In one of the bars frequented by the pirates and sailors, a corner table was occupied by a group of people who looked different from the regular patrons. The four individuals sat at one of the corner tables, talking in a relaxed tone. But what was strange was that the regular patrons sitting around seemed rather subdued. They talked in hushed whispers, and once in a while, they would look at the group sitting at the corner table with fearful eyes.
"What are we dealing with here?" One of the men sitting at the corner table asked as he took a big gulp of rum. He was a large man, dressed in a cream coloured linen shirt, a dark brown leather jacket, tough breeches, and hard leather boots. His jacket was open, and even three buttons of his shirt were open, showing off his broad, hairy chest to the world. He had a massive sword strapped to his waist and a holster with a flintlock pistol.
"I am not sure," another man said. "But I assume it is a demon of some kind." The man wore a black robe with red accents and black boots. He had a wooden staff by his side, resting against his chair. "But I am sure the Professor will surely be able to help us much with his extensive occult knowledge," he said, turning to the third man in the group.
"As long as we get some clues about our target, I am sure I'll be able to tell more about it," the third man said easily. He wore a linen shirt, a black waistcoat, breeches, and a navy-colored long coat. He had a sword strapped to his waist, a holster for a flintlock pistol, and a crossbow strapped to his waist, too. Finally, a tricorn hat sat on his head.
"Do we have a way to find out more about who our target is?" The only female in the group asked. She wore a high-necked linen chemise, a dark bodice, a long, layered, muted-green skirt, and a dark-brown cloak over her clothes.
"I have captured one of their initiates," the man with the staff answered calmly. "He is tied up in one of the properties I had rented in the port. We will need to make him talk to find out more about their goals."
"So what are we waiting for?" The large man grinned. "Let's go and make him talk."
"We will," the man with the staff said. "But we are waiting for another person to join us. The professor has sent his butler to fetch him." The man referred to as the professor nodded to agree.
"Oh?" The woman asked with interest. "Who is this person?"
"I haven't heard about him before," the man with the staff said. "But he seems to have a name for himself in a scant few days, hunting big-name pirates one after the other."
The large man looked unimpressed, but before he could say anything, the professor's gaze shifted toward the tavern entrance.
"They've arrived."
— Kevin —
I followed the old man, dressed in immaculate butler's attire, into the bar.
The atmosphere in the bar seemed strange. Normally, shouting and laughter could be heard from outside the door, but now it was strangely quiet.
I looked around, and the pirates and sailors talked in low voices, their gazes constantly flickering towards a table in the corner. I looked at that corner and saw four people, completely out of place with the current environment, sitting and talking casually.
The bar patrons, who had already recognized me, looked at me with wary eyes as I followed the butler to the corner table.
"Master," the butler said respectfully with a small bow. "I have brought Mr. Zoro as you have instructed."
"Thanks, Sebastian," Matthias said with a light smile.
Of course, the perfect butler is named Sebastian. Can it be any more cliché?
"Good evening, Mr. Zoro," Matthias said with a courteous nod. "I beg your pardon for summoning you upon such short notice. Nevertheless, I trust you will do us the honor of joining our company. We shall explain soon why we require your assistance."
"No problem," I said, taking the empty chair beside him.
I looked at the others sitting at the table. First, of course, was Matthias. When I saw the crossbow at his waist with a silver-tipped arrow already loaded, I could tell without him saying a word that he was a van Helsing. The other big man looked at me with a dismissive attitude. The third man in the robes looked at me with a neutral expression.
Lastly, the woman looked at me with a slight expression of interest. I smiled and winked at her. She was stunned for a moment, then laughed lightly.
"Ahem," the robed man interrupted our silent conversation.
"Now that we are all here," he continued. "Let's first start with introductions."
"I will start with mine first," he said and took off the hood of his robe. "I am Miao Song, a sorcerer from Kamar-Taj."
