“Stay a safe distance away, captain,” Lastaf said as he cast his flying spell, picking me up as well.

We both flew over the boat’s railing and towards the slaver’s vessel, stopping a short distance away in the air.

“Release the slaves below deck, and I will let you sail away unharmed.” boomed Lastaf, with some kind of voice amplification spell.

“These are legally obtained slaves headed to the Akhusite Kingdom!’ shouted a very tall and muscular green man.

“Oh? What of those on the vessel behind us? Were those going to be legally obtained as well?”

That seemed to deflate the massive man for a moment.

“I’ll say it once more. Release the enslaved people and bring them onto the deck.”

We watched the crew talk amongst themselves for a few and out of the corner of my eye, I watched the blue armor snap around Lastaf, just as an iron bolt bounced off his helmet. The bolt had come so fast. I hadn’t seen its origin.

“You have about twenty seconds to try out your new air spell before I need to drop you on the deck, Zeal,” said Lastaf without his voice amplification.

I readied the spell and nodded to the Axoli before I rocketed forward till I reached about three meters from the railing and out of the reach of those with weapons. I willed the massive air spell into existence and pointed the nozzle to the left of what I assumed was an Orc.

When I felt the nozzle in my hand begin to thrum, I swept it across the deck towards the Orc and those now running towards me. The Orc was just reaching the railing when the thin beam of compressed air hit his side. I immediately felt the urge to vomit. The stream of air tore into the Orc’s side. The man’s screams hadn't started till the beam had cut through his entire torso and his upper half was falling backward. The compressed air stream kept going into the next scumbag to his right and then sliced right through the mast before the next slaver could stop himself.

The simple spell had been highly deadly. I felt Lastaf begin to move me over the railing and the pools of blood and now split bodies. I looked away from the pile as I landed on my feet. The bodies had yet to turn to dust. I turned and faced the new group of sailors rushing towards me. I willed my Ice Armor to materialize, summoned my Tier 2 Ice Lance, and readied myself.

Taking out the first few seemed a bit too easy. I began to wonder where Lastaf had gone to, I hadn’t seen him since the fight began. What I assumed was an Orc child came rushing me with a dagger held awkwardly in his hands. I spun the lance around, knocking the knife from his grip, and then struck him in the side of the head as gently as I could, hopefully knocking him out.

The fighting was unremarkable, and I waited for the other shoe to drop. As I cut down the last of the slavers, I looked around to see the bodies finally turning into green and blue dust. As the cores hit the deck, I watched as an Azure Core rolled off the edge with the rocking of the ship. Not seeing anyone besides the young Orc, I began running around the deck, picking the cores up before I lost any more of them, stashing them in my bag with the reserve I held from the hive.

Tossing the last Jade Core into my pack for later, I looked around the deck, trying to figure out where the hell Lastaf had gone. I checked on the young Orc and found him still breathing before an explosion rocked the ship at its stern.

I began running towards the back, but a mass of Beastkin began pouring out of the door in front of me. Seeing me, the Beastkin parted like a tide running to my sides and behind me towards the bow of the ship. Curious, I went down into the hold once the Beastkin stopped coming through the door.

Down below, I found Lastaf with six Humans bound in blue bands. To my right was a massive hole in the ship's side a few meters above the waves.

“I’ll ask again, where did you take these Beastkin from?” asked Lastaf.

The six humans looked at the hole in the ship before murmuring to one another. Then as I assumed Lastaf was getting pissed, one of the men flew out of the hole and dropped into the ocean. The others begin to yell at the Axoli about their rights, they are licensed slavers.

“We’re not in the Akhusite Kingdom, are we? No matter, can’t have word getting back anyways.”

The implication of what Lastaf had said reached their minds as they began to beg before the remaining five men shot out the hole and into the water below.

“Can’t they get out of your restraints?” I asked.

