SoloAI - The Legend of the Crystals - Episode 3

 

King's Anchor was a coastal city built on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Even before I arrived in the city, I was already able to view its beautiful, sandy beaches, as well as its magnificent harbor and the majestic buildings lining the streets, which were paved with cobblestone, and were filled with tall, elegant buildings that looked like they belonged to nobles or wealthy merchants.

It had a long, white stone pier stretching out into the ocean, where cargo ships unloaded their cargos and where boats were docked. As I walked through the pier, I noticed a large, black ship docked at the end.

The ship was big, and looked as if it was made of metal. It had three masts with a huge sail on each one, and was covered with a thick layer of black tar. It had several cannons mounted on the sides, and many soldiers standing guard all over the deck. It seemed as if it had just come from a long voyage.

Stepping off the ship, there was a man that stood out from the rest, dressed in a fine, gold-trimmed uniform with a red sash around his waist. He was about six feet tall, with short brown hair and blue eyes that reminded me of the sky. He had a stern expression, as if he was always in control of himself.

The soldiers followed him, cheering as he approached them. 

"King Rastor!" They all saluted in unison.

"Well done, men. Your efforts have been most satisfactory, the empire Brahme will be happy with your job." said the captain.

I was still confused as to why these soldiers were so excited. It seemed that the crew had accomplished something great recently.

"Now, let's celebrate. I have prepared some refreshments for us all." The captain turned towards the city, ignoring my presence completely while he departed toward the taverns.

With as much as stealth as possible, I followed the captain to the nearest tavern, which was called the Black Rose, and sat down on one of the benches near the entranceway. I knew that I wouldn't get far by staying hidden for long. The Black Rose tavern was famous throughout the country of Brahne, and even more infamous in other countries, including the neighboring kingdom of Elturel. I had heard stories of adventurers coming from the west to challenge the owner, who was known for being a ruthless fighter, and for having no mercy for those who failed to satisfy him.

The tavern was made up of two floors, with the ground floor serving as a dining hall for the customers, and the second floor being the owner's private quarters. From outside, the building was a simple structure made of wood and clay. The main door was made up of two wooden panels that opened inward, and was decorated with a golden handle.

As I entered the tavern, I noticed it was quite dirty and smoky inside. There were no windows to allow light in, so the interior was dimly lit by torches placed on the walls and ceiling. The air was filled with the smell of alcohol and the sounds of people talking and laughing.

There were a number of tables and chairs scattered all across the room, but the majority of the seating was on the second floor. There were several large tables along the walls, but they were mostly occupied by groups of drunken sailors, pirates, and soldiers, lots of whom were arguing loudly. At the center of the room was a stage where several bards were performing their songs.

After taking a seat at one of the tables, I made a motion to attract the attention of the waitresses, a small woman with curly blonde hair. She had bright green eyes that shone brightly in the dim lighting. The girl smiled when she saw me.

"Welcome to the Black Rose, sir. What can I get you?"

"I would like a bottle of your best red wine, please," I told her.

"Coming right up." The waitress said, and she quickly left to fetch my order.

The pirates were already drunk, and they were singing about how they would steal the treasure from a nerdy ghost that lived in some dungeon. "We're gonna go get some treasure, 'cause we're pirates! And we don't give a damn! We're gonna take back what's ours!" The pirates sang, and everyone in the tavern joined in on the chorus. "Take back what's ours!"

"The ghost won't be able to stop us! Because we're pirates! And we don't give a damn!" The pirates sang again, and this time everyone in the tavern joined in again.

My wine arrived in less than ten minutes, and I took a sip. It tasted good, but it was too sweet for my taste. I drank it down anyway. After a few of drinks, I made the decision that I wasn't going to continue staying at the bar any longer, and I abruptly rose up, knocking over the chair that was behind me and attracting the attention of some pirates who glanced at me without displaying any interest.

After handing the bartender the money for my drink, I stumbled out of the establishment, and started walking through the streets of the city. My goal came flooding back to me along with the image of the massive black ship that belonged to the pirate king. As a result, I found myself back at the dock, standing before the ship, docked at the pier.

Some of the pirates continued to stand guard at the entrance of the ship, walking back and forth on the deck, occasionally shouting at each other. Most of them ignored me, but a few of them stopped and stared at me for a moment. The alcohol made me bolder, so I just stared back at them.

I had no idea what was going through my thoughts, but for some reason I simply started walking towards them. I guess my goal was to sneak onto the ship, but my inebriated mind was unable to think properly.

One of the pirates shouted at me to stay away, but I didn't listen to him, and continued approaching the ship. I was now within five feet of one of the pirates, and he looked at me with surprise. He was a big man, probably around six feet tall, with long black hair tied into a ponytail. He had a muscular body, and was wearing a leather jacket and trousers.

"Get the fuck out, kid." He said with annoyance, but I kept approaching him.

"Heeey, what if I told ya I wanna become a pirate?" I asked him.

"What are you, stupid? Go back to wherever you came from." He answered me with anger.

"Pleasee... I want to be a pirate." I pleaded, and then I was smacked me across the face.

I fell backwards, stunned for a moment, and then I got up, rubbing my cheek where the pirate had hit me. "Whoa!"

"And if you don't get the fuck away from here, I'm gonna kick your ass!" The pirate shouted.

"Okay, okay, chill!" I replied, backing off. "Sorry."

