Chương 76: Walk The Plank (2)

Watching from afar, Cayman admired the scene that was unfolding in front of him. Three boys, all brimming with vitality and vigour, were fighting beasts that were at a level higher than theirs, their brains devoid of the thought of consequences. It was a truly gruesome sight, letting three teenage boys run wild, killing mana beasts like they were toys and not caring about the impending danger that they could end up facing if things went awry.

However, Cayman didn't care, since he was used to this scene already; he had already been desensitised to violence long before the likes of Theo Parker and Robert Ryan appeared in his life. He had nurtured them, he had taught them the ways of skill users and Hoppers, and this was merely the end result. Fighting mana beasts and reaping the rewards is just what skill users and Hoppers do on a daily basis. It was all in a day's work for a Hopper.

And that sentence, although it was true, was nothing but a mere platitude at that point. Cayman, who was lost in thought while staring at Theo, Ben and Robert fighting the skeleton pirates, didn't even notice when Maya and Daniel walked up to him.

"They're doing well," Maya said when she cast her gaze on the fight.

"They're holding up well despite the beasts being half a level higher than the boys." Daniel remained silent as he digested all of the information in his brain; a part of him was glad that he hadn't been sent to fight yet, but there was also a part of him that wanted to be on the frontlines, fighting for the sake of his dignity and proving to others that after all this time, he had been worthy of becoming a Hopper.

For a while, it was just the three of them staring into the distance, gazing intently with indifferent expressions as the fighting ensued; despite the skeletons being at a higher level, heads still flew in the air, bones were still launched into the sea and swords were still snatched away or shattered. It was still a sight to behold. Something that piqued not just Maya and Daniel's interest but also Cayman's interest.

There was silence for what felt like a few minutes as Maya, Daniel and Cayman watched the show in front of them like hawks, surveying the boys' every move and ensuring that none of them suffered from potentially irremediable wounds. However, as always, it was Maya who broke the silence, opening her mouth to speak. She had already begun to lose interest in the fight.

"Daniel," she began in her usual cheerful manner.

"Have I ever told you about our expedition to Planet 501? It seems like ages ago now, and I don't remember telling you." Daniel shook his head, and for a fleeting moment it felt as though the ghost of Ellie Grace had entered his body. Maya's reaction, which was usually dramatic and vehement, was eerily calm and composed, something which belied her usual boisterous, voracious attitude.

"Thought so. It was because you weren't even a skill user when we went to Planet 501. You were probably wondering why I was leaving the house all the time without knowing where I went. You would have been confused if I had told you the truth back then." Daniel nodded, still showing clear, visible signs of being possessed by Ellie.

"Basically, we defeated all the lower-level beasts with ease, and when it came to the boss beast, it was a boss which was half advanced, half legendary. And back then, we were just fledglings who hadn't even learned how to fly yet." Daniel continued to nod while steadfastly gazing at the fight. He wasn't fazed at all by Maya's words despite her telling him that basic-level Hoppers were going to defeat a quasi-legendary beast.

What piqued his interest more was the fact that another skeleton in the distance had just lost its head, but he couldn't discern the reason for this.

"We could have died," Maya continued, her tone remaining serious.

"Cayman didn't anticipate this to happen, and we could've had our lives-""Shut up about that," Cayman interjected boldly.

"Don't denounce me in front of people. I need to keep my dignity, especially in front of Devon." Maya hung her head for a short while, but then swiftly lifted it again, turning her head to stare at Daniel like nothing had just happened. She continued, finally in her usual elegant and charming manner, her voice sweet and laced with zeal.

"Basically, we could have died. We could have died before getting the full experience. It all could have ended for us on our debut mission. Can you imagine how sad that would be?" Daniel slowly turned his head to face Maya, seeming reluctant to leave the amazing fight behind for just a mere conversation. His gaze, akin to Ellie's, was indifferent and expressionless. Maybe he just had a bad night's sleep. Yeah, it could just be that.

"Terrible," he said in a voice that differed markedly from his usual voice. At least he had just proved that he was capable of speaking.

"It would definitely be terrible," Maya said dreamily.

"You would've lost your twin sister to something so gruesome and you would probably still be grieving over it to this day if it happened."

