Legends of the Treasure Child : Demon Spawn

Just his luck! With John immobilized, this was bound to happen! Jack cursed out loud as he watched the great white creature with black wings descend vertically through the mist. That cursed demon must have known something would happen to John. It had been biding its time, waiting for the opportune moment. He felt anger rise within, watched his crew disperse, scrambling for cover or weapons once more. Should he be running as well? With John unable to protect him, the demon could keep him for months. Jack spun on his heel and made for the captain's cabin.

The ship rocked slightly as the demon touched down, and the tremor rippling through the floorboards told Jack that john's magic hexes still worked. Soon, it would begin to sizzle underneath the demon's feet, making it nice and uncomfortable. With this in mind, Jack made it to the cabin. Shutting the door behind him and turning the lock, he quickly took several hiding places into consideration. Underneath the table? Ridiculous. At the far end of the cabin, by the windows? Nope. Tried it before. Better to just wait for it and stand his ground. He was after all Captain Jack Sparrow!
A demanding voice suddenly shouted from outside. It was not the familiar growling of the demon Saieros, and it stopped Jack in his tracks as he listened: ″I demand to speak to the captain of this vessel. Where is my brother's consort?!″

The owner of the voice sounded impatient. More interestingly, the more Jack listened, the more he realised that this was in fact not the demon's voice, but that of an ordinary man. He ventured over to the door, and unfastened the bolts. Peeking outside, he saw a man standing in the middle of the main deck. He was impressive, like a Greek god, with a proud stature. He had long, dark flowing locks of hair which curled their way down to his navel, and from there on one couldn't help but to notice his perfectly flawless...uh, and very naked pelvic area. It was all very human looking, and all though he seemed perfectly at ease with his nudity, Jack couldn't help but to feel affected and a tad embarrassed on the man's behalf. Had there been anything in the man's posture resembling the slightest hint of discomfort, Jack would have felt like he had the upper hand. But feeling positively curious and intrigued by the newcomer, Jack opened his door and ventured outside anyway.

"Childbearer" the stranger says, pointing at Jack. "you bear the child of my brother, Saieros. Tell me, why is it so that he's not here, watching over you in such a dreadful place, so close to the Hellmouth?"

"I don't see why he should" Jack said, shrugging his shoulders, trying to act confident, "it's not as if I matter to 'im."

"I don't believe you! I cannot believe you. You are the Childbearer! You have succeeded where Paris of Troy failed!"

"So? What does it matter that I am able to bring his offspring into this world when he doesn't give an ass' shite about how I feel? He rapes me until he's positive I've conceived, then he leaves me battered and broken until next time!" Jack spoke angrily. Remembering where he was - which was in the centre of the main deck with every eye on him and their sudden guest - made him frown and shut his mouth. Ops. Too much detail. There was more than one crewman who stared wide-eyed at him afterwards.

"This cannot be my brother you speak of!" Sakias exclaimed with disgust on his face. "It's not how we were raised!" he seemed to be paying no attention to the bystanders. «The prince of Troy would never allow such behaviour.»

"Then he's got a funny way of showin' it if ye ask me. He is angry with me because I'm the one bearin' offspring and not he. As if I've stolen his job or something. If ye see 'im ye can tell 'im he can have it back any time. I don't care, I just want to sail happily ever after on me bonnie ship! Now, as much as I'd like to finish this conversation, I have to return to the wheel. John says we must make haste to the Caribbean!" Jack turned his back on the demon, ready to walk away up the stairs to the quarterdeck.

"John? Ah, my youngest brother. Our little brother...!"

"Huh? Ah, of course. John. Any more brothers he's neglected to inform me 'bout?"Jack asked with great sarcasm. His voice was shaking with rage. He didn't quite know why. Perhaps it was the emotions behind the words as he'd described the crimes and tortures he was being put through. Now that there was someone worthy to went it all out on, Jack found himself incapable of stopping it. He wanted to walk away, to hide so he could shed his tears in private. It was unbecoming a captain of the Black Pearl to show such weakness. He started away from the demon again.

«No. We are three warlords born from the loins of Troy and of the Demon King of the Seventh plane. Paris never..! He never -» Sakias' voice trailed off as it shifted from certainty to somewhat sorrowful.

« ̶ I get it. I think" Jack muttered to himself as he walked off to the wheel. This family relationship was getting weirder and weirder. Not to mention John, who had had a multitude of fathers over the eons as well. How things used to be simpler when Jack had been just a pirate. Or had they? Had not his debt to Davy Jones always been in the back of his mind for all those years?! Eloping from the East India Trading Company, Beckett and other dubious characters of the royal navy, chasing after ships, treasures and women? And what of all the misery? What of the thousands of unfair destinies he had witnessed? The hanging of perfectly good people over nothings. Had they not left marks upon his soul? And then it was the Black Pearl. His constant hunger for her, for the feel of the wheel, the constant annoyance of never knowing where to get the next treasure to pay the crew members. Had there not always been something, some situation preventing him from glory and fame? Jack felt the anger in him douse into hopelessness. Feeling slightly depressed over his situation, knowing that his glory days – or what he in his mind had thought to be his glory days at sea – were over.

