Roguish Charm has been Activated.

"I won't let you destroy the Tempest, Celestial Crusader!"

James shouted as he revealed a villainous grin to the very confused Jorgen. To further emphasize his point, he turned on his heel to face the collection of Dread Faction and Tempest crew that were facing off each other.

"Dread Faction! Focus all of your attention on killing Jageranimus!"

Jorgen gritted his teeth as he kept checking the paralysis counter.

Paralysis will end in 10 seconds.

He felt like his blood was boiling. This wasn't the encounter that he had envisioned, but it wouldn't matter in a few moments. He was going to verify Travesty's true skills once and for all.

The sound of frenzied fighting evaporated immediately as the Dread Faction withdrew from their individual battles and darted towards their new opponent, much to the confusion of the Tempest crew, who looked to Vetra and Wolfsbane for guidance.

James didn't miss the opportunity to use his charm ability once more.

"Our fight isn't over! But I won't allow our... common enemy to destroy this ship!"

Jorgen wanted to snort in derision. He had been right. Travesty was a strategic command type character. He was orchestrating the battle from the background while his mobs did all the work for him.

It felt like it had lifted a decade long burden from his shoulders. Travesty wasn't anything special and in a few moments, the world would know that too.

The groups of people that were rushing him wouldn't pose much of a threat, and then there would be nowhere else for him to run.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time, Travesty."

Jorgen chuckled as his status notification flickered.

Paralysis will end in 7 seconds.

Suddenly, the Dread Pirate burst forward and slashed viciously at Jorgen's neck with the Charlatan's Cutlass, much to the surprise of the Celestial Crusader, who could only gasp in shock. The attack dealt negligible damage, but the speed was absolutely terrifying.

Before even a second had elapsed, four attacks registered against Jorgen's body, each of them shaving away a small amount of his health. Jorgen struggled to keep his attacker in view, as the movements were so fast.

"Shari, now!"

The Hero didn't understand what the words meant, but it didn't matter.

He just needed to endure this farcical onslaught for another few seconds.

Paralysis will end in 5 seconds.

When he checked his health, he could only stare at the number in confusion. He had been at seventy percent health, but he was now below sixty.

Something was very wrong.

A torrent of notifications answered his question and filled him with anger.

You have survived an Assassination attempt! You have lost 3,283 Health. You have survived an Assassination attempt! You have lost 2,417 Health. You have survived an Assassination attempt! You have lost 2,380 Health.

It wasn't enough to put him out of action, but it was an infuriating experience to be a sitting duck while attacked by hidden NPCs. He couldn't even turn around to see what was happening.

A flash of green light that emanated from Travesty's sword as it sliced against his neck, causing another chunk of health to dwindle away. The barrage of attacks was now coming from all angles, and it would have been completely overwhelming to any of the other Heroes.

"Is that it?"

Jorgen sneered as he continued to stare down the Dread Pirate.

James darted backwards in a blur of movement, increasing the distance between the two of them.

Paralysis will end in 2 seconds.

"Pedro, now!"

Jorgen finally figured out that he was calling out names of his followers. The Shari person must have been an assassin type of character, but there were no clues in Pedro's name about what sort of attacker he would be. It didn't matter though, their time was up.

"You've missed your cha-"

A metal gauntlet thundered into Jorgen's face, launching the Celestial Crusader across the deck, where he landed in a heap of wings and confusion.

Warning! You've suffered a critical hit! You have lost 9,999 Health.

Pedro leapt into the air with his right fist pulled back to prepare for his follow-up attack.

You are no longer Paralysed!

The notification that Jorgen had been waiting for had arrived, but his wings weren't listening to his commands, which completely impeded his attempts at evasion.

He couldn't think of a single ability, and his mind went blank as he immediately got into a defensive pose with his sword.

In the split second before the attack landed, Jorgen saw a flash of white light in his peripheral vision. He sensed danger from it, but he couldn't risk giving this Pedro person an opening.

"Crackshot!"

A sense of dread washed over Jorgen as a beam of light skewered through a joint in his armour, causing his pose to falter.

Pedro's grin was manic as he smashed his plated gauntlet through the opening to connect against Jorgen's face once again.

Warning! You've suffered a critical hit! You have lost 9,999 Health.

"Fortuna is dancing with me today!"

Pedro laughed as he sent the Hero flying backward, but this time he didn't follow him.

"Aos Si!"

As if waiting for a signal, a stream of fire rained down from the mainsail to strike against the enraged Celestial.

Jorgen had no choice but to use his arms to shield himself against the attack, as his wings were just hanging limp behind him.

You have lost 4,890 Health.

He couldn't believe that he was at roughly thirty-five percent of his overall health when he hadn't even gotten off a single attack.

He tried to calm himself, but the anger kept coursing through him. Travesty was just dancing around while his NPCs did all the fighting.

