Part 1

- RAPHAEL BLUESCALE’S POV -

The scenery from the spot I claimed as mine near the bowsprit was unbearably consistent. Waves, waves and waves upon waves, waves and waves. An infinite expanse of blue that seemed to extend to the far corners of the world. An immense blanket that moved how the wind willed it and dragged us along with it. For the first couple of days, the simplicity of the sea’s movement felt like a lullaby. It sang a calming song, one that appeared to soothe me at times. Alas, I could not bury my worries within that warmth. By the time a week had passed, I became wary of it, borderline loathing how monotone it sounded.

The only sound that disrupted the constant “swoosh” of the waves was the noisy paddling of the two giant wooden cogs. When the wind blew too softly for the sails to function properly, Captain Corbin would run down the deck, activate some sort of contraption he would not show me, and the wheels or cogs would start pushing us forward through the use of giant paddles. It was quite an interesting sight for it was something that reminded me of an old steam boat. What truly intrigued me, though, was how Corbin would tell me that it was all a mechanical contraption of his invention so, in an attempt to prevent its spreading, he would not let me see it. In truth, magic was involved. I could feel the faint pull of mana as the contraption gathered natural mana from the surrounding sea.

[There’s no point thinking about it too much-] I thought as I sighed, leaned back into the couple of rough pillows I brought from my room and opened my red leather-bound book [- I can’t figure out how it works simply by feeling the mana…not in this state. There are no windows in the room and the door is locked both physically and using a spell probably powered by the same thing that powers the whole contraption…Very ingenious]

“Still scribbling on that book, uh?-” Said Corbin as he approached me and sat on the edge of the wooden railing “- We’ve already been a week at sea and yet all you do in your free time is either train the sword or write that book. When are you going to tell me what’s it about?”

“When you’ll let me see your contraption” I replied bluntly, raising my eyes from my spellbook just to glance at him for the briefest of moments before sinking back into the pages.

“A man of few words, as always-” He sighed as he dangerously leaned back while keeping himself steady by the sheer force of his legs “- Your sis tells me you weren’t always like this. Is the big, scary swordsman shy around little old me?”

“Have Julie tell you” I again answered in a blunt manner. The only difference from my previous answer being that I didn’t bother looking at the man.

“She won’t do it and you know it, you boring bastard!-” Corbin shouted as he mimicked the tone of someone upset before laughing at his own joke “- No but seriously, was it the labyrinth?... See, I have…had an acquaintance. Can’t say we were friends but he was a good man and an even better merchant. Fell into the labyrinth the day ‘the scar’ opened, he did. Never came back. One of his sons showed me the medallion he always carried. Said it was his symbol. An ugly and obnoxious thing passed down from father to son…The poor sod must have died for him to let it go”

“Your point being?” I asked sighing as I made an exaggerated movement to close the book.

“Was it really that gruesome? I mean, I heard stories. Drunk sailors and survivors sharing a table made for a whole pot of unrequired information so I kinda get the picture but…can’t shake off this feeling that there’s something more. Am I wrong?” He asked with a distant look. It wasn’t an aimless look directed towards the sky or the horizon. It was as if he was looking at something, or someone, there with us. I just couldn’t see it.

“One of the first floors was the ruins of an ancient city occupied by countless undead…What lay deeper was even worse” I replied as my grip around the book tightened.

“...I can’t even imagine-” Corbin mused absentmindedly “- Even worse, I can’t imagine what the guy who caused it all thought. You know the story, right?-” He asked and, as he spotted my eyebrow raised in question, answered “- During the war on the border between Belza and Three Crowns, a mage failed an earth spell and ‘boom’. The ground shattered, people fell into the chasm and the labyrinth opened across the War land…Supposedly the whole thing was a lot more complicated than this but I ain’t no mage or studied folk. The bloke that told me said something ‘bout a vein, a relic and some more complicated shit. I doubt he understood half of what he said”

“...Yeah-” I said as I rested my head on my knees and tightened my grip around the book even further “- Imagine”

“Anyway-” Crobin said as he loudly clapped his hands and shook his head as if to shoo away all thoughts of the labyrinth “- now that the basic requirements of courtesy have been met, let me get to business. I need to call in your services and have you do your part ‘round here”

“Have I not been cleaning, fishing and tying the sails?” I asked, dropping my book to the side and raising to my feet to the captain’s eye. I did not like what he was implying.

