Chapter 255 – Black Sails

Chapter 255 – Black Sails

 

At the shout of ‘pirates’, the deck was thrown into a flurry of rushing sailors and panicked passengers. Parents ran to grab their children; men and women froze in fright at the misty horizon.

Nathumeli strode out of his cabin, yelling at the spotter. “Are you sure it’s pirates?”

“Aye, captain! They fly black sails and no flag!” A wiry woman shouted from the crow’s nest.

“How did they come so close without us noticing?”

“Some kind of shielding, Captain. But I don’t recognize their ship from any of the lists.”

“Cursed depths!” Nathumeli went to stand on the prow beside them and took out a golden spyglass to peruse the distance. The object lit with mana and his attention snapped on a spot.

Kai squinted in the same direction, using Body Augmentation to enhance his sight. He could faintly make out a shadow fluttering on the far waters, concealed in the mist rising from the ocean.

“Safe route, my arse. I shouldn’t have taken the money,” Nathumeli grumbled under his breath before turning to his underlings. “All hands on deck! Unfurl the sails and adjust our heading, 120 degrees turn to starboard.”

Sailors leaped and climbed on the masts following orders with the calm and coordination of a life at sea. White canvases were hoisted up the five masts, tightened by the wind. The ship thrummed to life guided by its enchantments.

A safe and easy trip, they said. Should have known that would jinx it.

The wooden railing dug into Kai’s ribs when the vessel changed course at full speed. This shift in momentum pushed his upper body toward the dark frothing waters.

Blessed spirits, why do I need to run into freaking pirates before I even land?

He doubted Kahali’s influence reached foreign seas. Memories of battles and flames from the last pirate raid rose in his thoughts. At least in Sylspring, he hadn’t been the target, just a kid on the outskirts.

“Every passenger to their cabin.” Nathumeli shut every protest with a steel gaze. “No worries, gents. My crew can handle some measly pirates. And no vessel can match the Intrepid.”

Despite some angry mutters, people were too shaken to protest or question the man. Even the most outspoken travelers during the storm dutifully filed inside.

The captain turned to him and Flynn. “Same goes for you, kids. Go take a nap. This isn’t my first run into pirates, and sure as the sea is wet it won’t be the last.”

“Can’t we stay?” Kai wished he sounded more confident and less pleading. “My skill was right about the danger.”

Even disregarding the reek of vomit, hiding below deck with no idea of what happened outside horrified him more than the dark depths. His mind would spiral into catastrophic scenarios for hours.

“Huh…” Nathumeli curled his mustache. “Did it tell you anything else useful?”

“It’s telling me to run.” The danger still pulsed ominously on the horizon. Strangely, it didn’t spike when the threat had been revealed or abated when they changed course. Even the direction he should run to wasn’t clear. “It could reveal more when I see the pirate ship.”

“Or it could be a coincidence that it told you to run at all…”

“But what if it’s not, Captain?” Flynn stood beside him. “It costs you nothing to take a chance.”

Nathumeli studied them silently. “Fine. You can stay. Don’t get in the way of my crew or I’ll have you locked in your cabin till we land. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” Flynn nodded. “You won’t even notice us.”

“Uh.” The captain adjusted his feathered hat and left to shout after his sailors.

“Thanks,” Kai whispered.

“No problem. Staying in our cabin would have been awful.” He lowered his tone. “Is your skill really telling you nothing at all?

Kai vainly listened to the murmurs, still vague and looming. At least they hadn’t gotten worse. “It’s been acting weird. I think we’re going in the right direction, not that there is much difference out here.”

They moved to the stern to keep an eye on the threat. As he had been often told, no skill was infallible. To be left without his life insurance wasn’t pleasant, especially when he was in the middle of the open ocean.

It had to happen now, didn’t it? Did the mana storm mess with Hallowed Intuition like the captain said…?

The old Wind blower straightened her hunched back and summoned a gale, while the crew climbed over the masts and sails to wring any drop of speed out of the Intrepid. Cutting through the waves at great speed reassured Kai somewhat.

Nathumeli said this is just routine. When did a sea captain ever lie to reassure his passengers?

He frowned at the shadow looming on the horizon. “Is it my impression, or does it look a little closer?” The pirate vessel had changed course to chase them, dispelling any doubts about their intentions.

“Uhm…” Flynn narrowed his eyes. Perception skills were still one of his specialties. “It’s definitely gaining ground. Or water.”

“Meow.” Hobbes rubbed his head against Kai’s leg with an inquisitive and worried twirl of his tail.

He leaned to pick him up. The situation couldn’t be good if the furball was willing to risk matting his royal coat against the salty breeze. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Mew!”

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“Yeah, I know you’ll protect me, whatever happens.” Kai snuggled with the soft silver fur, feeling reassured. “We’ll get through this together as we always do.”

He released half the iridescent motes he gathered with Astral Pathway. Despite his improvement, Space Magic wasn’t suitable for combat till the higher grades. Any useful spell took too long to cast in a real fight, and he could often accomplish the same goal with another element.

Droves of blue motes flocked towards him from the soaked air. There wasn’t any element better than Water at sea. Gifts of the Earth increased his reserves among its array of powers. Though the boost was only half of his previous boon, advancing to Yellow and a grown body gave him a sizable pool to work with.

“How common are pirates?” Kai mused to get out of his thoughts. Everyone mentioned the danger of the mainland so often he didn’t know what to think.

Flynn scratched his brows without averting his eyes from the chasing vessel. “It depends on the area and how often the Republic patrols the waters. This one was supposed to be among the safest routes before the storm blew us off course. While trade with the archipelago has grown, it pales compared to the true merchant hubs on the continent. Few marauders bother to come here from what I heard.”

“So, we just got unlucky?”

“Probably. Or someone got wind of the Intrepid. It’s a pretty large and valuable ship by itself. And we’re carrying goods on top of people.”

Great.

His high Favor made him suspect there must be more reasons behind it, though it could just be a bad draw. Half the chances of meeting pirates still left the possibility, and when numerous people were involved, it was harder for a single person’s Fate to overwhelm everyone else.

Next time we take an airship, even if I have to sell a kidney to make up a believable story.

The reason why, ultimately, didn’t matter. He was stuck on the Intrepid with nowhere else to go. Despite Captain Nathumeli spurring the sailors to increase their speed, the shadow in the cloak of mist was only growing larger on the horizon.

“You got anything, young Mat?” The man turned to them with a somber look.

“I— no.” The whispers hung in his mind faint and nebulous, not much louder since they sighted the pirate vessel.

The man shook his head with a rueful smile. “I told you danger skills aren’t reliable at sea.”

“I don’t think it’s that.” Kai continued before the captain could dismiss him. “My ability is based on Luck. And it’s still working. It’s just like… it has been muted.”

“Luck?” The bushy eyebrows climbed his forehead. “That’s quite an unorthodox choice. Hard to level without feats, though I could see how…” He slammed his hand on the railing. “Damn, barnacle eaters! Who disrupts Fate in the Vanean Sea?”