This wasn't what Jorgen wanted at all.

He wanted the one-on-one fight, a genuine test of skill.

"Travesty! Is this how you fight? Have you no pride?"

Jorgen shouted across the deck in anger, his strained voice showing his increasing frustration.

On the other side of the deck, James shrugged his shoulders and extended his arms out wide.

"I don't know who this Travesty person is."

Twirling the Moonlight Pistol in his hand, James gave Jorgen a mocking smile.

"I'm the Dread Pirate Sylvian..."

In a flash of movement, James was directly in front of Jorgen, with the Moonlight Pistol resting under the Hero's chin.

"And I fight like a Villain!"

Jorgen barely evaded the shot as he lurched backward. There was no time to recover as James exploded forward in a flurry of slashes with his blade. Jorgen's sword shook in his hand as he struggled to parry the onslaught from the Dread Pirate. He couldn't comprehend what was happening. Each attack was aiming for his vitals, and none of his movements were unnecessary. The Travesty he had fought and lost to a decade ago didn't have a tenth of the skill that Jorgen was witnessing.

The most terrifying factor was how unpredictable the attacks were. There were unspoken rules in the world of VR PvP, and many established rules for conduct.

Travesty was following none of them.

When the Dread Pirate's foot slammed into the side of his knee, crippling his stance... Jorgen knew he was in trouble. It felt like the Wildcard was actually trying to kill him.

The grin on Travesty's face was wild as the barrage of sword attacks continued to land on the Celestial Crusader.

Jorgen took yet another step backward as he glanced to his health in concern. The Dread Pirate had somehow single-handedly reduced his overall health by five percent.

How did this happen?

Why am I defending?

Rage welled up in the Hero as he gripped his sword with a newfound resolve. He couldn't let Travesty ruin his life again.

Fight back!

With a roar of frustration, Jorgen burst forward with a broad sweep of his sword.

He didn't need to meet the Dread Pirate's blade.

He just needed one attack to get through.

A single attack from a Legendary Hero would likely be enough to kill him.

Travesty's grin only grew wider when Jorgen's sword completely missed its mark... but instead of retreating away from the Hero's wild swings, the Dread Pirate closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

Steel sang against steel as the Charlatan's Cutlass sliced viciously against the undefended breastplate of Jorgen's armour.

Was he waiting for another opening all this time?

Jorgen's thoughts continued to sabotage his concentration.

Was Travesty playing with his head?

He wasn't able to get into his normal flow.

When Jorgen caught himself checking his health again, he came to an annoying realisation.

The notifications were stunting him.

When he knew he wasn't close to death, it made him feel safe and relieved. His opponent could die in a single hit, and that fact gave the Dread Pirate a ferocious determination.

Throughout the whole fight, the Hero had checked his stats after every attack rather than countering or reacting.

As Jorgen heard the Dread Pirate's voice shouting the words 'Crackshot' and 'Cleave', another realisation dawned on him.

He's using all of his skills the moment they become available.

When the health dropped below twenty-five percent, Jorgen mentally dismissed the bar from his vision. He wouldn't allow it to stunt him any further in this fight.

In the middle of the fight while he raised his sword in vain, the Hero checked his list of abilities to see how he could level the playing field.

Literally.

Sunburst (Legendary)

Convert a portion of damage received into a single light-based attack. Enemies hit by the attack that survive will suffer Light based damage over time. Cooldown: 6hrs 00mins

Jorgen's face finally revealed a smile for the first time in a while. The attack was perfect, as it would turn all of Travesty's progress into his demise.

There was a comprehensive list of attacks that sounded great, but this one looked like it packed the most destructive power based on the current situation.

He had received so many attacks from the crew and Travesty. Even now, he could feel minor attacks from bullets and bolts hitting his armour from the surrounding crew and their weapons.

"My turn..."

The Celestial Crusader raised his voice as he gripped the hilt of his golden sword with both hands.

There was no sunshine remaining in the sky to amplify his attack, or give him the blessing of the Prime Good.

As much as he wanted it for sheer overkill, he knew he didn't need it.

"Sunburst!"

Jorgen shouted as he suddenly raised the sword up over his head, much like his previous attack against the Tempest.

The Dread Pirate burst backward at those words.

Nice try!

There was only one outcome that Jorgen could see, which widened the smile on his face.

"Say goodbye to your ship!"

Jorgen's sword exploded in a shimmering light that pulsated and vibrated with an abundance of overflowing energy. The Celestial Crusader didn't say another word as he used his entire upper body to swing the glowing sword down in a wide slash of light. He aimed it directly toward the deck, hoping to shear the ship in half. Even if he couldn't fly away, he'd happily die in the game if it meant taking everyone with him. Without the ship, Travesty would need to restart his legendary quest, which was more than a reward for Jorgen. He'd happily spend the next few months prohibiting him from leveling up in the game. He'd give Travesty the same feeling of helplessness that he had experienced.

