“So let me get this straight. You all know about this thing?” Viers said.

“What’s unusual about it, Lord Viers? It’s a cannon. It shoots things,” Farley said.

Paina and Clarissa also looked at Viers strangely.

“Gunpowder technology exists?” Viers raised an eyebrow as he pointed at one of the ship’s cannons.

“Gunpowder? It uses magic, usually fire, to eject projectiles. It’s common knowledge,” Paina brushed her hair back.

“It already exists even during my age,” Clarissa, who had slept for 9000 years and still a 17-years-old said.

Viers fell into silence for a couple of seconds then shook his head. “Magic made the tech tree all messed up.”

“What tree?” Paina asked but Viers didn't answer.

Since they were in a medieval age, Viers thought they didn't know about cannons. Turned out it wasn't true. Now Viers felt he was a fool.

They had left the storm behind and sailed under the clear blue sky. Viers didn't need to handle the ship; the crew of twenty knew what they were doing. Viers only gave them the direction where he wanted to go and they obeyed him without a question.

NPCs… Now that I think about it, Dread Captain Pyke’s Crew of the Damned are also NPCs.

The skeletons had no soul. Rather than undead, it was more accurate to say they were golems or puppets in undead skin.

So my soul Artes are not effective against them. They also seem to be able to appear from any form of water. From the sea, inside of a water barrel, or a puddle… quite dangerous. I also need to find a way to endure the Captain’s Fear Flood. That's not in the parameter of a normal Pathseeker ability so chances are there should be a quest to counter it?

“Sir,” one of the crew hailed Viers who was looking at the sea in deep thought. “There’s a small island ahead.”

It was land in the middle of the sea only a hundred meters large.

Viers commanded the stolen brig to sail west, to the island where the top 10 reward was hidden but it would take at least two days to reach there. They would encounter many small islands such as this along the way.

“Good, stop the ship. I want to pay the island a visit.”

“Aye aye,” the crew obeyed without complaint.

Let’s find some treasures, Viers’ eyes glowed green and his iris elongated like a snake as the Euryale Sight Arte activated. He hoped he would find something worthwhile in the first treasure island.

***

“It feels like I've been chasing treasures too much these days,” Viers mulled to his tenants.

Since Marakkus, no, even further back; since Dia’s Biome Viers had gathered treasures and prizes, valuables and cultivation resources of high and low significance.

As his list of wealth kept increasing, his standard rose with it. Minor treasures no longer seemed like treasures but knick-knacks instead.

In two days, Viers had explored six small islands. Ruins, shipwrecks, abandoned villages, and monster warrens. The treasures he found were not bad per se but pretty underwhelming overall. Gold coins, water affinity cultivation resources, and some monsters. Viers converted them all to spark shards.

From those six islands, Viers only gained about 100 shards. A big disappointment.

It wasn't a complete miss though. On the fourth island, Viers found an unusual small stream. There was something unique about it so Viers tried to glean its secrets. Unknowingly, Viers fell into a trance for two hours. When he came to, he felt his mastery over water increase a bit.

Quite nice. I should seek more places like this.

“Sir, your destination is in sight.”

“So I see,” Viers replied to the helmsman.

The top 10 rewards island… bigger than the other treasure islands. I hope the reward is worth it. However, it should be time for the ‘obstacle’ to appear, isn't it? Can’t have the protagonist have a troubleless and smooth journey.

Twenty minutes later, Gamemaster Aletro bequeathed Viers one such ordeal.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The Abyssal Scream, ghost ship of the Dread Pirate Pyke, emerged from the sea on the left side of Viers’ ship in its dreadful glory.

“Fire!” Viers gave the pirates a warm welcome in the form of cannon fire. He had called the crew to battle stations twenty minutes prior. The hostile ship emerged without warning or sign. Nevertheless, Viers was ready and retaliated without delay.

Sixteen guns on the port of the ship roared, spouting smoke and metal balls. However, the Abyssal Scream was protected by a mysterious force. Water rose from the sea, acting as a shield from Viers’ cannonballs.

Is this a cutscene invulnerability or Pyke’s ability? Viers bit his lip.

The two ships were side by side on the open seas in close proximity. Viers saw the deck of the other ship was filled with snarling skeletons. At least fifty of them. Behind the ship’s wheel, Viers finally lay eyes on the Dread Pirate’s true body.

He looked like the head projection from before: a male pirate wearing tattered regal clothes with a grey tricorn hat. The left side of his face was only bones, with a red spark inside the hollow eye socket. His right eye was looking at Viers as if he was floating trash.

