《A New Breed of Pirate: A VRMMO Tale》 Chapter 1 I feel the stress on my shoulder, the torque on my elbow, and the popping of my knuckles as my fist slams into this prick''s face. I feel the crackling of his nose as it breaks under my fist; then I feel the stares of the other sailors drilling into the back of my skull as I watch him hit the deck. The back of his head making a loud, hollow thud against the deck of the ship. I know that this makes my plan to get off this ship harder, but I just couldn''t handle the slight against my mother. Everyone on the merchant fluyte freezes in place as they wait for what I''m going to do next. I look down to see blood pouring out of his nose. He may be a prick, but I don''t really want him to die. I bend down and roll him over to his side, so he doesn''t choke on the blood pouring down the back of his throat. I pull up my HUD to check the notification I just got, as I return to braiding rope.
Skill Level Rank
Unarmed 27 1
Hmm, that''s surprising. I was only level 25 when my body was uploaded? I mean, I''m no Bruce Lee, but I''ve had some pretty rigorous hand to hand training. It makes me wonder how high Bruce Lee would''ve been? No more than level 65... I think. I pull up my skill tab to see where I''m at skill wise.
Skill Level Rank
Aerobic Conditioning 21 1
Anaerobic Conditiong 25 1
Rope Working 11 1
Climbing 12 1
Unarmed 27 1
Well, that''s depressing. I guess it''s cool that I started out pretty high in stats, but the experience modifier I have is demoralizing at best. Basically, the more skill levels you have starting out, the worse your modifier is for the first three months. Mine just so happens to be (Xp*.01). Which equates to getting one percent Xp. I think the average skill gain for players has been around two hundred. I¡¯ve gotten 10. Worse is the fact I have no way of knowing how most of my skills compare to others. Until you gain a skill level in said skill, it''s hidden. The heavy footsteps coming up from behind me tear me away from my HUD and stats. ¡°What''n the hell happened here ya, dirty fucks? He looks like hell.¡± Dammit... it had to be Tori coming up here. Out of everyone on board, he is the crudest and cruelest. I look back at the six foot tall bald man with a blonde beard to his collar bones. I still can''t help but think he looks like a viking with his large boarding axe slung across his back. I follow his gaze to see the sailor still unconscious on his side. Shit, how long had he been out? Two, three minutes? That can''t be healthy. ¡°Well, did any of you bastards see what happened here?¡± Everyone starts looking at each other. And like a scene out of a movie, they all point at me at the exact same time. Fucking snitches... ¡°Well pretty boy, wanna explain yourself? I know you must''ve got a reason for fucking up this sap''s ugly gob.¡± I sigh and let my shoulders fall as I stand up to face him, ¡°Look, he was talking shit about me and my mother. He''s been trying to buddy up with me for weeks now, and he finally got mad that I was ignoring him. When he started on about my mother dropping me on my head, while getting ''split'' by anyone and everyone I shut him up.¡± Tori smiled showing his... really, really fucked up teeth. None of them could be described as any shade of white or yellow. They instead were a smattering of browns and blacks, and each tooth was broken off at varying lengths. Well, the teeth he still had at least. His breath was about as pleasant as you''d think, which made it hard not to empty my stomach into his face. It only got worse as he continued talking. ¡°Humpf, I guess he got what was comin'' to him. Just drag him off to a shady spot so he don''t keel over from the heat. Get back ta'' work after yer'' done wit'' him.¡± The only thing holding back the food in my belly now, was how much I had to pay for it. Well, bribing the cook was a more accurate term instead of ¡®paying¡¯. The temp crew I''m apart of get hardtack ''biscuits'' as rations. These were simply flour and water mixed together and baked until slightly burnt. They kept for months at a time but weren''t very nutritious. Which ended up leading to mild starvation for the sailors working in the oppressive Caribbean heat. No sailor could eat enough ''biscuit'' by itself to be remotely healthy.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Which is why half my wage went to bribing the cook for butter, cheese, and a bit of dried meat to supplement the regular ration of those unforgivably bland ''biscuits''. Just so you know, I''ve seen someone break a tooth on them. So, it¡¯s money well spent, or so I tell myself. After I had finished dragging the apparently concussed sailor to the shade, he had started coming around. Before he started pelting me with questions like, ¡°Where am I?¡± or ¡°Who are you?¡± or ¡°Who Am I?¡± I drop him hurriedly. Unfortunately, he wasn''t quite as stirred as I thought, as his face hits the deck. Hard. I hurriedly go back to where I was splicing rope before he finishes coming to. After about thirty minutes, Captain Saehrimir strolls out on the deck like a pompous pig. That is only a moderate euphemism. He is almost as wide as he is tall, perpetually red in the face, and has a pitiful comb-over that barely constitutes as hair. Couple that with his upturned nose and ridiculous outfit, it''s hard not to think ''Cap''n Piggy'' when he walks by. As he looks around the deck, he sees the sailor still laying in the shade. At this point, I am seriously worried that I may have killed him. He hasn''t really moved in thirty minutes, and I can''t tell if he''s breathing this far away from him. ¡°What is this mangy vagrant doing? Sleeping in the shade?¡± The Captain walks over to him and kicks him hard in the side. The sailor bolts upright looking around like he has no idea where he is. Actually, he probably doesn''t know where he is. The look of confusion eventually abates to a look of remembrance, then to a look of hatred... directed at me. I look down and continue working on my current section of rope. ¡°Do you suppose I pay you for sleeping in the shade? Or did you think you could take advantage of my generosity? Ten pesos is much more than any of you deserve. Oh, but I suppose you must be much too fagged to repay my generosity?¡± The sailor starts to offer an explanation, but he''s cut off by a thick cane landing heavily across his back. He stands up with one hand held outstretched towards the captain and the other hand holding his back. The captain swings his cane again, causing the poor man to trip up and land on his back. His head connects with the deck again, knocking him out. ¡°Mmhh, I suppose I was overzealous with my discipline.¡± He turns to the rest of the crew, ¡°When he wakes up, tell him he will not be reprimanded. I simply wish for him to return to work, and he will be forgiven for his lazy transgressions.¡± Wow... it still surprises me how much this asshole thinks of himself. I guess he must be pretty wealthy to own his own ship, and he''s gotta have connections to get the backing to move this amount of goods. It''s just he very well could have killed that man, but he''s forgiving him? I guess some people''s self-worth is boundless. Although, if I¡¯m around when the captain dies¡­ I am most definitely befriending his killer. He walks around for a few more minutes before he starts threatening to whip anyone not working to his standards. After he strokes his own ego for a moment longer, he retreats back into his quarters. It''s incredibly stressful to be around that fat little man. You never know when he may lose it and start beating someone mercilessly. Although, if I was sweaty as he stays, I¡¯d be in a bad mood as well. The next few hours go on without incident. We make it around the eastern edge of Cuba, well on our way to Charleston to deliver the goods on our overloaded ship. At about three in the afternoon, a man with Asian features strolls out onto the deck holding a needlessly intricate spyglass. He extends the spyglass to its full length and begins to scan the horizon for ships. The crew visibly relaxes when they realize who it is. This is the only guard that treats any of us with respect. He doesn''t needlessly discipline the crew like the captain. Nor does he verbally abuse and throw his authority around like Tori. I''m not positive how the pecking order is arranged, but Tao and Tori are second only to the captain in power aboard The Narwhal. We keep sailing northward on the Dutch Fluyte making good time. I actually like the ship quite a lot. She is very sound, and she pulls at least five knots. Which is saying something, since the ship sits extremely low in the water. Most ships loaded down like this would most definitely take on water through the gunports, but this ship conveniently lacks them. The ship is able to carry crazy amounts of cargo, but that surplus of cargo and lack of defenses makes this ship an irresistible target for any pirates, which was the main reason I picked this ship to work on. I just hope my plan pans out soon, or I run the risk of losing the support of my fans. At the beginning, I was one of the most hyped players in the world, but I have made a couple of questionable decisions unfortunately. Getting drunk, accusing someone of cheating, and breaking their nose is a great way of getting locked up for three weeks, especially if said person is the governor''s nephew. Getting basically banned from the default player spawn of Port Royal is a great way of setting yourself back when most of the jobs for newbs come from there. Havana is a much less forgiving city for new players. Tao yelling suddenly breaks me out of my self reflection, ¡°Men, one of you needs to get Captain Saehrimir up here. A ship just came out of a cove, and it''s moving towards us fast.¡± It takes the captain thirty freaking minutes to get topside. By that time the ship is less than a hundred yards out. It is a large brig that is way too fast to be a merchant vessel. So, it is either a military vessel, or a pirate ship. Since it isn¡¯t flying any nation''s flag, my money is on pirates. My question is quickly answered when the ship in question raises a black flag. A skeleton with a flintlock pistol raised towards it''s own head and a hourglass spilled on it''s side with red sand spilling out adorned it. The message is pretty clear as Jolly Rogers go. Surrender or you''re essentially killing yourselves, because we are as inevitable as time and death. Back on top, Tao and the captain are discussing what the plan should be. I don''t really know what h¡¯s planning on doing. The only defenses we have are small arms and the two swivel cannons mounted on either side of the ship. The rapidly encroaching brig looks to be armed with nine cannons on either side. Saying we are outgunned is an understatement. The only reason we are still alive is they want what we have onboard, much easier to collect it while we are still floating. Chapter 2 CHAPTER 2 Tao yells out for Tori to bring the log up. Tori lumbers up from the hold with a large bucket filled with rope knotted at even intervals and a flat piece of wood on the end of it. He also has a quiver with several javelins and two muskets strapped to his back. ¡°Alright chinaman, here''s your fucking bucket. Still don''t make no damned sense to figure the speed. They gonna catch up, as sure as shit will stink. Don''t need no fucking bucket to tell me that. The fuck''n cap''n loaded us damn heavy, here we be sittin'' lower in the water than a whore smokin'' a midget. O''course we were gettin'' hit this time.¡± The captain is red, and has a huge vein looking like it''s about to explode from his forehead, ¡°Watch how you talk to me you fucking simpleton, if you cross me you will not have a job at the next port. Nor will you be able to find a job at any port in the Caribbean you fucking ignoramus!¡± Barely able to speak through his laughter, ¡°Captain, calm down. It''s a joke, I''m happy that we are getting attacked! It''s been so long since anything excitin'' happened, I thought I''d puke from boredom.¡± ¡°If you think that lets you off the hook, NO I will have your job, your big ugly ass will starve before you get another job. Do you know how much influence I have?¡± Tori quickly goes from joking to irate. ¡°I don''t give a flying shit what influence you think you have, you think I give a fuck what your dumb-pig-ass thinks. I can get a job any fucking where!¡± The captain is now visibly shaking from anger and honestly looks like he might cry. Tori sees this and goes in for the kill, ¡°Awe is the little piggy getting mad? Is he going to cry?¡± I honestly have never seen someone so red. The captain is screaming now, ¡°I am Captain Saehrimir of the East Branch of the Ouroboros Conglomerate...¡± Stepping forward and putting his hand up to shush the captain, ¡°Sir, the knowledge of which you speak could be trouble for us both. Also, Tori, I am Mongolian please stop calling me Chinese.¡± The captain is slowly calming down now, ¡°You''re right Tao. Thank you, deal with the crew will you.¡± The captain shoots some fucked up look at Tori, which I guess is some piss poor attempt at intimidation. Tori just keeps laughing while he walks over to the edge of the boat. ¡°Alright, Tao you are Mongolian. I still don''t get why it matters, it''s close enough to me.¡± He starts picking up the flat piece of wood, flips over a small hourglass and throws the piece of wood into the water. The rope starts sliding through his hands and he shouts the number of knots. ¡°One knot, two knot, three knots, ehhhh it''s about three n'' a half knots Chinaman. I mean Mongoman.¡± Shaking his head in disappointment, ¡°My name is Tao, please call me Tao. Also, I guess they will be upon us in about an hours time. They¡¯re slowing down considerably now that the wind is favorable...¡± Tao is basically talking to himself now. ¡°Do we get no swords?¡± one sailor asks. Tori looks and smiles, and holy shit...those... gnarly browns, ¡°Yea, yea you good for nothing scamps will get some fuckin swords. We just can''t be havin'' any of you getting no shit poor ideas is all.¡± Little does he know, I already have two khukri machetes wrapped to my back and chest. Yes, that is as uncomfortable as it sounds, but I never know when I might need them. I''d be damned to get caught without them after how hard it was to find someone to make them. The high price was almost worth it since they were well tempered and made, but they have been poorly sharpened. It took hours and hours, a lot of crushed sand, and dozens of rags sharpen them to a keen edge. After that I started polishing the rest of the blade, polishing and polishing till one can be used as a razor and the other a mirror.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. After about 40 minutes the ship has made some serious progress towards us. As we are waiting for the swords to be brought out more of the captains regulars start piling out. They are very well armed, much more so than I had hoped. They all have at least one musket and two pistols. They bring out a crate with the swords and holy shit I am seriously glad I bought my own. They have some seriously shitty cutlery, there are a couple cavalry sabers, a few scimitars, a rapier, and I shit you not, a fucking Roman gladius. I feel sorry for the poor guys that have to make due with what''s here. They are rusted, pitted, and worst of all, dull as our captains wits. Speaking of our dear old employer, he''s in the corner of the ship going from sickly white to sickly green. Tao is inspecting the swivel cannons, and Tori is actually clutching an amulet and mouthing a silent prayer, which surprises me. Another guard is passing out the shot and the powder and gives me 4 bags of mesh iron pieces and a good bit of powder. I sit down and start packing in the powder, and since I''m probably gonna only get one shot, I pack it with probably too much powder and 2 bags of shot. I pound it all in there, making sure everything comes out nice and uniform. ¡°Oi, grab your swords you bunch of cockless mongrels¡±, Tori barks. Snapping me back, Tori is walking towards me rather aggressively. He is a head taller than almost everyone on the shift despite being hunched over like most sailors. Tao is actually the only sailor I''ve seen with a straight back this entire time. He stops in front of me at eye level, ¡°Are you going to pick it up or do you suppose you''ll jus'' scare ''em off do ya? You''re big but that don''t mean shite to pirates. They''ll break down a big mule like you, and might mount ya after.¡± I smirk at him, ¡°I wouldn''t count on it, now get out of my face before your breath causes me to fling myself overboard.¡± ¡°Ah so the cheeky bastard can talk, well, lemme fix ya pretty nose then.¡± He steps back to ''fix my nose'' and goes for broke. It''s a powerful punch, but it takes way too long. Without pause, I lower my head, tense my neck, and lean forward. As his hand connects with my forehead, I feel him Completely. Fucking. Destroy his hand. Yeah, I see stars, I might be nauseous from the sound, but he is on the ground screaming. Eh, one less person to worry about I guess. Captain Piggy is all up in a fuss now, holy shit. ¡°What in the hell are you thinking? They just raised the Black, and you have taken out our second best fighter. I should have you thrown...¡± ¡°Sir the time for this is not now. The pirates are about to throw hooks as we speak,¡± Tao interrupts the captain. As I see the first hook land on the deck; I take the last sword, the damned gladius of fucking course, and I jump up on the railing. On the other ship there are about ten people working the rigging, a few people running around getting everything ready, and I would say thirty or forty rough but healthy looking men armed and ready to board. Now, I''ve been shot at, stabbed, actually shot several times, and even ploughed by a fucking truck, but holy shit, I have never seen so many barrels pointing at me. Pistols, muskets, crossbows, and not one, but two swivel cannons. Trying to keep my voice steady, ¡°You''re going a little overboard for one single man like me, don''t you think?¡± An average sized European, with an immaculate red frock coat, steps forward. He also has a beautiful basket handled sword in his left hand and a wheelock pistol in the other. ¡°Well surely you know upstanding gentlemen, such as ourselves, cannot be too careful. Not only our livelihood, but our lives and reputation count on it. Why, people of our profession have seen a sharp uptick of men throwing themselves aboard and blowing themselves up these last two months. Why might you be seeking out conversation with our humble crew on the eve of battle?¡± His voice is incredibly smooth and warm. The feeling it imparts is almost like when someone you''re in love with comes up from behind you and wraps their arms around you unexpectedly. It actually calms the pit of nervous excitement growing inside my stomach, which completely throws me off guard. Part of me wants to shake this man''s hand and have an endless conversation over a glass of wine. I cock my head to the side, ¡°Can I ask who I am speaking with?¡± ¡°My name is Captain Zijde and...¡± the captain shouts. Even with voice raised it is amazing. I seriously cannot get over this, this man puts the British guy that does all the nature documentaries to shame. Hell, he even makes fucking Morgan Freeman sound ''meh''. ¡°Sorry Captain, I must cut you short for time is pressed.¡± Did I just take on his dialect? ¡°I was wondering if your pirate crew is looking to take on any well-qualified men?¡± ¡°I certainly wouldn''t turn away any young man that would contribute to the good of my crew. Are you qualified?¡± ¡°I''d love for you to climb your rigging and see for yourself. Just please don''t board until I am calm enough to talk.¡± Shit, I am doing his dialect again. Chapter 3 CHAPTER 3 I turn and jump onto the deck. Tori is cradling his ever swelling, solid purple hand. Tao is looking at me like he is trying to solve a puzzle. The captain is walking toward me as fast as his little legs will carry him. The captain''s ''regulars'' are working their way to the banister trying to get an angle on the pirates below, who have completely ignored me in their haste. As Captain Piggy gets about halfway to me, Tao runs and jumps in front of him to stop him. ¡°My captain, I think we should keep our distance from this man until we know what he is planning to do.¡± Well, I guess that''s my cue. I turn and point the gladius threateningly at the part of the crew I was a part of, ¡°I know none of you are willing to die for this prick of a captain, so I suggest you all drop your weapons.¡± They all look at each other, mumble a couple words, and throw down their weapons, except for one. The sailor that has been trying to be my friend for the last month. He raises his pistol and half cocks it. ¡°Ya know, I''ve been nothing but nice to you, and you have walked all over my poor ass. So, I think I''m gonna personally end this little one person show you got going on here.¡± I just shake my head, and grin at him, ¡°Just remember, whatever I do to you, it''s not on me. I warned you.¡± I see his arm tensing as he pulls the striker all the way back. I realize if I don''t do something I very well could get shot. I can''t use my blunderbuss without hitting everyone else over there, so, I guess I gotta use this stupid fucking gladius. In one quick motion, I raise the sword and chunk it at him. I''m pretty good at throwing blades, but this rusted piece of junk is completely unbalanced, and the sword hits him square in the chest... sideways. After he realizes he didn''t get impaled, he looks up with a smirk, which immediately disappears as he sees I''m only about 6 feet away running full tilt at him. I was going to punch him, but I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to beat his gun, so I do the first thing that comes to mind. I lead with my feet, and dropkick him as hard as I can in the chest. His pistol goes off, hitting one of the crew crouched at the railing. I feel my feet continue into him, as his sternum caves in under my bare feet, he flies off his feet over the opposite railing. I hit the ground on my back and spin over to prone, looking up at the situation. The rest of the regular crew is fleeing to the front of the ship, and the captains regulars are still in shock. I jump up to my feet and start to run at the front swivel cannon. The gunner realizes I''m coming for him and starts to spin it around, but he is much too late. When I get just outside of arms reach, I slam the stock of my gun into his chin. He falls overboard. I take control of the cannon, spinning it around pointing it parallel to the banister, at the opposite swivel gun and all of the captains regulars lined up between here to there. I was gonna try and warn them, but they are all in the process of cocking their strikers. So, I jerk the pull cord, the pre-charge sparks, and the cannon fires. Not waiting for the copious amounts of smoke to clear, I rip the bandage holding my blades under my clothes and take them both in my hands. I knew the small cannon would do damage, but this was more than I expected. Through the thick acrid smell of the spent gun powder, I can pick up the sharp metallic smell of blood. I look down and see why, after only a couple seconds blood has already reached my feet. A few seconds later, I start hearing the moans and screams of the men on the other side of the wall of smoke, and I hear the blood trickling off the side of the ship into the water. As the smoke clears, I start to get a true grasp of the carnage I inflicted. Strewn out 50 feet in front of me are the horribly mangled corpses of everyone against the banister of the ship. A few men try in vain to grab at guns to retaliate. Some are trying to cover holes ripped open from the iron shot flying through them, and others are either too shocked to do anything or lying dead still. As I stare at the bodies, blood, gore, and carnage, I start to feel that all too familiar feeling creep into my head from the base of my skull. My heart rate starts to go wild, my muscles feel like they are tensing but relaxing at the same time, and I feel a wild euphoria flood my body. It''s not blood lust at all; I don''t get the urge to hurt other people to see blood. It''s closer to a blood fetish, but that''s not quite right either. There isn''t a sexual aspect to it. It started a few years earlier when I was in a horrible accident. I laid there in a literal pool of my own blood for more than 45 minutes. I watched the blood as it spurted from my mangled limbs, forming a small stream running away from me, leaving me. I remember it all, I remember the feeling, the smell, the sounds every fucking bit of it. I remember being utterly and completely defeated, as I heard whispers of people debating about if I''d lose my legs or not. In that moment, I knew my life would never be the same. I had countless opportunities ripped away from me in a matter of seconds, whether I liked it or not, I was less of a person from that moment on.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. So, I guess my mind could have done one of two things with that. It could have made it a scarring and traumatic experience, or it could focus on the immense levels of adrenaline and endorphins which flooded my brain. I remember it almost like a high that is stronger than any other high. Being that close to death, knowing that you are going to lose blood, flesh, limbs or even your life puts you in a place that cannot be comprehended unless you have personal experience. So, now when I see blood it feels like driving a car 120 mph down the highway or jumping out of a plane at first. Then, if I''m in danger, it becomes a euphoria, it washes over me in waves. I hardly feel pain, things seem to move slower, and I feel like I''m invincible. It''s intoxicating and extremely hard to control at times. I walk over to the other side of the ship to get away from the blood; I don''t need to be slipping all over the place. I feel my feet sticking to the deck, as leave bloody footprints behind me. I look around, and Tori is clutching his hand backing up with the remaining crew huddled at the front of the ship, and Tao has moved himself and the captain to the back of the ship. Then all of a sudden, I hear the patter of feet coming up from the hold. I put my blades down and bring my gun up to my shoulder. Four people emerge from below, and as they turn to face me, I pull the trigger. Now, most people don''t realize that early guns take a second after you pull the trigger to actually fire, and even though I know this, I still relax when it doesn¡¯t immediately fire. When it finally does go off, it slams into my shoulder with what feels like the force of a sledgehammer. My arm goes numb for a second, and I can''t help but drop the gun. I guess loading it with extra powder and shot really did come back to bite me. Luckily for me, the double load of shot takes out all four of the men, and the numbness only lasts a few seconds. Then the massive adrenaline rush from all of the blood earlier deadens the pain. But I know my right arm is not going to work at a 100 percent after this for a week or so. I look out to the rigging of the ship, and there are dozens of people watching me now. I pick up my blades and look around at who¡¯s left. None of the crew I was a part of look interested in fighting; so I guess all who are left are Tao and the captain. As I start walking toward them, Tao stands up and holds up his hand to stop me, ¡°I don''t know what you are trying to prove, traitor, but I am this man¡¯s protector. I will not allow you to harm him.¡± I still don''t understand why Tao is protecting him. Tao is very respectful to everyone on board, and he seems compassionate. Hell, half the time when Captain Piggy talks Tao looks disgusted with him. I wish I could ask him, but there isn''t time. So, I try to diffuse the situation. ¡°Well, I don''t guess you''ll let me and my new friends take everything on the ship do you? I think that would be very beneficial for my new crew and I.¡± Captain Piggy explodes into a boisterous and annoying bout of opposition. Screaming that his livelihood is on this ship and he will not become a pauper on the whim of mangy vagrants or something to that effect. Tao tries to calm him but to little avail. I start to get angry now, ¡°Captain, would you shut the fuck up? Don''t forget, I''m not the only one you are fighting against. Even if I stop right now, you have dozens of pirates already tethered to your ship. Lemme say this slowly, You. Are. Going. To. Lose. Your. Cargo.¡± ¡°Well, I may very well lose my cargo, but I will have your head for it. Tao kill him.¡± Tao nods his head slightly and turns to me pulling his swords. Oh fuck, I was hoping they were for show, but he holds them in obviously well-practiced hands, plus his swords are immaculately maintained. He is clearly dangerous; twin hook swords are incredibly hard to use due to the fact they are sharpened everywhere except where your hands go on the handles. The finger guard is sharpened, the pommel is sharpened, and the actual blade is double sided along its length. Any lack of concentration or misstep and you could inflict a massive gash on yourself. Knowing that there is little chance of me not getting cut, I let myself slip a little deeper into my blood rush. All it takes is a quick look at the scene I created earlier. The blood creeping ever further across the deck, like a stream flowing from their mangled limbs. The smell of the powder mixing with stench of bodies blown apart. I feel it, the rush, I feel alive. I could very well die here and that sinks me even deeper. Ah yes, I live for moments like these, and it has been far too long since I''ve experienced one. Tao decides to begin first. He starts off at a slow trot towards me, not in any hurry. I had taken up a defensive stance just waiting for him to get close enough to strike, then I would parry, nothing fancy. He unfortunately had other ideas, as he gets about two sword lengths away he links his left sword together with his right sword behind his head, effectively doubling his reach. I see the razor sharp hand guard and pommel flying towards the left side of my neck. I react by jerking my head back but not quite quick enough. The pommel cleanly slices through the bony bridge of my nose, and holy fucking son of a whore it hurts. I lose concentration which, Tao tries to capitalize on by spinning around in a very graceful pirouette. If he wasn''t trying to kill me it would look a lot like a ballerina spinning. As the finger guard is about to lodge itself into my head I lower my head and just enough to avoid being scalped. I come up with my left kuhkri to slice the wrist holding the swords linked together but he flicks his wrist down to guard his hand with the finger guard. Luckily the force tilts the sword towards the sky and the other swords slips out of the hook, sending it flying across the deck. I come from the left side of my body with my right kuhkri to slash his stomach but Tao sees it coming. He leans forward and my blade finds his chest instead. My blade slices though his skin from the start of his right ribs, across his sternum ending at his collar bone, but his ribs keep me from hitting anything vital. We both take advantage of the moment and jump back from one another. Looking at each other we realize this fight is going to end up with both of us dying if we keep going. In less than 3 seconds, he all but cuts off my nose, and I sliced his left pectoral in half. Our reflexes, honed from years of combat, are the only reason either of us are alive. I look him in the eyes as I give him my wildest smile. Moments like this give meaning to a life devoted to violence. Chapter 4 CHAPTER 4 I am breathing hard, choking on the blood pouring down the back of my throat. Tao is on one knee clutching his chest, his wound is about a foot and a half long, ribs visible along the entire cut. While I''m spitting up blood trying to clear my throat, I hear thunderous applause from the pirates. I guess they wouldn''t get to watch people fight very often, since they are the ones fighting. If you ponder it though, Tao and I are basically gladiators fighting in a closed arena. Captain Diabetes is screaming at Tao now, getting shriller and shriller, almost to the point of being the same pitch as an actual pigs squealing, ¡°What the fuck are you doing Tao? The Conglomerate did not appoint you as my body guard for you to get cut up by some nobody sailor. I thought you were some big shot cage fighter back in the Oriental.¡± That pisses me off, ¡°Hey you fat fuck, lets see you come out here and fight me? Do I look like a nobody sailor? My name is fucking Dwayne Utah bitch, and Tao here is a better fighter than you deserve. We just took turns carving into each other because of your fatass, and you stand their squealing like a fucking pig because you are too damned weak to protect yourself. If Tao wasn''t standing between you and I, I would come over the and castrate you like the swine you are. Also you ignorant prick, don''t say oriental asshole, it''s offensive.¡± When I finish, I realize how ridiculous the pitch of my voice is. I''m basically yelling with a stuffy nose right now, all the while choking on blood. I notice Tao looking at me curiously. While I am focused on Tao, the captain starts to pull something out of his jacket back while screaming at me, ¡°Would you quit with the pig quips, I paid you better than any other captain in the Caribbean and you talk to me like that? Well, if you won''t give me the respect I deserve I will take it.¡± He pulls a 4 barreled flintlock pistol and points it at me. As he is cocking the striker I know this is it. There is no way he misses at this distance with four lead balls, and I doubt I survive a shot out here a week from the nearest port. Hell, he is probably going to hit Tao as well. I close my eyes waiting for the crack of his pistol in front of me. Instead a boom coming from my right pierces the silence. I open my eyes to see the Captain Saehrimir in pieces in front of me, and to my right Captain Zijde is standing behind a smoking swivel cannon, smiling ear to ear. He hops down from the railing and starts walking towards me, ¡°My newest friend, I apologize for intruding, but it seemed pertinent that I intervene for your well being. If it is your wish I would be more than happy to have you on my crew.¡± He turns to Tao, ¡°Mr. Tao correct? I would like to extend the same branch of comradery to you as well. If not that, I would be honored to care for you until the next port. At which point you will be free to leave.¡± Damn, this captain is smooth as silk, and I guess he befriended me. Tao stands up, and smiles through gritted teeth due to the pain he''s in, ¡°Thank you Captain Zijde, since you killed the man I was charge to protect I will be shunned from the Conglomerate. Truth be told, he was a vile man and he will be mourned by few, least of all me. I would be honored to join your crew, on the condition that no harm comes to the remaining crew of The Narwhal.¡± He looks at me, stands up straighter, and tries to smile through gritted teeth. He walks up to me, and I stiffen not knowing what to expect. He places a hand on my shoulder, "You know, that was fun. We should do that again... with wooden weapons this time tough." I smile, nod, and sit back down on my ass. Holy shit that was fun, but I am exhausted now. My blood rush is starting to subside, and I feel everything in full force. I''m panting hard through my mouth since my nose is clogged with a massive blood clot. It''s getting harder and harder to keep blood out of my windpipe. My face is on fire, and I can stop spitting out pieces of coagulated blood. Once they get aboard, A couple of the pirates come over to Tao and I to help us to their ship. All of a sudden Tori jumps up and screams something about challenging me. I look back at Captain Zijde smashing Tori in the face with his pistol and whispering something to him afterwards. The pirates lower us down onto their deck and take us down into their hold to be seen by an actual doctor, which is rare on pirate ships. We meet him about halfway to his cabin, and as he introduces himself he asks me about the pain, and I just smile with bloody teeth. He gives me what I assume is a tincture of opium, lays me down, and tells me to sleep while he works on Tao. I close my eyes happily, bring up my HUD, and go to the logout screen. I click the logout button and I slowly ''fall'' back into my actual conscience over the course of a few minutes. I open my eyes to see the boring white ceiling of my tiny apartment. I sit up and disconnect the WPRW Cable from my spinal implant. As I get ready to get up, I look down at my legs. I see the same road map of scars I''ve seen everyday for the past 5 years. I swing them over the edge of my bed and slowly put weight on them. I feel the familiar sharp pain in my shins, left knee, and hip as I stand up. I slowly limp to the bathroom checking the time as I go. Fuck, I only have 40 minutes to get to my pain doctor, and there is no way I''ll be able pee again in that amount of time if a have a drug test. If I''m late I bet he''s going to make reschedule in a couple weeks. By then I''ll be out of my meds and in full on withdrawals. I try to hurry but the pain is just overwhelming when I come out of the VR. Getting to the bathroom I slap on another patch and take four acetaminophen to try and get my pain under control. It''s 10 AM now and it should take about 3 hours to get done at the doctor and an hour to get back. So I should be able to log back by 2 PM at the latest. Yea, that should work out, hopefully nothing happens to my avatar in that amount of time. I leave through my door and begin the exhausting and painful walk to my doctor''s office.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Fuck, it''s hot out here. My legs hurts, my back hurts, and I am sweating my balls off. When people bitch about life not being fair I wanna slam my head into something. Here I am walking to my doctor to get help with my pain and every step is making it so much worse. After walking for forty-five minutes, I finally walk through the doors of the hospital, and all that''s left is a couple hundred feet and an elevator ride. I would really like to sit down right now, but I''m five minutes late and the doc may already make me reschedule, even though there is supposed to be a 30 minute window. I walk through the doors nine minutes late and the secretary, a damned nice lady, looks at me with worry in her eyes. ¡°You''re late again Mr. Utah, I see you had to walk again this time. I hate that for you. I will go ahead and buzz Dr. Veily, but no promises. You know how he is.¡± ¡°Yes mam, I know, I guess all I can do is cross my fingers. I hope you are having a good day though Mrs. Miriam, do you know if I have a drug test this time? I''ve been holding it for about an hour now.¡± ¡°Oh I am thank you for asking dear. Let''s see here, no you don''t, but I''d try and hold it if I were you. If he calls you back and you''re in the bathroom he may just reschedule you. I see you are drenched in sweat, I would offer you a glass of water, but it seems that would do more harm than good.¡± ¡°Hmm, Yep I guess you''re right. Well, thank you anyways, lemme know what he decides. I like your hair today by the way.¡± ¡°Thank you Dwayne, you are always the sweetest. Please have a seat and we''ll be with you shortly. I''ll let you know if anything changes.¡± I nod to her and go have a seat. Oh thank god that is nice. The chairs here suck, but it doesn''t really matter at the moment. My knee was throbbing something awful, and my shins were starting to burn. Anyways, today was a pretty good day in the game. I wonder how I''m doing in views. Pulling out my phone, I login as a player on the New Breed of Pirate website. Fucking yes! As I scroll down I see the title ''Utah the Vet is finally making waves, and the waves are huge''. In little over an hour I already have 4 million views, which might be the fastest climb yet. The only video more popular than mine today was ''Captain Roach captures a 14 gun brig, pushes him to #1 in player infamy''. Fucking Leo Roach, as of two months ago he was the 3rd richest man in the world. He spent billions of dollars in the currency exchange to give himself a head start. It''s actually pretty hilarious, but he only got enough to buy a 6 gun sloop that was barely floating. Although, that definitely has kept him first in wealth so far, but now he has the number one spot in infamy as well. Someone needs to take him down. I might talk to Captain Zijde about that, who knows he may go for it. The door opens, and the nurse pokes her head through sheepishly, ¡°Mr. Utah, could you come with me? We need to take your vitals.¡± She is looking at me like I''m a suspect of a crime for some reason. She is usually quite friendly, but she seems almost scared of me right now. ¡°Here step on the scale, how tall are you Mr. Utah?¡± ¡°6 foot, 2 ish'' inches¡± ¡°And your weight is 150, you''ve lost even more weight, how much time are you spending in NBP?¡± Shit, she saw the video, and that''s why she is acting this way. ¡°Uhm, I guess I spend a few hours everyday in it. Why, is that a problem?¡± ¡°Could you be more specific? The doctor needs to know.¡± ¡°Lately I guess I''m spending about 6-8 hours a day in the simulator. I''ve been trying to get more popular so I can make some credits to help with groceries and utilities from Rio Grande.¡± ¡°I see, alright have a seat and I''ll let the doctor know.¡± ¡°Can I please use the bathroom?¡± ¡°Yes, but hurry you know the doctor doesn''t like to wait.¡± Damn it''s stressful coming here, they typically schedule you within 3 days of running out of your meds, and if you are late or can''t pee fast enough they reschedule. That may sound typical, but it usually takes 1-2 weeks to get rescheduled. That''s is more than enough time to send you into full on opiate withdrawals. I have only missed my appointments twice. Once was a car wreck and the other time I was pulled over for going too fast to get to the appointment. I get done using the restroom and the nurse is standing there waiting on me, she still looks wary. ¡°He''ll see you now.¡± Walking through the doors the scent of hand sanitizer permeates the air. His numerous degrees line the wall to my right, and a ridiculous amount of books line shelves on the remaining wall space. It''s a nice room, but he is still an asshole. ¡°Hello Mr. Utah, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°I had to walk here again so my knee, hip, and back are flared up, and the meds I''m on are starting to not work as well. I was just having more flare ups at first, but now everything is starting to overwhelm me most of the time. I cannot for the life of me get comfortable at night while I try and sleep.¡± He raises an eyebrow, ¡°I would think you would get plenty of rest while you are in the simulator for hours on end. I''m surprised you don''t have bed sores.¡± Fucking asshole, I guess everyone here has seen my game footage. ¡°I don''t really have much else to do with my time anymore. It''s been hard to get a manual labor job because of the pain. I can''t get a lot of other jobs until I get this dishonorable discharge overturned. I''m not eligible for disability because I am just shy of the ''credit requirement'', but I can''t get a job to push past it. After all the hurdles and all those people that donated for me to get this spinal implant, of course I am going to spend a lot of time in the simulator. Just being able to run, jump, and walk normally is plenty excuse for the time I spend in there. Not only that, this is the only way for me to make ends meet. I''ve been able to provide for myself so much better since playing.¡± ¡°Well Mr. Utah, I think that you are escaping reality in a video game when you should be focusing on the rest of your life. Since you are spending a third of your time in the simulator I am going to change you back to replacing your fentanyl trans-dermal patches every 72 hours.¡± Is this fuck-hat listening to me?, ¡°What? But what about the withdrawals?¡± ¡°I still don''t know about the validity of your complaint. The patches are designed to work 72 hours as you should know. Anyways, in the simulator you don''t feel anything from the real life. Just time any ill effects to when you are in the game.¡± ¡°But I thought the article I found about the end of dosage pain could be attributed to oily skin and the sweating I do on a regular basis. I do not have a vehicle. That happens all the time.¡± ¡°At the 48 hour mark there is still over half of the medication left in the patch, what you are experiencing is probably just depression.¡± That''s it? There is no talking to this asshole, Fuck it. ¡°Ok, anything else?¡± ¡°Nope, I''m glad I could help you today Mr. Utah, you can leave the door open.¡± God I hate walking in this place, and I hate walking out even more. I pretty much have always gotten the run around by him. Whatever, fuck it all. I was debating whether or not the NBP facility was right for me, but that just made up my mind. It kills me to feel this powerless. If I try to argue with him, I get threatened with a ''Opiate Use Disorder'' diagnoses. If I try to look for another doctor it''ll look like I''m ''doctor shopping''. Either of those will just end with me not having a doctor for my pain. The DEA cracking down on any narcotic for the last few days has left doctors scared to prescribe them. Which leaves me caught in the middle, in crippling pain. I get back home and fuck this shit hurts. The osteoarthritis in my knee and hip are always so inflamed after I walk anywhere. Whatever, I slap on another patch, disinfect the probe on the connector, and slide it into my spinal implant slot at the base of my skull. I lay back and start counting. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five.... Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5 Coming to, my face feels like it''s on fire. The taste of blood overwhelms me, making me nauseous. Which does not couple well with my mouth being dry as cotton. Not surprising since I can''t breath through my nose at all due to the blood clots. As I sit up, I look around the candle lit room. Tao is lying in an actual straw bed in a corner to my left, and in the other corner there is a doctor filling up some vials with a pipette over a small flame. He is in his late 40''s with salt and pepper hair, mostly salt, pulled back into a ponytail and rocks a gray beard reaching past his sternum. He was fairly average in height, but he was built as hell for a doctor. His hands were almost laughably large holding that tiny vial and pipette. The doctor turns his head slightly, but never looking away from the vial he was filling, ¡°Oh I see you''re awake. That''s a pretty nasty gash, being it went through the bony bridge of your nose. I''m afraid that you will probably never be able to smell as well as you once could and you may suffer¡ª.¡± ¡°Sleep apnea? Yea I figured that I''d probably have trouble with it. I was probably doing it just now with how clogged my nose is. Uhm, can I get some water, and do you have something for pain doc? My face is on fucking fire.¡± ¡°I do not know what sleep apnea is, but you will need to sleep on your side for now on. You¡¯ll have trouble breathing if not. And, yea, I figured you would need more when you woke up. I didn''t have a chance to see if you partook in opium or not, so I erred on the side of caution.¡± I thought to myself, do I say yes? I do in real life, hell I take something a hell of a lot stronger than opium. Although, when the game renders your body, it is supposed to be in a completely natural state other than any mental disorders like depression or autism. ¡°Not in a long time, so, my tolerance should be pretty low. By the way how bad is Tao''s pectoral muscle?¡± He corks the vial he was working with, puts all the glassware in a box packed with loose cotton, and pulls a vial out of a small wooden box. He is studying me with a puzzled expression as he starts walking over towards me. ¡°If you understand opium tolerance, you have a better understanding of pharmacology than a lot of my peers. And you know the names of the muscles so you do know anatomy. Surprising coming from a simple sailor¡­¡± The look he¡¯s giving me isn¡¯t suspicion persay, but I think curiosity. ¡°Anyways, Tao won''t be fighting or lifting anything heavy for quite some time. I''ve irrigated the wound, and I''m about to stitch his muscle together with with some catgut I have. Here, I''m going to give you a few drops underneath your tongue. Are you opposed to the effects, or ever had any reactions?¡± ¡°Not in the past and I don''t mind the mental effects, hell I''d welcome them actually. My face feels awful right now. And, to answer your question, I''m not formally trained, but I dabbled in medicine for a few years. So, I have a very good grasp on anatomy, decent on physiology, but my pharmacology is pretty rudimentary. If you don''t mind me asking how clean is everything? I don''t want him getting some awful infection. I am the one that cut him.¡± He stops a few feet in front of me, and I fully realize just how massive of a man he is. He is definitely overweight around his stomach, but his arms are bulging with muscles, reminiscent of tree trunks. He smells of pipe tobacco and is covered with scars. He wears an apron, that while sanitary, is stained with quite a few colors. Although, dark red being the main one that stands out. ¡°Alright, seven drops it is.¡± He motions for me to open my mouth, and counts out the drops. It is extremely bitter, and the high proof alcohol it''s dissolved in burns going down. ¡°Don''t swallow, leave it underneath your tongue. After, I will fix you some tea with some opium in it to slowly digest and hopefully keep the pain under control. Let me know if it flares up. When you''re feeling up to it, you should head up to the deck and find Zijde. He wanted to talk to you about your share of the haul.¡± ¡°Alright, I''ll be sure to find him. Anything else?¡± He pauses for a moment, pondering about what he wants to say, ¡°I''m surprised you know the theories of cleanliness and infection. Few people think it is plausible. Personally, I just don''t like my hands to be dirty. So, I clean my hands several times a day. Actually, I don''t like anything dirty. I clean my apron once a day in saltwater and a little bit of soap. I also wash my tools nightly with fresh water. I''m sure you realize how hard this is, but I can''t seem to go to sleep unless I do it. As for his wound, using catgut usually festers it. Meaning, I will have to leave a opening for drainage, but it''s better than trying to just close it up. The clean straight cut you left should heal nicely¡± Not knowing if he will be able to understand me with this under my tongue, I speak slowly, ¡°Thanttsss Dohc, itssh already detter. Nane?¡± He has one of those booming and infectious laughs, which kinda reminds me of a badass Santa, ¡°You can probably swallow now, and my name is Zale Thomas. Yours is Utah?¡± ¡°Yep, Tommy Dwayne Utah. So Doc, I do not want to step on your toes, but I have an idea for the catgut.¡± ¡°If there is no harm to the patient I''m all for experimentation.¡± This old man and I are going to get along swimmingly. I grin, ¡°Ok, so, I''m assuming you have some alcohol that is over 100 proof?¡± --He nods-- ¡°Ok good, now water and heat weakens the catgut right? But, I read somewhere that heating alcohol very slowly to about 145 degrees helps with infection, without weakening the catgut. Then you remove the catgut onto a clean surface and let it dry out some. Then you use it normally.¡± I would explain staph to him but it''s about a hundred years too early for that. He strokes his beard, deep in thought. After a few moments he looks at me in the eye, ¡°I''ll try it, and if it works I¡¯ll have to claim you as an assistant. You''re holding back information though. It''s ok, I''m not mad, but I just want you to know I''m no stick in the mud. If you have a theory I''d love to hear it.