The hawk shot down from the sky into the arms of Zuls while screeching rapidly. To everyone else it was jumbled, ear torture, but to her it was a warning. She nodded along until the screeching stopped and then she turned to Captain Vorin, “it’s them.”

  “How many?” Vorin had a bit of fear in his eyes.

  “Gliya said hundreds. Maybe even thousands. She couldn’t see all of them, but the entire horizon was filled with ships, and they are all sailing under the same black flag.”

  Vorin sighed and looked up to the sky before speaking. “Listen up everyone, I’m not going to lie to you, this is bad. We have five class chosen against what could be thousands. There is no way we will win, but I will not go down without a fight. If any passengers, crew, or any of you want to abandon ship to save yourselves, I won’t stop you. However, know that if you stay it will be a fight, and we will most likely die. There is no lifeboat, and I’m not sure anyone could survive the swim. There is always a chance though.”

  Everyone was silent. This wasn’t an exciting voyage anymore. This was life and death. After a few minutes of silence, it seemed they all came to the same conclusion; the class expected needed to survive. They would lay down their lives for that to happen.

  After explaining to the crew and passengers what was happening, they offered to let them leave the ship. All of them decided to stay. The twins said they would put their faith in Vorin like they always have. Bravery was a great quality to have, but it often led to an untimely death.

  With everyone deciding to stay, and the class chosen ready for the fight of their lives, Vorin gave the order to stop the ship. There was no point in running. Even with Kumo constantly pushing a tempest powered wind into the sails the pirates would eventually catch them. The Windswept wasn’t made for speed.

  They sat there dead in the water and tried to enjoy the hour of peace before everything went wrong. Some sat and looked at the clear sky. Some talked to each other to try and calm their nerves. Some wrote notes to their families back home just in case they didn’t make it.

  Kumo and Synexus didn’t say a single word to each other. They weren’t strangers to life and death situations like most class chosen. Goodbyes weren’t needed between them anymore after what happened in the worm. This was a straight up fight, and they would fight until they absolutely couldn’t anymore. If there was a chance to get away then they would, but relying on something that may happen is foolish. Instead, they got to work preparing.

  Synexus prepared seeds that could be helpful in taking down the ships. This included more grass seeds like the ones he used before, seeds of plants that would start violent fires like the liing plant, seeds of plants that had explosive properties, and even some flowers that would produce water to try and flood the ships. He had a vine that would produce an acid that could eat through wood, but he wasn’t sure it was a good idea to use it since the Windswept itself was made of wood.

  His new skills may come in handy if he got a second to focus on the hull of their ships. If he could touch a plank of wood there is a chance, he could manipulate the wood to make it more brittle and easier to break, but he wouldn’t rely on that tactic. He felt like they were preparing for war.

  Zuls summoned all ten companions that she carried around with her. Normally her rule was to only have five out at any given time, since it was much harder to direct all ten of them. This, however, was an exception. They needed all the help they could get. Snowfall the snow fox, Gliya the bright hawk, Sovereign the whistling wyvern, Ghost the air jellyfish, Fort the guardian turtle, Element the tri-headed bear, Siz the giant inferno penguin, Whimper the cloaked bat, Claw the mountain trewg, and Blink the blight chameleon. Synexus had not seen half of these companions before and understood why. Siz was massive and was giving off heat like a volcano. The trewg was a wild mountain cat. It had massive teeth and claws and looked at everyone like they were its next meal. Blink was giving off a foul smell but otherwise seemed peaceful. It was an amazing sight to see all these creatures standing next to each other and listening to Zuls.

  Plith meditated with one of his swords in his lap waiting for the battle to begin. Vorin was doing a similar meditation but was actually putting together a plague that would rapidly jump from pirate to pirate. It wouldn’t be lethal; it would just slow them all down. Kumo looked like she was trying to will the sky itself to battle the pirates. Her eyes were filled with intense focus while she looked at the clouds above. Synexus could tell she was angry and ready to rage like the tempest she had become. They were all ready for the impending battle. All they were waiting for was the pirates to arrive and after the hour was over, only five ships approached.

  ***

  Vorin gave the order to hold attack until they figured out what they wanted. Most likely they wanted blood and revenge for their fallen pirates, but he was hoping they didn’t want a fight after all. It was wishful thinking; he had to try and save as many lives as possible though.

  Two ships sailed around to their starboard side while three went to their port. One ship on the portside came close in order to dock alongside the Windswept while the other two kept their distance. They were obviously covering the exits if things went south.

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  Soon enough, the captain of the closest ship was visible, and she simply waved over to Vorin. After a few seconds of confusion, he waved back. She yelled over to him, “may I board? I will leave my weapons on my ship as a sign of good faith.”

  Vorin looked at all the class chosen who gave him an assuring nod. They would follow him. They trusted his instincts. He yelled back, “yes, but only you for now.”

