Limitless Seas, Chapter 5.

Chapter 5.

Before digging into the new abilities, Larson left his cabin and flagged down one of the sailors on watch, ordering him to gather the officers and Lord Buxton. They were likely scattered about the town and fortress, working to get things in order. While he waited, Larson dug into his new abilities.

Larson, Buccaneer Captain, Level 7.

Experience toward your next level: 0%.

Magic Affinity: Water.

Vessel: The Sea Venom.

Class Abilities: Many of your class abilities from the Privateer class carryover to your Buccaneer class. Some of the items in your possession have been affected by the Buccaneer class.

1. Fame. This class feature grants bonuses based on how well-known you are. At higher rankings, your fame may cause a foe to surrender, or a town to offer tribute rather than face your wrath. Other pirates and their ilk will be more disposed to assist you, though you should be wary. One quick way to gain fame is to defeat someone that is more well-known. Unlock higher levels of fame to gain special abilities and perks for your class.

Current Fame Rating: Very Low. Progress to the next tier, 0%.

2. Board and Pillage. Activating this ability grants your crew a slight bonus to their combat stats. The ability can be activated 1 time per day and will last for 5 minutes. To be affected, the crew must be aboard the Sea Venom, another hostile vessel, or onshore 500 yards from the Sea Venom. Board and Pillage will also allow your crew an increased chance of discovering hidden valuables. This ability will evolve and improve as you level.

3. Weather Eye. This ability allows the buccaneer to judge weather and sea conditions more accurately. You can eke out extra speed when needed by catching an elusive breeze or a helpful current.

Vessel: The ship that a buccaneer commands is an integral part of the class. Several abilities affect your ship when at sea.

1. Ghost Ship. This ability allows your ship to become less noticeable, helping you to stalk your opponent or escape from a powerful foe. You can use Ghost Ship 1 time per day, and it lasts for a total of 30 minutes. This ability improves with your level.

2. All Hands. Many have sailed this ship over the years, and their memory is still held in the wood, iron, and sails of your vessel. When activated All Hands summons 4-10 average sailors from the past to serve you. The summoned sailors will remain for 10 minutes and are comparable to your current crew's average level and skill ratings.

Personal Abilities:

1. Armor/Weapon Skills. You are proficient with light armor, medium armor, and shields. All simple and shipboard weapons are available to you, including commonly mounted siege equipment.

2. Shield Bash. Lash out with your shield, damaging and potentially stunning your foe. Now that you’ve reached level 7, your Shield Bash ability has a modest chance to score a critical hit. This ability can be used 3 times per day.

3. Pincushion. This ability can be activated twice per day and unleashes 5 strikes in a single second, but each strike hits with a 45% damage reduction. The target must be within reach of your weapon, and the strikes will always hit their target. This ability scales with your level and will improve and evolve over time.

4. Rapid Fire. Instantly fire a second shot with your currently equiped firearms-based weapons. The bonus shot will hit exactly where the first does, so be sure of your aim before activating. Rapid fire can be used 2 times per day, and the ability scales with your level.

5. The Cold Steel. A buccaneer relishes combat and the longer you are in battle, the more powerful you become. Cold Steel will activate as soon as you are in melee combat. It will initially grant you a small bonus to natural armor, and as the fight progresses you will have both your strength and stamina improved. After a long period of sustained combat, you will unlock a short-term regeneration bonus to help heal your wounds.

6. Command the Currents. You can use your power to control the seas around you and your vessel, speeding your passage and calming dangerous conditions. This ability slowly drains mana, and some degree of concentration is required while channeling it.

Magical Abilities:

1. Imbue Weapon. Enhance your weapon with water magic, adding deadly piercing, bludgeoning, or slashing damage to your next attack. All melee, ranged, and shipboard weapons can be imbued.

2. Create Water. Conjure up to 7 gallons of fresh or seawater each day. This spell can be cast anywhere within your line of sight.

Racial Abilities:

A new racial ability has been unlocked, Serpent’s Swiftness.

1. Serpent’s Swiftness. Every serpent is quick when they need to be, and you’re no exception. When activated, Serpent’s Swiftness will allow you to close in on a foe or retreat quickly away. This ability can be used 1 time per day and has a range of 25 yards.

2. Venomous Spit. Like all variants of the naga race, a water naga possesses a set of fangs that can deliver deadly venom to their prey. When activating this racial ability, you will shoot a concentrated stream of venom for up to 20 feet. Once you have used this ability, it will take your body up to 2 days to replenish your venom reserves. You may also choose to spray your venom over a wider area, reducing the effective range, and diluting the damage. Your venom type is a powerful cytotoxin that creates rapid necrosis of any living flesh or organic material.

3. Sense Disturbance. When in a large body of water, you can sense the movement of nearby creatures. This ability provides a moderate chance to track specific targets.

Abilities Granted by Cassia, the Sea Venom:

1. Serpent’s Scales. Call upon the power of the Sea Venom to temporarily strengthen your body with armored scales. This ability can be used 1 time per day and greatly improves your natural armor, as well as adding resistance to elemental damage. When active, Serpent’s Scales will greatly enhance your natural immunity to toxic substances, flushing even the most deadly substances from your body.

