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Description

    By the time Axl and Brutus had made their way back to the manor, the sun had already begun to set. He noticed the rest of the band had already returned as the van was parked in front of the house. Without saying another word, Axl returned the motorcycle inside of the large garage which sat off to the side and made his way to the manor. Upon entering the large white doors his tongue immediately caught the scent of Italian food.

    Axl looked over to see Mrs. Steiner waving him over from the den. “Axl! Did you learn anything?” Axl disappointingly shook his head. “Oh,” said Marilyn despairingly. “I’m sorry to hear that. Titus has prepared a special casserole dinner for us tonight. It will do you good to eat and relax.”

    “Thanks Mrs. Steiner,” answered Axl before making his way up the long stairway.

    Once Axl had reached his room, he threw himself onto his bed. Despite the inviting odor of the casserole, he did not have an appetite tonight. He glanced over at the old wooden clock sitting on the in table, revealing it to be nearly seven pm.



    Axl awakened to the sound of his phone going off at ten o clock, springing him from bed. Axl, you’ve gotta do this, he thought to himself, shutting off the alarm. Slowly opening the creaking door to his room, he peered down the long dark vacant hallway. Seeing the coast was clear, he closed the door behind him. Once having descended the staircase, he exited the house through the front door and approached the large garage. To his dismay, he found the back door to now be locked. “Darn it!”

    “Something a matter?” Axl turned around to see Iggy grinning at him from behind accompanied by a stern Brutus crossing his arms.

    “Iggy, don’t even try to stand in my way!” growled Axl.

    “Whoa, dude!” chuckled Iggy. “The thought never even crossed my mind! But aren’t ya gonna need some transportation?” Iggy pulled out the keys to the van out of his jean pockets dangling them in front of Axl. Axl frowned gritting his teeth as he attempted to snatch them from Iggy only for him to playfully retract them. Iggy chuckled mischievously. “I suppose we can let you take her for a little spin under one condition.” Axl raised his right eye curiously. “We’re goin’ with you!”



    It was a quarter after eleven, but the three Nightriders had yet to find the Drunken Sailor. They had stopped at several sailor taverns only to receive contradictory directions to this apparently obscure location. By now, they had searched much of the coast along the Marine Bay. While the center of the bay was a site of beauty, attracting tourists and luxury cruises, they had now entered the rugged northern section of the harbor. Many of the freighters and docks were worn and rusted most having the appearance of being half sunk. The appearance of the inhabitants and rough sailors who made use of the North Harbor did not look any better. As they passed through another intersection, Axl took notice of a group of fat drunken walruses singing off key to an old sailors’ song.

     “Drunken Sailor!” shouted Iggy.

    “No kidding,” grumbled Axl.

    “No, really! There’s the Drunken Sailor!” said Iggy excitingly. Axl peered through the window to see an old rusty barge. Sure enough, a dimly lit wooden sign hung from above which read, “The Drunken Sailor.”

    “Stop the van!” ordered Axl causing Iggy to slam on the breaks bringing the van to a screeching halt. It had started to drizzle as he stepped outside. As he gained a better view of the barge its worn state became all the more apparent. Axl could have sworn the barge was leaning to the backside as if it was already beginning to sink.

    “Wait for me, Axl!” shouted Iggy from the van window as he attempted to park on the side of the road.

    Brutus snorted. “That’s the place?” As if responding to Brutus’s statement, the sound of gunfire was heard from the direction of the barge followed by a body, crashing through a window before it splashed into the water below.

    Axl nodded his head and slapped Brutus on the back. “Yeah, I’m glad you’re with us, buddy.” As they neared the entrance, the sound of laughing, singing, and brawling grew in intensity. Immediately after opening the wooden entrance door, he cringed with disgust from the grotesque odor of smoke, beer, and dirty sailors. The bar was packed wall to wall with burly men drinking, gambling, and dancing. Axl saw an otter doing a drunken jig on top of one of the tables until his intoxication caused him to collapse onto a shark. A fight quickly ensued as sailors began exchanging punches. With Brutus and Iggy close at his side, Axl began scanning the room for the familiar orange croc. To his left was a round table surrounded by menacing shark sailors gambling with dice. To his right was a lobster sharing a story to nearby sailors. His eyes were ablaze with the kind of enthusiasm you would expect from a sailor engrossed in a tall tale.