Walking back from the pier, I hid in an alleyway that led to the center of town. I had made up my mind that I would find a way to board the ship no matter what it took, even if it meant hanging around for the pirate King Rastor to get back from the pub so that I could fit in with the rest of his crew.

***

And soon, the Pirate King Rastor walked out of the tavern, boldly making his way along the street filled with fisherman as the sun began to drop. He did not appear to be intoxicated or defenseless in any way, despite the fact that he was not accompanied by any of his fellow pirates. The pirate king approached the ship and climbed aboard, passing by the guards who saluted him respectfully and went inside the vessel.

At that point, the drunkenness had long since left my body, and I found myself tired of waiting for action. After pulling my shoulders back and adjusting my posture, I started walking toward the guards. The one who stood the tallest among them, who was already sick of looking at my face, pulled out his sword and pointed it in my direction.

"You again?" He growled, and I noticed that the other pirates were now standing behind him. "I told you to leave us alone. If you take one step closer, we'll have to kill you."

"I need to speak to your captain." I said calmly. "If there's anything I can do for you in return, just tell me."

He pondered the idea for a moment. "Are you a wizard?"

"Yes."

"Well, one from the Cid Academy, I see." The pirate said with curiosity. "Do you have anything of value that might be of use to us?"

"I can get you something, but first, I need to talk with your captain." I said, trying to sound confident.

"Go on then," he said with a shrug, turning around and walking back into the ship. However, when I was about to follow him, another pirate stopped me.

"Wait, kid. First, we need some assurance from you. Something proving that you will pay us later." The pirate said.

"Fine. Take this." I took out my wand and handed it to him, and the pirate examined it for a moment.

"Very well. Come, let's go talk with our captain."

The other pirates followed him, and we headed towards the second floor of the ship and to the captain's cabin. Once we reached the door, the guard opened it with great difficulty. The room beyond was filled with bookshelves that were lined with ancient scrolls, along with various trinkets and treasures. There were several tables and chairs scattered across the room as well.

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A small table was placed in front of a large window which overlooked the sea, where the captain, Pirate King Rastor, was sitting on a wooden chair. His blue eyes were piercing as always, and he seemed quite fierce.

"And who the fuck are you?!" He demanded with anger.

"My name is Leo Valwyn." I said politely, bowing my head slightly. "I'm a wizard from far away, and I have a proposal for you."

"You're a fucking wizard?" He asked in disbelief, and he shook his head. "You should be smarter than this if you're a wizard. Do you know who am I? Rastor, the wizard-slayer, Captain of the Black Pearl, and the richest pirate alive. Well, rich by my standards anyway. Are you here to challenge me to a duel?

"No, no, on the contrary, I am here to negotiate. You see, your collection of magic items is infamous even in the faraway lands where I come from..." I began lying, but Rastor interrupted me.

"You can't fool me, boy. You are here for fight." He growled.

"No, I absolutely don't want to fight you. I'm no master of swords, and my magic would mean nothing against you."

"Then, what do you want?" He demanded.

I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. I recalled the words of my parents as they instructed me on the trade secrets they had obtained. I had learned that as a merchant, it was not appropriate for me to convey the truth, and that I should instead learn to conceal my true motives. After such a long journey, I had to admit that I was completely spent, and it was very evident that the pirate would cut me to pieces if I attempted anything stupid.

"I'm going to tell you everything. I was told to try to kill you and steal your treasure, and in exchange, I would get help saving my family. I don't want to do this, though. I've decided to ask you for help instead. If you help me get my family out of jail, I'll do whatever you want in return." I told him honestly. As I continued to speak, the pirate began to rise from his chair and looked me in the eye while flashing such a sinister menacing expression. When I had finished, he offered me a thin smile.

"How exciting! You tell me right to my face that you are here to kill me, and you expect me to help you? Oh, man, I'm going to skin you alive." Rastor took out his blade and unsheathed it with great swiftness. The other pirates surrounding the table drew their swords as well and stood up, making the room feel less like a space where business negotiations would be taking place, and more like a battle arena.

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Rastor advanced on me, while I backed away. "Do you know what happens to wizards that try to kill me? They die horribly!" He roared with menace.

I made an effort to approach one of the walls in the room with caution while I observed the magical things that were hanging from it. I didn't have a lot of time to ponder, so I just grabbed the first thing that was within my grasp. The object was a small, ceramic bell that seemed to be made of clay. Its surface was decorated with blue and yellow swirls of glaze. There were a few runes etched into it that reminded me of the letters of the alphabet in a foreign language.

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Rastor made a threat to approach me, but instead he snapped his fingers while glancing at the other pirates that were surrounding me, and they immediately leapt onto me and grabbed me by the arms. They were far too strong and powerful for me to break free.

"I think the Order of the Skull will be glad to get their hands on you." He said.

I chosed not to answer and instead began shaking the mystical bell that was in my palm. A sound that was extremely high in pitch began to resonate from it, and the pirates all around me began to scream in pain.

Rastor pulled out his sword and approached me with great speed, intent on ending my life before I could even do anything to him. The blade cut deeply, and everything went dark.

Note: So, I got instantly defeated by Rastor in the battle. He rolled up too high and I rolled up too low. What do you think? Should I continue the story as if my character had just fainted? Should I continue in the same scenario with another character? Or should I play something else?