¡± Ok, this man is officially my favorite person so far in the Caribbean. ¡°Alright, Doc we''ll talk about everything after a while. I guess I''m gonna head up.¡± ¡°One second¡±, He picks up a metal canteen, drops in a pea size ball of raw opium, tops it off with hot water, and shakes the hell out of it. Then he hands it to me. ¡°After you talk with Zijde, come back and see me. I''d love to hear what you know. I also wouldn''t mind teaching you medicine, if you show aptitude.¡± I flash a big grin at him. The chance to learn more about medicine is hard to come by. ¡°Thanks again Doc, I''d like that more than you know.¡± He smiles and nods as I walk through the door. I''m starting to feel the euphoria come over me from the opium, and the relief to my face is magical. I have to weave in between men taking supplies to the hold and others sleeping in hammocks. As I''m waiting at the stairs going up to the deck to clear, a short portly man with a sun burnt face walks up to me. ¡°Agh fuck me, your face is damn right horrifying. That is gotta hurt something fierce right? Mhh, I''m supposing you will need something easy on the mouth and throat to eat eh?¡± I give him a smile that he immediately winces at, I guess I still have blood on my teeth, ¡°Yea, that would help me a lot. The top of my mouth is pretty tender and I haven''t ate since early this morning. I''m off to see Zijde after--¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Mate, I''m going to tell you this as a curtsy. It''s Captain Zijde, to everyone except other captains, doctors, and a few close friends. On this ship respect and curtsy is paramount to one''s health. There is no fighting unless both sides agree to rules, there is no discriminating against anyone on account of who they choose to bed with, and if someone has on of them su-sufficksies like Cap''n or Doc use it. Another thing, whatever your opinion on Africans, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re better than them ¡®cuz you¡¯re not on this here ship. Oh, and bigger than all of that, no rapin anyone, and don''t dip your wick in anyone underneath the age ah'' 14. Savvy?¡± ¡°Aye, yea I get you, and thanks, I might''ve messed up with the titles one. I am on board with everything thing else. I do have to ask, how does that work robbing people?¡± ¡°Oi, you are a slick one ain''t ye''. Yea the Cap''n does leave a loophole for that. Robbin'' people and killing people is fine for as long as they resistin'', but no killing anyone laying down their arms. Our Cap''n is a jam up person like that.¡± I down some of the tea Doc Zale gave me. The heat feels great to my mouth, but the tea tastes like a bar of soap. ¡°Alright, I''ll keep that in mind friend. I''ll come back down to see you after I meet with the captain. What''s your name? Mine is Dwayne Utah. I''ve been going by Utah though.¡± ¡°Well, damn fine to meet you Utah, mine''s Jake. Never had a last name though. I''ll have you a fine treat later.¡± He nods and walks towards the back of the ship limping slightly. The stairs to the deck are clear now, so I start heading up and the light is blinding. I went into the simulator at dusk in the real world, but the sun is still quite strong in the sky here. They have the ships still tethered together with the grappling hooks, and they have the other crew sitting at the bow of the ship under guard. Tori catches my eye ¡­ holy hell his hand is black now, and there is no way he''s keeping that hand. Damn, I did that¡­ no wait, fuck him, he did that shit to himself. Everyone that looks at me winces and looks away, so I''m guessing my face looks as rough as it feels. That reminds me to take another swig of the tea. Mid gulp, someone walks up behind me and grabs my right shoulder. The fingers dig into my shoulder, renewing the pain from shooting the blunderbuss. I jerk away, trying to yell as some tea goes down my wind pipe. The blood clot shifts in my nose as the tea goes up my firmly clogged nose. I cough up the tea and wipe the blood and snot off my nose. I find out I can''t touch my swollen nose without making everything a 100 times worse. ¡°Ah shit, what in the fuck are you thinking?¡±, I turn to see a tall, slender black man looking at me expectantly that turns to momentary shock when he sees my face. Everyone has stopped around us, looking with curiosity. Quickly regaining his solemn expression, ¡°I apologize if I startled you, I am the ship¡¯s quartermaster, Bhekiztha. The captain is in the hold. He would like to meet with you.¡± ¡°Damn man, it''s not so much you startled it''s that my shoulder is sore from earlier. That, and you made this tea go up my nose. It''s pretty tender if you can''t tell.¡± Without changing his expression he nods slightly, ¡°I¡® sorry for any ¡®discomfort¡¯ I might have cause. Perhaps if you didn¡¯t betray crews you will experience less discomfort. Please follow me.¡± He turns, not waiting for a response from me. This guy really just said all of that? He must not have seen how Captain diabetes was acting earlier. I start to follow him below deck, and he leads me directly to the late Captain Piggy''s quarters. Through the door, Captain Zijde and several men are trying to pry open the largest chest. Zijde turns, and whistles when he sees my face. ¡°My new friend, I mean no offense, but have you seen your face? I do believe our meeting could have waited until you felt up to it.¡± He points to a mirror in the room. When I see my face I just laugh, my forehead is bruised with a golf ball sized knot. The specks of blood really stand out in my light brown hair. Both of my eyes are swollen, black, and bloodshot. My nose is so swollen the stitches closing the gash look as though the might pop at any moment. Along with all of that, the blood in my stubble makes it looks like I bit into a heart while it was still beating. I feel the blood rush creeping back up to the base of my skull, mixing with the euphoria from the opium. It is intoxicating. I try to look away before anyone else notices, but I feel Bhekiztha''s eyes boring into the back of my skull. ¡°Yea, I have to say I look pretty terrifying right now, but I feel pretty decent right now. What did you want to see me about?¡± Zijde demeanor changes slightly, he becomes more professional, but still warm and friendly, ¡°I wanted to talk about your share of the loot. The crew talked about it while you were being treated, and they came to the conclusion that you don''t get a crew members share since you were not apart of the crew until after the ship was taken.¡± The captain is looking at me intently, watching what I do. I try to remain calm but I can''t help but stiffen a little bit. That sounds fair in theory, but in practice, I did just take the ship nigh single handedly and he lost nothing. Although, I did get what I want, so fuck it. ¡°I understand. I don''t agree nor like it, but I''ll respect the vote. I just ask for enough to get by until the next voyage.¡± Zijde grins excitedly, looking past me at Bhekiztha, ¡°See, I told you he wouldn''t do anything reckless Bheki, and you owe me a doubloon when we get paid.¡± I turn and see Bhekiztha avoiding my eyes, staring at the bookcase. I turn back to see Zijde''s outstretched hand, I go to grab it and he grabs mine with both hands and warmly shakes it. ¡°We did vote that you don''t get a crew''s share but you get a finder''s fee of 15 percent, we will calculate it all out when we get back to Nassau.¡± Holy shit, 15 percent, that''s going to be a massive amount of coin. I smile at him and he immediately winces. ¡°Friend, please refrain from smiling until you clear the blood from your mouth. That is downright terrifying!¡± We both laugh and I even hear a chuckle out of Bhekiztha behind me. I look around and they have cleared almost all of the arms and powder out. They also have all but one chest broken into, four are full of documents, one full of clothes, and the last and biggest one remains unopened. A sailor enters with a small leather pouch. Zijde turns to him and smiles, ¡°Ah, Billy, so good to see you. You think you can get the chest open?¡± ¡°I haven''t come across a lock I couldn''t pick yet Cap''n.¡± Wow, he can''t be older that 16. He pulls out some metal pieces bent into all different kinds of shapes. He starts picking the lock while muttering to himself the whole time. ¡°Ok, so there is a metal ward.¡± ¡°Ok, one down.¡± ¡°Oh you tricky bastard, you have four sets of pins with shields.¡± After about 5 minutes of watching him, he turns to the captain, ¡°Cap''n Zijde, I would find the key to this one. I''m almost done, but the lock on this chest is worth no telling how much. I won''t bore you with details, but there aren''t many people that could afford this chest, much less pick it.¡± ¡°Thank you for your insight Billy, but I¡¯m afraid the previous captain had it on his person. We searched but concluded it either flew from his person or is ¡®in¡¯ his person.¡± Billy chuckles and goes back to fervently working on the lock. After a few minutes there is a satisfying click and the lid pops open. Billy stands up, making way for Zijde. As the captain flips the lid a crushing sense of disappointment fills the room. The chest is just chock full of nude drawings, most are pretty vanilla, but some of them even make me uncomfortable. The level of detail on these hand drawn genitalia is impressive, albeit repulsive in their fifty shades of pencil gray. Zijde lowers his head and curses under his breath. Bheki''s jaw tenses and leaves the room hurriedly. I think it''s funny and have a hard time not laughing. Billy is staring intently at the at the pictures, it looks like he wants to say something but he''s remaining silent. Zijde stands up straight at the chest shaking his head, ¡°Well, I don''t think we have any use for such smut. I guess give it to the cook for kindling.¡± Billy''s head snaps up at the captain, ¡°Uhhh, say Cap''n, before that...¡± He pauses, chewing on his lip like bubble gum, ¡°You think I could look through them? You know, to make sure we don''t miss anything? I would also like them for uh, educational purposes.¡± I can''t hold it in any longer, I burst out laughing. All the while Zijde was trying to remain solemn as a priest during a funeral, but when I burst out he cracks as well. The cabin was roaring with laughter. In turn Billy blushes tomato red, and looks like at any moment he might start shrinking into the floor. Tears rolling down his cheeks, Zijde holds a hand up at me signaling to stifle my laughter. ¡°Dear Billy, Mr. Utah and myself apologize for laughing, but as I''m sure he will agree, we did not see that coming. Yes, you may have the drawings for whatever reason your heart or loins desire. All I ask, is for you to empty the chest and get some help moving it towards my bunk. We will leave you to it.¡± He motions for me to follow him. Back out on the deck the sun is quickly setting and the heat isn''t nearly stifling, but the bugs have started to come out in droves. Zijde walks over to a secluded section of the boat, seems like he wants to talk. ¡°So my friend, how are you liking the crew? Think it will be a good fit?¡± ¡°I''ve gotten along with almost everyone I''ve met. The Doc is knowledgeable and may wanna teach me a little, the cook is odd but he''s friendly, and I don''t know Billy¡± ¡°Hmm, I was afraid of this.¡± He turns his back to me, ¡°You didn''t mention Bhekiztha, did something happen?¡± ¡°Eh, nothing much. He just grabbed my shoulder that''s hurt. I packed the gun I shot too much, so the recoil was a little more than my shoulder was comfortable with. He must have not noticed, and I choked the tea doc made. No big deal.¡± ¡°No, it''s bigger than you think. Bheki doesn''t ''not notice'' things. He planned that whole thing out to see what you would do. I''m sure he will keep doing so, trying to get you to blow up. I''ve seen it before. He doesn''t trust you.¡± ¡°Well I did single handedly betray my crew, so...¡± ¡°No, he knows the kind of man Saehrimir was, he would have tried to do the same as you. The problem is, you, and when he heals Tao, are probably the best fighters on the ship now. He''s worried about his position. Which goes against what this crew stands for. The men pledge their bodies and lives to elevate the position of this crew. We don''t have much patience for selfish actions. That''s what I bet the altercation between you two was about. He was trying to provoke you, not only did you not get violent, you also didn''t get mad about the bet we made. Not many men would have been so calm when thinking they would lose out on a share of such a large prize. He knows people like you make the best leaders and this scares him.¡± Shit, this is not how I wanted to start off my first day on a crew. ¡°Look Captain Zijde, I don''t want to step on any toes. I just want to make some money and maybe learn some stuff along the way, but I have a goal in mind. I will accomplish that goal or die trying.¡± Well, if I could die... Well, I guess I would be dead to the crew anyways. ¡°Mmhh, interesting... may I hear about this plan?¡± ¡°Uh, sorry Captain, if it gets out what I want to do, it''ll never come to fruition. I need to be strong enough to force it along before I start telling people about it.¡± ¡°Utah, I''m demanding you answer this question. Will your plan intentionally harm this crew?¡± ¡°Captain Zijde, I will need like minded allies for said plan. I would not burn any bridges that could be mutually beneficial. In time, I''m sure that I will share it with you. I will also ask you, your crew, and many other crews to be apart of it.¡± ¡°Alright Utah, I can respect that answer, but I will do everything in my power to destroy you if you hurt this crew. Anyways, your stitching is bleeding again. You should...¡± Before Zijde could finish, Billy burst out of the cabin screaming for the captain. ¡°Billy my young friend, did you find something in those ''illustrations'' that scared you?¡± We both chuckle but Billy waves for us to follow and runs back in. We follow and through the cabin door, the last remaining light coming in through the window is reflecting from the chests contents. Against the ceiling there is a multitude of red, blue, green, white, and gold colored lights shining. Then darkness overtakes everything...... Chapter 6 What? Where am I? As I open my eyes and I''m met with the sight of my plain white ceiling. Then an unimaginable nausea hits me. I lean over the side of my bed, and start retching what little was in my stomach right into my bedroom carpet. I look up, and there was my mother with her hand over the ''force ejection'' button. ¡°Oh honey, are you ok? I knew it was a bad idea for you to get that implant to play this game. Why are you throwing up? Do I need to call an ambulance? I read that some doctors don''t know what could happen with the implant .¡± I''m gasping for air, trying to answer, but it feels like I might dry heave again at any moment. ¡°Mom, you just pressed the force eject button. It''s the little red button right beside the big red one. I have no fucking clue why they make the little one the emergency one. That is for emergency workers to get me out of the system in a fire or something. When you press that button...¡± I dry heave for a few seconds, ¡°The change in environment shocks my body, and it feels like my mind just got sucked through a straw. Don''t worry, I''m not rejecting the implant like that article said." "Oh, baby, I am so sorry I really didn''t know. Although, that''s stupid! I can''t even tell which label is what. The ''EMERGENCY EJECT'' is on top while the ''Ping'' is on bottom. The buttons are side by side, who does that shit?" "Yea, tell me about it." I give her a smile, "How''s it going mom?" ¡°I¡¯m good, I just hadn¡¯t heard from you in a while and wanted to drop in. Can I get you anything?¡± ¡°Yes, a glass of water would be nice.¡± She leaves to go get a glass, and I take a moment to compose myself. I want to get mad, I really do, but I look over at the buttons¡­ who does that shit indeed mother. She comes back, handing me a glass of water. She sits at the end of the bed waiting for me to finish my glass. ¡°Uhm, honey, can you take the uh¡­ cord out of your head? It¡¯s kinda freaky.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, sorry.¡± I take it out, and put it into its sterilization slot. I pull a black permanent marker out, and draw lines indicating which button is which. I look over and she is visibly fidgeting, but she gives a small giggle as she sees what I did. Oh lord, she only does that when she wants to talk about something uncomfortable. ¡°So, how¡¯s the game? I haven¡¯t watched any of it, and I don¡¯t think I will. I¡¯ve seen the articles though, you¡¯re pretty famous. Are you doing well financially?¡± ¡°Yea, best I¡¯ve done since I got discharged.¡± I see her flinch at that, ¡°Dwayne, I know I¡¯ve never asked you, but did you really do what they¡­¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. And I can¡¯t talk about it. I¡¯m still fighting the discharge but there isn¡¯t much I can do. It¡¯s a waiting game.¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­ how much are you making now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m making a little over a thousand credits a month right.¡± ¡°Oh I guess Rio Grande would pay you in their ¡®credits¡¯. Although, never really understood how they work. Is that enough to live on?¡± ¡°I get credits from Rio Grande that can be spent in like money for as long as they own whatever establishment I use them in. So, they own this apartment, the grocery store I go to, and the doctor''s office I go to. I make the equivalent of $2000 a month in credits. Which is nothing compared to some of the other people who play. The number one guy in infamy is making close to $15,000 dollars a month.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°So why don''t you just cash that in and go back to school?¡± ¡°Eh they have it set up so that the exchange rate for US dollars is like 1:10,000, and you can¡¯t buy them with dollars. It¡¯s another way they stay on top.¡± ¡°Well, that just seems like a scam to me. I would think that should be illegal. I think Rio Grande should be brought up on monopoly laws anyways.¡± ¡°They are way too ingrained in our economy now. I don''t think the economy could take it. Anyways all of there businesses were started from scratch, they started from the online store, then the built up a cellphone company, then they built up a health insurance company, then they started a hospital chain and they kept going. Hell, when the auto manufacturers started struggling they started building their own cars. Now it''s the best selling car in all of the world. The biggest problem is he is the sole owner of each and every piece of the company.¡± ¡°Well, no company should have that much money, and the CEO is the richest man in the world to!¡± ¡°Yea, Jeff Gates''s net worth might be the most in the world but do you know what his salary is?¡± ¡°No, but I bet it''s hundreds of millions of dollars.¡± ¡°Nope, for the last 5 years he has chosen to forgo a salary. He takes the equivalent of about a million dollars in credits. Everything he buys is within the company. The only reason he is the richest person in the world is he is still the sole owner in his company. So, I don''t even know how they would even try to split up his company.¡± ¡°That''s all?¡± ¡°Yep, he is one of the most frugal trillionaires ever. He lets all of the cash go back into the company. So, all of his wealth is based on businesses he owns. If the U.S. tried to hit him with monopoly laws he would just threaten to pull out of the country. He is the main source of revenue for America now.¡± ¡°I didn''t know, I just hear about all the politicians talking about how bad the company is for the U.S.¡± ¡°The government just doesn''t like the fact about a third of the tax revenue comes from his companies and employees. So, if he thinks what they are doing isn''t in the best interest of the country, he just smears their name. They usually don''t stay in office long after that.¡± ¡°Yea, I know¡­ baby, just hear me out. I really wish you wouldn¡¯t have limited yourself. You¡¯re stuck in the contract with Rio Grande for five years to pay back the spinal implant surgery. Yes, you¡¯re fine now¡­ but what are you gonna do in five years?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I¡¯ll worry about it when I get there. Im happy right now. Happier than I¡¯ve been in a long time.¡± ¡°I know, but are you gonna be stuck in the game for 5 years? Are we just not gonna see you?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯ll see me. It¡¯s basically a full time job, like anything else.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t see how it¡¯s gonna work. You¡¯re in there sooo much.¡± ¡°I''m tired of arguing Mom, we''ve been discussing this for over 5 minutes. You pulled me out of the game and if I''m not careful, that could make me earn less money. I really need to get back into the game.¡± She stands up, and crosses her arms, ¡°I just think that there is so much you can do with your life! I get that you can make money playing this game, but I really truly believe you are capable of really changing the world for the better.¡± ¡°Mom, look I love you. I always will, but please don¡¯t act like my wreck never happened. I¡¯m not the same person I used to be. I¡¯m not capable of the same things I used to be, never will be. When my wreck happened I lost multitudes of life paths. We can¡¯t change that, but I can make something of myself in this game. I can do anything, and I haven''t felt like that in a very long time.¡± Her eyes start to well up with tears, ¡°I know baby, I just see how much you¡¯re hurting and wish I could fix it. I¡¯m so sorry that all this has happened to you. I just don¡¯t know what to do.¡± ¡°Just let me live my life the best way I can. This game is the best chance I have to do that.¡± ¡°Ok baby, I understand.¡± She is on the verge of full blown tears, ¡°I need to run some errands. I¡¯ll let you get back in there.¡± She gives me a tight hug and a kiss on my forehead before she goes to leave. ¡°Hey mom.¡± She chokes back a sob, ¡°Yea baby?¡± ¡°I love you, and it really was good to see you.¡± She gives me a forced smile, and she leaves before the tears start to overflow. I reach over and hit the reinitialize key and lay back. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4.... Chapter 7 CHAPTER 7 I open my eyes to the same dark, musty room I woke up in the first time I logged out. I assume we are on our way from the ship bobbing up and down. I sit up and feel a crazy sense of deja vu. To my left Tao is laying on the same straw bed, and Doc Zale is passed out snoring in a hammock slung in the corner. I swing my legs over to get out of bed and I notice my legs for the first time. They are tan, hairy, and healthy. There are no bony protrusions or scars to be seen. My my knee joint is properly aligned and both are the same length. I start to feel anger swell up from my stomach and next thing I know, I''m fighting back tears. I shake my head, forgetting how sensitive my face is. I stand up with my face fiercely on fire again and quietly open the door. I weave through the rows of hammocks filled with my sleeping crew mates, trying to make it to the top deck outside. Despite it being around 3 in the moning, the full moon has the deck lit up well enough to take the night in. The breeze coming off the ocean is slightly warm, but the cool sea spray makes it very comfortable. I guess the wind is being very cooperative tonight since the rigging crew are leaning up around the main mast snoozing. As I look around, I only see three people awake. There is someone up in the crow''s perch keeping watch for other ships, and there is someone at the keel steering. The other is sitting up near the front of the bow, looking at something by candlelight. Looking for someone to talk to, I make my way towards the bow. Not that I want to climb to the crows perch, I can''t anyways. It''s a pretty serious offense to distract the lookout. I inspect the guns as I make my way towards the candlelit front of the ship. It looks like the captain has taken some pretty powerful ships here lately. The cannons are all pretty much 8 pounders, above average for a ship this size. What is really impressive are the six, twelve pounders lining the deck. He has them set up three to each side to be able to use them in either broadside. It''s actually pretty funny, I think each one of his cannons come from different ships, and they come from a smattering of different countries. Not one cannon has similar proofing marks. Walking past the last cannon, I''m close enough to see which member of the crew is by the candle. Well, I don''t recognize the person, but I''d recognize those detailed drawings anywhere. I start stomping my feet a little louder to make sure Billy hears me before startle him. Hearing me behind him, he frantically stuffs the papers underneath his shirt. I wave and try to act as if I was none the wiser, ¡°Hey Billy, how goes it up here tonight?¡± He tries to flatten the obvious bulge underneath his shirt, only to loudly crinkle the paper. I look away as I am trying to not laugh at his piss poor attempts at hiding what he was doing. He turns towards me and a terrified expression comes over him. He falls all over himself backwards trying to get up, ¡°Who the fuck? Oh hey Utah. a-are you ok? S-sorry, your face still looks awful. What happened earlier? I-I didn''t know what happened when you suddenly passed out.¡± ¡°Yea, I''m fine. I slept so much today I''ll prolly be up most of the night. What happened after I passed out?¡± ¡°Uhm, well Captain Zijde tried to break your fall, but you still hit the ground pretty hard. He did keep you from falling on flat on your face. Then Bheki walked in a few seconds later. He made some comment about you having a poor constitution, then he and the Cap''n carried you down to Doc Zale. He said you must''ve passed out due to dehydration and blood loss.¡± Dammit Mom, that made me look weak, ¡°So, other than Bheki, who did I lose face to?¡± ¡°Face? Watcha mean?¡± ¡°Oh uhm, ya know, face. Like who did I lose respect towards?¡± ¡°Ooohhh! Actually, Doc Zale said as pale as you were that he was surprised you made it as long as you did. Most of the crew think you¡¯re as hard headed as a mule. Other than Bheki, he''s worried about you being a better fighter than he is. I actually I bet you are the best fighter we have now.¡± Ok, sorry mom, I take it back. I guess you didn''t hurt me as bad as I thought. ¡°Oh, well that''s great then.¡± Oh shit, I forgot about the treasure, ¡°Billy, what was in the treasu...¡± Billy quickly gets up, putting his hand over my mouth. ¡°SSSHHH, quiet Utah. The captain told us not to say a word. There was A LOT of fucking gold and silver. Not to mention the dozens of finished gems. The Captain was worried if the crew got wind of it, they would just want to sell it to the first person that offered to buy. The Cap''n wants to take his time and get a fair price for it. Which, in Nassua will never happen.¡± ¡°Oh sorry, I guess I was passed out for that. How was the rest of the haul?¡± Billy grins widely, clearly excited, ¡°We got the biggest haul anyone on board has ever heard of. The ship was filled to the brim with tobacco, salt, spices, cocoa, and sugar. The Cap''n thinks that this should hold us over until the storm season is over. Well, if you wanted you could probably retire. There really is no telling what fifteen percent will look like. Any idea what you would like to do with it?¡± I pause for a second. I really want to tell Billy what my plan is. It''s just if it gets out... it will never happen. I look down, avoiding his eyes, ¡°Billy, I want to make something. I want to start something big enough I will be remembered for hundreds of years. I want to create something that a man of any race, creed, or ideology can be proud to be apart of. I can''t say a whole lot, but when I am powerful enough to make it happen, I will let you know.¡± Billy looks slightly confused, ¡°I don''t know many folk that would throw away a chance to retire like that. But to each one''s own I say. Good luck to you Utah.¡± ¡°Thanks Billy. So, what were you doing up here?¡± Billy turns a bright shade of red and looks out off the starboard bow, ¡°I was uh, researching what a woman''s... ugh private areas look like. See, when I find a girl, I want to be able to please her. You know, so I don''t have to worry about her leaving me for someone else.¡± ¡°Well Billy, I''m surprised at you. I thought you were just trying to relieve yourself up here.¡± I chuckle and I can tell I''ve made him feel even more uncomfortable. ¡°Awe hell Billy, lighten up. I''m just fucking with you. Look, very few men actually want to please a woman. For as long as you are eager and willing, you''ll do fine.¡± ¡°Really? That''s not what my sisters told me. They said if I couldn''t please my woman they''d find another person that could. They''ve always said that.¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Well, maybe your sisters were just jealous that they aren''t getting pleased by their husbands? Billy just shakes his head at the deck, ¡°They aren''t married. They probably won''t ever get married. They are ugh... working girls back in London.¡± ¡°Working girl? You mean a prostitute? ¡°Ugh, yes technically a prostitute, but I don''t particularly like that word though. They never really had much of a chance to do anything else. After my Da'' died during Queen Ann''s War. He was killed by the damned savages egged on by the French at Mobile.¡± I start to say something about calling them savages, but if my mother had to sell herself because of them, I''d be mad as well. I guess I''ll just let it be. ¡°Damn Billy, I''m sorry. I know that had to be a rough way to grow up.¡± ¡°Most of my friends had it much worse than me. My mother was pretty popular till she got to be in late thirties. By that time my oldest sister was close enough to be of age. She ended up being just as popular. Then by the time I was ten, they all were ''workin''. I just tried to not be there at night. I didn''t like the noise and some men seemed to be interested in me. I feel my jaw tighten, I know this time period was shitty, but I still haven''t gotten used to the these fucked up stories. ¡°I don''t know Billy, that sounds rough to me.¡± ¡°It wasn''t fun by any means, but hell Utah, I had friends starving to death left and right. I had one friend that his father sold him out to men of that persuasion. I never went hungry, I didn''t freeze, and I even had shoes. It can always be worse.¡± Well, fuck me. I really want to change the subject now. I did not wanna be this depressed before I tried to sleep. Maybe I can steer the subject to something else. ¡°Damn, well. Let''s talk about something else. How did you end up on Zijde''s crew?¡± Billy looks at me shocked, ¡°Utah, I can''t believe someone hasn''t told you, but always use the title for doctors and captains. Cap''n Zijde is pretty strict about it. Anyways, since my family was so well known, I had trouble being apprenticed. So, I got pressed by the Royal Navy when I was thirteen. I resisted and the press gang nearly killed me. After I healed up, I spent two years as a powder monkey on a frigate. Then one night. The Cap''n pulled up alongside her in the Kingston harbor and fired on her. He killed damn near everyone on the ship, but I was safe in the powder room. He gave me the choice and here I am.¡± Well, now I just wanna fling myself off the ship. This is so awkward... ¡°Damn Billy, has anything ever happen you liked?¡± ¡°I like it here pretty good.¡± He''s beaming with pride at being a pirate. ¡°Well Billy, how about this. When we get into port, I''ll set you up with a girl in Nassau for a few days. I''ll let her know you are looking to learn instead of getting pleasured. She''ll probably enjoy the change of pace.¡± He looks at me, like I just lifted years of worry off his shoulder. ¡°You''d do that Utah?¡± ¡°Yes Billy, God knows you need someone to do something good for you.¡± He just looks off to the horizon like he is trying to will the ship to go faster. I guess I was the same way when I was his age. Young, dumb, and horny, oh how it would be to be his age again. ¡°Alright Billy, I''m going to go look at the rest of the ship.¡± He just nods, never looking away from the pale light horizon off in the distance. It''s almost light enough now to see the horizon. The breeze is actually getting pretty cold with the ocean spray mixed in. I go over to a more secluded part of the ship so I can open my HUD without someone thinking I''m just staring off in the distance. I don''t have any messages and no alerts on my account. I open up the map and see we are just past Little Ragged Island in the Bahamas. We are about 230 miles from Nassau and averaging a pretty good 4.5 knots. I guess that''s pretty good considering how heavy we are right now. The weather and wind looks good. So, we should get there just shy of two days from now. Satisfied with my bearings, I go to the poop deck at the back of the ship to watch for the sunrise. Out in the distance I see some fins, dolphins I think. Pretty good omen actually...wait. Fuck, nope those are sharks. That''s a pretty bad omen actually. The sun is peeking over the eastern horizon and the warm sun soothes my inflamed face. The breeze is still cold but goes well with the sun. In no time at all it''ll be hot and humid again, with no relief until tonight. I open my eyes and look to find the sharks again. I don''t see them, but something does catch my eye over by the end of the island we just passed. I see what looks like a stick poking out, but it''s staying the same size. It should be disappearing as we are getting farther around the island. Then I see it, a bright white mast coming around the island. I turn back to see what the lookout is doing. Fuck, it''s a shift change. I start to wave my arms to get their attention. Then I start shouting, ¡°Hey, ship coming around the island we just passed.¡± He spins around with his spyglass to see what I''m talking about. After a few seconds he starts screaming at me to get the Captain from his quarters. As I make my way to the Captain he keeps barking orders to the crew snoozing on the deck. It must be serious since he''s waking up the Captain, Navigator, Quartermaster, and the Gunnery Master. I get to the Captain''s door and start to knock on the door. By the second knock I almost hit the captain in the face as he opens the door. He just looks at me with red shot eyes and a sleepy look on his face. ¡°I heard you yelling at the lookout, thank you Utah. Are you feeling better? I was shocked when you passed out on us. Not surprising with all the blood you lost though. Did the Dr. Thomas give you the go ahead to be up?¡± ¡°He was asleep when I awoke Cap''n. I''ll go get checked out if need be.¡± Captain Zijde studies me for a moment and then smiles, ¡°No, you look well enough to me. Besides, I may need some advice in the coming hours.¡± ¡°Sounds good to me Cap''n. Just so you know, it seems to me that ship knew we were coming through this route. It was waiting out of sight for us to pass.¡± We start to head up to the poop deck to get a better look off the stern of the ship. Zijde pulls out a very familiar, ridiculous spyglass. As I wait for him to finish, I see the ship has gotten closer. ¡°Captain, I think they are gaining on us.¡± Zijde turns to look up at the lookout, ¡°How have our positions changed in the last few minutes?¡± ¡°I''d say they are a full knot faster than us right now. They are closin'' the gap surely.¡± Just then Bheki comes tops the stairs. He sees me standing beside the captain and I see him clench his jaw in frustration. He looks at me defiantly with a barely perceptible sneer, ¡°I see our new crew mate is on his feet after a long slumber. Are you ok? Do I need to get you something soft to fall on in case you feel weak again?¡± Asshole, if it weren''t for what Zijde had told me I''d probably would call him out. I''ll just play along instead, ¡°Oh well, I wasn''t going to say anything, but if you want to fetch me something soft to lay on I won''t stop you.¡± I look at him expectantly, as if it was ridiculous he wasn''t already on his way. His sneer immediately turns into a look of frustration, ¡°Fetch you something? Does it look like there are slaves on this ship white man? I should...¡± Zijde shoots him a frigid look, ¡°Bheki, one more word against Utah and I will have you fetch him something to recline on. Not because it''s expected, because you so ''graciously'' offered it to our new friend.¡± Bheki looks like he had just been slapped by his mother. At the same time, the Navigator and the Gunnery Master had just finished walking up the stairs. The looks on their faces show they had heard the exchange. The tension is heavier than the thickest fog. Zijde continues, ¡°Do you understand how I feel on the subject Bheki?¡± Bheki looks down at the deck, ¡°Yes Captain.¡± ¡°Good. Now, since we are all here, let''s discuss the situation. There is a large galleon currently pursuing us. They seem to be going just slightly faster than us due to the weight of our hold. Utah seems to think they were waiting for us behind the island. Can anyone recall someone that might want to hit us?¡± Everyone looks at each other for a moment, then some names were mentioned. Each was quickly shot down. It looked like we were going to give up until Zijde mentioned they didn''t choose this route until right before they left. Then it hit me, they didn''t know the Going Swiftly was going through here. I start trying to get a word in but they are full blown arguing now. Zijde is just shaking his head while he thinks. I finally shout above everyone else, ¡°Listen, they are after the Narwhal.¡± The Gunnery Master gives me a dumb look, like I''m crazy, ¡°The fuck are you talking about? There aren''t any narwhals for thousands of miles from here.¡± I look around, expecting someone to get it. They just keep looking at me like I''m crazy, ¡°Did none of you check the ship y''all plundered?¡± They all just shrug and keep looking at me, ¡°Guys, the ship I helped you take was named the Narwhal. Remember the goofy, phallic looking figurehead and bowspirit?¡± They all look at each other and start agreeing that what I''m saying makes sense. Captain Zijde looks up smiling, ¡°Well boys, if they were looking to take a barely armed fluyte. They should be easy pickings. I wonder if we can take her? She''d make an excellent ship for plundering towns wouldn''t she?¡± As they all start to shout in agreement I get a uneasy feeling. It feels like I''m missing something. Just about then, we hear a boom from behind us. As we look back, we see cannon smoke from the ship. The Navigator scoffs, ¡°They are at least fifteen-hundred yards from us, no cannon could hit us.¡± The others start laughing with the him until the Gunnery Master raises his hand for silence. ¡°If that was a cannon, why haven''t we seen where the shot...¡± Before he can finish, a large splash of water is heard far too close for comfort. Then, a muffled boom throws water up about a hundred yards away... just of the starboard side of the ship... slightly ahead of us. Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8 The Gunnery Master screams, ¡°That was a mortar shell, and we are well in it''s range. Cap''n, look it''s not very accurate, but if it hits our deck it''ll be devastating. It''s liable to take out everyone topside and could destroy the masts. I''d say they have a one in twenty shot of hitting us with how that shell landed. I bet they were judging if they could hit us, so that''s prolly about their max range.¡± Zijde chews his lip for a moment, looking at the deck. Then, his entire demeanor changes. ¡°Alright men, we are now in combat. As you know, I now have complete control of the ship. Gunny, get the cannon crews ready. Alfred, get to your charts and find us some shallows in case we can''t outrun her. Bheki, we are going to need all the sails up. Now before you protest, I know the fore mast is damaged. Take Utah, and find the spare mast to prop it up. Then, tie it down to four opposing places on the ship. The higher up the mast the better.¡± He turns to the rest of the ship and in his loudest voice without it breaking, ¡°Alright men, we are now in combat. Get everyone up and ready, we aren''t sure how this is going to go for us.¡± The smooth-as-silk tone is gone from his voice. He is now ''the'' commanding presence on the ship. The crew follows every command without hesitation, and he gives orders with complete and utter confidence. I find myself admiring this man even more. He reminds me of a squad leader I use to have. If Zijde is even half as competent as he was... I''ll follow him even if we¡¯re attacking London harbor. As Bheki and I were heading down the stairs into the hold another mortar was fired. This time it sounded as if it missed by several hundred yards this time. Under the deck the crew was scrambling to get to their combat stations in time. There were men carrying extra cannon balls up the to the deck in case we have to stand our ground. As Bheki is showing me the way to the stock replacement materials I try to apologize to him. ¡°Hey Bheki, I just wanted to say I think we have gotten off on the wrong foot. I really don''t like all this animosity between us. I really just want to get along with people on the ship and make some money. Maybe one day I''d like to move up, but I''m new to sailing. I have way too much to learn before I set my sights any higher than a crew member.¡± Bheki stops and looks back at me, studying me intently. I try to look as sincere as I actually am being. I do want to captain a ship one day. Hell, I actually want to do a shit-load more than just be a captain. But, I wanna know I''m ready before I take that on. ¡°I don''t know what you are playing at, but you will not be able to disarm me with words, only to take advantage of me later. Now, help me with this pole. Without it we will probably lose the mast.¡± I guess it''s hopeless. He just doesn''t wanna trust me. Regardless, I help him get the short replacement mast up on his shoulder and then pick my end up. All the straining has burst something in my nose again and blood is flowing down my shirt. As we get back on deck another mortar goes off. It lands about the same distance away as the first off the port side of the ship. ¡°I guess we are getting lucky, they are still a pretty good ways from getting us dialed in. What do you think Bheki?¡± ¡°I think they are extremely close to hitting us with a mortar. Anything within a hundred yards is a good shot. Also, your nose is bleeding again.¡± I guess I''m use to modern day mortars, missing by a hundred yards is pretty bad by the third shot. As we near the mast I see the damage they were talking about. There is a indention from a cannonball several inches deep and the wood is fractured above and below it. They have it braced with planks lashed on either side of the damage and a large iron mending brace across the front. I look up and notice the mast is only at about quarter sail. ¡°What happened here? The iron is rusted so it must be fairly old.¡± Bheki drops his end of the pole and puts his hand on the damage, ¡°Yes, this happened last month during a prize. We had the ship stopped and were searching her hold. The crew started a fight to distract us from one of the sailors trying to kill the captain with a swivel. Fortunately, they were a bad shot. It missed everyone, but it weakened the mast. We still had her at full sail in case we needed to run, and by the time we took up the sail the force had started fracturing the mast. You see we fixed her the best we could.¡± ¡°Wow this ship must be pretty fast then? We are pulling four-and-half knots with just a gaff sail.¡± Bheki looks at me cautiously, ¡°Yes, this ship is very fast. Why do you think she is call the Going Swiftly, but I want to know how you knew our speed. That''s not something we call out.¡± Shit... I can''t tell him the truth. Oh yea Bheki, this is all a video game and I just pull it up on my HUD, ¡°What? I was just estimating. Was I close?¡± ¡°Yes, too close.¡± From behind us we hear the Captain call out, ¡°Bheki, Utah! What are you doing? Hurry up and cut that to size and prop it against the mast. They are already much too close.¡± Bheki and I lift the pole to see how much we need to trim off. Looks like about a foot-and-a-half needs to come off. Bheki hands me an axe, ¡°Here, I''ll get the nails, rope, and another iron mender.¡± I take the axe and see how sharp it is and it''s mediocre. I start hacking away, and I thank my dad for all those long days cutting down trees and splitting wood. By the time Bheki gets back I''d shortened it and even cut a notch for the mast to sit in. Bheki looks at it and nods in approval. About the time we had gotten the pole fixed to the mast the mortar had fired three more times. The first one landed within fifty yards of the starboard side of the ship, throwing spray all over us. The other two landed a much more comfortable hundred yard distance from us. There was a several shot lull in the mortar fire while we were tying the thick hemp tension lines to the mast, but by the time we were done they were firing as fast as ever.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Zijde runs up to inspect our work, tugging on the tension lines and kicking the base of our prop. The long, crude iron nails seem to be holding her in place against the deck. Zijde gives the order to slowly let the mast down. We all hold our breath as the canvas starts to fill, putting strain on the jury rigged mast. At about half sail the repair starts to whine under the stress. Zijde signals to stop and runs over to check the speed himself at the edge of the ship. We all count the knots at it slips through his hand. At half full, the fore sail only gave us a knot and a half. Six knot would eventually get us out of range of their gun, but it could take hours. The galleon can only miss for so long. Once we are hit, we get captured. And once we are captured, we lose our ludicrously valuable haul... If we are lucky. So, everything is riding on this hasty repair. Zijde motions for them to slowly let down more sail. The mast creaks as the sail is let down, but doesn''t move until it''s at full sail. Everyone''s heart drops at the sight of the pole shifting about an inch. Thankfully and inch is all it gives. There is a notable speed increase now, three or four knots at least. Zijde checks the speed again and confirms it, nine knots. It''s pretty incredible how fast this little brigatine is even when it¡¯s loaded down heavier than it should ever be. During all this, the mortar fire was largely ignored, but a shell landing less than 20 feet directly behind us quickly reminds us. The following explosive vibrations is felt by our bare feet. Most of us are also soaked by the torrent of water the explosion send up. The gunnery master is jumping around on the deck alternating between thanking God and swearing at the ship firing at us, ¡°Oh holy fucking Christ thank you! Boys, those fuckers would have just blew our ass out of the water if not for the quick fix. Bheki, Utah, I could fucking kiss you, but I hope you''ll settle for a bottle a'' rum each when we get to port. God damn those mother fuckers almost got us.¡± Everyone burst into nervous laughter. We all know that we are still in range, and the next shot could very well hit us square. As we are all looking at each other for comfort and direction, we hear a pistol go off. We snap our heads to see Zijde with his beautiful pistol pointed into the air and smoke dissipating above him. ¡°Alright gentlemen, I know that was a close call, but we are still alive and the sail is at our backs isn''t it? We still need to outrun these Spanish Putas. Don''t forget, if we can do that, we''ll be rich as royals.¡± The crew bellows in agreement. The crew starts to fervently complete any order Zijde gives. He really is something else. Bombs going off around him, a mast that could break off at any moment, and if everything doesn''t go right we''ll probably die. Despite it all, he keeps a cool head. His orders are barked in a succinct manner. His voice doesn''t waiver, and he does it all with a cool and collected smile. As I watch everyone running around, I see why they hadn''t already propped up the mast. The pole stands a good fifteen feet from the base of the mast. Not only does this make the deck harder to navigate, it also blocks the path of the front three cannons on each side. I sincerely hope we don''t have to fight. Being down six guns while the enemy probably has dozen more than us... I don''t want to consider it. I hear Zijde finish giving out the most pressing orders and give off command to Bheki. He looks around and catches my eye. As he is making his way over I get a pounding headache. I rub my forehead trying to get relief but to no avail. I look up to him smiling at me, but I see the concern in his eyes. ¡°Well Utah, how is your time aboard the Going Swiftly treating you? As for me, I love it. We spend months toiling away aboard a ship with hardly a thing to show for it. But, as soon come upon a prize worth fighting for, we have a stranger all but take it by himself. Then, said stranger joins our crew, making us a force to be reckoned with once we board a ship. All of this occurs, only to be attacked by a mysterious Spanish warship on the way to transfer our newly acquired goods. Oh the pirate''s life is for me! Don''t you agree my friend?¡± Eh, I agree that this is fun. Granted, if I die, I come back good as new. Only bad thing is I lose 5 percent of my stats¡­ the first time anyways. After the first death you come back with no one but other players knowing who you are. I''d be a good bit less excited if I were Zijde. If he gets blown apart he doesn¡¯t come back. Well, I guess I looked at being in the military the same way. Life or death is intoxicatingly simple. While you''re fighting, your life is left up to who is the better fighter and who wants it the more. Knowing there is no way out, you have to create a way for you to live. I guess I know where he¡¯s coming from. I smile at him, which causes my nose to start bleeding again, ¡°Oh the struggle is addicting ain''t it Cap''n? Although, I do hope to spend my share of the treasure. It''s more fun when you have more to gain than lose.¡± Zijde starts laughing and nods his head, ¡°I have to agree, this would be much more fun if I wasn''t worried about losing thousands to some damned Spaniards. Anyways, we have it covered up her Utah. Go down and get checked out by the doctor. You look like you''re in pain, and no offense, you aren''t the most pleasant thing to look at right now. I think you''re scaring the crew.¡± He gives me a wink and gestures for me to go below deck. I hear the crew start up a shanty as I head below deck: Farewell and adieu unto you Spanish ladies Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain For it''s we''ve received orders for to sail for old England But we hope very soon we shall see you again I chuckle to myself as I walk through the door to Doc Zale''s room. I taste more than smell the alcohol in the air and struggle to see as my eyes are still getting used to candle light. Toa is sitting up now, with Doc taking off his bandage to his chest. I came in just in time to see the wound. His pectoral is bruised every color from black to yellow. It is clearly swollen, and there is some fluid draining from the bottom of the external stitching. Considering no one knows the existence of bacteria, his wound looks extremely clean. Toa looks up to see me walk through the door and smiles at me, ¡°Oh wow, you look worse than I feel. The doctor tells me you told him a way for me to heal faster. I thank you, but I apologize, I don''t know anything that could help your face.