With bated breath, Galdon watches as the Anadasta and Timbergrove get closer and closer to one another. All up until their broadsides are merely a foot apart. Just as he prepares to send out the order to board, it is the Timbergrove that boards first.

Wary, Galdon watches as four hop off the Timbergrove and land upon the Anadasta. One is a man wielding a runed hammer in one arm and holding runed gauntlets in the other. Another is a woman covered in full runic armor. The third and probable [Captain] is a woman wearing a coat and wielding a runed cutlass from the Raven Hunters guild- a clear sign of a bounty hunter.

The last border is a puffy kitten that Galdon could find himself selling for a tidy sum. The rich tend to pay well for fluffy cats.

Even so, with only three of them, he can smell something’s wrong. With a blink, he focuses on the three.

Irmgard Von Braun: Level 6 [First Mate]

Emma: Level 2 [Chief Carpenter]

Boriss Smirnov: Level 2 [Security Chief]

No [Captain] is present and the crew is low in job level. He still can’t remove the consideration that their class levels are significantly higher. Especially that [Chief Carpenter]. A full set of runic armor is something you’d normally find on a wealthy [Noble] or on someone nearing an expert class. Then again, runic armor is far cheaper compared to runic weapons.

With a deep breath, Galdon unsheathes his runed shamshir greatsword using his right arm and a tower shield with his left. Then he steps forward.

“Bold of you to come aboard my ship without your [Captain]. I can only imagine him to be a coward.”

The cat hops up on a barrel and faces him.

“Seriously? Why are you talking shit the moment I board? I mean, I understand you’re all [Pirates]. Killing and plundering is your literal job description. But still, you should at least avoid insults until you’re absolutely sure your opponent isn’t some badass that could rip your ass open a new one.”

The [Pirates] go silent as every single eye is now on the kitten.

The cat waves a paw. “Still, you're lucky I’m a forgiving sort -um what's your name.”

Galdon Forceward: Level 42 [Pirate Captain]

“Galdon Forceward. Damn, that’s a pretty nice name.” The cat shakes its head. “Right. As I was saying. Galdon, you’re lucky I’m a forgiving sort. Most of my kind would have your head severed for inferring that they could be cowardly… after slowly torturing you for months at a time before allowing you eternal rest.”

The cat taps its test with a paw. “But not me. I am more civilized and believe in redemption. Which I will offer you in the form of a complete surrender.”

The large man with a hammer frowns.

“Comrade Fluffy, vhy no Prostrate?” He asks the cat.

Quasi sighs. “Boriss, my ignorant Russian comrade, the last time I asked a crew of [Pirates] to prostrate themselves, I had to slaughter more than half of them. After some contemplation, It has occurred to me that [Pirates] are far too uncultured to do such a thing. They cannot comprehend the sheer majestic superiority of myself.”

“You’re a talking cat?” Galdon interrupts.

Quasi rolls his eyes. “And you’re a talking human. I don’t see why this amazes ever- what the hell is wrong with your arm?”

Only now does Quasi notice the oddity of Galdon’s right arm. The arm is bulging with muscle and is covered in glowing violet veins. The more he stares, the more it seems like the glow is pulsing to the rhythmic beat of the man's heart.

Galdon grins. He swings the greatsword with the ease of a kitchen knife.

“Just something I picked up in my travels. It's quite a modification. I imagine I could crush a cat's skull easily.”

“Ohhhh.” The cat grins. “So we’re moving from insults to threats.” The cat looks back at one of its members. “Emma, know anything about his arm?”

The fully armored female gets startled at the question.

“I- um. I’ve only heard about it. There's a city that does runic modifications on flesh. The modifications work like permanent runes.”

“Anything else?”

“That’s all I know.”

Quasi nods. “Well Galdon, it seems we’re at an impasse. Boriss, lay the gauntlets here.”

Boriss places the rune gauntlets in front of the kitten while the [Pirates] watch. They are confident, curious, while only Galdon is wary. Unless you’re a Buxon or extremely high level, then numbers matter heavily in a fight. The chance of a single individual with the capability to single-handedly wipe out an entire ship is rare in these parts.

The cat glances at the [Pirates]. “Last chance to surrender and keep your lives.”

Galdon Chuckles. “No, I think you’re the one in need of surrendering.”

The cat chuckles madly, which causes Galdon to take an unconscious step back.

“Good.” The kitten tilts its head clockwise. “I need to level.”

The cat places its paws into the runed gauntlets and then disappears in a puff of smoke. When the smoke settles, a fenrimorph wielding said gauntlets is now standing in the cats place. Before Galdon can realize what's happened, the monstrosity pounces. The sound of shattering bone is followed up by a [Pirate] ragdolling.

