Dawn- An age of Darkness
Chapter 88 - Finally, A Ship? Wait, Why Do They Have A Skull- Ugh?

As the ship came closer and closer all my hopes slowly faded away. It was a large and wide ship. The hall was made from some sort of black wood. Massive sails could be seen from far afar. The ship stayed at a fair distance; two smaller boats dropped down from the main ship and headed our way. Yup, we were in for it, whether we liked it or not.

"Looks like shits about to go down old man."

I came to this world, also known as the dark realm over three months ago. A lot happened since then. At first, I didn't really know how I arrived but I later found out that the demon lord had summoned me in this world to entertain him. I met friends who died for me, who did their best to save me and I also met those who backstabbed me. I was saved, befriended, betrayed, rewarded, and then betrayed again. After what seemed more or less like an eternity of suffering and dread I arrived on this island with an old man who I met in a serpent's stomach. The serpent being the God of light. Talk about a weird journey!

"It ain't so bad." And yet, somehow this old man still had the guts to be optimistic.

I looked at him in disbelief. He was smiling, not a trace of fear or anxiety on him. I'd lived with him for over two months now and I still couldn't understand him.

The guy had quirky humor and was at times, rather a pain. But he meant good (I hoped), and that was enough for me.

"Well then again, shit was always shitty to begin with." He burst out laughing.

"Enough with the shit joke. That stuff is getting old. Just like you!"

He laughed. His beard swayed with the wind. "Yeah." For a split second he feigned grief but recovered almost immediately. He wasn't such a feeble old man.

The island we were in had carnivores, large insects, and the undead. Truly a paradise. A paradise for the deceased that is. But I'd managed to stay alive on this island for more than two months now, and that was enough to make me feel stronger if nothing else.

I sighed. "Let's hope so." I wasn't optimistic, but I knew that the old man and I were good enough to fend off quite a few people. But I hoped that it never came to that.

A total of seven people came ashore. Their clothes gave off the expression anyone would expect from a situation such as this.

"Well, what have we here?" One of the men said.

His voice was deep and prickly. He had a beard as black they got. He was wearing a red hat and there were plenty of scars on his face. He was different from the rest. Pretty much what you'd expect. He didn't have an eye patch though nor a hook.

The rest of them had a little different clothing; most of them wore tattered clothes. I couldn't differentiate if they were clothes or rags. Some of them were shirtless too.

"Cap'n, they be too afraid," said a man beside the man with a dubious laugh.

So he's the captain? The black-bearded one was apparently the captain. The lack of hook and eye patch threw me off though.

The one that just spoke had a soft voice, more like high pitched... This particular one was fairly handsome and looked quite fair. He had blonde hair and a pretty face. I wouldn't be too sure. But he was wrong.

It didn't take long for me to know what was happening. Then again, I could guess from a distance anyway.

To be honest we were kind of intrigued rather than scared. We didn't expect the ship to be a pirate ship. I for once didn't think I'd be meeting pirates in my lifetime. But given how screwed my life had become, it wasn't really that surprising.

"We are just humble sailors. I know we are asking too much of you, but could you give us a ride to anywhere that has seen the light of civilization?" the old man said.

What the hell are you thinking old man?

I couldn't relate to what the old man was saying. I could understand that we were in a very bad situation and day by day my time was dying down, but that was no reason to ask these guys for help. They were outlaws and by no means they'd help us for free.

"Har har har…. What be this man thinkin?" Another man started laughing behind the captain.

That's a weird way to laugh.

"Transportation demands payment. What have ye got for us?" the captain said. As expected he wanted something in return. These were pirates. Actual living, breathing pirates. Why the hell would they help stranded people like us for free?

The old man however didn't even flinch for a second. He took out a red gemstone form his deep pocket and flashed it in front of the captain. It was bright and looked quite expensive.

Where the hell did you get that! I'd been with him for two freaking months and I had no clue what just happened.

"Let's get'em boys. They might have more stuff," the blonde guy said.

The blonde one headed straight for the old one. I had my hand on my sword the whole time. I wasn't dumb enough to trust these morons anyway.

The moment he brought out his knife, I unsheathed my sword. I stepped in and blocked his knife. He was skilled but lacked patience. I lacked it too, but maybe not as much as him.

Well, it was obvious they'd try something like that. After all, they were pirates.

"Ha ha. I wouldn't do that if I were you." The old man laughed it off.

There was a small tornado in the old man's hand. The mystic sword was hidden inside a shady scabbard: he didn't even let me touch the sword. He knew exactly what he was doing. I'd panicked for no reason. Now I had to calm down.

"Shiver me timbers! This man won't be easy," the blonde one said.

Their accents were a bit too pirate-y: more like forced. Are they pretending or something? They were a funny bunch. Instead of actual pirates, they looked more like cosplayers. I didn't have the guts to spell it out loud though.

"Let's just leave them here. Eventually, they'll die and we'll get the treasures."

Four of them seemed to agree with the sentiment. The captain didn't seem all that convinced but he kept quiet as if observing our reactions.

The old man grinned. "Are you sure? We have survived on this island for almost two months now. Besides, don't you think we could do serious damage to that ship of yours?" His smile never faltered. He was bluffing, but his bluff had actual weight.

"That's enough. Aye, Let there be the deal of lives and gems," the captain said.

That seemed easy; too easy. What are they plotting?

The old man was smiling the entire time. He didn't look troubled even for a moment. So, I didn't let my anxiety show either. Let's wait and see.. Of course, I didn't let my guard down, but I didn't show too much hostility either.