text: [Themes: historical, fantasy]
  
  "Seriously? You think that'll work?" Jack asks.
  
  "Do you have something better?" you reply. Seeing him shake his head you continue, "When I give you the signal, attack with everything you got."
  
  "Alright, let's get to work," William says.
  
  You silently swing your legs over the balcony and take a deep breath. You judge you're about 30 feet in the air. Not a fatal height, but rescue missions tend to go better without broken legs. The side wall connecting the balcony to the bottom floor is cracked in several places. Unfortunately, the first crack is just out of reach. You leap forward arms stretch out for the hand hold. Your hands slide into the opening and grip it tightly. The sudden stop of your upper body causes your lower half to take the bulk of the momentum. You bend your knees slightly to absorb the impact without making a sound. You look down to see if anyone notices your acrobatics. All the hooded figures are still focused on their prayer. Now that the hard part's done, you climb down to the lower floor.
  
  The lone figure at the back of the room has your attention. Keeping in the shadows, you sneak behind them. Your arms lock around their neck in a choke. As they struggle, you secure your hand behind their head tightening the grip. You eat a pointy elbow in the gut, but remain firm on the pressure. As your target flails, you catch sight of a flash of purple. Instantly, you release the choke and flip back the hood. Your face catches a fist in response to giving up the superior position.
  
  "Victoria?" you whisper. "What are you doing?"
  
  "What are you doing? You scared me shitless," she whispers back.
  
  "Saving those two," you say pointing at the cages. "Where's the rest of your group?"
  
  "Didn't make it."
  
  "Jack, William, and I are all that's left of mine. They're in position to attack once I signal. How'd you get past Xolotl anyway?"
  
  "Now's not the time. There's something happening. Look," she gestures towards the altar.
  
  A lone figure silently steps towards the altar. The robed people in the room separate allowing a pathway. The figure is unlike the others in the room. He wears a black robe instead of red. The edges of the robe are blurred at first sight, but then you realize black smoke is emanating from the robe. Pistols line the figure's chest and limbs and the tips of his beard are lit with small flames. You recognize the figure.
  
  "Is that—" Victoria starts.
  
  "Edward Teach. Blackbeard," you answer.
  
  Blackbeard takes center stage and addresses the room.
  
  "It seems we've caught ourselves a couple of thieves looking for Quetzalcoatl's blade. Unfortunately for them, the blade has not tasted blood in quite a while. What do you say, men? Should we feed the thirsty blade?"
  
  A cheer echoes throughout the room. You realize the red robed figures must be Blackbeard's crew. Whatever power is binding Teach to this place, binds them as well. Ignited by their captain, the crew abandons their stoic, religious demeanor.
  
  "I say we let them fight to the death then sacrifice the survivor! Quetzalcoatl deserves a worthy sacrifice," one man near the altar shouts.
  
  "No, sacrifice them both. The blade thirsts for blood," another suggests.
  
  The room erupts into a frenzy of disagreeing ideas between the crew to the amusement of Blackbeard. He gives a wink to a caged Procter after someone shouts the idea "cut out their beating hearts." Finally, he raises his arms to settle the dispute.
  
  "I have decided. We will sacrifice both in the old way. Bring me the knife!"
  
  > sneak to a better position
  "We need to act now," you whisper to Victoria. "Follow my lead."
  
  You silently move closer to the altar taking cover behind a broken pew. You're still several paces from the altar, but you dare not get closer unless you want to be seen. Blackbeard opens a cage and pulls a gagged Freddy out. With ease, he flings Freddy onto the altar with one arm. Wide-eyed, and trying to resist, Freddy tries to escape, but Blackbeard's arm pins him firmly to the stone structure. Blackbeard's action frenzies his crew once again. They begin chanting and repeating the same sequence of words: "Tlah, uizcal, pante, cuhtli."
  
  One of the robed members wanders close to the pew. Isolated and with the room's preoccupation, you decide it's a good moment to reduce their number. Well that and you were likely to be seen in your current position. As he steps to the opposite side of the pew, you reach over covering his mouth with one hand and driving your dagger through his back into his lung. Not allowing a sound, you pull his body over the pew to your hiding spot.
  
  It's a move you've performed plenty of times, but this time the result surprises you. Instead of blood, the body explodes into a black puff of smoke. Unfortunately, the smoke is like a beacon on your location. All eyes are instantly drawn your direction.
  
