B2 Chapter 15: The Boarding Party Has Landed (Patreon)

Sam was one of the first to get killed by the Golden Serpent’s rifles, but he wasn’t the last. The men on the deck of the Black Corsairs took cover as best they could. Some made it. Others didn’t.

Roland and I remained safely in the captain’s quarters, watching it all unfold through the door that was propped open by Sam’s body. I nearly chastised myself for beginning to like Sam. Senseless violence might as well be this place's motto, and it wasn’t likely to change until I got out of the tower completely. Besides, he wasn’t a tower climber and despite what he’d been told; he was far more vulnerable than he ever knew. Though it was no different from the rest of them out there. Killing each other for tiny stat increases or a paltry loot box.

I shook my head and cleared my thoughts. They weren’t my problem. Getting these suppression cuffs off was. The captain was at the other end of the boat with the key. Roland and I would just have to press our luck and head out there when the shooting stopped.

A few seconds after the Serpent’s rifles fell silent, Roland lurched forward, ready to march out there and wage war singe-handed. I barely managed to stop him before some sniper blew his head off.

“Not yet. Wait for them to board first,” I cautioned. “It’ll be harder for the riflemen to get a clear target once the close fighting starts.”

“I’m not afraid of them,” he said, almost offended at the notion.

“You’re also not bulletproof with those cuffs on,” I pointed out, while trying to keep my voice even. The last thing I needed was to lose my temper and push him over the edge. Roland furrowed his brow in confusion, but he agreed to wait. It was hard to tell how much of my words had gotten through to him, but he must have realized that our odds of survival were better together.

After the last barrage of bullets came an eerie silence. Nobody trusted it and so nobody moved, and while we were all still cowering, the Golden Serpent ship took advantage by drawing closer.

Unlike in the movies, nobody swung from ropes when boarding a rival vessel. Instead, they had men place long boards down to connect the two ships. The Serpent’s men then charged across them in singe-file while roaring an angry challenge.

At this point, the Black Corsairs had no choice but to leave from their hiding spots and fight. Knives and cutlasses were the primary weapons of choice on both sides. But the Black Corsairs were outnumbered. They had taken casualties in both the cannonball bombardment and the shooting.

This wasn’t a fight, it was the Golden Serpent’s cleaning up.

Roland gestured to ask if we should leave, and I almost told him that there was no point. The Black Corsairs would be finished as soon as all the men from the other ship came aboard. Once that happened, Roland and I would be trading one master for another if we were lucky and dead if we weren’t.

Suddenly, the Black Corsairs captain yelled out a command. I couldn’t make out what it was, but then a chorus of echoes rang out across the deck until I heard someone shout, “smoke!”

Along the ship, Black Corsairs emerged from below and simultaneously threw cannisters in every direction that expelled white smoke. It rapidly carpeted the entire deck and obscured everything. Any riflemen still aboard the other ship would be blind and I understood why he’d waited until now to use it. Deploying it earlier before the Serpent’s men had boarded us would’ve allowed the other ship to wait for the smoke to clear. Now the Serpent’s men were trapped on the ship with us and the Black Corsairs might have a fighting chance.

Using the smoke as cover, the Black Corsairs struck back in greater numbers as more men emerged from below deck. The smoke was so thick that it was impossible to tell who was winning. Men would just run up the steps onto the deck and then vanish into the haze.

Roland and I used the confusion to our benefit as moved along the ship. I could barely tell which side was which as we navigated around the fighting. We didn’t get far before two new serpents boarded the ship and chose us as their targets.

Roland used his natural size and long reach to keep his pirate at bay, but the other closed the distance on me. He executed a series of well practices attacks that were so fast I barely had time to block them. Fear was ever present in my mind. If I died with these cuffs on, that was it. But the pirate's skill with a blade seemed almost unnatural, and I wasn’t sure if it was possible to get the chance to fight back.

He feinted, and I missed it, and he scored a shallow cut on my arm. The pain made me angry, and I struck back aggressively, but my naturally developing style was undisciplined and rash. I’d never learned to properly fight with a sword. I’d always just winged it and used my blood healing to compensate for any errors or weaknesses.

Now, fighting this pirate made me feel clumsy even when he was the one on the defensive. Luckily, his skill with a sword didn’t include situational awareness, and another pirate bumped into his side by accident. I couldn’t tell which side they were on and neither could he. In that distracted moment, I lunged with my sword and pierced his side.

*DING!* You have slain [Darryl Jones, Privateer of the Golden Serpent Company] Level 56 – Experience Points and Currency Acquired.

