Wild Dragon of Rome 26 (Patreon)

“When I give you the signal, start pushing the boat with your water, at full speed,” I ordered as I took a deep breath.

Using Lillian’s water magic constantly hadn’t been a viable strategy when we were in the middle of the sea. While it would allow us to move faster than the pirate ship, Lillian’s endurance had limits. If the captain decided to give chase the same way, he would have caught up, triggering a battle.

A battle that would have inevitably alerted the ships moored at the island, meaning even a victory would have been troubling.

It was different when we were near the shore. For the captain, reacting to our sudden change of pace would cost him some time, making catching up with us very difficult, if not impossible.

And, I much rather fight with him on land.

“Now,” I said as I pulled the oars even harder, one last desperate sprint. Lillian cast a spell with her full might, and a stream appeared under our boat, multiplying our speed.

The mist around the ship faded in an instant, and the pirate ship showed itself in its full glory under the moonlight, its bright black paint glistening. I had found their choice of color silly when I first saw it, but, watching as it appeared from an illusion effect, I changed my mind.

It was imposing and scary, and that was with me being aware of their presence. I could only imagine the reaction of the town militia if such a ship appeared at their port entrance without warning…

However, the surprise strategic depth of their paint scheme didn’t last long, and more important things took focus. Important things, such as a dozen ballistas firing toward us.

Another benefit of my transformation. I could read the path of a dozen ballista bolts at the same time, and conclude that they would miss. Something I wouldn’t have been able to do even with a four-element state active.

“They are going to miss us. Don’t worry and just keep using your magic to push us,” I said as I continued to row.

“What are —” she started, only to cry in panic as the ballista bolts rained around us. Her control over her magic weakened, and our boat slowed down.

“Faster!” I ordered. “I’ll use the oars to avoid them if necessary. Don’t worry!”

Someone else might have trouble believing if I promised them I could avoid a dozen ballistas, but Lillian saw me do too many impossible things to start doubting me right now. Her magic regained its might, and we picked up speed.

The second salvo came soon after. Another dozen bolts, but this time, it was accompanied by several bolts of fire and air.

Luckily, while mages had the ability to attack to a great distance, manipulating mana that was not connected to their bodies was impossible. That range was different for each mage, but it was measured in feet, not miles.

Meaning, that while they might be more numerous than ballista bolts, reading their trajectory was not harder. The air blasts replicated the effect of the ballista bolts and rained around us, but the fire bolts were different.

Six of them would have landed on our boat if I hadn’t changed our route, and the rest still fell dangerously close, surrounding us with steam. Publius once again showed his angry disposition, most likely ignoring his orders to attack us directly.

Nothing extraordinary for a pathetic angry waste who killed his own men because he was in a bad mood.

Lillian gasped in fear again, but this time, she didn’t slow down, which was all I could ask for. It was hard to handle attacks of that nature, especially since her back was still turned toward the ship, and she wasn’t able to see the attacks until they landed.

I would have congratulated her, but I was dealing with a problem of my own. As I dodged the third wave of attacks, I could feel my anger flaring once more, in the same unfamiliar way that wanted to make my enemies pay.

Breathe in … Breathe out … It was hard to do as the battle raged on around me. It was easy to lean on my enhanced anger. It would help me to row even faster, and, if the need arose, be a better melee fighter. Anger allowed me to hit harder, move faster, and ignore pain; all invaluable during the melee.

Anger was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Not in this battle, even if it would have arrived without a sudden and inconvenient burst. Missing just one detail might cost me everything…

Instead, I continued reading and dodging the attacks with the most minimal movement pattern, while I also did my best to feel what was going on under the sea.

The captain was still nowhere to be seen, but they were doing their best to slow us down. Technically, the captain being exhausted to the point of collapse thanks to the illusory mist he had been maintaining for more than an hour was on the board, but I didn’t believe it.

Ironically, it was Publius’ actions, more than anything, that allowed me to guess exactly where the captain might have been. He was a bully, but also a shortsighted coward. He wouldn’t have dared to target us directly if the captain was still with them … or somewhere that he could see him directly.

Whether I would have realized it on time without his help was a different question. While the trick itself was obvious — a water mage moving underwater — in the heat of the battle, I had only a few seconds to process everything and react appropriately. Even with my enhanced senses, I could have easily missed it.

So, even as I tried to read the attacks of the pirates, I kept my attention firmly on the sea. Merely seconds later, I felt his presence. It was subtle, easily mistaken for a beast by anyone who wasn’t looking for him. I shivered.

What a close call.

The ambush was a devastating strategy, but only if we were unaware of it. Now that we were aware of it, it turned into a liability. Combined with my ability to detect underwater, one advantage he could never foresee, I had a unique opportunity to at least wound him.

“When I ask, be ready to cast one water bolt to where I point, then continue pushing the boat to the shore while shielding yourself, no matter what happens,” I ordered. Lillian nodded, tense as her spell pushing the boat weakened. A mistake that might alert the captain, but I lacked time to correct her.

“Now,” I said instead as I pointed to the captain, who was almost under our boat. Lillian attacked. It was a good, strong attack, but before it could reach halfway, the captain already took over her spell directly, turning it useless.

Didn’t matter. I used my full physical strength to throw the oars into the water, once again using them as giant harpoons, and jumped into the water. “To the shore!” I ordered her even as the water buried me.

I swam toward the captain. He was easy to find. The old man currently bleeding from a stomach wound, where a giant oar was buried deep, one of his arms hanging uselessly, likely from the blunt impact from another oar.

I was impressed. Despite being ambushed by a combined elemental and physical attack — one that moved with a shocking might and accuracy, enough to rival a ballista — he not only countered the water magic, but also he managed to dodge the first two attacks.

Even now, with an oar buried in his stomach, he was simultaneously using his magic to heal the wound, and gathering another attack. He was a true master. Strong and precise in magic, deadly in strategy, opportunistic and ruthless.

He was the kind of man that I could imagine hanging out with my grandfather.

Too bad for him that battle had no mercy. Decades of experience, and practice, and all ruined because of a subordinate’s mistake as he faced the unknown. I swam toward him rapidly. He converted his attack speed to a pure mana blast.

An excellent response to slow me down … if I had been using water in haste. Instead, his misjudgment allowed for me to close in the distance. I grabbed a hold of the oar that was still buried in him … and, one violent twist later, the battle had ended, leaving the captain with a shocked expression.

And, without his life.