“Haha! That will teach them.”

Felix, a youth that used the alias ‘Youallsucks’ had just fended off pirates. This was the second unsavory company that tried to rob Felix’s vessel today. The pirate ship slunk away because of all the damage.

“Ooh, look what they have done, my poor girl,” Felix lamented the damaged hull. It wasn't easy to complete the quests that gained him a ship of his own.

“Sir, ship sighted to the west.”

“Hm,” Felix used the telescope to observe his crew’s warning.

Felix saw the approaching ship was bigger than his own.

That’s not good.

Felix saw the approaching ship was flying pirate colors.

Gah! That’s not good at all.

Felix saw the approaching ship was white in color and emit a smoky white fog.

A magic ship! I hope it’s just passing-

Felix saw Tanael at the bow of the ship.

His face went blue.

“FULL SPEED AHEAD!! Sail you idiots, sail like the devils are behind us!”

Like a rabbit seeing a pouncing lion, Felix tried to get away as fast as he was physically able to. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t enough.

“Not good. The maniac is catching up… AH!?”

Tanael’s ship shot its chase guns, launching blue projectiles. After a couple of missed volleys, one projectile finally hit the sail of Felix’s ship. Felix was wide-eyed as he saw the inevitable happening. The sail turned frosty, spreading until the majority of the cloth became frozen.

“AAAHH!!”

The wind blew and the sail came crumbling down like a broken pane of glass.

The rabbit’s legs were broken and the lion leisurely came closer.

When the two ships were lining up board to board, Tanael greeted his fellow trial taker. Felix saw Tanael and no other people on that ship.

“I know you. You’re one of those guys with pretentious names… Ah, mister Youallsucks. We’ve met again, ya?”

The lion was playing with its food.

“Tanael… There’s no need for a quarrel between us.” It sounded meeker than he would have liked.

“Oh, but we do. You see, I have been occupied for one week so my shards’ count is lacking. It is in that spirit I came. Would you kindly… donate?”

Without shame: high seas robbery in broad daylight.

“Khhh,” Felix gritted his teeth. “I wonder, what is the preferable amount, Tanael?”

“Not much, not much… Just half will do.”

Felix summoned his black spark and split it into two. One flew to Tanael.

“Much appreciated. I like sensible people. See ya around.”

Tanael turned his back and Felix was really, really hoping he would go away.

“But naaah...” Tanael turned back. “You surrender too easily,” Tanael leaned on the hull, looking down on Felix with the eyes of a predator.

“What are you hiding?”

“Shit! To arms!” Felix shouted after his cover was blown. The seawater churned, pulled, and a big cube of water was floating above Felix’s head.

“Tanael! Don't get cocky. I have the environment advantage here! You already have my shards. Just leave me alone!”

“Hahaha! I too have the terrain advantage,” Tanael blared his ghostly green-colored Victa. It was twice as thick as the last time they fought. Not only that, the ship creaked with the sound of cracking wood. It was as if the ship was alive and displaying its displeasure. “When I’m near this beauty, the Frozen Siren will give my soul Artes a boost!”

What the hell is that ship? Why does this bastard get such a good thing?

“Kill all who resist, capture the rest. That guy with a boisterous name is mine. Charge!”

Along with Tanael’s command, the ghost crew emerged from the ship and jumped to board Felix’s vessel. Tanael himself made a beeline to Felix. Unlike the skeletons in Pyke’s Crew of the Damned, Tanael’s men were spectral-like.

“Damn you, TANAELLLLL!!!”

Felix roared and the battle commenced. Artes were exchanged and clashed against each other. Felix attacked with all he had but Tanael received everything with ease.

“My heart bleeds for taking so much of your stuff. Let me give you compensation. Do you know Green Scorpion? He’s a dual affinity of earth and mind. Take extra care against him. He might have gotten inside your head already.”

“Wha-?”

“This has been a delightful reunion. So long.”

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Viers punched him in the gut -unnaturally strong- and ‘Youallsucks’ buckled from the force.

“Hwuoogh!?”

Arte - Black Out Down!

Tanael invoked the Arte along with the punch and Felix fell face first to the wooden floor.

After Tanael had found out that Green Scorpion was a mind Pathseeker, he’d spread the news to the people he encountered. The first was Izabella. Tanael blocked the information leak from his end but Izabella knew about him too. After Iz had been warned she should be able to defend herself from Scorpion’s mind peek. She had also been instructed to spread the news to others.

Hehehe, I will make #MindReaderScorpion viral. I won’t make this trial easy for him. We are already enemies to the death! Next up… Soul search!

While he had warned others against Scorpion’s mind probing, Tanael had no qualms of using his own soul probing.

...Hoh, Tanael smiled. So that’s what you’re hiding.

Three hours later, Felix woke up on the floor of the deck. After releasing the bound crew right in front of him, he ran to his room. He found that a section of the flooring had been pried out. It was the place where he had hidden a treasure map he gained from a quest.

Tanael also left a note. Writing on the wall.

Sucks to be you.

“Sir,” a seaman said. “The pirates have also taken all the cargo in the hold.”

