Interlude / Side Story - The Pirates of Aeon (Part 1) (Patreon)

My book did pretty okay. Hit 240 ratings. Not fantastic, but good enough that my publisher didn't look at me like I'm a failure. To thank al

My book did pretty okay. Hit 240 ratings. Not fantastic, but good enough that my publisher didn't look at me like I'm a failure. To thank all of you for the support, here's a side story. I thought of making this a standalone fic once, but it's more about an undercover pirate. :)

Circa year 230

Rajun Kal glanced up at the brothel. It was the most upmarket, expensive brothel in the entirety of Marrisad. It was said that every escort, both male, female, or treefolk, was the most exquisite to be found in the region.

A lie, of course.

Every brothel had to market itself and justified its pay. Extremely exorbitant pay.

He checked his stack of coins again. He’ll spend everything today. And so, walked in.

“Ah. Mister Kal! You’ve returned!” A middle aged woman smiled.

Rajun, a human pirate with tattoos across his body, nodded at the madam. “Yes, madam. Can I have the usual again?”

“Ah. Sure sure. But we’ve increased prices recently, your favorite lady's really popular and she’ll cost five gold coins now.”

“Five!” Rajun’s eyes almost popped out. “I paid her four coins the last time!”

“Well, demand for high quality companionship doesn’t come cheap, especially one as high leveled and skilled.”

Rajun checked his pouch, he had five gold coins, twenty silvers, and eighty bronze coins, and he cursed in his mind. The madam must’ve used some kind of skill on his pouch, and knew he’d pay everything anyway. There was something about the madam’s satisfied smile as he handed the coins over that made his skin crawl.

Damn them, but the blood price was paid. “Great, that’s five! Come this way. You know, Mister Kal, she speaks highly of you too.”

“Oh really?” Rajun looked fairly surprised. “What made that happen?”

“Well, she wouldn’t go into specifics.”

“Ah. It's better that way.” Rajun grinned. “I wouldn’t want others to know what I do in the bedroom.”

The madam laughed along with practiced fakeness. “Indeed, indeed. Have fun.”

He was escorted into a lovely, plush, and luxurious room. There was a faint scent of some dried flowers in the air meant to stimulate lovemaking, the faint whispers of music from the musician somewhere nearby, hired to improve moods and stimulate spending more money on the overpriced wine and spirits.

A beautiful elven lady sat on the sofa, she wore an ornate costume mimicking the style of royal costumes and outfits. “You’re my subject for today?”

“Yes, milady.”

“Kneel.”

Rajun knelt.

“Good. Now sit and massage my leg.”

The pirate obeyed, as his rough fingers began to knead the elf’s slender feet. The two was silent for a moment, as Rajun’s attention was thoroughly focused on the incredibly beautiful feet. The elf’s skin was soft and smooth, as if nature itself had blessed her skin with youth and beauty.

“Good.” She tapped the plush cushion next to her and Rajun grinned.

***

The next day,

“Captain.” Rajun Kal said with a slight bow. He glanced briefly around him, there were two other new recruits to the ship’s twelve person crew.

“Alright. Get settled and we’ll set sail in one hour.” There was a magical clock on the bridge, and they all felt the time. Captain Eshfol’s presence and ability marked them, and in doing so, synchronized their time. “We’ve got some Goldhunter guild-ships to hunt.”

Captain Eshfol, a tall, muscular man with magical tattoos stared at Rajun for a moment, and then barked.

“You’re assigned to the starboard side defenses. You’ll handle shielding and the deflection plates. You will be receiving Crew invitations now.”

[Rajun Kal was added as a crew member of the Great Esh. You’ve gained access to the shielding and deflection plates, and your relevant defensive skills will be integrated with the ship’s abilities]

Rajun nodded, the captain clearly took a look at his fake skill list. “Yes, captain.”

***

“New guy. Rajun.”

He turned and faced a woman with a magical sword. She wore a tunic enchanted with a low-level shielding skill woven into it’s fabric, and the magical sword had some kind of lesser fire blast effect. “Yes, Vice-Captain Arlid.”

