Chapter 258 - Tempest

It had been years since his teachers had vanished from the archipelago. Any attempt to look for them quickly ran into a dead end. The Republic might have some clue, but Kai wasn’t about to show them a connection with his previous identity.

Can it be a coincidence?

He had never learned the butler's full name; surely he wasn’t the only Elijah out there. Leafing through the pages, the journal recounted the owner's mundane life right up to embarking on the Intrepid—his teacher just part of a group of tourists from the mainland. Kai quickly picked up a suspicious pattern in the wording: the diary was encrypted. He might have missed it if he weren’t used to breaking down arcane runes.

It fell on my head while the Fulcrum was active. I should have known.

“Are you hurt?” Flynn whispered, still hidden in Shadow. “What’s that?”

“I’m not sure.” Kai stored the journal in his ring. They’d have time to worry about it if they survived. The whims of Fate didn’t ensure the journal would be beneficial or even useful. “Yeah, I—”

“Did you hear that crash?” The young pirate’s voice echoed from the companionway.

“We’re in a storm, you idiot! Things tend to get flung around.” Ander’s grouchy tone made them freeze.

“But it didn’t sound like furniture crashing. More like a human,” the raider grumbled. “Anybody there?”

Kai slowly stood up, careful not to step on debris and broken glass. He was about to follow Flynn into the corridor, when the tilt of the ship made the door slam shut.

Can’t I get a little more Luck?

“That just sounded like wood to me. Do you seriously expect them to respond either way?”

“They could be another adept of Urslah who lost their balance.”

“Don’t say his name out loud,” Ander hissed. “After all the ruse to not get recognized. The praetor will skin your soul if he hears you.”

“What does it matter? They're all going to die or get captured anyway.”

“They could have a transmitter.”

“Those don’t work in a mana storm, and we also have a disrupt—” The sentence was interrupted by a slap and a low thud.

“Just go check," Ander growled. “We need to find the spy’s cabin before the ship sinks.”

Dammit!

Gritting his teeth, Kai carefully tried to pry open the door. It was stuck. His arms were still weak, and the more Strength he applied the more it creaked. Without the soundproofing runes from the ship active, he could distinctly hear two pairs of boots moving closer beneath the groans of the Intrepid.

Hallowed Intuition offered no guidance. If he kicked down the door, they would chase after him. Hiding wasn’t an option either. Each corner of the cramped cabin was fitted with furniture without a single cranny to accommodate him. Even if the pirates couldn’t pierce his cloak of Shadow, chances were they would step on him.

Kahali’s wrath! I prefer it when the Fulcrum doesn’t sabotage me. Ambush it is…

While the healing potion had let him regain some sense in his arms, using a sword was still out of the question. That left his magic. The Sanctuary had taught him to refill his reserves whenever he got the chance, so he had recovered a decent stash. Fighting in close quarters wouldn't be ideal, but it wasn’t like he had another choice.

“C’mon. Check for your mysterious specter,” Ander growled outside.

The door screeched but didn’t open. “It’s… stuck.” The younger raider wrenched the handle.

Kai crouched beside the bed veiled in Shadow, fingers clenched around his wand. With the Intrepid channeling all its mana into the hull, a porthole periodically obscured by the stormy sea was the only source of light. He’d get one shot at taking them by surprise, he couldn’t fail.

Flynn will know what to do…

“Just give it a push,” Ander sneered. In a burst of splinters, the door swung open shining light from the corridor. “Now, go look.” A broad figure in black shoved the shorter one forward.

The raider carefully squinted at the dim room, rapier in hand. His gaze briefly lay on Kai before moving on to the other corners of the room.

“Any rats?” Ander watched from the threshold.

For a moment, Kai hoped the man would throw a glance around, shrug and leave. No such luck. The younger pirate stabbed the bed and wardrobe with his rapier, body tense to respond to any attacks, while Ander cut off his escape route. The marauder was too distant for an effective ambush, and Kai didn’t dare move a muscle for fear of being heard.

Spirits please, no yellow grades.

Delaying as far as he could to lull them into a sense of complacency, Kai was forced to respond when the shorter man was about to stab him. Seven ice shards shot forward from different angles—the limit of what he could achieve with Split Mind.

The raider Dashed back in a burst of Darkness, struck down a projectile and dodged two more. With only his profession at Yellow, he was too slow to avoid the rest of the shards. His body crumpled against the wall with an ice bolt through the heart, already dead.

Should have chosen a safer career.

Kai darted to the other end of the cabin, expecting an attack or an enraged scream. Neither came. The second pirate watched him from the doorway without a hint of panic or surprise.

What…

“You knew I was there.” Kai scowled in disgust. He didn’t know why he felt so enraged at the betrayal of a murderer, but he did.

The man kicked the body of his companion with a chuckle. “He wasn’t too bright, was he? Always a smartass, just like his bastard brother.” He leveled a two-handed longsword at him. “I’m afraid I must kill you now. You know, dead people can’t talk.”

Instead of replying, Kai released a volley of ice shards. His opponent was fully into Yellow, if he got cornered into the cabin he was as good as dead.