Youallsucks looked to the ceiling with a blank face. It was the face of a man who had his world crumbling all around him.

Meanwhile, the pirate who was responsible for it all was making a big hole in the middle of nowhere, shoveling dirt one stroke after another.

"Buried treasure, buried treasure, dubidu dubidu bidam~”

Someone was in a good mood.

“Lord Viers, why did you take only half? Why not all of his shards?” Farley asked.

“There’s a term called catch and release in fishing. This is that.”

Viers didn’t decimate Youallsucks out of kindness but because he hoped the man would gain more treasure and shards.

So he could plunder him again.

Dukk!

The shovel hit something hard. Viers cleared the surroundings and unearthed a chest. It was smaller than he expected but it was heavy. Filled to the brim. Which was a good sign. Viers broke the lock forcefully and found gold, gems, and glory.

Well, not glory… Viers searched the inside for something else but didn't find it. Riches through and through.

But Viers had more than enough riches, at least not right now.

Viers converted them all to shards.

I got Horizon from it. Let’s call it a win.

Time marched on.

To the players, there were now two Dread Pirates. Pirates infested these waters but these two were in a different league. One was Pyke and the other was one of their own. They were the scourge of these seas. Pyke was an unkillable force of nature but the other was no less dangerous.

Riding his enviable ghost ship, Pirate Tanael came and went as if he could fly. He demanded shard tithe or he would sink your ship while you were gathering treasures in the scattered islands. His latest act of atrocity was that he would leave curses on the island after cleaning all the treasures to the peril of those who came after him.

And he had the gall to sell information on which islands he left curses on to you!

Fed-up players formed a coalition of ten ships to put Tanael in his place but it only resulted in a disastrous defeat. The Frozen Siren gave an ungodly advantage: The magical ship could catch wind as it pleased and maneuvered like a turning hurricane. With the command of its captain, the Siren could leave trails of obstructing frost behind it and a single shot on the sails from its cursed cannons would turn the cloth icy and brittle. When the gust of wind shattered the now brittle sail and your ship was dead in the water, the Siren would spit out her supernatural crew at you.

Since brute force didn't work, it was time for an alternative approach. Tanael was still human thus needed to sleep. He also needed to anchor his ship sometimes. Boarding and taking the enchanted ship would reduce the menace that is Tanael significantly.

They should have known that a ghost ship would hide horrors below its deck.

Three female wraiths with veiled faces made all that ever stepped on the Frozen Siren without the Captain’s permission come to regret their decision.

Captain’s orders, said the warrior wraith as she speared you through the guts. This one wraith would unhesitatingly swat you down like a pest. Captain’s orders are absolute, stab. No men dead or alive shall disturb the Captain’s rest, stab. Leave your blood as payment for trespassing, stab.

The other wraith was a mage woman haunted with bottomless regret, the victims said. An uncanny sorceress, this wraith. Her water magic application was unorthodox. She kept saying, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, while denying your basic human right of breathing as she performed a water burial on you, alive.

Sigh… I’m on rat duty, again, the third wraith complained with a deadpan expression. This one didn't move around like the other two, perhaps she was a cripple when she was alive. Her rat disposal technique was using the ship’s cannons on you. A sadistic ghost, for she always smiled enjoyingly as the cannons blasted through your shield and crushed your torso.

Boarding the stronghold of the dreadful pirate was a fool’s game. Twice such an attempt had been tried. On the morrow, the folks could see the result, the Frozen Siren sailed while dragging a bunch of people tied with ropes.

As the players spied horridly using telescopes from afar, Captain Tanael waved to them. A big board with the writing ‘Shark Fishing’ was put on deck for all to see.

***

A man with a pair of rainbow-hued green irises and vertical pupils rose from the sea holding a seaweed stalk in his hand.

Bluestripes Seaweed. Can raise affinity to water 3. Get.

Viers climbed back to the Frozen Siren and dried himself with a towel.

“Alright, lads. Continue.”

The ship sailed forward again.

Stage 2 is actually a forgiving round. Treasure everywhere. The farther one goes from the starting town, the more valuable the natural treasures are. The trial takers definitely will reap benefits here even if you’re weak. There’s no need to go into the further regions if your strength is insufficient.

Viers put the seaweed into his casket, not putting it in the pouch that turned every treasure into spark shards.

Still, the greater the risk the greater the reward.

Viers had been finding treasures with an uncanny proficiency, the reason was his eyes. Usually, the more valuable the treasures, the more visible they are to Viers’ eyes. More and more he praised this versatile Arte that had helped him so much inside and outside of battle.

After days of traveling, Viers caught a shadow of an island on the skyline.

“That's a big island.”

It was far bigger than the islands scattered throughout the region by far.

“So that’s the place?” Viers asked Crazy Pete who was still tied upside down to the mast.

“...Yes. There you’ll find the Favor of the Sky. One of two items to find the City of Pearl,” he said lifelessly. He had not eaten for a week but was not a tiny bit skinnier for it.

“Good boy. Here’s your reward.”

Viers put a bottle of rum into Crazy Pete’s mouth and walked to the front of the ship.

“Favor of the Sky...”