“Demonstrate your [Fire Resistant Shields].”

Rajun nodded, as an array of wooden shields popped out right outside the ship’s hull. The lady looked, and then after a while, nodded.

“Satisfactory. Continue.”

Rajun heard the vice captain walk away. His eyes continued to look out of the small hole in the hull, as the ship began to sail out of the docks. This was one of his favorite parts, the moment when the entire city could be seen.

South Marrisad, one of the many homes of the pirates. Docks and jetties could be seen throughout the entire coast, with just as many ships. They were not the only ones setting out, many other captains have been sucked into the war of the Guilds, many, just like Captain Eshfol, would be playing all the sides they could contact.

All the sides, well, except one, and if the rest of the pirate captains were smart, they would too.

The sun was still rising in the sky, and noon hadn’t arrived.

The ship, named the Great Esh, had custom defensive formations and spells built into the hull, and each crew had their own sets of formations and spells to monitor. Long, long ago, this wasn’t common, but magically hulled and augmented warships became popular among the Central fleets during the blockades almost a century ago.

A [Captain] of the right level, can link with his or her ship, sharing their abilities with the ship. A [crew] has that ability to a lesser effect, but captains would try to obtain [crews] with relevant [sailor], [pirate], or [privateer] classes, with skills focused in areas where he lacked. Captain Eshfol, by his estimates, was about Level 40 to Level 45, and Rajun checked the panels again.

Some of the ships zoomed out of the docks, as if some strange gust propelled them through the calm waters and out into the great ocean. Some ships were slower.

It was mesmerizing, and after so many times, and on different ships, it still felt magical. There was something about leaving the docks, and watching the city shrink, and then vanish over the seas.

Peaceful. From a distance, it looked like everything went well.

From a distance, the city looked quaint. Beautiful. Peaceful.

Distance had a tendency to make things pretty.

A friend once called it the Sea Goggles.

Sail long enough and everything looks pretty.

***

“I want everyone's battle ready.” The Captain’s voice could be heard throughout the ship, as if he was right next to them, barking his orders. He didn’t really need to shout, not with his skills.

The crew all took their stations. Because of the needs of their respective skills, there are dedicated seats for each crew member, each giving the crewe a good view of what’s happening around them. The generation of sailing ships, geared to maximize collective skill use and efficiency, meant the ship’s layout was not similar to the old sailing vessels. Instead, the presence of magic and magical artifacts meant the modern warships resembled more futuristic spaceships, than ships from the age of sail.

All things considered, these modern warships were relatively new inventions that went to the market around half a century ago. The rising wealth of the Central Continent created a massive craftsmen economy, which then meant it was economical for commercial entities to develop and employ such specialized warships.

Old warships without dedicated magical crystal batteries, inbuilt runic formation support and high speed magical scroll activation were still around, of course. But captains knew what worked, and these modern warships greatly amplified the competence of their captains.

Rajun’s thoughts were snapped out of his historical memories when he heard the vice captain speak. “Boys, we have company.”

There was a fleet of ships on the horizon, and Rajun squinted. The flags of the Goldhunter guild, and a fleet of escorts. Rajun looked around, and saw there were just as many pirates, if not more.

“Our goal is simple. We’ve been hired to blow the shit out of those Goldhunter guild’s ships, so let’s do so.” The Captain said from the bridge, his hand on the wheel.

“But what about the cargo?” One of the usual crew, a dedicated ship-boarder named Lanun asked. Rajun estimated he was a either [raider] or [pirate] around level 40, because he had the best combat strength outside the captain and the vice captain.

“Our client doesn’t care. They want those ships blown up, along with their captains. So you’ll sit this one out and play defense. Cannons and guns, you’re up. The special weapons.”

“Ah man.” Three of the other crews had a chest next to their stations, within them a wide range of mass produced spell scrolls and mid-tier artifacts.