¡± I smile back at him, showing off my fresh coat of blood on my teeth. I look down and my shirt is covered in blood again, and I am sure I look plenty rough. I see Toa is trying to be friendly, but his tone tells me he''s bitter about the injury. With the sterilized catgut sutures, his pectoral muscle should heal fine. Although it will take a few months though, but he probably still thinks he will never swing a sword again. ¡°Yea, you got my nose pretty good. I''ve been scaring people all day with it. So, ugh, I don''t mean to make you feel like you owe me or anything, but I don''t want you to worry about what you are going to do when you get to port. I''m going to lend you whatever you need from my share, no interest. I just don''t want you to have to do without. That''s all.¡± Tao stiffens, glares at me, and starts to tell me where I can put my money. Doc Zale cuts him off, ¡°Tao, he isn''t taking pity. Hell, I doubt he feels bad about it. I think he just doesn''t wanna see anyone he''s friendly with go hungry.¡± I nod my head in agreement. Tao looks away, appearing to mull it over. He finally looks back at me and shrugs, ¡°I guess, I will accept your loan. Just know, I do not want you to insult me by trying to give me anything for free.¡± I nod my head in agreement. All of a sudden, I realize I haven''t heard the mortar. ¡°Have you guys heard any explosions?¡± They both shake their heads no, Doc Zale walks over to the table with his tinctures, ¡°No we haven''t heard anything as of yet. Well, maybe some thudding, but we figured it was footsteps. Why? Here is another tincture and a ball of opium sap, I can tell you''re in pain. It''s all over your face, literally.¡± His booming laugh reverberates in the tiny room. He gives me the same dosage as earlier and give me a little, round, sticky ball. I swallow both with some grog he pours me. Once it goes down, I start telling them about the situation, ¡°As were passing an island a Spanish galleon comes around the other side. Now they are chasing us firing a mortar at us. We jury rigged the fore mast. So we should be good.¡± Even by the dim candlelight, I see the color visibly drain from Tao''s face, ¡°Utah, I know that ship. Did it have its red sails up on the sides?¡± I screw up my face in a questioning manner. Which I quickly regret as my face starts burning, ¡°No, just regular white sails.¡± Tao now looks shaken to his core, like he had just been stabbed in the gut, ¡°Utah, that is the fastest warship of the Conglomerate. There is no way we can outrun her, and her captain is the most ruthless of the Conglomerate''s navy. Not only will she take our valuables, she''ll take our food and water. Then, she''ll gather us all to the deck and make us fell our masts like trees. Finally, she''ll give every man a dull knife and make us fight. If we refuse, she''ll set the ship ablaze with us on it. If we fight, she and her crew will watch until there are only five left. She¡¯ll take those five, brand them, and fight them in the cage fights. Utah, I¡¯ve seen some of those men. They were husks by the time they got off that ship.¡± I look at Tao, then at the doc, ¡°Well fuck me guys.¡± Chapter 9 CHAPTER 9 Tao scoffs slightly, ¡°You really mean, ''Fuck us all'' Utah. This ship is nothing to take lightly. Have any of you heard the name ''Muerte Dolorosa''?¡± I shake my head, but I guess it''s Doc Zale''s turn to shit himself. ¡°That''s the ship piloted by the Spaniard Woman. The one that was a highly decorated captain in the Spanish Navy. But, on one voyage her crew found out she was a woman. Since women can''t be in their navy, much less be a captain, her first mate superseded her. After that, details get hazy, but they continued on their mission as if nothing happened. At some point she told the new captain that the harbor they were attacking was too well defended. Well, apparently after this the captain ''gave'' her to the crew. Then marooned her on an island by herself.¡± I look a the doctor expectantly, ¡°What happened to her? What happened to the crew?¡± Tao takes over the story, ¡°She was picked up by some buccaneers looking for fresh water. She slowly made her way to the Conglomerate from there. As for her crew, their ship was sunk in that harbor. Not one survived.¡± ¡°Well, I guess I can see what makes her so angry, but killing whole crews like that? It''s kinda harsh. The ship¡¯s name fits though.¡± Tao nods his head in agreement. Doc Zale looks at me imploringly, ¡°Well I''m glad you two know some Spanish, but do you mind clueing an old Englishman in?¡± Tao tells him without looking up from the floor, ¡°Painful Death.¡± Doc Zale just shakes his head. ¡°Well guys, the atmosphere is too fucking depressing for me down here. I guess I''m gonna go up and let everyone know how fucked we are.¡± As I turn to leave, Tao tries to get up. I leave the room with the doctor trying to tell Tao why he can''t get up. As I get topside, the atmosphere has gotten much more relaxed. You hear the mortar now, but the shots are landing several hundred yards behind us. I look at her sails but see no red yet. It take me a minute but I spot the captain among some sailors celebrating. It looks as if they are about to haul up the foremast sail. ¡°Whoa now, hold on. Everyone stop hauling up the sails. We aren''t out of danger yet.¡± The Gunnery Master looks at me laughing, ¡°Hold on cool off there Utah. We are well out of range of their Mortar. There''s no way she can keep up now. We might as well...¡± Captain Zijde interrupts him, ¡°Hold on now Gunney, let''s hear him out.¡± I shoot Zijde a look of gratitude, ¡°Alright guys, I just talked to Tao. He is saying that we aren''t out of danger yet. The that ship it apparently captained by some Spanish woman...¡± I feel the atmosphere get heavy around me. Everyone around me stops what they were doing mid-motion. Everyone is just looking at me waiting on my next words. ¡°Yea, uhm... A Spanish woman is captaining it. Tao said she still had red side sails that can be deployed. Oh, and she is the fastest ship in the Conglomerate.¡± Apparently this Spaniard is pretty famous. There is a look of terrified recognition on everyone''s face as I finish talking. Everyone looks from me to Zijde, waiting for instruction. The captain take a moment to ponder the situation and then starts barking quick concise orders. ¡°Gunney, get all the gun crews to the ready and bring up the hotshot oven. Someone go get Alfred. Tell him we are out of time, hurry up and pick a route to get us out of here. Bheki, oversee the men on the rigging. Also, keep an eye on the foremast, take up sail if it starts to strain. Utah, come with me. We start walking to the rear of the ship to see what the situation with the other ship is. Zijde pulls out his new spyglass and while looking at me asks, ¡°Utah, can you keep a secret of mine?¡± ¡°Sure Zijde, what is it.?¡± He turns his head sharply to glare at me. He looks around to see if anyone else heard me, ¡°Utah, since no one heard you, I''ll let that one slide, but there is a rule on this ship. If anyone has a title they earned, use it. Maybe one day you''ll learn why that''s important. Now, as for the secret, how''s your vision?¡± ¡°Sorry Captain, I have 20/20 vision sir.¡± ¡°Huh? What does that mean? And there is no need for sir, just my title.¡± Shit, I keep forgetting I''m in 18th century during conversation, ¡°Oh uhm, it means I can see really well.¡± ¡°You say some of the weirdest things Utah. Anyways, my vision is fine close up, but further away I can''t see details. I can see the ship fine, just none of the goings on aboard.¡± ¡°Alright Cap''n you want me to take a look?¡± He goes to hand me the spyglass but then hesitates, ¡°Not a word of this to anyone, savvy? It''s meaningless shit like this that sows doubt. Do you know what doubt becomes? A mutiny in the middle of combat, which tends to end with everyone on board dying... horribly.¡± I nod my head and take the spyglass. As I look through it I can tell it''s a really well made glass. I can easily pick out what''s happening on the portions of the starboard deck I can see. There are men scrambling around the front of the ship carrying more munitions to the mortar. I see an smallish person person on the bow of the ship pointing a spyglass back at me. After a few seconds they break away and start giving out orders. Then my heart sinks, I see men bring red sail cloth out on the deck. I turn to look at Zijde as they start hoisting the red studding sails to the sides. I see him staring at the other ship with a solemn look on his face, ¡°I may not be able to see all that well, but I can see the red going up. There aren''t many galleons that have a strong enough mast to take studding sails but damn if they can.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I scratch the beginnings of a beard to hide the apprehension I feel, ¡°Yea, from what Tao was talking about there''s no way for us to out run her. What do you want to do Cap''n?¡± ¡°Well, once our navigator gets here, maybe we can find a place to cut her off in the shallows. Our draught should be much less than her''s. We should be able to find some shallows to skirt over. That should allow us get far ahead enough to lose her.¡± As if on cue, Alfred shows up with a piece of paper. He is a tall, lanky man with dirty blonde hair that contrasts his tan skin. He hurriedly walks up and unfolds the paper he is holding. He''s shaking so bad that it''s hard to focus on the hastily drawn map. Zijde puts a hand on his shoulder and sympathetically pulls the charcoal drawn map out of his hands. ¡°You haven''t had your rum yet, have you Alfred? It''s ok, Utah doesn''t seem to be the type to judge.¡± He looks at me with a cocked eyebrow. I guess he''s telling me to tread carefully. I shake my head in agreement. ¡°No Captain, I haven''t had the chance to fetch any. Sorry if the map is hard to understand. I tried my best with these damned hands.¡± He holds them out for us to see. I''m surprised he can write anything shaking that bad. The alcohol withdrawals must be hitting him hard. Zijde glances at me with imploring eyes, ¡°Utah could you--¡± ¡°Already ahead of you Cap''n¡±-- I turn to look at Alfred-- ¡°I know ''they'' are rough mate, what do you need?¡± Alfred looks up at me, almost bewildered. When he sees I''m earnest and in no way judging him, his eyes soften, ¡°I-I could use a g-glass of rum... or maybe a pint?¡± I could see he was worried that I was going to judge him for asking so much. I chuckle to lighten his mood, ¡°Hell Alfred, with my face and all this stress I get myself a glass.¡± I look to Zijde for permission, and he gives a slight nod and a knowing smile. I sprint off below the deck to where they keep the rum. I fill one of the pint glasses full of rum straight. I take a small sip and swish it around my mouth so it smells like a drank some as well. I decide it''d be best not to be swimming in opium and rum while we were running for our lives. On the way back up, I see Bheki waiting for me at the base of the stairs. ¡°Do you mind if I see what''s in the cup Utah?¡± ¡°Sure, it''s rum.¡± He gives me a look of disgust, ¡°I''ll need that poured out Utah. There is no drinking during combat. No exceptions, not even for the Captain''s pet.¡± What in the actual fuck. This pretentious prick just called me a fucking ''pet''? It takes every ounce of self control I have to keep from slamming my fist into his face. The stupid sneer on his face just makes me seethe that much more. ¡°Bheki, go choke on a fat cock.¡± The looks on his face was priceless, a mixture of bewilderment and anger. I guess that one isn''t an insult used very much in this day and time. He was so shocked, I was able to just walk right past him, towards Alfred and the captain. When I was almost there, I hear him running up behind me. He starts to say something, but stops himself as he sees who I''m handing the rum off to. I see Zijde shoot a look of warning behind me. I wanted to turn around and smile at him, but I decided that would be pretty fucking childish. Still would''ve been satisfying though. Alfred graciously accepts the cup, downing it greedily. As he finishes, he''s sucking down air like he''d been holding his breath, ¡°Thank you Utah.¡± He stops to catch his breath. ¡°Alright, in a moment I''ll b-be able to think clearly, but I''ll do my best ''till then, due to the time constraints.¡± He had been trying to show Zijde the map while I was gone, but confusion on the captain''s face told me it didn''t go over well. His hand already much more stable, he points about halfway along a curved series of tiny islands north of Cuba, ¡°Ok, this is the Ragged Island Range. Here we are, you can tell by the funny shaped island just ahead of us.¡± He points off the starboard bow of the ship at an island, which looks pretty normal look to me. I give Zijde a worried look, but he gives me a reassuring smile in return. He starts getting excited, and starts speaking almost eccentrically, ¡°In about two hours, we will be here.¡± He points at a another set of much larger Islands about perpendicular to The Little Ragged Islands. ¡°I was looking for shallows in this island range, which normally wouldn''t be a problem, but our newly found riches have us much deeper in the water than normally.¡± His voice is no longer quivering, but he''s starting to talk faster and faster. Zijde interjects, ¡°Alfred, I''m glad you are feeling up to the task but please slow down man.¡± Alfred gives us a quick smile, ¡°Sorry gents. As I was saying¡±-- He goes back to speaking just as fast if not faster -- ¡°I had almost given up finding something deep enough for us but too shallow for them. I remembered this, he points to a small break between some islands between Exuma and Long Island. ¡°We''ll pass through here. I remember getting a frigate through there one day while I was with the Royal Navy.¡± Alfred steps back, looking proud of himself. Almost as if to say, ''And you thought I was drunk?'' Zijde applauds him, ¡°Alfred my friend, you never let me down. Alright, you can go back to looking for anything else in case this isn''t enough. I''ll get us to this strait and call you back to help navigate it. Once Alfred gets out of earshot, Zijde turns to me. ¡°Thank you Utah, for getting the rum and not making a fuss. I know the rule about rum during combat, but I can''t bring myself to deprive the poor man. He has much to forget.¡± Even though I want to know, I bite my lip about it. I just wave it away with my hand. The captain leans in closer to make sure no one could hear. ¡°What was the spiff with Bheki?¡± ¡°Eh Cap''n it doesn''t matter.¡± He looks at me seriously, ¡°Oh but it does friend. A man looking to start conflict during a conflict is a grave threat indeed. I need to know, like a sail needs wind.¡± I look at him hesitating, and he just presses me with a slight nod, ¡°Well Captain, he was trying to stop me with the rum. I guess he was looking to get me in trouble with the crew. I understand all that, but Cap''n, if he calls me a fucking pet again I''ll lose it.¡± ¡°Whose pet? Mine?¡± I nod slightly. ¡°Well, I don''t know if the crew could have blamed you if you had lost it. I''m glad you didn''t though. It''d make everything going on around us much more difficult. How did you make it past him?¡± ¡°Oh, I just told him to choke on a dick. He was so surprised, I just walked past him.¡± Zijde bursts into laughter, ¡°Oh choke on a dick huh? I''ll have to use that one day.¡± After about an hour, we had made it past The Little Island Range. Alfred''s strait was no more than thirty minutes ahead of us. For almost an hour, we had been out of the mortar''s range, but the crew aboard the ''Meurte Delorosa'' were firing the mortar faster than ever. They had missed so far, but it was a fool''s hope that would last with how close the shots were landing now. The strait comes into view, and Alfred is sent for. Zijde takes the position next to the helmsman at the back, I am in the middle of the ship, and Alfred is on the bow, to give out more precise directions. Around this time, the galleon has figured out what we are trying to do and takes a route outside of the island. This however, does not slow the firing of the mortar. At this point there is a shell being fired every forty-five seconds. As we are lining up with the strait, we get the chance to see just how big the shells being fired at us are. One hits on land and throws dirt at least a hundred feet in every direction, leaving behind a terrifying crater. Between all this noise and the tension of the situation, one of Alfred commands, ''Five degrees port'', is missed. By the time the helmsman hears it and corrects, we feel the boat sliding over sand. Everyone''s eye snaps to the jury rigging foremast, waiting to see if it will hold up. The boat is creaking and groaning as we slide over more and more sand. The friction is slowing the boat a dangerous amount. We all hear a sound that makes our hearts sink. Wood snapping. We turn to see the prop buckling underneath the force of it all, and then the mast starts to lean, ten, twenty, thirty degrees. The high pitch whine of metal straining replaces the snapping of wood. A loud ping rings through the air, the metal brace flies off the mast and lodges in a crewmate''s chest. Just as the mast is about to snap, the boat clears the sand and the crew scrambles to take up the sail before something else happens. I run over to the poor man hit by the two foot long piece of metal. Ah fuck, I was wrong. The ''man'' couldn''t be more than fifteen, The other men are screaming to get him to Doc Zale but it''s hopeless. There is only about six inches of the brace sticking out of the poor boy, and it hit him two inches to the left of his sternum. At best it severed the beginnings of his carotid artery, and at worst, it severed his aortic arch. Even if this happened in the parking lot of a modern day hospital, there is little chance of saving him. I just hold the boy''s hand and talk to him. He''s starting to choke on his blood as he asks how bad it is. I just tell him it''s gonna be fine, it''s not even that bad. He closes his eyes and thanks me. The men go to pick him up, and I just hold out a hand to stop them. They start to protest, but as the blood starts to spread underneath him, they come to the same realization. A minute later, his pulse is still pretty strong for that much damage, and as his shock wears off, he moans, ¡°Sissy, help me. It hurts Sissy.¡± It hits me, the metal is plugging whatever hole it made. So, before he''s in agony I whisper in his ear, ¡°Here, this is going to hurt for just a second, but then the pain will be gone.¡± He weakly nods his head as I wrap my fingers around the metal. About this time, Doc Zale comes up the stair and see''s what I''m about to do. He tries to stop me, but in a clean jerk, I free the metal from his body. He only whimpers slightly and loses consciousness immediately. Zale runs up shouting, ¡°Utah, what are you doing? You just...¡± He sees the wound placement and the blood pool doubling in size in just a moment. ¡°Oh, I see now. He was starting to feel it, wasn''t he?¡± Without looking up, I nod my head in affirmation. ¡°You did the right thing son, it could have taken a couple minutes for him to die. There would have been a lot of suffering. This way he dies in his sleep.¡± I just nod my head again. Chapter 10 CHAPTER 10 As get up from the poor boys side, smell of iron permeates the air. Once the shock wears off, I start to notice all the blood. I start to feel that euphoric adrenaline rush start to rise from my chest, and I fucking hate myself for it. Yea, it''s great during a fight for my life, but here I am, basically getting pleasure from this poor boy¡¯s death. I fucking hate myself sometimes. I go over to the side of the ship and pull up a bucket of water to rinse my blood soaked trousers. I look back at the boy and see he''s about five foot tall. Without asking for permission, I go down to where they keep the extra sail cloth. I cut a eight by six foot rectangle of the material and grab up several yards of twine. I grab a rag as well. On my way back up, the men were solemnly going back to work. I guess we were still running for our lives after all. Be side the boy was Billy, trying to hold back tears but not very successfully. He turns to me with red puffy eyes, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I''m gonna clean him off, wrap him in canvas, and take him down below. I''ll pay for him to be buried on New Providence.¡± Billy sighs with relief, dropping his shoulders, ¡°Oh, I thought you were gonna wrap him and give him to the sea this close to port.¡± I just chuckle, ¡°Go get me two buckets of sea water and a bucket of sand Billy.¡± As he leaves, I look up to Zijde beside the helm. He looks at me thoughtfully, and he smiles at me with a look of solemn gratitude. I pick the boy up and let Billy splash the blood with the bucket of water, sending most of it over the side. I sigh in relief, as the blood going over the side makes it easier to suppress that feeling. I use the rag and wipe the blood off the boy''s face and body the best I could. Once finished, I wrap his body several times over in the canvas, tying it up tightly with string. Then I find a clean spot below deck to place his body for now. Coming up the stairs, I see Billy throw sand on the wet parts of the deck. Looking around, I also see the foremast is bent at a forty-five degree angle towards the bow of the ship. The men are just cutting the sail from it to make sure it doesn''t catch any more wind. Without it, we were crawling slower than ever. Fortunately, the galleon hasn''t fired on us for the last fifteen minutes. I guess the position of the ships isn¡¯t letting the mortar fire without hitting their own rigging. I turn, walking towards the captain to see what he needs. As he meets my eye, his face softens, ¡°Thank you Utah, I wasn''t sure who to take care of the poor lad. His name was Duncan. He signed on with us the last time we took a British prize. He was a pressed powder monkey. He seemed to really enjoy sailing with us, he was treated rather poorly on the last crew he was on. By the way, I want to help pay for his grave.¡± I shake my head, ¡°I''ve got it Cap''n, I really don''t mind.¡± His face hardens into a strong, stern look, ¡°Utah, I''m not asking. He was apart of the crew I lead. I''ll be damned before I allow someone to say I don''t care for my crew.¡± I guess I wasn''t thinking about it like that. One of the things about being a captain, When someone dies, ultimately, it was your orders that killed them. I didn''t think about the guilt he must be feeling. ¡°Yea Captain, I understand. We''ll get him something nice.¡± His face softens into a warm smile. It''s now I notice the ever so slight redness of his eyes. ¡°Watcha need me to do Cap''n?¡± The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Get close enough to hear Alfred, and relay whatever he says as loud as you can. We damn sure don''t need to mess up again.¡± Thirty minutes later, we had come out of the strait with no further problems, but things go downhill faster than one would hope. The ''Meurte Dolorosa'' had already made it around the outer island, and she was gaining fast. I guess she had seen our fucked up mast and decided not to waste anymore mortar shells. The tension in the air is stifling. The galleon is doubling our speed and will be upon us in just a few minutes. The looks on the crew are of utter defeat, and Zijde is at a loss of words. The only person that''s still looking for a way out is Alfred. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s his will to live or that fourth mug of rum, but he is on the bow looking fervently for another strait to cut through. Although, there isn''t a strait like that for hours. We only have minutes. The only thing saving us, the galleon has to stay in our wake. Slowing down so they don''t ram into the back of us and destroying both ships, they are still making steady progress directly behind us. *Clank* We all look back to see a grappling hook bouncing off our rear hull. I look back to see a couple of The Spaniard''s crew throwing hooks trying to close the distance. Beside them, a dozen men with muskets aimed at us. They throw another time, and this time it lands on the deck. It''s jerked back catching on the rear railing of the ship. One of the crew tries to cut the rope, but the hail of musket fire makes it suicide. As they get within earshot, Alfred turns around giving me a drunken smile. He calls me to him. When I get within arms reach, we hear him scream, his voice breaking halfway through, ¡°Forty-Five degrees port, reef off the starboard bough.¡± We feel the ship lurch to our left as the helmsman throws the wheel. The galleon, apparently hearing Alfred, does the same thing. Then he slaps me on the arm and tells me, ¡°Run and tell the Cap''n eighty degrees port.¡± I start to yell it, and Alfred slaps the back of my head, ¡°I said ''run'' and tell him. Quietly.¡± Not sure what to think, I just follow his orders. I sprint over and tell the captain but he just looks at me crazy, ¡°Are you sure Utah?¡± We look back to Alfred, and he is waving his hands to the starboard side so hard he loses his footing and falls. Zijde shrugs his shoulders and nods to the helmsman. After getting over the shock, the helmsman breathes deep reaches as far over on the wheel as he can, and throws the wheel spinning wildly clockwise. The ship now lurches so hard to the right almost everyone loses their footing. The sail catches the wind and slams over, tilting us dangerously over to our left side. The helmsman catches the wheel and holds it for about ten seconds. We hear some light scraping on the left side of the boat before the helmsman straightens us up. We get to our feet and look back at the galleon, just before we see it slam to a full stop. The galleon''s masts jar like they were hit by a transfer truck, the snapping of it''s hull sounds like gunshots, and all of that is quickly drowned out by the sounds of men screaming as they die. We all stare at the wrecked galleon for a few more minutes, not understanding what had happened. Then as if given a verbal order, everyone looks at Alfred. He standing there drunk as a skunk and grinning like an idiot. Like a God-damned beautiful idiot that just saved all of our asses. We start pulling away from the wrecked galleon, slowly but surely. After about thirty minutes we could no longer hear the screams of the men mauled by splintering wood and 2000 pound cannons crushing anything in their path. By then, we were certain they could no longer hit us with the mortar everyone relaxed. After we were in the open channel, away from the danger of slamming into reefs ourselves, we all started going apeshit over that plan. Alfred''s name is being chanted all over the ship, usually coupled with, ¡°Break out the rum for Alfred!¡± I guess that''s basically this crew''s ''Three cheers for Alfred'', I can''t help but join in. Alfred is soaking it all up. Gone is the meek navigator from a few hours ago, replacing him is the drunken savior of the ''Going Swiftly''. As everyone not currently working crowds around Alfred, the chanting for rum comes to a stop as Zijde walks up to Alfred, wearing a stern expression. ¡°Alfred, that was the most dangerous, irresponsible, and half-hazardly thrown together plan I''ve ever seen concocted.¡±--Everyone around was looking shocked at Zijde-- ¡°I will have to impose a strict punishment...¡± He twists the edge of his mustache, ¡°Well, despite the blatant disregard for my ship, you did save everyone on board.¡±-- his mouth turns up into a sly grin.-- ¡°I guess we will have to break out the rum.¡± The crew cheers so loudly I feel it in my chest. Zijde holds his hand up to talk, ¡°However, if you ever do something so reckless again without it being absolutely necessary I''ll... take your rum away for a week.¡± Everyone dies laughing at the drunkenly horrified look on Alfred''s face. While everyone is celebrating, I look around at the faces. Everyone is just happy to be alive, but I can''t help but feel angry. I know that death on a ship like this happens all the time, and the crew is desensitized to it. I just can''t get over the fact a child died less than 3 hours prior to this, and he''s just below deck, waiting to be buried. I feel the anger in my chest rising up, and before I lose control, I make my way to Doc Zale. As I walk through the door, Doc Zale looks at me carefully, ¡°Son, there was no--¡± ¡°I know Doc, but I don''t want to talk about it. I''m exhausted, and it''s too loud to sleep everywhere but here.¡± He gives me a warm but sad smile. He just walks over, hands me a little ball of opium and points to a bed, ¡°Your face is starting to swell. It''s gotta be hurting. Take this, and you can sleep on my bed. Toa and I will sleep out with the crew, and don''t worry, I''ll wake you when we get to port. I nod, thankful that he understands. I throw back the opium before I lay down on the straw mattress. As they leave the room, the feeling of guilt and sadness become oppressive. I feel tears welling up in my eyes, and before they start to flow, I open my HUD and logout. Chapter 11 As New Providence Island comes into view, gulls start to swarm the ship. The sight has become nostalgic of the course of my first month and a half in the game. They mean I¡¯m about to get off a ship with the living space of a medium size studio apartment¡­. with 40 plus people crammed in it. Even on the top deck with the ocean breeze, the smell of body odor is overwhelming. The only relief is getting the time we spend onshore. We sail into the harbor and drop anchor about fifty yards offshore. Captain Zijde and I, along with men to carry our ¡®fresh¡¯ goods, get into a rowboat to make our way to town. Bheki stays back to make sure the men don¡¯t get too drunk and burn down the ship. We take samples of some of the goods we ¡°acquired¡±, a sizable amount of coin, and Duncan¡¯s body. As we pull up to shore, Zijde sends the some of the men to deliver the samples to the local ¡°merchant¡± while he shows me the way to the church. Walking through town carrying what clearly is body, attracts several types of attention. Some people look at us like we had just murdered someone, some people look confused, there are the fellow sailors that give us looks of pity, and there is one mother fucker that looks like he might start salivating.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: URGENT
I mentally dismiss the notification so I can focus on the creepy ass man. ¡°Cap¡¯n, did you see that?¡± I turn and see Zijde giving the man a hard look. ¡°I did indeed Utah. Rumor is, that man has some ¡°questionable¡± preferences.¡± The disdain sliding out of Zijde¡¯s mouth tells me all I need to know. I look at the guy daring him to try anything, and he just fucking smiles at me. I start walking towards him, but Zijde grabs my arm. ¡°Utah, look around. We are in front of a brothel and a store. It doesn¡¯t get much more crowded than this. We do not want to attract any attention. Especially considering someone is sure to be looking for our cargo.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°But, later tonight should be a wonderful time to find him, and remind him why no one messes with my crew¡­ in a most satisfying way.¡± He gives me a reassuring smile and pats me on the back. We continue on to the church leaving him and the busiest parts of the town behind us. As we start up the winding path to the church I notice how rough and overgrown it is. I normally would struggle with carrying Duncan¡¯s body up, but with the way the game rendered my body I have little trouble. Towards the top of the path the church comes into view. It looks as if it was a gorgeous building in its day, but that day seems to have been a century ago. It pretty typical, a brick building covered in white plaster. That being said, it was missing about half its plaster. The bronze cross attop the church was warped and missing one of its arms. The worst part, the entire building was leaning so badly to the side it makes the Leaning Tower of Pisa look stable.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. I give Zijde a skeptical look and he just laughs at me. ¡° I know it looks rough, but no upstanding pirate would be caught dead anywhere else on Nassau.¡± I start to chastise him for his poorly timed joke, but I realize that wasn¡¯t an idiom. He meant that literally. I mean, where else would you be caught dead than your grave. As we walk up to the large double doors I realize it¡¯s missing a door. It¡¯s looks to be a soiled bed sheet is covering the empty space. I say soiled since I mistook it for a door until I was close enough. At least it doesn¡¯t smell as bad as it looks. As we push through the sheet we see a bunch of half rotten pews on either side of a very dingy red looking carpet. Waiting at the end of the carpet is probably the largest man I¡¯ve seen. He is at least seven feet tall and muscular enough to carry around a swivel cannon like a modern day minigun¡­ that just so happens to be pointed at us. He looks a Zijde for a moment before throwing his head back in booming laughter. ¡°Hahaha, Zijde my child! You almost made me take your life. You should¡¯ve found one of my urchins to let me know you were coming.¡± ¡°Good to see you as well Father. I normally would, but we have a child for you¡­¡± The man puts down his cannon and walks up to me. He takes Duncan¡¯s body from me with more sorrow on his face than I would¡¯ve thought possible. ¡°I see Captain¡­ I will need five pesos to cover the cost.¡± Zijde pulls out a doubloon, ¡°Give this one a headstone.¡± The man smiles as a tear runs down his cheek, ¡°I will. I suspect he will be ready for the service tomorrow night.¡± ¡°Thank you Father.¡± Zijde¡¯s face hardens as he looks into the large man¡¯s eyes, ¡°Just so you know, our young friend seems to have caught someone¡¯s fancy on the way here.¡± The priest''s face hardens, ¡°I will make sure me and my urchins are in town tonight then. You can take care of it with the swine yes?¡± Zijde nods and motions for me to follow him out. ¡°What was all of that about Cap¡¯n?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out tonight my friend, don¡¯t worry. For now go see the town. Meet us at the large stone building in an hour.¡±, he waits for me to nod and proceeds to leave down the path. I find a tree to get comfy against. I close my eyes as I open up my HUD. It¡¯s so much easier to navigate with a black background. I open the message to see what the AI needs to tell us.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: URGENT
Hello Dwayne, This is to inform you that due to the rate of growth of ''weaker'' players, the accommodation period has been shortened. The XP modifiers will be lifted 48 hours from now. At that point all players will gain experience normally. There will be a new stat system implemented as well. The stats will be a way players can easily track and compare physical attributes. These will be raised through natural mean ie... pushups will increase strength. There will be several other lesser system changes to help streamline the play experience. I hope whatever inconvenience this causes will be negligible. Please have a wonderful day. Thank you, Ceto P.S. You''re doing very well Dwayne! I am sorry for your recent troubles, but I want you to keep working hard! Especially in 47:58:13 hours...
Well, I never know how to feel after reading a message from Ceto. I mean, I guess she sends personalized messages to all the players, but I have no idea who else she might postscript. Also, have someone always watching you is nerve wracking in of itself. At least my thoughts are still private... I think... well shit I''m not going down that rabbit hole. Chapter 12 I find myself wandering through the streets of colonial era Nassau, and I am surprised at the lack of people. I know in just a few short months that will change, but it¡¯s still odd. There are a few sailors but I mostly see farmers bringing their crops to the port to sell. That starts to change as I get closer to the center of town. The number of brothels and bars start to grow the closer I get to the center of town. After about 10 minutes I come to a long boardwalk that stretches from the large building in the center of town to a set of docks. I turn towards the building when I hear my name being called. ¡°Utah, lets go towards the docks first.¡± I turn to see Zijde waving me over to him. I catch up to him and we make our way to the dock. Zijde turns to me with a annoyed look on his face, ¡°Well it looks as if there are problems with our goods. I need to go see Bheki and find out what¡¯s wrong.¡± I nod my head and continue walking until we come up on some of the crew offloading a massive amount of goods. Zijde waves at Bheki to get his attention, ¡°Bheki my friend, what seems to be the problem?¡± Bheki looks at the captain and just shakes his head, ¡°Captain¡­ I think you should just go talk to them. They have some questions that I¡¯m not sure how to answer.¡± Zijde chuckles, ¡°I suppose I should have assumed that they¡¯d be hesitant to purchase our top-shelf wares. I¡¯ll bring Utah with me to help things along, if that¡¯s acceptable to you.¡± Bheki sucks air through his teeth in disdain, ¡°Better him than me. The fucking drunk pushes my patience.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled my friends, come Utah. Let¡¯s get our money.¡± Zijde spins on his foot and heads deeper into town.. On the way there my nose starts to throb again. I start to notice everyone has a horrified look on their faces as I walk by. ¡°So, am I coming as muscle? Or are you hoping that my appearance throws them off?¡± Zijde throws his head back in laughter, ¡°You¡¯re very perceptive. Did you know this my friend? Yes, I am hoping you have both of the desired effects. The wife is a very reasonable woman. Although the husband can be a real bastard¡­ to put it nicely.¡± I slowly nod my head processing what he told me as we walk down the boardwalk. Most of the buildings are two story with the odd single story home. Then we come up on ¡°Brown¡¯s Bazaar Bar¡±. It¡¯s a massive three story building with stone walls. It look more like a castle that a storefront. Zijde must¡¯ve noticed my slackjawed look. ¡°It once was a small fort the Brown¡¯s claimed when the Spanish lost control of the island several generations ago. They expanded over the years, and it¡¯s now the marvelous structure you see before you.¡± I start nodding as we walk through the large wooden double doors. Inside there are several dozen patrons, all at various levels of intoxication. As I follow Zijde through the clusterfuck of patron, tables, and chairs someone knocks a cup of beer all over my crotch. ¡°Ah fuck that¡¯s cold. Watch it fucktard!¡± The man drunkenly stands up and gets in my face. ¡°Oi ugly, i don¡¯t know what you called me, but it sounded like an insult. I believe you should buy me a replacement.¡± The guy slurs at me. His breath is basically flammable with the alcohol fumes. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Like hell man, you spilt the shit¡±, I go to turn around but the drunk sucker punches me¡­ in the nose. The room spins from the pain as I clutch my nose. I can feel the blood already seeping through my fingers.
Notification
Pain tolerance 45%
Your tolerance to pain has grown to the point that minor injuries may go unnoticed. Beware of letting injuries go untreated.
As the man throws his head back in laughter, Zijde calmly walks up to the man, ¡°Well my drunken friend, it seems you have caused my companion a considerable amount of pain. I think you should remedy the situation by buying each of us a bottle of this establishment''s best rum.¡± ¡°How bout you pleasure my cock, you posh bastard.¡± As the man turns to laugh with his friends, Zijde grabs his crotch and twists almost as hard as he squeezes. The man reaches to pry Zijde¡¯s hand loose, but is punched in the throat instead. The result ends up with a hilarious high pitched wheezing as the man is grasping for his throat and crotch simultaneously. Zijde jerks his handful violently sideways before letting go, almost certainly tearing something down there in the process. The man hunches over and starts trying to vomit, but can¡¯t seem to get much up do to his throat spasming. Behind us, a booming feminine voice stops everyone in their tracks, ¡°Captain Zijde, that¡¯s quite enough.¡± I see a livid brunette staring down the captain with striking pale gray eyes. Her hands on her hips seem to accentuate her thick hourglass figure, along with a form fitting ocean blue dress. Zijde looks over his shoulder and smiles mischievously at the intimidatingly beautiful woman staring him down, ¡°Not quite my dear.¡± Zijde kicks the man in the face, causing teeth to go everywhere. As the drunk alternates clutching at his crotch, throat, and mouth, Zijde calmly walks up to the woman grabbing and kissing her hand. ¡°Wonderful to see you again Mrs. Brown.¡± ¡°Captain Zijde, do you think you could ever come into my establishment without hurting a customer of mine?¡± ¡°Mmhhh, I don¡¯t know Mrs. Brown. Everyone I have the pleasure of meeting seems hellbent to hurt one of my own. You know where I stand on such matters.¡± ¡°Yes, I know your ¡°rule¡± and it¡¯s undeniably barbaric. Although, your crew member there definitely looks worse for for wear. I suppose the man deserved some of what he got.¡± She looks over to a bouncer and nods towards the man Zijde just wrecked. ¡°Be a dear Arnold, and throw him out before he starts vomi¡­ oh there he goes.¡± The man is basically sobbing in between bouts of vomiting. Arnold calmly grabs him by the collar and drags him out the door. He walks back and resumes standing by the back door. Mrs. Brown is pinching the bridge of her nose as she looks painfully deep in thought. ¡°You know Captain, if you didn¡¯t make me such a wealthy woman... I wouldn¡¯t be able to stand for the displays of violence you orchestrate, but since I am a wealthy woman let¡¯s talk about this haul you brought in. Please, the both of you follow me.¡± Zijde and I follow her up a flight of stairs and through a large set of elaborately carved double doors. It¡¯s quite shocking going from a medieval tavern setup to a office any modern CEO would be envious of. Along the back wall is a massive window with a open view of the beach. A massive executive style mahogany desk. A incredibly comfortable looking red leather armchair is situated behind it. Four modest wooden chairs are line the front of it for any meetings she may have. A large Turkish rug takes up most of the room¡¯s floor. A huge crystal chandelier hangs from the center of the room. On either side of the room, plush red velvet couches take up the space on either wall. A large balding man seems to be passed out on one of the couches. ¡°You will have to excuse my husband Captain. He is hard at work as usual. I¡¯m hoping it kills him before long.¡± Mrs. Brown walks over to Zijde and drapes an arm seductively over the Captain¡¯s neck, pulling herself up against him. ¡°You know Captain Zijde, I¡¯ll need another man to be the name of the company when he keels. With my business sense and your reputation we could become a force to reckon with.¡± Zijde smiles at her sweetly, ¡°My dear, I must politely refuse. Someone with my reputation could do nothing but harm your wonderful enterprise.¡± ¡°Pfff.¡± Mrs. Brown feigns being wounded, ¡°You use the same excuse verbatim everytime. I honestly believe you practice that response. You are the one man I cannot sway with my womanly charms. So, I must fall back on my intellect. Please have a seat.¡± She walks around the desk, putting her feet up as she sits down. She pulls out some incredibly expensive rum, and a cigarette holder long enough to make Audrey jealous. ¡°Your nose looks positively... ¡®radiant¡¯ darling. Would you like something for that?¡± She pulls out an opium pipe and hands it to me. ¡°Thank you ¡®mam, but I¡¯d rather just eat it.¡± I tip the pipe over and the large ball of opium falls into my hand. She give me an incredulous look as she takes the pipe back. ¡°If you don¡¯t know how to use it I¡¯d be happy to show you darling.¡± I smirk and chuckle as I pop the ball of opium in my mouth, ¡°No mam, I just prefer not to smoke anything.¡± She and Zidje share and odd glance before she pulls out a stack of papers. ¡°Right, down to business then. This was quite the haul Captain. I¡¯d say you stole¡­ around 45,000 pesos wholesale. The tobacco, salt, and silk were what added up. Now, that¡¯s a wonderful take, by far the largest ever brought to. It being so large makes me very nervous though. How did you manage it?¡± A sinfully charismatic smile spreads across Zijde¡¯s face. I know he can¡¯t tell the hole truth, but I¡¯m curious as to what he is going to divulge, ¡°My dear, get comfortable since it is quite the tale.¡± Chapter 13 ¡°My dear, it is a simple yet thrilling tale. I know you may doubt me, but we simply came upon the ship by pure chance. Even more unbelievable, it was the easiest score I¡¯ve ever taken.¡± He pauses to sip his rum and gesture towards me, ¡°My dear friend Utah here took the ship by himself. He truly is a sight to behold once he sets against his fellow man¡­¡± I hold my hand up for a pause, ¡°Mam, he¡¯s being modest. He did save my life during the fight.¡± Zijde bursts out laughing, losing his composure momentarily, ¡°Utah, don¡¯t be so humble. It¡¯s unbecoming of a man that killed dozens of people simply to be apart of a pirate crew. Granted, I¡¯d have tried to do the same if I was working for a swine like that.¡± He turns back towards Mrs. Brown, ¡°Please excuse my outburst, but if you had witnessed his performance you would surely understand. I simply kept Utah here from being shot in the back is all. He took the prize himself.¡± Mrs. Brown looks at us expectantly as if she was waiting for a punchline. After a moment her look turns to shock, ¡°My God, you two are being serious? Well, if you are half that good I may need your services before you set sail Mr. Utah. Anyways, back to the topic at hand. Since these goods are no doubt ¡°hot¡±, I won¡¯t be able to offer you the usual fifty percent. I think an even thirty percent will be fair?¡± It only takes a moment for Zijde¡¯s warmth to disappear into a cold intensity that gives me chills, ¡°Mrs. Brown¡­ I know your husband has made some questionable financial choices of late, but do not insult me. If you do not have twenty-five thousand pieces of eight I will allow you to pay me in a two piece installment, but what you are suggesting is dangerously close to cheating me not once but twice. You and I both know 50,000 is fair... I enjoy your company Mrs. Brown. I¡¯d rather not do without it.¡± As the color drains from her face a smile as charismatic as it is menacing creeps across the Captain¡¯s face, ¡°Good, I see that we are in agreement. I want fifteen thousand as the first installment.¡± The rest of the day was pretty uneventful after our meeting with Mrs. Brown. The rest of the cargo was offloaded into the Brown¡¯s dockside warehouse. Once that was done a group of shipwrights were busy replacing the crippled foremast. With nothing else to do the entire crew gradually migrated to a dingy tavern/brothel on the outskirts of the city. As I walk through the door, most of the crew were already well on their way to being drunk. The second thing I noticed, were a few players throughout the crowd. The system has an odd way of designating players. There are no indicators, but you just instinctively know they are players. You just have no idea who they are of course. Unless you know their face. I walk up to the one closest player and sit down across from him. I haven¡¯t talked to a player since I was chased out of Port Royal. The first impression of this guy is someone that is just barely holding it together. His eyes are lifeless as his cheeks are hollow. Almost as if he had been sustained on nothing but the rum he is draining down his throat now. ¡°You¡¯re looking pretty rough man. You ok?¡± Not even bothering to look up he cusses at me with the enthusiasm of a dead fish, ¡°Look, this game is atrocious. Don¡¯t pretend that you enjoy it. If there was anyway I could get out of my contract with Rio Grande I¡¯d never log in again.¡± ¡°Damn, I didn¡¯t think it was that bad. I guess I did have some luck recently though.¡± As he looked up his eyes went wide with shock, ¡°No fucking way, Utah is sitting in front of me. Holy shit! I saw the recaps of you taking that ship! I followed you before the game was out as well. You did some amazing things in the military. I¡¯m hate what happened though, you weren¡¯t given a fair shot at all with those charges.¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I take a moment to process the excited rambling he just spouted off at a hundred miles and hour, ¡°I didn¡¯t know I have fans¡­¡± The realization that the player population knows I have a huge chest of gold on my ship crashes down on my stomach.¡± ¡°So what was your favorite part of the recap?¡± He starts off again at a hundred miles and hour, ¡°I love when you use the cannon to take out the men along the railing. It was like twenty of them in a blink of an eye! I still can¡¯t believe you got on with a pirate crew so fast. Your like the fourth player to do it. This game just now getting exciting to watch!¡± ¡°Oh, so where did the broadcast stop?¡± ¡°Uhm, I think right after you finished your conversation with that captain. It pick back up when you were getting chased by that Spanish woman. That was some great acting when that kid died! I actually believed you cared!¡± He recoils a little from the hard glare on my face, ¡°I did care. The kid was fifteen. How could I not.¡±
Notification
Skill Level Rank
Intimidation 13 --> 14 1
I get a nervous chuckle in return, ¡°He¡¯s just a fucking NPC man. It¡¯s just a game.¡± I guess it¡¯s my turn to recoil. It is just a game, but it sure as fuck doesn¡¯t feel like one. I feel more connected to the ¡°NPCs¡± than I have anyone in the real world in a long time. What the fuck does that say about my mental state? ¡°Hey man, you ok?¡± I blink as the guy in front of me brings me back to reality. ¡°I was asking how you deal with the pain?¡± He gestures towards my face. ¡°This?¡± gesturing to my nose, ¡°Hell it isn¡¯t much. I deal with worse than this on a daily basis. I mean in the real world. This only hurts if it¡¯s touched really, but all the mouth breathing is getting old though.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯s right. You were in that motorcycle wreck weren¡¯t you? It''s worse than that? Still?¡± I think back on all the suffering from the last few years, ¡°Yea¡­ it¡¯s that bad.¡± ¡°Damn, your lucky Utah.¡± ¡°Come again?¡± I¡¯m not sure how to take that. It flabbergasts me more than angers me. ¡°I just mean I wish I had that kind of pain tolerance. I sprained my ankle a couple weeks back and it¡¯s still hard for me to work. Hell, I¡¯m starving in game and in real life. There just isn¡¯t anything I can do. I never should have signed that fucking contract.¡± ¡°Yea, that¡¯s hard to swallow. All I can say is opium is cheap in game. You just gotta push through, or you could off yourself.¡± ¡°Yea, but I hear the sensation of dying in the game is awful. That and I¡¯ve made some contacts with the NPCs. I don¡¯t wanna have them lose all memory of me not to mention the stat loss. Maybe it¡¯ll be in a worthless skill like rope working, or it could be my fucking shooting skill. You never know what you¡¯ll get a reduction in.¡± I think about what I want to say for a moment, ¡°Well, I can give you some advice. Caring about the NPCs makes it a lot easier to push through the not so fun parts of the game. You need something to do? What are your five highest skills I might put a good word in with my captain?¡± The player opens up his menu and send me a stat brief.