“Yeah, but that ain’t what I’m talking ‘bout-” Replied the man as he jumped off the railing and met my eye. Our faces were mere centimeters away from each other “- I’m talking ‘bout the whole business of the sword. Which is the reason why I made you pay half of what I usually do”

Corbin was stern. The playful glint he usually wore had dimmed and I was now looking at what he was when serious. He was unwavering. Even in that kind of position, with limited room for movement, Corbin was ready to extract the sabre hanging from the purpura cloth tied around his waist. I had not forgotten the terms of our deal that stated that, in case of emergency or attack, I would be required to defend the vessel and its inhabitants. Though I had hoped I would not be needed.

“*Sigh* In what kind of danger are we?” I said after a handful of seconds of silence spent glaring at each other.

“See…it gets boring when on land. Fucked ‘round too much when playing cards and got into debt, that’s why I was ready to leave port at a moment’s notice. Turns out fuckers got a ship too and have been following us. I’d wager Denar, that asshole, would follow me all the way to Fortenova to gut me” He said as he twirled the rope tied around his hat.

“How much gold do you owe for him to chase you so far out?” I asked genuinely surprised.

“*Cough cough* Ten gold *cough*” Corbin replied while making a face that said ‘I fucked up, I know’.

“Ten?-” I asked taken aback shouting as I clasped my hands over my face “- What kind of idiot goes ten gold in debt in a game of cards!?”

“A drunk idiot-” He answered guiltily “- Point is, I don’t want ‘em ‘round me so I’ll slow down the ship and have you go crazy on ‘em. Sounds fair?”

“No it doesn’t-” I replied sighing in defeat “- but I doubt you’d listen to me anyway. However, I fight on my own terms. This is not negotiable”

“Give me the word and I’ll prepare your field” Corbin replied as he sprinted away with a skip in his step.

As Corbin sprinted his way through the ship toward the helm, I began to gather my things. I picked up pillows and book and hid them back in my quarters. While I was there, I took some of the pre-crushed Dragon Tear and stuffed it in a small pouch I kept inside the coin one. Once out, I walked my way up the stairs leading to the helm and got the spyglass from Corbin. As he had said, a ship was tailing us. It was naught but a small spot far away from our ship, but we were slowing down…they were sure to catch up to us then.

“In an hour they’ll be upon us-” Corbin said in all seriousness as he let go of the helm and took the spyglass off my hands “- Denar’s the boss of a gang that likes to play pirate. He’s a small fry but he’s got numbers. How ya wanna play this?”

“...How many?” I asked coldly as a breath of cold, freezing wind ruffled my sow-swinging hair freed from the hat I left back in my cabin. My right hand, the only spot of that arm that didn’t feel numb, was playing half-nervously half-excitedly with the hilt of my sword.

“Denar’s got a schooner called ‘Plague’. Bit bigger than a normal one…Twenty to thirty I’d say. More than that and it’d be overkill to get rid of lil’ old me” Corbin replied thoughtfully while never letting go of the spyglass seemingly stuck to his eye.

“Your contraption can get the ship fast rapidly, correct?”

“A bit more complicated but yeah…basically” He replied as he regarded me with a questioning look from the corner of his free eye.

“Get me close enough to board the ship then speed away. How far I leave that to you. Know that if a hair on Julie’s head is missing, you will bear responsibility” I said grimly as I turned around to walk down the stairs and onto the main deck. However, Corbin had grabbed me by my wrist and was regarding me with suspicion.

“That’s suicide…Are you planning to die heroically like them idiots in fairy tales?” He said. Disgust was audible in his voice as he said those words.

“Death can have me-” I replied, freeing my wrist with one swift swing of it “- once I’m done with my quest…Until then, fuck off!”

