My Demons

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A sudden glimpse of death appeared before me, sending a shockwave through my body. My face turned pale, and my legs trembled as I stumbled backward.

Oh, sh-shit

I quickly sank back into the seat, clinging to it desperately as I gasped for breath. Despite my instinctive fear, I reached out and picked up the fallen knife.

Argh!

Grab your weapons! Hold on!

Unexpectedly, small boats materialized, encircling our ship. Disordered and chaotic, each small boat carried about seven pirates, their oars moving swiftly.

Fire!

Kill them all!

The pirates looked repulsively filthy, as if they had never known the touch of water. Their hair and beards were tangled messes, and their teethno, fangswere yellowed to the point of appearing black.

They brandished crude weapons: toothless axes, broken hooks, and spears fashioned from short swords. Despite their primitive appearance, those weapons seemed more than capable of ending a persons life.

Board their ship!

Board them! Kill them!

The pirates, though lean and small, unleashed a brutal fury. Their savage cries filled the air as arrows and spears were launched, incapacitating crew members and enabling them to ruthlessly climb aboard our ship.

Thanks to a few passengers who joined the crew in resistance, armed with weapons of their own, it seemed as though they were managing to hold the pirates at bay.

However, as several large crew members fell to arrows shot from below, the pirates finally gained access to the deck.

D-damn it! We need to hold them backargh

One of the crew members fighting back fell, struck by an axe in the shoulder. With his last breath, it seemed that over a dozen pirates had boarded the ship, their ferocious screams piercing the air.

Aaaargh!

Kyaah!

What unfolded next was a surreal nightmare. As someone who had never killed anything larger than a frog, the sight of people being mercilessly slaughtered was incomprehensible.

Aargh!

Please, save me!

With every swing of the pirates weapons, lives were brutally extinguished. They showed no mercy, slaughtering men, young and old, while overpowering women and dragging them away to the small boats.

It was bloodier than any hero or action movie, yet less contrived than an intentional gore movie. The massacre on the ship resembled a scene from a well-crafted R-rated slasher film.

F@ck, f@ck

I clenched my trembling jaw and tightly shut my eyes, desperately wishing that the approaching death was nothing more than a nightmare. But my heightened senses confirmed the brutal reality of the situation.

Wa-wait, I surrender gurk.

Before I could finish my plea, I heard the sickening sound of flesh tearing and something spilling onto the floor.

Startled by a chilling sound nearby, I snapped my eyes open. My hands trembled as I hastily tightened the loosened breastplate.

So far, I had been fortunate enough to elude their notice amidst the chaos, but I couldnt conceal my large frame forever. I refused to meet death with my eyes shut and my head buried like a terrified ostrich.

Despite my trembling, my hands found the string and obediently pulled it.

Thankfully, only one side of the connection between the breastplate and backplate had come loose, resembling a combat boot lace, making it relatively easy to secure.

After desperately fastening the breastplate, I gave up on the shoulder plates.

The shoulder armor was not only unfamiliar but also entangled, leaving me lacking the confidence to quickly deal with it.

Damn it, I should have picked up a helmet too.

In my arrogant progression through Chapter 1, I had neglected to acquire ordinary items. All the weapons, buckler, and breastplate I possessed were magical or rare.

However, I had no helmet or gloves, and the boots I wore were nothing more than junk from character creation.

Huff, huff- I gasped for breath, undoing the cloth that I had wrapped around the knife.

Unfolding the cloth and drawing the knife from its leather sheath, a falchion with a graceful curve and sharp tip came into view.

As I mechanically advanced through Chapter 1, the exact name of the main weapon, the knife, eluded my memory.

Was it Lions Tooth or Claw? Something of the sort.

Nevertheless, the falchion, with its substantial weight and comfortable grip, provided a reassuring feeling.

The formidable blade sparkled as if meticulously maintained, catching the sunlight and scattering it into fragments.

This fractured light immediately attracted the attention of the pirates scouring the deck.

Their eyes gleamed with an unknown fervor. I let out a soft groan in the face of those piercing gazes.

Feeling a surge of adrenaline, I bellowed, only to suddenly collapse to the ground, screaming. Another arrow had found its mark, burying itself in my shoulder.

Roars of laughter reverberated from the pirates. With no time to dwell on humiliation, I crawled on the ground, struggling to rise.

Whoosh, thud!

Aaaaaaaaah!

Two more arrows struck in rapid succession, one in my thigh and the other in my calf.

An arrow hurtled towards my chest but met only a dull thud as it bounced off my sturdy breastplate. It was a miraculous stroke of luck that it hadnt struck my throat or head.

Collapsing against the corner of the ships railing, I gasped for breath.

Huff-

The pain surged through me, surpassing any torment I had endured in my lifetime.

I sprawled on the floor, forming a pool of blood like a helpless insect pinned down.

Uhhhhhhh.

Shivering uncontrollably, I couldnt even muster a curse.

Each of my limbs seemed to have a heartbeat of its own, blood pulsating violently through them. With each forceful throb, blood spurted from my wounds.

It felt as though I had been stripped naked and thrown into a freezing chamber, an icy chill enveloping my entire body.

In the throes of death, my gaze involuntarily drifted upwards. In stark contrast to the horrifying scene aboard the ship, the sky above remained a clear, serene blue.

A shadow loomed over me, accompanied by a low growl. Amidst the pungent scent of blood, the stench emanating from the pirates unwashed body assaulted my nostrils.

Bastard-

Couldnt you have at least bathed? I have to die while enduring this stench?

Just as I was about to close my eyes, hot blood splattered across my face.

But it wasnt my blood.

Huh.

The pirate, who had been blocking the sun, toppled over. As his head tilted unnaturally, the hidden sun revealed itself.

Squinting, I tried to make sense of the situation. The pirate in front of me lay sprawled, a massive amount of blood pouring from his throat, which had been partially slit.

What the hell had happened?

Its a wizard!

Watch out!

The pirates screamed, their voices tinged with terror.

From somewhere, a silhouette emerged, wielding what resembled a small flute. No, it wasnt a flute, but rather a diminutive wand.

Whooosh!

A deep green wind coalesced at the tip of the wand.

The wind extended forward, gradually spreading out, and finally spun around like a swirling blade, forming a semicircle.

Swish!

The green wind cut deep into a pirates arm, eliciting a guttural scream.

Arrgh! Damn it!

Capture that wizard!

Witnessing this mystical spectacle, I recalled a skill from Dark World.

Sword Wind!

Sword Wind was a wind-based spell utilized by the Elementalist class, inflicting slashing damage in a narrow range.

Emerging from the cabin, the Elementalist swiftly dispatched two pirates, causing the remaining ones on the deck to scatter in panicked disarray.

Rather than pursuing them, the Elementalist directed Sword Wind towards the pirates who were launching arrows from a distance.

With each sweeping motion of the wind-blade, the pirates lost limbs or met decapitation.

Meanwhile, the green-tinged wind continued to disperse and gather, flowing along the wand.

As the winds current shifted, the robe that had concealed the wizards face billowed open.

Uh

Unintentionally, I let out an astonished sound as her visage came into view.

A stunning girl with long, wavy blonde hair and delicate features. It was the female Elementalist character who had graced one side of the Dark World package.