"OK, OK. You don't have to say it. You're going too far now. You're still here, and that's all that matters. Don't go off on a tangent and wonder what life would be like for the family if you suddenly disappeared and died without us knowing."

"I'm just saying that you're lucky to still have me here." However, Daniel seemed unamused by Maya's emotional remark. Whether it was because he refused to think about a world without Maya or because he was just happy that Maya was still by his side, Maya couldn't discern the reason for Daniel's reaction. Daniel thought that Maya was finished with her sob story after those words, but Maya continued talking, turning her head to face the fight scene once more.

"Luckily, I have a group of very cooperative friends, and together, we defeated the beast. Every single one of us played a part in its defeat. Each person played an equal part and we're all grateful to have each other."

"That's good," Daniel replied bluntly, still unamused.

"We had Cayman, and if Cayman's there, we're always going to win no matter what."

"Shut up!" Cayman shouted.

"I'm not a liability! Leave me out of this!" In response, Maya winked at Cayman, which made his cheeks go red.

"As you command, Mr Grace." That prompted a face-palm reaction from Cayman. Regardless, Maya continued speaking.

"At the very end, Robert, who thought he was better than the rest, decided that he wanted to see the beast all mangled and mutilated, and even after it was dead, he continued to slash it wildly in all possible areas, not caring about us. He was crazy."

"Is this linked to the eyes in some way?" Daniel asked emotionlessly.

"I saw something similar when I was on Planet 505. Robert went berserk and killed a man, and he did so with such-""Shut up about the eyes!" Cayman bellowed once he lifted his head.

"I actually can't take it anymore! How about not talking? I need to see if they need help! I need to know when to deploy you both! I can't focus when you two are talking about a sensitive topic!" Maya sighed and muttered, "As you insist." And afterwards, silence ensued. The ship that they were on calmly rocked back and forth, but amazingly, it fazed neither Maya nor Cayman, who had both been seasick just the day before.

Daniel averted his gaze from the fight on the other ship and lifelessly stared at the sun in a sky free from any clouds, which was still rising as if it was traversing Mount Everest. His eyes were wide open and his gaze was steadfast, a testament to him embodying Ellie's indifferent personality. Cayman, Maya and Daniel then felt a breeze hit them, soothing them and prompting the ship to move faster. Maya's long hair fluttered in the breeze as she held on to her crown to avoid it from falling.

Once the light gusts of wind passed, Maya turned to face Cayman, who was still brooding and staring at the fight with a look of disdain. He seemed poised to chastise Maya with all the anger that had built up inside his brain. When Cayman didn't respond, Maya opened her mouth and spoke.

"Cayman, are you still feeling seasick?" The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"No," Cayman replied bluntly, fury evident in his voice. His face had returned to its original colour, with no evidence of him being seasick just a day ago. There were no visible traces that could lead to him being seasick again.

"Thank you for asking."

"Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"It wasn't too bad. Though I did wake up several times because of those insolent brats snoring." Maya let out a short chuckle and covered her mouth with her hand.

"I'm sure everyone heard the snoring, not just you. I heard it as well when I was about to start my shift. It was so loud I could barely sleep after my shift ended." When she got no response from Cayman, she continued speaking.

"Do you snore? I bet you were one of the ones snoring that night. I know Theo's definitely one of them since he looks like someone who snores."

"W-What? N-No, I don't snore. Besides, how can you tell?" Cayman was visually flustered; his cheeks went red and all of the anger he had been building up after hearing Maya talk about his blunder on Planet 501 had seeped away without him realising it.

"A-Anyway, we're getting sidetracked. Let's focus on the mission ahead," Cayman said with cheeks still as red as roses.

"Stop looking at me."

"Oh, so maybe you do snore."

"Shut your trap!" Cayman yelled.

"Three of your friends are out there fighting beasts at a higher level and you're here talking about whether or not I snore? Honestly, this is unacceptable behaviour. I could deploy you at any time." Maya, who remained silent, only grinned at Cayman with curved eyes and a wide smile. She then turned to face the battle again, where Theo, Ben and Robert were working their butts off trying to defeat beasts at the legendary level. It was the three of them against fifty-nine quasi-legendary level beasts.