″If Saieros will not assume responsibility for your situation, then I will″ Sakias told Jack resolutely.

Jack spun on his heel. The fury was back in his face, and he stamped down the stairs, not stopping before he was only a few inches away from Sakias' face. God, how he wanted to just beat the life out of that man!

″Ye make it sound″ Jack began, nearly spitting into the demon's face, ″like I'm some willful child in need of guidance. Or as if I be some fragile, useless wench in need of an arm to cling to!I be perfectly capable of bein' responsible all be me onesies, got it?! I don't need ye, yer brother or yer wretched prince what's-his-face! The only one of ye showin' any sense at all, is John. Now get off me boat before I make ye walk the plank!″ Jack was positively fuming and shaking with barely restrained anger. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some of the crewmen taking cover behind whatever that was nearest. Others, like Mr. Gibbs, was paying careful attention, tightening his grip on his pistol.

″It was never in my intention to upset you″ Sakias replied calmly, his face earnest, like it conveyed an unspoken apology. His eyes was like two big pools for Jack to dive into, and the unspoken invitation -or perhaps the lack of Saieros' usual possessive look - made Jack lose his tongue. He watched as Sakias unfolded his great black wings, and taking off into the foggy air, his shape transformed back into that which Jack had learned to loathe and fear so very much. Jack cursed out loud as his mind came up with a brilliant parting line which would have mortified that mysterious creature, but by then it was too late. The fog had swallowed the last of his black wings, and they were once again left alone, only escorted by the Crimson Lotus.

The brothers met in mid-air. For those who would catch a first glimpse of them, they appeared as twins, dancing elegantly about each other through the air, the black manes on their heads whirling about as if weightless. There was something grotesque yet intriguing about their dance, as they drew closer, touching, smelling and caressing each other for the first time in aeons. Then they'd part, circle about each other again and start their dance all over. They spoke not, but gave each other their thoughts and feelings mentally:

″I have seen your Childbearer″ Sakias told him, ″you have done well in choosing him.″

″Yes. The children are of the finest stock.″

″You speak proudly of him. Of them. Then how come he holds you in contempt?″

″The human knows not its place.″

″Are you sure? He has willingly accepted his fate as Childbearer. He is content with being with child. Yet he cannot bear to be near you. I saw in his heart all the misery and torture you've put him through. Instead of nursing what could have been love between you, you endeavour to invoke fear into the very marrow of his bones.″

″As I said: The human must know its place. Remember our parents. Love is unkind. Love is a fleeting emotion. Love crushed them both. But fear – fear means stability. It's everlasting. As constant as the flow of the mountain rivers. It keeps everything under control. Think not ill of me, brother dearest, for men were meant to be cattle to the demons of the abyss.″

″I hear the words your mind speak, but your heart does not agree. Who are you trying to convince that this may be the truth? Me? Or yourself?!″

″I will not fall into the same treacherous pit as our king did! Humans are seductive, deceitful creatures – childbearers or not!″

″He would love you if you only let him.″

″I did all those things to him so he would go numb, so he would hate me and never think of a union of love. The distance between us is a necessary evil. Unlike our father the king, I remain in control. ″

″You chose rather to be safe than sorry by breaking his heart and spirit before he even knew he had one. That is cruel of you, brother″ Sakias sighed, ″that is not how Paris raised us.″

″Leave the mortal one out of this″ Saieros's voice was like thunder in his brother's head.

″As your brother, the right to his body is equally mine. So is our little brother also entitled to it - ″

″- true enough. Is this what it's all about? Are you looking to get some warlords of your own? If we were both to share the task of pumping him full of sperm, I'm sure he'd be with child a lot more often - ″.

″That's not what I meant, brother mine. He deserves some affection. If you will not give yourself to him, then I will.″

″Whatever″ Saieros snorted contemptuously, ″but you will refrain from stealing him from me while I make him with child.″

″What do you mean? Is there an enemy?″

″Our brother. John. It would seem he has other plans for the Childbearer. He stalls the process of conceiving our offspring. He allows the Childbearer to have time without a child in his belly. He has turned to the Demons of Light for protection, and their powers infest that cursed vessel the Childbearer calls home.″

″I sensed – no, I smelled as much, yes.″

″The Golden Child plays a game of egoism – hiding the Childbearer away from me, provoking me into fights over this toy which he so jealously wants to keep to himself but does not want to use!″

″I shall speak to him. The Childbearer's gifts are too valuable to be wasted.″

*

″Where to, Captain Sparrow?″ Mr. Gibbs said, taking the wheel of the Black Pearl. He glanced at Jack a second time since there was no immediate answer. His observations had been correct then. Captain Sparrow seemed gloomy, lost in thought and nowhere near the present. ″Captain?″ he tried again.

