Connor rolled up the captain’s charts and slid them into his bottomless bag along with a magnetic compass.
He took out a vial of minor strength potion from his bottomless bag and downed it. The tangy taste of it prickled his tongue. He pulled out a vial of sense heightening potion and considered it.
The deafening roar of thunder and the bright flashes of lightning would play havoc with more sensitive senses… but if they were going to be rowing in a nearly pitch black ocean, he needed to see at least well enough to read their compass.
This isn’t going to be pleasant, Connor thought as he brought the vial of turquoise liquid to his lips and tilted his head back.
Fresh strength from his minor strength potion flooded him as his senses expanded to an overwhelming degree. The beat of his heart sounded like a thunderous drum in his ears and the storm outside like a screaming hurricane of supernatural force.
After a moment, everything snapped back into focus. It wouldn’t be pleasant but at least now they had a better chance.
“Can we go now?” Adelia asked.
“One more thing,” Connor said as he pulled his shirt up, freeing the bundle he’d kept there all this time.
Adelia raised an eyebrow.
“A parting gift. It won’t take long,” Connor said as he unfolded the blanket, revealing the glowing orbs.
A vicious smile lit Adelia’s face. “I like the way you think,” she said with sadistic relish.
“Throw the captain overboard if you wouldn’t mind. Them not knowing where he is ought to add more confusion to the chaos. Then, come help me distribute these around the ship. Once we’re done, we can finally get out of here,” Connor said.
Adelia nodded and hauled the man up effortlessly.
She licked her lips. “I almost want to stay just to see what happens to them,” she said.
They moved out onto the deck and Connor opened the sliding door wider so the light of the lantern in the binnacle was visible on deck. As he did so, the howling wind and rolling thunder slammed into Connor like a runaway chariot.
He gritted his teeth and walked out onto the deck while Adelia hurled the captain’s body into the dark waves.
The soft blue glow of the orbs Connor carried looked incredibly bright in the darkness, pushing back the inky murk on the deck like beacons in the night.
A massive wave shrank as it neared the ship and crashed against the side in a salty spray. Connor tossed one of the glowing orbs off the side and into the roiling waters. Adelia returned to him then and took half of the orbs, aiding him in distributing them around the ship near the railing where they’d be most visible and dropping some into the water on either side.
It didn’t take long and Connor swallowed hard when they were done. His heart pounded in his chest. He wasn’t much of a seafarer, but he knew well enough what the lights might attract. There was a reason sailors were so paranoid about lanterns on deck. One never knew what might see them from the darkness of the water…
He looked over the ballista and innumerable weapons of war covered beneath tightly tied canvas upon the deck.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Maybe they’d even live through it if anything decided to attack. Regardless, Connor hoped it would distract them and, with any luck, damage the ship enough to slow it down and keep it off their tail for long enough to make good their escape.
Connor and Adelia then walked up the dark wooden stairs up to the poop deck where cutters, small, fast boats useful in emergencies, were suspended from ropes and pulleys. One on each side. Ready for use.
There were runes engraved in the wood, and Connor began to feel better about their chances. Provided the enchantments didn’t recognize them as enemies and do something terrible of course…
Together, they untied the ropes securing the port side boat in place and began slowly lowering it. It swayed upon the creaking ropes as the wind and rain buffeted it, and they lowered it carefully. Keeping a firm grip on the wet rope.
It was difficult not to rush. They needed to put as much distance between them and the ship as possible. Especially given all the blood and flesh they’d thrown overboard… not to mention the lights.
There would almost certainly be more to fear than just the Syndicate before long.
Movement out of the corner of Connor’s eye caught his attention and he turned to see Erik stepping out of a hatch nearest their position and onto the deck. Erik stared at them, his eyes wide with surprise.
Before Connor could even react, Adelia threw a dagger at Erik’s head.
The metal whipped through the air and slammed into a ward over Erik’s eyes. A shimmering field of orange magic sparked where she’d struck as the blade clattered uselessly to the floor, and Erik remained utterly unharmed.
The aura of orange magic around him turned invisible once more as Erik’s eyes flared with a red glow.
Adelia abandoned the rope they were using to hoist the cutter and rushed Erik, drawing her twin daggers as she moved in a blur of motion.
The sudden increase in weight nearly lifted Connor off his feet as the pulleys whirred. The cutter plummeted downward as Connor struggled to find purchase with his feet upon the slick deck. He slid toward the railing and slammed into it. Pain shot through him, increased to a bone-rattling agony by his sense heightening potion. But, he caught himself on the railing with one hand.
The wet rope burned Connor’s hand as it slid through his grip. He squeezed tighter despite the pain and the cutter jerked to a stop. The force of it shot through the joints of his arm and felt as though it nearly pulled his shoulder from its socket as a spike of pain shot through him.
But he held the rope firm and the pain subsided into a dull ache. Thankfully, his enhanced strength helped him to hold the cutter in place.
He looked back at Adelia and Erik just in time to see Erik’s body burst into wild, raging flames that swelled unnaturally.
The flames and smoke solidified and took a physical form as Erik sprouted a thick coat of fiery fur, a muzzle full of sharp canine teeth, and grew until he was twice Connor’s height.
Once Erik had fully taken the shape of a massive werewolf made of living flame, he roared. A wild, savage raw filled with power and the crackling of fire as heat radiated from Erik like a furnace.
Adelia unleashed a flurry of slashes too fast for Connor to follow and then dived out of the way as Erik reached for her, his massive, clawed hand sweeping through empty air as rain steamed on his blazing fur. Smoke and embers trailed after his every movement.
Adelia struck again and again, darting away before Erik could grab her each time.
But her blades seemed unable to penetrate his thick fur and they glowed orange from the heat. She moved so fast that the glowing blades trailing through the air in a blur were about the only thing Connor could see.
Erik lashed out and caught her with what seemed like a lucky backhand. It smacked into her with a meaty thwack and sent her flying.
Adelia flew backward over the deck and smashed through a larger boat tied down on the deck in a cloud of splintered wood and flapping canvas before tumbling over the slippery deck and landing hard on her back.
Seeing Adelia hit so badly, anger and fear surged inside Connor, and he released the rope. Pulleys whirred as the cutter plummeted down the side of the ship.
On pure instinct, Connor drew two of his throwing knives. Without even consciously noticing the raw skin on his one hand, he hurled them at Erik before thinking, and only after the blades left his hands did he realize how pointless an action it was.
Predictably, they struck Erik’s thick fiery fur and clattered uselessly to the deck as Erik stalked toward Adelia, not even sparing Connor a glance. The water on the deck hissed, boiled, and steamed beneath Erik’s mighty, burning paws.
Adelia struggled back to her feet with one hand over her ribs on one side and pain in her eyes.
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