  "Intruders! Capture them!" Blackbeard screams.
  
  The crew erupts into a mad frenzy mobbing towards you. Luckily, the majority are only armed with simple ceremonial knives. Behind you, Victoria fires a barrage of magic missiles that explode into a few more smoke clouds. You draw your blade and parry the first several attacks. You sense the presence of two bodies behind you, and you turn to attack. It's William and Jack joining your side with their cutlasses drawn.
  
  "We couldn't let you have all the fun," Jack says.
  
  "Yeah, I'm having the time of my life," you sarcastically answer.
  
  You take the offensive easily cutting down the robed crewman with their ill-equipped knives. You use the smoke as cover dodging and dashing like a spectre. Finally, all that's left is Blackbeard. He stands at the altar with Freddy pinned down, an obsidian knife in his other.
  
  "A valiant effort. Perhaps you are a worthy successor," he says.
  
  You approach the altar's steps with your blade point in front of you, "Let him go, Teach. It's over."
  
  "Those who wield the blade must be prepared to give the ultimate sacrifice."
  
  "What sacrifice would that be?"
  
  "A lifetime of servitude. The blade gives tremendous power to the wielder, but your soul is bound to it forever. I am destined to guard the blade until its successor proves himself worthy. Then my soul will be harvested inside with the others before me. It's the way it will always be. The blade demands blood and will feed upon the wielder unless its thirst is sated."
  
  "I am not here to wield it for myself. My employer is the one who wishes to wield it," you answer.
  
  "Then you are truly bound to him. Should you prove yourself worthy to take the blade and gift it to another, your duty as guardian will remain."
  
  "I've had enough," you say. "Release Freddy."
  
  "As you wish," Blackbeard answers plunging his knife into Freddy's chest.
  
  Freddy's eyes grow wide in shock at the sudden pain. The cloth around his mouth muffles his scream. Blackbeard kicks his body down the altar's steps landing Freddy at your feet.
  
  "Madman!" you scream and charge the steps.
  
  An invisible force prevents you from taking the first step. You pull out your flintlock and fire it towards Blackbeard. The invisible force prevents your bullet as well.
  
  Laughing, Blackbeard opens the next cage with Procter inside. Bound and gagged, Procter can't offer any sort of resistance. Multiple fireballs explode against the force shield. Victoria's doing. Still bound, Procter utters a muffled noise. His eyes look up towards his forehead and he motions upward with his head. You know what he's telling you to do.
  
  > put on the headdress
  Just as the island's invisibility had to be dispelled, perhaps the barrier had to be as well. You pull the Quetzalcoatl headdress from your pack and place it on. Instantly, you're able to cross the barrier onto the altar's steps. Just in time for Blackbeard to sink the knife into Procter.
  
  "Teach, you're a dead man!" you shout.
  
  "Ha-ha-ha, right you are," he shouts back with a smile.
  
  You rip the head covering off and toss it to your allies behind you. You continue your rush towards Blackbeard. Your blade meets the obsidian dagger with a piercing screech. You thrust your blade expertly forward using feints to catch Blackbeard unaware. Almost with ease, he parries each strike. Even though you have the obvious reach advantage, Blackbeard masterfully blocks each of your swings.
  
  Attempting to break his defense, you fire a bolt of lightning from your other hand. The electric energy hits Blackbeard's chest and disappears in a wisp of smoke. He grins and reflects the energy back to you knocking you off your feet and down a few steps.
  
  Jack and William join the fray rushing past your fallen body. You try to get up, but the jolt left your muscles spasming. William lets loose a series of uppercuts and forward thrusts while Jack circles around to flank. Same as your attack, Blackbeard's defense is impenetrable. Suddenly, Blackbeard draws a pistol from his chest and fires it directly into William's forehead. William's head snaps back in the impact and his body falls to the floor. The move angers Jack and he aggressively attacks from Blackbeard's flank. Without even moving his head, Blackbeard drops the pistol, grabs another, and fires it into Jack's gut. Jack's body hits the floor mid-charge, the momentum slides his body forward a few feet.
  
