Holy, human flesh as a Fenrimorph tastes pretty good. Except the blood. The high iron tent kinda takes away the enjoyment, though.

  With blood still dripping over my mouth, I stare at the [Pirates] just to make sure they have my attention. Which I think they do on at of the massive Phytonid bedecked in shiny goldes going pletely ignored.

  I take another bite, this time of the man's face. This causes over a hundred [Pirates] te in fear. Following that, I raise the skull in my hand. My muscles flex and I crush it between my cws.

  I allow brainmatter to seep between my fingers, leaking ever so slowly.

  Unfortunately, such a sight causes a [Pirate] to panic. He turns to run, and pauses. I only imagine his eyes widening. His hand rises up, mouth opens.

  SHIT!

  Just as he creams, I roar, drowning out his voice for the moment. My knees bend and I rush the [Pirates].

  They scream, they yell, they panid several crossbow bolts sm into my flesh. I reach the first [Pirate] and rip him through the stomach, carefully making sure to avoid his lungs. He screams and the panisues. Many pirates turn and run, few aowledgihes while she slowly slithers up the stone. None give chase as I sughter awo pirates. One I punch through his skull and another I cw out his neck.

  Unfortunately, my monstrous appearand brutality has created something of a truce between all the [Pirates]. No longer do they fight amongst themselves. Now, it’s all the pirates against me. Spears, cutsses, bolts, and all manner of ons find my flesh. As skilled as I am, being surrounded by over a hundred [Pirates] is not a winnable position.

  Just as hes slithers oimbergroves deck, I immediately jump towards the Timbergroves pnk while ramming through several [Pirates]. On arrival, I sm my fist on the wood, shattering the only safe way to get aboard. Just as the [Pirates] are ready to rush and surround me, my knees bend, the ground cracks, and I hop up on Timbergroves deck.

  ______________________________________________________________

  hes slithers onto the ships deck where two humans wait warily. sidering their ons are pointed away from her, she only clude they are Boris and Irmgard.

  “Cut all the ropes!” Myers orders.

  Boris and Irmgard rush to her. One draws a cutss, the other a dagger. It takes her a great deal of will to not drop the throne and attack them. She allows them to rush her, and indeed, she hears the sounds of cutting. Not a moment ter, all the weight falls off of her, freeing her movement.

  “hes, you drop the throne. Irmgard, are there pirates ihe ship?” Myers asks.

  The Phytonid drops the metal sitting instrument and then g Irmgard.

  The female human shakes her head. “No, we took care of them.”

  “Good.” He looks at the child peeking out of the chest. “Cy, go ihe Timbergrove and find somewhere to hide. The rest of us are going to deal with the pirates until Quasi returns.”

  The sound of wood shattering turns all eyes as the pieces of the b pnk crash down into the void. Not a moment ter, Quasi, covered in numerous wounds and sp nearly a dozen bolts crashes on the deck.

  __________________________________________________________

  The deck of the timbergrove is smothered in corpses, blood, and over a dozen [pirates] looking at me. They are terrified, but so much as to panie [Pirate] raises a hand crossbow in my dire. I preemptively raise my gauo block. Instead, I hear the sound of three gunshots. The [Pirate] with the crossbow and two others near him fall dead, all with a bullet in their noggin. Not a moment ter ahes skewers two more.

  The rest of my crew rush in behind her, but are too slow as hes executes three more [Pirates].

  Not wanting to be outdone, I join in on the onsught.

  As the st skull crumbles under my fist, I immediately transform into a cat.

  “Myers, we o leave. Take us out of here.”

  The old man grimaces. He surveys the blood-smothered deck befng at the [Pirate] ships fighting in the distahe moment we leave, we’ll be chased by all the ships. We’re not fast enough to get away.”

  “Shit.” I follow his gaze. Ihere are too many ships to fight off. The moment we leave, we’ll probably be chased.

  As I gnce further up, a pn quickly es to mind.

  “ we escape above the clouds?”

  “No, not with the Timbergrove. The ship is too light to hahose winds without an active helmsman. We’d be blown off course immediately.”

  “What if I helmed it?” I ask.

  “It’s a stormcloud. A ihe ship is going to have to deal with staricity. I doubt a Fenrimorph survive for long.”

  Not what I had in mind.

  “It’s fine. I’ve got a pn. Just get us into the clouds.”

  Me and Myers share a long look, theurns towards the helm. “Fine. You better not get us killed.”

