My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 75: Boarding

Raven bellowed orders, and cannon fire thundered. The storm that had been following their opponents had spread out to envelop their ship as well. Rain lashed at the crew while Mr Penny tried to assess the enemies numbers.

The gallon rocked violently as another volley of enchanted cannonballs struck. The gallons body glowed with the light of green defensive rune enchantments. They were holding off the worst of the damage as best as they could.

Wood splintered as the residual force cracked the deck, making Kace's eyes go wide in astonishment. He had never taken part in a naval battle before nor one occurring between two, mostly, human parties.

As such, he was too busy studying the enchantments to notice the pieces of shrapnel that slipped through the barrier. He cursed under his breath as one of them lodged itself in his thigh.

Blood slowly oozed out of his newly formed wound. The blood trailed its way down his leg to create a stain in the wood beneath his feet.

As he pulled the foreign object out from his leg, he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from yelling in pain. He had no idea what he should be done in this situation, having never received training in the use of cannons or sailing for that matter.

A hand placed itself on his shoulder, slightly startling him. 'Damn! All this commotion have my senses in a mess. Never even noticed him until just now!'

Kace's golden eyes met those of the man before him. He sighed in relief as another explosion sounded against the defensive barrier. 'It's just Mr Thomas.' 

"Here you'll need these!" Me Thomas shouted against the howling wind. He held out a pair of mana pistols. "When they board and believe me, they will. Shoot the fuckers dead before they can prepare themselves!"

Kace gladly accepted the gift.  It was a bonus that they were already fully charged, which would save his mana. 'I won't look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when my life is at stake!'

More projectiles struck the body trying to break the enchantments that so far had continued to hold. They were nearing their limits, though. This was made apparent by the cracks appearing in the barrier that had encased the top deck.

Kace found himself wondering how it could stop cannonballs and magic but fail to halt the rain that was drenching him. At that moment the barrier finally broke, crumbling under the never-ending onslaught.

It broke into green shards like broken glass. As the pieces fell, Kace was glad to discover that they had no physical properties. So he did not have to worry about being cut to shreds.

With the barrier gone, the storm eased up, revealing three enemy ships that were all relevant close to their position. A roar resounded through the air like a wild animal. 

A hero on the nearest ship was the responsible party. He took to the air to close the gap between their two boats. He was smiling in triumph, right up until his eyes caught an even more giant grin than his own.

Naturally, it was Kace that spooked him, taking the man a moment to spot the pair of pistols in his hands. 'Oh, FU...' The brave yet stupid hero thought. Right as Kace pulled the triggers.

Both pistols went off with a bang, ripping straight the opponent like a dog with a steak. Two large open holes had appeared directly through his stomach and out of his back. He was dead even before his feet touched the deck. His large frame stumbled backwards from the physical force, toppling over the bannister and rushing to meet its watery grave.

Before long, more bodies filled the skies between them. Kace rapidly depleted the remaining charges in the pistols. Firing shits off in all directions, each one reaping the life of a hero.

One of the lucky ones that had made it onboard charged at Kace. She was swinging a heavy mace with a lot of physical power. More than just a few times, Kace felt the air whizzing past his chin as he narrowly avoided receiving a free makeover.

As she made another swing for his face, she felt something wrap around her leg. It stung like hell before being dragged off of her feet. Her face crashed into the solid wood. Her nose became broken from the impact, squashing itself against her cheek.

Standing a distance away from the pair of them was Mr Penny. His trusty whip in hand. There was a striking beauty in the way he wielded it. Like a conductor for an orchestra except he was making his victims dance for their lives.

Kace drew the short blade that was resting at his waist, letting it take the form of his halberd. He had to admit that this morphing ability made his life a lot easier since he no longer had to carry the full-size version around everywhere.

He swung the blade down towards the woman's neck like an executioner. He smiled as he watched her head roll with a stupified look on her face. He could not help but grin like a mad man; his eyes scanned the ship for his next mark.

When he spotted two heroes cornering one of the crew, he sprang into action. 'Let's see what this can do!' He giggled like a crazed patient inside of his mind.

He caught the back of each of his opponent's legs with the shaft of the halberd, flipping them into the air. Before either of them could register what has happened, the halberd had morphed into the sabre.

With a backswing as if he were flowing water, he cleanly sliced the first of them into two parts from shoulder to hip. As the second lost the air in his lungs from landing on the deck, he quickly found a spear tip lodged through his throat. 

Loud gurgling noises ensued as he drowned in his blood. His legs slowly stopped kicking as his life force diminished. 'This is pretty sweet, should've tried it ages ago!' This thought was the only thing going through Kace's mind. There was no remorse or hesitation to be found within his mind anymore.