“Heave-ho. Heave-ho. That’s the last of them. Get the barrels next.”

For such a hot day the night was surprisingly chilly. Viers in the disguise of handsome Tanael was in the quay, thinking. Nearby, there were sailors unloading cargoes from a ship. While seeing the misty seas he pondered.

Crazy Pete wanted him to find something in the neighboring islands.

Earlier in the day, Viers wandered the island. The starting island was small and with only the shanty town as anything noteworthy. Although, not everything was run-down and in disrepair.

It was now certain that the sunken city was the main quest in Stage 2. Viers knew about the City of Pearl through Crazy Pete but there were many other NPCs giving the same quests, the players knew. The City of Pearl was now public knowledge.

Viers searched for natural treasures of any kind with Euryale Sight but failed to glimpse even one. The starting island was barren so the first priority was to get out of the island to search for treasures, which meant procuring a ship.

Swimming was… ill-advised. A player got sliced and diced by a school of piranhas the size of Doberman a hundred meters past the shoreline. Why were there piranhas in the seas? Viers didn't care. But if that was the case, would using flimsy wooden boats be safe? Apparently so, there were many NPCs already doing that and they were fine. How and why? Once again, Viers didn't care.

There were a dozen side quests involving ship passage, Viers only needed to pick his poison. The means of transportation seemed to be pivotal because of the vastness of the area. The map Viers bought of the surroundings, depicted dozens, perhaps hundreds of islands of varying sizes.

The side quest was just catching a ride until the specific island or something similar, temporarily or one way. Permanently getting even a dinghy that must be rowed by hand involved a more complicated side quest. In the early parts of Stage 2, the players’ ability to move around these waters seemed to be severely hampered.

While other players frantically searched for an NPC that gave the best passage quests. Viers took out his flying carpet, fully intent on cheating his way out and devouring the treasure first in the surrounding islands.

But his flying carpet was not working. Aletro’s cheating prevention software was online, much to Viers’ dismay.

And so the day came to an end and Viers was at the wharf, thinking. Crazy Pete’s request was on an island to the east but the still unknown top 10 rewards pointed at an island to the west.

This is a bit troublesome, however…

Viers was hatching a plan while keeping his gaze fixed on a certain anchored ship. And then there were footsteps coming closer from behind.

“Ghastly night, don't you think?” Viers said.

“Terribly,” a female voice answered.

“I hope you’re not here to invite me on a moonlight stroll,” Viers joked. “It would be most unromantic.”

“No I’m not. I’m here with a request,” Sakuya said.

“I’m listening,” Viers turned around.

“I’ve been asking this to everybody I’ve met in the trial so it isn't overly special but it is extremely important to me. If you have it, I would very much like to buy it from you.”

Huh…

Truthfully, Viers thought she would ask for cooperation and be buddy-buddy in the trial. By not doing that, Viers’ opinion of Sakuya rose by one step.

“Very well, what’s your request?” Viers asked.

“It is-”

There were millions of ways of disturbing a conversation but the sound of rumbling waves by an ascending ship from the depths of the sea was quite unconventional. Without saying, Viers and Sakuya were shocked by the development.

“Oh, crap.”

Fog churned and roiled surrounding the ship as black as night. Red as blood was the sail’s colors. Shadows were seen moving from the deck. The grand galleon was still spewing water from the gun ports on the hull, reaffirming Viers did not mistakenly see the ship rise from the sea. From each of those three rows of dark windows, burning flashes erupted like a beast opening its eyes from the darkness.

“Grandma's beard! That’s the Abyssal Scream!”

“Run! Run for your lives!”

The dockhand NPCs nearby shouted as they ran away.

“Whoa whoa, incoming!!!” Viers did a diving jump to avoid a speeding cannonball.

Without warning, the ship opened fire to the town, raining fire and metal on the sleeping residents. Houses splintered, roofs crashing down, fires lit, screams split the tranquil night.

Viers reoriented himself as he got back to his feet. Sakuya was nearby and looked fine. They exchanged glances but the surprise was not over.

From a water barrel, a skeleton dressed in tattered sailor shirts emerged. The moving bones locked on to Viers and Sakuya and charged at them brandishing its cutlass. They both jumped backward to create some distance, but Viers jumped too close to the edge of the wooden dock. A hand grabbed his ankle.

“Tanael-san!” Sakuya said worriedly.

“Hmph!”

Arte - Howling Wraiths.

A cone of force blasted Viers and the emerging skeleton to the air from below like a landmine explosion. Viers was also affected by the soul Arte burst but his soul magic shield absorbed all the damage.

“Focus on the enemy,” Viers said as he landed without injury.

“Hai!” Sakuya replied from his back, Viers didn't break eye contact with skeleton number two.

“It-it’s here! The Crew of the Damned! Goddess preserve us, oh Goddess preserve us!”

One of the dockhands fell on his butt after the cannonball almost hit him. He had become delirious.

Viers cast Vengeful Spirit Arte on the skeleton, setting it to inflict pure soul damage. He was expecting it to crumble like bones without magic afterward but it had no effect. The skeleton had no soul thus his soul Arte didn't work. Viers shot Vengeful Spirit Arte the second time, this time focusing on magical damage. The skeleton shrugged it off and kept charging like a crazed zombie.

They are tough…

Viers -already invoking Euryale Sight- saw Sakuya was in the same boat. Skeletons were supposed to be brittle and weak but for some reason, their enemies were uncharacteristically tough. Far in the direction of the town, Viers glimpsed other trial takers also in the middle of a battle. He saw a skeleton emerging from a puddle of water on the street. Each got their own skeleton to fight.

