a prize and get some extra coin, you get extra income too. And as a matter of fact, we are about to go underway to sink some pirate vessels South East of here..." Joseph inquired. "Are you men of fortune? Because that's what you'll always be in The Knights." He said. The pirates looked like they were turned over. The Knights began to give the pirates sash's with the Knights emblem on them.

"You have all made a wonderful decision." Joseph said. He walked over to the cargo hold to check inside of it.

John followed him, "Impressive work up here." John said actually impressed with Joseph's skills. "A few knights fell in the crew's quarters and Addison got shot in the shoulder, but he should be fine. So what is the next step in your major plan?"

"We sail for the medicine and the pirate fleet. Get someone to lower the french flag, that's the sign of a successful mission for the British. I'm going to see what's in the cargo hold and then we set sail. If you can, take care of Addison shoulder." Joseph walked to the cargo hold, and noticed he had been cut across the hand in the middle of his fury. He ripped off a piece of a dead man's uniform and wrapped it around his hand. He looked into the cargo hold. It was empty of anything valuable besides rum and supplies.

John went to Addison, "You still holding up?"

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. How did the fight go?" Addison said not really caring about the wound.

"It is went pretty well. Not many causality. Now let me take a look at that wound."

John only had a little knowledge of treating wounds from O'Riley. John took a look at the wound. It was not bleeding too bad. It looked like the bullet had not gone too deep in. John would not be able to get it out now, but it should not be to hard for someone with the right skills. John started to wrap the wound with some clothes off a dead knight. He figured it would be better then a pirate's clothes.

"Okay lets go," John said as he lifted Addison up supporting Addison shoulder.

As they started to walked to the deck Addison said, "Just because we fought well together does not make us friends."

"I did not expect it to. It was us just make sure ourselves would make it to the next fight," John replied.

Joseph came back topside and saw that the flag was lowered. The British began to go back to The Scarbourer and join The French vessel on the mission to loot and disable the pirates.

Speaking of french vessel, it needs a name. Joseph walked up to the helm of the ship and announced loudly for everyone to hear, "This French-Pirate vessel is no longer owner by the anarchists and revolutionaries who previously sailed it. Which means it needs a new name." He waited a few seconds for suspense to build. "The Profane is now under the possession of The Knights. Secular, and knowledgable, rather than religious and blindly devoted. A 'Fuck you' to the kings and idiot tyrants who think they can control everyone, as if we are idiots."

The men cheered and laughed. They were in agreement with the ships name. Soon, the sails were down and The Profane was en route to the pirate fleet, followed closely by The Scarbourer.