"Haa... haa..." Cassian breathed heavily as he dropped onto his backside, glaring angrily at Peter while one of his blown-apart hands slowly started growing back.

Even though he had managed to kill those two Circle Warriors, they had been more than strong enough to kill him as well. The only reason he survived was because his domain leaned heavily toward killing. His instincts had become terrifyingly sharp in battle—always searching for the quickest, deadliest strike possible—and the more fights he survived, the better he became at using it.

"Brigid told me you had some freaky abilities..." Peter said as he watched Cassian’s wounds heal at a rapid pace, noticing there wasn’t even a hint of pain on his face.

"But they’re even freakier than I imagined..."

As Cassian looked around the ship, dead bodies lay scattered everywhere—drenched corpses with purple lips and pale blue skin. Honestly, he wanted to say Peter’s abilities weren’t any less terrifying than his own.

He had watched the man choke the life out of people through sheer willpower alone.

Still, Peter had clearly struggled against the pirate captain. Fire burned through his water-based domain far too easily. It was only because of Peter’s overwhelming willpower—and the massive body of water surrounding the ship complimenting his domain—that he had ultimately managed to overpower the pirate captain.

"So you’re a cultist too?" Cassian asked, getting a confirming smile from Peter. "Klassen as well?"

"Yeah, Captain Klassen too," Peter answered before adding, "Me and Brigid go way back, and Captain Klassen was a friend of her master..."

"The Flesh Mender?" Cassian asked.

Peter nodded. "Brigid told us her grandmother thinks highly of you. Not many mages of her level—especially cultists—speak highly of higher Circle warriors, let alone a First Circle one like you..."

He smirked slightly.

"So I had to see it for myself."

Cassian didn’t look annoyed at all. Honestly, it wasn’t like he minded that much.

"So... how was I?" he asked, grinning widely before looking around the ship and adding, "I’d make a pretty good captain for this beauty, wouldn’t I?"

But as he spoke, Peter’s smile turned slightly apologetic.

Cassian’s excited expression instantly shifted into one of betrayal.

"Don’t tell me you’re going back on your word..." he said slowly. "This ship is mine now..."

"I can’t give it to you, sorry..." Peter replied before adding, "I know I said I would, but that was only because I wanted to see you fight..."

Cassian was about to argue again and start another fight over it, but Peter continued before he could.

"So how about this—you keep whatever treasure these pirates looted. And if it’s not enough, I’ll give you a share from the next pirate ship too..."

That was enough to calm Cassian down a little. He nodded, though a second later his tone rose in surprise.

"There are more pirate ships?"

"Yeah. Before we got here, this one sent our ship’s coordinates to other pirates around the area. At least, that’s what their captain claimed," Peter added casually as he looked back toward their own ship in the distance.

Because the pirates had tried to create space between the vessels during the fight, the ships were now sitting several kilometers apart across the dark sea.

Cassian stared at him for a few seconds before pointing dramatically at the pirate ship beneath them.

"So let me get this straight..." he said slowly. "I nearly got my skull vaporized by a punch, lost half my stomach, got choked twice, fingered a grown man’s eyes out, and jumped over a bottomless sea..."

Peter nodded calmly. "Pretty much."

"And after all that, I don’t even get the ship?"

"You get the treasure."

Cassian narrowed his eyes. "Not enough."

Peter sighed. "How much do you want?"

Cassian instantly answered, "Enough treasure to emotionally heal me."

"That sounds expensive."

"It is. My trauma is premium quality."

Peter snorted while Cassian continued shamelessly.

"I want enough gold to buy three ships."

"You almost died fighting for one and now you want three?"

"Yes. Compensation." Cassian pointed at his still-regenerating side. "Look at this. My organs are doing overtime."

"You regenerate."

"My feelings don’t."

Peter sighed as he looked over at his ship approaching in the distance. "Fine, have it. There’ll be more than enough treasure anyway..."

Cassian smiled brightly, clearly pleased that he had managed to squeeze out the better deal.

Still, he acted unsatisfied anyway.

"What are you even gonna do with those ships?" he asked. "We can’t board all of them, and you don’t even have enough people to sail one extra ship, let alone a couple more."

"There’s always a need," Peter replied with a mysterious smile before adding, "Let’s go and check the captain’s room. Pirates usually keep their treasure there."

Cassian immediately got up at that.

"Now you’re speaking my language," he said before heading toward the stairs leading below the deck.

The captain’s room was near the back of the ship, larger than the others and surprisingly untouched despite the battle outside. Cassian pushed the door open carefully, half-expecting some hidden trap or a surviving pirate waiting inside.

Instead, he paused in slight surprise.

The room was... tidy.

Not luxurious like a noble’s chamber, but organized in a strangely refined way for a pirate captain.

A large wooden desk stood near the window, maps and navigation tools neatly arranged across it instead of being thrown around carelessly. Shelves lined one side of the room, filled with alcohol bottles of different shapes and colors, all carefully placed in rows as if the captain actually cared about keeping them organized.

Some bottles had strange labels Cassian couldn’t even read.

"Damn... this guy drank classy," he muttered.

There were also a few books stacked between the bottles—actual books, not just random junk. Some looked like journals while others seemed related to sea routes, monsters, and even old stories.

Cassian picked one up briefly before putting it back down with disappointment.

"No hidden treasure map? Useless..."

A large bed rested against the far wall, its blankets folded properly, while beside it stood a locked iron chest.

Cassian’s eyes instantly lit up.

"There you are..." he whispered with the joy of a man reunited with true love.

He walked toward it quickly, then stopped.

"...Please don’t explode when I open you."