Bloody Pirates!

"Pirates."

"Bandits."

"Vagabonds."

"Those Criminals and outcasts hated by those who consider themselves part of civilised society."

"All these people have their uses."

"Whether it is giving soldiers actual combat experience."

"Or serving my interests in some other more dubious way."

Reginald Coulan Creator and head of House Aurellion in Dynasties Online.

….

Grasping onto the rigging of his flagship, The Iskara, a large war galley, a man with a mix of bronze skin and scales gazed at the five ships large imposing ships approaching him as he gave the order for his captains to engage. A mysterious source, likely a competitor of his victim, had told him that five ships were laden with goods for him to plunder and where to find them. However, when he looked at the ships in question, he cursed slightly because he realised that his job would be far more challenging than he initially expected.

'Those are not ordinary trading ships! They are more like bloody warships! That bloody bastard! He never told me I'd be facing bloody warships and well-equipped men because if he did, he would have never taken this goddamned job!'

The half-Larentine player Plunder Outlaw complained internally, cursing his greed and the information that he was given as it was not trading ships that he had been told about that he faced but more like warships looking eerily similar to the galleons and other vessels that were used in the 1500s and onwards by the Europeans to explore the world and eventually create their vast, powerful empires.

Though, like all empires both in the game and in real life, they were built off the backs of countless crimes and atrocities many lost to the pages of unwritten history, for history is written primarily by the victor who would do all they could to hide any crimes that they had committed to gain their lofty position.

To make matters worse, these ships also appeared to have more than just sailors on board, making boarding these ships much more costly as professional soldiers or mercenaries were far more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than newbie sailors would be.

Especially those who were war veterans and used to surviving on chaotic, bloody medieval battlefields. If these were the soldiers sworn to a noble house, which he feared they were, then they were far more likely to fight to the end because their loyalty usually ran far deeper than that of mercenaries and sellswords who only fought for the highest bidder.

Compared to his own galleys, cogs and other more medieval-esq ships, the ones before him were far more advanced and were likely some sort of new model that had recently been developed by the NPCs or players in the game, though he suspected it was the NPCs who developed these ships as few players would have the knowledge and the power let alone both to be able to make this many three-masted sailing ships within the 9 months in-game time as the players still needed years in-game to develop themselves properly.

Even if the owner of these ships was a player, the ships were likely bought from an NPC, though just being able to take out the hundreds of thousands of gold needed to purchase these ships would reveal that he was a powerhouse amongst the current player base. Only nine in-game months had passed, and many players had only seen their first harvest season, let alone being able to buy five of the best ships on the current market.

 The only difference was that there were no rows of cannons.

He likely had only an advantage in speed and moveability on them, but with the large sails, even that could not be guaranteed.

'Thank the gods for that!' the pirate player thought as his eyes narrowed. He analysed the mighty seafaring vessels before him, looking for any weaknesses, of which he found very few, much to his chagrin.

Instead, what he saw sent shivers down his spine. Each vessel was armed with two large balistas on the front and rear, each loaded with large steel bolts that would shred his ships apart. The imposing ships glided across the sea as if the raging tides were nothing but specks of dirt to be ignored.

Braxel Brent, the character of the player Plunder Outlaw, would need to avoid the enormous deadly bolts of the ballistas if he didn't want to end up as fish food or at the mercy of his enemies, which for pirates like him usually meant death as he was under no illusion the grisly fate that awaited him were he ever to be captured.

The hanging skeletons at the entrance of Whitehaven Harbour, one of the wealthiest ports in the western seas based in the Kingdom of Tapaina, were more than sufficient for him and any player to understand the devastating consequences of breaking the law.

Even now, the hanging corpses made him shudder slightly, as dying to the sword in battle is far more preferable to that.

A few days after Dynasties Online was fully released to the public, many people, mainly those who shied away from war and conflict and spent their time farming, blacksmithing, or doing other non-combat jobs, were confused as to why the game so stringently enforced an age limit requiring every player to be a legal adult to play.

They even took to the forums to voice their complaints. Which child in the modern world did not play games that were sixteens and eighteens like Call of Duty or Halo when they were far too young for them? Most of these children were only 6 or 8 when they first played these games, which were supposedly designed for those much older.

However, by week's end, all these voices were silenced as by then, everyone had witnessed the public punishments dealt out to criminals in a brutal medieval world.

And to say that it was a bloody spectacle would be an understatement.

Thieves lost hands. Well, the commoner ones, that is, the nobility, could usually pull a few strings and get off relatively scot-free. Even now, Braxel could hear the bloodcurdling screams as a steel axe was raised before being brought down, and a man's hand became a bloody stump in an instant or the cry for mercy before a man was hanged.

The virtual reality suddenly seemed less virtual at that moment, and the pirate player could remember throwing up at the sight of what a modern man would find barbaric but something that was all too common in Dynasties Online and its medieval world.

