Drake stood on the dock as the sun climbed toward its peak, his red eyes fixed on the horizon.
The merchant ship was visible now a decent-sized vessel with three masts and sails that caught the morning wind. It moved with the steady purpose of a ship that had made this journey dozens of times before.
Behind Drake, the village bustled with activity. Fishermen prepared their catches for trade, villagers gathered goods to sell or barter, and children ran excitedly along the beach. For them, the monthly merchant ship was an event a connection to the outside world, a source of news and supplies.
For Drake, it was a way off this island.
"You're really leaving."
Drake turned to find Sarah standing beside him, her arms crossed. She didn't look surprised, just… resigned.
"Yeah," he said simply.
"Marcus told me you would." She watched the approaching ship. "He said people with the name D never stay in one place for long. Something about destiny or fate or whatever."
Drake grimaced. "Marcus talks too much."
"He likes you. In his own grumpy way." Sarah bumped his shoulder with hers. "We all do, actually. You could stay, you know. Make a life here. It's not exciting, but it's safe."
Drake thought about that really thought about it. A quiet life in a hidden village, fishing and fixing roofs and growing old without ever really living. It would be peaceful. Easy, even.
And absolutely not enough.
"I can't," he said.
"I know." Sarah sighed. "Just… don't die out there, okay? The world's a lot bigger and meaner than this island."
"I'll keep that in mind."
They stood in companionable silence as the merchant ship drew closer. Drake activated his Analysis Eye, studying the vessel with more care.
[Analysis Eye Lv.2 activated]
[Target: Merchant Vessel "Sea's Fortune"]
Type: Trading ship
Crew: 15 visible
Cargo: Mixed goods, trade supplies
Threat Level: Minimal
The ship looked legitimate weathered but well-maintained, flying a merchant's flag, its crew moving with the practiced efficiency of experienced sailors. Nothing suspicious.
So why did Drake feel like something was wrong?
"You sense it too."
Drake turned to find Marcus approaching, his hand resting casually on his cutlass. But there was nothing casual about the tension in his shoulders.
"Sense what?" Drake asked, though he already knew.
"Trouble." Marcus's eyes scanned the ocean beyond the merchant ship. "I've been sailing these waters for thirty years. You learn to read the signs the way birds fly, how the wind shifts, the feel of the air before a storm."
"And?"
"And something's coming." Marcus's jaw tightened. "Could be nothing. Could be I'm getting paranoid in my old age. But my gut says today's going to be interesting."
The merchant ship dropped anchor about fifty meters from shore, and a smaller boat was lowered to ferry crew and cargo to the dock. The villagers pressed forward, eager to see what goods had arrived and what news the merchants brought from the outside world.
Drake held back, watching.
The first person off the boat was a woman in her forties tall, with sharp eyes and the bearing of someone used to command. She wore a long coat despite the heat, and a cutlass hung at her hip.
[Analysis Eye activated]
[Target: Captain Miriam Cross]
Level: 12
Threat Level: Medium-High
Abilities: Expert Swordsman, Navigation Master, Leadership
Captain. And a strong one, by the looks of it. Level 12 put her well above anyone in the village except possibly Marcus in his prime.
"Captain Cross!" Tomas called out, stepping forward with a welcoming smile. "Good to see you again. Smooth sailing?"
"Smooth enough," Miriam replied, but her eyes were scanning the treeline beyond the village. "Though we picked up a tail about half a day back. Lost them in a squall, but…"
"But you're not sure you actually lost them," Marcus finished, materializing beside Drake. The old pirate's instincts were sharp as ever.
Miriam's hand drifted to her cutlass. "You must be Marcus. Tomas mentioned a retired pirate was keeping watch over this place."
"Retired being the key word," Marcus said. "But old habits die hard. You think whoever was following you might still be out there?"
"I think—"
The lookout's shout cut her off.
"SAIL! NORTHEAST! COMING IN FAST!"
Every head turned. Drake's Analysis Eye was already active, pushing to its maximum range.
There a ship emerging from behind the rocky outcropping that partially shielded the village's cove. Smaller than the merchant vessel, built for speed rather than cargo. And flying a flag that made Drake's blood run cold despite never having seen it before.
A black flag with a skull.
Pirates.
[Analysis Eye activated - Multiple Targets]
[Pirate Vessel "Red Fang"]
Crew: 22 visible
Threat Levels: Varying (Low to Medium)
Notable: Captain level unknown
"Everyone back to the village!" Marcus's voice cut through the rising panic. "NOW!"
The villagers didn't need to be told twice. They scattered, parents grabbing children, merchants abandoning their goods. Within seconds, the dock was nearly empty except for Marcus, Drake, Miriam, and a handful of the merchant crew who'd made it ashore.
"Can you fight?" Miriam asked Drake directly, her eyes taking in his scars and the way he stood balanced, ready.