“Shields and plates.” Rajun felt the Captain’s gaze on him, and his fellow crewmate Ordus. He also operated shields and plates on the other side of the ship. “We’ll be expecting countermeasures. Get ready for ranged spells.”

“Got it.” Rajun answered, and he checked his own stock. Some of these were reusable and tapped into the ship’s stored mana, some were single-use, and generally reserved for emergencies. Captains usually obtained some ship self-repair ability, so that meant if it wasn't crippling damage, some Captain would prefer to just take the hit and save the money for more weapons.

Arlid was at the bow of the ship, a spyglass in hand, and she had a magical stick on her waist, instead of her sword.

The pirates’ ships suddenly sped up, as if a strong gust of wind suddenly empowered the fleet. Rajun looked at the Captain, and knew it wasn’t from him. He traced the sensation in the air, and it came from a larger ship that was now overtaking them.

Captain Eshfol tipped his hat, and Rajun recognised the man on the other ship. Commodore Felix, 3rd in the command of the Marrisad Pirates. Estimated to be level 55.

“Eshfol, for every ship you blow up, I’ll buy you a drink.” The Commodore’s ship zoomed past. It was a larger version of the Great Esh, a ship produced locally at the Marrisad shipyards, but clearly it had undergone quite a bit of modification. Rajun’s eyes locked on a set of unusual patterns on the Commodore’s ship that suggested it had some hidden weapon.

Captain Eshfol just grinned. “Oh. You’re on.”

The fleet of ships on the horizon were no longer just small specks of dust. Instead, Rajun could now see that the fleet consisted of a set of twenty large, invasion ships, each meant to carry a thousand to two thousand soldiers, or their cargo. They were well armored, and Rajun immediately recognised the presence of various defensive spells etched into its hull.

These invasion ships were so large they were certainly not made in Marrisad, but one of the dedicated Titan-class shipyards.

Too bad they won’t have much chance to admire the workmanship. They were about to enter each other’s attack range.

“Let’s start with [Shieldbreaker Fireballs].” Arlid commanded. “Let’s crack their defensive shields and plates.”

“Got it.” The offensive crew was led by a skinny half-elf named Sharan. He sat in front of a large slanted table with multiple scrolls unfurled and placed on a set of large iron rods that served as the scroll’s magical conduit. Instead of cannons, the naval ships ran on skills, magical weaponry, or magically augmented ballistas and a whole load of scrolls.

Rajun watched, and then double checked his own set of scrolls. [Shield] scrolls formed the bulk of his set of equipment, though he had his own set of skills.

Commodore Felix’s ship fired the first shot, as a large, purple energy blast shot out from the bow of his ship, and smashed into the magical barrier of the Invasion Ships. The pirates roared in excitement. The attack had begun.

He stood at the deck of his ship, his voice could be heard across the entire fleet, and also the ships of the enemy. “I am Commodore Felix, and today, we will destroy your ships! If you know any better, abandon your client!”

The escort ships turned, and at the same time, Rajun heard the transmission from the escort’s leader. “The only one who’ll be losing ships will be you, Felix!”

The escorts were pirates too. Privateers, operating on the Goldhunter Guild’s side.

The escorts began to fire back, and magical fireballs and projectiles began to cover the skies. Arlid shouted. “Rajun! Ordus! Ready [Shields]!”

“Aye, aye!” They both retorted in response, and ready to move at a moment’s notice. Ordus’s eyes scoured the skies. The shield scrolls were meant to last only momentarily, since continuous use would sap the magical core’s energies. Instead, the defense crew would only activate them once they were sure an attack would land.

For now, the ships were still far apart, so quite a few of the magical blasts missed. The point of these attacks was to deter the ships from closing in, and buy time for the great invasion ships to move further away.

Commodore Felix’s ship, the Felix’s Spear, zoomed ahead anyway, as the attacks merely landed on its magical shields. “Pitiful blasts like this won’t stop me!”

Eshfol looked at Arlid. “We need to charge in along with them.” The best time to close in was when the Commodore’s ship took the brunt of the attacks.