A world where brutal punishments were the norm to the point that many see them as barbaric.

It did not surprise Braxel that the players would be thrown into the game world when seafaring technology was beginning to see a breakthrough, though how far they would be able to go with technological advancement not linked to magic is unknown as the eccentric CEO and creator of Dynasties Online James Larant was well known for his hatred of guns and modern weapons with only melee or bow like modern weapons receiving any interest from the mysterious billionaire creator of Dynasties Online and these preferences were reflected in the game where technology passed the late medieval or early renaissance would not appear unless it was linked to magic in some way.

It is unknown why, but it seems for one reason or another, James liked the idea of noble and honourable knights, lords, and kings, and it has already been announced that something like the Industrial Revolution was not going to occur, though philosophies that came through the Enlightenment could.

Though, how well they can be received and implemented in a medieval world is yet to be seen.

Because he was the creator and CEO of this new game and the company behind it, as well as its majority stakeholder, helping many to find a proper meaning in their lives, the players who decided to enter this new game world rife with opportunity had no choice but to accept his eccentric limitations on technology, though magical technology did not have such constraints.

'Though that is probably because, unlike guns and bombs whose destructive power can send a country development decades, something like antimagic crystals exists to help stop someone from destroying entire cities and landscapes, not to mention the heavy price that needs to be paid to be able to wield such power.'

'For many, a great magician, even grandmasters, can die from casting spells that are too powerful.'

The pirate player thought, his head shaking slightly as he emerged from his stupor and focused on the battle ahead.

One that could either help lead to his rise….

Or, like millions of players already, he will become a corpse for the powerful to feast on. Already, there have been countless posts on the forums of players complaining about their demise or tremendous losses while playing the game.

Just one of the countless people whose dreams they would crush in their brutal rise to power.

"Thank god I brought all my ships."

The player pirate said aloud, talking more to himself than anyone else, but still got an affirmation in response from Ingar, his loyal Larantine first mate agreeing with him, who also knew that the information they were given had severely understated the strength of their foe, putting Braxel in a tight spot. An expert fighter in his own right and a man that Braxel trusted with his life, Ingar was the man who helped control and turn what was once nothing more than a rabble of pirates into something resembling an actual navy.

 Amongst the captains of the pirate fleet were two master fighters, experts that he had gained the loyalty of one way or another using his skill at naval warfare to not only win them over but to build a strong powerbase for himself over the coming months by choosing his prey carefully for never once has he ever been on the losing side of an engagement.

After all, any player who has managed to get more than one master fighter to serve under them would be one of the top players in the world, even if they would become far more common as the players developed. Though most of the players with such strong subordinates were usually those, who had managed to become influential nobles, whether landed or not, a player who obtained two master fighters without a noble title is no easy man to deal with, and only facing a powerhouse of a similar level would they end up suffering tremendous losses.

Braxel chose to prey on both had much to plunder but were lightly defended enough for them to make for easy pickings for him and his veteran band of corsairs, being able to easily take their ships, selling some alongside their loot and converting others to join their ever-growing fleet, allowing the player to amass a substantial amount of money and power over the nine or so months that had passed in the game approaching the two-month mark since the game had been released in real life.

This usually vital step was something that he had overlooked this time around, motivated by his greed and under the influence of their mysterious backer and for a substantial sum who assured them that they were facing a newer merchant group who would not have too many resources on hand. As a result, they rushed things, leading to a lack of due diligence.

Something that the pirate player would pay dearly for.

 However, the money paid to them would help to offset any losses Braxel may incur. In addition, if he could capture and repair these five ships, they would make a fine and terrifying addition to his collection, as Braxel did not have these sorts of advanced ships yet, which would allow him to attack and plunder far richer prey than he currently did. Unfortunately, unknown to this player, such dreams of grandeur were unlikely to come true.

Braxel even had a base on a small island in the raging ocean that bent around their continent like a bent elbow, which people dub The Bending Sea. Their base was one of the many islands in the grand archipelago of the Black Flag Isles, close enough to the major trade routes to exploit the lucrative waterborne trade that helped to connect the north and south of the continent, bringing tremendous profits to both the merchants and to those who prayed upon them like wolves.

Such trade, while lucrative, can also be perilous, with the potential to cause great gains or tremendous losses, especially because your competitors could tip off pirates. So, if you are not careful, you may end up with nothing but debt on what would have otherwise been a very profitable endeavour.

Any man who does not prepare for such eventualities would be nothing more than a naïve fool who thinks the world is nothing but sunshine and rainbows, forgetting that in the pursuit of profit, some people are willing to go to any lengths, including sabotaging their opponents, especially in the medieval age where evidence can be hard to come by.

One just needed to look at Railius Aurellions' current convoy for proof, as the small flotilla alone, without the many goods on board worth tens of thousands of gold, cost him 250,000 gold, a fortune few players, even landed nobles, had ever seen in there months within the game world.

