Tales of the Pearly City (Pearly Tales Vol.1) [Completed]

79. The Dread Pirate and the Red Blade

"Gah! I blame myself!" Cal collapsed at the bar in Peter's tavern. It was long passed when most of the regulars left and the heavy rain outside didn't help Cal's mood.

"You look like death." Peter obvserved.

"Please, don't joke like that. I feel like I've been chewed up and spit out, twice."

"I heard, so what will you have?"

"Just some juice."

"Juice, huh? Normally, men who walk in looking like you, ask for something a little stronger."

"Normal men don't have the weight of an entire kingdom on their shoulders, and their traumatized night-terror-prone daughter sleeping upstairs. I can't afford to dull any of my senses." Cal waved his hand.

"I'll give you that. Don't worry I'll whip you up something good."

"Peter..."

"Don't worry I won't sneak in any liquor."

"... I'm just such a failure, Pete. Not only did Ophelia have to suffer, but I got into a fight with Shayley. And then there's the city..." Cal clenched his teeth and kicked the bar. "Dammit... dammitdammitdammit!" Cal ran his frustrated hands through his hair while kicking the bar.

"Hey, watch my bar." Peted chided.

"Sorry, Pete... On the outside this city lives up to its name, but on the inside, it's rotten. And I have nobody to blame but myself."

Peter slid the drink in front of Cal.

"I won't pretend to understand things I don't. But I'll listen if you got something to say." Peter poured himself a glass of the juice.

"It's so roundabout. I didn't plan for this city to be real! When I made it, it was just a guild city. Everything was just as it was, I didn't need to plan for it to grow this much. If I had known, if I had known, if I had known. God what would I have even done if I had known?" Cal sipped his drink. "It feels like everything I've ever done is biting me in the ass. I don't even have any way to blow off my frustration. I can't drink, I can't leave the building. Even if I could, if I was to really let loose, who knows what would happen since my abilities are so- GAH!!!" Cal threw his hands in the air.

"What's wrong with your abilities?" Peter asked. Peter was under the impression that Cal only had support and artisan classes.

"Have you ever heard of Dread Pirates?"

"Only through whispers back in the day of raids. That means..."

Cal nodded, "much of this might sound like gibberish to you, but back in the day there was a creator for the game... this world. He was a pirate fanatic so he created a broken class."

"I've never heard of a broken class before."

"It's a term used for a class that is unfair in the mechanics of the game. One that is too powerful or too weak. Well the dread Pirate class's broken functions dealt with curses of unimaginable power at a high price. From your life, to the life of your enemies. When this was just a game I didn't think much of it. However, the true extent of its power lies in taboo techniques. Everything from using your own life for spells, to stealing souls and using their life force, even to the extent of commanding legions of the damned. " Cal's eyes shined with terrible power. "Blood magic, necromancy, and soul-eating."

"?"

"In order to have the class released, the creator compromised on only allowing ten accounts to have this power. But at the end of the day only five people were ever allowed this class. Two stopped using it, claiming that it was too powerful and took away from the fun. One put it down because it wasn't her style. And one discarded it because it clashed so hard with the rest of his stats. Which leaves..."

"You?"

"The scourge of the sea. I grew powerful and unlocked another broken hidden class. The red blade. It only unlocks after certain conditions are met."

"Conditions?"

"Defeating enemies over three times your level. The red blade's skills use percentile damage and lower cool downs. But it was a rogue class who uses mana instead of stamina. Wizards who have plenty of mana, often don't need the skills since their normal attacks are stronger and have better effects. And normal rogues can't use it efficiently because they don't have the mana."

"Which is where the Dread pirate comes in."

"Yes, now throw in a few classes that raise health points and you have a recipe for a god killer." Cal sipped his drink. "I really am a god of death. The more people I kill the stronger I get. Every soul I kill, every elemental I summon, and every curse I cast makes me stronger and poisons the land. Take the cursed sea for example."

"I had a feeling about that when you jumped so fast after hearing about it."

"Before, this was just a game, that's all the thought I gave into it. Now it's my reality and my gamer mentality is biting me in the ass no matter which way I look. I've never had to look at the city in a socioeconomical-kind of way."

"Sounds rough." Wendy sat at the bar next to Cal.

"Wendy?"

"Look Cal, the only people who imagine that you're perfect are the deists. The rest of us are just happy to have you back."

Peter nodded.

"You two have sure gotten chummy, again." Cal propped his face up with his elbow on the table, but his expression didn't show that he was impressed like he normally would.

"It's thanks to you Cal." Wendy said. "I'll be honest, I was dragged back here kicking and screaming. But being around you has really put things in perspective. Just looking at my daughters, they really lucked out. Who knows how many from our day are still even alive? You pulled Naomi out of jail. Even though I am technically your slave, I am eternally grateful for the part you played in keeping my family together. Even Peter finally got his act together."

Cal sipped his drink.

"Look at it this way, even if you could go back in time and make the changes you think you should have, a different tragedy would have befallen our city. You can't plan for everything."

Cal sighed, "Maybe you're right. It still feels like for every step we take going forward, we take two steps back."

Wendy put her hand on Cal's arm in an unusually affectionate way. "You shouldn't take your frustration out on Shayley. She may be a warrior, but she still has the tender heart of a maiden. You can't abandon the ones you're fighting for, so easily."

"In a city full of girls no wonder everything is so fragile-ow."

"Now stop that." Wendy swatted the hand out from under his head. "Are you blaming Shayley for destroying your city?"

Cal sighed. "I'm only saying I poorly prepared her for it." He sighed again. "I've been looking at the history of the Pearly city whenever I get a chance. To be honest I should be thanking her for keeping it above water for as long as she has." He sipped his drink. "She really is amazing."