  Finally able to move, you rise to your feet. The bodies of your crew, your friends, lie scattered around you. Their blood pools and drips down the steps of the altar creating a red waterfall. Blackbeard stands at the top of the stairs waiting for you. Behind you, Victoria is stuck outside the barrier. Jack or William, whoever was last inside, didn't throw the headdress far enough. It's on the ground just within the invisible barrier. Victoria can't get in.
  
  Your eyes meeting Blackbeard's, you slowly traverse the steps up. He stands unmoving without emotion. You stand before him, the guardian of Quetzalcoatl's blade. The cutlass remains on the sword stand on the altar. Realizing your magic is ineffective, you attack once more with expertly guided strikes and combinations.
  
  "Not many make it this far, I'll give you that," he says knocking your sword aside. "Perhaps you were meant to wield the blade. Perhaps if another guardian stood in your way you'd succeed. I don't plan on harboring my soul in the cutlass anytime soon."
  
  "And I don't plan on dying anytime soon," you reply with another series of strikes.
  
  Tired of the game, Blackbeard parries your blade aside and knocks you back against the altar. His dagger pierces into your chest.
  
  "And look how close you'd gotten," he mocks as you lean against the altar clutching your wound.
  
  Suddenly a sword tip appears at his chest releasing a small whiff of smoke. Jack collapses behind Blackbeard, his final amount of energy placed into thrusting his sword forward. In Blackbeard's distracted state, you reach for the cutlass on the altar, screaming in pain. As soon as your hand clasps around the hilt, your vision flashes a supernatural green. Strength pours into your limbs like you've never felt before. The wound from Blackbeard's mends itself closed. It's almost as if you're weightless; the energy flowing through your body feels limitless. With your new found strength you swing the blade down cutting Blackbeard from neck to hip. His body slides downward at the cut and then explodes into dark energy. Black smoke from his body surround you with a piercing scream. Then it pours itself into the cutlass in a rush of air.
  
  Blackbeard is dead and the cutlass is yours. You return to Victoria holding the blade.
  
  "We did it," you say showing her the cutlass.
  
  "Not yet," she answers. "Xolotl needs it destroyed."
  
  "So that's how you gained access to the temple," you ponder. "The 'power' Xolotl is offering sounds too good to be true."
  
  "Sounds better than being eternally bound to Quetzalcoatl...or following a captain into ruin."
  
  "What's that supposed to mean," you say narrowing your eyes.
  
  "It means I don't think you're fit to lead anymore," Victoria says. "It means I won't continue to follow you while our crew gets destroyed in the process. We've fallen on hard times, and it's a captain's duty to protect and prosper the crew."
  
  "What do you think this job is for!" you reply. "The Sanguine is now the most destructive force in the Caribbean. We can do what we please. The Spanish, French, not even the English can face us in open water now."
  
  "We may have the ship, but we no longer have the crew," Victoria says gesturing towards the fallen bodies. "I will rebuild The Sanguine's crew...as captain." Victoria's palm ignites with flame. "I'll be taking that cutlass now."
  
  > hand it over
  "Fine," you answer. "I've lost too many friends already. If you really feel that way, go ahead and take it."
  
  Smiling she grabs the blade from your hand. Her eyes roll back in her head as she experiences the same rush of power.
  
  "This is something else," she comments. "But it won't compare to the gift of Xolotl. Come on, let's go."
  
  Victoria leads you back out of the temple with the cutlass pointed at your back. You exit the temple and arrive at the circle Xolotl appeared at earlier.
  
  "Xolotl! I have the artifact!" Victoria shouts into the air.
  
  In another lightning strike, Xolotl appears at the circle. His canines point menacingly from his lips.
  
  "It's about time," he growls. "Place the blade on the dial."
  
  Victoria does as he says. Xolotl raises his arms up to the air drawing upon supernatural power. Dark storm clouds begin to circle above you in the air. The bright sunlight turns dark as if night had suddenly come. A blinding light fires from the sky directly to the dial's center. A pillar of flame fires from the clouds followed by several lightning strikes. Pain pierces your chest as the cutlass begins to crack from the elemental burst. The cutlass begins to emit a low light from within that increasingly grows larger. As the cutlass' light grows to crescendo, you feel the energy drawing you in. You feel your life force drawn into the cutlass just before it's shattered into countless pieces. Your time of guarding the cutlass was brief. As the blade is destroyed, so is your soul. You'll never know if Xolotl's power bestowed upon Victoria was worth it.