[26 / 1 / 1]
"Gill and Kane, stay here and keep watch. Alert us if anybody sails near the wreckage. The rest of you, with me."
“Yessir, boss!”
Two men split off from the group and stand guard by the gaping hole that had allowed you all an entrance. It was a miracle the remains of the ship were afloat at all, nearly half of it shorn off by Sea Devil knows what. You count yourself lucky you weren't a part of the battle and count yourself even luckier that you and the rest of the bandits got here first.
Somehow, you doubt even your imagination can conceive the type of loot a ship from the fleet of an Emperor of the Sea might contain.
You proceed down the hallway, avoiding the gouges in the flooring and the dagger-sharp planks sticking out of the walls. The primary instinct that strikes you is to hover at the back of the pack, but there seems to be constant jockeying for position over there - no good bandit welcomes a backstabbing - so you stay where you are and keep your eyes and ears open. This wasn't your first job with these guys, but that was no invitation to let your guard down.
The boss kicks down a door and steps inside a room up ahead. With furtive looks at each other, the rest of you follow suit and funnel in. Scattered gasps and murmurs fill the silence of the chamber.
The chamber was chock-full of glittering, glorious treasure chests.
"Boys... we hit the JACKPOT!" The boss of the bandits nearly stumbles; such is his excitement in approaching the nearest chest. The rings on his hand clink together as he reaches for the clasp that separates riches from the ragged. One more step...
But of course, could it have ever been so simple?
"Boss!" the shout travels from the front of the wreck, faint, but not faint enough that you fail to discern the panic in his voice. "There's a pirate cre━!"
A crack of thunder swallows his final words. A body slumps to the ground on your left.
<span class="mu-i">Huh?</span>
It feels like time grounds to a halt for a precious few seconds, as your eyes trail from the corpse, to the hole where the bullet entered the room, to then finally land on the hole it left exiting. One bullet. Had you been a mere three steps to the left, that would’ve been your end.
All of you hit the deck. You wait a beat, but no further shots ring out. You peer over at the boss and notice that he’s still eyeing the chests, that familiar glint of greed in his eyes warring with fear and uncertainty.
What do you plan to do?
>You’ll follow the boss’s orders; your best bet for staying alive is to stick with the others.
>You’ll betray the boss and the rest of the bandits at the first opportunity; you want all the treasure for yourself, and maybe you can use this chaos to your advantage.
>You’ll cut and run the moment you find a way; you don’t want to end up dead, even if treasure beckons.
>You’ll be arresting all of them; because you’re a Marine in disguise, conducting a sting operation.
“Yessir, boss!”
Two men split off from the group and stand guard by the gaping hole that had allowed you all an entrance. It was a miracle the remains of the ship were afloat at all, nearly half of it shorn off by Sea Devil knows what. You count yourself lucky you weren't a part of the battle and count yourself even luckier that you and the rest of the bandits got here first.
Somehow, you doubt even your imagination can conceive the type of loot a ship from the fleet of an Emperor of the Sea might contain.
You proceed down the hallway, avoiding the gouges in the flooring and the dagger-sharp planks sticking out of the walls. The primary instinct that strikes you is to hover at the back of the pack, but there seems to be constant jockeying for position over there - no good bandit welcomes a backstabbing - so you stay where you are and keep your eyes and ears open. This wasn't your first job with these guys, but that was no invitation to let your guard down.
The boss kicks down a door and steps inside a room up ahead. With furtive looks at each other, the rest of you follow suit and funnel in. Scattered gasps and murmurs fill the silence of the chamber.
The chamber was chock-full of glittering, glorious treasure chests.
"Boys... we hit the JACKPOT!" The boss of the bandits nearly stumbles; such is his excitement in approaching the nearest chest. The rings on his hand clink together as he reaches for the clasp that separates riches from the ragged. One more step...
But of course, could it have ever been so simple?
"Boss!" the shout travels from the front of the wreck, faint, but not faint enough that you fail to discern the panic in his voice. "There's a pirate cre━!"
A crack of thunder swallows his final words. A body slumps to the ground on your left.
<span class="mu-i">Huh?</span>
It feels like time grounds to a halt for a precious few seconds, as your eyes trail from the corpse, to the hole where the bullet entered the room, to then finally land on the hole it left exiting. One bullet. Had you been a mere three steps to the left, that would’ve been your end.
All of you hit the deck. You wait a beat, but no further shots ring out. You peer over at the boss and notice that he’s still eyeing the chests, that familiar glint of greed in his eyes warring with fear and uncertainty.
What do you plan to do?
>You’ll follow the boss’s orders; your best bet for staying alive is to stick with the others.
>You’ll betray the boss and the rest of the bandits at the first opportunity; you want all the treasure for yourself, and maybe you can use this chaos to your advantage.
>You’ll cut and run the moment you find a way; you don’t want to end up dead, even if treasure beckons.
>You’ll be arresting all of them; because you’re a Marine in disguise, conducting a sting operation.
