Sally Island 32

But that wasn't the case for Aisha, she was making a move for the enemies who had already started crossing the line and jumping into their ship. The stomp on her bare feet left cracks on the ship deck, such feet comes from long walks on bare feet in the Stoney hard soil area she grew up back at home before she got kidnapped into slavery. "Kill em all" Mudshark kept shouting seeing the agility from his crew! His words motivated them more! He would tear down anyone he comes across and still have the energy to scream words that motivate others. Aisha loved fighting side by side with Mudshark. Aisha would locate Mudshark after a kill with her eyes and a smile. "If they invade our lands..." He would scream at her from his side of the battle, "we will invade their waters" she would reply still slicing whoever the blades of her sword meets. She turned around and Mudshark was just behind her watching her clean off the blood of his arch enemy Johnbull. Johnbull didn't get the fight he wanted in his heart. He had always thought he would settle his scores with Mudshark one on one. But in the clash, no one actually knew who was who. Aisha would have let Mudshark take his master out himself , but she didn't know he was the famous Johnbull. He wasn't even much of a task to her, she pierced through his chest while he was still trying to climb the ship from his. 

Aisha let him crawl in and slump, and funny enough he was the last kill to victory. Mudshark was yelling "leave him for me running towards her" she didn't know he was talking to him until she turned around to see him up close behind her with a smile on his face. "That's JohnBull you just killed", "that's him?" She asked shocked "and he couldn't even swing at me for once, I would expect more from him with all that reputation" Mudshark smiled and hugged her with his arm still holding his sword, he whispered "he is a slaver not a warrior". 

It was victory again for Mudshark and his crew. This time against a major name in the slave business, this would go a long way in catapulting Mudshark's reputation. The whole crew was jubilating while moving their things into Johnbull's ship, which had little damage compared to theirs which was already slowly sinking. Johnbull's ship was bigger and stronger  much more preferable to Mudshark's. So before the ship would totally sink, they salvaged as much as they could from the sinking ship. 

With smoke oozing out seriously and the crew being very busy, no one paid attention to the dead bodies lying around on the sinking boat. Usually, a death confirmation round takes place before anything but since the boat was sinking, they didn't even have time to pay respect to their lost soldiers. Johnbull wasn't as dead as Aisha thought. He still had some energy left, enough to pull out his 1816 flintlock pistol and laughed, coughing out blood, Aisha's sword ruptured his internal organs alright but didn't do the deed. "Remember when I got this bad boy?" John Bull asked Mudshark, drawing everyone's attention as he tried to get up. "Remember? After we invaded those Chinese ships loaded with pure gun powder we stored for years without proper use, remember?" He coughed out more blood and continued, this time everyone had paused seeing that Johnbull had pointed the gun at Mudshark, no one wanted to make a wrong move so as to not get their captain shot. "I was tired of carrying a rapier and you suggested I get this instead since I wasn't so good with  the rapier as you were" Mudshark was utterly speechless, it seems Johnbull was winning again. The whole crew froze out trying hard to stand still on a sinking ship. "Remember we had to look for the best dealer, you suggested we go to Madam Susan the widow of Captain Dru the gun powder merchant. Remember?" 

Mudshark had already started making peace with his fate, asking his men to stand down. "Yeah yeah, John, enough withe the speech, get it over with so Aisha can pierce your heart slowly or better yet leave you to sink with the ship you destroyed over your pride." Mudshark wanted to piss Johnbull off so he would get exhausted by the energy he will waste being angry. "I didn't even come for you or prepare for your coming and I still defeated you, what do you think that means?" Mudshark  asked Johnbull . "Even on my worst day" Mudshark continued "you are no match to me. "Well it's sad you are going to die by a weapon you picked for me" Mudshark's heart began beating fast, he would imagine that he would be fearless about death now with all his experiences but like they say, bravery isn't really the absence of fear. It was actually funny he was about being shot with a weapon he picked for his old master. Fleming had been standing next too Mudshark all these while listening to Johnbull go on and on with his tiring speech, he just paid close attention to his finger on the trigger, just as Johnbull used his last breath to to squeeze the trigger, Fleming jumped in front of Mudshark and took the Bullet. 

The bullet had pierced through Fleming's chest as he dropped to the floor bleeding seriously. Aisha ran to Johnbull and slit his throat. Mudshark in an effort to save Fleming, ripped his shirt apart to see the bullet wounds clearly, but he was surprised. Fleming had breasts, shocked to his marrow, he pulled back and called out for help, "what's happening? I thought he was a lad what's with the breasts?" Aisha ordered for Fleming to be carried out of the sinking ship first. The whole crew abandoned the sinking ship leaving whatever they wanted to move from the ship to gather around the dying Fleming. He had been a wonder friend and they liked him. Fleming was already dying, and couldn't speak much, he removed the cap he always wore and the scarf he used to tie up his hair. He was a girl, "I couldn't stand not being around you" she whispered to Mudshark, bringing out some coins from her pocket with a note. That was when Mudshark started realizing that Fleming was actually Victoria. Victoria was the lady that found Mudshark half dead after he was beaten by some men Johnbull sent after him some years back. Victoria took Mudshark home and treated him, she fell in love with him but Mudshark was much hurt by what happened with his wife and Johnbull, Mudshark never gave Victoria a chance, instead he snuck out leaving some money and a note. 

Story: Nnagoziem The Vyrus Udensi 

Illustrations: Chevelin Pierre