“Attack!” Galdon Roars. He rushes towards the monster. By the time he reaches the Fenrimorph, two [Pirates] lay broken at its feet.

With a grunt, he swings his weapon with the intent to sever the monster's head.

_______________________________________________________________________

Aboard the Timbergrove, Myers watches the fighting unfold. He’d kept out of sight until combat had begun. Now that it has, his hand rests on the ship's core in case the worst happens.

Which, considering the ongoing combat, shouldn’t take too long. Quasi starts the fight with a punch that crushes a man's chest and sends him flying. By the time the enemy [Captain] reaches him, the Quasi has dealt with two more [Pirates].

The [Captain] slices towards Quasi, but the Fenrimorph redirects with a gauntlet and then punches Galdon with the other. Galdon raises his shield and blocks the strike, but the sheer force of it pushes the [Captain] back. By the time the [Captain] regains his footing, another [Pirate] goes down.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Watching Quasi fight, he can't help but reminisce about his younger days. He had crewmembers that could board a ship and single-handedly fight the [Captain] and crew. Using [Griffin Riders], he’d transport these combat specialists and drop them aboard the enemy vessel. From there, he only needed to wait until the crew was dead or surrendered.

But, this is different. His fighters were trained expert [Knights], while Quasi isn’t even an advanced classer. If the cat were to become an expert, Myers expects him to be as dangerous as one of the Corsairs.

Shifting his sight, he focuses on the rest of the crew. What he finds is that other than Boriss, the others are struggling. Emma is panicking and swinging wildly while taking hits that bounce off of her armor. Irmgard is on the defensive. The woman is great at dueling, but anything more than a single opponent is forces her on the backfoot.

Now Boriss, the man would be a prime [Knight] candidate. Moving, blocking, and attacking. He dances with both skill, instinct, and a grin on his face. While watching, Boriss’s hammer glows for a moment before he swings. The [Pirate] blocks with a shield. The shield cracks and the [Pirates] arm shatters as the vibrations rips through the metal.

With a thought, he calls up the hammer.

Name

Reverberating Warhammer

Rarity

Exceptional - 10 Runes.

* 1(1-Durability)

* 1(1-lightweight)

* 1(8- Reverberating Strike)

Description

This hammer is +30% more durable, +30% lighter in weight, and can cast Reverberating strike at will.

Sustain

0.02% Mana regeneration per minute.

Reverberating Strike: 203.37 Mana to activate.

When he’d first seen the weapon, he’d thought it to be a rare quality weapon on account of the two basic runes and the more advanced one. What he’d not expected was that the advanced rune is far more powerful than expected. So much so that the weapon needs only one more rune to enter Epic quality. If that were to happen, the weapon’s price would skyrocket exponentially even though the ability is mediocre at best. Reverberating Strike is a devastating ability designed solely for hunting large beasts. Unless the cost is brought down significantly, then most could only activate the skill once or twice before running out of mana.

Regardless, Boriss doesn’t need to use the skill to be effective. The man is a skilled fighter and [Pirates] are dying at his feet.

When Myers glances back at Quisi, more bodies lie around the Fenrimorphs feet while Galdon continues to swing his greatsword at speeds few could hold to match. But Quasi blocks and diverts them with expert precision. Not without wounds, though. Quasi’s back is covered in cuts, wounds, and crossbow bolts. Having only gauntlets to defend isn’t very effective if you’re surrounded by enemies.

Myers can't help but lean forward to watch the battle unfold.

_______________________________________________________________

He swings that shit like a toy!

I divert the blade with my left gauntlet, only to block with my right as the weapon attacks again. I continue the dance until I see an opening. I twist my hips and put the full momentum into my punch.

The man's shield blocks my attack, but he is pushed back.

Who the fuck carries a goddam tower shield to a fight? And why the fuck is that shield so goddam big. We’re fighting on a ship, not sieging a castle!

With the [Captain] pushed back, I take the opportunity to a corpse and yeet it at the damn [Pirate] with a crossbow. Corpse and [Pirate] meet with such force that both [Pirate] and crossbow are yeeted overboard.

Not even a moment after, I’m back on the defensive as mister glowing arm is hammering me with his sword. Literally hammering me with a sword. The mans speed and the weight of his sword makes it feel like I’m getting hit with a block of heavy metal that just so happens to also be sharp enough to cut easily.

Once again, I create an opening, push him back, and then take care of another harasser. I do this several more times until the only one left is Galdon.

The man, seeing his [Pirates] at my feet, warily steps back.

I reveal my teeth with a grin.