Arlid looked at the other ships and all seemed to be thinking the same thing. She nodded. “[Shields!] We’ll go in together!”

Commodore Felix raised his battlestaff, and then, Rajun felt a ripple of energy that affected all the ships in the fleet.

A defensive blessing, the [Commodore’s Charge].

“Well?” Arlid barked. “Let’s get going. Shields!”

The Great Esh gained speed, the Captain must’ve used a [speed] or [haste] scroll. The escorts of the Invasion ships launched a rain of blasts, their burning fireballs like a streak of meteors.

“Rajun! Shields!” Arlid’s voice rang in his head as the Captain weaved the ship through the blasts. Not all could be avoided, but those that couldn’t, it fell on Rajun and Ordus to block them with shields.

The air felt dry, as parts of the sea began to burn from the magical attacks, forming a wall of fire. Rajun would have found it strangely beautiful, if not for the fact that the ship was charging right into it.

“[Burning Oil] spotted!” Arlid cursed. The ships poured oil into the seas behind them, meant to create a wall of flame between the escorts and the pirates. “Ordus, Rajun, [Fire Resistant Plates].”

Rajun jumped and immediately felt a bit of his mana interact with the mana within the ship’s crystal core.

A layer of plates manifested around the ship, closer to the edges where the ship met the sea. The ship charged through the thick gunk of burning flames, which somehow burned magically, despite the turbulent waves created by the ships’ charge.

Commodore Felix’s ship rushed ahead, cutting them from their port side. Their magical cannons charged with spells, and fired another set of [shieldbreakers]. Rajun felt the wind blast, and noticed those were not ordinary [shieldbreakers].

“Keep firing!” Arlid barked, and the crew continued work. Only Lanun was left walking about, he swapped to a set of bow and arrows, and just looked at Rajun.

“New guy, eh. You don’t look that young.”

“I’m 30.” Rajun said, his eyes still watching the skies.

Arlid’s eyes darted to Lanun. “Lanun! Now’s not the time to bother the shields!”

“Aye, aye, Vice Captain. We’ll catch up once we land.”

Rajun nodded, and noticed the sheer confidence in the crew. They wouldn’t die today, this was essentially just a hit-and-run, smash as many of the ships as they can, and retreat. They wouldn’t risk their lives unnecessarily, and it’s likely the escorts wouldn’t either. A big enough attack, or just tip the balance enough, the escorts would bail.

The escorts and the pirates traded more blasts, just ordinary [shieldbreakers] and [fireballs], but so far, not a single ship sunk on either side.

But with each volley of fire, the pirates gained ground. The giant invasion ships were too bulky, too large.

The Commodore’s flagship surged ahead, as if propelled by an even stronger gust of wind, right past the escort fleet. The escorts were half the size when compared to the Commodore’s flagship, but still smaller that the gigantic invasion ships.

“What’s the Commodore doing?” Captain Eshfol looked in surprise, and the escorts decided to gang up on the Commodore’s ship.

The great invasion ships themselves had some defenses and weapons, but their sheer size meant smaller, nimbler ships like the Commodore’s ship could hit them before they could even hit back.

“Escorts of the Goldhunter Guild.” Felix’s voice boomed. “Retreat, or perish.”

The escort’s leader roared back. “Felix, you’re the fool today!”

At that point, the ship’s deck opened up, and Rajun could see the Commodore’s trump card clearly. There was an unusual item mounted across the deck. It’s creaking sound was so loud everyone turned to look at it.

His jaw slackened in surprise. “That’s-”

It was shaped like a ballista, and on it was a set of giant projectiles made of enchanted crystal and steel. Rajun recognised the style and type of weapon, a weapon made by independent crystal crafters and enchanters, a mediocre copy of the Valthorn’s various superweapons.

But, it would certainly be enough to crush most defenses in a single strike. The projectile charged up, and the ripple of magic emitted by the weapon was clearly meant to intimidate the escorts.

“Felix, you win this time. Escort ships, retreat!”