Viers started hammering the skeleton with a more intense barrage of Vengeful Spirits. They were tough but not invincible. Viers didn't pull out his sword. As Tanael, he didn't want to show too many similarities with Avel. And his opponent was not too great to force him to.

The skeleton lay broken in a small crater that Viers created using Desolate Dive Arte.

What a tough bastard. What about her?

On Sakuya’s part, the skeleton was still active but while Sakuya was standing still, the skeleton was hacking at empty air far away from Sakuya’s position. Euryale Sight allowed Viers to pick up the irregularities.

...Genjutsu?

“Tanael-san, are you okay?” She asked.

“Of course. Let’s- What the hell!?”

Above the black ship, formed a gigantic head as big as the galleon itself. It was a mustachioed man but the left side of his face was skinless bones. The uncomfortable aura coming from the head was like sticky smoke clinging to his body.

“D-Dread Pirate Pyke! We’re doomed! Aaaahhhhh!”

The dockhand was now running away while pissing himself.

“Pirates… Of course there are pirates,” Viers said in a satirical tone.

“Tanael-san, this looks bad. We should run.”

“I agree.”

As the two of them dashed away, the spectral head shouted with the voice of a titan.

“FEAR ME!”

Viers saw white and the world exploded. Bizarre shapes and forms swam in front of his eyes and his ears were ringing. Wait, wasn't that his voice? Was he screaming? His body felt cold and the rest of his senses were in disarray, not coordinated and his brain unable to process the information. Viers felt he was drowning in liquid fear.

Fear without equal.

***

The before-the-storm morning weather was just like Viers’ mood.

Last night was the most embarrassing moment in his entire history as an otherworlder. When he came to his senses, he was trembling under his bed in the inn, covering himself with a blanket like a hermit crab hiding in its shell. The girls informed him it had been several hours since Dread Pirate Pyke’s appearance.

“What the fuck was that? Mind attack? Didn't feel like it! I was scared! ME! Reduced to a helpless child by a scream? Unforgivable!” Viers was quite frantic.

“Not mind, emotion. You were flooded with extremely dense emotion. I’ve heard of this kind of attack before but never witnessed it in person,” Clarissa said.

The girls informed that it was not only him, the whole town was affected by the fear flood, every trial taker was the same. Fortunately, the girls inside his soulspace weren't affected. They said Pyke retreated after causing moderate destruction to the town.

“If the Dread Pirate can do this at will, confronting him would be very dangerous,” Farley said.

“What was his purpose? He just came out, made a mess, then frightened all of us? The skeletons didn’t take anything from the town,” Paina added.

“...Cutscene,” Viers answered. “Villain introduction. The ghost pirate will be a major obstruction in Stage 2.”

Come morning, the NPCs were, unsurprisingly, forlorn. Not only that, the weather indicated that a storm was brewing. Viers asked the NPCs for information.

“It’s always like this, lad. After the Dread Pirate’s arrival, he created a massive storm. It was a show of power by Captain Pyke. It might last days. Seems like the storm will be a big one but there’s a couple of hours still. If you must sail then you better do it soon.”

Viers and the other trial takers realized, if they missed the window to set sail before the storm was fully formed, they might get trapped on this island for days. They had to leave now.

No time to mop around because of Half-face. Time to go!

Most of the players raced to the ships that were readying to set sail. Viers, however, was in a prison.

Breaking into a prison, to be exact.

He’d disabled the guard and taken the keys. He sauntered in front of the prisoners while playfully twirling the keys. He’d already confirmed there were people in the prison yesterday.

“Any of you can sail, lads?”

Many raised their hands. Thunder sounded more frequent.

“There's a catch to this favor; you're sailing with me,” Viers said while opening the prison cages.

“Of course, mate. Where’s your ship?”

“There's a ship over there just waiting for us to take her,” Viers sneered.

“You mean, we’re stealing one?” The crew asked.

“I’ll clear the way. You lot follow me when the way is clear.”

“Aye aye!” The crew saluted.

***

Viers was stealing a brig.

It wasn't a walk in the park but Viers pulled it off. He himself did not doubt that. Rain was falling, winds like angry giants awakening after a hundred years of slumber.

“Lay aboard, lads!” Viers shouted from above deck after securing it.

The NPCs gladly did so, cheering when they placed their foot on the deck.

“Save your singing for Davy Jones, you jagabats! There's a hard wind coming!”

Fuckin’ A! I always wanted to say that.

“You lot weigh anchor, as for the rest; half at the foremast and half at the main! Let's outrun this hurricane!” Viers shouted like an experienced sailor.

He was not, but his crew knew what they were doing and acted accordingly. Thank the heavens for that, because Viers didn't know anything about sailing.

The sails unfurled and the ship pushed forward. The seas were raging, lightning clawed the sky. The ship was picking up speed. They sniffed the sweet taste of freedom with their nose. A fitting BGM was playing in Viers’ head. As water from the heavens splashed onto his face, Viers let out a clarion call to his crew.

“Yesterday we were prisoners. Today we’re going to the High Seas, AS FREE MEN!!”

“YEAHHH!”

“HIGH SEAS!”

“INTO THE STORM!”

There was a boom and the pillar of water rose high at the starboard. It was from a cannonball. It came from behind them, from the quay. It seemed someone wasn't happy Viers stole a whole ship. So petty. There were still three ships of this size left.

“Full speed ahead! Hahahaha!”

Viers’ heart soared.

The music Stealing a Brig in his head couldn't be more perfect.