The ships were approaching quickly. All of them had good quality, similar to that of Frederick. That fact made clear that they were capable opponents.
Joshua was eager for a fight, as he was not getting any experience points lately. He hoped that he would gain at least two levels after that fight.
Once the ships got closer, Leo and Khali started to show their prowess.
Both were competent mages. Of course, Khali had the upper hand, but Leo didn't standstill. Several fireballs flew toward the enemy ships, causing a lot of damage. The ships were woody, so the final damage was even higher.
Khali was more proficient in wood magic, but that didn't mean he didn't have other things up his sleeves. He was able to cast spells of various elements, although these were much weaker than his main attribute.
Seeing how effective the fireballs were, Khali launched them as well. Everyone could see the difference in power between the two. Leo's spells were impressive, but Khali's were at least three times bigger.
Joshua, who was close to the two, could feel the scorching heat coming from the spells. He was glad he wasn't the target of those spells.
"Although I'm sure I'm immune to fire," thought Joshua.
The enemy ships were still too far away for a close-quarters conflict, so the crew could only watch as both mages cast their spells.
The enemy had no mages, as there was no magic responding to the fireballs. Despite this, they still had a way of attacking from afar.
A barrage of arrows came flying. Philip saw that movement and ordered his crew to defend themselves with shields. With shields aimed high, they fended off the attack. Well, not entirely. Some crewmen were too slow, and they got hit, dying on the spot.
After the exchange, the ship's deck got soaked in blood. Joshua protected himself with a shield one of the crew members gave him. Khali created a barrier of vines that blocked the attack, so he and Leo stood there unscathed.
Hanrog impressed Joshua. He was just a kid, yet Khali didn't send him back to his room. He stayed up there to battle. The scariest fact was that he didn't even need to use a shield to protect himself. Hanrog just cut the arrows using his shortsword.
What type of monster did Khali raise? These were things Joshua wanted to know.
The ships were fast, so they were near each other before the second barrage of arrows. Now the fight would occur in melee. Three burning ships got near, and their crew threw ropes. Soon, a lot of fierce warriors jumped inside.
Philip shouted for everyone to get into formation. They have gone through a lot together, and their teamwork was spectacular.
Joshua wasn't very familiar with that type of combat. He was a lone wolf. For that reason, he completely ignored what Philip had said.
"I have no idea how to fight in formation. Fuck it, I'll do it my way," thought Joshua.
And it was on that day they met the monster called Joshua.
At first, they were confident about stealing the ship, as they had the numbers advantage. But as soon as fireballs were thrown, they started to wonder if that was a good idea. The problem was that it was impossible to turn around. The only thing they could do was dive straight in.
The first thing they did was to scan for the mages. They were the most dangerous targets, and they needed to be dealt with first. Joshua knew they would think that way, so
for that reason, he ran to Leo and Khali as soon as the attack started. Hanrog was also close to his father.
The invaders identified the mages and went straight to them, not caring about the young man nearby. That was their biggest mistake.
One of the 'pirates' had his blade close to Leo's throat but was stopped by a young man. He was surprised to see that, and before he could react, a massive sword had cut his head in half.
The man dropped dead. Brain pieces were everywhere. Leo didn't throw up because he couldn't since he was a Lich. The others were surprised to see how brutal Joshua was and relieved to have him as an ally.
After that, all of the others paid more attention to that youth. They invaded the ship thinking that only the mages were strong, but it seemed that they guessed it wrong.
A notification of experience points popped in front of Joshua. It had been a long time since he saw that. The man he killed gave him little experience, but it was still better than nothing. And considerating how many enemies were in that deck, Joshua would surely get the two levels he wanted.
~~~~
The battle got fiercer as time passed. Both parties had lost a lot of members. Even though the enemies had the numbers advantage, Joshua made up for that. He killed a lot of people. Not only that but Leo and Khali made their lives harder. Spells that immobilized their movements happened all the time, and when they did, Joshua would slash them. Before Joshua realized it, he leveled up.
[+1 level]
[Name: Joshua Moore]
[Level: 6 (0/1500)]
[Class: Solan's Warbringer]
[Health: 367/590]
[Mana: 180/260]
[Attributes:
[Strength: 25(+3)]
[Endurance: 7(+2)]
[Dexterity: 10(+2)]
[Wisdom: 6]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Free points: 5]
Joshua added three points to strength and two to dexterity.
He was not in full health as he got hit a few times by the enemies, but nothing close to dangerous. Joshua also used his Fire Manipulation to improve his physical capabilities, making him stronger and faster. It was not rare for Knights to have abilities to boost their physique, but they never saw a skill as strong as Joshua's.
The enemies started to retreat after seeing their attack fail. As only fools would chase others, Frederick said, "let these fools go."
Joshua wanted more experience points, but getting one level was already good enough.
Corpses filled the deck, and the crew started to toss them in the sea. Frederick did not fight, but he watched everything from a small window in his room.
"That youth is not simple," said Frederick, as he gazed with a murderer intent towards Joshua.