She never thought this day would come so soon, the day where her friends would be defeating quasi-legendary level beasts yet again. But it had to come. It had to come someday if they were to progress as Hoppers.

"Oh my gosh. We might have a problem." Cayman's words made Maya's brain jolt back to reality. She turned her head to face the battle, where she could see someone on the floor, seemingly wheezing, gasping for breath and ready to surrender. And there was a skeleton nearby ready to draw its sword.

"Maya! Daniel! They need help. You have to go, now!"

"You don't have to tell us," Daniel replied solemnly, and in a flash, he was gone. Maya also instantly knew what she had to do. She had to contribute to the fight, contribute to the win. She was not going to give in so easily. Without hesitation, she stood firmly on the deck and waited to be teleported to the enemy lines.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Yet again, Theo was engaged in another life-or-death game of fencing against a group of skeleton pirates that were stronger than him. He had desired a brief moment's respite for such a long time, and when he thought the opportunity to rest his legs and catch his breath had arrived, another group of skeletons emerged from the door with their teeth bared and their eyes devoid of any eyeballs.

There were grooves on their skulls that were akin to craters on other planets, making Theo wonder what the hell those people had done during their lives. A skeleton near the back had a partially cracked skull, which made Theo want to flinch. Despite Theo being not in his optimal condition, and despite him trying his absolute best to staunch a serious wound, he stood up, gripping his swords, letting the crimson juice flow freely from his finger and onto the floor. Theo Parker was back in action yet again.

"Come," he said in a low, growling voice.

"Even though you're at a level higher than mine, I'll still send you crying to your mothers." Clop, clop, clop. The skeletons' footsteps echoed, creating an unsettling low hum which permeated the air and hung low. Nevertheless, Theo didn't falter nor flinch, he just held on to his swords tightly. With swords at the ready, the skeletons charged. And with great alacrity, Theo dodged all of the sword swings.

The skeletons, unsure of where Theo had dodged to, stood still, feeling slightly perplexed for beasts touching the legendary level. However, Theo, who wasn't going to give in to the mental enemy called complacency, teleported and struck, and with his menacing strength, he sliced down two of the skeletons using his swords. Slice! Slice! The beasts that had been struck were cleaved in two, with the top half of their bodies tumbling and landing lifelessly on the floor like a destroyed tower block.

There were still some skeletons remaining, however, but Theo didn't quail at the sight of them; instead, his lips curled up into a gigantic, sadistic smile. He knew instantly that he was going to have a lot of fun.

"Let's do this, shall we?" he asked, his growling voice containing a tinge of both hostility and mischief.

"Argh!" Ben's battle cry filled the air as he charged into a group of skeletons. Like Theo, he didn't care about their level; in his mind, levels were just a partially objective way of classifying the strength of beasts, skill users and Hoppers, nothing else. Fighting a beast which was half at the advanced level and half at the legendary level as an advanced-level skill user didn't matter to him, since the beasts' official level still contained the word 'advanced' in it.

If the beasts were solely at the legendary level, then that might be enough to make Ben falter and reconsider. But in his head, the beasts he was fighting were nothing but scum. Clang! One of his fists made contact with a skeleton's sword, and the strength that the fist was infused with prohibited the sword from moving further and potentially piercing his innards.

Since Ben needed a sword badly, and while the skeleton was distracted, he used his other fist to rapidly punch the skeleton's torso a million times in a second, causing the skeleton to crumble, fall apart and drop its sword. Without hesitating, and without checking whether the coast was clear first, Ben picked up the sword and held it in his dominant right hand. If anything, 'prudence' was the exact opposite of the behaviour he was engaging in during the fight.

Once the sword was in his hand, Ben began swinging it wildly, directing his strikes at no beast in particular. The main purpose of this was to lure the beasts closer to him, making him more appealing to the beasts and making them more willing to fight him. After a while, once the majority of the beasts ran towards either Theo's deadly punches and sword swings or Robert's cool and calculated moves, several skeletons began trotting in Ben's direction, prompting Ben to curl his lips into a threatening smile. Clang!