Then he pointed to Matthias. "This is Matthias van Helsing. An antiquarian, an expert in the occult, and a vampire hunter."
Matthias removed his tricorn, gave a short bow, then settled it back in place. "I prefer 'scholar,'" he said mildly.
Then, Miao Song pointed to the big guy. "This is Ulysses Bloodstone, monster hunter."
Ulysses just nodded.
Finally, Miao Song turned to the woman. "This is Zephyra, an adventurer. Experienced in mystic arts."
"Well met," Zephyra said with a polite inclination of her head. She tried to hide it, but her way of speaking had a faint regal tone. And it looked like I wasn't the only one who noticed.
"My lady, forgive the liberty," Matthias said, doffing his hat. "Yet your manner and bearing do but confirm a thought long held—you are no mere adventurer."
Zephyra looked at us in silence. She hesitated for a moment, then finally, she sighed, "You are not wrong in your assumption, Mr. Matthias. I am a princess from a small kingdom."
Matthias bowed again, more deeply this time. "Your highness, please forgive me if my question has offended you."
"No, it's no problem," Zephyra nodded. "But I prefer that you do not refer to me like that. I am currently an adventurer, and we are going to be comrades on our upcoming one."
"As you wish," Matthias said with a charming smile.
"An actual princess as a comrade," Ulysses whistled. "This just got even more fun."
I studied them as they talked. It was an interesting set of characters. I used the system to check their information.
Name: Matthias van Helsing
Rank: E2
Name: Sebastian Wolfhound
Rank: E3
Titles: Martial Arts Master
Interesting. Both the master and servant were simple humans, but could match superhumans with just their skills.
Name: Ulysses Bloodstone
Rank: D3
As expected of the Bloodgem holder.
Name: Miao Song
Rank: D1
Titles: Expert Mage
This Miao Song was also very strong. But since he was just D1 even as an expert mage, he must've reached this level not too long ago. Of course, his rank was entirely from his mystic prowess; physically, he was just an average human.
Name: Zephyra Abyss
Rank: D1
Titles: Adept Mage
Race: Atlantean
The fuck?
Is she an Atlantean princess?
But her skin wasn't blue. It was light bronze in color. Moreover, how could she breathe above water? Only hybrids could do that. But the system showed that she was a pure Atlantean, not a hybrid.
Is she using magic to cover up?
Her rank was also similar to Miao Song's, even though her magic mastery was lower. But if my assumption was right, it should be because of her Atlantean physique, which was much stronger than that of the average human. That allowed her to cover the distance.
"Ahem," Miao Song again cleared his throat to quiet everyone down.
"And lastly," he continued. "This is Zoro, a pirate hunter."
"Well met," I nodded.
"Enough with the introductions, Miao," Ulysses said dismissively. "Tell us in detail why you have gathered us here."
Miao Song's face turned serious. All of us looked at him intently.
"I have found, through my sources, that there is a large pirate crew that is actually a cult for a demon," Miao Song started with a solemn voice. "They are likely going to do a ritual to summon that demon to our world."
He took a deep breath. "We will need to stop them before it's too late."
"Who is the demon?" I asked. There were plenty of demons in Marvel, ranging from minor inconveniences to cosmic predators.
"For now, I have no idea," Miao Song said. "But I have captured one of their initiates. I think we can get some crucial information from him." He turned to Matthias. "Then the Professor will be able to help us identify which demon we are dealing with and if it has any weaknesses."
"I have dealt with plenty of demons and monsters," Ulysses said arrogantly. "It is no problem to deal with another one."
He turned to me. "By the way, Pirate Hunter," he said that part mockingly. "Have you ever fought with demons or monsters?" He laughed. "Hell, have you ever seen a demon or monster?"
"I think you should go back to hunting those weak pirates for money and leave demon hunting to professionals like us."
"I haven't seen a demon yet," I answered honestly. "But I have seen a monster."
"Oh?" Matthias looked interested. "Which one?"
