95 A Quest for Booty

It was time for me to sail the high seas and exterminate some pirates! After purchasing Summer Flash, I headed off to the local tailor shop to get a jolly roger tailored.

"I need a jolly roger with one symbol, a book with this hammer-ax in the middle of it," I said showing the tailor Judgment.

"Quite the design you got there," said the tailor.

"I'll have her completed by tomorrow, that will be 5 merits."

"You want merits for creating a simple jolly roger?" I said.

"A tailor's got to make a living! Don't worry, I am making this thing with Tier-3 materials. She won't get destroyed by even the fiercest cannon fire."

"That makes sense," I said as I begrudgingly handed him five merits.

This young lord had very few merits to his name. I only had my monthly salary of 5 merits as a blacksmith to depend on during my time here. I had racked up over 100 of them, but they still were precious.

I went back to my lodging at the blacksmith shop and brought out Blinker, Jax, and Sybil. Blinker had stayed in the Codex during my time here. After issuing the quest to allow Blinker to ascend to become an Aspect, the book created living quarters for him like Sybil and Jurrath.

'Young lord, why have you brought me out. I was enjoying my days in the Codex,' said Blinker.

"What goes on in the Codex, anyway?" I said.

"Listen, what goes on in the Codex stays in the Codex," said Sybil.

"I'll find out your secrets one day," I said.

"THERE'S NO BOOTY HERE," said Jax as he went back into his ball and chain.

"Don't worry there will be plenty of booty for you soon Jax, we are heading out into the Sea of Death tomorrow on a quest for booty," I said.

I hadn't checked my status in a while.

'Codex bring up my status' I thought.

[Host: Soulless

Race: Devil

Job: Chef

Age: 22

Cultivation: Tier-3 (2/4)

Cultivation Arts: Soul Forging Art (Tier-3)

Battle Skills: Hollow Aura

Minor Daos: Devil(34%), Soul (35%), Fire(35%), Slaughter (28%), Curse (31%), Electric (31%)

Inborn Ability: Soul Eyes

Auxiliary Arts: Blacksmithing (Tier-3), Soul Reading (Tier-3), Contracts (Tier-3)]

I was making study progress in my Daos. For two years this was beyond extraordinary. But Slaughter Dao had lagged with me couped up inside. My hammer-ax will feed on the blood and soul of my enemies soon fueling my understanding of Slaughter Dao.

The next day there were clear skies, the perfect day to set sail. I hoisted my jolly roger with my emblem of a book with a hammer-ax on it.

Jax was manning the sails, while my bunny was by my side. Originally I didn't think he would listen when I told him to man the ship however, he seemed to have been a pirate in life. He was all too happy to man the sails.

"Good, Jax. Our first stop will be Garden Isle, to take out the Barnacles," I said.

"SOMEBODIES GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE UP SOME BOOTY," said Jax as he set our course.

"Work hard Jax and there will be plenty of booty for you," I said.

'I don't think he's talking about treasure,' said Blinker as he shook his little head.

Blinker avoided Jax whenever he was out. I shudder to think what Jax had done to the wolpertingers to make them avoid him like the plague.

"BOOTY IS TREASURE," said Jax.

The Death Sea was tranquil and calm. A startling contrast to the dangers that lurked below. Chaotic demons weren't the only threat out in the Death Sea. Sea monsters also laid claim to these treacherous waters.

Luckily we didn't encounter any of these monsters during our journey. All was calm on the seafront. The garden isle was a small island, around 15 miles long and 2 miles in diameter.

Coming to the coastline, we didn't see any pirates in the vicinity. This would be the perfect chance to sneak in unnoticed. We docked the ship on the closest beachfront for our invasion.

"Jax watch our left flank, Blinker to the right. Sybil by my side. Anything that moves dies," I said as I wielded Judgment in my hand.

This island would be hard to invade. Past the beachfront, all that lay ahead was jungle. Filled with many enormous trees and underbrush. Visibility was poor, but we slowly combed through the rough terrain.

After a few hours of stealthily advancing, we had noticed no pirates yet. Even if the Barnacles were out raiding, there should be some foot soldiers manning the base. This was quiet, all too quiet.

Not encountering any resistance to land on the island, then seeing no one inhabiting the isle. I upped my guard, something wasn't right here. I knew chaotic demons weren't fools.

'Did someone beat me to my bounty?' I thought.

As we came to the center of the isle, we saw tents and rudimentary housing. The earth was well tilled, I guessed they planned to farm the land soon. I crept up to the area, still on guard for whatever could be here. After further investigation, signs of neglect were apparent.

The campfires had not been lit in days, the food stores were beginning to spoil, but their coffers were full. Treasure lay in front of me. Many fel stones and other Tier-3 materials filled an inconspicuous tent. Something was very wrong.

Even if they abandoned the island, they shouldn't have left their treasure here.

'Could it be a trap?' I thought.

I grew even more cautious as I placed the new treasures in my storage bag. It was too much for me to fit, so I grabbed what I could then headed back to Summer Flash to unload my booty.

'Seems like I made off like a bandit,' I thought as I was making my way back for my third trip. Just as I was about to leave with my easily gotten gains, the ground trembled.

I struggled to regain my footing as the freshly tilled earth quaked and cracked open!