Red Snatch Page 2

  After this, the two stared at each other and smiled while blood dripped down her side. A moment later she was back on top of him relentlessly slamming her larger weapons against his shorter swords. Her eyes started glowing red, and the elf showed no signs of letting up.

  Instead of pushing back, Grimshaw used Tits' momentum against her and slid down with the blades coming at him. Without the force of his blades against hers, she stumbled forward, and Grimshaw slashed in the back with both blades as he rolled past her.

  Tits stood up, turned around, and said, "So that's how it has to be."

  She had a small frown on her face but still held an air of confidence around her. Calm Grimshaw smiled at hearing this and charged back in with both of his swords pointed right at her. Both blades sunk into her abdomen all the way down to their hilts, and judging by the shocked reaction on Grimshaw's face, the man expected Tits to block or take evasive actions.

  Vanishing the greatsword, Tits reached out her arm and wrapped it around the pirate pulling him close to her.

  Coughing up a bit of blood she said, "Yield or I'll hack your head off. Trust me, I won't miss from here."

  As if to emphasize her point, she choked up on the axe handle with her other hand until she was easily able to bring the blade level with his neck.

  "You purposely took my two blades to the chest," Calm Grimshaw muttered. "You're nuts lass."

  "That's you're nuts, Captain," Eldertits said smiling at him.

  Smiling back at her Grimshaw replied, "I've always been rather fond of nuts, Captain."

  "I'm rather fond of nuts myself," Tits said winking at him. "Now would you please pull out of me?"

  "Oh, of course," Calm Grimshaw yanking both of his swords out of her.

  As soon as he did this, Tits fell to the ground and began convulsing. Rushing forward I unleashed on her the Cure spell I'd been charging. As soon as it hit her, she stopped shaking and rolled onto her back, staring up at the night sky.

  "That was pretty stupid, Tits," I lectured her. "You damn near died. Hell, if I didn't have that spell charging already, you probably would have."

  "I knew you'd be ready," she said smiling over at me. "That's why you're my bottom bitch."

  "Would you knock that off? We still have a hold full of pirates to deal with," I said, holding out my hand for her to grab.

  Taking it, I pulled the elf to her feet, and a couple seconds later, I cast cure on her again. Sighing in pleasure, she surveyed the ship she'd won in a duel despite it not being part of the mission plan.

  "Should we restrain Grimshaw?" Snazzleberry asked, still sounding a bit upset that the other man had so easily escaped from him.

  "No, I don't think that will be necessary," Eldertits said looking at the pirate. "He's agreed to serve under me. Isn't that right, Mr. Grimshaw?"

  "That's right cap'n," he said, leaning up against the railing. "Of course, when you wake the rest of my boys up, you won't have my help in getting them to serve under you."

  "That's fine. I'm known to be very persuasive," Eldertits said walking over to the front of the ship where the trap door leading down to the hold sat. "Let's pop this fucker open and see what we're dealing with."

  Riran, who was already standing between the mast and the trapdoor, grabbed the handle and lifted up. A steep wooden staircase leading down to darkness was all I could see from my vantage point on the deck.

  "Rondo, you're good in tight spaces, right?" Eldertits asked, and then answering her own question said, "Of course you are, you're always with Elaria. Get over here."

  Shrugging at the scowl on Elaria's face, he walked over to Eldertits and began climbing down the stairs. Eldertits went next, followed by Riran, Bella, and Elaria. I would have gone down myself, but I didn't see what use I was going to be in a close quarters fight unless we wanted to burn down the ship that is.

  After a minute, I began to hear startled yells and the sounds of fighting. After this came the sounds of screaming and pleading.

  Shrugging at Calm Grimshaw I said, "She's got a way with people."

  The pirate laughed in response while Gerald looked on in horror. Minty, for his part, already laid down on the deck and was fast asleep, curled up in a ball. The otter led an exceptionally tough life.

  After five more minutes, a group of men followed by the rest of my party, filed onto the deck. There were substantially less of them than I imagined. Only seven to be exact.

