Chapter 191: Chapter 190: An Unexpected Appearance
"Sigh." Orelia came over and leaned against the ship’s rail, her small, red face slumping over it like a deflated balloon.
"What are you up to?"
"I’m imitating you, Mr. Colin." The young girl lifted her face in an instant, the corners of her eyes crinkling into a smile as pure as a lily. "You’re always busy reading or practicing, looking just like a grandpa."
"Really? I’d say I’m pretty energetic."
"That just won’t do! Come on, copy me."
Orelia threw her hands high into the air and started twisting her body, as if performing some strange workout routine.
"What in the world are you doing?" Colin asked.
"This is something a Martial Monk who came to study at my Monastery taught me. It’s supposed to give you energy," the Tiefling said earnestly. "Hurry up and join in, Mr. Colin."
"Uh..." Colin glanced at the sailors staring curiously in their direction, then looked off into the distance and shouted, "It looks like there’s a ship approaching up ahead!"
Orelia’s attention was immediately diverted, and she looked ahead.
The approaching merchant ship was slightly larger than the others in their convoy.
Since it was sailing toward them, its sails were filled with wind.
"It’s alright, sir," said a sailor pulling on a rope nearby. "That’s a merchant ship. I don’t see anything suspicious on deck."
"I think that merchant ship’s course is bringing it pretty close. Could they be Pirates in disguise?"
"Mr. Colin, you asked the same thing about the last few ships that passed," the captain said from the deck, smiling wearily. "Pirates usually keep large siege weapons on board, not just for merchant ships, but for dealing with their own kind, too. If you don’t see any weapons, odds are they’re not Pirates."
"Maybe someone’s taking advantage of that stereotype and doing the opposite... but never mind. Forget I said anything. You’re the experts."
Colin said his piece, then stretched and headed below deck, successfully dodging the awkwardness of doing strange exercises in public.
He went inside the cabin and sat down beside the stoic Half-Elf.
After he had been reading for a while, a sudden commotion erupted on deck.
Faintly hearing the word "Pirates," Colin hurried up to the deck.
Just then, a large crowd of sailors wielding Scimitars suddenly appeared on the other merchant ship. They let out piercing, bizarre cries as they closed in on the lead ship of the convoy.
’So it really is a Pirate Ship disguised as a merchant vessel?!’
Colin took a closer look.
The number of armed Pirates on that ship was immense; they were practically swarming the entire deck.
’In terms of sheer numbers on deck, the Pirates held an absolute advantage. That must be why they were bold enough to act.’
Even though they were now under attack, Colin wasn’t nervous at all.
After all, their merchant ship wasn’t stuffed with defenseless cargo, but with a group of burly Orcs.
"Hey, you fools!" A burly, dark-skinned man with a black beard and a captain’s tricorn hat stood at the bow, yelling at the merchant ship they were boarding. "You pale-skinned little bastards, get your captain out here! Join us if you want to live!"
The burly man noticed Colin staring at him and let out a bizarre shriek.
After shrieking, he bellowed, "Run off with your tail between your legs, you damned fool! HAHAHAHA!"
"Piss off, pale-face!" "We’re going to kill every last one of you!"
The other Pirates on the ship saw this and turned to Colin, erupting in loud jeers.
Just then, Ale came to Colin’s side and asked, "What’s going on?"
"Looks like Pirates disguised as merchants."
"Are they here to rob us?" Ale asked. "What should we do?"
"I’ll have to ask the captain." Colin turned and asked him, "Can we get our ship over there?"
While barking orders at the sailors, the captain managed to reply, "We have to turn the ship around, and that’s tricky! Plus, they’re riding the wind—they can turn faster and have a higher top Speed than we do!"
Colin had learned over the last few days that turning a ship at sea was an incredibly cumbersome process. But they had to support the ambushed merchant vessel.
Colin drew his Giant Sword and entered his Sword Dance state.
Just then, the lead merchant ship and the Pirate Ship drew near to each other.
Grappling hooks flew from the Pirate Ship, snagging the merchant ship’s rail. The pirates then pulled their ship alongside, and the momentum of the collision slammed the two vessels together, slowing their forward progress significantly.
One after another, Pirates brandishing Scimitars swung across on ropes to board the lead merchant ship, just like something out of a movie.
Orelia came over to his side and asked, "Are we going over there now?"
"You guys stick with the convoy and start turning. Support them with Magic if you get an opening," Colin said.
At that moment, their own merchant ship sailed past the two entangled vessels.
Staring at the ships a short distance away, Colin concentrated and began to chant a Spell.
Silvery mist instantly shrouded his vision.
In the next instant, the weightless sensation of stepping on empty air washed over him, but he soon felt solid deck beneath his feet. The silvery mist before him vanished in a flash.
After extensive practice, Colin had grown accustomed to the dizzying sensation of [Misty Step].
He landed steadily on the ship’s bow and scanned his surroundings.
The bizarre cries of the Pirates and the harsh clang of blades against the ship’s rail stood in stark contrast to the deathly silence on the merchant vessel.
There wasn’t a single sailor on deck. ’They must have all hidden in the cabins.’
"A Mage! They’ve got a Mage!" "A Mage? But why is he holding a sword that big?"
A few panicked shouts drifted up from below. The Pirates had quickly spotted the uninvited guest on the bow, and a dozen or so of them immediately swarmed forward to surround him.
Colin silently watched the approaching men.
His left foot forward, he brought both hands on the hilt up to his right shoulder, the blade hanging down his back. It was an aggressive stance, perfect for a powerful downward slash.
The Scimitar-wielding Pirates approached him tentatively.
To Colin’s eyes, his opponents’ movements were incredibly clear.
The tightening and relaxing of their muscles, the rise and fall of their chests with each breath, their wary eyes... everything was much clearer than when he had faced the Sahuagin.
Ever since his recent boost in Intelligence, the [Sword Dance] state had further amplified the gains from that Attribute. Even without making a move, Colin could clearly feel he had advanced once again.
The instant three of the Pirates entered his attack range.
Colin stepped forward, his blade swinging in a fiery arc.
These first few unlucky souls collapsed to the ground in unison.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Immediately after, three golden bolts of fire condensed from [Scorching Ray] shot toward three more Pirates, blasting bloody holes straight through them.
This left the Pirates utterly dumbfounded.
’A Caster? Or were there two of them? Did we just hit a ship transporting Gold?’ — These questions flashed through every Pirate’s mind simultaneously.
Of course, in the heat of battle, the events here couldn’t possibly have drawn everyone’s attention.
Several other Pirates ran to the cabin entrance. One of them kicked the wooden door open... and a massive Orc arm shot out from the shadows within, smashing a fist into the Pirate’s face.