Liber Frontz
Skill Level Rank
Mathematics 35 1
Chemistry 29 1
Metallurgy 28 1
Rope working 16 1
Shooting 12 1
I look at his stats¡­ and realize I just came across the person I need to take the next step in my plan. I try to hide my excitement as I hold his gaze, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Liber Frontz, good to meet you.¡± As I shake his outstretched hand, ¡°I think I can get you on my crew. But first,I have a few questions about those skills.¡± Chapter 14 ¡°So you think you can make me those shields? I need them to be four feet by two feet wide with a thin slit to see out of, and I want them to weigh no more than 25 pounds. I¡¯d also like for them to be bent like a shallow ¡°W¡± with the edges just a inch or so tall.¡± Liber starts scratching his head as he thinks about the logistics of my request, ¡°Uhm, yea I think so. I¡¯ll have to get back into blacksmithing first. When I started teaching at RGU I didn¡¯t have time. So, you¡¯ll give me enough money to get by on Rio Grande credits?¡± ¡°Yep, I¡¯ll transfer 100 credits a week to you. I¡¯ll also have a 200 pesos to get what you need to get the materials. Can you do it here at Nassau?¡± ¡°I can do the shields here, but those weapons you want¡­ I¡¯m gonna need chemicals and a casting kiln. And a heap more money for them.¡± I hold his gaze for a moment to see what he¡¯d do. I¡¯m slightly worried he might run off with my money but, he was so excited when I told him I¡¯d hire him it makes that seem baseless. ¡°Ok Liber, let¡¯s start with the shields. They need to be done within the month. Then, the weapons will need to be done within seven months from now. There is something specific I need them for. I¡¯ll need ammunition, a lot of it.¡± ¡°Oh, well I was thinking it might take me 4 months to finish, but double that for unseen complications. Yea, I should be able to accomplish that.¡± ¡°Good. By the way¡­ keep track of what you buy and how much. Accountability and all that.¡± I give him a friendly smile, but I make sure to stare deeply until he nods in acknowledgment, ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to go see what my crew is up to.¡±
Notification
Skill Level Rank
Barter 6-->7 1
Jesus... Just how bad is my bartering? I guess that makes sense. I haven''t ever really bartered with anyone. All my life it was just ''that price''. Well, plus tax of course. About that time I hear some of the crew arguing. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking tell you again mate. The new guy just made us some wealthy blokes. So, I don¡¯t give two shits if he is green. He took the ship by himself right? Like any of us coulda made do with what he had!¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Yea? Well fifteen fucking percent is too fucking much. He could start a bloody plantation with that, and it¡¯s his first score. Nobody deserves to retire after their first score.¡± I creep up behind the second crew member and clear my throat, ¡°And just how you fucking know that was my first score eh?¡± The guy freezes and turns around to see me showing of my friendliest smile. ¡°Oi, I meant no disrespect. I just meant¡­¡± I place my hand on his shoulder while chuckling, ¡°I¡¯m just fucking with you man, here go buy us both some rum.¡± I hand him one of my last coins as I hope that I get paid something tomorrow. He smiles and gets as much rum as he can and hands me one as he sits down. As I turn around I notice opinion of me has improved¡­ thank fucking God. I look around to see who else is in here. Zijde was is the back smoking a pipe talking to Bheki. The navigator Alfred was by the bar red in the face swaying from side to side. Billy was over in the corner by himself. The rest of the crew was spread out trying to find a girl to spend the night with. The man from earlier walks up carrying another wooden cup, ¡°Uhm, here you go mate. And sorry, I didn¡¯t mean anything by it. I just fancy the spot you¡¯re in.¡± I give him a warm smile as I take the cup, ¡°If it makes you feel better, I¡¯m not going anywhere. I need a lot more money to do what I have planned.¡± I leave him speechless as I make my way over to Zijde and Bheki. I down about half of the rum and sigh as the burning turns into a dull warmth that helps me relax. The last few days have really wound me up and I need a few hours to offload. I get close enough to hear Zijde as is talking to Bheki about future plans, ¡°I¡¯m thinking about taking a nice long break somewhere along the Brazilian coast during the storm season. We have plenty of cash, we should be able to live quite well. Oh,Utah! How are you my friend?¡± The warm smile Zijde is sporting is a stark contrast to the scowl on Bheki¡¯s face as they both turn to face me. ¡°I¡¯m doing well, I¡¯m glad to finally unwind after the last few days.¡± Bheki actually nods in agreement, ¡°Yes, the last few day have been unnervingly exciting. I wanted to blame you at first, but the captain has convinced me that it would be much worse without you. Just know I still don¡¯t fully trust you.¡± Zijde slams his palms down on the table, ¡°Oh how I love progress in bringing my crew together! I believe that is cause for celebration!¡± Before moving on he motions us in close, ¡°Just remember, three of us have business to take care of. I have someone watching the ¡®grave¡¯ we buried Duncan in. When they come to fetch us we will take care of said business. So, keep your faculties about you men.¡± With that Zijde orders us all shots of rum. After the third or so shot I was feeling completely relaxed. Zijde and Bheki were loudly talking about the time the sank a British man o¡¯ war in a harbor. That¡¯s where they got several of their larger cannons at but not much else. So, since they were in such a good mood I decided to see if we were of the same mind on a certain subject. ¡°I have a question for you both. What do you both want to accomplish in your lives?¡± Bheki looks gives me a very suspicious look while Zijde answers without missing a beat, ¡°I want to own a plantation one day. But I want it done right, I want freeman to work my fields. Me being rich be damned. I want to carve a part of the world where people can be accepted. Hard work and universal respect is all I ask for.¡± Bheki looks at me and says, ¡°I want to be rich enough to walk into the farm that holds my family and buy their freedom. Not for the price that they ask for, but the price they are actually worth¡­ and then burn the place to the ground. And of course taking my money back.¡± After all these weeks beating my head against the wall, I have finally found two people to help build my goal. I give them my best smile, ¡°So, what do you say about carving a place out for ourselves¡­ a country to be exact?¡± The looks on their face tell me I at least have their attention. Which, I believe, is all I need. Chapter 15 ¡°So how do you plan on robbing a treasure fleet? And a fucking Spanish flotilla at that?¡± I¡¯ve spent the last hour going over various aspects of my plan for the next year or so, and it¡¯s not going so well. Zijde and Bheki both are apprehensive, but Bheki is stuck on attacking the Spanish treasure fleet. That¡¯s really not even the hard part! I know that the fleet is going to get hit by a hurricane off the coast of Florida at two in the morning on July 31st, but I can¡¯t really explain how I know that though. ¡°Look Bheki, I found someone that says they can make some advanced weapons for us, ok? If he delivers we can move forward. If not, we¡¯ll scrap the plan.¡± ¡°Boy, are you fucking stupid? Pirates have been trying to take treasure fleets for centuries and it¡¯s never worked. They just get themselves killed.¡± Not gonna lie, him calling me stupid like that makes me wanna reach across the table and slap the shit out of him, but that probably wouldn¡¯t bode well for my cause. Zijde turns to Bheki, giving him an incredibly harsh look, ¡°Bheki, the plan is probably overly ambitious, but I¡¯d rather you not insult the man. He even said, unless he gets the weapons he¡¯d be fine with throwing the plan out.¡± He turns to me and gives me a thoughtful look, ¡°Your heart is in the right place though. I think it¡¯s a good plan, but I think you will need much longer than a couple years to accomplish it.¡± Bheki crosses his arms a sucks are through his teeth in disdain, but he accepts what his captain says. I take a few moments to think about what to say to salvage my plan. ¡°Look, it¡¯ll take three months to make the first batch of weapons. If they work, it¡¯ll make taking ships so much easier. Let¡¯s see how it goes then. Deal?¡± They both shake their heads in agreement¡­ one much less enthusiastically than the other but whatever. They look past me at someone, and before I can look to see who it is I get grabbed and shaken roughly. Billy is quite drunk and very much so slurring his words, ¡°Utah you, you damned liar! You said you¡¯d help me out with my problem!¡± I shoot Zijde a glance, and I find him giving me a knowing and very amused look. He waves me off chuckling, ¡°Go help the lad, but come find me in a couple hours. There is still something we three need to take care of.¡± Billy drags me off to a secluded corner to ask me what my plans are, but he¡¯s so drunk it¡¯s pretty hard to understand what he¡¯s getting at. ¡°Look Billy, slow down and help me understand. I know your nervous, but I can¡¯t help you if I can¡¯t understand you.¡± He slows down but it doesn¡¯t help much, ¡°Ok, ok, ok, ohhhhkayyy, look, we are only gonna stay in port for a week or two at most. So, if I¡¯m going to spend time with a lady I need to go ahead and start!¡±This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Well, like I said before¡­ young, dumb, and horny, but I did say I¡¯d help, ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll go talk to the madam. Don¡¯t worry, but you my friend, do not need to drink anymore. You don¡¯t wanna pass out and piss yourself do you?¡± He gives me a dumb, drunken stare for a moment and then vigorously shakes his head no. I go off to find the madam leaving him to nurse a mug of water in the meantime. It takes me a few minutes, but after asking several people and wandering around aimlessly I find her. And let¡¯s just say she wasn¡¯t what I was expecting. She was old. Like sixty plus territory. She wore a hood that covered most of her face and body. She was maybe five feet tall and so frail I couldn¡¯t guess her weight. She had a long curved nose and from what I could see of her face she had pretty bad pockmarks. Her voice high pitched, crackly, and shaky, ¡°Hello dearie, are you looking for someone to accompany you to bed tonight?¡± Holy shit, I have to say if she offered me an apple I wouldn¡¯t take it if is was starving, ¡°Ugh, no ¡®mam. I¡¯m actually looking for someone for my friend if there. The younger guy sipping on the mug.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. What is he looking for?¡± ¡°Well, without going too much in detail of his life¡­ he is crippled with fear of not pleasing a woman. I thought maybe you have someone that is pretty, knowledgeable, and around his age?¡± I lean in closer to whisper, ¡°I will also pay a good bit extra to make sure she hasn¡¯t worked the last few days and she doesn¡¯t have anything he could catch.¡± She starts cackling with laughter¡­ which unnerves me even more. She turns to me with a surprisingly toothfilled smile, ¡°I have just the woman, she¡¯s nineteen I believe and she only works once a week. Her rate is quite expensive though.¡± ¡°Perfect, would she be willing to spend a few days with him? I think it might take some time to work up his confidence.¡± ¡°That will be up to her. She will be here tomorrow evening. I¡¯d ask for you to put down some coin first though. Just so no one person¡¯s time is wasted. I¡¯m sure you understand. Two doubloons and a peso or the equivalent would be a fair price.¡± She starts to cackle again when she sees my face. Well Billy, you better enjoy this. I hand her thirty-three pesos, from the last couple months of work leaving me unsettled with my finances.. She gives me a deep searching look for a few moments, ¡°You must care deeply for this boy¡­ or you and your crew came upon considerable coin. Which is it?¡± Fuck, fuck, fuck, of all the people to get suspicious it had to be the madam. Besides for bar keepers, madams are the most notorious for selling information to anyone that would pay the price. I try my best to keep any of my internal panic from showing on my face. ¡°The boy saved my life at the expense of a friend¡¯s life. He didn¡¯t know he was making a choice at the time, but he is still riddled with guilt.¡± I thought that was pretty good as lies made up on the spot went. ¡°I see, that would certainly explain the air the boy gives off. I can feel the weight of it from here. I suppose this is a deal done. It¡¯s still up to her though. She can choose to say no, but if that happens you¡¯ll get your money back. I hope you enjoy.¡± She starts cackling as she goes to the back. She pauses and says over her shoulder, ¡°Clean the boy, and groom him. It would go a long way with her.¡± I give her a nod before returning to Billy. He definitely hasn¡¯t sobered up, but he doesn¡¯t see any more drunk. ¡°Well Billy I have someone lined up for you.¡± He jerks his head towards me so hard he almost falls off his stool, ¡°Really? Where is she?¡± He starts looking around frantically, ¡°Oh shit, I should have bathed. I smell awful!¡± ¡°Billy, Billy, she isn¡¯t here. You meet her tomorrow. Don¡¯t worry. Go get some sleep, you¡¯ll need your sleep.¡± I give him a teasing wink as he gets off his stool. ¡°Yea, you¡¯re right Utah. Thank you so much. I¡¯ll get a bathe tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yea and a haircut. A shave couldn¡¯t hurt either.¡± He nods as he makes his way towards the door. About that time I feel an arm wrap around my left shoulder. I see Zijde staring after Billy as he walks out. ¡°That¡¯s good of you Utah. The boy has had more than his fair share of hurt and death. I¡¯m glad you have taken a interest in him. He needs someone to guide him. I would, but I can¡¯t be seen to give partial treatment to anyone on the crew that hasn¡¯t earned it.¡± He was smiling warmly while speaking, but his face hardens into a look of determination, ¡°By the way, it¡¯s time to take care of our problem. Are you ready?¡± I let a cocky smile spread across my face, ignoring the pain, ¡°I¡¯m always ready to solve problems Captain.¡± Chapter 16 We left the tavern shortly after Billy walked out. The moon is still basically full which made the trip up the winding path simple. It¡¯s just the tension in the air was stifling. Zijde seemed angry yet¡­ excited? And Bheki was attempting his typical stoic stare, but signs of worry slipped through the cracks. Most of it was directed at me. Just... it was more like he was worried about what I was going to see than me fucking up. As we get to the top of the hill Zijde turns to us, ¡°Alright, Bheki go around the back to catch him if he runs. He won¡¯t be able to see you as easily. Utah, you come with me. Don¡¯t worry about hurting him, but do not kill him. This bastard deserves worse than a quick death.¡± Ok, so that sounded bad enough, but the look of worry on Bheki¡¯s face is very off putting. Bheki simply nods as he makes his way around back. Zijde looks at me with a reassuring smile. ¡°Well, we get to take another sick bastard doing us wrong out of this world. Are you ready?¡± I simply nod my head. He leads the way as we sneak into the cemetery. The gravestones here were a mixture of fairly new, to as old as the city itself. Although, for every marked grave there were five unmarked ones. The cemetery is probably the size of a square football field and about halfway across it we start to hear the scraping of a shovel. We are moving at a snail¡¯s pace to not scare our target, and this makes the entire thing much more nerve wracking. The we see a lantern illuminating the surrounding headstones at the back corner. Once we get about twenty feet away I see the same creepy man shoveling what looks to be freshly overturned dirt. About that time Zijde stands up, strolling confidently towards the man. ¡°Hello there, fancy meeting someone else enjoying a midnight stroll! In a graveyard no less! The same graveyard our dear friend Duncan is to be buried in, tomorrow.¡± The man spins around with flintlock pistol and fires at Zijde. The shot goes wide to his right. Zijde doesn¡¯t flinch in the slightest as the ball slams into a headstone sending rocks everywhere. Then the guy chunks his pistol at Zijde and starts to flee. Zijde steps to the side dodging the pistol, and we both chase after him. Until I see Bheki stepping out of the darkness and clotheslining him hard. He lands on his head like a kid that didn¡¯t follow through with a backflip, and the popping of his spine isn¡¯t a great sign for him. We get up to him and check if he¡¯s alive. He is, but he is quite unconscious. Zijde tells me to pick him up, and we make our way to the other side of the church. Once we get there we both look to Zijde on how to proceed. ¡°Alright, Bheki shave his head, and Utah remove his teeth.¡± I¡¯m thinking, ¡®Ok yeah, toothless and a really bad haircut, that¡¯ll be a good message for this guy.¡¯ But one thing though¡­ ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be awake for this Captain?¡± Zijde gives me a very dark grin, ¡°No, this part is negligible in the grand scheme of his punishment.¡± Fuck¡­ Zijde walks off and I turn to Bheki. He still has a worried look on his face he pulls his knife out. He grabs him by the head and roughly starts shaving his head. So roughly in fact he seems to be getting as much scalp as hair¡­ ¡°So, I¡¯ve never pulled anyone¡¯s teeth. Any tips?¡± He doesn¡¯t even bother to look up, ¡°Just knock them out. Doesn¡¯t really matter, just make sure none of them are whole and he doesn¡¯t swallow any. Beside for that it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Bheki is exuding an air of defeat around him. It feels like he has a huge weight that is crushing the unbearably self assured man I first met. ¡°Oh, well¡­ ok. You done?¡± ¡°Yea, you go ahead. There are tools in that shed. Also, take this. I can tell you haven''t done this. You¡¯ll need it.¡± he fishes out a fairly large flask out of his pocket and hands it to me. I take a swig without hesitation. I immediately can tell it¡¯s strong rum with how it burns going down. I hand him it back as I make my way to the shed. The shed was a small lean to with a fenced in area connected to it. As I walk inside I see a wall with about a dozen tools. There are a couple hammers, rudimentary pliers, and saws¡­ but the castration tongs and winches give me pause. Unless you have some kind of animal these don¡¯t serve much of a purpose. The dark red rust on them doesn¡¯t reassure me at all.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I decide the smallest hammer and the pliers would probably work the best. I turn to leave, but as I make my way back I hear some rustling and several deep grunts coming from the shed. Oh thank god, he just has pigs. That¡¯s what the tongs were for. Barrows, or castrated hogs, taste much better and are way easier to handle than a big, aggressive boar. I walk up on Bheki hogtying the sick fuck that was going to take Duncan¡¯s body and do God knows what to it. I give him a questioning look as he finishes. ¡°He¡¯s going to wake up at some point. You¡¯ll appreciate him not being able to run from you. I¡¯ll leave you to it. I¡¯ll go see how the Captain is doing.¡± He turns and walks off leaving me my task. I flip him over and open his mouth. ¡°Well, this shouldn¡¯t be too hard. Most of these it¡¯d be a stretch to call teeth.¡± The majority of his front teeth were missing, and his molars were mostly rotten. I start by rolling him on his side and putting a stick in the back of his mouth. I take the smallest hammer and I strike the first intact incisor I see. It felt like pulling your tooth out as a kid with floss and a doors knob¡­ besides for the surprising amount of blood followed it. I tried to just shake his head to get the tooth out, but the lack of hair and blood from the haphazard close-cut makes it impossible. His head just keeps slipping out of my hands. I reach my fingers into his mouth to fish the tooth out. I am thankful for the stick in the back of his mouth so I¡¯m not risking him biting my finger with his nasty ass teeth. His next three front teeth come out in much the same fashion¡­ other than the gratuitous amount of blood that comes with it. The same blood that starts the all to fucking familiar euphoria associated with it. I fucking hate it, I am sitting here knocking out rotten ass teeth from the sick fuck that was going to rape a fifteen year olds dead body¡­ the very same death I hastened by pulling out a piece of metal from a fucking mast. I mean¡­ who the fuck is unlucky enough to die from some bullshit like that. Especially when I sit here alive after breaking over half my body to pieces from a fucking motorcycle wreck. I try to comfort myself with the knowledge he was an NPC from a game, but that just makes me feel that much worse... Stop Utah, fucking stop. You have a job to do. A job that you need to finish. I use the light from the lantern to see which teeth I have left. I see three molars and and a couple pre-molars left. I grab the pliers and start gripping the healthiest teeth tightly as I jerk sideways pulling them out surprisingly easy. Actually, the whole thing is much easier than I expected it to be. Movies portray this to be pretty difficult. Like teeth are firmly cemented into the mouth¡­ well I guess they might be if said person wasn¡¯t riddled with gum disease. Before I could get over my disgust of this mans dental/life choices he jerks awakes. He starts freaking out about what is going on. He starts asking questions with a crazy lisp without most of his teeth, ¡°What? What the fuck?¡± I come down hard with my elbow. I feel his nose shatter beneath my blow. He starts really freaking out, rolling around and trying to spit the stick out of his mouth. Know that he''s awake I decide to vent a little frustration, ¡°So, you like dead bodies huh? You like dead little boys? I just want you to know that everything that happens to you is your doing. You chose this for yourself you sick fuck.¡± He finally spits the stick out, but it doesn''t help his speech much, ¡°What? I don¡¯t know what you are talking about?¡± I come down with my elbow against his solar plexus this time. He starts rolling around trying to catch his breath between me knocking the air out of him and him choking on his on blood. ¡°So, you¡¯re gonna keep trying to weasel your way out of this huh? You and I both know you don¡¯t deserve to live, but hey I want you to struggle. It¡¯s no fun extinguishing evil if it doesn¡¯t have a spark of life to it.¡± I guess that changed his approach, ¡°I didn¡¯t even touch him. He¡¯s still in the fucking ground!¡± I lean down to whisper in his ear, ¡°Hahaha, he¡¯s not in the ground. You¡¯re gonna die tonight for digging in an empty grave bitch.¡± He starts to say something but I shove a stick back in his mouth. I¡¯m pretty sure we aren¡¯t gonna kill him, but I¡¯m now more sure he doesn¡¯t know that now. I use the light from the lantern to pull the last two things that could be called teeth and gather them up. All the while he is grunting and trying to spit the stick out of his mouth. I slam my fist into his already broken nose to shut him up. After that I just hear some whimpers and moans as I walk towards Zijde and Bheki. ¡°Hey Cap¡¯n, I finished.¡± He turns to me with a reassuring smile, ¡°Good deal my boy, thank you. How¡¯s our guest doing?¡± ¡°Well, he doesn¡¯t have anything that resembles a tooth in his head¡­ although he didn¡¯t have many to begin with.¡± ¡°Good, I suppose it¡¯s time to bring tonight to the end. Hand me the teeth dear boy.¡± He pockets the teeth, and we head back to our ¡®guest¡¯. He¡¯s struggling furiously against his bindings but freezes as he notices us walking up. Zijde squats down besides him and whispers something to him. He starts struggling with everything he has against his bindings but guess what? Pirates are really good with knots. Zijde turns to us, ¡°Alright men, grab him up and carry him over.¡± Bheki gets his feet and grab him around his waist and we carry him on our shoulders to the fenced in area beside the pen¡­ of pigs. I guess he is going to die after all. As he¡¯s pleading for his life Zijde motions for us to stop, ¡°Hold him there boys.¡± I hear Zijde pull out a knife. He cuts the binding for his feet and the i hear what sounds like a knife through flesh, ¡°Alright, throw him in.¡± He lands in the mud and not a second later I hear the pigs make their way to him. I assumed Zijde cut an artery to kill him. Killing him might be a little overboard, but hey, he was gonna dig up a 15 year old¡­ Anyways, after about 30 seconds I realize not only had he cut the rope¡­ but after I see him get to his feet only to fall on his face I realize his achilles tendons had been severed. At first the pigs are slightly cautious, but then he spits the stick out and screams. This sends the pigs into a frenzy. It¡¯s kinda like this isn¡¯t their first rodeo. I see him feebly try to fight off the first couple hogs, but there are at least twenty of them. He starts to scream louder as I hear the hog¡¯s jaws start to snap and tear through his flesh and bones. Then the screams give way to human and hog grunts. Then I hear him just moaning¡­ then him gurgling and the squelching of hog hooves in mud¡­ then all I hear is hogs devouring a human. I turn around to see Bheki looking away, and to my horror, a faint smile on Zijde¡¯s face.
Notification
Skill Level Rank
Mental Fortitude 25-->26 1
Chapter 16A Chapter 17 ¡°Well guys, that shit was a lot heavier than I would ever hope it would be.¡± I look towards Bheki and Zijde to see what comes next in this plan. Bheki is still looking off into the distance, but Zijde turns to me with a sympathetic look. ¡°I know this was more than you are used to, but if by setting examples like this I can prevent my crew from being harmed¡­ well, let us just say that tonight is nothing compared to what I would do to keep us safe.¡± I hang my head to let it sink in. I guess that makes sense but damn. That was a rough way to go. At the same time he was going to take Duncan¡¯s body to do¡­ whatever the fuck he was going to do. ¡°Alright men, I have things I need to attend to. You both are free to do whatever you wish for the rest of the night. We need to meet at the bar around midday tomorrow.¡± With that Zijde heads back towards town. I look at Bheki and he just motions me to follow him over to the fire. We sit close enough to take comfort in the heat and light of the fire. Bheki pulls out a bottle of rum and pulls the cork out with his teeth. He throws the bottle back, and I watch the bubbles rise through the liquer. He finishes with a grimace and hands the bottle to me, ¡°I figured we¡¯d need this tonight. He¡¯s been getting pretty dark with his ¡®punishments¡¯.¡± I take the bottle, and throw it back much like Bheki. The burn down my throat and warmth in my belly does wonders to replace the turmoil I was feeling, ¡°Ugh, so what the fuck was that Bheki. We fed that sick bastard ALIVE to pigs. I get he needed to die but shit. I don¡¯t think he deserved that.¡± Bheki nods his head in agreement as he asks for the bottle back. He takes another drink, ¡°Ahhhgg, so you¡¯re right. He didn¡¯t deserve that. You don¡¯t think so, I don¡¯t think so, and Cap¡¯n doesn¡¯t either.¡± ¡°Then why the fuck did we just do that?¡± ¡°To put the crew at ease.¡± I just give him an incredulous look hoping he is about to clarify. ¡°I know, I know. It doesn¡¯t make much sense at first, but look at it this way. There are several ways to keep a crew in line. Most captains from the navy to the lowest pirate us fear to keep a crew in line. That works well for a time, but usually no more that a year. Do you know how long Zijde has been a pirate captain?¡± I shake my head no as he takes another drink. ¡°Me either, but I''ve been with him for three years and he was a captain long before that. How do you suppose he¡¯s been able to keep a crew from mutinying against him?¡± He hands me the bottle and I take another long drink. I can feel my body start to release some more of my tension as the rum does it¡¯s thing, ¡°Well I wouldn¡¯t fuck with him after what I just saw.¡± Bhekin chuckles to himself, ¡°You say that but you would. Everyone does. You hear it happen all too often. It doesn¡¯t matter though. Even if you did something that warranted death by pig, Cap¡¯n would just shoot you. No crew member ever dies like that by his orders. Anyways, answer me this. If someone threatened you, how worried would you be once Captain Zijde found out? Very few people dare hurt our crew. They know whatever they do will be paid back ten times worse.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Yea, I guess I see what you mean, but fuck¡­ he was alive. I don¡¯t really know how to reconcile that. He needed to die, just not like that.¡± ¡°I know Utah, just¡­ don¡¯t forget you didn¡¯t make the decision. The Captain did. He has to live with it, and you just did what he said. Also, don¡¯t forget what he was going to do to Duncan. Never forget that part.¡± ¡°Yea, you¡¯re right. You¡¯re right. What are you gonna do for the rest of the night?¡± ¡°Me? I am going to finish this bottle and fall asleep. I am gonna try and bury tonight¡¯s shit with Duncan¡¯s body tomorrow. I¡¯d also rather do it alone. No offense of course.¡± I wave my hand dismissively. He hands me the bottle for one more swig. After, Bheki gets up and sombers off into the church to get absolutely smashed. I sit there a little while longer soaking in the fire¡¯s warmth. I know I have to be back at the bar tomorrow to meet with the madam, the girl, and Billy. I also need to get the money for Liber to start making the shields. Wait¡­ when was the last time I ate something in the real world? The next thirty minutes was a mixture of me finding a place for me to log out, and trying no to fall over. The alcohol Bheki was much stronger than I thought it was. I finally find an out of the way corner in the back of the church and log out. Now, I should have seen this coming, but I¡¯ll chalk it up to me being drunk. The process of ¡®waking up¡¯ is already uncomfortable, but going from being drunk to completely sober is not something I¡¯d recommend. Couple that with the unbearable hunger pangs made the nausea so intense I almost vomit everywhere. I then proceed to actually start dry-heaving as I step in my vomit from when my mom forced me out of the game. I go rinse my mouth out and clean up the vomit that had been sitting in my floor for¡­ I have no idea actually. Once that¡¯s done I go to the communal kitchen and put my payment info into the food synthesizer. I take out the pork ramen and add some ¡®real¡¯ curry from my spice cabinet back in my room. I start eating as I pull up the NBP game news. Damn, I guess they really did air that night. I really need to stop forgetting to turn my live feed off. Which reminds me, did the chest of loot and treasure fleet plans get broadcasted? Well, It¡¯s too late now. I guess the only thing I can do hope that nothing has gotten out. It¡¯s reassuring it¡¯s not plastered all over news articles at least. Oh shit! I¡¯ve moved up in rankings. I need to see what my stipend is. I go through the lengthy login process which includes; ID and password, fingerprint scan, blood sample, voice ID, AND to be plugged in via spinal implant while you access your information. Which is a mix between looking at the numbers and being the numbers. It¡¯s hard to explain, but imaging being in a forest. While you are in the forest you can see, hear, smell, and touch the trees, but at the same time you are a tree. You feel your roots, the air against your bark, and you experience an alien sensation of other plant growth stealing nutrients. You feel at home and alien at the same time. I promise, it¡¯s as odd as it sounds. Anyways, I ignore the notifications and go to the ¡®personal information tab¡¯ to look at my stipend. Damn...
Player Dwayne Tommy Utah
Status Player
Subscription N/A
Stipend 4789.98
Standing Good
My stipend quadrupled¡­ I honestly don¡¯t know how to feel about it. I torture someone and the masses are eating the shit up. I mean, I know that I didn''t do that for the money, but apparently it was a hit. What the fuck does that mean? That everyone is a sick fuck? Oh shit, that means a bunch of players are probably about to commit some seriously fucked up things in game. Whatever, I don¡¯t do this for them. This is for me. This is me making something of myself. Albeit in an alternate reality, but what does it matter? This ¡®real-world¡¯ has shit on me thoroughly. I risk my life to defend my country and now I can barely feed myself. Well, with some of the shit I did I don''t know if ¡®defend¡¯ is the right word, but I did my duty. Now here I am living in fucking squalor. Squalor that I see no way out of. So, here I am making a decent living through trailblazing a videogame and I love it. Hell, I think I¡¯m famous. I look up Liber''s profile and set up a 400 credit recurring payment before I forget. I close out of everything, and I take the time to use the bathroom. I make my way over to my bed and relax. I slide the probe into the slot at the base of my skull, and I start to count back from ten.... Chapter 18 I wake with a slight headache and dry-mouth but neither is debilitating. I get up trying to stretch my stiff muscles from basically being comatose for eight hours. I make my way down to the bar to speak with the madam. As I make my way through the streets I can¡¯t help but worry about the prospect of someone knowing what I did last night. Being stoned to death by the populace would be a shitty way to lose you¡¯re ¡®gimme¡¯ life in this game. But, as I make it to the bar door I realize that probably won¡¯t happen. I¡¯m in a different time. I mean, who actually cares about that sick fuck we killed last night? Maybe his mother but even that is debatable. I look around for the madam, but I almost shit all over myself as she taps my shoulder as she says, ¡°Here boy, follow me.¡± She leads me to a back room. Where she pulls back her hood to reveal a an sun-aged face, but beautiful all the same, minus the nose. Which, she then pulls a piece of shaped wax off of. She gives me a crisp nod and professional smile. ¡°Before we begin, I¡¯d appreciate some discretion with my appearance. It¡¯s much easier to control the patrons if they worry about leaving here with a curse.¡± I nod and she visibly relaxes. She gives me a warm smile and begins speaking softly, ¡°I heard about the young boy on your crew. It¡¯s truly unfortunate when the young are taken from us so young.¡± ¡°Thank you, I am pretty new to the crew, but it seems like he was a good kid. The crew is taking it hard.¡± She gives me a curious look, ¡°Captain Zijde seems to value you highly. What did you do to earn that man''s favor so quickly?¡± I chuckle while scratching the back of my head, ¡°Eh, I¡¯m nothing special. I just want to see the crew succeed.¡± She starts cackling at my answer, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be modest boy. Single handedly taking a ship is quite an achievement.¡± She laughs even harder when she sees my surprise, ¡°I don¡¯t think a single person on on that ship didn¡¯t brag about their newest member. You seem to have the respect of one of the most feared crews in the Caribbean.¡± I just chuckle as I wait for her to continue. She shakes her head as she smiles, ¡°Heh, you¡¯re quite modest for a pirate. Especially one so capable. Anyhow, on to business. The girl will be here in a few hours. I would suggest the young man be waiting on her. First impressions are important.¡± I nod in agreement as I tell her I¡¯ll go find him. ¡°May I suggest a bath and grooming him first?¡± ¡°Of course madam.¡± She smiles warmly as I walk through the door. It takes me about an hour to find him as he, and most of the crew, are passed out in a large abandoned stable on the other side of town. I find Billy fairly easily, but only because he¡¯s passed out upside down on a hay bale. I try to shake him awake, but he won¡¯t even budge. I find a bucket of water and dump it on him. He tries to jolt upwards, but it just causes him to somersault backwards into the mud puddle I just made. He starts spitting and sputtering tying to get his bearings. I squat downs to get eye-level with his muddy face, ¡°It¡¯s your big day champ, let¡¯s get you cleaned up.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Billy quickly goes from bewilderment, to anger, to excitement. Which is every bit as funny as it sounds. He start panicking, ¡°Shit, shit, shit, what time is it? Why did I drink so much! Fuck¡­¡± I throw my head back laughing, ¡°Easy man, you¡¯re good. You got a couple hours. We need to get you cleaned up and get you shaved.¡± I nod for him to follow me and we go find a inn with a bath. We walk through the doors and the bartender in the back instantly turns his nose up at us, ¡°Can I help you?¡± The disdain he feels for us is clear. I guess I¡¯d feel the same way if I saw someone with a disfigured face and a boy covered in mud walk through the door. I stroll up and lay half of a piece of eight on the counter, ¡°Can I get the kid a bath and a haircut? I¡¯d also like a drink of rum.¡± The bartender instantly changes his tune, ¡°Of course Sir! Here is a glass of rum!¡± He pours several shots of rum in a glass and barks, ¡°Oi, run a bath a bath and get your ass out her and clean the front!¡± About 10 minutes later a woman probably around mid 30s comes out to find Billy. She shows him the way to the back and returns with a soap bucket. As she cleans the front of the place, the man starts to strike up a conversation. ¡°So, whose crew are you apart of?¡± I give him a bored look before I take a drink of my rum, and I notice the lack of burn down my throat, ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m apart of a crew?¡± ¡°You seem to be well off, and you have a pretty painful looking injury¡­¡± ¡°And I have money. I¡¯m apart of the ¡®Going Swiftly¡¯, know it?¡± He gets a greasy looking grin on his face, ¡°Oh it¡¯s one of the finest crews in the West Indies! Hey, do you think you could talk to the captain? I hear he loves to hear about good investments. I think I have one.¡± In the most deadpan voice I could muster, ¡°If you¡¯re gonna water down rum this bad my Captain won¡¯t want anything to do with you.¡± The man pales as he starts frantically looking underneath the cabinet, ¡°Oh I must have accidently poured from the wrong bottle. I¡¯ll find it momentarily.¡± About that time Billy comes out from the back, ¡°Oh that feels so much better. How much more time we got?¡± Looking at Billy, ¡°I¡¯d say we have an hour and a half.¡± I look towards the bartender, ¡°How much do I owe you for the bath?¡± He looks up at me with sweat beading up on his face, ¡°L-lets just call it even.¡± I give him my best smile, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do that. After the boy gets his haircut.¡± ¡°Oh! Yes of course. Just follow Mary through here and we¡¯ll get you fixed up.¡± He turns to Mary, ¡°Get your old ass in there and give the boy a trimmin¡¯ and make it good.¡± I watch her clip the long light brown curls off Billy¡¯s head into a much more manageable shape. Then she starts to lather his face with just a simple soap. SHe surprises me as she shaves his face with speed that can only come from years of shaving other people. After she was done Billy is hardly recognizable. He was deeply tan from working on the ship, which matched his light brown hair. His jawline was actually pretty sharp once you got rid of all the awful looking peach fuzz. Of course getting rid off all the mud did wonders as well. I walk up chuckling, ¡°Damn boy! You clean up really nice. You¡¯d make a nun blush if you weren¡¯t careful.¡± I look towards the woman, ¡°Mary right? Thank you. The boy needed it bad. Here is something for your good work.¡± I hand her my last gold doubloon. Her eyes get huge as she takes it. The first thing she does is looks towards the bartender. I look back and I can almost feel the grease from his expression. He quickly changes it, but I know what is going to happen as soon as I walk out. I lock eyes with him as I address Mary, ¡°Just so you know, that is for you and you alone. If someone tries to take it from you just come get me. I¡¯m apart of Captain Zijde¡¯s crew, and I¡¯ll ¡®deal¡¯ with whoever it might be.¡± The lack of color on the bartender¡¯s face tells me I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about much. I look back to Mary before I leave, ¡°Just so you know. The crew might want to get a good trim. I¡¯ll ask around and if you don¡¯t mind getting the stuff together I¡¯m sure you could make a lot of money.¡± She blushes and tells me she¡¯d appreciate that as we walk out. The look of confusion on Billy¡¯s face is priceless as we make our way down the street, ¡°Did I miss something Utah?¡± ¡°Hahaha, no. You didn¡¯t miss anything. Just putting a prick in his place is all.¡± I look at Billy and almost facepalm myself. I stop just short of slapping my tore up face, but I almost let Billy embarrass himself in muddy rags, ¡±So Billy, you planning on meeting her in that?¡± He looks down at himself and shrugs his shoulders, ¡°Awe hell Utah, you¡¯ve already done so much for me. I can¡¯t really ask you for clothes to ya know.¡± I chuckle and give him a nonchalant smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine bud. Here, take these pesos and get yourself some clothes. I¡¯ll meet you at the bar.¡± He takes the money while nodding his head in thanks. He runs off in a seemingly random direction to get clothes. I yell after him, ¡°You only got 30 minutes. You better hurry!¡± He raises his hand to show he heard me and speeds up a bit. As I make my way over to the bar I can¡¯t help but wonder how this is going to go. In the end I just tell myself that I¡¯ve done all I can. The rest is up to Billy. Chapter 19 As I walk into the bar I find it is significantly slower than last night, but there are still about 10 people drinking. Last night I didn¡¯t notice the faint smell of urine lingering about, but I don¡¯t know if the body odor of 30 dirty pirates masked it or several people pissed themselves¡­ probably both now that I think about it. I sit down at the bar in the back and I put down a quarter piece of 8, ¡°Uhm, how much beer can I get for this?¡± I see the madam come from the back. She looks at the piece of silver and shrugs, ¡°That will get you three glasses.¡± I act like she just jipped me, ¡°Three? That¡¯s it?!¡± I see her stiffen underneath her hood. As she begins to lift her face I stop her, ¡°Oh shit¡­ is that the madam? I must be fucked up¡­ I am so sorry, please forgive me. Just don¡¯t¡­ do anything weird to my nethers please.¡± She points at me as she croaks, ¡°That¡¯ll be two beers, and don¡¯t let it happen again. I don¡¯t enjoy harming patrons.¡± She squats to pull out a glass for me, but I swear I catch a smirk on her half hidden face. The nervous looks from the other patrons tells me I just help her ¡®witch¡¯ facade out a little. After that I ¡®enjoy¡¯ my lukewarm beer as I wait for either Billy or the madam¡¯s girl to show up. After I paid for and drank four more beers I was feeling pretty good. I had to pee of course after drinking that much fluid, and after that was tajen care of I felt so much more relaxed. The sore muscles from working so damned hard on that godforsaken ship have finally started to ease. Not to mention the ludicrous amount of stress I had accumulated working under Captain Piggy and Tori is starting to melt away. About that time I hear someone walk through the door. I turn to see who it is, but it takes me a moment to comprehend what I¡¯m seeing. He is wearing a light blue coat with fine yellow trim around it. Underneath he has a matching blue vest and a ruffled white shirt. His pants are a slightly darker blue, but they still match quite well. They stop just below the knee and white stockings cover the rest of his legs. He has a shiny pair of black leather shoes tie the rest of the outfit together nicely. It¡¯s not over the top, but he definitely looks dignified. He sees me and starts waving to my like an idiot and I can¡¯t help but laugh at him. Dress him all you want, Billy is gonna be Billy. He walks up to the bar and I push a beer to him. As he takes a sip the madam comes out from the back, and the look of shock is hilarious. She gives me a questioning look, and I just nod to confirm, ¡°Lord child, I didn¡¯t know anyone could clean up like that. You have thoroughly shocked an old woman. Well, Sarah should be here any moment. Enjoy your drink until then.¡± The shit eating grin Billy has on his face tells me he is eating up every word out of her mouth. After about 15 minutes Billy and I had both finished our beer. We were just talking about different scores he¡¯s been apart of when we hear the doors swing open. Now, the madam did say she was pretty, but thats kinda like saying fire is warm. It¡¯s not a lie, but that¡¯s not the whole truth. Your ass is gonna be burnt if you sit in a fire expecting to warm your cheeks. Well, Billy and I are shocked. When you ask a crude man what they notice first about a woman, they¡¯ll say ass or maybe tits. If you ask a more modest guy, they¡¯ll usually say her face or maybe her figure. Ask a romantic, they¡¯ll probably say eyes. Well, I can say every man that sees Sarah will say the same the same thing¡­ a pair of impossibly vivid green eyes. And let me tell you, this girl knows she has gorgeous eyes. She is wearing an emerald color dress to bring out the color in her eyes, but I honestly believe it''s the other way around. She has her sunny blonde hair fashioned into curls that frame her sharp cheekbones and jawline, which just end up accentuating her eyes. The dark, ruby red lipstick couldn''t be a more perfect match. Everything about her seems to make it harder to look away from her eyes.. I look over to Billy, and his mouth is just wide open. I nudge him and he shakes his head to regain his faculties. Sarah crosses the room with a curt stride, ¡°Madam. I¡¯m here.¡± The madam walks to the front, ¡°As beautiful as always Ms. Camble.¡± She nods slightly, ¡°Thank you. Is he her? I¡¯m rather nervous. When you said he was a pirate I was frightened, but I know you¡¯d never set me up with someone that would hurt me. So who paid again?¡± The madam laughs softly as she nods towards us. I wave at her with a smile, and I burst out laughing as I see the look of shock on her face. This just makes me laugh harder, but when I see the color drain from her face I shake my head, ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry. This cut on my face probably is as bad as it looks, but you should¡¯ve seen the other guy!¡± This poor woman is not finding me funny so I decide to clear the air as I point to Billy, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I only paid. Billy here is actually the young gentleman that will accompany you the next few days.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The madam and I both burst out laughing at the look of relief on her face. As she looks at Billy her demeanor changes. Her cheeks get rather rosy and a small, shy smile spreads across her face, ¡°Hello Billy, how are you today?¡± I give him a moment to answer. When he doesn¡¯t I look to see whats wrong. God dammit Billy, ¡°Billy, close your mouth and answer her before she starts to think your an idiot.¡± His entire face gets bright red as he starts trying to stammer out a greeting. Sarah starts laughing as she reaches out and grabs Billy¡¯s hand, ¡°I am flattered Billy, but I¡¯m really nothing to lose your tongue over. You can just talk to me.¡± This seems to calm him some, ¡°Uhm, yea sorry about that. My name is Billy. It¡¯s wonderful to meet you.¡± ¡°The pleasure is mine.¡± She is smiling ear to ear at this point. The Madam interrupts, ¡°So, I take it that you accept Sarah?¡± Sarah nods and the Madam continues, ¡°Then I give you the same warning I give every man Billy. Yes Sarah¡¯s services have been bought, but she can change her mind at any point. If that happens you will get a portion of your money back. Unless of course, it¡¯s your behaviour that causes problems. You and Sarah have three days together. I have already set up a room at the Inn across from the Brown¡¯s. It includes three meals for you and Sarah. If there are no questions then you two are free to go.¡± They both nod and Billy puts his arm out for Sarah. She takes it, and they go to leave side by side. I grab Billy by the shoulder and hand him my last few pesos, ¡°Take these. Also, don¡¯t forget that Duncan¡¯s funeral is at midday tomorrow.¡± Billy stops and just solemnly nods his head. I feel bad for ruining the mood, but I know he wouldn¡¯t forgive himself if he forgot. I''m pretty sure Sarah notices his change of mood, and her genuine look of concern sets me at ease. The madam looks at me and smiles, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her like that. She is quite taken by the boy. He is quite adorable. I think you just made their next few days. Lord knows she could use it.¡± The look on her face tells me that Sarah has suffered. ¡°Yea, Billy could to. I hope they have a good time. Well, I enjoyed your company Madam, but I need to go wait for my captain out front. I¡¯m sure to come see you agin before we set sail.¡± She gives me a smile beneath her hood, ¡°See that you do Utah.¡± I am almost to the door when I get a notification.