  ______________________________________________________

  [Pirate Captain] Gordon Rollo grins to the sound of ons firing from both sides of the Dirigehe Dirigentes is a runed Heavy-Destroyer with a sed on ded five masts. It is a ship designed for bating multiple vessels and unloading enough firepower to overwhelm hulls in a single volley. Four ships have already beeroyed and ahree have retreated.

  “[Captain],” His [First Mate] calls to him. Gordon gnces down at his brother Brevis Rollo. A half brother, but orusts with his life. “What is it?” he asks.

  Brevis points at the isnd filled with treasure. A frigate called the Timbergrove just departed and is quickly asding .

  Frowning, Gordon reaches into his coat arieves a spygss. He extends it towards the ship. When he looks through it, he quickly notes several goldes on the ship's deck.

  He grins. Pg his hand on the Dirigentes crystal, the ship lurches forward. “Good call Brevis!” he yells. “That ship has what we’re after.”

  Not only him, but every single vessel ceases fighting. They all turn to chase the Timbergrove.

  To Gordon’s surprise, the Timbergrove is slower than expected. Much slower for a frigate.

  Must be a lot of treasure to be slowed to only ten knots.

  As the faster ships get closer and closer to the Timbergrove, a frown starts to form on Gordon’s face. The Timbergrove is still asding, far higher thaimal lio maximize speed.

  Then he realizes it.

  “Cheeky shits,” he curses. “Brevis, get me my storm-coat.”

  Knowing the Timbergroves pn, he directs the Diriges to asd after it.

  His brother returns with the storm coat and he quickly puts it on. The storm-coat is a rare runed clothing that protects the wearer from electricity.

  “Now get iell the crew to stay away from the windows.”

  With the Timbergrove nearing the storm clouds, all of the [Pirate] vessels give up the chase. A few give departing shots, but the angle and wind make the projectiles miss.

  A minute passes, and the Timbergrove disappears into the stordon takes a breath. Then the Diriges does the same.

  ________________________________________________________________

  The moment I ehe stormcloud, my fur quickly expands on at of all the charged air. I grit my teeth as the feeling of being lightly tased travels through my body. This effect sts for several seds before disappearing as soon as my furr ges to a bright yellow.

  I breathe out in relief. “Thank god that worked.”

  My relief is short lived as violent winds buffet the Timbergrove and veer it off course.

  Right. Myers warned me of this.

  Tightening all four paws around Timbergroves core, I direct the ship back to asding.

  Minutes pass as lightning violently bombards the ship's hull. When the lightning is about to strike me, my furr explodes in a burst of light that causes the bolt to divert to the side.

  After watg the phenomena happen several times, I e to the realization that the lights are targeted aremely trated.

  “I’M FIRIN LAZERS!” I scream happily.

  Another burst of light from my fur and another bolt redirects a meter away from my body.

  Eventually, all fun must e to an end. The Timbergrove asds beyond the storm-clouds to the bright sky above.

  With far more light now, my yellow fur glistens while electricity dances ay body.

  “Now, if only I was a mouse,” I say with a grin.

  Having asded the clouds, the rest of my crew minus Cy warily exit to the deck. They look to the bright sky above and the dark storm clouds below. Then Boriss sees me. “rade fluffy, you are very yellow. Is new look, Yes?”

  I snort at the Russian.

  “If only. I wouldn’t mind shooting sers at lightning all the time.”

  “Lasers?” Cillian walks up.

  Before I expin, a Destroyer css ship bursts out of the storm clouds like a whale surfag above the o.

  “Oh e on! This was supposed to be an epic escape,” I whine.

  I gre at the offending ship.

  Dirigentes (Five-Mast Cored Heavy-Destroyer)

  Max Speed: 13 knots

  stru: Wood

  Modifications: Thick Hull, Double Gundeck, Armored Bulkheads

  Hull Iy: 4073/4314

  The very armored and armed offending ship.

  “Fuck. It’s cored and it’s faster than us.”

  Fog my gre, I find the leader at the helm.

  Gordon Rollo: Level 49 [Pirate Captain]

  o the leader is anuy that looks reted and is just as dangerous.

  Brevis Rollo: Level 49 [Pirate Subcaptain]

  “Myers, what’s a [Pirate Subcaptain]?”

  Like me, Myers is also analyzing the ining vessel. He frowns before stroking his beard at my question. “That's an advanced [First Mate] css. What level is it?”

