B2 Chapter 14: A Fighting Chance (Patreon)

Standing on the deck of the Black Corsair pirate ship turned out to not be any safer than standing below it. The cannons boomed around me as they returned fire. Most of the shots missed. The Golden Serpent ship was simply sleeker and lighter as it carved its way across the water. In contrast, the ship I was on was cumbersome and heavy. It was a ship designed to carry heavy cargo and was clearly outmatched by the lighter ship.

“Reload!” the captain barked.

The sailors hurried to comply while Sam escorted us over to him.

He stood at the wheel, keeping the ship within cannon range while another sailor stood beside him, ready to take over. After a moment, the captain handed the wheel off to him and pulled out a telescope. He looked through it and grimaced.

“They’re gaining on us,” he muttered to himself.

Sam coughed, and he turned as if just realizing that we were there.

“Sequester those two in my quarters and watch them,” he ordered Sam. “If it comes to it, then we might be able to use them as hostages and strike a bargain.”

Sam nodded and turned to go when the captain grabbed his shoulder. “Remember, they’re worth nothing if they’re dead.”

“I’ll see to it, Captain,” he promised.

I noticed Roland was eyeing the edge of the ship. Suppression cuffs or not, a part of him still wanted to jump over the side and swim for it. I almost warned him again, but I stopped myself. He didn’t understand how big this floor was and there was nothing I could say to change that. If we survived long enough, he’d see the truth for himself. We were in the middle of the ocean. There was nowhere to swim to.

Sam tried to give Roland a shove, but the big man didn’t move.

“Come on. Let’s go,” Sam said.

Reluctantly, Roland turned away from the side and complied. The three of us went into the captain’s quarters, with Sam locking the door and standing guard inside of it this time.

Roland and I glanced at each other with the same question on our minds. It was an enclosed space, and neither of us were more than a few feet from Sam.

He’d seen it too and pulled out his revolver. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned. “No amount of money is worth dying over and if the captain sees the pair of you on deck without me, he’ll order the men to cut you down.”

I edged a little closer. “You sure about that? I’m worth a lot to him. Maybe we’ll come to our own arrangement.”

Sam cocked the hammer and pointed the gun at my head. “One more step and I’ll drop you.” His eyes told me he was dead serious and so I took a step back with my hands up in surrender. Roland opted to sit on the floor and stare into space while I went through the captain’s desk.

“The key’s not in there,” said Sam

“I know,” I replied.

I was looking for information and continued searching through his papers until I came across his map. I rolled it out over the desk. There were islands dotted around all over the place, with numbers next to some of them. Most of the numbers were between ninety and seventy.

“What do the numbers mean?” I asked him.

“It denotes how dangerous the area is. The higher the number, the lower the level of creatures there.”

A realization hit me. This isn’t just a foundational floor. These aren’t just danger numbers; they’re floor numbers and the highest is a medium-sized island with the number ninety and the word ‘Port’ written on it. Every other part lacked a name, so I was willing to bet that Port was where the town was. I couldn’t also help but note that there were more than a few islands without any numbers on them, which likely made them uncharted territory.

I told all of this to them, only to get blank stares in return. “Right,” I said. “One of you thinks this is just a big lake next to a forest, and the other is either a robot or an alien.”

“I am aware that we are in an ocean,” replied Roland calmly. “I simply dispute the assertion that this is a manufactured reality inside of a giant tower.”

I opened my mouth to argue further when I realized how insane it sounded and shrugged. “Since you’ve never come across an elevator or door, then I guess I can see why you wouldn’t think that.”

I turned to Sam. “What about you? How did you get here? How long have you been working on this ship? Where’s home to you?”

Sam folded his arms. “Why should I tell you any of this?”

More cannonballs collided with our ship, rocking us back. Some could even been seen out of the window flying past us.

Sam smiled at that. “We’re not that slow. We can still do this.”

“You think we’re going to make it?” Roland asked.

Sam nodded with pride. “I think there isn’t a better crew around that I’d rather serve with.”

I rolled my eyes. “Last week, you probably said the same thing about serving drinks in a town tavern and the week before that, you either didn’t exist or were something else entirely.”

Sam looked at Roland. “Is your friend always this uptight?”

Roland merely shrugged, and I gave up on them both. It was clear that some questions only caused confusion or anger. Even basic ones like asking how long he’s been here are something he probably can’t answer. Whatever memories or programming he’s been given aren’t that detailed, but it doesn’t seem like he’s an alien putting on an act.

