Jack turned and looked at the man who spoke to him; he immediately became nervous. The man that clutched his shoulder was very large, obviously a foot taller than him and much more muscular. There were two hideous scars on his face and another one across his chest; it showed prominently within the large neckline of his shirt. A long coat with the sleeves ripped off covered his shoulders and draped over him past his knees. His hair was wild and looked untamable. His eyes exuded malice and his smile revealed a level of joy only a demon could experience.

“Who are you?” asked Black Jack with a small hint of anxiety. The large man answered his question “I was sort-of hoping you would already know.” The man’s voice was low and rough, implying that he was an old but still very strong man. “Oh well” the man declared “I guess I really should tell you.” There was a brief pause as the man crouched down slightly and put his hand on Jack’s other shoulder. The man then said “My name is Bartholomew D. Clevenger.” Jack’s eyes widened as he froze in fear. He heard that name before and he knew the gruesome title that was associated with it. “My god.” stated Black Jack softly “You’re the Butcher of Victoria Bay.” “That’s right.” said Clevenger with a smile. “What the hell do you want from me?!” Jack demanded dreadfully. “Not much really.” explained Clevenger “I just want to kill you.” “W-what?! Why?! What did I ever do to you?!” Jack queried. “Oh, it’s nothing personal.” replied Clevenger “I just want to fight you in a duel to the death.” “A duel?” Jack asked nervously “To the death?” “Right again.” said Clevenger “You see, I’ve been hearing stories about your impressive combat skills…and I want to see if those stories are true.” Clevenger gave Jack a wicked grin and a brief pause followed. Jack just stared at Clevenger with a horrified look in his eyes. The wild-haired butcher asked Jack “What’s the matter, Black Jack? Do I scare you?” Jack quickly answered “N-no! Of course not!” Jack’s response was obviously a lie. He was terrified and that was something Clevenger knew with certainty. The Butcher figured that Jack wouldn’t be a challenge if he was scared witless, so he decided to rectify Jack’s fear.

“You know Jack,” started Clevenger “If I kill you, I’m going to celebrate your death. Do you know how I’ll do that?” Jack darted his eyes around momentarily and then shook his head “no”. Clevenger responded “First off, I’ll slaughter your wife like the worthless swine that she is. Then, I’ll shatter your friend’s spine and drop him into the ocean. Finally, I’ll hunt down and kill the rest of your friends just for fun.” Clevenger’s toothy grin grew wider. “That’s how I’ll celebrate my victory.” Jack’s eyes widened but then squinted in anger. His fear dissipated and rage began to course through him. He forced Clevenger’s arm off his shoulders and then grabbed the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. “If you hurt them I swear I’ll…” Clevenger interrupted his declaration. “I wouldn’t try anything if I were you.” “Why not?” Jack asked crossly “You wanted to fight me, right? Why not now?” Clevenger responded to the inquiry “Take a look around you, Jack. You’ll see why.” Jack stared at Clevenger for a moment and then glanced around the crowded tavern.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A couple bar wenches served drinks to the various patrons, the patrons all went about their own business, and Travus sat with Trixie while trying to keep her spirits up. Furthermore, the patrons themselves were all quite different. Some were tall, others were short; some were fat, others were skinny; some were muscular and others were not. There was nothing there that linked anything to anything else; except for one thing. All of the tavern’s patrons, besides Trixie and Travus, had the same symbol on their clothing. The symbol resembled a dragon’s head with an axe behind it. “They all have the same pirate seal” stated Jack. “They all have “my” pirate seal” retorted Clevenger. Jack returned his gaze back to Clevenger. The Butcher explained Jack’s situation. “You see Jack, if you tried to attack me, five of my men would restrain you. I’d then rush in and snap your neck. While this is going on, the rest of my men would attack your wife and friend. They’d be butchered alive in a matter of moments and you’d be left on the floor as nothing more than a twitching corpse.” Black Jack started to sweat and his eye flinched. “So understand this Jack. When you fight me, you’ll be doing so on my terms.” Once Clevenger finished his rationalization, he flashed Jack another wicked and toothy grin. Black Jack released the hilt of his blade, realizing that Clevenger had the upper hand. “Alright Clevenger” stated Jack “What do you want me to do?” Clevenger chuckled and then spoke. “Meet me at Roaric’s Cliff by sunset tomorrow. The cliff can be found ten miles away from Augusta’s western border. You’ll have to go through the Craggy Forest before you reach Roaric’s Cliff. We’ll have our duel there…and you’ll come alone.” “I understand.” said Jack. “Very good” replied Clevenger as he began to walk away from the counter. “Oh, one last thing” Clevenger stated “I’ll need some…insurance.” Black Jack cocked an eyebrow “What kind of…” Jack’s face suddenly surged with pain. He had been struck with Clevenger’s fist and knocked down to the floor. Jack was sprawled out across the wooden surface and he began to lose consciousness. Before passing out, the last thing he heard was Trixie screaming “Let me go”. “Let me go”.

artwork and story copyright SatsumaLord
all characters copyright their respective owners

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