"The captain wants you." Gruff was the sailor's voice and thick was the smell of meat and potato on his breath.
The expert marksman met the gaze of the sailor, "Thank you for telling me."
Responding with a grunt the bearded sailor lumbered back to his position and continued to haul forth thick lengths of rope. The Darling did not carry dead weight. Although the sailors were given plentiful rations and allocated several extra hours for sleep, they could not slack for a moment.
Influenced by his skill with the rifle Jace had been given a coveted position on the ship. He was in charge of maintaining the sailors' armory. While other sailors toiled ceaselessly under the thrashing of salty spray, powerful enough to send them sprawling backwards, he spent the day warm and dry within the ship's hull.
The position also allowed him to interact with servants from the floors above. This gave him access to unique resources, namely leftovers from the meals of the wealthy. Never before had he tasted such succulent roast chicken and pork.
Light shimmered on the long barrels of the rifles. The actions came effortlessly to him as he disassembled and cleaned the various elements of the weapon with practiced ease.
The strengthening of his perception gave Jace a firm will and nimble mind. Thoughts flowed more smoothly and he could easily split his attention onto multiple tasks.
Thus, as his hands worked skillfully, Jace happily buried himself in his thoughts.
Blasting out the brains of a charging, gigantic, heavily-armoured creature from 100 paces away was guaranteed to attract the attention of the captain. It was no surprise that the hardened and experienced sailor was interested in meeting him.
Jace held a certain degree wariness towards the captain. Surviving decades of treacherous voyages across roaring seas that thirsted for blood; what secrets did the gnarled sailor have.
Above the endless churning blue, humans were delicious warm morsels to all manner of foul nightmares.
On some stormy nights, the older sailors would recount their most horrifying experiences. Writhing tentacles oozing pus that dragged sailors beneath the waves. Islands that echoed with incomparably beautiful singing that captured mens' hearts and minds, causing sailors to jump overboard with wide smiles and desperately struggle against the waves as they tried to reach the island's shores.
In every story one aspect reappeared over and over again.
The captain, stood at the great ship's wheel, watching it all with a frozen apathetic gaze.
The sailors viewed the captain with a balance of fear and respect. When all seemed lost the captain had conjured miracles; he alone wielded the mysterious power that exceeded iron and gunpowder.
Yet stood at that boat wheel, the sailors had watched as he gave nothing more than an emotionless glance to the pleas of ill-fated men.
'To have remained Captain for so long he must have the support of the forces behind The Darling. His authority over a portion of the ship's supernatural defences provide the greatest threat to me.'
Regarding his latest acquisition of, what he deemed as mutations or skills, Jace was extremely satisfied.
To an ordinary sailor slaying the tyrant like Bloodcurdle Crab was a fierce struggle. Their powerful limbs gouged deep holes in the hull of The Darling as they scuttled swiftly forwards and their thick shells, slick with horrid smelling grime and kelp, allowed them to shrug off hails of bullets.
Commonly sailors would act in teams of 3 or 4, stunning a lone beast with rapid rifle fire before relying on quantity to sink a bullet deep into the nightmare's vulnerable eye.
Jace, who's lonely figure darted this way and that on the deck, alternating fluidly between pistol and rifle, was a true anomaly amongst the sailors.
The Bloodcurdle crabs had several unique biological characteristics. Deep within the ship one of the 5 individuals was thoughtfully stroking his chin as he stared at the dissected corpse in front of him.
The man raised his staff and brought it down on the exquisite wood floor, producing a crisp knocking sound that echoed through the room.
"Journal entry 3 thousand and 7. A unique magical organism from the depths of the Bern sea. It's carapace is tremendously thick, perhaps adapted to the phenomenal pressure experienced at the sea beds where it's colony reside.
Reproductive organs appear non-existent. Communications take place via a bizzare language of shrieks and clicking and pheromones can be released from a sac under it's third right leg.
Overall judgement; a deep sea arthropod with minimal magical abilities and that's body contains an extremely weak magical core. Relying almost entirely on the strength of its physical body the arthropod can be classified as a low tier, first rank magical beast. The presence of a core, albeit one with extremely weak magical fluctuations, supports this judgement.
It is the 235th day of the seventh solar year. I am mage Alexandras Harkam. Journal entry, complete."
Shining with extraordinary green light, hundreds of nearly written words hung in the air. Then, with a burst of blinding light, they rushed into the opaque emerald fixed at the top of the man's staff.
Pleased by the success of his spell, the man produced a unique circular device from his robe pocket. He placed this device on his eye and muttered several strange words under his breath.
Twisting and turning mystical characters danced rapidly around the device as the man's incantation came to an end.
Enthralling green light bounced wildly within the right pupil of the unknown man. Using mysterious means he had trapped a tiny fraction of that strange force within his body.
This was the power that belonged to a mage.
None of this mattered to Jace several floors above. However were the unknown man to observe the expert marksman while his spell of analysis was active, his jaw would likely drop to the floor.
The muscle density of the marksman eclipsed that of a man nearly three times over and his slightly sun-kissed skin could not be scratched by the sharpest blade. The sailors' body was more akin to a fearsome magical beast than a human being!
From the Bloodcurdle Crab Jace had gained a tyrannical defence. Piercing his skin was almost impossible by ordinary means.
As a result of his greatly strengthened skin, the muscles in Jace's body had naturally been forced to adapt. While their size and shape remained largely the same they were now bursting with extraordinary might.
The impact of multiple mutations overlapping was more subtle, however the vigor-filled blood that coursed through his veins provided Jace's enhanced muscles with nigh-inexhaustible energy. It would not be a problem for him to fight at high-intensity for several hours straight. So long as he supplied his stomach with enough nutrients to convert into energy his stamina was essentially bottomless. Of course there were limitations to this but the principle was true.
'My current strength should be enough to deal with the captain. Firstly it's unlikely he wishes to harm one of his crew. Secondly it ought to be impossible for him to mobilise too much of the ship's secrets at once. As long as I remain guarded my safety is largely guaranteed.
Some risks must be taken. If I avoid the captain's request it will only arouse suspicion. I must go.'
Jace set down the gleaming rifle in his hands. The sound of the barrel clicking into place echoed in the silent room.
Although he knew not why a small smile crossed the face of the powerful marksman. He stepped forwards confidently.
The armoury door swung shut.
Only the glimmering barrels of steel remained.