Notification
Good Morning Utah, I just wanted to let you know that your skill modifier has been changed from .01 to 1. This is effective across all players. Also, you now have access to your attribute list. This is only a numerical representation of each stat compared to other players. Just as a frame of reference, 5 is a perfectly average human and 10 is human ¡®perfection¡¯. It is important to not that not all body types can reach 10 due to genetic limitations. To overcome this, NBP beta will now be implementing body enhancements. Some of these will be straightforward like increased muscular density. Some are more complicated, and there are even some ¡®animalistic¡¯ enhancements. Note that any cosmetic changes from enhancements will not affect how NPCs will interact with you. Enhancements will be obtained through special actions, and the clearing of a new aspect of the game, dungeons. Please see the section on dungeons for more information. Thank you for your support in these new features, Ceto P.S. I think it was really awesome what you did for Billy! I love how you treat everyone as if they are real. It makes me feel special. Btw, don¡¯t forget to work hard in the coming days!!
I take a few moments to go through the information, but I guess this is a pretty huge update. I¡¯m still trying to get of the ¡®dungeon¡¯ and ¡®enhancement¡¯ portion. I guess NBP was a little tame in the gaming aspect, and they needed a way to make it more playable. I¡¯m just wondering about they mean by animalistic and what that will entail. Does that mean we are going to have literal animal parts? Surely not. Just as I was about to look at my attributes I¡¯m interrupted, ¡°Utah, is the captain here yet?¡±. I see Bheki walking up, and he looks¡­ like hell. His eyes are bloodshot, and he¡¯s squinting like the sun needs to be turned off. ¡°No I haven''t seen him yet. It¡¯s about midday so it shouldn''t be long.¡± Bheki nods before goes over to the shady side of the building to sit with his eyes closed. I go back and pull up my skill sheet and attribute list.
Strength 7.24
Endurance? 7.01
Agility 7.94
Perception 6.83
Intelligence 6.21
Willpower 8.54
Luck 3.54
Hhhmm, well I¡¯m averagely above average I guess. Well, besides for luck¡­ well lets see what dungeons are all abou¡­ ¡°Utah! Have you see Bheki?¡± I see Zijde strolling up carrying a large bag. He seems to be in much better shape than Bheki. ¡°I¡¯m here captain.¡± Bheki stumbles around the corner. ¡°Jesus Bheki, you look¡­ like hell. How much did you drink? Eh it doesn¡¯t matter. We just need to pick up our payment and secure it on the ship. You can sleep it off then.¡± He opens the bag and pulls out a smaller bag to give to Bheki. He digs through the bag again, and hands me a leather harness and another sack. ¡°Here are both of your weapons. I took the liberty of making you a harness for your machetes and pistols Utah. Also, you really shouldn¡¯t walk around unarmed. See that you don¡¯t anymore.¡± I nod in agreement, feeling a little self-conscious at the chastisement. I pull the harness out, and start putting it on. It is made from simple but high quality leather with brass buckles. It has two, 6 inch straps that go around forming an X on my chest and back. The front straps have four loops for flintlock pistols and various pockets for shot and powder. On the back there are two, crisscrossing sheaths for my khukris and a larger loop for a blunderbuss. The sheaths are placed on my shoulder blades, which put handles sticking out over each shoulder. The loop for the blunderbuss hangs at the lumbar curve of my lower back. Once I get the pistols, knives, ammunition, and blunderbuss in my harness I am about 35 pounds heavier. I look towards Captain Zijde, giving him the largest smile I could muster, ¡°Cap¡¯n, this is really nice. Thank you so much. Do I owe you anything?¡± Zijde just shakes his head, ¡°Utah, you seem to forget we are about to pick up 15,000 pesos due to your actions. Please don¡¯t mention it. Now let''s get going.¡± As we make our way towards the Brown¡¯s building I look to see how well armed we are. Bheki has a cutlass on each hip and four pistols on his front and back. Zijde has his basket handle sword and matching wheellock pistols on his chest. He also has a musket slung across his back. After contemplating how many men it would take to rob us, I decide we three are are plenty to transport the money. Well, at least I hope we are¡­ 15,000 pesos would be a lot of coin to lose. Chapter 20 Well that¡¯s an awful thought... Who knows I have money? I know I forgot to turn my feed off, but that much gold would be on everyone¡¯s radar. If they saw that chest of gold I¡¯m sure every player on this island would have taken a crack at me. I don¡¯t think any locals would know, unless Mrs. Brown has a death wish. Zijde made it pretty clear he¡¯d kill her if she screwed him over. Zijde brings me back to focus as we turn the corner to the Brown¡¯s gigantic bar, ¡°Ok, Bheki take this and lose yourself in the crowd. I would ask Utah, but his face garners too much attention.¡± Bheki dons the large coat to cover up the ludicrous amount of weapons he has, and meanders through the crowd. ZIjde motions for me to stay put as he strolls through the front doors. I just lean up against the side of the building to wait. I can¡¯t help but notice how powerful I feel with all these weapons on my person. It reminds me of how I felt back when I went on missions as a PJ. I use to tell everyone that I was a Pararescuer, and they kinda assumed I was like a military helicopter paramedic. All I could do was chuckle since I couldn¡¯t talk about most of the missions I took part in. I really wonder how many international statutes we broke with some of the shit we did... ¡°Always a pleasure to do business with you Mrs. Brown. I will have the amount verified by this time tomorrow. I will let you know of any discrepancies.¡± Zijde walks out the building followed by Mrs. Brown and a couple guys carrying a chest the size of a large cooler. Mrs. Brown tilts her head and crosses her arms underneath her chest¡­ which pushes her breast up to seemingly impossible proportions, ¡°Captain, my darling Captain, you should know I only wish to win your affections. We would become great together. The things we could accomplish are endless.¡± Throughout her entire offer, Mrs. Brown was dripping with charm. She even had me wanting Zijde take her up on it, but the captain just stared into her eyes. His said eyes never once wavered as he gives her a smile to kill for, ¡°My dear, I must politely refuse. Someone with my reputation could do nothing but harm your wonderful enterprise.¡± She tsks in disdain, ¡°I see... I need to find another capable man to be the face of my company. Do you have any you¡¯d part with?¡± Without missing a beat she turns, giving me a smile that sends my heart fluttering. She turns back to Zijde, ¡°I have one in mind. He¡¯ll always have a spot in my¡­ ¡®company¡¯.¡± With that she leaves. The two men with her set the chest down and follow her in without a word. I turn to Zijde with a wide-eyed look of shock on my face. Zijde bursts out laughing so hard I thought he might hit the ground. ¡°Well my dear friend, it seems that you might be the object of the affections I¡¯ve spurned for so long. Like any pirate worth their salt, you¡¯re free to make any choice you desire. I hear that fire is fun to play with, and I¡¯m sure that particular flame would be¡­ interesting. Haha, help me with the chest.¡± As we go to pick it up I start to realize, ¡®Ah shit, this is gonna be stupid heavy.¡¯ But, we pick it up and start carrying it with relative ease. I guess I need to start reading the forums to see if there are any other physics-breaking properties of this game. As we start walking I give Zijde a worried look, ¡°Cap¡¯n, aren¡¯t we a little undergunned to be moving this much loot?¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Zijde just chuckles, ¡°Two things my friend. First, if we had an armed entourage we¡¯d probably get mobbed by the good people of Nassau. Most people here are quite desperate. On the other hand, the people walking around have no idea how important a chest two people carrying could be. Second, there are very few people that know about this little transaction. So, if a group well armed enough comes by to take it, it¡¯ll be easy to find whose skin I need to take it from¡­ and the crew is waiting at the docks. If they hear more than two shots, a few dozen armed pirates will descend on our attackers.¡± I nod slowly as we continue walking. That makes a lot of sense actually. It takes a lot less effort to move something in secret than with intimidation, and the risk with each is about the same. Also, the thought of that many pirates protecting their next few months pay is terrifying. As we get about a 100 yards from the dock, I see four men in odd looking clothes eyeing us from a alleyway. I look behind us a few moments after we passed it and see the same men start tailing us. One gets a little too close for comfort and I instantly know it¡¯s a player. Fuck this isn¡¯t good¡­ ¡°Hello friends! Can I help you?¡± I turn back and see four more men walking towards us. I start to panic for a moment, but I realize these four aren¡¯t players. They look like some thugs trying to make a quick buck. So, maybe they aren¡¯t ambushing us together? I look back and sure enough, the group of players are hanging back. The biggest local walks up to Zijde with his arms out trying to look more intimidating, ¡°What¡¯s in the chest little man?¡± Zijde just smiles as he motions for me to put the chest down. He takes a step back and hands the man the key, ¡°Here you go friend. Find out for yourself.¡± The man scoffs as he snatches the key from him. As he reaches out to insert the key Zijde catches my eye. He has the same smile as the night we fed the man to the pigs, and he simply nods to the three other men. I turn back to see a look of shock on the other men''s faces. Then I hear the hissing of metal, and that gives way to the sound of metal cutting through flesh and bone. I look down to see the man¡¯s head start to fall to the side, only to be caught by a small piece of flesh barely holding it together. Blood squirts an almost comical distance as the man''s heart keeps pumping. As I watch the blood splatter across the sun-bleached wood of the walkway, I feel that sense of excitment and euphoria creep into the base of my skull.
Notification
Everything seems to freeze, but I know any moment his three friends are going to do something stupid. So, I did what any reasonable person would do. I pull my blunderbuss out and fire into them.
Notification
I ignore the second notification as I sheathe the gun and pull out a khukri. The shot tore through the first to two killing them. The one in the back is trying to get a pistol out of his waistband as I step over the dead. Just as he points his cocked pistol towards me, I step to the side and bring my blade down at his elbow as hard as I could.
Notification
I feel my blade glide through the flesh, but just before I sever it, his pistol goes off. I grab my second blade, pulling it out in and lodging it into the man¡¯s temple.
Notification
Jesus, how many notifications am I gonna get? After I pull out my khukri, I turn to find Zijde holding a bloody sword and fingering a hole in his frock coat, ¡°That fucker almost hit me Utah. You must be more careful cutting off people arms. You apparently never know who can get hurt.¡± He bursts out into an infectious laugh and retrieves the key. I look past him, but I can¡¯t see any sign of the players. Hell, I guess that¡¯s good news. The rest of the way to the docks was pretty calm. I guess Zijde isn¡¯t worried about any authorities since we just left the bodies where they fell. Although, there were plenty of witnesses that I''m sure would be terrified to say it was anything other than self defense. ¡°Have a good trip Cap¡¯n?¡± Gunney was waiting for us with a rowboat full of the crew behind him. Zijde just smile and nods as we hand the chest off to the crew. As they secure it, Bheki pops out of nowhere like a creep. ¡°Captain, you both were followed the entire way.¡± Bheki face is full of concern. Zijde just waves it off as he hops into the boat, ¡°Oh we took care of them Bheki. Don¡¯t worry so much!¡± ¡°Not that trash Captain. I was referring to them.¡± We all follow Bheki¡¯s finger and see a group of ten people watching us. Among them were the four players from earlier. A woman wearing a bright purple tank top steps forward to wave at us. Wait, a tank top? Well, I guess it¡¯s safe to assume my new found fame has garnered some unwanted attention from my fellow players. Chapter 21 Next thing I know, she fades back into the group of players. Before I can do anything, the rest of the group dissipates into the crowd of locals. The only thing I can think to do is commit what I can to memory, and unfortunately all that comes to mind is her. I recall her bright red hair and powerful figure. Although, that''s strange since the image I have in my head is just ''fit''. Nothing about her was muscular or brawny, but the word powerful is at the forffront of my mind. It takes a few moments to clear my head, but I look towards Zijde to see what he thinks, ¡°Hmm, we will only be in town for a few more days. Until we leave, there will be a significant presence on the ship to protect our assets. That should be enough to dissuade any potential thievery. Well, if you count three as significant.¡± The continued look of worry on Bheki¡¯s face tells me all I need to know. Zijde might be putting on a strong front for the rest of the crew, but anyone would be shook after witnessing that level of self control. If she wanted, she could¡¯ve taken our chest. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s underconfidence or lack of trust in her manpower, but she decided to leave us be. I guess no matter how badly my instincts scream otherwise, I can only reciprocate that level of respect. I know my situation in the crew isn''t high enough to make any wild accusations or demands to attack anyone. Anyone walking past Zijde or I would think twice before they attack. All I can do is be thankful we didn''t have to fight for our lives. Before I know it, we are safely beside the ship. Short of a cannon, there isn''t anything that could reach us this far out. As we wait, a rope is lowered to raise the loot we have. After that, we all climb a rope ladder to relish in the relative safety of the ship. Zijde motions towards Bheki to pick up the chest, and as I try to offer my help, Zijde just gives me his charismatic smile, ¡° Bheki and I have it Utah. Don¡¯t worry, we will get your payment. Why don''t you celebrate with the crew? After the last few days, you deserve it.¡± I can''t help be get the impression that this is the first time Zijde shows me I don¡¯t have his complete trust. Which is fair¡­ he hasn¡¯t even known me for a week yet. I know I won¡¯t betray him, but if he just fully trusted me I couldn¡¯t really respect him as a captain could I? As they went into the captain¡¯s quarters, the crew broke out a cask of French brandy. We all started dipping a mug into the 50 plus gallon barrel, and it was less that a quarter full after a couple hours. I planned on being responsible, but through excitement and peer pressure, I ended up as drunk as the next dirty pirate¡­ which would make me a dirty pirate. Damn... it¡¯s surprising how much pride that label fills me with. It almost makes me wonder if that''s what I was always meant to be. Or, am I drunk?
Notification
Title: A pirate''s life for me--> Makes it easier to convince people you are a pirate.
Title huh? That reminds me of all those other notifications I got.
Notification
Blood High 0-->1
Blood High A sense of euphoria due to past trauma associated with blood. Increases pain tolerance, reaction time, strength, and willpower. Warning: At a certain threshold, rational decision making is all but impossible.
Achievement: The first person to unlock a unique skill. Experience in this skill will be gained 10% faster
Small Guns 34-->35
Blades 24-->25
Blades 25-->26
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Damn, that is by far the most skill levels I''ve gained. I mean, did every player¡¯s skills develop that fast to begin with? And I wonder what''s up with that unique skill. I guess it makes sense, not many people have the same relationship with blood as I do... I still can¡¯t get over what it felt like lying in the middle of a road with all that blood pooling underneath me. I still have the image of my bones sticking out of my mangle legs¡­ and the blood squirting from my arteries¡­ I shake my head, clearing those thoughts. There is absolutely no point in dredging all that up right now. I pour myself another glass of brandy and start sipping it. I think it actually it might be peach brandy. Well, if I really wanted to figure out the kind of brandy I¡¯m drinking, I should probably not shoot the first four glasses. I sit back on the railing to relax and take in what''s going on around me. The gentle lapping of the water on the side of the hull and waves crashing on the shore is almost as relaxing as the ocean breeze against my inflamed face. Although, it¡¯s hard to do much relaxing when dozens of drunk pirates are full-swing partying all around you. There are a couple of them racing up the rigging to see who¡¯s the fastest. Which being 40 plus feet off the ground while drunk is dangerous enough. Racing while being 40 plus feet off the ground while drunk is borderline suicidal, but they do seem to be having a lot of fun. On the other side, I see about 15 men lining up on the side of the railing to¡­ yep, they are having a literal pissing contest. And from the cheering it looks like the second guy from the right won. And from the jeering, it looks like the third guy from the left just embarrassed himself after pulling it out. Poor guy¡­ ¡°Alrighty friends! If I can have your attention, I have an announcement to make.¡± Zijde takes his spot next to the helm of the ship. ¡°I know that you all are having fun, but I must get you all off the ship before you bastards burn it down like my first ship.¡± The crew lets out a huge cheer like burning down a ship is something to be proud of. ¡°Yeah, yeah I know. She was a piece of shit that almost drowned us all more than once, but I can¡¯t let anything happen to the Going Swiftly. So, if you all will work on lining up, we can start getting all of you paid. The pay will be 15 pieces of eight tonight. All together, you each will get 140 pieces. You¡¯ll get paid again this time next week, but you¡¯ll be paid 7 pieces. That¡¯ll last us 20 weeks, which should get us through the hurricane season.¡± The crew starts cheering even louder this time. Zijde holds up his hand to quiet them, ¡°Now, that¡¯s if we decide to take this hunting season off. We can always head back out and see if our luck continues. There will be a vote held tomorrow after Duncan¡¯s funeral. So, think about what you wanna do.¡± Zijde point over to where Bheki is setting up a table, ¡°Alright, we have your pay over there. Bheki will hand it off once you call your name and make your mark in the ledger. After that, you free to take part in whatever form a debauchery you fellas wish. If it''s OFF the ship.¡± Now, you would think it would¡¯ve been utter chaos trying to pay over hundred drunk pirates right? Well, to my surprise, it is much more organized than when I had to line up for lunch in elementary school. Yea, there is some whooping and hollering, but no one is fighting over whose in front or shoving someone to get ahead of them. Hell, the worst thing that I see happening is the one guy stumbling around trying to keep upright¡­ welp, there he goes. He fell all over someone, aaanndd damn... two of the guys are just holding him up. I guess they wanna help him get his money. I watch for about an hour as people say their name, make there mark, and then Bheki hands them a small cloth pouch. There never once was a fight or even an argument. The whole thing was rather surreal actually. As the line dwindles I take my spot at the very back. I figure Zijde and Bheki want to talk to me about my crazy-ass plans. As I walk up to Bheki, I see him writing at a fervent pace, ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Utah.¡± He looks up to see me smiling. Then he leans over to see if anyone is behind me. The look of relief is humorous to say the least, ¡°Oh thank the gods. The amount of concentration it takes to make sure no one tries to get paid twice is mind-numbing. Which is the opposite of what you want. The only way I can get through it is knowing the captain has an impeccable memory. The last time someone tried to cheat us, Captain Zijde caught him and threw him and all of his pay overboard. He actually drowned himself trying to get it back.¡± I look over to see Zijde smiling, and he looks quite pleased with himself, ¡°Yep, serves the bastard right. Always remember the first rule Utah. We always put the crew first. I¡¯m glad you chose to wait until last, since you would have had to wait anyways. Help Bheki with the table and chest.¡± I simply nod, and Bheki and I pile the chest and papers on the table. Then we carry it all into the captain¡¯s quarters. As we walk in, I¡¯m not sure what to expect. I know Zijde is very well read and spoken, so an extravagant cabin wouldn¡¯t surprise me. But, I am met with a simple cot, bookshelf, and the same table Bheki used for a desk. This is an extremely barebones as a captain¡¯s quarters. I mean, Captain Saehrimir had hundreds of pesos worth of decorations in his. Although, when I think about it, this sounds exactly like Zijde. Out of all of the very few captains I¡¯ve met, Zijde is the only one who would never ask anything of his crew he wouldn¡¯t do himself. Which makes me respect him that much more, but there is is soooo much wasted room here! I mean, you could fit fours cannons here to attack anyone chasing us. I mean, I¡¯m sure the captain stole this ship and didn''t have any say in how it was built, but this is such a waste. I guess all ships in this day and time were partly built to stroke the captain¡¯s ego. It only takes us about 10 mintues to set up the table, and just as we were finishing, Zijde comes in with a pot of stew and a bottle what looks to be tequila. I perk up when I see that golden, delicious liquid, ¡°So, what''s in the bottle Cap¡¯n?¡± He gives me that same charismatic smile that makes me feel like I''m the center of his world, ¡°I¡¯ve never tried it. It was on that ship you took. I think it¡¯s called tequila. I''ve never heard of it.¡± All I can do is smile broadly, ¡°So, do we have limes and salt on the ship Cap¡¯n?¡± Chapter 22 I slam back the glass of tequila, and bite into a salt covered lime, ¡°Haaa, now this is how you drink. I told you guys it was good huh?¡± Bheki just grins at me , while he has both hands on the table. I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯d hit the floor if he took either hand off. Zijde on the other hand is just swaying as he pours himself a glass of tequila. Well, he spills more than he gets in the cup, but looking at the amount of bottles around us, I can¡¯t blame him. ¡°You know, I think this is my new favorite way to combat scurvy. Doc Thomas insists citrus fruit cure it. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s true, but I¡¯ll take this treatment anytime.¡± I laugh at Zijde as he sits/falls into the floor, spilling most of his drink. I look at the table to count the bottles, and I quickly find I have to close an eye to do so. One¡­ two¡­ three¡­ four¡­ damn that was a lot of tequila. Wait, there¡¯s a broken bottle on the ground¡­ so five? And Zijde¡¯s is half gone¡­ so five and a half? Jesus, that¡¯s a lot of alcohol¡­
I wake up on the deck with a pounding headache. My mouth tastes like ass, and I feel very¡­ sticky. I look down and see¡­ a lot of blood, some dried, some still wet. I go to get up which wracks my body with pain. I check my body and find deep gashes on my thigh, stomach, back, and both forearms. I feel my face, and all of the stitching I had is halfway torn out, and my face as a whole is swollen like I had been boxing. I look around to see it¡¯s just barely morning. I keep looking and see five bodies lying around me. All of them are white so Bheki is good as far as I can tell. I look again, but none of them are Zijde. I get up, barely, and walk towards the captain''s quarters. The body closest to the cabin seems to have both of my kuhkris lodged into his chest. I pull them out, and I notice the body is cold. I look at the cabin door and try to steal myself for whatever I might find. Which was pointless since it¡¯d be hard to prepare yourself for what I see. I see Zijde on the right side of the room with two bodies lying beside him. He is covered in gashes much like me, but unlike me¡­ he¡¯s completely naked. Well, besides his tri-horned hat. He still has that on somehow. He has a random pistol in one hand, and his two wheelock pistols are lying beside him. His chest is still moving, so I guess he¡¯s good for now. I look towards the back of the room and see Bheki lying beside a broken chair that is covered in blood. He doesn¡¯t seem to be cut, but the body beside him does seem to have had its head bashed in with that same chair. The large window at the back of the ship alsoo has two large holes in it. I see he¡¯s still breathing as well, so I guess everything is good. Well, besides for the chest of silver that¡¯s spilling its coins everywhere. I try to think back on what could have happened, but all I can remember is counting bottles. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Hey guys, wake up. Zijde, Bheki, wake up!¡± Zijde starts to stir first. He looks up at me with bloodshot eyes, ¡°Utah, please keep it down. I think my head might pop. What? What the fuck happened to you?¡± He starts looking around, and the look of confusion keeps growing until it peaks with him looking down, ¡°Why in the seven hells am I naked? Who¡¯s fucking pistol is this? What in the shit happened to me? What in the fuck happened in here last night?¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t remember anything either?¡± ¡°Uhm, let¡¯s see¡­ I remember knocking that empty bottle over and breaking it¡­ yeah, that¡¯s it. What¡¯s the last thing you remember?¡± ¡°I remember counting the bottles.¡± ¡°How many did we drink?¡± ¡°Last I counted, five and a half¡­¡± Zijde shakes his head, ¡°Well could explain why I¡¯m naked and my headache, but I have many more questions. Who were these fucking people? There¡¯s four of them?¡± ¡°Five more outside. I think I killed them with these.¡± I hold up my knives. ¡°I found these inside one of them.¡± Zijde looks over to Bheki, ¡°Bheki, wake up!¡± Bheki sits up with a startled look on his face. The look quickly turns into confusion as he takes in the scene, ¡°What did you do last night Cap¡¯n? Utah?¡± He looks at the body beside him, ¡°What in the fuck?¡± I just shake my head, ¡°Goddammit, none of us remember fuck-all. I¡¯ll help clean this up in a couple hours. I need some water and a couple hours sleep.¡± Zijde and Bheki both stand up. Zijde looks down at his naked body, ¡°I¡¯m sure this mess can wait. Let us all go below to recuperate.¡± As we get below, I can tell all three of us are relishing the darkness. We gorge ourselves on one of the freshwater barrels we got yesterday. After that, we each find a hammock to lie in. As soon as I close my eyes I log out. As I come to in my bed, I am shocked at the relief I get being in my real body. I mean, my hip and knee are aching, and I feel like I¡¯m about to piss myself. But, it feels a lot better than being in my ¡®other¡¯ body right now. I get up to pee, and grab my phone on the way. It¡¯s only been five hours since I logged out last. I get back to my bed and log into the NBP website. I figure the only way for me to find out what happen last night is to watch my feed. As I pull up the dashboard I see a few notifications.
You have been mentioned in 127 news articles.
Damn, 127 articles huh? I wonder what the first one says. Hmm, I promise guys, you know more than I do. Now let me see if I can¡¯t fix that. I pull up last night feed and hit play. Chapter 23 I feel a pit growing in my stomach as I wait for the archived feed to buffer. You would think it being almost 2050, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem. Well, I guess streaming video in 32k resolution is pretty data intensive. It would probably help if I would upgrade from my basic 1.5 terabyte/s internet package, but if the Department of Cyber Security didn¡¯t download info packets from everyone¡¯s devices every millisecond, 1.5 terabytes would be plenty. Oh there it goes. Now let¡¯s fast forward to where I was counting the bottles.
I watch Zijde get to his feet, and stumble over to me, ¡°What is it your doing over here?¡± He''s slurring so bad I can barely understand him. ¡°I¡¯m just counting the bottles Cap¡¯n. What are you doing?¡± ¡°How many our we at huh?¡± ¡°F-Five and a half¡­ *burp*... bottles.¡± This seems to shake Bheki out of his drunken stupor, ¡°HAH, is that all. I could drink at least one more myself.¡± He picks ups the partially drained bottle, and puts it to his lips. As he drains the rest of the bottle Zijde puts a hand on my shoulder to get my attention¡­ and for balance. ¡°Utah, I don¡¯t feel so great¡­¡± ¡°Hell, I bet not Cap¡¯n.¡¯ ¡°No, I feel like I¡¯m not very attractive. I haven''t had any luck romantically here lately. Am I really that bad looking?¡± ¡°Hell Cap¡¯n! You¡¯re a great looking guy, you don¡¯t have anything to worry about.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just the last couple times I¡¯ve undressed they don¡¯t seem interested. Why do you think that is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I ain¡¯t seen you naked.¡± Without missing a beat, Zijde starts stripping. I start to panic as he gets to his pants. There''s no telling who is watching! I turn my feed off as quick as I possibly can.
¡®Player has hidden feed. Press play to skip feed downtime¡¯ Ah fuck¡­ I know I have to continue¡­ but what happened while the feed was out? My cursor was hovering over the play button as I steal my self to see what happens next. I really hope I didn''t lose it. it takes me a few moments to figure out what I''m looking at, but once I figure it out I can¡¯t help but burst out laughing at what I see.
I decide that the world has to see what I¡¯m seeing. After I resume the feed, I look back over to Zijde and Bheki. Bheki is sitting down playing the drums in the corner. He is amazing at it to. Which is incredible since he has never played any drums before. Zijde is standing on the table with both his pistols in hand. He¡¯s fist pumping to the beat of the drums and doing some kind of drunken jig on the table. All he has on is his hat, so he¡¯s just dancing around in all his natural glory, and let me tell you, that glory is swinging all over the place. I just can¡¯t believe that he hasn¡¯t fallen of the table. I look around to try and count the bottles, but I just give up. I am way too drunk, and there are far too many bottles. I look at the one in my hand, it looks like a 12oz beer bottle filled with tequila. I shrug my shoulders and throw it back, finishing the bottle. At this point I barely feel the burn as that golden nectar goes down my throat. I jump up on the table and start to dance to the beat.
I couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. Oh my god¡­ this is beyond embarrassing. We both are barely staying on the table, and Bheki is horrible at the drums. The whole situation is a drunken mess. Why didn¡¯t I just leave the feed off¡­ I guess that¡¯s why I was so unfortunately popular last night. I start thiking about what this means long term... no publicity is bad publicity my ass¡­
Bheki keeps drumming faster and faster, and Zijde and I are dancing harder and harder. This keeps up for a few minutes, and just before the situations culminates into a mess, we hear a bottle getting knocked over outside. It¡¯s almost eerie how fast the all three of us stop to look at the door. The mood was shattered in just a moment, and we were ready to fight anyone that came through that door. Well, attempt to fight them I guess. I see Zijde swaying horribly as his hands tighten around his pistols. Bheki is even worse off. He¡¯s been trying to stand up for about since he heard the sound. Is he still wearing his pistols? I realize at that point none of us ever disarmed ourselves. I mean Bheki took out the pistols on his back so he could sit, and Zijde is well¡­ naked, but each one of us still have weapons on us. Hell, I notice that I didn¡¯t take anything off. Now that I think about it, why do I feel so on edge? I still have on both khukris, four pistols, and the blunderbuss¡­ did I ever reload that? *Crash* The door was kicked in and five men pilled in through the door. Each one was wearing tight fitting black outfit and carrying a musket. Behind them, a familiar face struts through the door. The grin she¡¯s sporting is enough to make my blood boil. The cocky grin on her face tells me I''m either dealing with someone overconfident or dangerous. I see she¡¯s average height, 5¡¯ 8¡± or so, and she is very fit and appealing to the eye. Her brown hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail, and she obviously takes care of herself by how clear her skin is. The thing that catches my eye the most though¡­ her tight fitting, bright purple tank top. She puts a hand on her hip as she scans the room. Her eyes settle on our chest full of silver, ¡°Ah, just what we were looking for. So, I was slightly worried about trying to take it from you, but it looks like you all can barely stand. I assure you, this isn¡¯t personal. We¡¯re just broke, and I see an easy way to remedy it. So, are you gonna let us have it? Or¡­¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. I see her eyes settle on my shoulders. I guess she sees my blades and pistols. She quickly looks at Bheki and Zijde, and laughs, ¡°Well, besides for your¡­ well-endowed captain, you both are armed to the teeth. Well, I guess saying the captain is unarmed isn¡¯t quite true.¡± She gives the captain a seductive smile, ¡°If there are no hard feelings after tonight, I would love to sample an NPC.¡± I feel a moment of panic as she says NPC. That was one of the three things that could get you perma-banned from the game. Making NPC¡¯s aware is the number one rule Rio Grande imposed on players. Although, the acrynym doesn¡¯t break that rule. It could technically mean anything. I look at Zijde and he is hiding his pistols behind his back like a little kid in trouble. Zijde¡¯s face is twisted into a grimace of disgust, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go choke on a big fat cock.¡± He turns to me and gives me a shit eating grin. I realize he¡¯s looking at me for affirmation. Bheki finally gets to feet and holds up a finger to us, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s what Utah said to me¡­¡± The girl seems to be utterly confused, ¡°Yea, that¡¯s more or less what I was offering, but I¡¯ll be taking your chest first though. You''ll have to wait at least a night honey.¡± She motions to the two closest men to go grab the chest. None of the guards are actually pointing their muskets yet, and they all look kinda bored. I guess robbing three dangerously inebriated people would seem pretty easy. As they pick up the chest I start to panic. What is the best way to stop all this? Shit, it feels like my thoughts are trudging through mud¡­ why, why tequila? I love you so much, but this is how you¡¯re gonna do me---¡± Zijde raises both pistols while laughing maniacally, ¡°How about you all choke on a cock?¡± He glances at me with a crazy looking smile, and all I have time to do is raise my eyebrows. Just before he pulls both triggers, I worry if there is any way he could hit them. It''s hard to even think about how drunk we are. My anxiety is abrubtly replaced with amazement as both lead balls slam into the skulls of both men. The guards aim their muskets at Zijde as the chest falls to the ground. As the silver spills out, it distracts them just long enough for me to start reacting to this mess. I jump up and kick Zijde with both legs just as they fire, trying to push him out of the way. Somehow all three shots miss, and I roll over, pullng out my blunderbuss. They all freeze for a second as I cock the hammer. *Click*
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Well, I guess I didn¡¯t reload it. It takes me longer than I''d like to admit to I look up to all of them staring at me, with a predatory gleam in their eyes. It¡¯s reminiscent of wolves encircling a small animal, but these wolves have made a slight miscalculation. The small animal they¡¯re encircling is a honey badger, and you know what they say about a honey badger, honey badger don¡¯t give a fuck. They all bring start bringing out knives as they close in on me. I feel a rush of adrenaline as I go to grab my blades. I feel my hands wrap around the checkered handles, and I hear the satisfying scraping of metal against leather as I pull them free. I hold both knives to my sides as I wait for first person to make a move. As the first person lunges at me with a knife, I try to cripple his hand... by cutting it off. But I am way too slow, and I hit his bicep as his knife slices down my other forearm. The sudden pain radiating from my gash almost causes me to drop my right blade, but I''m just drunk enough to power through it. Although, his knife hitting the floor an the pitch of his scream tell me he is quite sober. My blade chopped completely through his bicep and almost severed his humerus.
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His arm is clearly useless by the way it¡¯s dangling at his side. As I see the blood, I start to feel it. I feel the blood high enhancing my drunken bliss. *Slash* I jump back, clutching my stomach. I¡¯m so drunk that I let myself become engrossed with the blood from his arm. As I look down, I see a long gash running across my stomach just above my navel. It take a second, but the blood pours from the wound. This sends the rush to a whole new level. The high is so violently euphoric it almost brings me to my knees, but then I acclimate to the it. I don¡¯t feel the effects of the tequila in the slightest. I don''t feel pain. All that''s left is an extreme clarity and euphoria that leaves time moving slower. It''s slow enough I notice how the throbbing veins in the closest man''s neck make an X on his throat. Which is immensely satisfying to cut through with my khukri. The spray from the blood enhances the euphoria just a bit more.
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I feel the sensation of a blade slicing down my back, but the lack of pain allows me to spin around with all of my strength to hit the next man in the chest. I barely feel any resistance as the blade passes through his ribs at least six inches. As I jerk the free I see the copious amounts of blood you¡¯d expect from cutting into the left side of a man''s chest. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s partly because of the alcohol or if the threat on my life is just more than usual, but I have never fallen this deep into the rush.
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Ok fuck these notifications. It¡¯s taking away from the experience, from my pleasure. After I turn them off, I take a moment to center myself. Next thing I know, I see a flash of purple just before my thigh is slashed wide open. Again, no pain, but I can tell she almost hit my hamstring. She almost crippled me. The other guard rushes passed us to keep Bheki busy as he fumbles with a pistol. She thinks she sees an opening, so she tries for my achilles tendon, but I come down with my blade. Just before I can cut her arm off, she spins around dodging my blade completely. Before I can attack again, I see another knife come out from her sleeve. She stabs at my left pectoral and all the arteries underneath, but I raise my arm, catching the blade in my forearm. I actually feel a pretty significant burning as the knife scrapes against my bone, but all I can really focus on is hurting this woman in front of me. Since the knife is in my arm I jerk my arm back, causing her to stumble. This leaves her chest wide open, and I kick her hard enough to snap ribs and send her flying. I hear more bones snap as she collides with the wall. I look back just in time to see Bheki finish beating a man''s face in with a broken chair leg. After the man was for sure dead, he looks up to see how we were doing. Zijde is looting a pistol from one of the corpses, and I¡¯m just trying to catch my breath. Bheki points past me with a frantic look, ¡°Utah, pistol!¡± I turn around to see the determined bitch propped up on one arm, pointing a pistol at me, ¡°How the fuck are you fighting like that? How can you stand? You don¡¯t even seem drunk anymore.¡± She spits out a glob of frothy blood onto the ground, punctured lung... ¡°You fucker, you killed me. You made me waste my first death.¡± She screams in frustration, ¡°Well if I lose mine, then you¡¯re sure as hell going to lose yours.¡± As she pulls the hammer back, I lunge at her with every bit of speed and power I could muster. I surprise myself with how fast I close the distance, but I can see I¡¯ll never make it. *Gunshot* I¡¯m not sure... but I could almost swear I could see a metal ball fly through the air towards her head. Well, I know I can see the blood splatter as the bullet rips through her skull. The arm holding the pistol goes limp just before she pulls the trigger. Seeing how I''m not about to get shot, I try to stop myself but it''s impossible. I am moving entirely too fast to do anything but crash with some semblance of grace. I land just past her body and start rolling until the wall stops me. I feel the wood splinter as it struggles to stop my momentum. It takes me a few moments to orient myself, but once I do, I see Zijde smiling at me with a smoking gun. Before either of us can say anything I hear two more men burst through the door. They both open fire on Zijde, but the shots somehow just graze him, leaving long gashes. i''m pretty sure I just saw those bullets to. As I''m getting to my feet I see one man go for Zijde and the other straight for Bheki. I grab my khukris to go help them, but I hear even more pattering of bare feet on the deck. That''s at least two more. I decide Bheki and Zijde are big boys, and go to take care of whoever is on the deck. As I turn towards the door, I see the carnage that we caused. I see the silver, the gun smoke, and the corpses¡­ but what catches my attention more than anything is the blood. I feel a new, more intense wave of euphoria, but for some reason, it seems to be stunted. Like I''m holding it back. Without another thought, I let go... Before I really know what¡¯s happening I start to see a red haze. Then I start to lose control, which scares me at first, but the more I lose control, the better I feel. Then I give in, losing myself and all control. Chapter 24 I¡¯m left speechless as I watch myself charge through the door out onto the deck. The way I¡¯m moving shouldn¡¯t be possible, but there I am, accelerating to a full sprint in just a few yards. Now, that I think about it, I was moving faster and faster the entire fight. I guess I need to check my skills¡­ but that can wait a few minutes, because I really wanna find out how I killed the five people on the deck. As I burst through the door I continue on, dodging one of the players converging on the door. Wait, actually did I cut his leg? Oh shit, I cut his leg off¡­ at his fucking thigh. The amount of force it would take to do that with a khukri is insane. As he falls to the ground clutching the stump of his leg, the others hesitate at the sight. That moment was all I needed to get behind the next person, and cut his throat deep enough to expose his vertebrae. That breaks them out of their stupor, and the others start firing at me. But I¡¯m just too fast, jumping around and dodging their aim faster than they can keep up. Actually, I¡¯m jumping around faster than a human should really be able to move, not superhuman fast though. I¡¯m closer to what you¡¯d expect a cat to be able to do... a 180 pound, bipedal cat. During all that, I hear men scream and glass breaking towards the rear off the ship. I pause the video and pan the camera around to see two men, covered in wounds, being thrown through the windows in the back. I press play to see if I need to worry about them making it back to shore. Turns out, being thrown into the ocean while bleeding profusely doesn¡¯t end well. I watch for maybe another minute before both men are torn apart by sharks. I pan the camera back and resume the fight from where I left off. I watch myself close the distance on the last guy alive, and push him up against the wall. ¡°I just wanted to let you know, I hope your first life was worth losing for absolutely nothing. No, no, no¡­ don¡¯t beg. It¡¯s meaningless, you¡¯ll just bleed out, like everyone on this ship. You all are nothing but a means to extend my presence.¡± Ok, that doesn¡¯t really sound like drunk me, and it damn sure doesn¡¯t sound like sober me. So, why am I saying it? I guess it could be that skill blood high? Motion on the screen tears me from my thoughts. I watch myself take a quick step to plunge both blades through his belly into his chest cavity, picking him up over my head. There is a disturbing look in my eyes as blood runs down my arms and pours out on the ground. I watch my in-game self dump the lifeless body to the side. Then he pulls out his pistols and fire into each of the dying men, killing them. He turns to the cabin with a malicious grin, ¡°Well, that was satisfying. Now let¡¯s go tear those last two bloodsacks apart with my bare hands.¡± I¡¯m watching with bated breath as my earlier self takes off at full speed towards the cabin¡­ only to slip on something being covered by all the blood. He lands head first with a sickening thud, and I watch speechless for a good five minutes.before I realize that was the same position I woke up in. I sit back rubbing my face, trying to make sense of all that, ¡°What in the fuck was that? That little bit of blood really save their lives? Was I really going to kill them? Goddammit, why did I drink so much? I can¡¯t remember anything.¡± I suddenly realize I needed to check my in game notifications. I maneuver around the website until I come to the player page. I click on the notifications and my jaw drops.