I took another look at the map and tried a safer question.

“Where are we now?” I asked Sam.

He smiled smugly. “There’s nowhere close to swim to if you were thinking that.”

“I wasn’t.”

“I was,” said Roland unhelpfully.

“Getting in water’s risky once there are a few bodies in there. Trust me on that,” he added.

I shivered, remembering the cold eyes of that abyssal shark. Yeah, I could go the rest of my life without seeing one of those things again. Weirdly, it left a deeper impression on me than the last Void Spawn I’d fought and that thing was hideous to look at.

There was another wave of cannon fire from our side. Sam peeked through the door, surprised that we were still firing back instead of running for it.

His eyes widened. “Get down!”

I dropped down just as our ship got hit. It was the worst strike yet. The whole ship vibrated and groaned as wood fragments exploded in the air, kicking up dust and debris. The noise was deafening as the deck filled with the sounds of gunpowder exploding and men screaming as they died.

Thankfully, the captain’s quarters had been spared but with the door left open we could see all the carnage of those less fortunate.

Sam was the first to get up.

“We’re not moving,” he said to us, bewildered.

He was right. The ship had stopped entirely, which didn’t make any sense.

Sam peeked through the door and cursed. “The main mast is gone.”

“What does that mean?” asked Roland.

“It means we’re dead in the water. It means that if they don’t plan to just sink us, then they’re coming over. Prepare to be boarded.”

“How?” I asked. “We still have these cuffs on.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t have the key. Only the captain does. Now hurry, get the trunk that’s under his bed. It’s the best that I can do.”

Roland remained on the floor, seemingly uninterested in the danger, so I got pulled into the trunk out by myself. Other than some spare clothes, there were a couple of saber swords inside and a flintlock pistol.

“Any bullets?” Sam asked from the doorway.

I grabbed a saber and whirled on him.

“Your gun is empty, isn’t it?”

Sam shrugged and put his revolver away. “Bullets are scarce out here, but since you were new, it was an easy enough of a lie. Now come on, we don’t have much time.”

Roland slowly got up and took a saber, though it looked small in his hand. Sam drew the cutlass hanging from his belt, so the only thing left was to decide who took the gun.

“I’ll take the firearm,” said Roland.

“No!” Sam and I said at the same time.

“I’ll take it,” I said, being closer to the trunk than Sam. He didn’t argue. “We have to get the key off the captain. It’s our only chance.”

Sam shook his head, believing that it wasn’t worth the risk. “You barely survived that island. Do you really think getting those cuffs off matters when they board us? You still have your stats. A couple of spells isn’t going to make a difference.”

“You’d be surprised,” I told him.

Sam almost went out the door when several short cracking sounds gave him pause.

“Its small arms fire from the other ship,” he explained. “Which means they’re close. Stay together and keep low. Oh, and by the way, I’m not an alien or a robot. I’m from Brooklyn and I woke up here with the necessary skills to sail a boat. The System said that since I’m not a tower climber, I don’t get a Class or skills. It did, however, say that I’d get a chance to earn my freedom when the climbers started arriving.”

Human NPC’s so I was half right. He was kidnapped just like I was, but he had the unfortunate trouble of not being selected as a climber.

“But why were you all acting so piratey and what’s with kidnapping me?”

“The pirate getups and weapons are what we got when we woke up. The System sometimes rewards us with small loot boxes if we really commit to the bit. As for holding you? Well, thirty thousand is a lot of money. It might’ve been enough for me and the others to ride out this whole tower climbing storm by staying in town.”

“Instead, you’re out here risking your necks for meagre pay,” I surmised.

“Hey, it’s not all bad. I’m still level 59 with the stats to prove it. Best of all, I don’t have to climb. All I have to do is survive out here for the next few weeks until the last climber leaves this area or dies. If anything, I’ve got the easier task ahead of me. Another week or so and I’m home free. Now enough chit chat. Let’s get to the captain and get you out of those cuffs.”

He was optimistic despite the fact he was forced to put on this absurd show for the System. I found myself believing in him. That together we could repel these invaders and earn our freedom. I could even see myself buying Sam and the others drinks once we made it to town. Maybe there was even a way for us to get the bounty money without having to be captured. The main point being that Sam was just like me. Just a regular guy forced into this horror show of violence and doing the best that he can even without abilities or skills.

Sam went first out onto the deck and made it three steps before a bullet tore through his head.