"Yeah."
"Good. We're going to need everyone we can get." She turned to her crew. "Get back to the ship. Prepare to make sail if this goes south."
"Captain, we can't just—"
"That's an order!"
The merchant sailors hesitated, then scrambled back to their boat. Miriam watched them go, then drew her cutlass. The blade caught the sunlight, well-maintained and deadly sharp.
"So," she said conversationally, "anyone here actually know how to fight pirates?"
Marcus snorted. "I was a pirate, once upon a time."
"And you?" Miriam looked at Drake.
Drake pulled his hunting knife from his inventory, the familiar weight settling in his hand. It wasn't much against pirates with actual weapons, but it would have to do.
"I'm a fast learner," he said.
The pirate ship was closing in, and Drake could make out figures on the deck now. Rough men with weapons, shouting and jeering. The ship angled toward the merchant vessel rather than the shore they were going for the valuable cargo first.
"Smart play," Marcus muttered. "Take the ship, then deal with anyone on shore. We need to—"
The pirate ship's bow cannon fired.
The sound was deafening, a thunderclap that shook the air. Drake watched the cannonball arc through the sky in what felt like slow motion, tracking its trajectory with his enhanced perception.
It was going to miss the merchant ship.
It was aimed at the dock.
"MOVE!"
Drake grabbed Marcus and yanked him backward just as the cannonball slammed into the dock's edge. Wood exploded in a shower of splinters, and the entire structure groaned and tilted. Miriam had already leaped clear, landing in a crouch on the beach.
"Okay," she said, standing and brushing sand from her coat. "They want to play rough."
The pirate ship was pulling alongside the merchant vessel now, grappling hooks flying. Pirates swarmed across, whooping and hollering. The skeleton crew Miriam had left aboard tried to resist, but they were quickly overwhelmed.
And then the pirate captain stepped into view.
Drake's Analysis Eye activated automatically:
[Target: Captain "Bloody" Rake]
Level: 15
Threat Level: HIGH
Abilities: Enhanced Strength, Dual Blade Master, Ruthless Combatant
Bounty: 3,000,000 Berries
The man was huge easily six and a half feet tall, built like a bear, with a scarred face and two curved swords strapped to his back. He surveyed his prize with a grin that showed several gold teeth.
"WELL WELL!" His voice carried easily across the water. "A merchant ship and a village! Today's our lucky day, boys!"
His crew cheered, some already lowering boats to head for shore.
Drake felt his pulse quicken. Not from fear from anticipation. This was it. Real combat against real enemies. A chance to test everything he'd learned, to complete the Warrior's Path quest, to prove he could survive in this world.
[New Quest Available: Defend the Village]
[Objective: Defeat the pirate crew]
[Bonus Objective: Defeat Captain "Bloody" Rake]
[Reward: Large XP gain, ???, Reputation increase]
[Warning: Enemy captain significantly outlevels you.
Drake dismissed the warning. He'd fought a razorclaw tiger at level 2. He'd trained every day, pushed his body past its limits, adapted and grown stronger.
A week ago maybe but…
Now?
Now he was Drake D. Carter, and he had a score to settle with a world that thought it could kill him.
"Marcus," Drake said quietly. "How do you fight someone stronger than you?"
Marcus looked at him, then at the approaching pirate boats, then back at Drake. A slow smile spread across the old pirate's scarred face.
"You fight dirty, boy. And you fight smart." He drew his cutlass, the blade singing as it cleared its sheath. "Stay close. Watch my back. And for the love of the seas, don't die."
"Wasn't planning on it."
Miriam joined them, her cutlass ready. "The three of us against twenty-plus pirates. I've had worse odds."
"Really?" Drake asked.
"No, but it sounds good."
The first pirate boat hit the beach, and rough men poured out, weapons drawn. They spread out in a loose formation, clearly experienced with this kind of raid.
The closest one a scarred man with a rusty sword locked eyes with Drake and grinned. "Look at this! A kid playing hero!"
Drake activated Analysis Eye:
[Target: Pirate Thug]
Level: 6
Threat Level: Low
Weakness: Overconfident
The pirate charged.
Drake waited until the last possible moment, then sidestepped with his enhanced speed. The pirate stumbled past, off-balance, and Drake's knife found the back of his knee. The man went down screaming.
[Enemy Defeated: 1/20 for Warrior's Path]
[Combat XP gained]
"First blood to the kid!" Marcus laughed, engaging two pirates at once.
His movements were precise the skill of someone who'd fought and won a thousand battles. "Not bad!"
More pirates were landing now, and the beach erupted into chaos. Steel rang against steel. Men shouted and cursed. Blood hit the sand.
And Drake D. Carter stepped into his first real battle, a grin on his face and determination in his red eyes.
This was what he'd been training for.
Let's see what he could do.
End of Chapter 6