  “They’re both forty nine. Runed up too, though I ’t tell the quality from here.”

  “Very high quality,” Myers says. “Surpassing level forty-nine is difficult. Most [Captains] never exceed that level. Instead, they amass wealth and experience before they die or retire.

  I smile. “All I hear is that they’re going to want to board us with the expectation that our bat ability is g.”

  hes rises up threateningly. “I will reap the stems of those expectations and devour the ar c through them,” she excims. “From their corpses, we will germinate greater strength until our cultivation will deter the weak and cowardly!”

  Every eye turns to the bloodthirsty Phytonid. The woman is swaying like a praying mantis preparing to strike. Her jaw is slightly open and cws extended for ripping, tearing, and grasping.

  Boriss nods uandably. “Like Russian mother with wolf. You kill wolf. Bury wolf in garden. Then grootato.”

  hes turns to Boriss. “Your Matriarch is wise. Animals are good fertilizers froves.”

  “Da. Mother kill many wolf. They are big pest that want steal bear jerky.”

  “Your spawner sounds like a true huntress of prey. Does she hunt with range or closer?”

  “She fight wolf with cleaver. Sometime she throw Grena-”

  “Talk Later.” I interrupt the very odd bonding session. “We’ve got [Pirates] to kill.”

  “They won’t fight.” The old man raises a fi the Dirigentes.

  “What?” Looking at the ship, I hat all the portholes are opening to reveal numerous ons.

  “Are they crazy?” Cillian asks. “If they destroy our ship, they lose all the treasure. Why don’t they just board.”

  “Because the [Captain’s] not an idiot.” Myers pipes up. “The Timbergrove was surrounded by several pirate ships on the isnd and then escaped with treasure. Esg from such a situation shows petehe [Captain] isn’t going to take risks, nor does he o. He’s going to pound our ship until our hull iy is gohen he’ll bst the Timbergrove with grapeshot until most of the crew is dead. Only then will he board with overwhelming numbers.”

  Yea, that sounds petent. You wouldn’t get to such a level if you’re taking risks.

  “ we shoot back?” Emma asks.

  “No,” I answered. “They have more ons and are faster.”

  Emma extends her arm towards the massive wooden siege engine. “Not with ons, but with the ballista. I looked into the runed bolts and I think we could do some real damage if we shoot the explosive ones.”

  I look to Myers, but the old man is already grimag. “Bolts are too slow to hit ships at range. Any [Captain] worth their ship will easily dodge the projectiles.”

  “What? We 't use the ballistae against other ships?” I ask in surprise.

  The old man raises an eyebrow. “No. Ballistae are desigo siege isnds, not ships.”

  Oh, hell no. I o siege ships, not fug isnds. What's the point of the ballista then?

  Irmgard sighs. She then gives me an annoyed look. “You’re not going to get that ship.”

  “I wasn’t-”

  “Yes you were. You don’t act like you’re back to the wall.” She calls me out. “You clearly have a pn, but that p involve stealing a destroyer, so you’re hoping one of us gives you an idea.”

  I pout as everyone gives me the look.

  “Fiiiineee. I’ll ha.”

  __________________________________________________________

  “[Captain], ons are primed and the crew is awaiting your orders.”

  Gordon nods to his brother.

  “Good. We’re almost in optimal range. Did you tell them to aim for the hull? I don’t want any treasure getting bsted off the deck.”

  “I did.”

  “Then we’re rea-” Gordon removes his hand from the crystal as he feels a pierg pain. When he looks at the crystal, a be-eyed bird is perched on the crystal.

  “What is-”

  The bird caws ohen all hell breaks loose as every sail shifts. Dirigentes plunges forward, tripping him. By the time he regains his footing, the ship is angled by forty degrees and is desding rapidly. Just before the ship plunges bato the storm clouds, the bck bird salutes a wing and then takes flight.

  “Fug shit.” He curses. With his coat still proteg him, he rushes to the crystal. The ship lurches upward just as fast as it desded. When he asds above the clouds, he finds that his brother is shaking on the deck from the cloud. sidering the on portholes were left open, his on team is experieng the same effect.

  Looking about, he finds the bird flying back to the Timbergrove. He watches it for a long moment before finally chug.

  “Bested by a bird.” He shakes his head. “Fiake the win.”

  With a flex of his mana, he orders the Dirigentes to slow to a stop.