“You’re lying!” Jin yelled at the man. “Manuel would not kill his teacher!”

Lorican sighed. “I know how hard it is to hear it. Truth be told, boy, you’re still living with your head in the stories you’ve heard and read. Life is way more grim than you might realize. Wizards are rarely good people. We each have our own agenda. And with centuries of life behind us, most of us hold secrets we’re willing to take to the grave.”

“But… This is ridiculous!”

“Is it? Do you think people would respect Manuel without a show of strength? How do you think he became known across the world?”

“By helping people! That and never asking for anything in return!”

“True, that too. But kindness doesn’t prevent wars.”

“Maybe people just didn’t try enough.”

The man smirked. “Foolish, but that is logical, given your age. Nevertheless, now that you know the story of Manuel, I wonder what you’re going to do with it.”

“I won’t betray him. Not just because some random old man tells me a story!”

“That makes sense. And I do not ask something like that of you. We will deal the finishing blow to his reign. Question is what is going to happen after. The world will be free of its shackles. There will be chaos. And that chaos will need someone to help mitigate it. I think it would be great if you joined our ranks.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Of course I am. Your skills might be lacking, but perhaps when given time, you could bloom into a decent wizard. Leaving that talent without attention would be a terrible waste.” The man frowned. “Additionally, my associates might not like the idea of Manuel’s apprentices running free after his death. This time, I came to simply chat with you. Whoever comes when this is over might not be as benevolent as I am.”

Jin returned the expression. “You and your associates can kiss my behind. I’m not joining your side.”

Lorican shrugged and stood up. His knees popped as he did so. “We shall see once push comes to shove. Right now, you are emotional. There is a lot going on in your head, and it is clouding your judgement. You will undoubtedly tell Manuel about everything that happened today. His reaction might change your opinion. The same might happen with the viewpoints of your friends. They will surely hear about everything from you as well. Work things out together. I understand you’d all come to join us as a package deal anyway. There is still plenty of time for everything. But when it finally happens, and Manuel dies, you will be presented with the choice again. Until then, think it over.”

The layer of darkness finally began sliding off the walls and ceiling of the cargo hold, like a black sheet unveiling the contents hidden underneath it. Jin tried to stand up, but something quickly pulled him back. He looked down. His feet were nowhere to be found. The darkness that lacked any hint of light reflections seemed to have swallowed them, and was now slowly creeping up his legs.

“Hey!” he yelled at the wizard, who only replied by placing a finger against his mouth.

“Take it easy. After all you went through today, I’d say you deserve some rest. I’ll keep your memories intact, don’t worry. In fact, I’ll make sure you won’t forget a single word of what I said. At least until we meet again.”

The darkness kept climbing further, keeping Jin pinned down with his back leaning against the nearby cargo container. He yelled countless insults at the wizard, but the old man paid them little attention. He was done there. Everything he wanted to do was finished. With a satisfied smirk on his face, he disappeared deeper into the maze of containers. Jin’s storm of insults continued for a little while until the coat of darkness covered him completely. As his voice faded, so did his consciousness.

Kaili’s hand gripped the metal handle next to her with crushing force. She wanted to push herself forward and help, but knew that the man that was with her had given her clear instructions. She was to stay out of it, at all costs.

The pirate and the sailor circled one another with raised fists. Both weren’t exactly eager to make the first move. However, as the yelling and clashing of blades kept going above their heads, on the main deck, the pirate grew impatient. He lunged at the sailor and soon found himself with a fist buried in his face. Before he could even comprehend whether it was a left or right hand that struck him, he received another hit. Then another, then another, until his head spun so much he fell to the ground.

The sailor relaxed and turned to the young dryad.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Wow…” she gasped.

“Told you I can take care of it. Now hurry, onto the main deck!”

The two ran up the stairs and outside. Shivers ran down Kaili’s spine as she saw the main scene of the pirate attack. Countless men were fighting on the main deck whilst the howling winds swayed them from side to side and rain kept on beating against their exposed heads. The sky was dark and visibility poor. Only sometimes did lightning illuminate the battlefield and deafen the people with roaring thunder.

Airo was among this mess. He stayed back from the action, near the entrance to the deckhouse and the lower decks, and provided minor magical support. Whenever it seemed like a pirate would get a jump on someone, the Cloudfolk’s wind magic would push him back and sometimes even toss him onto the floor.

Kaili’s eyes slid over to the ship hovering next to their vessel. It was far bigger, but looked to be in a terrible shape. Sheets of metal and wood lay nailed to the exterior in a feeble attempt to fix the countless holes. It looked barely functional, but the shadow it cast over the smaller cargo ship was menacing.