Instead of pressing, the man sidestepped out of the doorway. “Ice and Shadow at your age. Quite impressive.” He whistled. “Who knew we’d find a mage line on this ship? Too bad your daddy sent you without an escort.”

What’s up with monologuing villains?

His age and red profession must make people underestimate him. Caught in a stalemate, Kai readied his spells and refilled his reserves.

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“Maybe I should go call someone else…” The pirate mused, slightly raising his voice.

Lazy coward.

“Sure. Then you can explain to them how you let the other guy die.”

“No one will listen to dead meat,” he scoffed.

“They don’t need to believe me to spread rumors. You said the guy had a brother, right? He might be interested.”

“Uh, I always hated arrogant brats. If you’re so eager to die, let me help you.” Ander spat and summoned a blade of Darkness with a slash.

The inky blackness moved deceptively fast, eating through the ice shield for his head. Kai cast a revolving water bubble to slow the attack but was surprised when that stopped the attack entirely.

Hmm… it weakens the more it has to eat—

Ander charged, wielding a blade coated in Darkness.

With no space to dodge, Kai covered the floorboards in ice to disrupt his footing. He was ready to flood the cabin when the Intrepid lunged at a sharp angle towards the raider. The man slipped on his spell and fell back through the entrance.

Thanks, that’s enou—

The vessel continued to tilt to an almost ninety-degree angle with a creak of wood. Kai grabbed onto the nailed bedpost to not plunge toward his foe; images of sinking to the bottom of the ocean swarmed his mind. Just as he thought the Intrepid was about to capsize, a rush of blazing mana snapped them back into an upright position.

I need to get out. That was too close.

Drenched in cold sweat, Kai failed to capitalize on his foe’s weakness. The marauder had stabbed his sword into the wooden boards outside the cabin to not get thrown away. “Cursed Abyss. You’re lucky, bra—” He spun to swing his longsword at his back.

Shadow retreated in a flash of Lightning—not before leaving a dagger in his lower back. Flynn hadn't wasted the opportunity.

Ander gritted his teeth to pull out the dagger. “Fucki—” He threw himself behind a toppled wardrobe to avoid the hail of ice.

Body Augmentation flooded Kai’s legs to escape from the cabin—the pirate was faster. Ander forced him back with a slash and turned to snatch a throwing knife out of the air. Caught between two attackers, he slammed the broken door shut behind him.

Naturally, you picked the squishy mage.

With his back against a wall, Kai unloaded a blizzard of ice and water to overwhelm his opponent with the sheer number of spells he could cast. He wasn’t the only one trapped in the cabin.

“Pathetic.” The marauder sneered as a ring glowed incandescent on his finger. A shield of black flames rose from wall to wall to devour every Water spell. The man advanced toward him, holding the barrier. “Die…”

The longsword clattered to the floor. Ander lowered his gaze to where a spike of ice protruded from his gut. “H— how—” His last words were cut short when another dagger pierced his back. The black fire extinguished into wispy motes as he collapsed.

Who told you I only had two affinities?

While Earth and Nature were impractical to use at sea, Space was just slow and unwieldy. If someone decided to stand less than two meters from him for a couple seconds, they could only blame themselves. He just had to teleport the ice spike a short distance past the shield of flames.

“Nice trick.” Flynn bent to recover his daggers with a grimace. “I—”

“You did great,” Kai said. Unfortunately, the ring used to summon the flames had crumbled to dust, probably broken in the activation. “We need to get on the deck before someone else arrives.”

Spirits willing, the Fulcrum has stopped playing tricks.

“Are you sure?” Flynn fidgeted with his knives. “There will be more of whoever these people are.”

“Still better than here.” It was only a matter of time before the Intrepid sank, and he’d rather not get trapped in the debris when that happened.

“You’re right.”

They moved back into the companionway. The vessel was rocked by ever rougher waves, letting seawater and the thundering of the tempest slip inside.

Please don’t sink.

They passed another raider with her throat slit by sharp claws. Hobbes couldn’t hide his disquiet and fear any longer.

Stay hidden. Kai communicated his intentions through the bond. Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something out.

The furball was already exhausted by overdrawing on his magic to fight. There was no point dragging him down with them. If Hobbes moved stealthily, not even the pirates would be able to catch him.

At least one of us will make it out.

They stopped before a hatch that rattled as if it were possessed. Flynn threw a look back at him. “Should we wait? That Green monster might still be there…”

The deep lament of the Intrepid made Kai’s stomach wrench. “There is no time.” He kept his voice steady. “We might still reach a lifeboat. I think I’ve seen a couple hanging over the deck.”

“Four. There were four,” Flynn said with a pale face, biting his lip. “If one of us—”

“We’ll both be fine.” Kai offered his most reassuring smile. He refused to consider that one of them might die before even reaching the mainland. “If something happens, just hold on to me. You know I’m Lucky.”

“I— okay…” He took a deep breath and opened the hatch to the deck.

The howling of wind and cold rain battered them, far louder than he expected. “Let me go first.” Kai crept outside, squinting to see through the storm.

