"Barth, there's nowhere left to flee!" Captain Barb's voice boomed across the deck of his ship.
The Blue Oyster had finally cornered the Blackened at the arches of the Third Pharrahville Bridge, with a mere ten meters of space between them.
"Blast it, Barb. I'm not skulking from you. I have a duty to discharge, one that I won't abandon. I'm a man of honor."
"To the nine hells with your honor and your duty! We hunted you down, Barth, by tracing the trail of your crew's corpses. Why did you butcher them? What manner of monster have you become?"
"I didn't kill them, Barb. They were all poisoned. Some twisted fiend had laced our victuals with lethal fungi."
"They deserved it. Tell me, at least the woman is alive, Barth? We know she's aboard. Surrender her to us."
"Take her and be gone. But on one proviso. You face me in single combat, Barb."
"Curse you, Barth! You were once my kin. Why harbor such enmity? What wrong have I dealt you?"
"Don't you grasp it yet? You clambered aboard this vessel not to support me but to claim the captain's seat, you foul swine. Hence why I hold you in contempt."
"You're delusional, Barth. I abstained from that ship for it was damned. And I implored you not to board it too. If you seek a brawl, confront me face-to-face."
"You know I'm bound to this ship, you craven weasel."
"Nay, you are the coward and bane of mariners! Look through my eyes, Barth. This is a cul-de-sac. Should I triumph over you, I'll seize the captaincy. I don't want it. Yet should you overcome me, you'll still remain cursed. I don't want that, too. Apologies, this offer is not suitable. Either way, I shan't board that vessel alive."
"You're a coward and a dastard, Barb. Then let's loose arrows at each other. You may commence. If you strike me, you may take the woman. If you miss, you shall grant me a chance to fire."
"Prove to me the woman's vitality, and I shall ponder your proposal, Barth."
Captain Barth's voice boomed across the deck, beckoning Lena to appear. Soon, the woman emerged, looking frail and drained.
"Are you holding up, my lady?" asked the Captain Barb, his tone gentle but concerned.
The woman shook her head weakly. "I am weary and famished, but otherwise unscathed. Has there been any word of my niece?"
Barb's face fell. "Sadly, not yet."
As the woman sank to the ground, her tears cascaded down her cheeks. "It is my fault. I urged her to come along on this ill-fated voyage. How could she have been so foolish and cruel? How did we end up in this nightmare?"
Barbarossa turned to Barth, "Why is the lady weeping, my friend? Did you lay a hand on her?"
"Nay, I did not, Barb," replied Barth, surprised by the accusation. "It appears that her niece was the one who smuggled the mushrooms aboard, and now she is weeping for her."
Barb arched an eyebrow in astonishment. "So it was the little one who poisoned you all?" he asked, incredulous.
"It seems so," confirmed Barth, scratching his head in bewilderment. "The cursed wretch confessed later with a letter she wrote to her aunt, admitting that she had brought the tainted fungi with her, hoping to use them to save the lady from the bad guys."
"Ha!" scoffed Barb. "She did that?" he murmured. "You are a lucky dog, Barth. Even poison cannot fell you, it seems."
Barth chuckled heartily. "Indeed, Barb, care to challenge me? You might just win the luck of the devil," he countered.
The two men roared with laughter, their mirth echoing across the deck. But as their gaiety subsided, an uncomfortable silence fell between them. Barbarossa broke the quietude.
"I offer my sincerest apologies, Barth. If only I possessed the might to have restrained you on that fateful day. I would have laid you out with a punch to the jaw. To be frank, I almost wished to accompany you then. Yet a voice inside of me implored me to halt. That very same voice is commanding me now. Perhaps one day I shall ally with you. Perhaps one day. For now, take your leave. Leave the woman, or take her with you, as you wish. But know this, I shall not pursue you any longer. I am wearied of this aimless pursuit. After what the young girl did, I cannot fathom what to hold as truth."
"Barb, you have always been a better man than I. By the gods, today I shall emulate you. I will surrender the woman to you. But be warned! If you choose a day other than our next meeting to join me, I will assail you and your vessel to the bitter end."
"May you be a virtuous man, and may Maia Phearee, the Eternal Dame of the Endless Sea, guide your course, Barth. But if you should become a malevolent man, may you drown in the Labyrinth of the Mists."
"Every day that you conceal yourself from me, may Maia Phearee, the Eternal Dame of the Endless Sea, conjure forth surging waves to engulf your ship, Barb."
The crew of the Blue Oyster escorted the woman away and set sail. Whether this marked the final confrontation between the two captains remains unknown, but they both departed in opposite directions.
The Blue Oyster sailed southward and anchored at the harbor adjacent to the first bridge for a fortnight. At length, Arvedas and Xian arrived with Dylan's inert form, cocooned in magical safeguards prepared by Xian. The air buzzed with the same unrequited inquiry: where were the rest? what happened out there? The duo evaded the questions for an extended period, giving a wide berth. Captain Barb knew that silence spoke louder than words.
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