He grimaces.

Now, how should I deal with him? His right side has that stupid tower shield and his right has the stupid greatsword. I can't exactly break past the shield, and the greatsword is too heavy, long, and fast to riposte and counter. Tiring him out is an option, but that could take far too long. I mean, the guy isn’t very skilled. He likes to turtle half his body behind a shield while the other half threatens with a greatsword. Good idea, but that shields far too large.

I rush forward, he attacks, but I block and divert while applying pressure. I weave into his left and rain punches into his shield as he struggles to attack me with his right greatsword. He tries to turn, but I continue following the shield. Though I’m not doing any notable damage to him, his movements are becoming more sporadic and panicky. His shield is far too large to see me over it, and the only knowledge that I’m on the other side of the shield is the constant impacts of my gauntlet.

Then, after this dance goes on a bit longer. I immediately swerve left while he continues turning right. He overcommits the turn. With his right side now completely exposed, the man panics. He slashes forward, but I easily intercept the blade upwards with my right gauntlet. With my left gauntlet, I put all of my momentum into an upward punch right into the man's exposed elbow. I hear a crunch and scream. The greatsword flies out of his grip and imbeds itself into a nearby barrel. Before the man fully realizes what’s happened, I kneel and sweep his legs from under him. He falls to the floor. As he falls, I lay a foot down on his chest and then rip the shield out of his arm.

I then raise a fist to finish him off.

“I Surrender.” He pleas.

I snort. My fist comes down on his face and I feel the crunch of his skull. His body instantly ceases to move.

Then I feel it. The urge. My head whips up. My mouth opens and I howl into the sky as loudly as possible.

_______________________________________________________________

Shortly after the howl, the rest of the [Pirates] surrender. Those surviving are tied up to a post while the dead are stripped and thrown overboard. Once all is done, Quasi transforms back into a cat. A dozen crossbow bolts clatter on the floor. He grins at his crew.

“Whooo. That was fun.”

“Da, is good exercise.”

“Exercise! I thought I was going to die.” Emma complains.

Irmgard puts a hand on Emma’s shoulder. “You survived against three [Pirates] and held your own. That is more than most can accomplish.”

“I survived because of my mothers armor. They were wailing at me the entire time. I don’t think I even hurt them at all. I was panicking the entire time!”

Quasi snorts. “I wish I had armor. Then my back wouldn’t have become a pincushion. Speaking of armor, would you be able to smith some for me?”

Her fear and memory of the battle is quickly forgotten at the prospect of work. “I- yes. But I’d need a large forge and a lot of time. Even more time if you want it runed.”

“I might, but that's for later.”

Just then, Myers rushes to them. “There’s a problem.”

Quasi raises an eyebrow. “What problem?”

“That ship you saved. It’s heading towards us. They’ll be here in half an hour at their speed.”

“To fight?”

“Doubtful. [Merchant Captains] tend to avoid combat as much as possible. He probably has [Sense Pirate] and doesn’t sense [Pirates] anymore.”

Quasi looks at the men tied up. “They’re not [Pirates] anymore?”

“Once a [Pirate Captain] dies, all [Pirates] lose their jobs unless a new [Pirate Captain] is chosen immediately. Usually a [First Mate] if their level is appropriate.” Myers explains. “You probably killed the [First Mate] if they had one.”

“Huh. Now that I think about it, why do they all have the [Pirate] job instead of some specialist job?”

“The [Pirate] Job is one of the most impressive jobs available. [Pirates] are able to level from any position on a ship and gain boosts towards all those positions. They aren’t going to be as good as a specialist, but they are going to be far more diverse and higher in level.” Myers points at Boriss. “For example, your [Security Chief] has [Combat Authority] which improves all traits by half the [Captains] level. All [Pirates] get [Minor Combat Authority], which improves traits by a fourth of the captain's level.”

A fourth? That seems like a pretty strong force multiplier.

“. I kinda want to be a [Pirate Captain] now.”

Myers grunts. “You’ll need to level [Pirate] to at least twenty-four or be acknowledged and hunted as though you are one. Then the job will be available.”

“So anyone can become a [Pirate]?”

“Correct. But, they could also lose the job if they are no longer acknowledged as one.”

“Um,” Emma raises her hand, “If we’re not going to continue fighting, can I take my armor off?”

“Keep it on until we deal with that [Merchant Captain].” Quasi says. He looks to Myers. “You said we have half an hour, right?”

“At current speed. They could speed up and it would be sooner.”

“That's fine. Boriss, take Emma and search the ship for any stowaways. Irmgard, get me Cillian.”

Quasi grins. “We’ve an opportunity to make a profit.”