2. Serpent’s Strike. Once per day, you may summon Cassia’s power to attack an enemy. Upon activation, a giant, ghostly serpent head will strike your target, dealing bludgeoning and piercing damage as well as applying your current level of venom.

Larson received some improvements from the new class as well as a couple of new abilities. Thankfully, what he had wasn’t too far removed from what he was used to from his Privateer class. He was going to have to try everything out once they sailed, risking a few cooldowns to test the effects of everything wasn’t a bad idea. A new prompt appeared giving him the rundown of his ship.

Sea Venom.

Modified Warship.

At this level, your ship is ready to increase in size and power. Give Cassia enough resource to complete this transformation.

Current Crew: 0/100. With your class changing, you will need to recruit your crew once again. Warning, a minimum crew of 10 is required to sail this vessel. Sailing with anything fewer risks disaster.

Average Crew Level: N/A. No crew is currently aboard.

Officers: 0/6. You will need to recruit and assign officers to your ship.

Passengers: 0/30. There are currently no passengers aboard.

Morale: 99%. You are currently the only member of this ship's crew. As you add crew, officers, and passengers, the average morale will change.

Provisions. You are currently provisioned for a 10-day voyage at maximum crew capacity.

Ship’s Armaments. The ship mounts 8 twelve-pounder smoothbore cannons and a single four-pounder weapon. The cannons are rated as crude, reducing their range, accuracy, and damage.

Crew Armaments. N/A. There is a modest supply of weapons are housed in the weapons locker, but the newly recruited crew is expected to provide some of their own gear.

Crew Armor: N/A. All armor has been issued, and any new or returning crew are expected to provide their own gear.

Crew Health: N/A. There is no crew aboard.

So, he was back to square one with the crew, but Larson wasn’t concerned. He was confident that most of the old crew would sign back on, but there were always a few that might want to do something else with their lives. Larson wouldn’t press anyone into service, but if they did sign back onto the Sea Venom, he expected their complete loyalty.

“My Captain, we are ready to grow, may I feed upon the vanquished to improve our ship?” Cassia asked, startling Larson a bit since she was speaking aloud inside his cabin when she normally just shared their thoughts.

“What do you need, and when did you decide to become so vocal?” Larson asked.

“We are new, and we are together without any other ships to distract you. Now, I feel that I should speak directly to my captain and my crew when it is needed. As for what I need to grow our vessel, I can feast on the remains of our prey, these old wrecks in the harbor will do,” Cassia said. There were several ships, destroyed from earlier times, from Larson’s latest attack, and the battle with the dungeon creatures. He wasn’t sure how the process would work, but he was fine with Cassia using the wrecks to make their ship better.

“Go for it, how long will you need, and what will you become?” Larson asked.

“The process will take some time but gathering the materials will be quick enough. If you don’t mind, I can use any empty hold space to store materials so we can change while underway. As for what I will become, our minds are one and I have pulled what I want from your past. Look upon our new form and tell me if it is what you wish us to become,” Cassia said.

Larson’s vision shifted, his mind linking with Cassia to see what she envisioned. She had pulled heavily from Larson’s memories, and the ship before him was a blend of two styles. The Golden Age of Sail popped into his head as he looked at the billowing sails and two decks of guns. Viking Longboat also crept into his mind as he viewed the bow and stern. Instead of a bowsprit with more sail, the curved neck of Cassia’s serpent form was prominent. Scales covered the outside of the ship, and sunlight gave them a gold-green look that Larson found impressive. She was going to be about 50% bigger than she was now, and it was everything he could want in a ship.

“That’s perfect, Cassia,” Larson said.

“Thank you, my captain, I shall begin, but I will need to move about the harbor to gather the materials,” Cassia said.

“That’s fine, just wait until the meeting’s over and we hash out the changes with the others,” Larson said. It wasn’t long before all his officers had arrived along with Lord Buxton. A few others tried to get into the meeting, including Sarvo the alchemist, and some of the townsfolks wanting to present their grievances, but Larson kept everyone else out for the time being. The whole event served to solidify for Larson that Buccaneer Captain was the right choice over Pirate Lord.

“Repairs to the town are coming along, and the gates to the fortress are being modified. We could use a few cannons in the fort to help with defense. Is there something else you wanted us to prioritize?” Tarley asked.

“That will be up to you, Tarley. Since life as a privateer is over for me, I have taken a new class. I’m now a buccaneer, and my focus will be on the Sea Venom and getting some payback from Lord Mox. As for the fortress, the rest of the fleet, and the town, I have some other ideas,” Larson said, shocking the others a bit who all started to ask questions at the same time.

“Then who’s going to be in charge here if you and Venom go out raiding?” Tarley asked.

“As I said, it will be up to you, and I think you’d be a perfect fit to manage things here, the System knows you’re doing most of the heavy lifting already. As for the town, Lord Buxton should be able to help keep things on track. Once things are stable, the townsfolk can have a say in how things are run,” Larson said.