″Just follow the initial course. To the Caribbean. Let's hope there' s some kind of … salvation waitin' there.″

″Aye Capt'n. It's tha' new demon tha' you're thinkin' abou', right? Don't worry, Sir. If he comes back, we'll deal with 'im!″ Mr. Gibbs tried to sound reassuring.

″Wha' ever will I do now? I don't know how to be feelin' abou' this. With John...well, not capable at all to help me, wha' ever will I do against two of 'em?! How's this gonna end, Gibbs?!″

″Maybe now is the right time to be thinkin' alternatively, if ye get me meanin', Sir. Perhaps it's time to go see a priest. Ye know, somethin' to help keep 'em at bay. Maybe an exorcism or a blessed locket or somethin'?″

″Very optimistic of ye, Mr. Gibbs. And wha' am I to do when the first thing they ask of me, would be to kill the unborn life inside of me, which, by the way is currently exercising its legs against me ribs?! Am I to do tha'? I really don't wanna be listenin' to superstitious old hags dressed up in black cloth and white collars who tell me there's no salvation for me soul, but here, let's help ye a little by tyin' ye to the stake and watch ye burn.″ Jack mustered a lopsided smile, then turned his head to stare out into the grey nothingness. He needed to be seeing blue waters and green, lush forest-covered islands again, or soon, or gloominess would overpower him completely. He felt so out of his element, so lost. He'd even go as far as to claim that whatever the liquid was that they were currently sailing through, it certainly was not Caribbean water. If it was water at all.

It was the thought about being further oppressed, that gnawed away at Jack. With two demons to be frightened of, what would there be left but only the illusion of freedom at the wheel of the Black Pearl? In his mind he pictured the two brothers together, hovering over him, their enormous phalluses ready for attack. And rape him they did, in unison, taking pleasure in committing the act together. And John? What about John? He already had great difficulties fending off one of them. Could Jack rely on John devoting his entire existence as Jack's bodyguard?He'd have to be guarded day and night, never allowed to even step out on deck! Jack buried his face in his palms, not paying attention to the ongoing stream of lost ship which passed them. The fog had thickened, and Gibbs was more than occupied with following the lead of the Crimson Lotus. John's ship acted as their only guide now, as Jack's compass spun aimlessly around and around. Nothing else seemed to make sense. It was difficult to say, but it could be the air. Or the clamminess of the fog. But as it thickened around them, hope in their hearts was wearing thin. What was there truly to live for? Finding good reasons not to just drift into oblivion and never again have a care in the world, was becoming increasingly difficult.

″Maybe...″ Jack suddenly whispered. There was a flare of hope in his eyes, ″maybe they can't find me if I stay in the fog!″ Jack grinned. He turned to Mr. Gibbs, and said: ″maybe we should alter course, Mr. Gibbs. Maybe over there″, he said and pointed away from the Crimson Lotus, ″or tha' way! We need to stay in the thickness of the fog, Mr. Gibbs″ Jack said resolutely. The colour in his cheeks were back. He seemed determined on losing himself. But Mr. Gibbs kept his eye on the aft of the Lotus. Answering his captain now would prove disastrous, and it would surely make him lose sight of her.
″What say you, Mr. Gibbs?!″ Jack sounded impatient. ″We must stay in the fog. He will not find us there.″

″I think″, Mr. Gibbs finally said, ″with all possible respect, Sir, tha' you should reconsider.″ Talking while keeping an eye on the vessel in the lead, proved difficult. He had to blink many a time as a wall of particular dense fog seemed to obliterate the view for brief moments.

″So you're unwillin' to help. Step away from the wheel, Mr. Gibbs. That's an order.″

″If we stray from the Crimson now, we may never find our way back out.″

″Who cares?! There's no point in goin' on now, is there? All is lost.″

A sudden splash to the starboard side caught their attention, and Mr. Gibbs cursed as he looked up to peer for the Crimson Lotus again. There was now only a dim outline ahead, and he prayed it was the ship and not a rock they aimed for.

″Man overboard″ one of the crewmen said not too enthusiastically. He sounded like he didn't care. As if there was no hope in salvaging the sailor. And the sailor made no attempt at shouting for help. The Black Pearl drifted on.

″Step away from the wheel, Mr. Gibbs″, Jack directed his attention to the first mate again.