I glanced at Zephyra, who was also looking at me with curiosity. I smirked as I threw the bait to her. "I have seen Giganto."
"What?!" Zephyra exclaimed. "How? Where?"
And she bit the bait.
Matthias's interest piqued even more. "My Lady, is that monster very strong?"
"It was more than a hundred meters in length and looked like a whale with limbs," I said. "You tell me if it is strong."
Zephyra's expression showed she had confirmed that the Giganto I mentioned and the Giganto she knew were the same.
"You fought it?" Ulysses asked. An increased vigor appeared on his face as he heard about Giganto.
"Nope, I watched from afar," I said, once again honestly. "It was too strong for me. A group of superhumans defeated it and forced it back into the sea."
"They must be very strong," Ulysses said with a hint of respect.
Nah, not that much. They used modern technology to defeat it. They weren't strong enough to defeat it on their own.
We soon ate our dinner and then went to the house Miao Song had rented, where he had also imprisoned the cult initiate.
"Where is he?" Ulysses asked once we were inside the house, cracking his hands. "I will get him talking in no time."
Miao Song nodded and took us to the basement. There was a regular-looking pirate tied up. He looked cleaner and had more intact limbs than the regular pirates, which showed he had started his life of piracy not too long ago.
"Returned again, have ye, warlock? And brought company this time, I see." He gave a slow, jeering smile, showing blackened teeth. "Do what ye will, ye black-souled sorcerer. Ye'll get nothing from me—not while I've breath to spite ye."
"As you have seen," Miao Song said. "Our guest here isn't very cooperative."
"You are just too soft," Ulysses snorted and walked towards the pirate. The pirate looked at him with a mocking grin. Ulysses also laughed in return and started beating up the pirate.
While Ulysses was breaking the pirate's bones, I decided to check the Sharpshooter mission I had completed earlier.
Title: Sharpshooter
Objective 3: Kill 100 individuals with firearms (Completed)
Reward: Passive Skill: Firearms Mastery (Expert)
Hidden Objective: Kill 10 individuals using headshots (Completed)
Bonus Reward: The Fraternity Training Manual (Wanted)
While I checked my rewards, Ulysses continued beating up the pirate, but the pirate refused to say anything. After continuously beating him for more than twenty minutes, Ulysses finally stopped. Not because he was tired, but because he was worried that the pirate might die.
"He is a tough nut to crack," Ulysses said with irritation, walking towards us. His knuckles were drenched in blood.
"Let me," I said and walked past Ulysses.
"Even when I beat him up for so long, he didn't break," Ulysses snorted. "What makes you think you can do it?"
I ignored him. Instead, I crouched down to the eye level of the pirate. His face was swollen and covered with blood. I brought my hands, covered with soft white light, towards his face. His expression gradually relaxed as the pain reduced slowly.
"That magic?" Miao Song exclaimed.
"That's not a simple white magic," Zhephyra observed.
"So, ye reckon ye can unman me with a little charity? That mending my flesh will mend my will?"
A slow, derisive chuckle rumbled in his chest.
"Naive puppy. I've known men kinder than you — and buried 'em all the same. Kindness is but another blade, and I've danced with sharper."
I ignored his ramblings and continued healing his wounds for a few minutes, and finally stopped when he was somewhat healed.
The mocking smile on the pirate's face that he maintained till the duration of the healing was erased as he heard my next words.
"Now, you should be able to survive what comes next, barely," I said with a smile. Then I paused for a bit, thinking. "Maybe. Probably. Oh well, make sure you don't die."
[R-18 Start (Torture)]
"Let's start with something simple," I said lightly and grabbed one of his fingers. I started bending it backward. When it could no longer bend, I bent it in a single motion so that the finger was now touching the back of his hand. A satisfying snapping sound came from the finger.
"Ye pox-ridden, shit-eating whoreson! Ye black-hearted, motherless bastard! Think ye this'll make me sing for ye?"