Before the golden sword could complete its arc, it halted in midair with a dull thud. Not only did the sword refuse to budge, but the ability didn't seem to activate.

"What did you say about my ship?"

Captain Wolfsbane growled at Jorgen. His hand clutching the golden blade in his gloved hand.

You've successfully cast Sunburst! Damage dealt: 46,839

Gritting his teeth, Jorgen yanked his sword free from the Captain's grip as he took a tentative step backward.

Nothing was going to plan.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the Lightning Mage creating the same pattern that she had used before. If he allowed that to complete, he'd end up paralysed again... which could lead to his defeat.

The sound of blades unsheathing snapped Jorgen's attention back to Captain Wolfsbane, who now wielded two swords. His face was a mask of rage as he squared up against the Celestial Crusader.

The Legendary Captain of the Tempest looked out to where the Void Kraken thrashed, before turning his attention towards the darkening sky.

"We don't have long."

As if dismissing the Celestial Crusader completely, Wolfsbane turned to look at the Dread Pirate... with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Good work, Sylvian.."

Wolfsbane's face finally broke into a smile, as if something had just occurred to him.

"I'll most likely kill you in the morning."

With that said, Captain Wolfsbane nodded towards Vetra, who understood the unspoken instruction.

James watched intently as Captain Wolfsbane fought with the Celestial Crusader. Any weaknesses, habits or openings that the Captain had would be invaluable for the Dread Pirate to exploit.

Fighting one legendary opponent had already been too much of a variable for James to consider, but to have two of them on the same ship was just asking for trouble.

Unfortunately, Jorgen wasn't a suitable match for the Captain which confused James to no end. The media established Jageranimus as this incredibly experienced PvP expert, yet he had practically frozen up after receiving a few attacks.

James wondered if it was because he hadn't changed his movement settings to manual, or maybe the wings were difficult to adapt to.

The Dread Pirate thought of a few excuses for the Celestial Crusader, but the facts still stood.

He wasn't fighting well, which was quite an anti-climax... but ultimately, unsurprising.

James had beaten him a decade ago, as an underdog too.

This time James had a team and ten years worth of cutthroat PvP experience from the slums.

No C-Class eSports Pro was going to be able to compete with that.

If he succeeded in becoming a Legendary rank, and he had the same resources as the Celestial Crusader... it would be a much shorter fight.

While James thought about all of this, his eye tracked across the battlefield, taking in all the locations and statuses of his Faction members.

As if sensing an opportunity to reconvene, Pedro, Aos Si and Shari had congregated around him on the ship. Awaiting their next orders.

James was grateful to see that they weren't too wounded from the fight.

"Shari, stay in the shadows and mark that Lightning Mage. She's going to be a problem if she can paralyse us."

The Assassin nodded her head with a grin before evaporating into darkness.

"Pedro, you're going to suppress Wolfsbane and deal as much damage as possible."

The Butcher nodded his head as he readjusted his plated gauntlets. His bloodlust had seemed to have settled down, but there was a terrifying calmness to his actions.

James turned to the Elf who looked as though he hadn't received a single attack.

"Aos Si, I want you to slow Wolfsbane. Provide buffs to Pedro... and if you can, interfere with the Vetra's lightning."

The Elf repeated Pedro's nod as he quietly observed Vetra's movements.

James took a deep breath and was about to speak when the Elf interrupted him.

"We're about to have a problem."

Before James could ask he meant, a popup appeared in front of him.

Blessing of the Vampire God (Active)

50-72 Additional Pistol Damage Unlimited Moonlight Ammo +25% Experience for kills with Moonlight Pistol +25% Proficiency with Movement Skills

If the notification hadn't popped up in front of his eye, James likely wouldn't have noticed the gradual creep of the moonlight washing over the deck.

"What's the problem? We're strong in the moonlight."

James asked the Elf as he tried to discern what the upcoming threat.

Aos Si sighed dejectedly as he looked across at the robed Lightning Mage.

"Stronger than a Vampire?"

At some point, Vetra had removed her veil to reveal an ashen face, framed against silver hair. Her appearance was elegant and regal as her cool eyes locked onto the Celestial Crusader.

Dozens of questions rushed through James head, but before he could voice a single one, a gutteral roar ripped across the Tempest.

James' head snapped back to see Captain Wolfsbane bathed in the Moonlight, his body convulsing as he howled into the night.

Pedro just laughed.

"I knew something was going to go wrong, but this is great!"

The Final Phase of the Battle for the Tempest has begun!

By the end of the howl, Captain Wolfsbane's entire body had fully transformed.

It was Pedro that confirmed the Dread Pirate's fear.

"Did you know he was a Werewolf?"