Chapter 100: Chapter 100 – The Old Pirate King

“Do I look that bad?” the man said.

Brett barely managed to resist spitting out his sip of beer. The liquid seeped from the corners of his mouth as he quickly wiped them away.

Astrid looked from side-to-side. She forgot that her words could cause offence, and she felt bad that it may harm his feelings. Especially for someone who had lived for so long. She respected her elders, if it wasn’t for her loose lips.

Dammit Astrid, do you need to voice your unfiltered words all the time. Astrid pinched her thigh.

It’s true though, the old man looks like a withered fruit!

The excitable voice that she wondered when would reappear entered her mind with its own free will. It broke out into a giggle as Astrid took repeated glances at the old man.

You’re right little void-mare, he is like a zombie!

Guys, behave. It’s bad to judge others based on their appearance. Be respectful of your elders. Astrid frowned as she admonished the voices within her head. Okay, they may pay their rent, but intruding into her thoughts and insulting others was too much!

Do you even know what rent is, Astrid?

Excuse me? Astrid’s frown turned into a scowl.

Sorry, also, that old m–gentleman looks like he’s about to explode.

At Pupil’s reminder, Astrid broke out of her reverie. She gazed at Daniel and the others as they attempted to send her warning glances.

Lisa tugged the skin tight fabric of her arm as her eyes displayed undisguised worry.

“I really look that bad, huh?” he rubbed his face. The man straightened out the deep wrinkles and pulled at them. “It has indeed been a while since I used some moisturiser.”

“Like one-hundred years?” Astrid said, then immediately realised what she had just uttered.

The man paused for a moment as he gazed at Astrid’s hair, and the Sinwen badge on her chest.

“You know what?” he continued. “It might actually be that long. Time is a strange thing. One-hundred years, to most if not all, is an incalculable amount of time. But to me, it seems like a blip.”

“Even after all you have been through?” Astrid asked.

“Especially after all I have been through,” the old man continued. “Remember young girl, time is the same for everyone, unless it isn’t.”

The old man finished his words, then suddenly, his eyes turned hazy. The next moment he shook his head and looked around at the hustle and bustle of the pub.

Astrid wasn’t sure if he frowned or not, as the wrinkles were already deeply etched into his skin.

He sauntered away to the table he was sitting at before as he moodily grumbled to himself.

Time is the same for everyone, unless it isn’t… Astrid attempted to take his words seriously, as an elder, obviously he had been through the trial of fire and blood.

She stood for a minute trying to figure out the nuances of the sentence, but it didn’t make much sense.

Is he senile? Astrid shook her head as she sat back down on her stool.

Rachelle’s gaze stuck to the old man until he finally took his seat and stared into his mug. She released a relieved sigh.

“Don’t you know who that is?” Rachelle asked.

“I haven’t got a clue.”

“He was once one of the greatest Pirate Kings in the last hundred years,” Mina said. “Pirate King Otto.”

Astrid exclaimed, “the Pirate King Otto? Is he the so-called demon?”

“The demon is someone else entirely.” Brett shook his head.

“He was known for his extreme bloodthirsty nature in his early years.” Losef held his hands together. “Although he later tapered back the aggression and sought a life here in Rebirth, away from anything that could awaken that animalistic side to him.”

“I know who he is,” Astrid continued, “I used to hear stories about him all the time. The Great Mage Otto was another name of his. Some say he had powerful time magic capabilities. Now his words make more sense.”

Astrid went back to the words, it seemed like time was indeed different for him if he could control it. She had heard of various rumours surrounding Pirate King Otto. Some were almost fantastical in his ability to control time, where others were a tad more realistic.

The most realistic story came from her father, because he had battled him in the past.

It was when she was young, still but a child craving attention. She desperately begged for her father to tell her a story, but she didn’t like the usual story of princesses of old. But the stories that were filled with battle and blood. They filled her with excitement, then that excitement turned to drowsiness that put her to sleep.

Otto was capable of turning time, but on a minute level. He could predict attacks seconds before they would be completed, allowing him as a fragile mage to dodge life threatening attacks. It was that skill that allowed him to live against her father, the Spearhead.

He could also deviate attacks with his power of time–like Astrid–however, he was in another realm. Instead of simply deviating the attack, he could make the entire attack warp through time, in essence, going through his body and finishing on the other side.

It made him a frightening opponent. At that level, one missed attack was the difference between life and death and Otto had the capability to do it whenever he wanted. Although he lost. It was indeed biassed, but Astrid didn’t believe Otto could win against her father. Even with time magic.

“Out of all the places though, why here?” Astrid asked.