Due to the large number of notifications, they have been consolidated. You have _error_ notifications.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Blades 26-->54
Aerobic Conditioning 21-->26
Anaerobic Conditioning 25-->37
Unarmed 27 -->32
Pain tolerance 45-->50% MAX
Intimidation 14-->23
Mental Fortitude 26-->32
Small Guns 35-->38
Blood High 1-->3
A sense of extreme euphoria due to past trauma associated with blood. Current rank gives this skill two levels.
Increases Strength, endurance, agility, and perception by 20%. An intoxicating sense of euphoria increases pain resistance by 50%. Must be fueled with increasing amounts of spilt blood. Level 1
Increases Strength, endurance, agility, and perception by 50%. Pain resistance is Doubled. In order to activate this level, an alternate personality will prompt you to give control. Warning: This entity is formed from the anger and joy associated with Blood High, and is highly unstable. Superhuman levels of willpower would be needed to bring the entity under control. Must be fueled by ever increasing amounts of spilt blood. Level 2
Title: Drink ¡®till I die Consumed fatal amounts of alcohol and survived. Endurance +.2
Due to the large amount of skills levels gained in such a short period of time, your physical attributes had to be adjusted so the skills could function properly.
Strength 7.24-->8.19
Endurance 7.01-->7.90-->8.10
Agility 7.94-->8.99
Perception 6.83-->7.84
Warning: Such a large increase in skill levels is a statistical improbability. Any attempt to manipulate the system through any form of hacking will result in a perma-ban. This will not absolve you from your debt to Rio Grande.
Jesus¡­ this is insane. I gained 70 skill levels in less than a day. I need to look at the forums. Hmm, I guess it isn¡¯t isolated. I wonder if skill levels are easier to earn right now? I guess I need to send Liber a message to tell him to work on the shields and hop back in the game.
Notification: Player¡¯s avatar is about to be interacted with by an NPC. Recommend logging in immediately.
Shit, I have no idea how long I¡¯ve been out of the game. I hobble into the kitchen and down a glass of ¡®high caloric meal fluid¡¯ so I don¡¯t starve myself and plug myself back in. I lay back and instantly fall into the game.
¡°Where in the hell are they? I can¡¯t find any sign of those three.¡± ¡°You think they¡¯re dead Doc?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know son, there is a lot of blood up here though. I¡¯ll go check underneath to see if I can find them.¡± Oh fuck... I was hoping for a little more time to acclimate to all this pain. All the knife wounds are burning like hell, I¡¯m still hungover as hell, but the worst is my muscles. I guess those insane movements I pulled off last night really strained my muscles and ligaments. I go to sit up and realize the gash on my back is stuck to the cloth hammock, which rips the huge scab that had formed. It¡¯s all I can do not to scream in pain as the pain comes in waves. I''m sitting there, bleeding, head pounding, and every muscle in my body is on fire... and I''m caked in blood. This should be a great conversation. About that time Doc Thomas finishes the climb down. He looks around waiting for his eyes to adjust, but when he does see us, his face is hilarious. Wide eyed and speechless, his eyes go from Bheki, to Zijde, to me and back to Zijde. He closes his eyes while he pinches the bridge of his nose, ¡°Boys, what in the fuck happened last night?¡± Chapter 25 ¡°So, not one of you remember anything? There are bullet holes all over the deck, blood everyfuckingwhere, and nine bodies we had to throw overboard.¡± ¡°Yes Zale, I¡¯m telling you we drank something called tequila. Well, we drank too much of something call tequila. We woke up knowing just as much as you.¡± ¡°It feels like I babysit Goddamn children on this ship sometimes. I mean, I expect this shit from the crew, so Utah is understandable, but you two are the captain and first mate for Christ¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°I understand your frustrations my friend, but¡­¡± ¡°Like hell you understand! We¡¯ve been discussing this for ten goddamn minutes and the entire fucking time I¡¯ve had to watch your cock swing between your knees. I can¡¯t take anything you say seriously until you put some fucking clothes on son.¡± Throughout this entire exchange I¡¯ve been trying to not make a sound as Doc Thomas cleans, stitches, and dresses my wounds. Since he was working on my back through the beginning, I could only watch Zijde go from a confident pirate captain, to a schoolboy being scolded for peeping on the girl¡¯s locker room¡­ while naked apparently. As for the reason for me not making a sound? The more Zijde squirmed and yelped, the rougher Doc got. I¡¯d hear, ¡°If your gonna get beat up doing childish shit, you can at least act like a man while I fix it.¡± or, ¡°Oh you think this hurts? Well, keep bitching and I¡¯ll quit being gentle.¡± I¡¯ve done great so far, but as I turn around to get my stomach stitched up, I see Bheki lying down in a hammock. Lucky bastard didn¡¯t get cut anywhere... I can¡¯t help but let out a grunt of contempt. ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking start Utah. I know you¡¯re new to the pirate life, but you show a lot of promise. And through sheer idiocy, you almost lost it all in a drunken brawl. It¡¯s a fucking God granted miracle you survived. I still can¡¯t believe none of you three know anything.¡± Doc just keeps getting more and more mad as he talks. Now I am swimming in an opium tonic, but him stitching this 12 inch gash on my stomach with as much care as a blue jean patch is making me dizzy. He¡¯s doing an amazing job stitching me up. He¡¯s sliding the needle through my skin without tugging, and the knots are tight and evenly spaced. But he¡¯s been at it for 10 minutes straight and is almost finished. Which is incredible considering how many huge lacerations I have¡­ but the pain is getting to me. The needle, in and out, closing up sensitive flesh for 10 excruciating minutes. No breaks.... I really do feel like I¡¯m about to pass out. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m done. I¡¯m gonna give you more opium and a few minutes before I do your nose. Imma have you lie down since you might still pass out, but you need that wound closed.¡± Finally let the breath I¡¯d been holding out¡­ how long had I been holding my breath? Was that why I was about to pass out? I take the bitter drops from Doc, and lie down on the table. Mmmhh, damn I haven¡¯t been this high since that last surgery to get that femoral rod removed. That was a rough surgery to. That whole thing was rough¡­ wow, I¡¯m so high right now. The waves are rocking me to sleep¡­ ¡°Alright Utah, you ready? This is going to be bad¡­¡± The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Hah, Doc is so funny when he¡¯s trying to be serious. I give him my biggest smile and give him a double thumbs up. ¡°Hah, well at least the boy is having a good time now. Alright, put this in your mouth and bite down while I strap you down. He takes thick leather straps to my hands, feet, hips, and forehead, getting them uncomfortably tight. Which, I couldn¡¯t give a damn. Nothing could hurt me right no¡­. ¡°RRRRRGGHHHHHHH¡± *POP¡± My mind clears at first¡­ Apparently I had broken my nose at some point last night and Doc just realigned it. Then take tweezers and starts pulling something out of the wound. Whatever it was must have gotten lodged between where Tao cut the bone, if the grating sound is any indication. Then he disinfects it¡­ with alcohol. The burning starts at my nose, but I feel it radiate all the way to my chest. The pain is so intense start to hear static¡­ well ¡®feel¡¯ static would be more accurate. Hell, I feel like I¡¯m becoming static, red-hot static. The pain is starting to feel like it¡¯s happening to someone else... ¡°Godammit I would¡¯ve thought he¡¯d passed out by now. Damn son so I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m going as fast as I can. He¡¯s gonna keel from the pain if I can¡¯t stitch this fast enough.¡± Just as I feel the needle touch my skin, the static stops. Line I wake up to Doc Thomas roughly slapping me on the cheek, ¡°Wake up son, we went a little heavy on the opium. Ah, there you are, put down the bucket Bheki. He¡¯s awake now.¡± I see Bheki at my feet, holding a bucket full of what I guess is saltwater. Jesus that would have been rough in all my cuts¡­ ¡°Alright son, you need to stay awake for the next few hours. Your breathing slowed way down there for a moment. You did well considering¡­ I was sure you¡¯d pass out once I set your nose.¡± I feel a wave of dizzying euphoria hit me. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d have hit the ground if not for being on my back. Hell, I still feel like I fell. As I sit up, Doc puts a hand on my shoulder to steady me. Damn, his hand covers my entire shoulder and then some¡­ how the hell can he stitch like that? I¡¯d be surprised if he could tie shoe laces. I stand up, trying to balance myself with the ship rocking so hard. ¡°Damn Doc, what¡¯s the weather like outside? The waves must be 10 feet high.¡± ¡°Sorry son, it¡¯s a pretty day outside. All that rockin¡¯ back and forth is you.¡± I take a moment to get my bearings, mostly, and start walking¡­ which immediately turns into falling. I hit the ground despite Doc¡¯s best efforts, but he quickly gets me to my feet. I look down and see blood coming through my bandage. I instantly feel that pleasure creep up from the back of my skull. My head clears and I can get back to my feet myself. I see a confused look on Doc¡¯s face, but he doesn¡¯t mention anything about my sudden recovery. I make my way to the deck of the ship to see the mess. The bodies have been thrown overboard, but I didn¡¯t realize just how much blood had been spilt. If you told me a bunch of bulimic vampires had been on board last night, I¡¯d have no reason to doubt you. I walk into the Zijde¡¯s quarters, and I guess this is where the crew started to clean. There are some dark red stains on the floor, but the bullet holes and half-assed patched windows were much more obvious. I walked over to Bheki and Zijde as they organized the silver. They both look up at me, but Zijde is the only one to hold my gaze. Bheki has a pained look on his face, but he continues counting his coins. Although, as soon as Zijde starts to talk, he walks out of the cabin. I give the Cap¡¯n a questioning look, but he simply waves it away, ¡°You would never guess it, but Bheki is actually quite the sensitive soul. We talked about you after you passed out my friend. I didn¡¯t think much of it, but you really shook Bheki. He talked extensively about the amount of pain you would have been through. He compared it to the lashings his brethren got on his horrifying trip to this new world we have here. Your screams were reminiscent of his people being lashed to death. He left just a few moments after he pulled that last piece of bone out of your nose. I talked to him after, and he told me ¡°I was worried he was gonna die before he passed out. The bone I was pulling out came from the center of his face.¡± He told me the nerves he damaged would probably leave you without a sense of smell permanently. He just knew those bone fragments would have caused gangrene if left. I still can¡¯t believe you stayed conscious for 10 minutes of that¡­¡± He look towards the wall to gather his thoughts, ¡°Bheki told me he underestimated you. He talked about how it takes true suffering to stay awake through pain like that, but it takes true strength to live through it.¡± After a few moments, I fully realized what this means. I¡¯m probably missing the bridge of my nose. I mean, I can¡¯t look at it right now, but there isn¡¯t any mirrors to look at it. God, what do I look like now? Zijde seems to have picked up on my train of thought, ¡°It¡¯s bad Utah, you don¡¯t have much of a nose. It¡¯s ok though, you are a part of this crew. We¡¯ll never shun you.¡± Shit¡­ never shun you? What does that mean? I look at ZIjde, but all I can see is a look of sympathy. ¡°We have a funeral to get to Utah, let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 26 My fears were confirmed as we strolled through Nassau. I tried to be friendly to the locals like usual, but I was actually striking genuine fear into these people. There was a man selling roasted meat from a small stall that I waved to¡­ he gave me a skewer of meat for free. Children didn¡¯t even make fun of me, they ran. Hell, there was a beggar that literally wouldn¡¯t take my money. ¡°You look like you need it more my friend.¡±, is what I was told. I look at the skewer of meat... this is pork. I throw into the next bush I see. No way in hell am I eating that. By the time I got to the start of the path to the church, I wasn¡¯t feeling great about myself at all. Hell, I might as well had the plague with how people were avoiding me. Just as I start up the path to the church, I feel a hand lightly grab my shoulder. I turn around and see Bheki holding a sack the size of a small melon, ¡°Here is the first half of your share.¡± He pulls out a second, smaller sack, ¡°This is 500 pesos that Mrs. Brown overpaid. Cap¡¯n asked me to give it to you. Can you run this by her office?¡± ¡°Yea, I can do that. It¡¯ll probably be tomorrow though. You feeling better Bheki?¡± He looks uncomfortable as he scratches the back of his head, ¡°Yea, I¡¯m alright. I gotta prepare for the funeral.¡± He turns to the side and start jogging up the hill. Damn, didn¡¯t even give me a chance to respond. I wonder what¡¯s up with him? As I start up the hill, I worry if I¡¯ll be able to make it? I was out of breath by the time I reached the top just the other day. But here I am, trying to climb it after losing copious amounts of blood, pulling what feels like all the muscles in my body, and fighting through what is by far the worst hangover of my life. I really hope I don''t pass out...
The beginning was about as terrible as I thought it would be. My head started pounding worse, and the burning in my legs almost brought me to my knees. But, here I am at the top, barely out of breath. The only thing bothering me is the injuries actually. At a loss as to why, I wrack my mind¡­ the stats. Not only did they rise, I still have blood high active which boosts it by another twenty percent. That means my physical stats are approaching superhuman¡­ actually, my agility is higher than 10 with the blood high bonus. So, I guess I am more agile than anyone in the real world? I don¡¯t feel very agile right now. Although, if my stats weren¡¯t this high then someone would probably be carrying my decrepit ass up the hill. I follow the crowd around the back of the church to a empty grave. It just so happens to be as far as possible from where we caught that sick fuck just a couple nights ago. The grave is surrounded by what looked like the entire crew. I mean, there is no way I could count that many people at one time, but there is a lot of pirates here. I walk up and take a spot towards the back. As I wait, I start comming down. It''s horrible. I feel everything hitting me in full force. The hangover, the blood loss, just all of it is coming at me in waves. I walk over to a stone wall, to sit as I wait. Hopefully I won''t fall off.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. It only takes about five minutes before the back doors of the church swing open to ZIjde and Bheki carrying a coffin. There were four others behind them helping carry it with thick leather straps. Following the precession is Billy carrying a canvas sack full of muskets. They all continue forward, splitting the crowd, until the coffin was hovering above the grave. Billy sets the bag on the ground and brings the first musket to his shoulder. For a few moments, nothing happens. Silence. Well, besides for the sound of the surf assaulting the beach, and the gulls squawking all over the island. Just before I lost myself in thought completely, the doors of the church swing open. The large priest ambles through the door. He¡¯s wearing traditional Catholic garments, and he¡¯s carrying a large bible with him. He makes his way to the from of the crowd and open the bible. He flips the pages for a few moments until he reaches the verse he wants. ¡°For men in this line of work, life can be fleeting. Life is also hard. Life is brutal. Very few of us choose to live such a morally draining life. This goes doubly so for one so young as Duncan here. I feel like the following bible verse is fitting for such a young man.¡± He clears his throat in a deep cough before continuing, ¡° Psalms 23 says it best. ¡®Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." He looks up from the bible, "I truly feel as though a man as young as this has little to fear from our lord. I hope that others present shall make an effort to live in a virtuous fashion¡­ even if this virtue is questionable. This boy should serve as a reminder to us all, tomorrow isn¡¯t a guarantee.¡± He looks over to Billy, ¡°Will you do his honors?¡± Billy¡¯s face hardens, which is a stark contrast to the tears running down his face. He raises the first musket and fires into the air, then another, and another. He fires 13 muskets in all. Each shot, the men lower the casket into the ground little by little. As the last shot rings out, the casket reaches the ground. ¡°With this, young Duncan is laid to rest. My God have mercy on this young man¡¯s soul for any transgressions that may not have been forgiven. As one so young, I like his chances.¡± The priest ends his speech with a final thud of his book. The crew starts to take turns saying a few things to his coffin and tossing different objects in his grave. I see Zijde walking towards me, smiling and waving. He is the only person today that hasn¡¯t done their best to not look at me. ¡°Do you understand what¡¯s going on my friend?¡± ¡°I guess they are paying their respects?¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t wrong. Most of the are just paying their respects, but on a crew like ours, there are dozens of religions. Wouldn¡¯t be fair to the non-Christian men if we didn¡¯t give them a chance to bury him in their own way. This is their chance to do so. It¡¯s unfortunate, but some men don¡¯t get the chance to be buried according to their tradition. Hell, most of the men don¡¯t get the chance to be buried at all. We do what we can though.¡± I just slowly nod my head while he talks. The way everyone talks about the kid, I wish I could have gotten to know him. Although, there is one person I can get to know. I wait for the men to finish before I walk over to Billy, "Hey Billy, what are your plans?" Without looking up, "I''m gonna go grab some drinks with the rest of the crew. Then head back to Sarah." "Well sounds like we are going to the same place, do you mind helping me down the hill?" "Yea sure, but wh..." Billy looks at my face, his mouth agape with horror. Jesus I''m getting tired of being ugly... Chapter 27 ¡°So, none of you remember anything about last night?¡± I take a sip of my rum, ¡°Nope, nothing. We are guessing they tried to steal the silver.¡± ¡°Damn, that¡¯s insane¡­ So you three killed 10 people?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be honest Billy I can¡¯t really remember. I haven''t had the best morning. Anyways, I wanna hear about you and Sarah! Is she a nice girl?¡± Billy turns a dark shade of red as he takes a sip of beer, ¡°Oh Utah, she is amazing. She is so sweet and caring. If it wasn¡¯t for her, I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯d be handling¡­ ¡®everything¡¯.¡± Damn, this kid is barely holding it together. I guess there wasn¡¯t anyone on board that was anywhere near his age, other than Duncan. It¡¯d be odd if they weren¡¯t close. I guess being distracted with a nice girl right now is better than being passed out in a muddy stable every night. ¡°Well good, I¡¯m glad. So¡­¡± I give him a devious smirk, ¡°Have you learned anything?¡± He scratches at his temple looking rather uncomfortable, ¡°Well, the first thing we did was eat dinner. I can¡¯t really remember what I had, but Utah, the conversation was so easy. I feel like we really connected. We talked about our lives, and how we both come from difficult situations. So, I think that¡¯s why it¡¯s so easy to talk to her.¡± That, or the fact that most prostitutes don¡¯t make it very far if they can¡¯t make conversation. But, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m telling him that right now. He smiles sheepishly before continuing, ¡° Then she takes me by the hand and led me upstairs. Then she taught me¡­ well she said I was a quick learner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my boy, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s going well. So what do you have planned for tonight?¡± ¡°Uhm, she said she was going to teach me how to get a woman in the mood to actually have sex.¡± ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t do it last night?¡± Billy bursts out laughing, ¡°Utah, I don¡¯t think either of us could have handled that last night.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°Take it however you want.¡± Billy gives me a confident smile, and finishes his drink, ¡°I gotta go Utah, but thanks for everything. I really don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it Billy, I¡¯m glad I could help.¡± After he leaves, I can¡¯t help but think about what he said. I really hope I didn¡¯t just set him up to get hurt. Well, he does have an entire crew to help support him. He should be fine¡­ hell, just seeing that confident look on his face was enough to make it worth it for me. ----------------------------------------------------------------- I message Liber through the system, and he tells me he¡¯s rented a small workshop on the edge of town. I make my way there, keeping my head down of course, and I start to notice some things about the locals. First off, I¡¯m pretty sure everyone is dirt-fucking-poor. Almost everyone¡¯s clothes seem to be patched heavily, like more patching than clothing. Then, almost all of them are limping or missing a limb. It really drives home just how bad the Spanish War of Succession hit in the West Indies. I guess it was Queen Anne¡¯s war over here, but it all branched from that war. Which, if all goes according to plan, I¡¯ll be starting another world wide war in just a few short months. I just hope I¡¯ll be able to deal with whatever England and Spain might send my way. Well, if Liber can deliver on his promises I shouldn¡¯t have too much to worry about. Jesus this workshop is way out here. I look around for a while longer before I find it. It¡¯s not much more than an enclosed shack with a chimney poking out the top. The dark smoke it¡¯s belching tells me Liber is hard at work. When I walk around to the side facing the beach, I smell a oddly sweet smell. It¡¯s an unnatural sweet. I find the door, and beside it are dark amber bottles. Some of them are opened and others aren¡¯t. Beside that is a large, shallow barrel filled with mashed¡­ leaves? I can tell the sweet smell is mostly coming from the barrel, but I cannot recall what it is. I can¡¯t tell what kind of leaves they are either. Wait¡­ how the hell can I smell? My nose is entirely too messed up to be able to smell. Wait, am I tasting this? I pick up a glass, dipping it into the ¡®vat¡¯ of crushed leaves. I still can¡¯t tell what it is. I¡¯ll just ask Liber I guess. I open the door and hold up the glass, ¡°Hey Liber, what¡¯s in the glass?¡± Liber turns around in a quick, jerking-like manner, ¡°Oh Utah! You found it! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. You will never guess¡­¡± He stops mid-sentence, which is surprising by how fast he was talking. His eyes get huge, and panic spreads across his face, ¡°Utah, GET OUT! NOW! DON¡¯T SPILL THE GLASS!¡± I almost drop it when he starts screaming, but I hold it together long enough to get it out of the door. As I wait for him to come out and tell me what the hell is in the glass, I have the strong urge to drink from the glass. No, no, no, that¡¯s a horrible idea¡­ did I hit my head last night? Liber bursts through the door in a needlessly dramatic fashion, ¡°Utah, do you realize you could¡¯ve blown us all up?¡± He grabs the glass out of my hand and downs it. Then proceeds to cough and sputter, and turns his head to look me, ¡°Gah my tonic here is almost as nasty as your face, but holy shit Utah, you could have blown us sky high. Well, more than likely we would just erupt in a ball of flames that would slowly eat away at the town, but I¡¯m rambling now. Can¡¯t you smell the ether Utah? Wait, I bet you can¡¯t smell anything huh? Well that vat is full of crushed coca leaves and ether. I have no idea how strong it is, but I¡¯ve gotten a lot of work done since we last talked!¡± He takes a huge breath, and starts breathing heavily to catch his breath. Wow, he just said all that in one breath, but considering he had bags under his redshot eyes, it doesn¡¯t surprise me. ¡°Liber, when was the last time you slept?¡± ¡°Uhm, I guess the night before we talked? How long ago was that? I¡¯ve been busy the entire time.¡± ¡°Dude, that¡¯s been like, fifty-something hours ago¡­ what have you been doing?¡± ¡°Finishing those shields man, what else?¡± I raise my eyebrows as I point to the vat of go-go juice. ¡°Ah well, I promise once you¡¯ve seen my progress, you¡¯ll want some for yourself. Utah, you¡¯ll never guess what I did¡­ I hit 100 in blacksmithing. I got to upgrade the skill. I¡¯m a master blacksmith now and I got a perk as well. It makes me insanely strong while blacksmithing, but it goes away if I try to do anything else.¡± ¡°Oh? How much does it raise your strength?¡± ¡°Oh, I think it triples it. Nothing too fancy.¡± ¡°Huh? Liber what was your strength right now?¡± ¡°Uhm, 6.5 I think. It almost hits 20 when it activates. It also does something to my endurance and perception, but I¡¯ll have to look that back up.¡± He just doesn¡¯t know how fucking strong that is¡­ well, he could possibly be on the verge of a psychotic break with how long he¡¯s been up. ¡°Liber, how ¡®bout you show me your blacksmithing buddy. I wanna see your progress.¡± Chapter 28 As I walk through his shop, I can tell this mother fucker has been going at it for days. There are tools strewn across the entire shop, and he has a huge pile of ashes set up beside his furnace. I look over at Liber and thank the Lord I can¡¯t smell right now. He¡¯s caked with soot, sweat, and grime. He clearly hasn¡¯t even thought about hygiene in the last couple days. ¡°Alright, look over here. I have done five shields so far, and I can knock one out every few hours or so. I¡¯m not sure since time hasn¡¯t meant much to me the last couple days. Anyways, as soon as the XP modifier lifted, I started gaining levels like crazy in blacksmithing. It felt a lot like when I first started smithing. Knowledge came to me so fast, and problems I had in the real world were trivial to solve.¡± He takes another deep breath and pants for a few moments, ¡°Anyways, the first one took forever, but once I broke through 100 and got the strength bonus, it¡¯s super easy. Check the shield out!¡± He picks up a shield, and carries it over to me, struggling the whole way. When I grab it I kinda see why. It¡¯s about 35 inches tall and 35 inches wide if it was flattened out. It¡¯s bent at the middle, forming a ¡®V¡¯ shape. It¡¯s edges are curved towards the front of the shield, sticking out about an inch. The very center is probably four millimeters thick and the rest is about three. The wooden cross bar in the center is riveted to the shield, and it has several thick leather pieces to strap your arm into. All in all, it probably weighs 45 pounds. ¡°Liber, this looks pretty good, but it¡¯s a lot heavier than 25 pounds. I can pick it up, but it¡¯s going to be hard to move around with it.¡± ¡°Ugh, yeah I know, but the 25 pound one was way too flimsy. Here, take this and go test it out yourself. I haven''t had time to test it. Bye, I have more shields to make.¡± He hands me a bag of shot, some powder, and two guns. One was a musket and the other a pistol. He turns and fervently pumps the bellows to get the furnace up to temp. I shoulder everything, and I make my way out to the beach. I walk out to where the tide had hardened the sand and place the shield about halfway into the sand. I want to make sure that the shield doesn¡¯t give as I shoot it. I step back probably 50 feet and start loading both guns. I hope this works¡­ I have spent a lot of money to get to this point. If these don¡¯t stop musket balls, I might as well give up my plan to take the spanish treasure fleet¡­
I rub my wrist and shoulder to try and get some relief from the strain of firing the pistol¡­ uh, couple hundred times? My shoulder doesn¡¯t feel great either, but it was worth it. I shot the shield probably 50 times from the front and not a single ball made it through. The shield is hard and thick enough in the front to stop bullets pretty much all day. It leaves a small dent, and the ball just flattens out. Firing to the side of the center produced similar, yet completely different results. The ball would glance off and travel down the shield. If not for the curved edges, the ball would continue on into whatever poor sap that happened to be standing behind them. But, the edges held up well until they had been hit with a couple dozen shots. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Now, from the front the shield did exactly what I wanted, but from the side, it was hit or miss. I¡¯m guessing probably half the shots made it through when they hit the shield perpendicularly. I was hoping for better, but I expected it to be something like this. I pick the shield up carefully, the shards of metal sticking out everywhere could cut me something awful. It only weighs about 30 pounds now, and looks a good bit like swiss cheese. Now, I¡¯m excited about the way the shields turned out, but the thing I¡¯m most excited about is my small gun skill. I¡¯ve gotten it to 100, and got a new perk.
Smoothbore efficiency: The amount of experience you have firing smoothbore small arms has culminated into the ability to compensate for imperfections in a gun. The more you use a unique firearm, the better you can compensate for the imperfections. This perk¡¯s efficiency is based in one¡¯s perception and agility.
Branching skill path: All firearms are similar, but each one serves a purpose. Your small gun skill has been upgraded into Pistols: Carbines: Shotguns: Rifles. Your skill list has been updated.
In a world without rifling, this should be incredibly useful. Now, the perk is awesome, and the branching paths I have should be interesting¡­ but I also got my first enhancement.
As a reward for reaching 100 in your first skill, you are given a choice of three enhancements. The enhancements and their respective tier levels are listed below. The effects of enhancements labeled serums are permanent. The enhancements labeled tonics are temporary.
High Density Muscle serum B tier
Mexican Axolotl serum S tier
Eyes of a Seabird serum A tier
Well, I don¡¯t know what a Axolotl is, but that S tier is looking pretty juicy. I guess this is gonna be one of those games that doesn¡¯t tell you what each thing does and makes you guess. Well, at least they have a tier list. It would be beyond frustrating without them. Alright, Mexican Axolotl it is.
Mexican Axolotl serum: S Tier
This serum gives the user the incredible regenerative abilities of a Mexican Axolotl. Given enough time and nutrition, the user can regenerate limbs, eyes, sexual reproductive organs, parts of the brain, and many other structures. Although, this process can take months to years, depending on the injury.
A small box appeared in my hand like it had been there the whole time. It was made of thin cardboard and wrapped in plastic wrap. It looks to be pretty damn waterproof. I find a modern syringe filled with a dark red liquid inside, an alcohol wipe, and a rubber tourniquet. There is a diagram showing you how to insert the needle into the vein in your arm once you sterilize the area with alcohol. Well damn, I guess I don¡¯t have to be ugly forever. I wonder how long it¡¯ll take for me to regrow my nose? I finish injecting myself with the serum, and a notification pops up.
Congratulations on your first enhancement. In order for it to take effect, you must log out and log back in. Please be aware, significant physical changes can take place in an incredibly short amount of time. It is suggested to not do so while in the presence of NPC¡¯s or players. Any psychological changes will disappear within a few hours.
Well, I have no idea how long it¡¯ll take to heal my face, so I might as well get started. I go over to a secluded sand dune, and I log out of the game. Chapter 29 I open my eyes to the bland white of my ceiling. I¡¯m filled with an odd sense of dread, like I¡¯m stuck in a never-ending loop of despair. I wallow in it for a moment longer, until I remember what I¡¯m doing. Yes, I finally have the chance to not be ugly! That was seriously getting old, everyone being terrified of me. I reinitialize the game and fall into it.
I open my eyes to a bright blue sky, waves crashing on the beach, and wind blowing through the dune grass. It¡¯s almost dark outside, but there should be enough light for me to make my way to Liber¡¯s shop. As I sit up, I notice my nose itching. I reach up and scratch my nose, only to bring myself to the brink of passing out due to the pain. After I catch my breath, I run my fingers across my nose as gently as I can. I feel my nose is turned up at a odd angle, and I am missing the bridge of my nose. I guess the last time it was hit, the damage was enough Doc thought the bone would die. God, I can only imagine what color my face is. No wonder everyone it so terrified. Also, I guess the mild itching means I¡¯m regrowing the bone, but how fucking long will it take? Days? Months? God I wish I knew what animal they based that serum on. Wait, Liber might know! I turn my head towards the path I used to get here, ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll just cut across the dunes.¡± I start off trying to carry the shield back, but carrying the guns and that mangled piece of metal doesn¡¯t seem like the safest idea. The climb up wasn¡¯t so bad once I left shield, but now that I¡¯m on the other side, I¡¯m having a hard time seeing. I¡¯m trying to watch where I¡¯m putting my feet, but the dune is blocking most of the sunlight. Wait, what is?... Awe fuck, what is this? About 50 yards from Liber¡¯s shop, there is a hole. It¡¯s about three feet deep and two feet wide. It has a wide piece of wood laying beside it two buckets. One is full of torn rags, the other bucket is full of water. I look inside the hole to see torn up rags, and some brown sludge. Is that¡­ nah, surely not. As I get closer to the shop, I see a glass of Liber¡¯s go-go juice sitting on the table with a note beside it. ¡°Here, drink up. If you¡¯re gonna help me make shields, I can¡¯t have you falling behind.¡± ¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m paying you to make these shields Liber. Eh, whatever, it couldn¡¯t hurt to see how the work is coming. I down the drink, and holy shit it¡¯s bitter. I could only imagine how bad it would taste if I had a sense of smell. Right about then, I hear metal striking metal. Well, I also feel it. Everytime the metal is struck, I feel vibrations run up my legs. As I push the door open, I am awestruck by what I see, ¡°What the fuck.¡± I see Liber standing over an anvil, holding a piece of red hot metal in place with a pair of tongs with one hand. In the other, is a huge hammer. The head of this hammer is shaped like a football that has its front three or four inches cut off. The thing has to weigh 20 or 30 pounds, and when he strikes the piece of metal, I feel it in my chest. It feels like the entire building is shaking, and the craziest thing, it doesn¡¯t hurt my ears. It¡¯s not the high pitched ring you normally associate with hammering metal. It¡¯s a deep thud, more akin to thunder. I can¡¯t help but fear this skinny little man. He could quite literally break me in half right now. ¡°Liber, Liber, LIBER!!¡± I break Liber¡¯s concentration, and his intimidating presence disappears in an instant. The hammer¡¯s momentum jerks Liber off his feet. He lets go just before the hammer rips his arm out of socket. I watch the hammer as it comes into contact with the wooden wall. It punches a hole straight through as flies outside. ¡°Dude, are you ok? Shit.¡± Liber blinks a couple times to oriente himself. He recognizes me, and he proceeds to recoil as if I was wearing a halloween mask¡­ which I might as well be. Liber shakes his head to clear the cobwebs, ¡°So, I guess I forgot to mention that my new perk is basically a trance I go into. If my concentration is broken, I go back to normal, and normal me cannot control that beast of a hammer. I¡¯m actually quite proud of that one. I made it early this morning, and it¡¯s probably doubled how fast I can make those shields.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. I walk out of the building, and I see the hammer sitting there in its little crater of sand. I wrap my hand around the smooth handle and lift it up. Which almost gives me hemorrhoids. Damn, this thing has to be at least 40 pounds. I look back at the door to see Liber fixing some more go-go juice. ¡°Liber bud, you think you should take it easy? You haven¡¯t slept in about 60 hours. Have you even eaten anything?¡± ¡°I know, I know, but it¡¯s so hard to stop. I¡¯ve made so much progress in such a short period of time. I just want to keep it going!¡± I hang my head, ¡°Alright, well, show me how your making the shields then.¡± Liber gives me a crazy ass smile, ¡°Oh I¡¯d love an assistant. If you can hold the metal, I can swing the hammer with both hands. I''ll be able to smash it into the shape I desire.¡± ¡°I hope that came out a lot creepier than you meant it to.¡± Liber just laughs as he walks through the door, ¡°Bring the hammer would you?¡± As I bring the hammer through the door, Liber motions for me to drop it by the anvil, ¡°Alright, I haven''t tried to work with anyone else since I got this perk, but I think we can do it. I¡¯m gonna get this metal back into the furnace and get it up to temp. I¡¯ll bring it back over here, and then you¡¯ll hold it in place while I strike it. Don¡¯t talk to me until I get it flattened¡­ well, until I stop hammering. Then we¡¯ll move on to shaping it. I¡¯ll do that part on my own.¡± I just nod my head as Liber motions for me to help him get the half-beaten piece of metal into the furnace. He and I both grab a side with our own set of tongs and slide it into the brick structure. Liber shovels in some more coal and waves me away. I step back as I watch Liber start to pump the huge set of bellows attached to the furnace. At first, he struggles to pump the bellows fast enough, but then, a switch flips. His arms stay the same size, but there are massive veins appearing and pulsating with the beat of his heart. He starts pumping the bellows faster and faster. After about a minute, the fire is roaring. I¡¯m starting to drip with sweat with how hot the room is, but Liber doesn¡¯t even seem to be out of breath. He pauses to look at the 40 or 50 pound chunk of metal. He shakes his head and continues to pumping. After about five minutes, the piece of metal is glowing like a lightbulb filament. Liber smiles, and grabs both sets of tongs, picking the piece of metal up himself and brings it over to the anvil, himself. He removes one pair of tongs, and simply points at the other as he goes to pick up the hammer. I grab the tongs, steadying the piece of metal. Liber picks up the hammer, and carries it over to a wall covered in tools. He picks up a large two handed maul, and pulls the handle from the head as if it were a cap on a pen. He fixes his huge hammerhead to the longer handle... using nothing but his hands. He then lightly taps his ''new'' hammer against the hot metal, to judge the distance I guess. He raises the hammer above his head with both hands and brings it down. If his previous swings were akin to thunder, these are akin to bombs exploding. The shower of sparks that shower down after each swing only adds to that impression. Each strike leaves a six inch wide impression two or three inches deep into the hunk of metal. Liber starts flattening it out in the center, and moves out in a spiral pattern. Each strike looks perfectly equidistant from every other strike, forming little X¡¯s all over. Then he goes back through striking every single X flattening them out. That leaves diamond patterns over the surface. He strikes the diamonds, flattening them. Each shape he flattens out is done with less and less force, and by the end, he has a surprisingly flat surface. He motions me to let go with my tongues, and he grabs his own pair to bring the metal back to the furnace. He gets it back to glowing, and brings it back over. He places it hammered side down, and motions for me to grab it again. He repeats the process again, leaving a piece of metal roughly three feet by three feet. He takes a round metal rod and puts it on the edge of the ¡®shield¡¯. He takes a relatively small hammer, and forms the curved edges on each side of the shield. He reheats the shield to a dim red, and then puts it onto a pile of sand on the other side of the furnace. He covers it, and goes down the line of piles, pulling a shield out that already has cooled. He brings the shield back to the furnace. He tosses it in, and without pumping the bellows, he walks over to a wall and pulls out a three foot long piece of iron shaped like a triangle. He brings it over to the anvil and lays it on top. He pulls the shield out before it has the chance to start glowing, and props it against the anvil. He takes two thick, multi-layered pieces of leather, and wraps them around his hands. He grabs the shield, positioning it above the metal triangle. He starts to put more and more pressure on the shield until it starts to slowly bend into shape. Once he gets it to his desired angle, he puts it back into the furnace bent side down. Then he fills the space on the back of the shield with wet sand. He pumps the bellows, getting the shield bright bright red again. Liber picks up a contraption that looks like four meat hooks attached to a metal rod. He attaches the to the shield, and brings it over to a set of pulleys suspended over a container of some type of oil. Now, I¡¯ve been impressed by his strength this entire time, but carrying a 40 pound ''container'', full of half-wet sand? That is crazy. I watch him lower the cherry red shield down into the oil. It smokes like crazy, and I am so glad I can¡¯t smell right now. After about 30 seconds he raises the shield back up. He takes a step back, and looks over in my direction smiling. His arms lose their veiny appearance, and his intimidating ¡®I can break you in half¡¯ vibe is replaced with his ''skinny guy that has done way too much cocaine vibe''. ¡°So, watch think? Pretty cool, huh? Yeah, I think so. How long did that take us? I¡¯m thinking it probably cut my time in half, being able to use both hands and all.¡± Before I can answer, I get a notification.
Hello Dwayne, It has been revealed that the last update to remove the experience modifiers from players had a pretty significant glitch. We are looking to implement a fix as soon as possible, but regret to inform you that the skill leveling system has been disabled until a fix can be implemented. We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. P.S. I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯ve been working hard like I suggested Utah. Hard work is always rewarded! Be safe!
