Would you rather be born a commoner in the central oceans, or a Prince of the outer seas?

  -Excerpt from an interview in the ‘Minenblum Herald’

  “Hurry! Squeeze every last drop of power from your muscles even if it costs you a year of your life,” urged the heroic figure from atop a muscled war-doori.

  The beasts were rarely used for purposes other than grazing or their hides, but the royal family of the Emerlan Isle had bred a select few of the beasts for the specific purpose of riding into battle. Why they’d bothered when their only enemies were across the sea, no one knew.

  Perhaps it was just the pastime of a bored king that eventually became tradition? It didn’t really matter.

  Prince Everyn’s golden locks fluttered in the wind, trailing down just below his shoulders as he led the small squadron of elite soldiers to the north—where Fairwater Bay was under siege. His father had chosen him for this task.

  Anointed him the High Commander of the Emerlan Army for the purpose of repelling the invaders from Minenblum. Those imperious bastards would pay for their crimes against his people.

  He’d spent a few years at sea, guarding merchant vessels from pirates and other villains. It was eye-opening. He’d grown far more than he could’ve hoped to back home. And now he was the strongest of his siblings, approaching even their father despite being forty years his junior.

  A massive greatsword was strapped to his back and he wore medium-plate armour interspersed with thick, studded leather. He enjoyed the mobility of it compared to a heavy plate.

  His soldiers roared their fury at his command and their beasts redoubled their efforts, the land disappearing beneath their feet. They’d left Greengate the moment the horns of war were sounded and the first cannon fired, almost an hour ago.

  Thirty of the strongest, fastest, and deadliest men and women on the Emerlan Isle rode behind him, all atop equally magnificent mounts. All of them wore determined expressions, knowing that there was a good chance they would find a decimated village. But they would obtain vengeance for their countryfolk.

  The journey to Fairwater Bay, the smallest village on the island, typically took a week by foot. With these hardy and faster than they seemed beasts as their mounts, it should only take them another half an hour to arrive.

  He knew many lives would already be lost. He could see the thick column of smoke rising into the air, an ominous declaration that the heart of the fishing trade was gone.

  His people burnt alive, turned to ashes by an uncaring officer of the Minenblum Royal Navy. Everyn gnashed his teeth in rage, unable to contain his blossoming fury. They would pay.

  ***

  Through the combined efforts of man and beast, they’d reached the hills outside Fairwater Bay in just twenty-five minutes, five minutes faster than expected. He heard the war-doori panting, feeling proud of the powerful bovines for how they’d pushed themselves.

  They would only need to last a little longer. He could see the ships in the bay, the colossal flagship belonging to Commodore Foulter—technically Admiral Greaves, but the bastard was too old to walk, let alone lead an armada—floating ahead of two others.

  Fairwater Bay had been eviscerated. Half the village was a crater, fast filling with sea water, the other half a searing inferno. Every few seconds another cannonball would explode against the earth, demolishing more of what remained.

  He clenched his jaw, almost unable to watch as his country was blown apart and his people slaughtered. “Soon we will deliver vengeance and justice,” he cried, spurring his mount forwards to the roars of his soldiers.

  They began to descend the hills towards the small forest that lay before the village, when suddenly there was a golden flash of light from the flagship. The prince’s gaze snapped to sea, fearing the worst.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  But instead of the devastating strike he’d thought Minenblum had launched, he watched in almost disappointed surprise as the flagship snapped in twain, the two halves beginning to sink into the ocean. Accompanied by a bellowing groan that was loud even this far away, he was glad to see them suffer.

  And yet he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed and confused. I was supposed to lead the charge, he grumbled inwardly. Who the hell other than me is strong enough to fight against the commodore!?

  He didn’t let his gripes show on his face. That would be bad for morale. Whoever had struck the blow was worthy of respect, though he sorely wished to discover their identity.

  “Someone has begun the battle! Let us not delay and assist our countryman in their valiant efforts to repel the invader scum,” he roared, his war-doori already careening down the hill towards the beach.

  ***

  Skill up!

  Precision 9 > 10

  You have earned a new trait!

  Keen Eye: Like the albatross who stalks the seas from above, you can spot your prey with the slightest of movements even from a great distance. Focusing on your target gives you improved clarity and ability to judge the haptics required to hit it.

  That trait was magnificent. Skills like precision were her favourite. They didn’t necessarily have any uses on their own, but had incredibly potent synergy with other skills.

  Fishing, for one. It seemed to level every other time she made a catch. It had been a while since she used a gun, but it helped massively there.

  And she realised that when combined with another trait of hers—Tunnel Vision—she was probably the most accurate fisherwoman this side of the seas.

  Rose tugged on the rod with all her might but it just wouldn’t move, no matter which way she pulled. There was only one answer.

  That terrifying gaze she’d felt. It had to be the commodore. He’d caught her almost as soon as she’d struck the first blow.

  However, she wasn’t unhappy with this situation. His men were fine now, but they would soon start to realise the terror of the depths.

  And a line went both ways. She may not be able to pull it back, but that was fine. The reel was taut. A grin crossed her face as Rose gave everything she had to take one more step backwards.

  Then she jumped out of the sea and flew.

  She cackled with glee as the wind raced through her hair and pelted her face, but not once did her grip on the rod loosen. As she flew, she made sure to reel in the line.

  Rose knew that landing with too much slack would leave the rod useless in further clashes. Then again, this battle was already turning into a close quarters one. As much as she’d wanted to honour Sylack and fish in bloody waters, it was looking like Sunsplitter would be the star of the day.

  In just a few seconds she was right above the two halves of the flagship. Gazing downwards, she saw the commodore gripping the serpent fang hook in his right hand.

  There was a look of shock on his face as he held the loose line, his footing uneven as though he’d just stumbled. Despite that, she could still feel the danger in his eyes.

  The moment he spotted her figure in the air above his ship, he tossed away the hook and reached for his belt. She whipped the hook back and kept the rod in her inventory, reaching for her pistol.

  Unfortunately, the commodore was a little faster. All she saw was a flash of silver and before she even heard the crack of the pistol, something drilled into her calf.

  Blood sprayed past her as she fell, streaming from a hole in her leg. And then she felt an icy cold start to spread out from the wound.

  Ignoring it for now, she pulled back the hammer of her pistol and as soon as she heard the click, fired.

  The bullet went wide, missing the commodore by a decent margin.

  Skill up!

  Precision 10 > 11

  Pistols 11 > 12

  Firearms 5 > 6

  Splinters of wood flew out as the bullet struck true, exactly where she’d aimed. The benefits of Quintessential Skill were more than showing as all of the relevant skills gained a level.

  Commodore Foulter smirked at her, thinking she’d missed and knowing his shot had struck true. Rose simply watched and waited.

  And then a mast fell on his head.

  All she wanted was to laugh in his face, but the impact of his shot went deeper than a flesh wound. Looking at her calf, she saw the skin and muscle around it had frozen and was beginning to rot as frostbite set in.

  You have earned a new skill!

  Frost Resistance 0 > 1

  She tried to shove what remained of her arcane energy towards the wound in the hope it would expel his frost-attuned energy. It raced towards her leg but all of a sudden she felt a crunch in her core and her arcane power… vanished.

  Right as the commodore tore his way through the sail and carved the fallen mast in two.