Daniel added, “no one knows the reason. Some say he was controlled by Lord Sinwen to be an extra wall of defence in case HMS Rebirth was threatened–”

“Wait,” Astrid paused. “like a hostage?”

“Those are the rumours anyway, lassy,” Daniel said. “Or he might just like the atmosphere.”

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Astrid looked around at the bustling pub field with fighting, shouting, and people name calling. It was definitely an exciting place to be in, but based on Otto’s face, he wasn’t enjoying it.

It was a good thing that the other Wayfarers, or adventurers stayed clear of his table. She didn’t know what kind of blood-thirsty demon hid underneath that wrinkly, old flesh.

Astrid trembled at the thought.

“Right, better make a move on then.” Daniel clapped and stood up. “Lest the demon wakes up from his slumber.”

“Okay,” Astrid agreed.

Her hands were itching at the thought of her new missions. She wanted to travel to the colony islands and head into uncharted towns that weren’t explored for many years because of the danger.

They all left and split up. Daniel, Rob, and Brett headed further into the Lower District to exchange the high tiered currency so that nothing could trace back to her.

While Lisa, Rachelle, and Losef headed to the docks to secure a higher quality boat that was capable of travelling further than the old rickety thing that they had. To go to the places Astrid wanted to travel would require a high powered engine and those cost a fortune.

Of course Astrid had no idea how much, just like many other things, so it was better left in their hands. They also knew what to look out for, so the chance of getting scammed was greatly lessened, or even null as they could probably tell from a quick inspection.

As Leena and Astrid walked through the Lower District, Astrid thought back to the event with Leena’s mother. The grunts had caused trouble, but because everything was moving so fast for Astrid, she had forgotten about them.

Anxiety grabbed at her heart as she looked at Leena’s smiling face, before it calmed down.

Leena was in regular contact with her mother and if something was wrong with her, Leena wouldn’t be afraid to show it.

That meant that her original threat had worked, but if there was one thing she had learnt as a Wayfarer, never leave an enemy at your back.

She felt bad that she had forgotten, so she had to make it right.

It was time to shake up a certain gang.

“Leena, why don’t you go see your mother?” Astrid asked.

“Really?” Leena’s eyes lit up. “What will you do, my lady?”

“Oh, this and that,” Astrid said.

“Okay,” Leena said with a hint of suspicion.

Thankfully the thought of visiting her mother quelled any questioning that may shoot Astrid’s way.

“Give Maira my best.”

“I will, my lady.”

Leena disappeared through the dingy streets while Astrid racked her brain for the inn that the hoodlums had given her. Night… something.

Nightcraweler inn, that’s it! Astrid chuckled at her intelligence.

Then thoughts of a plan rattled her mind. If she used brute force and killed them, then that would cause chaos within the entirety of Rebirth. Neither did she want to do that. Threatening and extortion hardly befitted the crime of death.

Although it was close. Astrid gnashed her teeth. Leena’s family was her family, after all.

No, she had to think of something. Something that would chase them from the ship, without knowing it was her doing so no harm could befall Maira.

A plan was slowly formulating, it had something to do with the use of her illusions, and a hint of mischievousness.

She pinched her chin in thought, then she glanced at a shop that had a wooden sign above the door frame. A picture of a pair of scissors was etched into the wood, but the dust from the Lower District had obscured most of it.

Although she had faith in her illusions, she had no idea how strong, or how powerful the leader of the Nightcrawler Inn’s intelligence was. So a physical disguise was a must.

Astrid walked up to the door and opened it with a push. She was expecting the common ring of a shop, but it didn’t make the sound she was familiar with.

It was dull, like something was pressed up against it, stopping the ring.

She crane her neck upwards. The bell was cracked, somehow. As it rang, a layer of dust sprinkled down towards her.

Thankfully with her powerful mind and altered body, her reaction time was faster than ever before. She blasted the particles to the side and took a step into the shop.

The smell of mould assaulted her senses before she too blocked it out by altering her sense of smell. It was instinctual to her. She didn’t like the smell, so her body filtered it for her.

“Touch anything you damned well pay for it.” An old man’s voice shouted from the depths of the shop, behind a wall of clothing material.

There was no order. Colours were all mixed and thick spools of thread were lumped together. It was chaos.

The old man appeared from the shop’s shadows. “Who the hell are you?”

“Watch your tongue, Cai,” a girl to the side warned. “You are in the presence of the young lady of Sinwen.”

“Oh crikey, don’t blow your top woman.” The old man barked, then turned to Astrid with a wry toothless grin. “Forgive my impertinence, my lady.” He bowed deeply.

“Are you not afraid of a noble woman’s wrath, shopkeeper?” Astrid said.

My elders are becoming increasingly harder to respect… Astrid sent the man a death glare.

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