Black Tooth looks at the merchant ship that is happily flowing down the river. A flag hangs high above the ship's main nest. From afar he could only see the black salutes of the guards and ship crew. Some hold lanterns to make navigating through this dark night easier.
"Boss is that the target?"
A short man said, with green seaweed-like hair. Blue color skin and scales scatter around the body. Looking like a mix between a fish and a human. This fish man has the heritage of subzero. Humans who have this heritage have traits of that of fish or underwater creatures.
The man in front of Black Tooth is a self-reform human cultivator of the mortal stage. His race is [Aquatac], one of the original races that lived in this part of the plains region before being pushed back by the humans from The Dragon Empire Sect.
"Yes it is Fishy"
Fishy cringed at the name, but there was nothing he could do. Black Tooth's bigoted jokes were something he has to deal with. Not like it's any better around any other part of this sect. A lot of the wealth that Aquatacs had were stolen and pillaged by humans ages ago, they are now left with copper coins in a sect where gold has more value than life.
"Bois! You know the deal, we go in and hit hard, and leave fast. Like leaving a girl behind after finding out she is pregnant!"
"Wooo!"
The crew scream out in excitement, most of Black Tooth's crew were human. But there was a small mix of Aquatacs and other subzero heritage humans. Black Tooth pulls out his blue color sword from its scabbard, pointing it to the ship as he screams his heart out. Infusing his Qi into his voice while doing so.
"Charge!"
With their order, the crew drew their weapons and started running towards the river bank, coming out of the forest that surround the river. Black Tooth's roar was not just for show, for his loud roar alerted both the ship crew, but also stun the mortal crew that was working.
The first crew member to reach the river bank is a human man, armed with a small axe and a shield. As his feet touch the water, it freezes under his feet. Creating an ice bridge for him to reach the ship. The same happens to the other crew members. As they started to run towards the merchant ship.
Which is now stuck because of the ice. One guard, who seem to be the leader was giving out orders.
"Ice pirates! All man defends the ship and the cargo!"
Ice pirates are a common event for the merchant ships of The River Republics. Most pirates don't even raid because they are desperate, they are more like unofficial mercenaries for the rich and powerful. There are multiple types of pirates within The Greater River sect.
Ice pirates used special skills or artifacts to freeze the river and attack, the more popular form of piracy in the republics. The other is water pirates, the normal pirates that use ships to raid their targets. Such pirates can only be found in the high sea or around the coastline.
The guard on the ship, a mixture of mortals and cultivators aim their spears at the pirates. As from the ship nest, the mortal guards' arms with guns started to shoot at the cultivators. The bullets travel at a fast speed through the air, most of their shoots missing. But when they hit, a pirate loses either a limb or their life.
Black Tooth channels his Qi through his sword as he swings it down, creating a water sword slash that travels through the air. Its target is no other than the ship's nest. As the female mortal saw the water slash coming towards her, she knew her life has come to an end. The water slash cuts the nest.
As pieces of it fall down to the ship. As debris falls down on the head of the guards, the mortal ones lose their life. While the cultivator only sustains minor injuries. The body of the mortal woman braking through the wooden floor of the ship. Her blood splattered all over, her bones poking out of her body, and her organs spilling out of her body.
"Fuck! They have cultivators!"
"They are climbing! Stab them!"
"Ahh!"
The guard line started breaking fast, as the mortal guards were pulled from the ship by the pirates. Their life ends in a short second as they get butcher-like animals. This hole in their formation allows some pirates to climb into the ship. A pirate with yellow teeth and a broken sword gets on the ship. But before it can do anything, his head is cut clean off by the guard commander.
The pirate's head goes flying through the sky as its headless body falls to the floor. The heavy maze of the guard captain is covered in blood and brain matter.
"Don't let them climb! Kill them all!"
The guard captain said as he controls his Qi to make his body tougher. Grabbing the hand of any pirate and throwing them across the river. Even if he is a warrior stage cultivator, he is strong enough to throw a full-grown mortal man across many meters.
But no matter how strong he is, his guard crew was slowly dying, allowing more and more pirates to climb into the ship. Resulting in a bloody melee battle.
"Protect the cargo with your life! They are only lowl-"
"Now, why do you have to insult us like that?"
A man said, with black flowing hair, yellow color eyes, wearing a stereotypical pirate's dirty and ugly outfit, and with multiple rings in his fingers and multiple chains hanging from his neck. A single fake black tooth is his one outstanding feature. The guard commander sees this and clicks his tongue.
"Black Tooth I take it?"
"Oh~ a sect cultivator knows about me? I am so delighted"
"Today will be your last day in this world"
"Oh really? But I think it would be yours" The pirate said as he appears in front of the guard commander "Can't die tonight, I still have to pay my debts"
As their weapons clash against each other, their battle is fierce, they were evenly matched in strength and speed. The fight went on for a couple more minutes. The pirates came out victorious, the body of the merchant crew and guard lay at their feet. Black Tooth enjoys looking at some of the treasures within the merchant ship.
"Look at all this gold and gems~ all mine!"
"Boss! We found the item"
"Um? Oh, yea the poison"
The pirate said as he follows his crewmember towards the item. Arriving at one of the deeper rooms of the merchant ship. A crystal bottle with a blue liquid inside of it, the bottle itself is inside of a glass box. The multiple labels of danger stuck to the glass gave confidence to the pirate that this must be a very deadly poison.
"Crystal Death? Damn, looks like our contractor really wants a person ki-"
"Thank you for finding this item for us, now could you kindly die?"
"Wha-?"
But before the pirate captain or his crew could speak, their lives came to an end. Their hearts pierce and their neck and head separate. Leaving only three living beings on this ship. Mask in black clothing, with sharp and small blades in their hands. These strong cultivator assassins walk towards the glass box, and the weakest of them, a marshal cultivator picks the box up.
And just like that, they disappear, leaving behind no traces that they were ever here.