“Maybe the Air mage, but my bands will constrict if they detect magic. Even if they were to escape, they are just Weight, Air, and Fire mages. I doubt they could survive out here in the middle of the ocean for long.”

“What of the Beastkin above? You should know, I sparred a young Orc. He is unconscious on the deck.”

“I will help them travel back to where they were taken from. I will return you to the cargo ship so you can reach the mainland. Stay at Mythtide for a couple of weeks. Join the Adventurer’s Guild, and work on quests while you learn as much as you can. If I don’t return within two weeks, head to Meckingmoor and find an old ally of mine named Jarrax. He can teach you more about magic than I can.”

“What?! You’re leaving me?”

“Yes, I will see these people safely home, then sink this vessel so that the kingdom can no longer use it. Follow me.”

I was taken back by the sudden proclamation we would be separating. I followed Lastaf further down into the hold of the ship, where he summoned his massive Warhammer and smashed through the metal door on the bottom level of the ship. Inside the room was a massive contraption of copper pipes that fanned out and went into the vessel's walls.

Lastaf walked up and smashed his hand into the top part of the device's body. He bent down and reached inside the hole, and I heard glass shattering before he withdrew his hand with a large red crystal. He stood up and handed it to me.

“Consume it. I would suggest selling it once you reach the mainland, but too many questions would be asked when a low level shows up with a Ruby Core.”

“What is this, and why was the core inside of it?” I asked as I held the core and pointed to the damaged machinery in the room.”

“Airships use these devices to amplify the Weight magic around the ship. They require a great amount of mana to fuel the device, and that core is that fuel. Almost every kingdom buys up every Amber, Ruby, and Rose Cores for their Air Ships. I don’t plan on flying this ship, so the core is yours. I would suggest consuming it now, so those above don’t see it.”

I wasn’t going to argue about the free Energy. I popped it into my mouth and took out a couple of the other cores from earlier, and they followed suit. If I needed mana, I left a decent amount of energy cores inside my bag.

[ System Notification ]

Three Rank D Jade Cores has given 36 Energy

Two Rank C Jade Cores has given 32 Energy

Six Rank B Jade Cores has given 120 Energy

Rank E Azure Core has given 24 Energy

Three C Azure Core has given 120 Energy

Rank B Ruby Core has given 440 Energy

5% Bonus: 38

57 Energy converted to 570 Mana

Epidermis System: 200/200

Four-hundred and forty Energy from a single core. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A single core was enough to complete two of my Rank 2 Systems. I had just over six hundred Energy with the cores from above after filling my Mana. I selected my next System,

[ Endocrine System: 200/200 ]

Insta-filled. I pulled up my Systems again, selecting the second to last system for it to fill instantly as well.

[ Digestive System: 200/200 ]

Instead of picking the last Rank 2 System, I thought about leveling up Nervous right away to see what it would do to my Mana pool. I went for it.

[ Nervous System: 300/300 ]

The window closed right away, and the pleasant jingle filled my ears as the next box popped up.

[ System Notification ]

Congratulations!

You have reached Level 4

Obtained a perk point

I pulled up my Full Status to see my new Mana Pool.

[ Full Status ]Name: Zeallendric

Race: Elefvian

Level: 4

Classless

Perk Points: 1

Mana: 1500/1500

Rage: 0/200

[ System’s Status ]

+ Nervous: Rank 3

+ Sensory: Rank 2

+ Cardiovascular: Rank 2

+ Respiratory: Rank 2

+ Muscular: Rank 2

+ Skeletal: Rank 2

+ Epidermis: Rank 2

+ Endocrine: Rank 2

+ Digestive: Rank 2

+ Toxin: Rank 1

[ Magic Stigmata ]+ Void: Rank 3

+ Fire: Rank 2 *Restriction

+ Ice: Rank 2

+ Air: Rank 1

+ Water: Rank 1

+ Earth: Rank 1

+ Light: Rank 1

+ Nature:Rank 1

+ Aura: Rank 1

+ Blood: Rank 1

[ Physical Stigmata ]

