A few miles from the Sunken Ruins of Melusine, an invisible ship sailed through the waters. Right now, it was headed towards a certain destination known only to Vael, the leader of the pirate group called the Shark Fins.
In the control room, he sat in the captain's chair, sipping wine from a golden cup. Dressed in deep blue pirate attire, which exuded a strange, alien, and futuristic impression that felt out of place in this world. Yet, as he stared at the screen, a look of glee spread across his face.
"Hey, is it really true I can gain more powerful artefacts if I get to that location?" Vael asked, looking at the screen showing a certain location on a map.
"Yes," a gender-neutral voice with a metallic tone answered. Upon closer inspection, the voice came from a black rectangular portion of the walls around it, or so it seemed; but if any modern-era person had even a hint of knowledge about modern tech, they could easily identify it as speakers surrounding multiple monitor screens.
"You are entirely correct. Underneath the sea lies an ancient artefact of immense power asleep. If we can take all the minerals we have gathered, I will be able to awaken it," the voice said as a matter of fact.
Vael, hearing that, smile widened. "Hehehe, that's what I like to hear. It truly was fate to find that artefact. That fa…bir… thing box thing was it called?" He tried to recall what it was called, but he couldn't pronounce the weird name.
"You mean the fabricator, yes?"
"Yeah, that fab thing, although that thing took a long-ass time," he spat, thinking about the 3 months he had to wait. "I guess I can look over that inconvenience. But don't make me wait that long ever again, you feel me?" he said in a threatening tone.
"I apologise for that, but that couldn't be helped; there was only one…"
"I don't need your excuses. Just tell me what the plan is to get that powerful artefact," Vael said, cutting the voice off in a displeased tone.
"Yes. Then, if you look here…" In the many displays, the robotic voice began to show diagrams of the plan and how they would use the dagons.
Vael's expression darkened; he couldn't quite make head or tail of those diagrams, and the technical stuff—most of the explanation—flew right over his head. The only thing he did get was that they were about to use those dagons to get those minerals to the underwater location and awaken the powerful artefact.
He decided to ignore the explanation and asked, "Hey, you did mention that artefact can make more powerful ships like this one, right?"
"Yes, that is correct. All you need to do is get all the material near the ship; the rest I can handle."
"To be able to create more ships like these, it would be easy to rule over the sea, wouldn't it? Wait, why wait up at sea?" He started to ponder more. "Hey, can that artefact create ships that go through land?"
"Yes, it is possible," the robotic voice answered.
"Hahaha… so taking over the nearby kingdoms isn't just a dream anymore." Vael could imagine in his mind the scene of him sitting on a golden throne.
"..."
To his muttering about being a king, no response came from the voice.
"So, what do we need to do?"
"There is an hour left to reach the precise location, so we have time. I have already begun the preparation with my sub-units."
"Sub-units? You mean those golems cleaning outside?" Vael asked, tilting his head.
"Yes."
"Then I will be going partying outside, and maybe use a woman or two." Vael licked his lips, thinking about the few beautiful dagon women he remembered capturing.
"Please refrain from harming those assets; they are useful for the upcoming operation," the robotic voice warned.
"Hah? There is plenty of manpower there; one or two unable to work won't hurt." Waving his hand towards the screen, he left the chamber.
"Boss, join us!" The sound of cheering came before the automatic door closed again.
"..."
"Recalculating, expecting the efficiency of the upcoming task to drop by 10 to 20%."
"What an incompetent man." In the empty room, the robotic voice spoke; this time, the supposed robotic neutral voice held a hint of venom in it.
"Their kind always seems to get in the way. What can I expect from these biological mistakes? Just wait; once my main body is repaired, I will cleanse the world of the filth, and the first to fall will be this man." The last part felt more venomous than ever.
…
On the other side of the ship, in the lower hold, the air was thick with the suffocating stench of panic, hopelessness, and pure, unadulterated terror.
Remia pressed her back against the cold, metallic wall of the cell, her hands tightly gripping the shoulders of two sobbing children. The ship vibrated beneath them, a low, mechanical hum that felt entirely unnatural compared to the gentle rocking of the wooden vessels she was used to seeing in Erisin.
Everything had happened too fast. One moment she was resting for a moment and in the next, screams of panic and pain, with blinding beams of light, filled half of the city. The town's defenders, men she had known for years, were cut down instantly by weapons that made no sound, leaving wounds that smelled of scorched flesh and burning wood.