When Hallowed Intuition didn’t scream through the interference, he cast the tiniest Water spell. Just enough to shield his face and look further. There was no trace of the raiders’ leader and the black ship.

“Did he really ditch us…?” Flynn voiced his thoughts while holding onto a stray line.

Of course, the big boss cut and ran.

His elation was cut short by a sudden whisper. A colossal wave was lit by the thundering sky, higher than the tallest mast. The Intrepid slanted under his feet as the dark water swelled.

Fuck.

“Hold on tight!” Kai shouted over the tempest and grabbed onto Flynn.

The crest of the water column tipped forward, falling from such heights he had time to yell a dozen curses at the Fulcrum. Then the wave crashed like an avalanche—a flimsy spell was all that saved them from being squished.

They were pulled in ten different directions by the rough currents, swallowed by the dark icy waters of his nightmares. The thick essence of the mana storm eroded his magic.

Don’t let go.

Fully submerged, Kai activated Blessed Swimmer to resist the ocean and replenish his elemental reserves. Water motes flooded toward him with the same speed he consumed them. At last, the sea let them plunge on the hard deck of the Intrepid—standing proud without a single speck of mana in its hull.

Flynn bent to cough mouthfuls of seawater.

Kai helped him stand on the swaying deck, his own mouth filled with salt and blood. “Are you okay?”

“I'm…” he broke into another cough. “…good.”

There was no sign of a lifeboat on the deck—not that Kai would consider boarding one in this weather. While he couldn’t spot another colossal wave yet, it was only a matter of time before the raging storm brewed another. “I’ve killed us…”

“It was the only solution.” Flynn grabbed his arm with a surprisingly firm gaze. “It’s the pirates' fault, not yours.”

Well, we’re dead either way without a miracle. Anything… please…?

The storm didn’t magically abate, instead, a whisper rose through the noise—as if Fate wanted to prove the situation could always get worse. Kai turned to see a man in drenched black clothes step onto the deck.

The raider briefly scanned the area before marching towards them with two long knives in hand.

What’s the fucking point?

“Hey! The ship is about to sink. Can’t we just have a truce?” Kai's hopeful tone was met with indifferent silence.

Now I find the only guy not interested in talking? And he must have his profession at mid-yellow too. Amazing.

The bloodthirsty stranger dashed forward. Ebony flames already coated his blades, sizzling in the storm.

No, thank you.

He buffeted the idiot back with a wave. If this raider thought he could fight a Water mage in the middle of a storm, Kai would teach him reason before the tempest swallowed them.

The aspiring shinobi leaped at him again, darting close to the deck to not get swept away. It made no difference, they were surrounded by water.

Kai turned the deck of the Intrepid into an ice-skating field and froze the downpour into a thousand needles. The man plowed and dodged the spells, undeterred. An armor of inky flames protected him from the barrage.

“Well, I’d love to fool around with you, but it looks like our time is up.” Kai pointed to the thirty-meter wave growing higher behind him.

The assassin didn’t halt his run or even turn to look, his black fire blazing darker. He murmured some nonsense about gods and darkness, the exact words covered by the winds.

If the Fulcrum weren’t broken already, I’d crush it with my hands.

Kai summoned a thick water wall and threw two vials at Flynn. “Drink them now, grab onto a piece of wood and don’t let go.”

“What about you—”

“I’m a Water mage. I’ll deal with this guy and find you.” Seeing him hesitating, he grinned as brightly as he could. “You know I don’t die easily.”

There was no more time. The raider burned through every spell in his path. Kai ran, weaving water and ice to slow the maniac. He’d have no chance to bridge the gap in attributes under normal circumstances, but the storm did that for him.

Too late.

Reaching its peak, the towering wave crashed on the Intrepid. No surge of mana rose to save the ship, the cracking wood even deafened the storm right before the ocean swallowed them.

Thrown like a ragdoll by the currents, Kai lost track of up and down. Mana Observer was blinded by the storm. There was no sight or sound. A whisper warned him when a piece of the Intrepid sank over him. His mana surged to swim away though he couldn’t avoid hitting his head on a piece of the wreckage.

His head spun as he stubbornly held onto consciousness. When he could finally see a little, he was dozens of meters under the surface surrounded by floating debris. His lungs burned for oxygen, his vision blurred, and his mind was dazed. He started swimming for the surface when Hallowed Intuition alerted him.

What…?

The crazy assassin was diving toward him, protected by dark flames. He had lost his knives and black veil, revealing a pale man not ten years older than him—still intent on finishing the job.

Are you fucking kidding me?

By the time his confused thoughts could piece together a spell, the raider had already tightened his hands around his neck. Led by his survival instinct, Kai managed to push him away using the waters. The man just swam back.

Is this really…

He was too tired to cast again, his vision rapidly fading. Then the throat of the assassin split open as if by magic. Shock filled his black eyes as the sea tinged red.

Uh, it’s quite pretty…

Kai only got the vague impression of being dragged toward the surface when the world faded into darkness.