     “And that’s when I slayed the giant kraken at the edge of the world wit me bare chela’s!” he heard him say as they moved on from their table.

     However, it was the lone figure sitting alone at a table towards the far end of the room that caught Axl’s attention. He was reptilian. A gray komodo, perhaps wearing an antique looking captains’ garb with a matching black three cornered feathered hat tilted over the front of his head. He was smoking from a long pipe. From the flickering of the candles, Axl could occasionally see the yellow reptilian glow from his eyes as they stared blankly through him.

    Axl instinctively flicked his tongue as he slowly began his approach. “Are you the one I’m looking for?” Axl asked, struggling to hide his uneasiness. The large komodo flicked his tongue causing another puff of smoke to escape from his mouth. The komodo slowly looked to his left as the orange croc Axl had met earlier emerged from the shadows. Axl nodded his head and pulled out his seat, joined by Iggy and Brutus. The croc pulled out a bottle and poured drinks for Axl and his friends into pewter cups.

    “I heard you could help with my predicament?” said Axl, attempting to instigate the conversation.

    “Perhaps,” he answered with a deep accented voice. The Komodo dragon tipped up his hat revealing more of his face. He had handsome strong features accompanied by the roughness of a sailor. Axl particularly took notice of a small scar on the left side of his snout. The Komodo held out his hand for Axl to shake. “I am Captain Komodo.”

    “Axl Reigns,” answered Axl, accepting the handshake.’

    “I know,” answered Komodo again exhaling from his pipe. He looked over at Iggy and Brutus. “I was not aware there would be others,” said Komodo curiously.

    “Sorry, they’re just here for support,” answered Axl.

     Komodo and the croc exchanged glances. “Their company is no burden to me,” Komodo answered. Axl could not help but notice the contrast from Komodo’s dialect compared to that of the typical seaman. He spoke with a slight accent he did not recognize, but his voice spoke with the elegance of an aristocrat rather than the rough slang, which usually accompanied sailors. Axl observed as Komodo raised his glass. “I always insist on a toast before making a proposal with my guests.” Axl noticed Iggy and Brutus eying one another suspiciously. “It is the gentlemanly thing to do,” added Komodo. Axl nodded his head and force smiled at Komodo before gulping down his drink. After Axl and Komodo had finished, Iggy and Brutus reluctantly swallowed their drinks as well.

     Axl could no longer contain his patience. “Do you really know where Selena is?”

     Komodo slowly nodded his head. “Yes I do.”

    “How?” asked Axl leaning forward.

     Komodo lowered his pipe. “Let’s just say you and I share a common enemy.”

    “Who?” asked Axl still leaning forward?

    “His name is Captain Sabertooth. He is a longtime rival of mine.”

    “Wait, do you mean THE Captain Sabertooth from the stories?” interrupted Iggy with a quiver in his voice.

    “That would be him,” answered Komodo. “We were allies briefly before the slime led a revolt against us Crossbones and mutinied me as leader.”

    “But how can you know for sure that he would have Selena?” interjected Axl.

    “Believe me, when you have been in the pirate business for as long as I have, you acquire your sources, but your capture as well as Selena’s was a high priority. Komodo closely eyed Axl. “Does this surprise you?”

     Axl shook his head. “Not at all.”

    Komodo pulled out a pocket watch from his coat checking the time.

    “I have always taken a dislike to those who ask a lot of questions. I will respect your right to privacy so long as you respect mine unless it is of grave importance to the success of a voyage. Would you not agree, Mr. Reigns?” Axl nodded his head. “That said, it may prove beneficial for us to share what knowledge we do have of our enemy so we both possess a better understanding of what we are up against.”

    Axl shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure they’re nothing you can’t handle, but to put it bluntly, we’ve stepped on the toes of a large, powerful, underground, organization ruled by crazy music cultists who want to bring an end to civilization as we know it. Need I say more?”

    Komodo was speechless for a moment as he stared at Axl with his eyebrow raised. “Are all of you rock stars this silly?”

    “He wasn’t kidding,” whispered Iggy.