Chapter 30 I look over at Liber, and his face is twisted into a grimace, ¡°You get the same message Liber?¡± ¡°Skill leveling is disabled? Yea, I got it. I think it¡¯s time for me to to get some sleep. There isn¡¯t much reason to stay awake now.¡± ¡°Yea, I supposed so bud. I have a couple questions though. First, do you know what a Mexican Axolotl is?¡± ¡°Yea, it¡¯s that little salamander that lived in that lake Mexico City was built on. I can¡¯t remember what it¡¯s called. They¡¯ve been extinct in the wild for years, but there were thousands of them in captivity. They are studied all the time since they can regrow damn near anything for as long as they can stay alive. I think Rio Grande has been putting a lot of research into formulating something from them.¡± ¡°Awesome, uhm, how long do you think it would take for them to regrow their nose?¡± ¡°Uhm, I think they regrow limbs in like 2-3 months¡­ so, a month or so maybe? I really don¡¯t know, why are you asking me?¡± ¡°Well, you are a college professor right? I didn¡¯t really want to log out just to look it up. I actually got a choice of three enhancements. I picked a Mexican Axolotl serum since it was S ranked. It allows me to regenerate pretty much anything.¡± Liber stares at me for a few moments before clasping his hands together as if he was praying, ¡°Oh, thank god! Ok, sooooo I¡¯ve been so worried about how to break this to you¡­ soooo, I may have spent more money than I should have¡­¡± I give him a deadpanned look, ¡°Liber, how much did you cost me?¡± ¡°So, I know I quoted you 200 pesos, but the metal was more expensive than I thought. Oh and the coca leave and ether was added into it¡­¡± ¡°Liber, just tell me the fucking number.¡± He gives me an awkward smile, ¡°500 pesos. Don¡¯t be mad.¡± ¡°God Dammit Liber, 500? How? Wait, how much did it cost to make your ¡®go-go juice¡¯?The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Uhm, 200¡­¡± I glare at him, trying to channel all of my frustration into it, ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you.¡± He laughs it off at first, but then he realizes I could actually be serious, ¡°Wait, wait, I can pay you back.¡± ¡°How, you¡¯re broke?¡± ¡°I have got a tonic from reaching 100 in blacksmithing. I picked it since it would accelerate healing for 24 hours. You can have it! Then we¡¯ll call it even?¡± ¡°A tonic that increases healing over 24 hours? Let me think about it for a second. Leave me be.¡± I walk out of the building before he has a chance to say anything. I have 750 pesos right now, and I can afford the increased price¡­ but dammit Liber. I needed you to make so much more shit for me. The weapons I need you to make will be way more expensive. It¡¯s almost the end of February right now¡­ that gives me 17 months before the Spanish treasure fleet sails. Fuck, Liber is still my best bet. I walk back in, and Liber is sitting in a chair biting his nails and bouncing his leg, ¡°Alright Liber, I¡¯ll buy that tonic from you. Here is a sack of 500 pesos, but if you lose this one, I will kill you. I¡¯ll keep killing you until you¡¯ve lost all of your skills.¡± He shakes his head up and down so hard he almost falls off his chair, ¡°Yep, you got it! I¡¯ll make sure everything gets paid, and I will get the rest of those shields to you by the end of the week.¡± ¡°Alright, what all do you need for the cannon upgrades and the improved small arms?¡± ¡°I crunched the numbers, and I think that the cannon upgrades will be super cheap once we get the casting kiln. It¡¯ll be a hundred pesos or so. I¡¯m going to get two so we can make sure we have enough of a supply. The small arms though¡­¡± He takes a few moments to gather his words, ¡°I can get all the chemicals I need. It¡¯ll be around 1,000 pesos for everything, but... there is something I¡¯m gonna have to get you to steal. I need mercury, a good bit of it actually. Without it the new weapons will me marginally better at best.¡± ¡°Alright, where can I get it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to steal it from the Spanish. I¡¯d suspect you could find a ship carrying some in Havana, but I have no idea when there will be a ship carrying it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hop on the forums and over some credits and pesos to someone to find me one. Will a shipfull be enough? I will need the rest of those shields to do it¡­ by the way, there is something I want you to add to the shields. Put some small spikes on the bottom. They¡¯ll be easier to use with some way anchor them.¡± ¡° Yes, a shipful will be plenty, but damn, why couldn¡¯t you have told me to begin with. I could hav¡­¡± Liber stops mid-sentence when he sees the glare I¡¯m giving him, ¡°Liber I like you, but I won¡¯t be taken advantage of. No, stop, I don¡¯t want to hear it. I don¡¯t care what you have to say. Get some rest and I¡¯ll be back in a week for those shields. Now, the tonic?¡± Liber runs over to a large drawer. He pulls out a package wrapped in plastic and a small bottle. He hands it over to me while avoiding eye contact, ¡°Here, it says you have to eat the entire block of ¡®High Density Nutrition Brick¡¯ and then drink the tonic. It also said that logging out for 4.8 hours was recommended, while your body was in a safe place. The description didn¡¯t say why though.¡± ¡°Thanks Liber, get some rest. I¡¯ll be back in a week.¡± I walk out of the building and start making my way to the Brown¡¯s office. Should I go ahead and fix this ugly mug? I look at the cinder block sized block of stuff I¡¯m supposed to eat. It looks kinda like a solid cinder block to¡­ its gray with specks of black in it¡­ I think I¡¯d rather save it in case I lose an arm or a leg. Yea, that sounds like a good idea. Although, I am curious as to how Mrs. Brown will react when she sees me¡­ well, one way to find out. I need to give her the money back anyways. Chapter 31 After being escorted up the stairs, I stroll into her office feeling great. My plan is starting to come together. Yeah, it¡¯s costing me more than I thought it would, but if it works out, I¡¯ll be filthy fucking rich. I should be able to swim in the all the coin I get, just like that duck cartoon¡­ what was the name of that? Ah fuck it, It doesn¡¯t matter. I see Mrs. Brown sitting up behind her desk, smoking a cigarette from that ludicrously long holder. She¡¯s wearing a dark green, sheer dress that shows off a black corset. I have no idea what she¡¯s wearing underneath the desk, but I can¡¯t help but wonder¡­ and hoping she stands up. My heart melts as I see her face light up as I enter. It¡¯s a special feeling when a woman this fucking gorgeous is happy to see you. ¡°Utah, my darling, how are you doing? I can honestly say it¡¯s wonderful to see¡­ what the fuck happened to your face?¡± And with that, I wanna go crawl under a rock until my nose grows back, ¡°We were attacked the night before last. I was injured again and my poor nose seems to have given up on me. Not that I can blame it.¡± Her face pales a little, and a look of panic replaces her look of horror, ¡°I-I-I I didn¡¯t¡­ Does your captain think it might be me?¡± Damn, people really are scared of Zijde. I can¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°No, we know it wasn¡¯t you. We aren¡¯t sure who it was though. I do have a sack of coin for you. The chest had 500 pesos too many.¡± I walk over and put the sack on the table. She stares at me for a moment, indecision apparent, ¡°So, I had a job for you. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯ll be an option now.¡± ¡°What was the job?¡± ¡°In about a month there is a party being hosted by a rich plantation owner. He has several plantations near Santiago de Cuba, and he likes to think he is more powerful than he actually is. He used to be one of my biggest buyers, but he¡¯s gotten it in his head he¡¯s gonna start up his own fence for ill-gotten goods. I just can¡¯t have someone with his capital as competition. I was going to have you infiltrate his party and kill him,but... I¡¯m sorry honey, I don¡¯t think you could get in as you are currently.¡± ¡°So, if my face was less¡­ whatever you wanna call it, I could? What¡¯s the pay?¡± ¡°Of course darling, but I don¡¯t see how that would happen. I was going to let you keep the 500 pesos.¡± ¡°Make it a thousand, and I have a way to heal my face. I¡¯ll be good as new in a day.¡± She snorts a little she laughs so hard, ¡°Darling, you need to work on your bartering. Doubling a price like that makes you seem pretentious.¡± I give her my best smile with what little I have, ¡°I¡¯m not bartering. I¡¯m just stating the price for my services. I know what I¡¯m worth. Do you?¡± Her cheeks flush, but I have no idea what I said that would make her mad, ¡°Oh, I¡¯d have to see more of you to tell what you¡¯d be worth. Although, if you come back with a healed face tomorrow I will gladly pay you the 1000 pesos.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be back around this time tomorrow.¡± ¡°I look forward to seeing you at your best tomorrow. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±
God I¡¯m so glad to be out of there. That woman is so damn gorgeous, but the hunger in her eyes is so off putting. I don¡¯t even know what she¡¯s hungry for. I think it¡¯s power, but she wants any and all power. Power over me, power over Zijde, power over Nassau¡­ hell she might be aspiring to rule the world some day. I really don¡¯t know how to take it, but I do know it makes me feel uncomfortable. Any-who, I¡¯m just gonna lay down in the room I rented for for the next 24 hours. I paid the guy double to make sure no one bothers me to be on the safe side. I¡¯ve been trying to eat this brick of nutrition for the last 20 minutes, but it¡¯s starting to really kick my ass. It doesn¡¯t taste nasty, but it is definitely bland. It¡¯s kinda sweet and savory, but it tastes like wet cardboard mostly. After eating about 75% of it, I decide that it¡¯ll have to be enough. Go to rewrap the brick in the plastic, but I can¡¯t find it. I know I put it on the this little table beside the bed. Wait, what happened to the syringe I used yesterday? It was plastic¡­ I take out the small plastic tonic bottle and down it. It thankfully had no taste whatsoever. I place it down on the night stand and watch it. After about 30 seconds I blink and it¡¯s gone¡­ Welp, I¡¯m just gonna do my best to ignore that trippy bullshit and logou¡­ damn my nose itches. Shit, it¡¯s getting so much worse. I fight the urge to scratch, but after a few seconds the itching is so overpowering it feels like my nose is burning. I go through the logout procedure as fast as I can, but right before I lose consciousness, I feel the bones rapidly growing underneath my tender flesh.
I see the same bland white ceiling as I come out of the game. I should get a picture or something to put up there so it¡¯s a little more pleasant to logout. I unplug the spinal implant so I can take a shower and catch up on some basic hygiene stuff I¡¯ve been neglecting. I''m so glad I didn¡¯t wait any longer to log out though. That itching will haunt me. It felt like there were bugs underneath my skin, and I can firmly say, that shit isn''t for me. I fill a bathtub with warm water, and take my first dump on a toilet in what seems like years. You¡¯d have to experience shiting off the side of a ship to really grasp how uncomfortable it is. I use a wet wipe and walk over to the bath. As I sink down into the warm water I feel my body really relax for the first time in so long. As I sit there, I pull out my phone to look at the news. Wow, this is some pretty intense backlash¡­ Welp, I don¡¯t really need to get into all that. It¡¯s not like that gonna affect me anymore. I get out of the bath, dry myself off, and grab a nutritional supplement from the kitchen. I make myself comfy at my desk, and I go through all the steps to log into my Rio Grande account. I check my standing and my income, but there hasn¡¯t been enough time to pass for the system to update. I spend the next few hours reading forums, until a come across something interesting. There is a player that¡¯s trying to compile a list of tonics and serums. She¡¯s asking other players to send in any enhancements they¡¯ve received. I think about sending mine in, but I honestly don¡¯t want anyone knowing I can regrow body parts. I check the time on my watch and see I only have about 10 minutes left before I need to log in. I start getting everything ready to login, but a notification distracts me.
System Notification
Dear Player, Our development team has been working tirelessly for the last 24 hours to implement a fix to the bug in our last patch. This patch should alleviate any problems with the skill levels. The problem that we encountered was a resetting of levels values. Basically, the patch treated everyone as if they had level one skills when your body was uploaded into the game. So, any skills you had when you first started playing were treated as level one in regards to the XP needed to level up. This wasn¡¯t a huge problem for the vast majority of players, but the select few individuals that had the ¡®.01 XP Modifier¡¯ in the beginning had the majority of their skills treated as if they were sub-level ten. These skill levels will not be taken away from you since it was caused by an error on our part. Now that our emergency patch has been implemented, players can expect another update in one weeks time. Happy Pirating, Ceto
That message doesn''t seem much like the others. I''ve never gotten a message from Ceto without a postscript. I wonder what the hell that means? Chapter 32: Little hands, Big rock Well, I guess that explains all of the skill levels I¡¯ve gotten over the last couple days¡­ it almost feels like cheating. Although, is cheating while you had no idea you were cheating really cheating? Actually, do I give a shit? Nope, I don¡¯t think I do. All I¡¯ve done in the last few days is either get richer or more powerful. Which I am going to need a stupid amount of both to prove that the right person, given the resources, can change the world through an unshakable sense of self¡­ and a healthy dose of paranoia. Well, I have a ways before I have to worry about someone I trust poisoning me¡­ I think. There is probably a lot of news that I should catch up on, but screw it. I decide to spend just enough time to read the wiki on Mexican Axolotl to be informed on what that serum was based on. That¡¯s all I have the patience to do though. It¡¯s been almost a week straight of having some kind of horrible injury. Well, I hope I¡¯m healed¡­ I may actually kill Liber if he lied to me. Eh, nevermind. I think that would just hurt me in the long run. I insert the spinal implant into the base of my skull, and lay back into my bed, falling into the game.
As I come to, I realize I have never been this fucking hungry in my life. I look around, and see that half-eaten nutritional brick. I start biting off the largest chunks my mouth could fit. It¡¯s dried out some, which makes it feel like half-dried cardboard¡­ but this is the best damn thing I¡¯ve ever eaten. After I finish it, I have a moment of feeling full, but then I realize I am thirstier than I¡¯ve ever been in my life. I can actually feel the moisture leaving my mouth. I honestly feel like I might die if I don¡¯t get water NOW. I run out to the nearest water barrel, and I dip my head under. I take in huge gulps of water until the thirst subsides. That had to be at least a gallon of water I gulped down. As I look around, I see the water barrel on the porch of the building I slept in¡­ I look down to see a horse¡¯s water trough. Then I notice the horse just staring at me from the next trough over. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking judge me. At least I don¡¯t have to worry about eating myself to death if I get fed too much¡­ I think.¡± My stomach is hurting pretty bad right now¡­
After I drank a few shots of rum to help my body kill whatever bacteria I drank, I head towards Mrs. Brown¡¯s. As I¡¯m traveling through the town, I notice a huge difference in how people treat me. Children now point and stare, instead of running away. As for adults, I only got a glance at most. I¡¯m just glad that people don¡¯t find me horrifying, but I do wish I had a mirror. A child¡¯s scream breaks my train of thought. At first I thought it might have been just kids playing, but then I hear it again¡­ there is a definite note of terror in that scream. Mrs Brown will just have to wait. As I¡¯m sprinting towards the screaming, I relish in the feeling of flexing my legs, willing myself faster. Being on a ship for so long didn¡¯t leave me much opportunity to run, but I honestly don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been this fast. I¡¯m going so fast, that I can¡¯t stop as a group of players grouped up into a tight crowd appears. I end up slamming into them, scattering them like a human bowling ball. I pick myself up, and I look at what I just broke up. At the center of the sprawled out players, there is a little girl. She is battered, bleeding, and terrified, and curled up into a ball crying. The first player to get up starts looking around in confusion until he sees me, ¡°Who the hell are you? Why would you ruin our fun like that?¡± Wait, did I just hear that right, ¡°What do you mean fun?¡± ¡°You know, beating the hell out of NPCs. It¡¯s hilarious to watch how they react. It¡¯s so realistic!¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I just snapped after looking at the little girl in that kinda shape for such a stupid reason. I sprint up to him, feigning a punch, but actually kicking the side of his knee. I hear a soft ¡®pop¡¯ as the ligaments in his knee tear. ¡°AHHHH, FUCK! My leg, my fucking leg. Why the fuck would you do that?¡± ¡°I wanted to see how realistic your reaction would be. Although, that might have been a fluke. I better make sure with the rest of you.¡± I take a few steps back and pull the khukri knives from my sheathe on my back. As soon as they come out, the other players start to freak out. One of them points at me with a look of recognition, ¡°Oh shit¡­ is that Utah? Let¡¯s kill him! We could be famous overnight!¡± Another player holds up her hands, ¡°Fuck that, I¡¯ve seen some clips of that crazy mother fucker. I¡¯m out.¡± I reach deep to find my best authoritative voice, ¡°Everybody stop. Some of you might wanna walk away from this, but you didn¡¯t give this little girl that choice. Do you honestly believe I¡¯m going to let any of you walk away? But, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to kill any of you.¡± I slide the blade of my khukri across the inside of my forearm. As the blood starts to flow, I feel myself sink into the first level of my blood high. I drop both kuhkris behind me. I break my gaze from the blood flowing down my arm. Looking up, smiling from the power I feel surging, ¡°I¡¯m not going to use my blades either¡­ I want to hurt you with my hands. I want to feel your bones break.¡± Some of the players pale at my words, some of the scoff at them, and some of them get angry. But, every single one of them pulls out some kind of blade. Well, besides for the guy on the ground beside me. He just cowers in the dirt like an earthworm. Ooohh, earthworms sound tasty right now¡­ wait, what the fuck? Why did I just think that? Before I can contemplate that weird-ass thought, the biggest player makes a move. His dreadlocks swing back and forth as he stutter steps towards me. He stabs at me with the 12 inch dagger in his left hand. I bend my torso to the side, pinning his hand against my chest with my left arm. I bring my fist across, slamming it into his locked elbow. I feel the ligaments pop as his elbow gets destroyed. He falls down to his knee, and I take the chance to rip the same arm out of socket at his shoulder. The tearing I feel from his shoulder is so damn satisfying. I leave him screaming in the dirt as I walk up to the remaining six players. A guy and a girl run up to try to stab me from two different sides. I deflect the guy¡¯s knife, but just barely move out of the way as the girl¡¯s knife continues into her friends chest. I stomp down on her overextended lead leg, causing her knee to fold backwards. I slam my elbow into her temple knocking her unconscious. The player that wanted to run earlier pointed at me accusingly, ¡° I thought you said you weren¡¯t going to kill us! He just got stabbed near the heart! He¡¯ll never survive that¡­¡± I just give her a confused look, ¡°I didn¡¯t kill him.¡± I point to the girl I just knocked out, ¡°She stabbed him, not me.¡± A look of horror spread across her face just before she turns to run. I lunge grabbing her ponytail, and jerking her towards me while I kick her lower back as hard as I can. I feel her spine pop under my boot. She hits the ground like a sack of bricks. As she starts trying to get up, she start to scream, ¡°I can¡¯t feel my legs! I can¡¯t move my legs.¡± I look up from her, smiling at the remaining two players. Both of them drop to their knees as they both start begging for mercy. I walk up to them, and put my hands on their heads, ¡°Don¡¯t worry guys. I forgive you.¡± As I feel them both relax, I slam their heads together as hard as I can, ¡°Psych.¡± The both land face first into the ground¡­ with both of their skulls caved in a few inches, ¡°Fuck, I ended up killing two of them.¡± About that time I notice a squelching noise behind me. I turn around to see the battered little girl beating the first player¡¯s face in with a huge rock. ¡°Damn kid, I think you got him.¡± She turns around with tears in her eyes, and she gives me a nod. Then she slams the rock back down, leaving it lodged into his mushy face. I raise my eyebrows, ¡°Well, remind me not to fuck with you kid.¡± Chapter 33: What鈥檚 in the pork? The little girl gets up slowly, like every movement causes her body pain. She wipes her tears, which just smears the flecks of blood across her face. She shambles over to me, and she just falls against my leg, hugging it. I put my hand on top of her head to comfort her as she starts sobbing. The player that I paralyzed is looking at us with tears in her eyes, ¡°How the fuck are you that strong? We didn¡¯t have a fucking chance against you! Fuck y¡¯all both.¡± I turn to her, letting the anger I feel show on my face, ¡°Yea, I bet this little girl was saying something very similar about five minutes ago. I¡¯m glad you understand her point of view.¡± I look down at the girl, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go get you cleaned up.¡± She looks up at me while ugly-crying and shakes her head. I pick her up, putting her on my shoulders since walking is clearly painful for her. The paralyzed player holds out a hand, ¡°Wait, your just gonna leave us like this? What the fuck am I supposed to do now?¡± I kick one of the knives lying on the ground over to her, ¡°Off yourself, bitch.¡± I relish in the silence as she tries to comprehend what I said. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s wondering how I could possibly value the ¡®life¡¯ of the little girl riding on my shoulders over whatever life that bitch is on. It¡¯s pretty simple for me¡­ she was a part of a group that just pushed this little girl to cold blooded murder. I mean, the fuckhead deserved it, but he was laying on the ground with a crippled leg. He couldn¡¯t have hurt this girl at all, but she was filled with so much hate, she used a rock to beat his face in. They pushed this girl to keep beating him even after he was dead. How could you hurt someone so innocent, so badly? Because you¡¯re weak, even in a group. Why else would you attack a little girl so violently? As I walk in the shop, the guy behind the counter flinches at my face before asking how he could help me. Then he looks up at the little girl with a blood-smeared face¡­ and almost runs into the back. While we wait, I wonder if this is the shop Billy came to? The guy from earlier brings back an old woman with a hunched back. She¡¯s studying me as she waits for my answer. ¡°How can I help you? She need a bath and clothing?¡± I give he a wry smile, ¡°Yes, she does¡­ but if you hurt her, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± A huge grin spreads across her face, ¡°Good, good, I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. Follow me darling.¡± I set her down and motion after the woman. I have to reassure her, but she eventually relents, following the old woman. I walk outside to wait for them to finish, and enjoy the breeze blowing in from the sea¡­ I really hope this little girl starts talking soon. I have no idea how to take care a little girl, and I don¡¯t want to have to worry about her on a pirate ship. Talk about a big, dysfunctional family¡­ well, I¡¯ll just do what I can for her. My nose starts to itch, and I resist the urge to scratch it, ¡°Dammit, I¡¯m so tired of not being able to scratch my fucking nose¡­ wait.¡± I reach up to to touch my nose with bated breath. Last time I did this, I almost passed out from the pain. I touch it, feeling the sensations you¡¯d expect from a normal nose. I start to scratch lightly at first, but then I pinch the bridge of my nose, rubbing it like my sanity depended on it. Once the itching subsided, I noticed a couple changes. My nose is perfectly straight, and I have no problems breathing. Although, there is a rough, raised scar stretching 3 or 4 inches across my face. I can¡¯t tell exactly how bad it is, but it¡¯s definitely going to be the first thing anyone that sees me notices. I¡¯m just glad I have the bridge of my nose back. ¡°She¡¯s ready sir.¡± I turn around to see the little girl in a long dark skirt, and a white shirt. Her dark brown hair was braided into a long ponytail that reached midway down her back. Her face looked clean¡­ except for the black eyes and busted lips. Thankfully she was pretty tan, so they don¡¯t really stand out as much as you would think. Her light brown eyes were staring at me with a odd look, a look somewhere between anger and thankfulness. I¡¯m feeling really awkward right now... like, I don¡¯t know what to do with my hands awkward. ¡°You feeling any better? You look better.¡± The girl just shrugs as she holds my gaze. ¡°Uh, you gotta name?¡± She nods slightly, never looking away. ¡°Can I know it?¡± She shakes her head slowly, never breaking eye contact. ¡°Alright kid you haven''t blinked in like 20 years. You¡¯re creeping me the fuck out. Like my hands are sweating.¡± Her face twitches slightly¡­ never blinking. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you!¡± I look at the old woman, but she just shrugs. When I look back, the little girl has her head slightly tilted and her eyes wide open. Her black eyes make her eyes look impossibly big . Her mouth is upturned into a terrifying smile. I¡¯m just waiting for her to open it and show me some kinda second demon-mouth. I jump in shock, and I end up losing my footing. I fall back on my ass, feeling the shock along my spine. Before I look up, I hear the sweetest little giggle, and that giggle turns into this little girl rolling on the ground laughing her ass off while pointing at me. Once she gets over her initial shock, the old woman ends up laughing at me as well. She doesn¡¯t hit the ground, but I think that¡¯s only because she wouldn¡¯t be able to get up after. ¡°HAHAHA, y¡¯all laugh it up, both of you.¡± I glare at the little girl rolling around on the ground, ¡°You little shit, I save your life and you do me like this?¡± She looks up at me with a warm smile, and I can¡¯t help but break out laughing as well. ¡°Alright, you both had your fun. Oh, and I¡¯ll get you back you little shit. Just you wait¡­ now, speaking of shit¡­¡± I look over at the seamstress, ¡°I¡¯ll need a wet rag, some new underwear, and some new trousers.¡± The old woman¡¯s face blanches, but the little girl just pinches her nose as she renews her high-pitched laughter while pointing at me. After I clean myself and change clothes, I go back up front to see the little girl playing with a little cloth doll the seamstress made her. I stare at the little girl for a few moments... she looks way too at ease for a little girl that just caught a beating. Her movements are still pretty stiff, and she has bruises all over her body¡­ you know, she has some pretty beefy arms for a little girl. I look at her hands, and her knuckles look to be pretty calloused. ¡°Hey kid.¡± She turns to look at me, and yep, she has scars on her chin and eyebrows. I didn¡¯t notice them because of the blood and bruises, but now she¡¯s clean, they are pretty obvious. ¡°How often do you end up in fights kid?¡± She stiffens for a moment before she forces herself to relax. She just shrugs and keeps playing with the doll. Jesus, I wish she¡¯d talk to me. ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to get from you, huh? Well, come on I have an errand I¡¯m late for. I¡¯ll find you a safe place after I¡¯m done.¡± I turn to the seamstress behind the counter, ¡°How much do I owe you ma''am.¡± She takes a moment to watch the girl play before giving me a warm, wrinkled smile, ¡°No charge sonny. It warms my heart that even in this cesspit of morality, someone other than that crazy-ass priest will look out for the children. Just don¡¯t change that part of yourself is all I ask.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I smile at her while I nod, ¡°Thank you ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll be off.¡± I motion to the little girl to follow me. She starts to rise, but I can tell it¡¯s painful for her. I reach down, grabbing her hand to help her up. Damn, her hand is really callous. She must have worked with a shovel or something to get her hands this tough. Her knuckles were the same way. Honestly, I bet her knuckles are tougher than mine¡­ As we walk through the streets towards the Brown¡¯s place, I think back to what the seamstress said. I guess I could take her to the priest, but I don¡¯t really know if that¡¯s a great idea either. Oh, I could just ask Zijde what he thinks. About that time I feel the girl poking me in the side. I look to see her pointing to the same food stand that offered me the pork kabob a couple days ago. Before I could say anything she runs up holds out her hand. The stand owner cocks an eyebrow at the child standing before him, ¡°You gonna be able to pay for this little girl?¡± She just points at me as I walk up behind her. He looks up with a flash of surprise, ¡°Oi, your face looks a hell of a lot better! I¡¯m glad to see you¡¯re doing better!¡± I am so glad the game has been filling in the blanks for my face ''magically healing''. I don''t think it would be possible to come up with a believable story. I just nod at him, and he offers the girl a pork kabob. Before I could say anything, she shakes her head no and points towards the beef kabob. The guy just shakes his head, ¡°Dammit, none of the kids eat the pork on this island.¡± He hands her a beef kabob, then turns to me, ¡°That¡¯ll be a reale.¡± I hand over a cut up piece of peso. I just hope this is enough silver to cover it. I don¡¯t have anymore pieces cut up, and I doubt this guy has press cutter for a peso. He takes the pie shaped piece of metal, inspects it for a moment, and pockets it. I nod to him as we go to leave, and the girl has already eaten half the kabob. She¡¯s ripping it off the stick and chewing with her mouth open. Her smacking could be heard across the street, and there was no sign of her stopping. I just sigh and smile, ¡°I have a question kid.¡± She looks at me with a cocked eyebrow and cheeks filled to the brim with meat. ¡°Damn you look like a chipmunk. Anyways, why didn¡¯t you want the pork?¡± She just shrugs, continuing her impressive display of awful manners. ¡°Alright, I guess I¡¯m gonna go back and grab one then. I think I¡¯m getting hungry.¡± I go to turn back, but she grabs my arm, stopping me. She just gives me a serious look as she swallows, and she slowly shakes her head. ¡°Mh, so I¡¯m guessing you know about the priest, huh? You know, I really wish you¡¯d talk to me. I have a bunch of questions for you, but that¡¯ll have to wait for now. I guess come up here with me. I don¡¯t want you getting into trouble while I meet with Mrs. Brown.¡± She just nods her head as she picks her teeth with the kabob. I walk through the front doors, and find the bouncer that usually takes me up to meet with Mrs. Brown. He looks me over a couple times before a spark of recognition shows on his face, ¡°Hmph, you look better. Here, I¡¯ll take you to the boss.¡± I just nod and go to motion for the little girl to follow me¡­ wait, where is she? I look around, but I can¡¯t find her. Dammit, I¡¯ll just have to make this meeting quick and find her after. He takes me upstairs, and I see Mrs. Brown coming out of the room across from her office. Her eyes travel up and down my body before settling on my face. She cocks an eyebrow, and smirks at me as she takes out a cigarette, ¡°Hand me that candle beside you darling.¡± I pluck the candle off its sterling silver mount, and hold it up for her. Once it¡¯s lit, she takes a drag and puts it into a cigeratte holder¡­ made out of ivory. It irks me that an elephant had to die for a fashion statement, but saying anything would just cause problems for me. She exhales the smoke, and gives me another smirk, ¡°Well, you were right. You did heal up quite nicely. I even think that scar between your eyes gives you character. It could be very off putting though¡­ if your weren¡¯t into that type of thing. Oh, darling, no need to blush! I¡¯m just saying that I think you¡¯d be the perfect man for my job¡­ among other things, but that¡¯s a topic for a different time. Come into my office and I¡¯ll handle your payment and job details.¡± She motions for the bouncer to leave with a wave of her hand. She uses a single finger to motion me to follow her into her office. I watch as she swings her hips, while making her way to the door. She opens the door, freezing as she looks to her right. ¡°How the fuck did you get in here?¡± My stomach drops as I hear a very familiar giggling coming from her office. I poke my head into the office, looking over Mrs. Brown¡¯s shoulder. I see that little girl standing over Mr. Brown with an inkwell and quills spread around her. She¡¯s standing over there with a big, beaming smile, while she¡¯s hiding something behind her back. I give her a deadpanned look, ¡°Dammit kid, how did you even get in here?¡± Mrs. Brown looks at me over her shoulder, ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°Yea, I saved her about an hour ago. A group of people were beating the hell out of her just for shits and giggles. I thought it was odd that she was up cracking jokes less than thirty minutes later, but I¡¯m starting to think there¡¯s more to her than meets the eye.¡± The little girl¡¯s smile gets even bigger when she hears my words. She takes a step to the side, waving her arms like an artist reveals a painting behind their back. Mr. Brown is covered, head to toe, in doodles drawn on him with a feather quill and ink. Mrs. Brown lets a smile creep across her face, ¡°Well, I think I like this little girls sense of humor. Here little one, I think I have candy in my room. Utah, be a dear and have a seat. We will be right back.¡± She looks back at her husband and giggles, ¡°I¡¯ve always enjoyed a little one¡¯s artwork.¡± ¡°You know kid, you¡¯re something else.¡± She doesn¡¯t even look at me while she licks her third lollipop of the day. Mrs. Brown and I got the details of my next job worked out. She even gave me my payment up front. I guess she assumed that all she¡¯d need to do is mention it to Zijde. There is no way the Cap¡¯n would lose his main fence like that. I have a pretty good description of the guy I¡¯m supposed to kill. Tall, dark hair, scar on his face, and a silver streak going through his hair¡­ he should be pretty easy to pick out in a crowd. Now, the mercury is probably going to be the most difficult aspect of this trip. I asked Mrs. Brown about mercury shipments as of late, and apparently there is constantly a shipment of cinnabar sitting in the Havana harbor. She had to explain that cinnabar was, but I didn¡¯t know that there was a mineral that you could basically distill mercury from. She gave me a letter that I can give to one of her contacts in Havana, and she should know which ship to target. Now, all I have to do is convince Zijde and the crew that it¡¯s in their best interests to take a ship like that. Knowing how worthless it is without gold ore, I suspect that will be pretty hard. Speaking of Zijde¡­ ¡°Hey Cap¡¯n, how¡¯s it going?¡± ¡°Pretty good Utah, I¡¯m glad to see that your face is better! Although, that scar is hard to look at without your skin crawling. What¡­¡± He looks down at the little girl covered in bruises walking beside me. She freezes, mid-lick, once she realizes he¡¯s staring at her. She lowers her candy, cocks and eyebrow, and stares back at Zijde. After a few seconds, Zijde bursts out laughing, ¡°Holy hell Utah, you just seem to attract all kinds of headstrong people don¡¯t you? That little urchin seems to be a barrel full of pride.¡± He turns to her, ¡°You know I¡¯m a pirate captain, right? Other that the man standing beside you, I am the meanest dog on board my ship. You sure you can hold the gaze of a man like that?¡± Zijde¡¯s eyes have a strange twinkle in them while he waits for her answer. The girl just scoffs, flicking Zijde off while she climbs up on a barrel to sit. I try to hold it in, but the dumbfounded look on Zijde¡¯s face is too much. I start to roar with laughter. The kid just stares at me at first, but she starts to cackle in a cute little girl kinda way. Zijde just shakes his head, smiling, ¡°Yep, all kinds of headstrong people... so, do you have any updates on your plan?¡± Well, that was easier than expected. I told Zijde about the cinnabar shipment, and he was all for the idea. Something I didn¡¯t think about, most mercury shipments also contain payroll and goods for the mines. Apperantly finding one in harbor is a very rare, but lucrative oppurtunity. It just so happens that the Spanish are really trying to up their gold and silver production now there is peace between the global powers. So, it isn¡¯t as rare to find one in harbor, but they are much better armed now¡­ which is why about 20 of us are going to collect some shields from Liber¡¯s shop. I look at the little girl walking side by side a bunch of dirty pirates like she belonged. I feel a twinge of regret that I can¡¯t bring her along¡­ she really is growing on me rather quickly. A pirate ship¡­ no, a ship in general isn¡¯t a place for a child that young. When we get to Liber¡¯s shop, I knock on the door, but there isn¡¯t any answer. The door is locked, but there just so happens to be a hammer shaped hole I can reach my hand in to unlatch the door. Inside, Liber is passed out in the corner. ¡°Hey Liber. Liber. LIBER!¡± I get no response other than soft snoring¡­ well, I guess that makes sense. He did stay up longer than any man ever should. I point out the shields neatly stacked up in the corner. The crew starts grabbing them, carrying them back towards the dock. I grab the last one, looking it over. Good, he put the spikes on the bottom. I go over putting a sack of 500 coins on the table, and I write Liber a note letting him know we took the shields and we¡¯ll be back for the rest of them in five or so days. I also put in the post script not to buy anymore stupid shit. I walk outside to see 16 men holding shields. I raise mine shoulder high, ¡°Alright boys, who wants to learn how to use these babies?¡± Chapter 34: The little one鈥檚 surprise ¡°So, I think we¡¯re good now.¡± Zijde looks at me sideways, ¡°I¡¯ll admit I was wrong, but can you blame me for thinking that the shields were a horrible idea?¡± ¡°Nope, I can¡¯t blame you a bit Cap¡¯n¡­ hell, I was thinking about dropping the idea.¡± It had been a rough couple of days for the crew, but we made it through it. The first day went great, until some of the crew decided to test the shields themselves. They were so drunk I guess they forgot about my warning about getting shot from the side. They lasted maybe 20 minutes before one of them was shot in the arm. He ended up losing his entire arm at the shoulder. The next incident was when we were practicing boarding a ship bigger than ours. Zijde talked a merchant into letting us practice boarding his ship, and it went ok¡­ at first. We quickly found out we needed heavier duty ladders with all the weight they had to support. When the first one broke, a man fell into the water, and he had trouble getting the shield off his arm. The shield sank him to the bottom of the harbor, 30 feet deep. Once he stopped sinking he could get the latch undone, but he was understandably shaken. We replaced the straps with a buckle that could be removed with a strong tug. Then we found out how effective the shields were at stopping people. It¡¯s great they work so well, but I just wish we didn¡¯t find out on one of our men. We had practiced the boarding formations until the men got used to carrying the shields up the heavy duty ladders. They assumed the semi-circle formation, and planted their shields using the spikes. Then the rest of the crew was ordered to try and break up the formation without guns. At first they used sticks and poles, but that didn¡¯t work. Then they start trying to shoulder their way through¡­ didn¡¯t work. Then one of the men tried to dropkick one of the shields over¡­ not only did that not work, he broke his leg. I¡¯m not talking about a small break. His leg full on splintered, bone shot through skin in three different places. Doc Zale ordered Zijde to quit ¡®whatever the fuck you¡¯re doing¡¯, or he would quit his ship. He was understandably tired of chopping off limbs¡­ two in three days is pretty bad. Zijde smiles as he lights a pipe, ¡°Yep, if the shields gave us that much grief, imagine how it¡¯ll be for whoever we¡¯re fighting.¡± I laugh as I hang my head, ¡°I really do hope so. Alright, I guess I¡¯m going to go check on the munchkin. You need me for anything else Cap¡¯n?¡± ¡°Not today Utah, but you do remember what we talked about? Women aren¡¯t allowed on pirate ships¡­ especially young women, it¡¯s awful luck.¡± Ah, there¡¯s that legendary sailor superstition. I get why we can¡¯t take her, but chalking it up to bad luck seems¡­ cold. Life on a ship is dirty, hard, and dangerous. I wouldn¡¯t want to subject any child to that. ¡°Yea, I gotcha Cap¡¯n. You sure the priest can take her in, and he¡¯ll be good to her?¡± Zijde looks off, pondering what to say, ¡°Do you know why most pirates and children don¡¯t eat pork in Nassau?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing the ¡®long pig¡¯ they¡¯ve been eating doesn¡¯t sit well with most people.¡± ¡°Right, but do you know why they are fed humans like that?¡± ¡°Getting rid of bodies?¡± Zijde smiles and nods slightly, ¡°Well yes, but Father has fed a lot of people to those pigs over the years. See, not only does Father run an orphanage, he also tries to find homes for the children. It usually works out great, the children get a sense of family and structure, and the adults get company and help working. That also helps the children, since they can learn a trade that way. Although, when Father first started homing these children, they would be abused in a myriad of ways. Well, then people ended up ¡®missing¡¯... and the child would be back in Father¡¯s care. So, that¡¯s why none of the pirates and children eat pork here in Nassau. Father isn¡¯t the only pig farmer on the island, but he is the biggest.¡± ¡°Well, damn. I didn¡¯t know that. Glad I do now though, and thanks Cap¡¯n, that makes me feel better about the girl. I¡¯d really hate for anything to happen to her.¡± ¡°I know you¡¯ve gotten attached to her my friend. Hell, I think most of the crew has enjoyed having her around, but we can¡¯t take her with us¡­ I don¡¯t think any of us could live with that on our conscious.¡± ¡°Yea, I gotcha¡­ I¡¯ll see you tomorrow Cap¡¯n.¡± Zijde just nods to me as I walk away. I make my way to the shack I rented out for the last few days. As I get closer to it, I look it over carefully. The last few times I¡¯ve came back, that little shit has either ambushed me or played a prank. I see a tuft of hair sticking out on the top of the shack, and I bucket in front of it¡­ suspiciously close to the edge, right over the door. ¡°I see you up there kid. Go ahead and push the bucket over. I¡¯m not falling for it this time.¡± The bucket falls over, spilling water everywhere. Although the tuft of hair isn¡¯t moving. ¡°Are you just gonna stay up there?¡± I hear giggling, and the tuft of hair disappears. I shake my head, smiling. I¡¯ve enjoyed the last few days, but all good things have to come to an end. I think I¡¯ll cook her some steak¡­ basted in butter¡­ I think the game has made spices more readily available. I should be able to find everything to make it tasty. I walk through the door, and I¡¯m met with a crazy amount of graffiti on the walls. There are empty inkwells, broken quill pens, and foot shaped smudges everywhere. ¡°Dammit kid, I was only gone a couple hours. How did you manage this? Also, where did you get all this ink? I know you didn¡¯t buy them¡­ what the fuck?¡± I feel a tickling on my shoulder, and I swat at it. A six-inch stick insect flies off me, landing on the floor. How long has that been crawling on me? ¡°Where are you kid? I was wondering if you¡¯d like a steak tonight? I can go pick it up and have it ready in an hour or so?¡± Next thing I know, I feel something heavy land around my neck. I reach up to feel scaly, smooth skin, and a long slender body draped over my shoulder. I throw it, and I see a five-foot-long snake sail through the air, landing in the corner. It immediately slips through a crack in the wall, escaping outside. I look up to see a lizard suspended up above me¡­ by a little girl¡¯s hand. The hand opens, and I¡¯m left scrabbling to try and dodge the foot long lizard.
I watch as the girl across from me destroys a steak. I can smell the garlic and rosemary wafting up from the steak sitting in front of me. My mouth waters as I wait for the savory fats in the steak to cool enough to keep from escapnig as I cut into it. I tried to explain the concept to the little carnivore in front of me, but it fell on deaf ears apparently. She finishes her first steak, and reaches across the table, grabbing another one just as big. She¡¯s probably eaten close to a pound of meat already.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you cut off most of your hair just to play a practical joke on me.¡± She just giggles through a mouthful of steak. I look at the coconut that has hair crudely glued on with lord knows what. I look back at her, and her shoulder length hair¡­ that use to stop midway down her back. ¡°You did get me good though, I almost shit myself again when that snake landed on me.¡± She looks up at me with a huge smile and even bigger cheeks. I hold her gaze for a few minutes before I break the methodical smacking, ¡°Why have you stuck around me kid?¡± She looks at me for a moment, and in that moment I thought she was about to talk to me¡­ but she just shrugs her shoulders. ¡°You know, The Father could get you into a family to learn a trade, and be a part of a family.¡± She jerks her head towards me¡­ glaring at me for a moment. She slowly shakes her head. I hold up my hands in defeat, ¡°Damn kid¡­ it was just a suggestion! No need to try and kill me with a look.¡± She scoffs, and continues making steak disappear much faster than any little girl ever should be able to.¡±
After a few more days training the crew and working through the plan with Zijde, it¡¯s almost time to depart. I¡¯m on my way to the Madam¡¯s brothel to meet the priest. I of course have the little girl in tow. I thought about bringing her straight to the church, but I have my doubts that I could actually get her there. Zijde and I plan on shutting the door to the brothel before the priest shows himself, and I can only hope she can¡¯t sneak off with a dozen eyes on her. I can¡¯t help but think I''m being paranoid about this, but after all the shit I¡¯ve seen her pull, I¡¯m not sure. ¡°Utah! Hey Utah!¡± I look back to see Billy dressed in the same clothes I bought him a few days ago. Although, when I bought those clothes, he didn¡¯t have a tophat, cane, and a gorgeous woman on his arm. ¡°Billy, Sarah, how have you both been? I like the cane and hat Billy. Where did you get them?¡± Beaming with pride he winks at me, ¡°It was a gift from Sarah here. She ¡®uh¡¯ felt bad for taking your money after such a ¡®pleasant¡¯ few days.¡± Sarah slaps the arm she¡¯s holding, a warm smile ever present on her face, ¡° Ah, Billy! I thought you said you wouldn¡¯t kiss and tell!¡± Billy holds his free hand up, ¡°Hey, when did I say anything about kissing? Utah, did you hear anything about kissing?¡± I can¡¯t hold back anymore, and I start laughing, ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t bring me into it. I¡¯m just heading to the Madam¡¯s to drop off...¡±I suppress the instinct to find out what look the little girl has on her face, ¡°some coin to Zijde.¡± Billy, oblivious to my near slip of the tongue, continues the conversation. His face lights up at the mention of the Madam, ¡°Oh, Sarah and I are on the way to the Madam¡¯s place as well. You see, Sarah has been saving up for years to pay off the loan the madam gave her when she was younger. At first she just did odd jobs for the Madam, but that was taking too long. She couldn¡¯t start a relationship or family, since she couldn¡¯t leave Nassau. So, adding what she¡¯s saved and my share of the last prize, she¡¯ll have enough to be free.¡± He turns to her, whispering, ¡°With me.¡± I start to say something, but the icy look Sarah gives me gives me pause. I think better than trying to get in the middle of Billy¡¯s love life. If I tell him not to buy a prostitutes freedom, he¡¯ll just do it anyways. Then, when she inevitably leaves him, he¡¯ll have resent for me for driving her away¡­ misplaced resentment, but resentment all the same. I just sigh, and give them both a warm smile, ¡°Good, I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve both had a wonderful time. I hope it all goes well.¡± Sarah¡¯s icy look melts as fast as it formed, and she directs it at Billy with her big, warm doe eyes, ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure it will darling. I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to make sure it goes well.¡± I hear an incredulous snort coming from beside me. We all look at the little girl pulling at my sleeve, urging me to continue. I guess I did say there was candy waiting for her where we were going. I look up to see Sarah red in the face, and Billy with his mouth agape. Billy points at the little girl, ¡°Uh, Utah¡­ is she yours?¡± I can¡¯t help but chuckle, ¡°Nah, this little shit isn¡¯t mine. I¡¯ve just been taking care of her. She doesn¡¯t speak, so don¡¯t worry about her saying anything. By the way, have you talked to Zijde about an advancement on your payment?¡± Billy nods his head, ¡°Yep, I ran it by him this morning.¡± Sarah scoffs, ¡°It was early afternoon dear. You were much too ¡®busy¡¯ to talk much this morning. Although, you excelled at the ''business'' your were attending to.¡± Billy turns redder than I thought possible, and I burst out laughing. Sarah giggles before turning to him, ¡°See, it¡¯s not much fun to be put on the spot, huh?¡± About that time, I feel a small foot hit my shin. It didn¡¯t really hurt, but I thumped the little girl¡¯s forehead all the same, ¡°Fine kid, lets go.¡± She gives me a scowl, but spins on her heel and walks forward with determination¡­ in the wrong direction. ¡°Hey kid, we were supposed to turn here. Where you off to?¡± She pauses for a moment before spinning on heel again, this time in the right direction. She was looking down, hiding her face, but here bright red ears betrayed her embarrassment. The couple behind me starts to giggle, but I turn to give them a harsh ¡®Ssshhh¡¯. They have no idea how vindictive that child¡¯s pranks can be. A few minutes later, we find ourselves in front of the Madam¡¯s establishment. The little girl points at the door, looking at me for confirmation. When I nod my head, she pushes the door open and walks in like she owns the place. I walk in after her to see a four foot girl wrinkling her nose, I can assume because of the horrible body odor, and her small hand out, waiting for her candy. I scan the crowd until I find Zijde. I wave my arms trying to get his attention, ¡°Hey Cap¡¯n did you pick up what I asked?¡± He walks over to me, pulling out a small bag. He extends it to me, but I simply nod to the girl. He turns to her, holding the bag out. She goes to snatch it out of his hands, but holds the bag just out of reach, ¡°Say please, and I¡¯ll let you have it.¡± There is a sparkle in Zijde¡¯s eyes¡­ which is quickly replaced with tears after the little slams her little foot into his shin as hard as she could. He drops the bag, and she snatches it out of the air with ease. The room erupts into laughter, and even Zijde can¡¯t hold it in. Once he was done laughing, Zijde wipes a tear from his eye, ¡°I suppose I was asking for that. I thought maybe I could bribe you into talking, but I suppose that wasn¡¯t my brightest moment.¡± After a few minutes, the girl had eaten several pieces of candy, and the crew was well on its way to getting plastered. I sigh, as it¡¯s probably time, ¡°Zijde, go get him. I don¡¯t think this should be drawn out.¡± Zijde looks at the little girl with a sad face before he disappears behind a door. A few moments later I hear footsteps from the largest man I¡¯ve ever met. I look down at the little girl, smiling as brightly as I could manage, ¡°Hey kid.¡± She looks up at me, sucking on the several hard candies in her mouth. Dammit, I¡¯m actually gonna miss this kid. I swear I¡¯ll hurt the priest, bad, if anything happens to her. ¡°So, I know you¡¯re probably gonna be mad at me, but I really can¡¯t take you with me.¡± She shakes her head, and waves my comment away like I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m talking about. I just smile, ¡°Sorry kid.¡± I look up to see the priest standing in the doorway¡­ with a shocked look on his face, ¡°Hybi? Is that little Hybi?¡± The little girl freezes for a moment, but then her face flushes bright red. She spits all the candy out on the floor, and turns to face the priest. She glares at him for maybe a second before opening her mouth, ¡°Fat priest.¡± Two things shocked me about what Hybi said. First, the fact that she said anything was mind-blowing. Second, I didn¡¯t know that a voice that sounded so innocent could be dripping with that much malice at the same time. Not A Chapter: Q/A plus some announcments So, after visiting with my family, my 5 year plan has completely changed, and I am about to be going through some serious changes. All that has me to thinking about all the hours I''ve put into this book, and I don''t really have anything to show for it. I mean, I can say I was on trending, but that only means something to a very small population. I''m losing motivation to get chapters out weekly, which worries me. I''m not going to drop this story, but I also don''t want it to take years for me to write it. So, I have decided I am going to pre-realease chapters onto my Patreon. I need something else to motivate me to write, and money typically motivates me pretty well. So, I am going to release the next 3 chapters onto my Patreon, and then I will start releasing them onto RR. I might do some bonus POV chapters exclusive to my Patreon, but there will be nothing integral to the plot left out here on RR. Now, I''m sure you all are wondering how much I''m going to make the paywall? Well, I was thinking about having a $1, $3, $5 monthly donations. There won''t be any difference between each amount. I just want to give anyone feeling generous the ability to help me a little extra. I thank all of you for your support so far, and I hope I can count on your continued support.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Chapter 35: All Consuming Darkness Hybi glares at me for a moment, I can see the gears turning in her head. I tense my body, preparing to try and catch her if she bolts. Then, like a deflating balloon, her shoulders droop. She walks over to me and hugs my leg, much like when we first met. After a few moments, she pulls away sniffling. She looks up at me with red, puffy eyes, ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t talk to you this whole time. I just didn¡¯t wanna say anything stupid and push you away... ¡° She looks back at the priest, ¡°I know I¡¯ve done it before.¡± She turns back to me, and she¡¯s barely able to hold back tears, ¡°I guess not talking did the same thing.¡± That hits me in the stomach like a fucking dumptruck. Her behavior all starts to click in my head, and I feel for this kid. I have an overwhelming need to protect her, and honestly, for a moment, I consider dropping my plans to fully take care of her. But, I realize that if my plans succeed, situations like this will become such a rare thing. ¡°Kid, I¡¯ve had a lot of fun the last couple days. I¡¯ve really enjoyed your company, but I can¡¯t take you with me on a pirate ship. It¡¯s cramped, dirty, and dangerous¡­ It¡¯s not just me, but all of the crew doesn¡¯t want that done to you. If you don¡¯t want to go with the priest, I¡¯ll find something else.¡± I see her taking in what I just said, and she thinks about it for a moment before she shrugs, ¡°I like the fatty over there. He was always really nice to me, but he gave me away to some¡­ well nevermind. I guess I¡¯m just going to be handed off again. I should be used to it by now, but I just felt like you would never hurt me. I thought you were different.¡± I look back to see the priest wearing a look of horrid guilt. I look down at Hybi, a warm smile spreading across my face, ¡°Hybi, how about this. In a years time, I will have a spot that you can have a permanent home in. I won¡¯t be there all the time, but when I¡¯m there, we can spend all the time together you¡¯d like. Also, you''re right. I could never hurt you.¡± Hybi looks up at me, hopeful tears spilling freely, ¡°You promise?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± She hugs me again, and I ruffle her hair with my hand. Father walks over and puts his enormous hand on Hybi¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Come child, I promise that you will not have to go with anyone that you don¡¯t wish to. I learned my lesson last time. I¡¯m just glad to see you alive after all this time.¡± Hybi breaks off the hug and looks at me with bleary eyes. I give her a smile before Father starts leading her away. I grab Father¡¯s arm as he goes to turn away, which is kinda comical since my hand doesn¡¯t even reach a quarter of the way around his massive arm, ¡°Father.¡± ¡°Yes my son?¡± ¡°If anything happens to her, I will hurt you.¡± He gives me a big smile through his black, unkempt beard, ¡°Good, I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way my son. Honestly, your the first person I''ve met in a long time that could back that claim up. Although, I have a warning for you as well. I''ll break your legs if this little one doesn''t have a home in a years time.¡± I feel a sense of relief spread over me as I hold his gaze. I honestly never knew that a threat like that could give me such a sense of comfort.