His face twisted in agony, yet he forced a hideous grin, half snarl, half mockery.
"Do yer worst, ye devil's turd! Cut, burn, break me, I'll spit in yer eye with my dying breath!"
I ignored him and continued breaking the rest of his fingers. He tried to curse even more, but I had already tuned him out.
"Are you ready to talk?" I asked after breaking all his fingers.
He bared his teeth through the pain. "Do yer worst, ye gutless whoreson! I've taken worse from the Spanish and laughed!"
He isn't talking. Oh well, that's a cult fanatic for you.
As I thought about how to make him talk, a term suddenly came to my mind which was used in many xianxia I had read.
Lingchi. Death by a thousand cuts.
One of my throwing knives appeared in my hand.
"Spatial Magic!" I ignored the exclamation that came from behind.
I started making small cuts on his body and slicing tiny pieces of flesh. The pirate glared at me defiantly.
I didn't like his glare, so I took out a small bag of salt I had found on one of the pirate boats from my inventory. I took a pinch of salt.
The pirate's eyes widened as he realized what I was about to do. "Nay! Nay! Nay! Keep back from me! Keep back, ye devil! Get ye gone, ye black-hearted fiend!"
"Mr. Zoro, I think it might be a bit too much," Miao Song said with hesitation from behind.
I looked back. Miao Song's and Matthias's faces looked uncomfortable. The mocking look from Ulysses's face was gone, but he was also looking at me with a hard expression. Unexpectedly, it was Zephyra who looked at me without any particular change in expression. No, rather, she looked as if she were faintly looking forward to what I was going to do.
"You can leave if you are feeling faint-hearted," I said, turning back to front. "I will tell you the results once I am done."
I sprinkled the salts on his open wounds, and the pirate started screaming even louder. The screams were so loud that I had no choice but to tear off a piece of cloth from his shirt and stuff it into his mouth.
Once his screams were muffled, I continued the cutting and sprinkling.
A few minutes later, the pirate started shaking his head and saying something, but it was muffled with the rag in his mouth. I removed the rag.
The pirate's voice cracked like a boy's as the last of his defiance shattered.
"I'll talk! I'll talk, damn ye! I'll tell ye everythin' — every last name, every hidey-hole, every piece o' plate we took! Please… for the love o' God, let me go! Just let me go!"
"I don't believe you," I said and stuffed the rag back into his mouth. There was no way I was going to believe a cult fanatic so soon.
"Mr. Zoro," Matthias said, an edge to his voice. "He was about to talk. Why didn't you let him?"
"Mr. Matthias," I said without looking back. "Let me do it my way. If you are uncomfortable, then you can leave."
A moment of silence, then I heard three pairs of feet leaving the basement. I glanced back, and it was Miao Song, Matthias, and Sebastian.
I focused back on the pirate. I removed his upper clothes and started another round. Midway, even Ulysses left.
When the pirate looked like he was about to lose consciousness, I healed him somewhat so that he could continue.
A few minutes later, I removed the rag from his face again. Tears and snot covered his face.
His scream tore through the air, spittle and blood flying as terror and pain twisted his face into something inhuman.
"Why will ye not believe me, ye warlock?! I'll sing! I'll spill every secret in me black heart! I promise ye — I'll tell ye the very place we mean to perform the hellish conjurin' to summon our Lord up from the Pit into this world! Mercy! For the sweet sake o' God, stop! Stop before He hears me betrayin' Him!"
"Now you are ready to tell the truth," I said slowly. The pirate nodded desperately. "But remember — if you lie…"
He shook his head so hard I thought his neck would snap.
[R-18 End]
And finally, the broken pirate spilled all his secrets. The more I listened to him, the more solemn my face became.
The shit has suddenly turned too complicated.
I turned around. Zephyra was still there. Her face was pale, though I didn't know if it was because of my actions, or what she heard the pirate speak, or both.