Just looking at him filled Viers with fear, despite his best effort to resist it.

“Seagulls told me,” Pyke said with a deep voice. “That there’s a bunch of mangy dogs recently arrived at this place seeking the Trident. Here’s news for ya, soft-bellied scallywag: it is mine. It is my destiny to possess the Trident. FIRE!”

The ship rumbled and shook as Viers felt the hull got bombarded, making multiple ventilation holes.

“Return fire!” Viers shouted.

Unfairly, Viers’ arsenal was unable to do the same to the pirate’s ship.

The Crew of the Damned proceed to board Viers’ ship.

“To arms! Helmsman, hard to starboard!” Viers roared his orders and fought against the skeleton invaders.

Soul Artes were not effective so Viers tried water Artes. There weren't any other players to witness it so Viers didn't refrain from using his other affinity. However, he tsk-ed before long.

Resistant against water too, figures. Physical attack then?

“Paina, Symphony!”

Viers applied status buffs on himself as Paina channeled Anima Symphony Arte. Viers punched a skeleton on the head and the head fell off. He was about to change target but the headless skeleton was still lively.

How troublesome!

Viers took out a scroll from his storage item and unfurled it on the skeleton. Octopus tentacles as black as ink entangled the bones and melted them shortly. The Melting Octo Scroll might do the job.

Haha! It is effec... tive.

Viers’ triumph was short-lived as the melted bones were restored anew. It took up the misplaced head, put it on its neck and screamed ‘shaaa!’ at Viers.

Raise again after defeat? How the hell am I supposed to beat them!?

“Throw the enemies overboard. We must flee!” Viers told the overwhelmed crew as he threw the skeletons to the sea. His improved physical constitution helped Viers as he did physical work of bone disposal.

“Discard every water source on the ship! No, belay that!”

Viers used his Casket to prevent the skeletons’ water teleportation by stashing the water supplies.

“Sir, we won't last long with their bombardments!” A crew worriedly said. Viers didn't need to be reminded by him because the sound of roaring cannons was enough.

“Full speed ahead! We’re crash landing on the island!”

In Fables like this, the cursed usually couldn't set foot on land. Viers desperately defended the ship against the Crew of the Damned. Thankfully, Dread Captain Pyke didn't make a move. Three fish-head people behind the Captain that were clearly elites also only stood menacingly. If they all swarmed Viers’ ship or used the Fear Flood then Viers’ defeat was all but assured but they didn't.

Must be scenario reasons.

Under much difficulty, Viers managed to reach the island. His ship was very beat-up. Viers and the crew immediately roped down the ship to step on dry land.

“Hah! We made it. Now they can’t…”

The screeching skeletons stepped on dry land just fine.

Fuck! How stupid of me! Didn't I fight the first skeleton on land?

“Flee! Run deeper into the island!”

It wasn't that Viers was helpless against the bones but what was the point of him fighting? They would just resurrect and he would only waste his Victa.

Viers and his eighteen remaining crew were chased by at least triple that number of skeletons and they got split up in the woods.

One hour later. Viers was cradling a crew member with severe bleeding on his stomach.

“Sir, this is it for me, cough...”

“Don’t give up. You can still make it,” Viers said.

“Sir… it has been an honor.”

With a weak voice, the man breathed his last as his hand fell to the ground.

Viers sighed heavily and closed the eyes of the NPC whose name he didn't know. The crew was incredibly loyal to a man who they knew less than three days ago, very illogical though that may be. Viers was saddened by their loss.

The skeletons’ pursuit ceased after a while. Viers made another cliche hypothesis that they couldn't move too far from the ghost ship or the pirate captain.

But they had killed all of the crew before they did.

Viers, the sole survivor, gazed upon the Abyssal Scream on the coast from high ground, hoping they would leave.

With Viers out of their reach, they indeed left but not before they completely destroyed Viers’ ship. The brig had already suffered heavy damage before landing on the island but it was well and truly dead this time.

“JACKDAAAAAAAW!” Captain Viers mournfully wailed from deep in the island. He showed more remorse by the death of the ship rather than the NPC crew.

How could he leave the island now? Was this Castaway? Should he give a volleyball a bloody handprint and call it Wilson? Viers’ thoughts were spiraling down negatively.

Still, Viers went forward. Not all hope was lost.

Somewhere on this island, a top 10 reward was waiting for Viers. He hoped whatever it was, he would not be marooned for the rest of Stage 2.