The only other two ways for trade to pass was a treacherous march through the Flemwin Marshes or a ship through the seas of the Svanski Confederacy, which, even if you disregarded the danger from pirates and other brigands, this northern tended to freeze for half the year. This made this route only available for half of the year, except for a few ships designed specially to break through the ice, and that is if they can survive the sub-zero temperatures and ice caps that can easily crush wooden ships, ripping them to shreds like they were paper, making the trade route only open for half the year.

This is also why most ships come through the warmer tropical waters of the Black Flag Islands. Despite its rampant piracy and the many risks involved in taking this route, it was the only reliable navigable route for overseas trade between the north and south of the continent for half of the year when the northern route was frozen. 

This biting cold made the lands in the east far less fertile and prosperous than in other places in the world, as apart from a few furs and minerals, there was little to trade, forcing many of the inhabitants to leave and go raiding other lands for a living to the point that it had become an essential part of the culture for these cold eastern nations of Dynasties Online. They could not even make too much money off trading, as for half the year, the east seas connecting the north and the south was frozen over, making much maritime trade impossible as merchants preferred to use the western sea that has a tropical climate, forcing the beleaguered and starved people to take on a lifestyle and engage in practices that most people would consider barbaric such as looting and piracy.

Even the scourge of slavery, something which had long become illegal in the real world, was all too common in Dynasties Online, being legal in many places; however, like all forms of illicit activity in the real world, this despicable trade merely retreated into the shadows of the underworld and dark web and was still ongoing in the real world.

Anyone who thinks that making something profitable illegal will make it stop is an idiot. This is why drugs are still traded despite their illegality and why prohibition in America merely led to alcohol production going underground and did little to stop it or its consumption and instead would lead to an increase in crime and death, because unlike businessmen in the real world criminals who skulk in the seedy recesses of the underworld do not need to heed the law or the rules that it enforces for the good of society.

While suddenly making something illegal may be effective in the short term, in the long term, the people taking part in these activities go further and further into the underworld, a place where no law can protect them or, for that matter, pursue them.

For laws are only powerful if there is enough strength to enforce them. 

This is because most player-landed nobles were only barons or vice counts, with only a castle and a few villages or a town to their name if they were lucky.

They even had to pay for a small army, a set of retainers, and servants, not to mention the many expenses associated with maintaining their lands, preparing food for winter and looking after their subjects.

After all, there was a reason why, in history, there were not a few nobles who accrued large debts due to their lavish lifestyles and incompetent rule.

It was also the nobles' refusal to tax themselves when their country was in debt that led to many revolts and revolutions, the most famous of which being the infamous French Revolution, which could have been avoided if the nobles had paid their fair share of taxes and the Bourbon family, at the time, did not fund America's independence to the point where they themselves were bankrupt just to compete with Great Britain.

This is also why most ships come through the warmer tropical waters of the Black Flag Islands. Despite its rampant piracy and the many risks involved in taking this route, it was the only reliable navigable route for overseas trade between the north and south of the continent for half of the year when the northern route was frozen. 

The only problem for Braxel was that, for once, he may have bitten off more than he could chew, a vast understatement if he understood the true power of the forces arrayed against him fighting against men who could take on even the legendary Chavarian Imperial Guard 2-1 and live to tell the tale.

The potential player pirate king gave the order for his fleet to engage the surprisingly well-armed merchant fleet despite having a few misgivings, hoping to use the moveability of his smaller vessels and the skill of his veteran battle-hardened crew to win the day, not realising that he was leading his men into the lion's jaws.

After all, how strong can a bunch of new sailors and mercenaries be in hand-to-hand combat?

It's not like he would be facing war veterans who had scoured the land, running from one battlefield to another for 20 years, right?

For nobles, who had such elite soldiers to spare, were usually old and powerful noble families who looked down upon merchants and their occupation despite how lucrative it could be, which is why even those sons with little to inherit would rather join the army or be a vassal under their elder brothers as that way they would be able to uphold their families dignity and may even get a territory out of it if they were lucky. If lands could not be found, they could always be knights in the family's service.

A noble occupation that many commoners aspire to is all too easy to acquire for scions of these powerful families as not all knights needed lands to live well, with many getting a generous salary from the lords that they served. 

Looking through his golden-plated spyglass, which he procured at great expense as right now they were rare and expensive to obtain, only being common within the navies of powerful countries. Using it, Braxel could find around 100 mailed men on each ship. The rest were obviously ordinary sailors from their scruffy clothes and looks, men and women who would be no match for his veteran corsairs once the fight began and steel clashed with steel. The soldiers were different and would be much more troublesome to deal with, but the moment those armoured men were knocked into the sea, they would be drowned under the immense weight of their mail armour. 

Steeling his heart, Braxel headed towards a battle that would irrevocably change his fate forever, though whether it was for good or ill had yet to be seen.