It didn’t take long for the Plague to close in on us. Even less than Corbin predicted since the wind suddenly began to pick up and thus having to spin the cogs in the opposite direction. By the time half an hour had passed, their scouts could be heard from deck. Julie, either sensing the danger through the whispers of the spirits or by the shouts of the pirates, had also came up the deck to storm Corbin and I with questions.

“They are close now-” The captain said as he handed me a rope firmly tied to the mast for me to swing to the other ship without the need to close in too much “- You really wanna do this alone? Not even a hint of help?”

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

“If you want to help then do so by range” I replied without regarding him and only focusing on testing the rope.

“What about me? I can help!” Said Julie a little too loudly and too meekly for it to be an exclamation rather than a request.

“I doubt it” I answered the girl giving her a side-eye.

“Why not?-” She pressed in a nigh-desperate manner “- You taught me how to use the bow efficiently. The knife too! I even killed that grey wolf and hunted that chubby boar! I can be of help!”

“...Julie-” I said softly as I took my time to ponder on the right words “- Do you think killing an animal or a monster is the same as killing a human?”

“Eh…well, I don’t…I-I don’t know” The girl stuttered as she took a step back to put some distance between us. I learned during our time together that it was something she did whenever she was ashamed or knew she was wrong.

“It’s not…-” I replied with a sigh as I pried my eyes off her and resumed checking the rope’s capability “- I’d rather spare you from knowing what killing another human feels like…but I won’t stop you. Do as you please but remember that every action has a consequence”

“‘Specially when it comes to killing your own kind-” Added Corbin in a strangely melancholic tone as his gaze drifted away from the conversation “- You’ll learn, lass, killing most things carries a price…one none is eager to pay. Spare yourself of that, for the time being at least. I’ll get a bow from below deck. Worry not, I’ll do your part too and teach ya where to aim to confuse ‘em. That fine with the big man?”

“As I said-” I replied with a sigh as I jumped onto the railing and prepared to swing “- do as you wish, just stay away from them”

The first enemy arrow reached us the very moment I began to swing. The first arrow was followed by a second, a third, and a whole volley of white feathered arrows. Lastly came the cannon balls. Just two cannon shots. One of which hit the hull of our ship while the other missed for a few meters. Captain Corbin was clearly a practiced sailor as shown by the smart positioning of his ship and speed which allowed us to approach but not be approached and neither gunned down. Though rough and extremely nosy, Corbin was a smart man. I admired his strategic acumen.

Using the tiniest bit of wind magic, I summoned a gust of wind that hasted my swing and adjusted its trajectory. My swing reached its apex once I was close enough to one of the Plague’s sails, alas it was not fast enough to evade one arrow which cut through my trousers and painted a long, red line on my outer thigh. In a singular, swift motion I loosened my grip on the rope and reached for my sword applying a reverse grip on the hilt. The blade cut through the fabric of the sail like it was air. One hand held the sword that cut the sail, the other took hold of the sail itself in order to slow my fall. Another arrow whizzed close to my head. Clearly, my presence had gone neither unnoticed nor surprising as I hoped it would. To regain the upper hand, the last two meters I did them in free-fall. That is until I plunged my blade through the shoulder and torso of the bow-wielding pirate standing below me.

Drawing the sword from the flesh sheath and tracing a bloody arc caused the younger pirates to succumb to bewilderment. Those who had more experience under their belt gained a more raging fire instead. So much so that the first axe-wielding opponent ran at me before the body of the dead pirate touched the ground. I was never one to care much about honor though I respected etiquette and tradition when need be…right then, there was no such need. The axe-wielding pirate came from behind the dead man. An awful positioning on his own part. A well-placed kick on the sternum was all it took for the corpse to hasten its fall. The pirate was too into his rush to dodge. His feet got caught in the fall and the blood that was pooling fast beneath the corpse. He tripped, lost his balance and fell. To meet him, my blade awaited. I gritted my teeth as I applied a slight speed and strength boost to my muscles and dashed for the pirate. His head bearing the pirate’s last, fearful expression rolled over the other corpse as blood began to sprinkle like a fountain.