  Some of these men looked like they had come off on the worse end of a fight but otherwise looked okay. There were a few cuts and bruises on my party members, but all-in-all, they looked to have fared a lot better than the pirate crew.

  "Sorry Grimshaw, but we had to kill about half of your crew," Eldertits said, not looking like she was sorry at all.

  "They're not really my crew anymore," the man replied with a shrug.

  "Well, it would probably have been less, but Snuggles here has a real bloodthirst," she said, patting Snazzleberry on the shoulder. "I'd watch my back around him if I were you lot."

  "Tits, can we wrap this up? I'd like to get some sleep tonight," I said, motioning with my hand.

  Sighing, she said, "Fine. Rule number one, men: my word is law, and you are to follow what I say at all times. Rule number two: Minty, the rat there, is second in command, and you are to treat him with the same respect you give to me."

  The otter simply snored in response to this while Gerald mouthed to the other men, "He's a monster."

  "Rule number three: follow any commands given by any of the members that you see with me here tonight," Eldertits said. "I think that's enough for tonight. Maybe now we can let Ryland get some beauty sleep. Riran, Bella, and Snoop, you're on guard duty tonight."

  After this, several notifications popped up on my HUD.

  Congratulations Midnight Rondo has defeated level 15 human swashbuckler! As a party member, you have earned 221 XP.

  Congratulations, Eldertits has defeated level 23 human swashbuckler in a duel! As a party member, you have earned 301 XP.

  Congratulations, Eldertits has defeated level 16 human swashbuckler! As a party member, you have earned 239 XP.

  Congratulations, Snazzleberry has defeated level 13 human swashbuckler! As a party member, you have earned 183 XP.

  Congratulations, Midnight Rondo has defeated level 15 human swashbuckler! As a party member, you have earned 221 XP.

  Congratulations, Elaria has defeated level 14 human swashbuckler! As a party member, you have earned 205 XP.

  Congratulations, Bella Earthshield has defeated level 12 human swashbuckler! As a party member, you have earned 161 XP.

  Congratulations you have reached Level 28!

  HP: 319 → 330

  MP: 464 → 480

  You have 3 unallocated stat points.

  You have 3 unallocated skill points.

  "Make sure you keep a close eye on all of these men," Elaria said, scooping up the sleeping otter and cradling him in her arms. "If anything comes up make sure you message the rest of the clan immediately."

  Walking over to the edge of the boat, I lowered the ramp that led from the deck of the ship to the dock. I finally felt I could exhale because now when I messaged Katarina, I'd be able to tell her that everything went according to plan, and we could set off for the Saunora Isles tomorrow.

  Looking back, I noticed Tits just standing there, and I asked, "Are you coming, Tits?"

  "No, I think I'm going to check out my new digs tonight," she said smiling at me. "Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on the new recruits while they oversee our pirate crew."

  "If that's what you want to do. Have fun," I said, waving at the elf before walking down the ramp, followed by Rondo and Elaria.

  Chapter Two: Red Snatch, The Pirate Empress

  The next day I woke up feeling refreshed and saw that I had a message from Katarina waiting for me.

  Katarina: Please swing by the palace at 11:00. Use the side entrance.

  In addition to this, the
re was another notification about a new title.

  Your clan member Eldertits has gained a new title: Red Snatch

  This title is unique to her and may not be transferred to another player or NPC.

  Current Title Reputation: Crazy, dangerous, and powerful. Likely to either kill you or fuck you. She'll decide this on a whim most likely.

  I didn't even want to think about what Tits got up to overnight to earn a new title. Nothing that elf ever did made sense, and there was likely going to be some ridiculous story behind it. Sighing, I pushed her out of my mind.

  Glancing at the clock in the upper right-hand corner of my vision, I noted that it was 9:33 which left plenty of time to collect the others and head over to the palace. Getting out of bed, I stretched and cracked my ankles.