"M-Mama..."
"I-I want to go back to mommy."
The little girls whispered next to her, burying their faces into Remia's chest out of sheer instinct for comfort.
"Hush now, sweetie," Remia murmured, her voice a calm, soothing balm despite the frantic beating of her own heart. She was still young and single herself, with no children of her own, but her naturally gentle and maternal nature instinctively took over. She gently stroked the two little girls' hair, projecting a serenity she didn't entirely feel. "No one is going to hurt you. We just need to stay quiet and strong. The city guild will surely realise what happened and send help."
But looking around the dark hold, Remia's hope felt fragile. Dotted around the room were dozens of women and children from the district, their faces pale, eyes wide with despair. The few men who were captured were dragged somewhere else, or, in the worst case, they may already be dead. She shook her head; right now she can't let her thoughts wander in that direction; she has to hold on to hope.
Suddenly, the heavy metal door at the top of the stairs hissed open. A flood of bright, artificial light poured into the hold, accompanied by the rowdy, boisterous laughter of their captors.
"To the grandest haul of the season!" a voice boomed from above.
A group of three bandits descended the stairs. They didn't look like the typical, dirt-caked brigands or seafaring pirates Remia had heard stories about. They wore sleek, dark-grey chest pieces lined with pulsing blue wires, and strange, visor-like goggles covered their eyes. Slung casually over their shoulders were the terrifying, metallic rifles that had easily brought half of Erisin to its knees in minutes.
"Look at 'em, trembling like trapped rabbits," one of the pirates jeered, lifting a metallic flask and taking a heavy swig. "Those guys didn't even know what hit 'em. Magic barriers? Please. A single light from this baby can tear right through their strongest wards!"
"Hey, keep your voice down, Jax," the second pirate warned, though he was grinning broadly. "Our captain is quite generous, isn't he? He gave us these clothes, which look and feel great, and also let us use these artefacts just like that. On top of that, he said we party till we reach our destination."
"Haha… You said it. And look at these specimens here; we have quite the haul."
"Relax, Miller! We have a job to do, you know," Jax scoffed, waving a hand dismissively as he walked along the edge of the iron cage, his boots clicking rhythmically against the floor. "Between the high-grade slaves we snatched and this ship we have, we are practically the rulers of the sea, ain't we?"
Remia kept her eyes cast downward, carefully observing them through her eyelashes. She tried to feel for her mana, but a strange, heavy collar clamped around her neck was actively disrupting her flow, leaving her weak, dizzy, and entirely disconnected from the water magic she usually commanded. Right now, she was just a young, helpless woman of Erisin trying to survive an unprecedented nightmare.
[I cannot afford to break down,] she chided herself internally, tightening her hold on the children. [If I panic, these kids will lose all hope. I have to stay strong.]
"Hey, you there. The pretty one," Jax's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts.
Remia froze. She looked up slowly, meeting the pirate's smug grin through the metal bars. He was pointing a gloved finger right at her.
"You've been awfully quiet. No crying, no screaming," Jax chuckled, tapping his rifle against the cage bars with a loud clank that made the children flinch. "Don't worry. A prime specimen like you won't be sold to the mines. The rich nobles pay top coin for your type. Just sit tight, and…"
"Hey, isn't this one quite the beauty? Why not take this one and present her to the boss? He did ask to grab a pretty one, didn't he?"
Miller scanned the girl. "Damn, you are right; this one is quite the looker. If we present this one to the boss, he might look at us more favourably, no?"
"Is that alright? I think selling her would be more profitable, no? This fish woman sells for way more, not to mention a pretty one? We can choose other ones."
Right in front of her, they were discussing her as if she were an object to be used. She felt completely helpless to speak; even a single word might provoke their anger. She couldn't allow any harm to come to these children, even if it meant she had to suffer.
She tried to soothe the trembling children, making herself look as small as possible in the hope of being left alone. However, deep down, she knew she was being overly optimistic. Her shoulders shook with fear, and a selfish part of her wished that someone else would catch their attention, allowing her to be spared.
Remia felt sick seeing her thoughts wandering in that direction; yet she couldn't help it. It was all she could do right now.
"It is decided then."
Their voices cut through her thoughts.
The three men looked at her like an object whose worth had been decided, and she knew the worst had happened.
[Please... someone stop this madness.]
…
Chapter end
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