  The pirate captain nodded and then swung over from a rope tied to her mast. She landed perfectly in front of Vorin with a smile on her face. She had long black hair with colorful feathers intertwined all the way down. Her long coat was some kind of wine-colored cotton. Her skin was dark, and she had a beautiful smile. The darkness of her clothes accentuated her bright white teeth even more.

  “I’m Minily, captain of the Breathless.” Her hand shot out looking for a handshake.

  “I’m Vorin, and this is the Windswept.”

  “Yes, we have been following you for a few days now or following some fog that is. It was clever, but we had already seen you before the unfortunate encounter with Plitheus.”

  “Why have you waited this long to approach then?”

  “That is the question, isn’t it? Well, we needed you afraid or feeling fear that is. The King Captain can answer more questions. I was told to come out here and talk to you. Plitheus was as well, but he took it upon himself to start a fight. He was kind of a pain in the ass.”

  “He was. So, you know we killed him and his crew?”

  “We do. I can assure you we are not looking for retribution. He was a hot head. You actually did us a favor. We needed you to know of our presence, We wanted him to be spotted without confronting you.”

  “Why?”

  “I told you. We needed you and your people to be afraid.”

  “Okay, and now we are supposed to believe you aren’t trying to kill us?”

  “I know. I told them you wouldn’t accept an answer like that. Normally, we both know I would ask for all your stuff or threaten everyone on board. Maybe show some force until we made off with something valuable but today is different. Look, everyone on board your ship will live. No one will be harmed. Even after we are done with what we need you for. Sail back to the armada with me. We only need you to sit within the armada for a couple of days at most.”

  Vorin laughed. “I’m sorry. You want me to sail into the armada like a fool? You’ve given me no reason to trust you.”

  “I know. I was told to use force if it was necessary, but I’d rather not. I don’t mind stealing things from well-off people. It’s why I became a pirate, but I don’t like killing innocent people. You have my word that your people will be safe. It’s either that or all out war which none of us want. If they see combat, the whole armada will come this way.”

  “Your word isn’t worth much to me. You’re a pirate. You do have a valid argument though. We both know that the armada could have caught us by now. I’m not sure why you haven’t. What if I came back with you, and you let my people sail off?”

  “I’m sorry. That’s noble and all, but it can’t work. We need your collective fear. We could take all the people huddled downstairs right now and let you and your crew leave, but I don’t think you’d take that deal.”

  “You’re right. I would never take that deal. I’d rather not fight, however, I will if I must. We are facing the armada either way. We should at least take the route that has a chance of not leading to a fight.” He looked to the other class chosen who all nodded in agreement. If they could avoid a fight, then they would. The plan wouldn’t change if the pirates attacked them now or when they got to the middle of the armada. “Okay, we will follow your ship back to where you need us. No one gets harmed. You have to stay near us at all times. No other pirates board my ship except for this King Captain, and none of my people leave my ship.”

  “We can make that work Vorin. I’m glad you chose peace today. The King Captain will explain more when we get back. Follow my ship, the others will follow behind you.”

  With that she signaled and one of her crew swung the rope back over for her to grab. The pirate ships all turned around and Vorin ordered the Windswept to follow the Breathless.

  ***

  It took nearly forty minutes to reach the middle of the armada. There was a massive pirate ship in the middle decorated with gold. It was made of black wood with deep red accents. The gold railing stood out as the sunlight gleamed off it. Synexus knew as the sun rose higher it would look even more beautiful. The red in the early morning light was subtle.

  Both ships stopped next to the giant pirate ship, and they saw Minily get off her ship and row over to tell them what happened. She was onboard talking to a tall slender man wearing a captain’s hat that was black and accented with gold. They figured he was the King Captain. The scar across his face told a story of combat experience. Synexus focused in on him.

  Name: Drackenn

  Race: Voracion

  Class: Pirate King LV 67

  “Hey Captain, that man is level 67. He is a Pirate King, and his race is Voracion.”

  Surprise and fear washed over Vorin’s face. “Wow, that is not someone we can attempt to fight. This was a bad idea.” He thought for a moment before adding, “I’ve never heard of a Voracion. Perhaps it’s an altered human.”

  Silence filled the Windswept once more as all they could do was wait. They would either fight and die here or give the pirates whatever they wanted and live. Finally, they saw Minily and Drackenn leave the central ship and get into the small rowboat.

  It took them about five minutes to row over and start climbing the ladder on the side of the Windswept. Minily greeted everyone again and introduced Vorin to the King Captain.

  Without any other conversation Drackenn said, “you have my word that your people will be safe. I heard you wouldn’t take her word for it, but I am the King Captain of this armada. My word is law.”

  Vorin nodded in agreement. “That’s all I ask. These people mean a lot to me as I’m sure a lot of your pirates mean to you. I know we can’t even attempt to fight someone of your level, so we won’t try, Pirate King Drackenn.” He put a strong emphasis on those last three words, showing that they weren’t ignorant. “Now, what is it that we can do for you?”

  Drackenn’s face remained unphased. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage as I’ve never heard of you. Even without knowing you, I know you won’t like what I’m about to say. What you can do for us is be bait.”