  If there was one thing I was going to miss from my week in Istria, aside from the more relaxed pace to life, it was going to be this bed. Since our clan hall didn't currently have any space for beds, all of us rented rooms at the hotel Turin and Viltria were using. While not lavish, the hotel was comfortable, and the bed made for a much better night sleep than the ground where I typically lay my head.

  Leaving the hotel, I walked the block between it and our clan hall entering the building. Inside I found Elaria, Turin, and Viltria. The two lovers quietly conversed near the table while Elaria glowered over on one of the couches.

  "Good morning," I said, trying to take some of the tension out of the room.

  Elaria still hadn't really accepted Viltria, and the dark elf definitely resented her for this fact.

  "Good to see you, Ryland," Viltria said glancing up. "Today's the big day, and here I was almost getting used to having the rest of the clan around."

  "Hopefully we won't be gone too long this time, but who knows," I said smiling back at her. "Truthfully, I'm a little jealous that you and Turin get to stay in Istria. This last week has been a nice change of pace."

  "It's a beautiful city with a fairly accepting populace," Turin said. "I can't believe it could be so close to Ithielthiel and so different at the same time."

  "Yes, I daresay, if they gave non-humans the same rights as humans in Altria it might even be perfect," Viltria said sighing.

  "Maybe I can bring that up to Katarina," I said to the two of them. "I haven't forgotten about the promise I made the two of you, and she seems like the reasonable type."

  "Unless you're making demands of her," Elaria said snorting. "Then she's like the ice queen."

  "Well, I'll just ask nicely then," I said smiling back at her. "I don't see how she could refuse this face. You know you couldn't when you first found me in Irune."

  "Yes, your face was the only reason I didn't kill you," Elaria shot back sarcastically and asked, "Where is Rondo? How long can that man sleep?"

  "He's probably just worn out from the battle last night," I said. "We'll go wake him up if he doesn't show in the next fifteen minutes or so. Katarina messaged me for us to be at the palace by eleven."

  "Battle is no excuse for oversleeping," Elaria muttered. "During Ranger training, we worked from sunrise to well into the night and were still expected to be up by six."

  "Don't take this the wrong way, Elaria, but Ranger training sounds miserable," I replied.

  "Yes, with your overall lack of athletic ability, stamina, dexterity, and strength it would have killed you," Elaria said flatly.

  "Gee, thanks for the confidence boost," I muttered.

  After this, the four of us sat around in awkward silence for the next five minutes until Rondo walked in. Though her words rang true, it'd be nice if Elaria found a way to express herself without using the bluntest, harshest words possible. Then again, if she didn't say it this way, she wouldn't be Elaria. And the Ranger put an exorbitant amount of skill points into killing conversations.

  "Y'all look so cheerful in here," Rondo said, walking in and noticing the quiet room. "Did you miss me that much?"

  "Ah, Rondo," Elaria said standing up. "We were just about to wake you. Ryland says we need to head over to the palace to meet with Lady Katarina."

  "Good morning to you too, Elaria," Rondo laughed, watching the blonde elf walk past him and out the door.

  Walking over to Viltria, I extended my hand for her and said, "The clan is in your hands. Please keep me updated on anything back here, and I'll keep you updated on our progress with the governess."

  Shaking my hand, she said, "Good luck and take care."

  Saying goodbye to Turin, I walked out the door followed by Rondo. Elaria, who was waiting outside, started walking toward the palace as soon as we exited the building. The walk to the palace was a bit longer than the walk from the hotel to the clan hall but still not bad.

  Once we reached it, I led Rondo and Elaria around to the side where I knew a smaller entrance sat. Of course, the last time we used this entrance we were dragged here in a prison wagon and thrown in the dungeons.

  As we approached the entrance, one of the palace guards outside recognized me and said, "Phoenix, right this way. Lady Katarina will meet you in the hallway next to the dungeons."

  "Thank you," I said as we walked past him and into the building proper.