“Airo!” Kaili yelled to grab his attention. “Where’s Cia?”

“Aaaaa! Get it off me! Get it off me!” one of the pirates popped out from behind the deckhouse, yelling louder than most. He had a good reason. A small imp was hanging on his back, claws dug deep into the poor man while her fangs pierced his shoulder. He tried to shake her off but could barely reach her. It was a while since Cia tasted blood, and her mixed vampire imp genes caused it to taste like an absolute delicacy.

The two kids watched with eyes popping out of their heads as the screaming pirate ran off to the other side of the deck and disappeared around the corner of the deckhouse once more.

“She seems fine,” Airo replied. He wanted to say more, but his words were interrupted.

“Watch out!” a nearby sailor yelled as he pushed Kaili aside and took the blow that was meant for her.

The man groaned as a heavy wooden plank landed on his shoulder. An improvised weapon for sure, but still quite an effective one.

With the sailor out of the way, the frenzied man pushed on towards the young dryad. She clenched her teeth and the vines around her arm came undone. Black streaks of ink slid down their length as she gathered magic.

Her hand trembled and an imaginary pain flared up in it. She swung the vines forward, like a whip. It hit the man square in the face, yet left behind nothing but a pink mark.

“You!” he growled and raised the wooden plank above his head with both arms.

Airo dashed forward, stopping only a few centimetres from the man. He put his arms forward, palms facing the man. A gentle breeze flew out of them. In the crazy storm, it was barely noticeable.

Before the poor Cloudfolk realized what went wrong with his spell, he found himself staring at the plank right as it hit him in the face.

“Airo!” Kaili yelled out as he stumbled backwards.

The pirate stepped forward, ready for another blow, when something grabbed him by the shoulder. It couldn’t not have been a simple grip. Its strength was akin to that of a metal vice.

He turned around and his heart sank. Captain Chast towered over the pirate like a statue of a warrior. With one quick yank, he pulled the scoundrel closer, before striking him with an elbow right to the temple. The man fell unconscious to the floor with a horrifying thud.

“You okay?” he asked and helped Airo back on his feet. Kaili noticed that the captain left a path of unconscious pirates in his wake, one of whom he was still dragging along by the collar of his tunic.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good.” Airo muttered, but the blood streaming down from his nose told a different story.

“Hey!” Chast yelled at the nearby sailor who was recovering from the plank attack. “What the hell were you thinking? Get the kids out of here!”

“But where–“

“To my quarters! Here, take the keys!” Chast tossed them to the worker and threw himself into the chaotic brawl.

“Quickly, follow me!” the sailor instructed them.

The silence that befell them once they reached the captains quarters was like a soothing balm for their ears, despite the still-rather-noisy pattering of the rain against the glass wall.

“Stay here until the coast is clear,” the man instructed the two and shut the door behind them. For a moment, they felt at ease, until the rattling of keys in the lock brought back their anxiety.

“Hey! We’re not some prisoners!” Kaili yelled at him, but the wind outside overshadowed her voice. When she tried yelling louder and even banged on the door, the sailor was long gone.

“Ugh! What an idiot! Why lock us in here? We could’ve helped them!”

“How?” Airo asked after he sat down on the bed. The sight of him awoke a sense of empathy in the enraged dryad.

“Does it hurt?” she said as she sat down beside him.

“Well… yeah,” he admitted with a sigh.

“Here, try to stop the bleeding,” she instructed him as she tore off a piece of her cloak. It had already been damaged in so many ways that it barely affected its overall look.

“What now?” the boy asked as he pressed the fabric against his face. It smelled faintly of mint.

“I don’t know. We have to do something! They’re outnumbered out there!”

“Their ship looks way weaker than ours.”

“Yeah, but these people don’t exactly have canons aboard. And it’s not like they can push forth and go on the offensive.” She stood up and began nervously prancing around the room while Airo watched the weather outside.

“I mean, have you even heard anything from the people on lower decks? The chefs? Jin? What if something happened to them?”

“They’re fine, Kaili. Probably on their way. And Jin most likely got locked up somewhere safe just like us.”

“But what if he didn’t? I’m worried about him, Airo. He’s exactly that type of a person who does something stupid or heroic that would just get him into more trouble. I don’t want to think about what they could’ve done to him. Hey! Are you even listening to me?”

“Yeah, yeah, I am. Just… I think I have a plan.”

“How to get us out of here?”

“How to chase the pirates away.”

Kaili raised her eyebrows. “How? We can’t even get out of this room.”

“We don’t have to. There is a ritual that I remember from the time my family was teaching me the Cloudfolk dances.”

“A dance? How is that gonna help us?”

He stood up to have a better look at the enemy ship. “I think I can use it to call down lightning.”