    Komodo choked on his pipe. “Oh! Well, then. We’re going to have more fun with this than I thought.”

    “So tell me about Sabertooth,” interjected Axl.

    “Ah, Sabertooth,” Komodo replied. “The jaguar is quite the personality among pirates. Unlike myself, he is a bit of an extrovert. Cocky, brazen, but a very able warrior and sailor. To be quite honest, I may even go so far as to say he’s a better pirate than I am.”

    “That doesn’t give us much confidence,” muttered Axl.

    “No, no. You misunderstand. What I meant is Sabertooth is more of a pirate than I am in the manner in which he places his own thirst for wealth and personal gain before any greater good. What I offer my pirates is adventure and the chance to profit off the wealth of scum. Sabertooth, on the other hand, would rob an orphanage be there profit in it.”

    “Sounds like a real, jerk!” said Iggy.

     Komodo laid down his pipe and flicked his tongue. “I’m sure for whatever reason he is working with your ‘adversaries’ it is for his own gain. Nothing more, nothing less.”

     “When do we leave?” interrupted Axl. At this statement, Komodo gazed at him uneasily with the kind of shock you would expect from someone who just saw a ghost.

    “Wh… What did you say?” stuttered Komodo as he and the orange croc exchanged confused glances.

    “I said ‘when do we leave?’” repeated Axl scratching his head. “You did bring me here to help, didn’t you?”

     Komodo grinned in astonishment as he began nodding his head. “Yes! I was actually.”

     Axl suddenly began to feel disoriented and dizzy.“ Why am I feeling sick all of a sudden?” asked Axl as his vision of Komodo began to blur.
    “I’m gonna beat the snot outta ya!” growled Brutus as he struggled to stand in a state of dizziness.

    Komodo angrily banged his hands against the table. “Darn you, Cutlass! I told you not to drug the drinks unless I gave the signal!”

     The last thing Axl heard before he blacked out was the orange crocodile frantically trying to apologize. “Sorry, Cap’n…”

Illustrations by Bluepisces97

Thanks for reading!

Nightriders: The Kidnappings Part 15

Nightriders: The Kidnappings Part 1

Description

    By the time Axl and Brutus had made their way back to the manor, the sun had already begun to set. He noticed the rest of the band had already returned as the van was parked in front of the house. Without saying another word, Axl returned the motorcycle inside of the large garage which sat off to the side and made his way to the manor. Upon entering the large white doors his tongue immediately caught the scent of Italian food.

    Axl looked over to see Mrs. Steiner waving him over from the den. “Axl! Did you learn anything?” Axl disappointingly shook his head. “Oh,” said Marilyn despairingly. “I’m sorry to hear that. Titus has prepared a special casserole dinner for us tonight. It will do you good to eat and relax.”

    “Thanks Mrs. Steiner,” answered Axl before making his way up the long stairway.

    Once Axl had reached his room, he threw himself onto his bed. Despite the inviting odor of the casserole, he did not have an appetite tonight. He glanced over at the old wooden clock sitting on the in table, revealing it to be nearly seven pm.



    Axl awakened to the sound of his phone going off at ten o clock, springing him from bed. Axl, you’ve gotta do this, he thought to himself, shutting off the alarm. Slowly opening the creaking door to his room, he peered down the long dark vacant hallway. Seeing the coast was clear, he closed the door behind him. Once having descended the staircase, he exited the house through the front door and approached the large garage. To his dismay, he found the back door to now be locked. “Darn it!”

    “Something a matter?” Axl turned around to see Iggy grinning at him from behind accompanied by a stern Brutus crossing his arms.

    “Iggy, don’t even try to stand in my way!” growled Axl.

    “Whoa, dude!” chuckled Iggy. “The thought never even crossed my mind! But aren’t ya gonna need some transportation?” Iggy pulled out the keys to the van out of his jean pockets dangling them in front of Axl. Axl frowned gritting his teeth as he attempted to snatch them from Iggy only for him to playfully retract them. Iggy chuckled mischievously. “I suppose we can let you take her for a little spin under one condition.” Axl raised his right eye curiously. “We’re goin’ with you!”