War cries rolled through the deck as I now became the pirates’ main focus. Weapons rose in the air. Some ran at me brandishing their swords while others prepared their bows. Adrenaline kicked in. My vision narrowed and every color, sound, and smell gained intensity. Ducking down I dodged an arrow and, while doing so, picked up the fallen pirate’s axe only to throw it at the closest fool. His speed, higher than his companions was repainted with an axe aimed at his chest. Having good reflexes spared him a wound to the chest. By crossing his arms over his chest, the young pirate prevented the exe from reaching his sternum. Alas, it robbed him of a wrist and left the other hanging from his arm by a shred of skin and muscle. His screams did not last long as the edge of my blade reached his throat, choking the young pirate’s screams in his own blood.

The next came fast. One pirate from behind, two from one side and a bowman aiming for my head. I took a second to look around for a path to escape the encirclement but two more pirates were approaching me from the other side and one wide pirate carrying a warhammer stood by the side of the archer. There was no room for escape or maneuvering. I had to aim at the weak link. Behind me was a sword-wielding pirate and behind him stood the mast. That was the weak link. Once killed the swordsman I would have one less direction to worry about.

I had little time to react. I spun in place, using my mantle to mask my movement, even if it was only slightly, and then stepped into the swordsman’s range. He had big muscles and was wielding his weapon with both hands. It was no surprise that his swing happened to be fast and strong. Although, it lacked precision and finesse. That was the price for relying solely on one’s strength. I blocked the side slash once, moved out of the way of the pirate’s shoulder charge and stepped further into his range to parry the following slash using the guard of my sword. Pivoting the guard around, the pirate lost his balance. He fell to the ground, alive, with the only proof of my victory being a large gash on his shoulder. I had failed to deliver the finishing blow. The bowman saved his comrade by forcing me to dodge an arrow aimed at my liver.

In the meantime, another pirate had reached me and managed to inflict a flesh wound on my outer thigh. The same one carrying the arrow wound. The two now formed a badly-drawn ‘X’. Said pirate, alas, was not as lucky as his predecessor and had his abdomen slashed open horizontally. He fell to his knees while clutching his bleeding belly. His defiant eyes met mine the moment my boot met his chin and knocked his lights out while sending him against another approaching pirate.

The following minutes were all dodging. The number of pirates crowded around me seemed to increase every time I swung my sword, I blocked a blow or I dodged an arrow. Whenever I tried to retaliate, an arrow would fly dangerously close to me, forcing me to dodge and lose the advantage. There was no shortage of injuries on my body. None life-threatening but the blood loss and the accumulated pain, along with the frustration of not being able to move as I wished, were starting to pile up. A shiver carrying an ancient frenzy ran down my spine as the booming voice, seemingly belonging to the golden eye, rang in my head.

[Your blood calls for more of their…Forsake your flesh and its sensitivity. Show them fear. The fear of crossing blades with a caster]

Another wave of adrenaline flushed into my bloodstream. I gritted my teeth as my lips curled unwillingly into a slight smile. I hated to admit it but the voice spoke true. There was a thirst burning up inside me. It was something old, something ancient, something that, for reasons unknown to me, I knew did not belong solely to me. Wrong as it felt, I did not escape it. It had been since the incident with the woman held in the ruins that I felt like something broke inside me. This was proof of it.

I allowed mana to rush through my arms until it settled neatly in my palms and fingertips. My lungs filled with strangely cold air as I moved out of the way of a warhammer and followed that movement by parrying a sword strike with a one-handed block. The free hand had now a greater purpose. I called for the spell and most of the mana held in my palm released like one destructive wave. A wind-wave rushed away from me in all directions, pushing away all those that stood too close to me and knocking down the one with the worst balance. The tall, warhammer-wielding man was the first to regain balance due to his imposing build. Unfortunately for him, being a tower of muscles did not mean being impenetrable. As I began to move more mana into my palm and focus on my next spell, my blade tasted the flesh of the tall man’s side. He howled in pain and attempted to retaliate but the attempt was short-lived. I traced an arc with my blade by slashing outwardly at his side and inwardly at his calf. The arc turned into a ‘6’ once the man fell to one knee and my blade slashed, once again, outwardly at his throat. His howl choked in blood as my next spell was cast.