“Wise choice.”

The escorts retreated, and the pirates closed in on the Invasion Ships. Captain Eshfol sniggered. “That Felix had the winning card all along. We’re just here to puff up numbers.”

“Pirates, stay back.” Commodore Felix shouted. “Goldhunter Guild, evacuate your ships, and hand over your goods to my men. If you resist, well, you may choose to die on the ship, if you so please.”

“Curse you-” Rajun heard one of the captains cursed, and then there clearly was some conflict among the invasion ship’s crew. Commodore Felix waited, and the rest of the pirates did too. Everyone had multiple such encounters by now.

No one wanted to die for this war, and Commodore Felix’s transmission merely amplified the point.

“This is acting Captain-Leader, we’ve just restrained the Captain. We will evacuate as commanded. We request to retain some rations for us to make the trip back.”

One by one, eventually all the ships folded. “Acknowledged and accepted. No tricks, or people die.”

Captain Eshfol looked at Lanun and the boarding crew. “Guys, looks like you guys have work to do after all. Get on the ship and help sort out the ‘escapees’.”

Lanun rolled his eyes. “Got it, Capt.”

The pirates swiftly surrounded the Invasion Ships, where the boarding pirates from all the pirate ships joined in. They were tasked with processing the crew, and ensuring that they only took what the Raid leader allowed them to take.

Once that was done, Commodore Felix ensured the giant ships were stripped of what they could. Magical enchantments, defensive scrolls, personal belongings of the crew, all looted for their own use.

It was for this reason that the pirate crew rarely traveled with personal effects, or if they did, only a few. In the event they fucked up, or met actual resistance, they’ll lose everything. Pirates were essentially lazy scavengers. If their target put up too much of a fight, or fought as if their lives were on the line, they’d just back off and pick another target.

Unless the prize was worth a King’s bounty and some. The task of every Captain and Vice Captain is to make that risk-reward calculation, and come out ahead.

Processing the crew took quite a while, as each of the Giant Ships had a crew and hundreds of new, fresh soldiers that needed to be cleared.

Only then, they would destroy the giant ships as their client requested. Ships like this took months, if not years to build, and would greatly hamper the Goldhunter Guild’s ability to reinforce their positions on the Southern Continent.

***

Rajun watched as the great invasion ships burned in the distance.

The crews of the great ships should have escaped on small rafts and boats to the nearest landmass, and looked back at the three prisoners now in the Great Esh’s holding quarters.

The pirates took about twenty to thirty prisoners in total, comprising the Captains and vice Captains of the invasion ships, all direct senior employees of the Goldhunter Guild. They would demand a healthy, fat ransom.

The prisoners knew the drill, and just sat quietly in the ship. If the Goldhunter Guild pays the pirates, they would be released.

“Are we going to interrogate them?” Rajun asked Vice Captain Arlid out of curiosity.

“Nope. Not worth the effort.” She shook her head. “We’ll sell them to the guilds.”

“I see.” He was on various other ships as crew. “My previous Captains loved to interrogate prisoners.”

“The Goldhunter Guild could be our paymaster one day.” Vice-captain Arlid laughed. “So we don’t really bother.”

Rajun nodded.

The dynamics and relationships of the large pirate gangs and the guilds was surprisingly professional, because of how they could all be future customers. The Marrisad Pirates would happily switch sides if the Goldhunter Guild paid more.

There was, at least, a kind of business norm, where the pirates only switched sides between jobs.

If a pirate took on a job to destroy a particular target, it would at least attempt the task once. Only after the first attempt it would switch sides. Rajun wasn’t exactly sure when such a practice or culture emerged, but it was a code of practice that the pirate lords across the Central continent agreed on.

Lanun, the [raider], walked over and playfully punched Rajun’s shoulders. “So, drinks once we’re back, new guy?”

Arlid interjected. “Not your turn. Commodore Felix’s buying the whole fleet.”

“Oh, really? The damned tavern better have enough stock.” Lanun responded.