    It was a quarter after eleven, but the three Nightriders had yet to find the Drunken Sailor. They had stopped at several sailor taverns only to receive contradictory directions to this apparently obscure location. By now, they had searched much of the coast along the Marine Bay. While the center of the bay was a site of beauty, attracting tourists and luxury cruises, they had now entered the rugged northern section of the harbor. Many of the freighters and docks were worn and rusted most having the appearance of being half sunk. The appearance of the inhabitants and rough sailors who made use of the North Harbor did not look any better. As they passed through another intersection, Axl took notice of a group of fat drunken walruses singing off key to an old sailors’ song.

     “Drunken Sailor!” shouted Iggy.

    “No kidding,” grumbled Axl.

    “No, really! There’s the Drunken Sailor!” said Iggy excitingly. Axl peered through the window to see an old rusty barge. Sure enough, a dimly lit wooden sign hung from above which read, “The Drunken Sailor.”

    “Stop the van!” ordered Axl causing Iggy to slam on the breaks bringing the van to a screeching halt. It had started to drizzle as he stepped outside. As he gained a better view of the barge its worn state became all the more apparent. Axl could have sworn the barge was leaning to the backside as if it was already beginning to sink.

    “Wait for me, Axl!” shouted Iggy from the van window as he attempted to park on the side of the road.

    Brutus snorted. “That’s the place?” As if responding to Brutus’s statement, the sound of gunfire was heard from the direction of the barge followed by a body, crashing through a window before it splashed into the water below.

    Axl nodded his head and slapped Brutus on the back. “Yeah, I’m glad you’re with us, buddy.” As they neared the entrance, the sound of laughing, singing, and brawling grew in intensity. Immediately after opening the wooden entrance door, he cringed with disgust from the grotesque odor of smoke, beer, and dirty sailors. The bar was packed wall to wall with burly men drinking, gambling, and dancing. Axl saw an otter doing a drunken jig on top of one of the tables until his intoxication caused him to collapse onto a shark. A fight quickly ensued as sailors began exchanging punches. With Brutus and Iggy close at his side, Axl began scanning the room for the familiar orange croc. To his left was a round table surrounded by menacing shark sailors gambling with dice. To his right was a lobster sharing a story to nearby sailors. His eyes were ablaze with the kind of enthusiasm you would expect from a sailor engrossed in a tall tale.

     “And that’s when I slayed the giant kraken at the edge of the world wit me bare chela’s!” he heard him say as they moved on from their table.

     However, it was the lone figure sitting alone at a table towards the far end of the room that caught Axl’s attention. He was reptilian. A gray komodo, perhaps wearing an antique looking captains’ garb with a matching black three cornered feathered hat tilted over the front of his head. He was smoking from a long pipe. From the flickering of the candles, Axl could occasionally see the yellow reptilian glow from his eyes as they stared blankly through him.

    Axl instinctively flicked his tongue as he slowly began his approach. “Are you the one I’m looking for?” Axl asked, struggling to hide his uneasiness. The large komodo flicked his tongue causing another puff of smoke to escape from his mouth. The komodo slowly looked to his left as the orange croc Axl had met earlier emerged from the shadows. Axl nodded his head and pulled out his seat, joined by Iggy and Brutus. The croc pulled out a bottle and poured drinks for Axl and his friends into pewter cups.

    “I heard you could help with my predicament?” said Axl, attempting to instigate the conversation.

    “Perhaps,” he answered with a deep accented voice. The Komodo dragon tipped up his hat revealing more of his face. He had handsome strong features accompanied by the roughness of a sailor. Axl particularly took notice of a small scar on the left side of his snout. The Komodo held out his hand for Axl to shake. “I am Captain Komodo.”

    “Axl Reigns,” answered Axl, accepting the handshake.’

    “I know,” answered Komodo again exhaling from his pipe. He looked over at Iggy and Brutus. “I was not aware there would be others,” said Komodo curiously.

    “Sorry, they’re just here for support,” answered Axl.