  Winding through the hallway, I led us down a small staircase until we came out in front of the cell the three of us once occupied. No one else was in the hallway, but we were a few minutes early, and I didn't get the impression that Katarina Amarion showed up until the precise moment she intended.

  "Ah, the finest rooms in the city," Rondo said gesturing around us. "I can attest to their gracious hospitality."

  Laughing I said, "I don't know why Sergeant Kofford didn't take Katarina up on her offer."

  "Let's just hope she didn't ask to meet us here because she plans on making us the same offer," Elaria muttered scowling.

  "Elaria, you're awfully optimistic today," I said, smiling at the frowning elf. "Is something the matter?"

  "I don't like the idea of Eldertits sailing our ship," she replied.

  "You've never been on a ship before have you?" Rondo asked with a knowing smile.

  "No, but -" Elaria started before she was cut off by Katarina walking down the hall with several others in tow.

  "Ryland, I'm glad you got my message," Katarina said as she approached us. "You all seem in good spirits today."

  "We're just reminiscing about old times," I said, gesturing at the cell next to us.

  Smiling, Katarina replied, "Well, as you know, I make sure the guards take every step to make sure our guests are comfortable during their stay."

  "My Lady, this is Midnight Rondo and Elaria of Ithielthiel who you've seen with me before," I said, formally introducing my two companions.

  "It is an honor to have a Ranger of Ithielthiel and one of your companions who assisted in Roselake along for the journey," Katarina said graciously. "I'd like to introduce you to my brother, Alexei, who will be governing in my stead while I am gone. The other three are Bror, Reha, and Grant who will be making the journey with me."

  Though taller and appearing much younger than his sister, Alexei's messy hair shared the same color as his sister's. While he dressed finely, he looked uncomfortable in the attire as opposed to Katarina who wore it like an extension of herself.

  Bror, Reha, and Grant were all dressed simply and would blend in well on a ship. Katarina, herself, was dressed down compared to the usual regal attire she wore. Instead, she wore tight fitting pants with tall boots over the lower half, and a simple white blouse under a green vest. Of course, the makeup on her face was done impeccably, and her face still looked exactly like Katarina Amarion, so I didn't know how she would go unnoticed on a pirate ship.

  "It's an honor to meet you," I said, nodding my head slightly to Alexei and the others.

  "Please take care of my sister and return her safely to Istria quickly," Alexei said. "The city will need her back."

  I was about to respond, but Katarina cut in, lecturing her brother, "Alexei, we've talked about this. You are going to
do fine, and remember as a leader, you need to speak with a confident voice at all times. If you are ever in doubt trust in Cunliffe. The man knows Northern Altria better than his own children."

  "Of course, sister," Alexei said, straightening up slightly.

  "Now give me a hug," Katarina said, smiling and wrapping her arms around him. "It has been good spending time with you this past week little brother. Be strong and lead well."

  Alexei awkwardly returned her hug before breaking it off rather quickly.

  "Are the preparations complete?" Katarina asked me. "We should leave."

  "The Albatross is ours, and my clan members have been safeguarding it all night," I replied. "We secured about half of the ship's former crew, including its former captain, so I don't believe there will be any issues sailing it."

  "Excellent, I knew I could count on you," Katarina said. "Now then, let's be on our way before I am seen."

  Having said this, she equipped A Cloak of Concealed Identity from her inventory. Her skin tone immediately darkened a little once she equipped it, and her hair changed to a dirty blonde.

  "Oh, I think this is obvious," Katarina said, "but please don't call me Katarina around others."

  "Is there something else you would like to be called?" I asked.

  She paused and thought for a minute before she said, "Just call me Hannah."

  "Okay, Hannah," I replied. "If you'll follow us, we can lead you to the ship then."

  Walking down the hallway and up the stairs, I led our group out the side entrance to the palace and back into the streets of Istria. The docks where the Albatross was parked were only a short ten-minute walk away.

  Katarina's, or Hannah's, three guards circled around us rather conspicuously. Even if they were all dressed in plain clothes it would have been obvious to anyone watching that they were protecting someone important.