+ Rage: Rank 3

+ Hammer: Rank 1

[ Luin’s Stigmata ]

Race: Kobold

Evolution: Rank 4

[ Traits ]

+ Core Consumption

+ Auto Loot

+ Cartographer

+ Ocean’s Pilgrim

+ New Origin

+ Spoken Common

+ Enchanted Magic

+ Written Common

+ Fae Touched

+ Darkvision

“Hey, Lastaf, It looks like I get five-hundred Mana per level of my Nervous System,” I said as we reached the top floor of the ship’s hold.

The Axoli turned around and gawked at me. “That is unbelievable, Zeal. I assume you pushed your Nervous to Rank 3?”

I nodded to him.

“That is. I have no idea what that is. I have no words to describe my emotions right now. It’s unfair. That’s what it is. I've never been able to find out the type of stats other Heros or Classless have, so this is all eye-opening to me.”

Lastaf turned around and began climbing up to the ship’s deck. I opened my System’s Status screen again and selected the last Rank 2 System.

[ Toxin System: 27/200 ]

Satisfied with my progression, I closed the window and followed Lastaf onto the brightly lit deck. I could see our cargo vessel had pulled long the slavers vessel and were now handing the freed prisoners water and salted meat to eat. Luin spotting me on the deck, jumped from ship to ship and came running over to jump into my arms.

The sight of the blue Kobold jumping into my arms drew many a confused look from the Beastkin. Not paying it any mind, I hugged the now smelly Kobold and wished these vessels had showers. Oh god, I thought. Did the mainland have modern plumping? Heated water?

I let Luin go, and she hopped to the ground and looked around the deck. She spotted the unconscious Orc boy walking over to him and began poking him.

“Luin, stop that!” I yelled, but she paid me no mind.

Soon the Orc boy awoke and looked around at the Beastkin and then at the azure and gold Kobold poking him.

“I’m sorry! I was forced to join them by my father! Please don’t kill me! Please!” the boy began to sob hysterically.

“Did the boy mistreat any of you? I asked with a raised voice.

A younger female, Wolf Beastkin, walked over, kneeled by the Orc boy, and hugged him before looking over to me. “No, he had been kind to most of us, sneaking us food and water during the trip. Allow him to accompany us home. He doesn’t deserve to be killed or live on the streets If he returns to the mainland.”

I nodded to her, happy to have him off my plate. A second chance would do him good. I also suspect other motives, the way she looked at him, but not my place to say anything. Is interspecies relationships a thing? Another question for a later time.

A few of the older Beastkin made their way over to Lastaf and me. “There is no amount of thanks for what you have done for us. Speaking of, what is your plan for us? Will you take us to the mainland or allow us to return to our home and families?” a much older Goat Beastkin asked.

“I will bring you back home on the slavers’ vessel. My partner and his blue companion will continue aboard the cargo vessel to the mainland. If any of you wish to make your way to the mainland, I believe the captain would be agreeable to help those out. The rest of you begin searching this vessel for the supplies. Where is it you call home?”

The Goat Beastkin and Lastaf began talking, the elder explaining where they were from and how to get there. I went over to the ship’s railing and leaned against it, staring out into the open water. Movement in the water to my right drew my attention, and I watched as two of the Human mages Lastaf had thrown into the ocean were swimming away from the ship.

Much further out, I could see the ocean begin to change colors. The surface far to the right of the mages grew darker and began to grow in size. One of the mages must have noticed as he began shouting to his companion. I watched as both mages were encircled with a flash of light, and then a sphere glinted in the sunlight around them.

Then out of the ocean, a massive creature broke the waves, easily three or four times the size of the vessel I stood on. The sea monster's mouth opened, and the entire sphere with the mages inside vanished into the blackness at the back of its mouth before the creature dove back under the water.

“What the fuck!”