     Komodo and the croc exchanged glances. “Their company is no burden to me,” Komodo answered. Axl could not help but notice the contrast from Komodo’s dialect compared to that of the typical seaman. He spoke with a slight accent he did not recognize, but his voice spoke with the elegance of an aristocrat rather than the rough slang, which usually accompanied sailors. Axl observed as Komodo raised his glass. “I always insist on a toast before making a proposal with my guests.” Axl noticed Iggy and Brutus eying one another suspiciously. “It is the gentlemanly thing to do,” added Komodo. Axl nodded his head and force smiled at Komodo before gulping down his drink. After Axl and Komodo had finished, Iggy and Brutus reluctantly swallowed their drinks as well.

     Axl could no longer contain his patience. “Do you really know where Selena is?”

     Komodo slowly nodded his head. “Yes I do.”

    “How?” asked Axl leaning forward.

     Komodo lowered his pipe. “Let’s just say you and I share a common enemy.”

    “Who?” asked Axl still leaning forward?

    “His name is Captain Sabertooth. He is a longtime rival of mine.”

    “Wait, do you mean THE Captain Sabertooth from the stories?” interrupted Iggy with a quiver in his voice.

    “That would be him,” answered Komodo. “We were allies briefly before the slime led a revolt against us Crossbones and mutinied me as leader.”

    “But how can you know for sure that he would have Selena?” interjected Axl.

    “Believe me, when you have been in the pirate business for as long as I have, you acquire your sources, but your capture as well as Selena’s was a high priority. Komodo closely eyed Axl. “Does this surprise you?”

     Axl shook his head. “Not at all.”

    Komodo pulled out a pocket watch from his coat checking the time.

    “I have always taken a dislike to those who ask a lot of questions. I will respect your right to privacy so long as you respect mine unless it is of grave importance to the success of a voyage. Would you not agree, Mr. Reigns?” Axl nodded his head. “That said, it may prove beneficial for us to share what knowledge we do have of our enemy so we both possess a better understanding of what we are up against.”

    Axl shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure they’re nothing you can’t handle, but to put it bluntly, we’ve stepped on the toes of a large, powerful, underground, organization ruled by crazy music cultists who want to bring an end to civilization as we know it. Need I say more?”

    Komodo was speechless for a moment as he stared at Axl with his eyebrow raised. “Are all of you rock stars this silly?”

    “He wasn’t kidding,” whispered Iggy.

    Komodo choked on his pipe. “Oh! Well, then. We’re going to have more fun with this than I thought.”

    “So tell me about Sabertooth,” interjected Axl.

    “Ah, Sabertooth,” Komodo replied. “The jaguar is quite the personality among pirates. Unlike myself, he is a bit of an extrovert. Cocky, brazen, but a very able warrior and sailor. To be quite honest, I may even go so far as to say he’s a better pirate than I am.”

    “That doesn’t give us much confidence,” muttered Axl.

    “No, no. You misunderstand. What I meant is Sabertooth is more of a pirate than I am in the manner in which he places his own thirst for wealth and personal gain before any greater good. What I offer my pirates is adventure and the chance to profit off the wealth of scum. Sabertooth, on the other hand, would rob an orphanage be there profit in it.”

    “Sounds like a real, jerk!” said Iggy.

     Komodo laid down his pipe and flicked his tongue. “I’m sure for whatever reason he is working with your ‘adversaries’ it is for his own gain. Nothing more, nothing less.”

     “When do we leave?” interrupted Axl. At this statement, Komodo gazed at him uneasily with the kind of shock you would expect from someone who just saw a ghost.

    “Wh… What did you say?” stuttered Komodo as he and the orange croc exchanged confused glances.

    “I said ‘when do we leave?’” repeated Axl scratching his head. “You did bring me here to help, didn’t you?”

     Komodo grinned in astonishment as he began nodding his head. “Yes! I was actually.”

     Axl suddenly began to feel disoriented and dizzy.“ Why am I feeling sick all of a sudden?” asked Axl as his vision of Komodo began to blur.
    “I’m gonna beat the snot outta ya!” growled Brutus as he struggled to stand in a state of dizziness.

    Komodo angrily banged his hands against the table. “Darn you, Cutlass! I told you not to drug the drinks unless I gave the signal!”

     The last thing Axl heard before he blacked out was the orange crocodile frantically trying to apologize. “Sorry, Cap’n…”

Illustrations by Bluepisces97

Thanks for reading!

Nightriders: The Kidnappings Part 15

Nightriders: The Kidnappings Part 1