“Well, that explains why I’ve been offered the new class of Pirate Lord. I can tell you it’s not something I was thinking of, but I do admit, building this place up has a certain appeal to me. Are you sure that you want to offer us this? You’re passing up a lot of money and power. I’m loyal to you captain, but I’m not going to say no to being granted all this,” Tarley said, getting a faraway look in his eyes as he contemplated what he was being offered.

“Since I came into this world, I’ve been reacting to immediate threats, and once we’ve settled things with Lord Mox and his people, I’d like to spend some time exploring the seas and not be locked into running a pirate stronghold or town. I’m not worried about wealth and power, with my ship and crew, I can seize all that I need,” Larson said.

“We’ll do as you ask, Captain Larson, you’ve saved each and every soul on this island. Some from slavery aboard this very ship, and some from Lord Mox’s evil. If you wish to stick with your ship and crew, who am I to say no? Remember, though, that this port will always honor what you’ve done to create it,” Buxton said.

“Excellent, I know things won’t be easy, but I will still be based out of here. It’s not like many other ports are welcoming a buccaneer,” Larson said.

“What about the crew, who will you take, and who do I get to keep here? I don’t want this responsibility if you’re going to foist all the bilge rats on me and take the best for yourself,” Tarley argued.

“I agree, I’ll let everyone have a chance to decide what they want to do. I can operate my ship with a minimum crew of thirty, so I won’t take much more than that. As the town grows, I’m sure others will find their way here and I can recruit a bit more heavily,” Larson said.

“I’ll still sail with you, if you’ll have me,” Shada said.

“Of course, I need my ship’s doctor,” Larson said.

“My men are the Fangs of the Serpent, we go where you and the Sea Venom take us,” Ibn said, and Larson was glad to have him.

“Fine, but maybe Samir and some of the others might want to sign on with Tarley on one of his ships,” Larson suggested, remembering that Samir had been assigned as a marine captain aboard one of the other ships.

“That is true, I will not force them away from the path they choose, but I can tell you that most of my men will want to stay aboard,” Ibn said.

“Uh, can we’s still sees you or are you goings far aways?” Bartholomew asked, sounding confused.

“He’s not leaving for good, at least not yet, brother. We’ll still be your ship’s engineer, Captain Larson, but I think our services will be needed here more so than aboard your ship now that Cassia is around to keep things in order,” Bug said.

“Oh, youse just skeered of being on the water. I likes the ship now,” Bartholomew argued.

“No, I’m not afraid, well, no more so than normal, but think of all we can do here, brother, new guns and weapons to design, a town to build, and a fortress to upgrade. Larson will be in port often enough, and when he is, you can show him all your new inventions,” Bug assured his brother.

“Cans I still help Cassia builds stuff? She’s nice to me,” Bartholomew said.

“I am always glad to have your company, Bartholomew,” Cassia said.

“Hey, she’s talking at me. Hi Cassia, but wheres do’s I talks to?” Bartholomew said looking around the cabin.

“Anywhere you like, I’m the ship so anywhere you look, it’s me,” Cassia said.

“I’ll miss you aboard, but I know you’re needed here. I do expect some nice upgrades when we’re in port,” Larson said. He would miss the ogre on their voyages, but it should help the provisions to last longer. He’d never seen anyone, or anything eat as much as the brothers could.

“I think we have the framework of an agreement; do we want to make this formal?” Buxton asked. That took Larson back a bit, he was wary of the former lord of Stratwall Harbor. It could prove a mistake to give him so much power, but there really wasn’t anyone else that knew how to run a town. If he turned out to be a problem, Larson could deal with him at that time. The threat of shore bombardment and a raiding party from his ship should make Buxton think twice before trying to pull anything.

“Tarley, are you good?” Larson asked.

“Aye, though you’ll still be my captain,” Tarley said.

“Well then, I propose that Tarley become Lord Tarley, Pirate Lord of the stronghold, and I’ll resume my title as Lord Buxton, mayor of the new town of Port Larson,” Buxton said.

A formal agreement has been offered between you and two other parties. Do you agree to the following?

1. Captain Larson is the sole owner of the Sea Venom and all she gathers; he will not be required to pay the customary portion of spoils to Pirate Lord Tarley for using his port. He will also be free from all taxes and tariffs that the town or stronghold may levy now or in the future. Free use of all port facilities and access to provisions will be provided whenever possible.

2. Captain Tarley will become Lord Tarley, the pirate lord governing the stronghold and fleet. He will administer the fleet and provide defense for the town itself.

3. Lord Montgomery Buxton will become the first lord of the town of Port Larson. He will levy all taxes and fees, see to the well-being of the populace, and do all in his power to grow the town.

Larson confirmed his agreement, as did the other two.

A town has been named in your honor, though sparsely populated, and holding the dubious reputation as a pirate outpost, the honor has slightly improved your fame.

Current Fame: Very Low. Progress to next tier 12%.

“I wasn’t expecting to have the place named after me, thank you. Now, with that out of the way, let’s see about putting the hurt on Lord Mox and the Free Isles,” Larson said.