Ben's sword crashed into the sword of the skeleton closest to him, blocking the move that the skeleton was about to inflict on him. Once Ben parried the sword away and lunged in with another move, the same metallic clang permeated the air yet again. Clang! He had to deal with this beast quickly since there were at least three more in the vicinity that were ready to strike if their comrade ever fell. His sword moves were rendered ineffective since he was unversed in swordsmanship and his adversary was well versed.

However, that wasn't enough for him to pack his bags and leave. Clang! He continued fighting, even when sweat poured into his eyes, clouding his vision and making his eyes sting. Clang! After all, he still had more skills in his locker compared to his enemy. Punch! Crash!

Without any prior warning, with the other hand that wasn't holding a sword, Ben launched a barrage of punches in an attempt to ambush the skeleton, telling it that Ben, despite being at a level lower than the skeleton, was not going to give in easily. The propitious punches made contact with the skeleton's skull which was littered with dents and scratches. With great briskness, hundreds of punches were launched in just seconds, creating a hole in the skeleton that was easily enough to shatter its resolve.

Its grip on its sword loosened, prompting Ben to snatch it from the beast and slice it into a million tiny pieces. Finally, and with two swords at his disposal, Ben was ready to defeat the rest of the skeletons charging towards him. Clop, clop, clop. Clang! Clang! Clang! Ben didn't want to think about the booming noise of swords clashing in the air and what damage it would do to his ears, since that was only a minor issue at the moment.

To him, defeating the skeletons in any way possible was paramount, and through these fights, he was just enacting a story using sword fights. Clop. Clop.

"You guys are pirates, aren't you, with those stupid hats of yours?" Ben mused as he fought the skeletons using his sword.

"Do you know what that means?" The skeletons, being skeletons devoid of any vocal cords, didn't provide Ben an answer.

"You have to walk the plank." The skeletons, displaying no emotion at all, didn't react; they just remained steadfast as they swung their swords at Ben, only to have them blocked haphazardly by someone who was inept at the sword. Clang! Using his teleportation skill, Ben turned around so that he was the one facing the end of the deck and the sea beyond and the skeletons were the ones with their backs facing the sea. This gave him the perfect chance to let all of his childish mischief out.

"Come on. Good pirates. Walk the plank." Although there wasn't a physical plank on the pirate ship stretching into the sea, Ben still envisioned himself forcing the pirates onto that plank, sticking his sword out and ordering the pirates to walk further down it. After all, there were no rules in fighting that prevented people from pretending.

"Come on. You're not going anywhere. Walk the plank." Clop. Clop. Ben's grumbling footsteps were ominous, enough to give someone chills. Clop, clop.

"Walk. Now. Or else your head will get it." Despite the skeletons wielding swords and being at a level higher than Ben, they still faltered, lowering their swords and not daring to launch an attack on him. After all, he had two swords, one in each hand, and superhuman strength which was enough to roil the imaginary brains of the skeletons.

"This is what you get for messing with me." Clop. Clop. Clop.

"Are you not going to comply with my orders?" The blade of the sword in his right hand was pointed directly at the closest skeleton's neck, seeming poised to tear it apart at any second.

"You know that despite your level, you're just lowly skeletons, right?" Ben readied the blade in his left hand.

"That's something you can never change." Stab! In an instant, after channelling all of his strength into his right hand, the blade penetrated into the closest skeleton's neck bone. As soon as Ben lifted his blade, taking the skeleton with it, he flung the blade around, causing the bones on its lower body (which were previously fixed together) to fall apart. Just like that, the skeleton had admitted defeat. Clang! Clang! Clang!

The other skeletons that were made to walk the plank soon reacted, charging towards Ben, but Ben, with a grimacing smirk on his face, lunged forward with his blade and cut the life force of the skeletons, severing them to bits. After some difficulty, all the skeletons that had been forced to walk the plank were dead and just a pile of bones on the floor. The fact that the beasts were touching the legendary level was out of Ben's mind; according to him, that was just an unnecessary detail.

With this, Ben could finally flaunt his progress as a skill user and let out all of his hubris.

"This is what happens when you don't follow orders," he said, his voice deep, growling and showing no signs of its usual cheerfulness.

"This is what happens when you defy me. You will be made to pay."