″Remember the seedy inns of Tortuga?″ Gibbs said, ″Do you remember the brand of tha' scotch we used to drink way to much of?! Or was it rum?″ The diverting question seemed to be working, as Jack took his time before answering.

″Rum. It was rum. Singali Rum. Finest rum from Singapore to the Caribbean!″

There was another splash.

″After about three bottles of fine Singali, you'd be balancing on a pig in flight singin' Rule Britannia!″ Mr. Gibbs laughed.

″I only ever made it through the first verse.″

″Before the pig got the better of ye.″

″Nonsense. It was the wenches, curse them! The wenches and their extremely distracting bosoms!″

″Ah, sweet salty wenches of Tortuga!″ Mr. Gibbs exclaimed with a deep sigh. But Jack didn't return the sentiment. It took some seconds for Gibbs to remember why. Salty wenches was no longer an option for Jack. ″You still got your rum!″ Mr. Gibbs said comfortingly.

″Don't be daft. When will I have the opportunity to enjoy a good flask of rum if I am to be haunted by demons every second of me life?″

To this, Gibbs had no reply. He could have said that Jack simply had to learn to live with them, but that would be unfair considering what they put him through once they got their hands on him.

″Turn to starboard, now, Gibbs″ Jack finally said after a long while of silence. It sounded more as a plea than a command, and Gibbs felt his hands beginning to move the wheel almost involuntarily. Forcing himself to stay on course seemed the only option. It was however not long before a sharp pain protruded in the back of his head, and then everything went black.

The familiar wood of the wheel of the Black Pearl wasn't as reassuring as he'd hoped it would be. But as his mind once again settled on the entangled matter of the three demon brothers he'd managed to become a part of, it did not seem difficult at all to just veer the ship a little to the right. The Black Pearl soon plummeted into a thick bulk of fog again, a bulk much thicker than before. It was so thick that Jack felt he was inside a small cubicle. It became impossible even to see his own crew on deck, and the fog soon gobbled up every sound there was. The wheel seemed to become the only solid object around, and feeling quite dizzy, Jack held on to it until the knuckles on his hands whitened. He looked down as he realized something trickled between his legs. His breeches were all bloody, and a warm stream of water tickled his thighs. He couldn't quite remember why this was happening. Why was he bleeding? A jab of pain shot through his abdomen, and it made him cringe. Still, he held on to the wheel as if his life depended on it. Whatever that was happening, it was happening fast.

When it was over, Jack still clung to the wheel. He was squatting, his thighs shivering from the strain, and his eyes remained shut. He was still gasping for air between gritted teeth, but it felt as if it was all over. Whatever had been inside had forced its way out. It had been long, slimy and Jack recalled the wet touch of feathers on his calves. What had frightened him, was the way the infant cries had evolved into something else crying – something unearthly. All though his eyes had remained shut the entire time, he'd sensed the creature beneath him grow before it had crawled away. The whining had turned to sobbing growls, and Jack sensed that the creature was still around.

He opened his eyes slowly, peering through barely slitted eyelids. The grey thickness was all around. He knew he had gone wrong. He shouldn't have – something. He regretted his actions but couldn't remember what it was. Looking to his right, he discovered an unconscious Gibbs lying face down on the floorboards just behind him. He lay sprawled, his hand partly suspended in mid-air at the beginning of the stair leading down to the main deck. That made Jack remember something: He was on the The Pearl. And if he was on the Pearl, then it was the wheel of the Pearl he was holding on to. He turned his head to gaze left, and was startled to find a tall looking creature with black hair, black wings and black skin gazing back at him with golden glowing eyes.

″What manner of creature be you?!″ Jack asked as he felt himself going dizzy. He slipped down to a kneeling position with awkward, painful movements.
He had to let go off the wheel, and the sense of defeat of having to let go was replaced by relief of being able to rest his weary limbs.

″I be your son″ the creature said with a velvety voice. His face seemed sincere as it expressed sympathy, his brows drawn up in worry. ″You are lost. You despair. You are without protection. And though I find myself a stranger to most things, I will try to protect you until you find your way. But I must ask one thing of you.″

″What be tha'?″ Jack slurred, finding it hard to keep his eyes open.

″My name. You must tell me my name and thus claim me as your own before someone else do!″ The stranger said. He sounded frightened.

″A name? Oh. Let me see. Erastus. Aye, that's it. Erastus Sparrow″ Jack said before he passed off into blissful sleep.

″The Loving One″ Erastus said, his eyes beaming with pride. ″For you, father, I shall be the loving one. Though my time inside you was too short, I've already been given plentiful of love. More than enough to know that you cannot linger in this place.″

Not knowing what else to do, Erastus closed his eyes and searched through space and time for someone to help.