“Stray mist” I chanted as I crouched behind the kneeling man to dodge an arrow.

Mist began to blow out of my hand as if it was a smoke machine. I moved around, keeping the mist-generating arm by my side, as I dodged and parried the pirates attempting to renew the circle. Surprisingly, it was the first time that I noticed someone barking orders from the back row of the crowd. Dressed in fancy clothes bearing a sort of cutthroat style. He was imposing in his sort of meager way. By the time the next blow came- and missed me completely- the mist had grown tall and thick enough to cover the whole deck.

[That’s him, Denar. I can’t reach him from here…I’ll have to make my way there] I thought as I clad my eyes in a thin layer of mana, allowing me to see clearly enough through the mist.

Panic spread faster than I predicted. Pirates shouted for their companions in an attempt to gather their positions. Arrows flew blindly where archers thought I was. Shouts were met with more shouts as blind swings of weapons cut uselessly at my mist. Then, the first shout got cut in half. A choked gurgle of words and blood was all that remained after I plunged one of my knives through the neck of an archer. War cries born of chaos and panic rose as one particularly shocked pirate slashed his own companion’s shoulder. I almost giggled in perverse delight as I looked at the scene.

What followed was chaos. The mist was too thick for untrained or manaless eyes to see, thus it was me against fifteen or so weapon-wielding blinds men. On one hand was the sword, on the other one of the knives. With this combination I slithered around the deck, killing all those who dared to cross blades with me. All those who dared to draw blood from me.

Some could see hints of my movements. Some had a sort of sixth sense. Others perhaps had good hearing. Nonetheless, by the time I rested my blade against Denar’s throat, all were lying dead on the floor- and if not dead then bleeding to death. The small deck was so slick and blood-filled that my very mist began to gain a tinge of red and a foul smell. It was a strange sight, gruesome certainly, horrifying most likely but also strangely beautiful. For a long second, I simply stood there, with my blade resting on the urine-drenched man’s throat, as I explored the strange form my spell took. Until words croaked from a sore throat called for my attention.

“Who are you?-” Asked with a shaking voice Denar while slowly, and quite foolishly, attempting to wiggle away “- What do you want? I can give it to you! I’m rich! I have connections! I don’t care what that bitch Corbin offered you. I’ll double it! N-No! TRIPLE IT!”

“You are the man they call Denar, correct?” I asked as I pressed my blade deeper into his skin until the thirsty metal tasted crimson, thus putting a halt to the man’s foolish attempt to escape.

“Yes? YES! Yes, I’m Denar!-” He shouted joyously in what he, wrongly, thought was recognition of authority “- You know of me, yes? I’m famous, right? You know who’s becking me? Come on, let’s not be stupid! Let me live and I’ll forget everything I saw here! See, I’m a coward. I’d rather live in shame than not live at all. You feel me?”

“Yes. I do understand you” I replied bluntly, omitting from my words every shred of feeling or tone and thus coming off as stone-cold.

“Then I’m sure you’ll-” Denar tried to say before I bluntly forced him to stop.

“But, you see, I am a coward myself…You saw my face. Heard my voice. Witnessed my abilities. You may forget all this as you said…but I don’t trust you. Someone already sits on the spot of enemy, I do not need another” I said coldly as I moved my sword slightly away from his neck.

“NO! WAIT, PLEA-” Denar pleaded before my steel dove deep into his flesh, claiming his life.

The ship was now quiet and my blood-tinted mist was beginning to dissipate as I cut my connection with the spell. Silently, I gazed around and, with a tired body and heavy mind, I took in the gruesome sight before me. The scene of a massacre I carried singlehandedly. Twenty or so corpses of both old and young men lay dead on the slick wooden deck.

“I’m glad the mist hid this-” I said as I walked toward the door leading to the lower deck in search of loot and treasure “- I’d rather she does not see me like that…she will learn…but for the time being, I’m glad she can still keep a semblance of innocence” I sighed as the double doors closed behind me.