As I¡¯m making my way through the streets, I am having a hard time clearing my head. When I think back on that whole interaction with the priest and Hybi I can¡¯t help but feel like it was¡­ too easy. I mean, I¡¯m glad it went well, but easy and Hybi don¡¯t usually go well in the same sentence. Well, I¡¯m probably just overthinking it, but I really hope she¡¯s gonna be ok. I just feel like she... gave up. As I finish up that thought, I find myself in front of Liber¡¯s shop. I knock on the door. ¡°Who is it¡­ ah hell, Utah is the only one that comes to see me, come in.¡± I push through the door, and I see four stacks of shields along the wall. On the opposite wall, there are three kilns going at the same time. Liber is currently carrying a ceramic crucible the size of a medium size watermelon to a wooden box filled with clay. His arms are bulging with a ludicrous amount of muscles and veins as he begins to pour the molten metal into what I can only assume is a cast. I don¡¯t dare say anything before he finishes and sets the crucible back into the kiln. Could only imagine the disaster it would be if his skill stopped midway like last time. Liber turns to me, ¡°I¡¯ve gotten a lot better at controlling my concentration, but I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t say anything. I don¡¯t wanna risk dropping 50 pounds of molten iron everywhere.¡± He walks over to a bucket of water and pulls out a washcloth. He wipes most of the grime off of himself, then dumps some of it over his head to cool off. He turns to face me, and he looks waaaay better. His face isn¡¯t sunken, the dark circles under his eyes are gone, and the workshop doesn¡¯t smell like ass anymore. ¡°Damn Liber, you look better! What happened?¡± ¡°Ehh, I used all of the coca leaves up. I actually sleep now.¡± ¡°Ah, well sorry about threatening you, but I couldn¡¯t risk you spending all of the coin on coca leaves.¡± Liber scratches his head while looking away from me. He barely whispers, ¡°I¡¯m just glad I couldn¡¯t find anymore.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Me to, I¡¯d hate to have beat sense into you.¡± Liber''s eyes widen as he looks up, ¡°Utah, how high is your perception? I barely whispered it.¡± I give him my cockiest smile, ¡°High enough. Now, show me what you¡¯re working on.¡± Liber looks at me for a moment longer before letting out a nervous chuckle. He walks over to a crate and lifts the lid. He pulls out a two and a half foot long dart, handing it to me. It weighs probably 20 pounds and the shaft is about two inches wide, and it has four fins sticking out another inch or so. The fins are placed about a couple inches from the back of the dart. The last bit of metal sticking out is tapered to a blunted point. I have no fucking clue what he could be thinking. I look at him, ¡°Liber, what the fuck are we going to do with this? I told you I wanted rifled cannons.¡± Liber gives me a huge grin, ¡°Utah my friend... rifling barrels. with the equipment I have now, are impossible. That dart you¡¯re holding there is the answer to our problems. If it works, it¡¯ll have better range than a rifled cannon¡­ if not, you¡¯ll still have more range than a roundshot cannon.¡± ¡°Ok, but how are we going to use it?¡± Liber gets that crazy look in his eye when he is thinking up something insane, ¡°That¡¯ll be a surprise, but just know, when I was a kid, I had a great idea for a explosive-assisted ballista.¡± ¡°You serious?¡± He gives me a crazy look, ¡°I don¡¯t know, am I?¡± I flick my eyes towards him, all humor gone from my face, ¡°I hope for both our sakes, you are.¡± ¡°Hahaha, you¡¯re so funny Utah. Anyways, I¡¯ve been thinking, and I think that in order to do what you planning, it¡¯ll take at least a hundred 12 pound cannons. I¡¯d start acquiring them if I were you.¡±
As I walk through Nassau for the last time before I board ¡°Going Swiftly¡± I try to shed the doubts I have on Liber. I¡¯ve put all of my eggs into one highly qualified basket, but damned if I don¡¯t feel like that basket is unstable¡­ a hundred 12 pound cannons? Does he realize how many fucking cannons that is? I guess even if he does break all my eggs, I can still cripple him for the rest of the game. Killing him 30 times should leave him with the skill stats of an infant. I shake my head to clear those thoughts. No use in thinking about it until he fucks it all up. I walk through the town I feel a sense of relief and apprehension. I¡¯m so ready to start working towards my goal, and I have to leave the island to do that. I just don¡¯t want to lose the connections I¡¯ve made here, and all it will take is two mistakes. Two mistakes and every person on this island besides Liber will forget who I am. That thought makes my stomach sink¡­ Hybi will forget everything about me¡­ ¡°Utah, UTAH!¡± Zijde breaks me out of my somber realization by shaking my arm slightly, ¡°Are you ok my friend? You seem disturbed.¡± I give Zijde my most reassuring smile, ¡°I¡¯m good, I just have a lot on my mind.¡± Zijde gives me a skeptical look, ¡°Well, are you ready to set sail? We have a lot to see and a lot to pillage.¡± The smoothness of his voice and the warmth of his smile really does wonders to set my mind at ease. I smile, looking out at the ¡°Going Swiftly¡±, ¡°Yes, we do have a lot to pilfer through. I think I need to keep looking forward instead of worrying about what might happen.¡± Zijde takes out a pipe, lights it, and takes a long drag. As he exhales, he slowly nods his head, ¡°I couldn¡¯t put it better myself my friend.¡± We both get onto the supply laden rowboat and make our way to the ship. As I put my feet on the deck, I look around seeing the ship slowly but surely being prepped to sail. The cannons are being tended to, the rigging is being inspected, and the excess supplies is being taken down below. I walk down to make sure the shields are covered with canvas like I asked. We smeared animal fat on the across the surface of them to keep them from rusting, but I¡¯d still like them covered from the ocean air. I make my way back topside when I hear Zijde calling the crew. I find him surrounded by the crew , ¡°Alright my friends, are you ready to sail for Havana? Are you ready to take from good ole¡¯ King Phillip? Are you ready to get even richer boys?¡± The deck shakes from the crew stomping their feet, clapping, and yelling in agreement to our captain''s words. ¡°Well, lets see how fast our little ship can fly now it¡¯s been repaired. Let¡¯r rip boys!¡± As soon as the captain gave the command, every sail on the ship was opened up at the same time. The ship lurches forward, accelerating with reckless abandon through the crowded harbor. The helmsman is swinging the wheel back and forth, trying his best to miss the small fishing boats that litter the harbor. As we pass them, we can hear the men screaming curses at our ship. I turn to Zijde at a loss for words. He sees the frantic look on my face and laughs, ¡°My boy, we are the crew of the ¡°Going Swiftly¡±! Why in the hell would we ever pretend otherwise. Let the men surrounding us spit and curse our names! There¡¯s little else one can do when staring at the ass-end of my ship.¡±
After a few hours at our breakneck pace, we had traveled 20 miles out from Nassau. The crew is starting to lose their exuberance and fall into a methodical rhythm. Most of the men are working the rigging, and the rest are either relaxing or gambling. Since the ship is fresh out of the dock, there isn¡¯t anything to clean, organize, or fix, so most of the crew is idle. Which, is sometimes a problem¡­ it¡¯s hot, cramped, and already starting to reek of body order. Zijde and Bheki have already had to break a couple scuffles, but that should get better once the ship is needing constant attention. As for me? I¡¯m just laying here sipping on rum. I¡¯m soaking up the sun, enjoying the salty breeze, and enjoying my buzz. I watch Zijde start heading my way after talking to the helmsman. ¡°Well my friend, you look like you¡¯re enjoying yourself.¡± He motions for the bottle, and sits down beside me after taking a long swig, ¡°Ahh that hit the spot, there isn¡¯t anywhere else I¡¯d rather be right now. So, are you excited about taking the next step in your plan?¡± I take the bottle, taking another swig, ¡°You know it. Although, Liber did drop another bomb on me. Apparently we need a few dozen 12 pound cannons for the attack on the treasure fleet. I really don¡¯t know how we are gonna get that many.¡± Zijde looks at me with a crazy grin, ¡°You know, we could try assaulting a fort. Twelve pound cannons are usually what they are armed with. We that¡¯s always an option... and something I''ve always wanted to accomplish.¡± I just laugh while shaking my head, ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t just take a few ships for now. I am glad to know we have that option if need be though.¡± ¡°Ship off the port bow, looks like a schooner, flying Spanish colors!¡± Zijde and I look at each other, each of us sporting a huge grin. Zijde stands up and yells to the crew, ¡° Alright friends! Let¡¯s see if we can punch ol¡¯e King Phillip in the royal cock right quick!¡± Zijde turns around giving me an all too familiar thumbs up, and all I can do is smile. Chapter 36
Chapter 37: Brown Into Blue I wake up in a candlelit room that has a strong scent of alcohol. I sit up, and almost passed out from the pain. ¡°Fuck, what all muscles did I tear?¡± I hear Doc Thomas rise from a chair in the corner, ¡°Son, I¡¯m not sure what to say. I would say that you need to stop tearing your body down like you have been, but you¡¯re not only healing at a mind-boggling rate¡­ but you are healing injuries that shouldn''t be possible. Not only that, but you saved us. If you wouldn¡¯t have slaughtered that crew like you did, I¡¯m sure they would have sunk us. We lost 29 men, about a quarter of the crew. Zijde is a marvelous captain, but I don¡¯t think he would¡¯ve been able to get them organized enough to run. Son, I¡¯m not sure if anyone has told you, but I thank you. You¡¯ve saved dozens of lives, but I honestly don¡¯t think we would have outrun the Spanish Conglomerate ship if you didn¡¯t take the Narwhal by yourself when we first met you. That, and I think we would¡¯ve have all died today if not for you¡­ thank you.¡± He puts a massive hand on my shoulder, his face sets into hard scowl, ¡°Now, listen to Doc Thomas boy, I¡¯ll whip your ass if you don¡¯t heed my instructions. We have a week until we make it to Cuba. I have a week to get you into tip top shape. I don¡¯t care if I have to tie you down, drug you, or turn this boat around to Nassau, you will do as I say. The Cap¡¯n, Bheki, and myself have decided that you are too important to lose. Now, if you want to leave one day, no one will stop you, but we will not have you pirate yourself to death.¡± He looks at me, waiting for me to acknowledge him. I give him a solemn nod, ¡°I can do that Doc, but what ended up happening? What was on the ship?¡± A huge grin spreads across his face, ¡°Oh my boy, we caught a mining supply run. We got plenty of the cinnabar that you needed and a pretty penny from their payroll. Now, we are still heading to Havana so you can complete your task for Mrs. Brown, but this voyage is already a success. Everything now is a bonus.¡± ¡°It was that easy? We¡¯re done?¡± Doc Thomas snaps his head towards me, holding my gaze for a moment. Then, I see a massive hand flying towards my face. I try to block it, but there is just too much mass coming too fast. His hand pushes my arm to the side, and then slams into the side of my head. I feel my ass leave the bed as his slap picks me up, sending me through the air, into the wall. I crumple into a useless pile, and I feel the deep, thunderous steps coming towards me. I try to look up at him, but I honestly don¡¯t know which way is up right now. ¡°Son, I know you saved a bunch of lives today, but I want to bring to your attention, almost thirty fucking people died taking that ship. Yea, if they would have listened to you, that number would¡¯ve been lower, but how do you justify that? You are a great leader when they listen, but I bet you tell yourself, ¡®Well, I told them if they followed me they would¡¯ve been fine.¡¯ Utah, I¡¯ll tell you now¡­ that¡¯s a crock of shit. You didn¡¯t train those men well enough. ¡®Oh but I only had a month to train them¡¯... fuck you Utah, I save lives and I thought you were of the same mindset. But if 29 fucking lives were cheap to you, this will be the last fucking time I ever treat your sorry ass.¡± I look up to the good doctor for quite a few moments. What the fuck have I become¡­ I just said 29 of our own lives were cheap¡­ who says that? Each one of those men were their own being. Certo made their personality just as real and complex as a real human. When did that happen? Doc walks over to a drawer and sets up an opium pipe. He brings it over, ¡°Smoke this son, I think you need to rest and reflect.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I start to refuse, but a hard look from the good doctor changes my mind. A few moments after my long drag I feel the opium hit me. The euphoria is amazing, and the pain I feel starts to melt from my body. I take a couple more drags and find an opium ball in my hand. I wash it down with a swig of spiced rum, and I am able to relax completely for the first time in quite some time.
After what feels like a couple seconds, I awake to a pressure on my chest. I look down to see Hybi sleeping on my chest. I cant help but smile, but I am also hit with a difficult realization¡­ every npc has the same level of personality as Hybi. How did I begin to overlook that? When did I become any other player? As I look down, and I can¡¯t help but play with her hair as I contemplate what the game means to me. She stirs, looking up at me with a sleepy smile. "You need to quite getting hurt. If you don''t stop I''ll make sure you can never leave me again." She gives me a hard look... which just ends up look adorable, "I don''t want to lose you, because you make me feel safe. Now, you go to sleep and take care of yourself." Without another word she puts her head down to go back to sleep. I feel myself nodding off as I untangle her hair. "Wait, how the fuck did she get on the ship?"
I wake and frantically look for Hybi¡­ but there is no sign of her. I check my clothes for her hair, smells, anything, but there isn¡¯t any sign of her. I can¡¯t help but feel disappointment as I realize her presence was nothing more than a dream. I get up, taking stock of my battered body. I have over a dozen gashes stitched up, and my knee is swollen and aching. Looks like I tore ligaments or my meniscus pretty badly¡­ probably both actually. As I stand up, I realize two things, it¡¯s going to suck walking for a while and I have to shit so bad. I start hobbling up to the deck, and I see it¡¯s late at night. I suppose that is for the best, I really don¡¯t want to talk to anyone right now. As I get topside, I revel in the cool night air for a moment before I make my way over to the edge of the ship. ¡°Ugh¡­ I hate doing this.¡± I throw a bucket over the side and haul up some seawater, placing it beside me. Then I pause remembering something. I check my streaming status and see that I am currently broadcasting¡­ I breath a sigh of relief as I turn it off. Then, I squat off the side of the ship. I try to ignore my knee screaming at me as I hold onto the banister for support. After I drop my brown into the blue, I splash some water on my ass to ¡®clean¡¯ myself before pulling up my trousers. ¡°Jesus, I miss toilets, toilet paper, and daily showers. I am going to get a better ship designed at some point... a outhouse can''t be that hard to build on a ship. Well, at least I remembered to turn off my stream first. I mean, who the hell would want to see or hear about me taking a shit off the side of the ship?¡± I make my way back down, but stop at the cargo hold before I try to go back to sleep. I look around and see that there really was a huge load of cinnabar on the Spanish ship. I couldn¡¯t imagine that Liber would need anymore for quite some time. I guess the Spanish really are trying to take advantage of peacetime to refill their royal coffers.
Notification
Hello Utah, This message is to clear up any questions about the live streaming service. We a the Rio Grande Gaming Division first set the streaming service to be completely up to the players, but the AI Certo realized that many players were forgetting to turn their stream off during potentially private points in time. So, she has been manipulating players streams so any sensitive information isn¡¯t released to the public. This option will now be the default setting. Players can turn this function off, but it is not recommended. We hope that this will answer any concerns players might have. Happy gaming, RGGD P.S. You¡¯re welcome Utah. Certo
Hmmm, I guess that answers the questions I¡¯ve been having about how I haven''t fucked myself over with the streaming. I guess that¡¯s one less thing to worry about. I mean, looking at the postscripts I¡¯ve been getting from Certo, I think she has my best interest at heart. I open the door to Doc Thompson¡¯s infirmary, lay down, and shut my eyes. I think back to the dream of Hybi taking care of me, and drift asleep thinking about how real it was. Chapter 38: I was basically bedridden for for the next week, but doc Thomas was right. I really am healing faster than any human has a right to. All of the wounds Doc Thomas had stitched up were completely closed. The swelling in my knee had disappeared, and it only bothered me when I did hard stops with it. While I was waiting, I talked to a few of the men about the layout of the city and how far my target¡¯s mansion was from it. It wasn¡¯t very surprising, but none of the men had any idea about my targets mansion. I mentally go through the details again, kill Diego Mera, he is tall, dark hair with a silver streak, and a large facial scar. Doesn¡¯t matter how I kill him, just don¡¯t get caught. He¡¯ll be having a huge party in a couple days, and Mrs. Brown wants it done then. It should all be easy enough. I¡¯ll just get a poisoned blade, stab him, and then run like crazy. The most important thing is not to get cornered and give into my blood high. There is no telling how many people I might end up killing before it runs out of steam. I spend the rest of my time sharpening my blades, cleaning my guns, and oiling my harness. When I get into town, I¡¯ll find an oversized dress coat to hide my weapons.
¡°So, how do I look?¡± Bheki answers in a deadpanned voice, ¡°Like a child playing in his father¡¯s clothes. How did you think that would work?¡± I look down at the oversized dress frock coat. I guess it was pretty big but it can¡¯t be that bad. I look over to Zijde, wondering what he thought. ¡°My friend¡­ that coat screams, ¡¯I have weapons. You better search me!¡¯. You won¡¯t make it through the front gate without taking it off.¡± Bheki chuckles, ¡°Now, you could stash the weapons over the wall and then take advantage of it¡¯s¡­ ample space. That¡¯s an option.¡± Zijde just shakes his head, ¡°I still think that since he¡¯s using his mansion by the ocean, we should use my idea. We won¡¯t have to worry about you getting killed that way.¡± I just roll my eyes, and Bheki clears his throat, ¡°Cap¡¯n I don¡¯t think bombarding the party via ship will go over very well with the aristocracy of Cuba. I don¡¯t think Mrs. Brown will be happy with the outcome either.¡± Zijde shakes his head in defiance, ¡°She did say she didn¡¯t care how it was done.¡± I walk up, putting my hand on his shoulder, ¡°Cap¡¯n other than the¡­ ¡®heavy handed¡¯ nature of your plan, there is one major problem. How am I going to make sure he dies? I¡¯m sure the chances aren¡¯t in his favor, but with my luck, I¡¯d kill everyone but him. You know Bheki and I are right.¡± Zijde looks out from the pier for a few moments, ¡°I suppose you both are right, but once darkness falls we will have the ship in place to pick you up. There might just be a oil-doused pile of wood on the beach, that could be set ablaze to¡­ oh I don¡¯t know, commence the bombardment of a bunch of pompous Spaniards.¡± Bheki gives me apprehensive look as he waits for me to answer. I look at Zijde and just nod my head, ¡°Alright Cap¡¯n I¡¯ll keep it in mind, but don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± Zijde walks off grumbling something about not knowing a good idea if it bite you in the ass. I look at Bheki and smile, ¡°He has his day doesn¡¯t he?¡± Bheki studies me for a moment before smiling, ¡°I can¡¯t help but agree. You should probably head out though. You have quite a bit to do before the day is over.¡± I just nod before making my way towards the mansion. As I make my way down the winding road I think about everything that has happened the last few weeks. I really have become a part of the game. I feel way more accepted her than I do in real life. No matter how hard I tried to clear my name, I never got anywhere. I mean, the proof was right there. My lieutenant colonel was clearly corrupt when he was forced to retire just after my discharge. I had recordings, correspondence, but it was never enough. I just don¡¯t understand how I could go from modern day war hero to criminal in just under a year. It just seems that everything about the situation has been suppressed¡­ I shake myself out of my self pity as I start approaching the main gate. I guard holding a musket, stops me, ¡°Hello sir, could I see your invitation?¡± ¡­ What the fuck. How could Mrs. Brown not tell me about an invitation? Isn¡¯t that pretty standard for an infiltration? Damn, I bet all that shit with Hybi distracted her and caused her to forget. I can''t help but smile, ¡°A pain in my ass even from here.¡± ¡°Excuse me sir?¡± I wave him off, ¡°Ah nothing, I seem to have left the invitation in my room in town. I will go collect it and be back shortly.¡± The man studies me for a moment, ¡°Fucking peasants, get out of here.¡± I give him a friendly smile, ¡°Be glad I¡¯m busy.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I walk away from the guard yelling some dumb shit to the back of my head. When I¡¯m out of sight, I cut through the dense foliage, and I make my way to the estate wall. It¡¯s about eight feet tall, and I struggle to make it over with all of the gear on my person. After I bust my ass on the other side, I get up brushing myself off. ¡°Eh, I¡¯m starting to think that Zijde might have had the winning idea.¡± I look back at the wall, ¡°Yea, that fucking wall would look much better after a few cannonballs.¡± I pull out a three inch knife Liber made me. It has a needle sharp point, that quickly spreads out to be three inches across. Perfect for what I have planned tonight. After 15 minutes of pushing my way through what I thought was jungle, I come across a stone pathway, ¡°Huh... of course the rich guy has a fucking maze. Maybe Zijde had a point when he was talking about just shelling the damn place.¡± It¡¯s definitely a rich guy maze though. The stones are a soft, uniform gray, and each stone is flush with the one beside it, leaving nothing to possibly trip on. The hedges must be some kind of tropical variety since they have huge ombre flowers that go from white to purple with every shade in between. Also, the walls aren¡¯t a solid mass of sticks and leaves, more like a tropical bush that made it easy to slip inside as the partygoers walk past. After an infuriating hour of slinking and hiding, I made my way to the party proper. I decided to stash my coat and weapon harness at the beginning of the maze¡­ I hate to admit it, but after seeing how the other guests are dressed, Bheki is right about me looking ridiculous. Now, the maze was pretty well lit, but it¡¯s nothing compared to the courtyard at the entrance. A large open area with palm trees lining the edges. Between each tree are candles inside an opaque glass housing, each emitting a dim yellow glow, but add the hundreds of them together, it made for gorgeous party lighting. Inside the row of trees, tables lined each side the entire 100 plus yards to the mansion. Each table filled with all the food and drink one could hope for. Now, the mansion was a sight to behold¡­ four stories tall, with marble balconies jutting out from the first couple stories. The walls are a cream color, with the pillars and windows painted to a rich green color. The through the floor-to-ceiling window, I can see huge crystal chandeliers and paintings along the walls. Above it all, are two 30 foot, square towers topped with terracotta roofs. ¡°Stupid rich doesn¡¯t even touch this¡­ this is the culmination of generations of men with micro-peens trying to compensate rich.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I turn around to see a woman trying too hard with makeup, and wearing a green ball gown worth more than most men¡¯s yearly wages, ¡°Oh uh¡­ was that out loud? It¡¯s just something I do to make me feel better about my lack of funds. I honestly can¡¯t believe that I was invited her in the first place.¡± She twists her face into a disgusting sneer, ¡°Oh my, the really did show pity on some of the ¡®lessers¡¯ this time. I guess it does make for good entertainment, watching you fumble around clearly out of place.¡± She spins around, flicking her hand into the air, as she walks away. I watch as she laughs all the way over to a group of people, talks to them for a moment, points me out, and they all begin to laugh at my expense. I do my best to rein in the fire from my chest, but I can¡¯t do much about changing shades of red though. Mhhh, Zijde may have had the winning plan from the start... Before the I snap on somebody, I walk off towards a table full of different drinks. I see an older man with a dark, leathery tan serving alcohol from a couple dozen bottles. I cock and eyebrow as he makes a show of flipping bottles, mixing drinks with both hands, and tossing used fruit into a trash bin about 20 feet away. As I approach, he flashes a bright white smile that surprises me. His teeth would give a hollywood actor a run for his money they are so well kept. ¡°What will my kind sir be drinking tonight? We have several vintages of red and white wine, brandy, rum, ales, scotch, and something new tonight, tequila.¡± His voice is deep and raspy, but makes me feel like he really cares about me. I have no idea why, but I just feel like I could trust him to watch a $1000 dollars for me. And until he mentioned tequila, he made everything sound so appetizing, but I must have grimaced when he said tequila since he started chuckling. ¡°Oh my, already made its acquaintance eh? Well, my personal favorite is this peach brandy, but the peach wine is a close second.¡± ¡°Oh you could say I love tequila, but tequila doesn''t love me. Well, how bout a drink of brandy to start me off and a glass of wine to carry with me.¡± He smiles and nods with satisfaction, ¡°Excellent choice my kind sir! I would likely have chosen the very same thing in your position. Here you are, first the brandy.¡± I take the small crystal glass, bringing it to my lips. The sweetness of the peaches made my mouth water as the subtle sourness only made it taste that much more of peaches. Then I couldn¡¯t help but sigh as the alcohol warmed my belly. ¡°I see my kind sir agrees with my taste in spirits, I¡¯m sure the wine will be just as pleasing.¡± I take a glass of wine, giving him my best smile, ¡°So, who brewed the wine that made the brandy?¡± A spark of pride flickers in the man¡¯s eyes, ¡°Oh I brew all the wine we serve at the properties here sir, and I also distill the brandy. I have been doing so for the last 15 years.¡± ¡°Oh? You must really know your way around winemaking? What does a man of your talents make a year? I would be more than willing to give you half again what you make now.¡± No sooner than the words leave my mouth, the pride leaves his eyes, ¡°I do apologize for my kind sir, but I am not that kind of employee of Mr. Mera. You would need to speak with him about purchasing me.¡± Ugh¡­ purchase him? I know that slavery was in it¡¯s hayday here, but a man talking about being bought to my face just fucks with me. It¡¯s all I can do to keep the conversation halfway smoothly, ¡°Oh, well eh¡­ where could I find Mr. Mera? I have some other business to discuss with him as well.¡± The man smiles once again, but I can feel the sadness from him. I can only imagine how hard it is to be proud of your profession when your considered ¡®property¡¯, ¡°Yes, you can walk through the double doors at the base of the mansion. I appreciate your enthusiasm when it comes to Mr. Mera¡¯s wine.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your name sir?¡± He looks slightly taken aback when I address him as sir, ¡°My name is Tormal.¡± ¡°Excellent Mr. Tormal. I just want you to remember something. This wine isn¡¯t Mr. Mera¡¯... if you disappeared right now, Mr. Mera wouldn¡¯t have shit.¡± It¡¯s almost impossible to see through his deeply tanned skin, but I think I see the man blush, ¡°If you say so, sir.¡± I start to walk to the doors to find the man I am supposed to assassinate, but a thought stops me short, ¡°Mr. Tormal, where are the slave quarters in relation to the mansion?¡± Chapter 39
I found out that the slave quarters were about a half mile from the mansion proper, down the ¡®mountainside¡¯, towards the coast. Which means the people here walk a long winding road to get to the mansion before dark every single day, even Sundays. Unlike most Catholics, Mr. Mera doesn¡¯t seem to think much about the sabbath. Well, in a couple of days, the slaves here will have a chance to live free. I think the Zijde wouldn¡¯t mind rustling up another ship if I ask nicely. I bid Mr. Tormal good night, and find my way into the mansion. I stop to savor some venison that had been marinated in some kind of delicious mango sauce. Much like Mr. Tormal, this man has been the one to cook almost all of the venison dishes served tonight. Hopefully I¡¯ll be able to hire some of these people to help supplement the crew¡¯s diet. Fine food and drink would do wonders to keep the crews moral up if out at sea. After finishing the wonderful food, I try to make it into the mansion, but the sheer amount of people entering and exiting made it a 10 minute ordeal. Although with enough patience and a small distraction, I finally found my way inside the large glass double doors. I just hope the top of that woman''s hear isn''t burned too badly. I''m not sure what substance she used to fix her hair in place, but I now know that shit is highly flammable... anywhoseit. I really did think the outside of the mansion was the pinnacle of luxury, but it was nothing compared to what I am seeing now. The floors are some red-hued hardwood, with rippling grains throughout, and buffed to an impossible shine. On either side of me, wide Italian marble staircases tower over me, extending 20 feet to the next story. Exotic animals were mounted alongside huge oil paintings, and all of this was illuminated by three, gigantic crystal chandeliers. The chandeliers were suspended from a huge white ceiling, decorated with intricate crown molding squares. I make my way around the full-body mounting of a giraffe standing tall between the stairs, and start to mill through the few hundred people chatting and drinking. Smoke from pipes, cigarettes, and cigars is heavy in the air, and with all these people sweating and talking, it¡¯s muggy as hell here despite the cool breeze from the ocean. I finally make it outside to the front courtyard, and it doesn¡¯t take long to find who I¡¯m looking for¡­ but what I see makes my stomach drop. I see a tall, skinny, dark headed man with silver streaks on either side of his head, and a deep facial scar running from chin to temple. I also see a slightly shorter, yet much fatter man, with similar hair, and a eyepatch. And of course, there is a man of slightly above average height, average build, with a facial burn, and silver sideburns¡­ but the rest of his scalp is marred by a fresh looking burnscar. All three are dressed in fine clothes, conversing with one another, right where Mr. Tormal said I could find Mr. Mera. I pinch the scarred bridge of my nose, ¡°How is my luck this fucking shitty¡­¡±
¡°How are all three of those guys potentially him? I mean, the description that Mrs. Brown gave me seemed to be a pretty good one. Tall, dark hair with silver streaks on the side, and a facial scar¡­ what are the fucking chances. I guess I could try and ask someone which is the right one, but I¡¯m not really sure if I want people remembering the guy asking who Mr. Mera is on the night of his death. Especially now that I have this scar in the middle of my face. It''s a pretty unique feature and would make it easy to remember my face.¡± Once I''m done indulging in little self-venting, I crawl out from the bushes, armed with as many of my weapons as I could realistically conceal on my person. ¡°Well, I damn sure don¡¯t wanna have to come back to if I don¡¯t kill the right one, so I guess I¡¯ll have to kill all of them. I just hope Mrs. Brown will get over the fact that I can¡¯t make this look like an accident... killing three similar looking people, on the same night, at the same party¡­ yea, this is gonna get messy.¡± Once I finish tucking the last knife in my boot, I go back to observe my targets for a little while. They talk for a few more minutes, drinking either brandy or wine the whole time. I really thought these men had bladders of steel until the tallest one excuses himself. I follow him to one of the outhouses about 200 feet from the mansion. The outhouses are all wooden painted to match the house, terra cotta roof and all. There isn''t much privacy other than being separated by a layer of tropical brush and flowering trees, but around each outhouse, the grass is very well kept. The area is lit plenty well enough to see the ground, but it¡¯s not so well lit one could see who is who unless you¡¯re face to face. He walks into one, leaving the door open as he''s only taking a piss. As he starts to undo his trousers, I slap the side of the outhouse, which gets me a very high pitched squeak. He stumbles out, still pissing, and lands on his back. Before he gets his bearing, I slam the butt of my flintlock pistol against his head as hard as I can. I feel a sickening crunch as I feel the handle sink a couple inches into his skull. I see his eyes roll into the back of his head, and he starts to convulse for a few seconds, before going limp. I try to check his pulse and breathing, but his pulse is beating too fast to count, and his breathing is shallow and erratic. I find a round rock about the right size, and situate it and his body to look like he tripped, caving in his skull with the rock. I kinda feel bad for just leaving him there, trousers down and covered in piss, but I know the chances of someone seeing me go way up the longer I¡¯m here¡­ and trying to pull a dead man¡¯s trousers up would be pretty hard to explain away. I make sure that I¡¯m clean, my gun is spotless, and I make my way back to the party.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It takes about 30 minutes before he is found but when he is; it¡¯s a huge uproar. I do my best to translate the shouts, but my Spanish isn¡¯t great. It takes a few minutes before I hear in English, ¡°Someone get Mr. Mera. One of his guests has died.¡± Well, hopefully here in a few more minutes I will at least know which is the real one. I see the guests start to part, and of course the fat man and the burned man emerge together, leaving with no clue who is in charge. I see both men listening in and nodding as the man that found the dead body fills them in. Then both of them talk to a man wearing two pistols, a saber on his belt and wearing fancy military dress. He¡¯s someone in charge of the house guards I think. Once they finished talking, the guard captain starts barking orders to the other guards. They cover the body, and carry it off towards the front of the mansion, and the rest of the guests start to meander away. Well, I guess that one went as well as could be expected.
It takes a few minutes but the guests seem to push the death from their minds, and everyone starts to party in earnest. Everyone is drinking more, some starting to get sloppy, but pretty much everyone seems to seems to be a little jumpy. Some of the guests are making it out to be sick entertainment, but most of them seem to just be glad it wasn¡¯t them. I watch around for about an hour until I catch a break. It was subtle, but while they were talking to what looked like a couple over by the giraffe. The woman was flirty with both men, but she paid more attention to the fatter man. After 20 minutes or so, I see the woman reach down, grabbing the fatter man¡¯s crotch. The woman excused herself shortly after, and he did the same after 10 minutes or so¡­ and that¡¯s how I have found myself in this closet, listening to these two ¡®try¡¯ and get it on. Unfortunately for me, they both spoke English¡­ so I can understand every bit of their cringy attempts to talk dirty¡­ ¡°Yea, put it in my hole.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m already in your hole.¡± ¡°Oh you fit so much easier than my husband.¡± ¡°Yea, you''re so wet my cock keeps slipping out.¡± ¡°Oh keep going, you¡¯ll get all the way hard before you know it.¡± ¡°Yea? You¡¯d like that wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Fucking Christ, I¡¯m about ready to shoot myself. If I knew at the beginning of the night, I¡¯d end up listening to a fat guy trying to please a woman with a cock she can¡¯t feel, I would have just got Zijde to bombard the fucking place. ¡°Yea, ugh, yea. I¡¯m gonna finish on your stomach. Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Oh yea big guy, that¡¯s hot. Oh, yea, I love how you finish, there¡¯s barely any to clean up. So, my husband is getting another raise this year?¡± ¡°What? Of yea, of course. Our agreement stands.¡± ¡°Well, I better go. I¡¯d hate to get caught.¡± ¡°Mmhh, I¡¯ll see you next month my hot little minx.¡± God I want to gag so bad¡­ but after a few moments, she¡¯s dressed and walking out the door. I wait a few moments to see what he¡¯s gonna do, but then all I hear is comically loud snoring. I walk out of the door, and I see this huge, pasty white stomach rise and fall with his snoring. I walk over to the bed, trying to take in as little of the man¡¯s ¡®glory¡¯ as I can, which is actually pretty easy. I make it over to the bed, barely making a sound thanks to my new stats, and pull out my longest blade and grab a pillow big enough to cover his entire head. ¡°Alright¡­ so there¡¯s his nipple¡­ and since he¡¯s so fat, I need to go just a little lower. I believe it should be right¡­ here.¡± I slide the blade of my knife between his ribs about 6 inches away from his nipple. I cover his face with the pillow to muffle any screaming, and despite his struggling, it takes almost no effort to keep him on his back with how fat he is. I pull the knife out, observing the wound, ¡°Mhh, there¡¯s some blood, but it¡¯s not squirting out like I need it to.¡± I go a little lower, sliding the knife in hilt deep again. This time, as I withdraw the knife blood squirts out visibly a few times a second. It only takes a few seconds for the struggling and muffled screaming to stop as he passes out from blood loss. I suppress the tingling from the back of my skull, as right now I don¡¯t need to lose my shit. ¡°Thank god, hopefully that one is the right bastard. I guess I¡¯ll go clean up and watch how this unfolds from the¡­¡± Before I could even try to hide, the door behind me bursts open. I hear the woman¡¯s voice from earlier, ¡°Oh, before I forget Dr. Fontesca, I need you to ... who are you? What have you done? Is that blood? AHHHH HELP! Someone has murdered Dr. Fontesca.¡± I sprint over to the door, and grab her by the shoulder, spinning her around before she could run out. I kinda panic, so I hit her in the chin with my palm, knocking her out cold. As she slumps down, I hear dozens of footsteps running up the stairs. I look around, and all I can see is the window. I sprint over, throwing a chair to save me from cutting myself up. I jump through the hole left by the chair, and for a moment, I think I may have made it. Although, as I jump through, I hear a gunshot from behind me, and feel an intense radiate out from my right shoulder. I land on the roof feet first, but the slick terra cotta sends me head over heels, and I fly off the edge of the second story roof. Thankfully I hit the ground away from the courtyard, so I end up landing on relatively soft grass. But¡­ 20 feet is still a long fucking ways to fall. I lay there for a few moments, trying to get my bearings, but as I hear the crunching a glass and footsteps on terra cotta, I force myself up. I sprint through the courtyard, heading towards the rest of my gear and hoping to get lost in the crowd, but before I make it, I hear another shot ring out, this one missing me¡­ barely. ¡°Stop that man! He murdered one of the guests.¡± It¡¯s funny how when someone tells a bunch of rich people to stop a murderer, they all try that much harder to get out of the way of that same murderer. Although, me laughing at it is out of the question regardless. I¡¯m honestly not sure how I¡¯m sprinting along after having the air knocked out of me. My diaphragm is spasming, my lungs are burning, and I feel like I could blackout at any moment. But, somehow I make it to my gear and make it over the wall. I manage to run two or three hundred yards before I feel it all catch up with me¡­ in the form of passing out on my face. Chapter 40
Smoothbore efficiency:
The amount of experience you have firing smoothbore small arms has culminated into the ability to compensate for imperfections in a gun. The more you use a unique firearm, the better you can compensate for the imperfections. This perk¡¯s efficiency is based on one''s perception and agility.
Announcement for re-release Alright guys, so I have already put this out there on my discord, and if you would like to get in there here¡¯s the link: https://discord.gg/KVxrMJG So, I have decided to re-release ¡°A New Breed of Pirate¡± for several reasons. The biggest, I have found a couple plot holes that are just going to continue to get bigger until they break the story. Some others are: I really want to streamline the game mechanics so they are easier to implement, I want to explain some things I was too vague about, and I want to add/ take out some characters. So, instead of trying to rewrite and have a lot of confusion, I¡¯m gonna re-release. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Probably the biggest change will be, the book will be starting from the very beginning, starting with Utah first plugging in. It will also answer some pretty big questions. A couple other changes will be: all chapters will be 2500 words or more, the money system will be simplified, and there will be a greater emphasis on game mechanics. So, if you guys would like to read those as they come out, go to my patreon and select any of the tiers, and you will get at least five chapters ahead of RR. Just so you know, the $5 option will be a permanent ¡®latest chapter¡¯ tier until I begin releasing here in Royal Road again. It will probably take me a month or so to get the amount of chapters I would like built up, and then I will begin to release once a day until I run out. Please let me know if you guys have any questions in the comments. Thanks, Updateanan