The other sailor glanced at me before returning to his own fight. I felt numb. My victory was a hollow one that I’d barely achieved due to dumb luck.

I pressed on and avoided further fights by staying away from the starboard side where the Serpent’s men came from. Many sailors that I passed were still caught up in their own one-on-one fights though, and by the time I reached the other end of the ship, I spied the captain moving up the steps towards the bow. He fought off two men with his cutlass while backing away, but it was clear that he’d soon run out of room. The two men were slowly but surely pushing him closer to the edge.

I ran up the stairs to assist him, but one of the men heard me and turned to block my attack. The captain recognized me and reached for his keys. That was when the other man struck the killing blow.

The captain was dead and as the other pirate turned to face me, I sensed that it was my time soon.

The two of them were cocky as they approached. I started moving back down the stairs while not taking my eyes off them. For a moment, I wasn’t sure what to do until I saw Roland’s giant form emerge from the smoke.

Finally, some back up.

Roland wasn’t alone though, as several golden serpent men were on his heels.

I cursed. Now we were cornered and there were just too many of them. If only it weren’t for these stupid suppression cuffs.

I threw my sword down. “Wait, don’t kill us. We’re valuable hostages, see?” I held up the manacles.

One of the pirates grinned. “I watched you kill Darryl. I don’t care who you are. You ain’t walking away from that.”

Damn it. They’re not going to stop.

Roland still held his sword, ready to go down with the ship. A noble but futile gesture. Well, if we’re about to die, I might as well try something stupid.

I held out my arms. “Roland, cut off my hands.”

He blinked like he’d misheard me and even the pirates stopped in confusion.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. Do it! Do it now!” I roared.

Roland complied and in one clean swing, he’d chopped both of my hands off.

I immediately went into shock and stared dumbly at my bleeding stumps. A part of my lizard brain seemed surprised to see the very thing that I’d asked for. Roland looked equally surprised and didn't understand why I’d asked him to do such a thing.

The excruciating pain arrived a second later, and I screamed. Blood was pumping out hot and fast. I'd lose consciousness if I didn't act soon. I lowered my wrists and prayed that this idea would work. And by pray, I mean that I screamed it internally over and over again.

The suppression cuffs slid off my wrists and hit the floor with a clang.

*Suppression Cuff effects deactivated*

The pirates stared at it, unsure of how to proceed. One of them tried to bolster the others.

"Its nothing," he said. "I saw Darryl almost gut him earlier. We can take him."

"He's a tower climber," another one of them said fearfully.

"Look at him!" insisted the first pirate.

I had to admit that he had a point. I was sickly pale from the blood loss and was now on my knees, trying to force my hands to reconnect to my wrists. To their eyes, it didn't look like it was working and they probably thought me mad. But internally my blood was being reabsorbed and blood from my bracer was keeping me conscious. Had they looked more closely, they'd have noticed that my stumps had stopped bleeding and that my dead hands were actually obscuring the veins, tendons, and bones that were slowly growing out of my wrists.

Fortunately for me, their indecision was working in my favor. For every second they argued, I grew stronger.

"It's just one man. A man without hands. If he had any magic to throw at us, don't you think he'd have done it by now?" the lead pirate asked.

More of them nodded. Some were coming around to the idea, while others were tired and just wanted to finish the job they'd started.

The lead pirate and two others flanking him rushed at me. My hands were numb but functional. I formed a blood sword struck out with a horizontal Air Slash. A crescent-shaped blade of power blasted out of my sword and decapitated the three pirates.

The remaining pirates stood frozen in shock.

"Anyone who runs dies," my voice boomed out.

The smoke was clearing now and many of the pirates who were fighting stopped. One did try to ignore my order and run. I slashed downwards and a vertical Air Slash bisected him. It was enough to make those were wary of me become afraid.

"Now, somebody get the captain’s keys and bring them to me," I commanded.

Nobody moved, so I had to point at a specific pirate to get him to comply. His hands shook as he handed over the keys, which I used to free a grateful Roland.

He stretched his arms out wide and then in a bored tone asked, "should we kill the others now?"

The pirates balked at this and I had to loudly explain that nobody else had to die. All the survivors of both ships were to make their way onto the Golden Serpent and together the combined crew would sail us to the town where they would then be free to go. None of the pirates looked happy about this, but they all complied once I explained that the alternative was being left behind.

They all quickly agreed with my generous proposal, except for one pirate, who sheepishly raised his hand. I gave him a stern look and asked, “what is it?”

“Can we at least loot the ship before we leave?”

I thought for a moment before reluctantly nodding, which prompted a hail of cheers.

What have I gotten myself into? God, I think I’d liked them more when they were killing each other.