The Closing Ceremonies

Jonas‘ ship the King of the Wind approached the island at full tilt. They could already hear the thunder of cannon fire as soon as they rounded the island. The last of the competitions were underway and the best of the best were giving their all in an attempt to win lucrative jobs. The muffled roar of the cheering crowd drifted over to them from a distance. After certain shots the crowd swelled with applause, though a few boos and catcalls were peppered in with their reactions to the battle. They finally rounded the tip of the island, thus revealing the spectacle of the competition in full view and Jonas' heart skipped a beat in pure astonishment.



Over several different clearly-marked battlefields, there were dozens of pirate ships fighting it out for control of the seas. Some of the ships were large and round, while others were smaller and more maneuverable. The cannons flashed as they fired unceasingly and great billows of smoke drifted towards the heavens. On one side, there was a frigate that was engaged in battle with two smaller ships. While one of the sloops started to go down in flames, the other sloop got in position to attack the other, larger vessel. Dozens of cannons fired at the frigate, which shuddered in response to the onslaught of the explosions. The ship burst into splinters and tatters, as some of the crew members were tossed like ragdolls overboard. Little brigantines navigated between the pirate ships while the crowd of spectators cheered and that's when Jonas finally noticed the huge stage on the shore that must have offered a fantastic view of the battlefield.


“Sail along the edge of the David battlefield so that we can make it past unscathed. And don't forget to raise the white flag.”

Slowly, they made their way for the harbor and, therefore, their final destination...

The noose
Jonas and his crew – including Lamar, David and George – leisurely made their way along the harbor. They were all dressed as carpenters, just as they had been ordered to do. Two of the crew members carried the gunpowder in a barrel, on the outside of which stood a bold Karuma North Face script that read, “Karuma's Finest Wine.” So far, so good. The harbor around them was alive with action and no one had even seemed to notice them as yet. As the approached the stage, a man with three sentinels walked towards them in a fluster. “Halt! Where do you think you're going with those barrels,” he asked sharply.

“It's wine from Karuma,” replied Jonas. “The finest wine from Karuma, to be exact,” he continued. The man studied Jonas long and hard. Jonas started to itch, anxious that these were in fact not his liaisons. The sentinels were suddenly very uneasy. All of a sudden, the man stiffened and winked knowingly at Jonas. “Very well, carry on. You'd do well to store these barrels under the stage. There's still plenty of space for them there.”

As they continued, Jonas surveyed his surroundings once more. The man was still standing in the same place, staring grimly after him and his crew. There were a few people lingering under the stage. Jonas knew if they made haste, everything would go off without a hitch. They stacked the barrels directly under the spot where the five heads of the merchant houses were sitting.

“Alright, let's get to work! We still have to set the fuse and the get the hell outta here! We'll soon have all of this behind us.” Jonas saw the anxiety in his crew members' eyes. Even George, who was normally a ray of sunshine, had sweat beading on his forehead. They placed the fuse so that it was not visible at first glance, wrapped it around a pillar a few times and then ran it down the left side of the stage. Not a soul was in sight.


“The fuse should to be long enough so that we have enough time to make it out of range of the blast safely. I'm going to light it now … when I count to three, run like hell!” Jonas struck the match on the ground beneath the stage and it lit with a hiss. He inched the flame ever closer to the fuse, “One.” Above them the crowd erupted in in jubilation as another ship was sent down to the bottom of the sea. “Two,” the lit match was just inches away from the fuse. “Thr …”

“STOP! PUT OUT THAT MATCH RIGHT NOW!“ shrieked a voice from behind them. Collectively, they turned their heads to see 15 harbor sentinels surrounding them, muskets drawn and aimed at Jonas and his crew …