"You believe they truly serve… that thing?" Zephyra asked quietly. A hint of fear appeared in her voice when she said the word "thing". "It will be catastrophic if they successfully call for such an abomination."
"I do not believe all that the pirate said," I said in a low voice. "But I don't think it was a complete lie. It would be for the best to consider the worst."
Zephyra nodded, and we climbed the stairs to meet the rest.
"Mr. Zoro, Lady Zephyra," Matthias said hurriedly as he saw us entering the room. "Have you got any information from him?"
I didn't answer; instead, I asked, "Do you have a map for nearby waters?"
"I have it, Mr. Zoro," Sebastian said. He left, brought a big map, and set it on the table.
The rest seemed to understand that I had important information to share and were now looking forward to it.
"Where are we?" I asked Sebastian, pointing to the map.
"Here," Sebastian pointed to a location on the map.
"Where is Brasstide Island?" I asked again.
Sebastian's face changed. He pointed to a remote point on the map. "It's here. It's a very small island with a single town of the same name. It might take at least a week to reach there."
"Is this where the pirates are going to conduct the ritual?" Matthias asked.
"Yes," I nodded. Matthias's face showed relief at finding the location, but it didn't last long after I said the next sentence. "The ritual is in four days." The happiness evaporated from his face.
It was my third day in the past. The ritual was on the seventh day.
Miao Song, on the other hand, looked solemn but not worried. He looked at the map, "That place should be one of the points where the oceanic ley lines meet. They have certainly given much thought to choosing the location."
He looked at us. "Don't worry about the distance, leave it to me. We should be able to reach there in two days. We will leave after making all the necessary preparations."
"By the way, Mr. Zoro," Miao Song turned to me. "Have you found out which demon they are going to summon?"
I looked at them and said evenly, "Dweller-in-Darkness."
Shock and disbelief painted all of their faces. But Miao Song looked the least affected. It was as if he knew it beforehand.
"You knew about it?" I asked flatly.
All the eyes first looked at me, then at Miao Song.
Miao Song stayed silent for a few moments, then sighed, "I had a faint hunch."
His admission only increased my anger.
"Cthulhu has countless spawns, but only a handful are considered his true offspring. You want us to fight one of them? Have you lost your mind?" I said in a low voice, trying to control my anger. "That is something for the Sorcerer Supreme to deal with. Not us."
"You know about Cthulhu and Sorcerer Supreme?!" Miao Song said lightly, surprised.
"I know enough."
Miao Song shook his head. "The Sorcerer Supreme is busy with many other pressing matters. As for this ritual, we are not fighting the Dweller-in-Darkness ourselves; that is certainly above our capabilities. We are going to fight a bunch of cultists and stop them from summoning the Dweller-in-Darkness."
"More than a hundred," I said.
"What?" He asked, confused.
"More than a hundred cultists," I repeated. "Not just a bunch. More than a hundred cultists whom the Dweller-in-Darkness might have empowered."
"They are just cultists," Ulysses said disdainfully. "Even if they got stronger, how strong can they be? Even if there are a hundred, I can deal with them."
"And I am sure I can find some important information about the Dweller-in-Darkness for us to help with our fight," Matthias said, patting his chest.
"Mr. Zoro," Miao Song called. "Everything is under control. Will you be joining us?"
I looked at them. After thinking for a few seconds, I nodded, "Fine." I agreed, but I won't take anything Miao Song says at face value in the future. And I suspected he was still hiding something from us.
As soon as I accepted, I got a new mission from the system.
Mission: Extinguish the Drowned Lantern
Description: Prevent the Drowned Lantern Pirates from completing a summoning rite intended to manifest Dweller-in-Darkness within the material plane.
Time Limit: Until Ritual Completion
Reward: Staff of Flowing Water (DnD), Necronomicon (1 Page) (Cthulhu Mythos)
Failure Conditions: Ritual completes
Failure Consequences: Death
*********************
[Author's Note]
Should the others trust Kevin after seeing what he did with the pirate? What do you think?