I sat on an alleyway past the shore, watching the ships of the night shift appearing in the distance. My hand carriage rested broken down and dumped among the alleyway garbage. It wasn’t an idea of Masha, but it removed any traces of anyone coming in here.

My old life is gone…

I looked at the street lights in the distance. I promised Masha to come back, but going there will only bring her trouble. And I didn’t want her to be in trouble. Not because of me.

But thinking of the good side, I removed a political enemy. The pirate queen was an ally of my wretched sister. With her dead she loses power in the Southern Seas. The Waylong pirates were a troublesome bunch, and they would never submit to the Empress. They were the kind to send a letter requesting the Empress to stick her ass at them. The only reason they’ve been at bay is because of Isla and her crew.

How did I know all of this? Because sleeping with the pirate queen comes with its benefits.

I need a plan…

I opened up the System again. Before I could blink, a new message appeared.

[Haze Skill Leveled Up]

[Higher Queen Killed]

[33000 Material Points]

Damn, I wish I actually understood what that meant. That looked like a lot of material points. I stood up and wiped my butt off.

I needed to know how to use my skill. If I could twist the necks of my enemies so easily then there was no point fretting in an alleyway. But at that moment, when Isla lunged, I felt something. Something strong. Was it because of the fear? Or was it something else?

I needed to find out.

I watched as a drunken man and woman stumbled onto the street. They were laughing and hooting. The woman had an empty bottle in her hand, and the man’s pants looked like they were about to come down soon.

A few steps in, the woman leaned on the wall, sticking her ass out. The man grinned.

Oh no…

I cleared my throat. “Dear sir, please stick that elsewhere.”

The man, who had arms on his pants, looked at me, followed by the woman. They seemed to notice my existence for the first time.

“Who are you?”

“God has seen what you have done,” I extended my hand, pointing my ring at them. Just like I had done to Isla I called upon my ability. I wanted to feel the hook. The same feeling I had when I controlled Isla. I felt like I had a hook at the back of her head.

“I can fuck my wife whenever I want, and wherever I want,” the man spat, then grabbed the bottle from the woman. “God will allow that after I send this bottle up your arse.”

Ahhh….I wiggled my fingers, hoping the tug would apply any sooner.

“Is he a magician?” the woman asked.

“Damned if I know. But if he is, in the next few moments he’s going to be a very funny looking one.”

Something tugged at the end of my eye. I squinted, and then in dark orange hieroglyphs I saw wordings behind the man and woman.

Sed Farrow

Class: [Sloth]

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Sub-Class: [Miner]

Ordeal: Julius

Berda Farrow

Class: [Sloth]

Sub-Class: [Sweeper]

Ordeal: Julius

Ah, workers of Lord Julius - the richest man in the city. I never thought I could see one’s details from the distance. Perhaps it was an advantage of having the higher system.

“Sed and Berda,” I grinned, then wiggled my hands again. “I command you to kneel.”

At least that stopped the man from walking. “Are you fucking nuts boy? And how do you know my name? Is he one of your lovers Berda?”

Berda glared. “No, dumbass. I don’t have any lovers. But he’s pretty enough to be one.”

Fuck…

I had no control over them. If I couldn’t even control two peasants how can I plan to leave this damn town?

How did I control Isla then? Maybe it was’t control. Maybe it was a command.

“KNEEL!”

I imagined in my head, the man kneeling. My voice thundered in the alleyway. The bottle fell down, clattering on the cold stone floor. Sed fell to his knees, eyes wide.

My grin reached my ear. So I can control. But my powers felt vague.

I looked at Berda, hoping to see her kneeling on the ground, but she was giving horrifying stare at her husband. Then she looked at me.

“Uh…KNEE-”

“Aaaaarrrggghhh!” she gave a wallowing howl and ran from the alleyway, skirt half down.

Point number two. My ability was limited to controlling one person. Maybe leveling up will do the trick. Or maybe the skill was limited to just one person.

At least that was a good starting point.

I looked at Sed. I extended my hand again. “Stay on all fours and bark like a dog.”

His eyes regained their lost focus. Then he frowned. “W-what is going on? What are you doing?”

Uh-oh

Point number three. I can’t seem to issue severe commands.

“You just obeyed me,” I walked and grabbed the bottle that had fallen down. “The true Emperor of these lands.”

“What the fuck are you babbling about-”

I raised the bottle. “Your future.”

I slammed it down. It shattered, and the man went down to the ground, groaning and clutching his head.

I walked out of the alleyway, a plan already forming in my head.

*

A few hours before midnight, I took a turn to Abetha Street. The end of the street held the most popular inn for the Waylong pirate’s most dangerous warrior - Crookbag. His actions don’t carry the funniness of his name. He specifically has a habit of pulling out body parts of his victims. Eyeballs, nails, teeth, balls, he could be creative in the torture room.

But from my talks with Isla after three rounds of sex I’ve realized he’s her biggest rival.

“Because he has a brain,” Isla used to spat. “Unlike the rest of the idiots.”

If I needed a voice with reason, I need someone who could see what’s happening, and take the necessary precautions.

“Where do you think you are going?”

I jumped. If I didn’t already recognize the voice, I sure would have thought it was one of Isla’s pirates who trailed me.

“Kaya?”

I looked back to see her with her hands on hips. Her brows were furrowed. She was dressed with a simple gown and apron - signs that she was working in the kitchen.

“I’ve been following you,” she said, coming close. She smelled of burnt pie. And I distinguished that smell clearly because that’s the same smell she had when I slept with her one year ago. “What happened to Lady Isla? What’s you and Masha so secretive about?”

“Nothing,” I said. “I was dumping garbage.”

“After carrying it in a hand carriage when you could have just dumped it near the lake like we always do?”

“Now’s not the time…”

“Something happened,” her eyes gazed into mine. “Tell me. I can help you too.”

I would never do that. I already dragged Masha into this mess, I’ll never do the same for Kaya.

“You should go back,” I hardened my voice. “I’m running some errand to Masha. You shouldn’t poke your head in it.”

I turned, not looking back. She would be pissed off at me. But that was fine. One pissed off girl was better than one dead girl.

I kept a few steps before I heard her voice again.

“I’m going to countdown from five and if you don’t tell me what you did, I’ll scream.”

I turned, mouth gawked open. “What?”

“Do you want the entire street to know about how a boy dragged a very strange looking bag to the end of the docks?”

“Dammit! Just stop poking your head into-”

“Five.”

“You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever-”

“Four.”

“If you want coin I have money under the bed-”

“Three.”

“Sex with you was the worst!”

“Goes the same for you. You were too quick.”

“Wait, wha-”

“Two.”

“I don’t want you to be a part of this.”

“One.”

Dammit! I raised my hand, ring pointed at her. “SLEEP!”

A few passerbys at the distance turned heads to my voice. Some gave a chuckle, others nodded and walked off.

Kaya didn’t sleep, instead her eyes fixed on the ring on my hand. “Oh, so that’s what it is.”

I was tired to even argue. “What is what?”

She raised her hand, and the letters appeared right in front of her.

Kaya Larna

Titles: None

Family: None

Blood Herring: Common

Class: [Lust]

Sub-Class: [Worker]

Material Points: 20

Ordeal: Masha

Level: 2

Abilities: [Tap For Skill Tree]

I gawked my mouth open. “Y-you’re…you’re…”

She gave a sigh. “Can we just sit? And talk?”