Simon’s whole life was the sea. He was born at sea, and he was going to die out there as well; just as nature willed. The vast ocean didn’t scare him. He’d became one with it long ago, like it was an old friend. He understood it better than he understood the average person.

His crew was his only family, and that was how it was going to stay. Over the thousands of miles Simon had travelled, the untouched lands and seas he’d explored, that had never changed.

His search for riches didn’t require friendship or unstable alliances, built on distrust and bloodshed.

The sun was starting to set, and a chill was beginning to set in with the increasing winds. A storm was coming; the dark clouds just beginning to form in the distance.

Simon had gotten very little sleep the past few nights. They were passing through an area known for Pirates and thieves, which meant himself and his crew were constantly posted up, keeping an eye on the horizon.

They were all too busy just trying to stay awake, and they let you slip under their noses; or so you thought. Your boat was only big enough for one, but that was all you needed. It meant that you couldn’t afford to be greedy, only taking what you needed and getting out of there unseen and alive.

‘The Ghost’ was engraved into the side of the ship.

You used your pocket knives to scale the side of it, steel digging into the worn wood of its exterior. A balcony jutted out of the back, which you swung onto. The glass doors were thrown wide open, revealing what appeared to be a small bedroom chamber.

But what caught your eyes were the multiple chests and drawers. So many possibilities, with so little time and space. Not wasting any of it, you hurried to the first one, shoving your knife into its lock and twisting until it broke open.

You’d only just lifted the top, when a curved blade was suddenly pressed to your throat.

A deep voice that made your heart stutter in your chest spoke, just out of view. “Did your mother never teach you the importance of asking, before boarding another’s ship?”