The sixth night in Calmcoast Town...
Jack and Reina were sitting at a corner table in 'The Salty Siren'. A restaurant known for its pan-seared reef fish. And low-lit, intimate atmosphere.
Candlelight flickered across Reina's long, dark hair. Catching the subtle gleam in her eyes. She wore a simple, elegant dress. So unlike the hardened leather gear she normally used during practice.
Jack, in his human form, was also dressed in casual resort wear. The underlying muscles in his frame was barely contained.
The town outside sparkled with a regained vibrancy. An evidence for its resilience after last year's pirate raids. Tourists milled about. Barrages of laughter echoed from nearby taverns. And the scent of salt and grilled fish mingled in the air.
Jack leaned back. A half-smile playing on his lips as Reina recounted a humorous interaction she'd observed between a fat merchant and a particularly flamboyant bard earlier that day.
He enjoyed these moments. The simplicity of them was a rare luxury in his existence.
Then it hit.
A blaring, piercing shriek ripped through the night. The town's alarm siren. It wasn't the distant, testing wail of a drill. This was immediate. Urgent. And loud enough to vibrate through the very foundations of the building.
The restaurant's pleasant hum died. Plates clattered. A fork scraped sharply against ceramic.
Then came the screams. Not just one or two. But a rising chorus of fear and confusion from outside. Quickly spilling into the restaurant itself. Heavy thuds. The splintering of wood. Shouts. And that long tone of blaring alarm siren. It could only mean one thing.
Pirates. Again.
Jack's easy smile vanished. Replaced by a cold, calculating focus. He was not in town during the previous pirate raid. But he saw the devastating aftermath. There was no way he would allow that happened again.
Reina's hand tightened in his. But her expression remained calm. Practical. No panic. Just immediate, shared understanding.
"Bathroom, Love." Jack stated. His voice was low, but cutting through the growing din.
Reina nodded once. Already rising. They moved with a practiced, almost synchronized efficiency. No desperate scramble. No wide-eyed terror. Just a clear, decisive action.
People around them were beginning to stampede for the exits. A few were huddling under tables. Jack and Reina walked with purpose. A calm eye in the center of a rapidly escalating storm.
They reached the small, tiled bathroom. A large, ornate mirror hung above the sink. Reflecting the chaotic lights and shadows of the town. Ones still visible through the small, grimy window.
Jack wasted no time. He gripped Reina's hand. Focusing his intent. The mirror's surface shimmered. The reflection was distorting. Then swirling like dark water. Jack's unique ability, [Mysterious Mirror World], was activated.
The two disappeared from the bathroom. Into Jack's personal Mirror Space.
There, within moments, their casual clothes were shed. Discarded without a second thought. Dark and practical reinforced leather armor set was quickly equipped on each of their bodies.
Jack's Steamrune Shotgun clicked into his waiting hand. Its runic engravings glowing faintly. Two heavy handguns, also steam-powered and custom-made, holstered securely at his hips. A pair of heavy, blackened steel chain bracers rested on his wrists. His new... Chains of Vengeance.
Reina took her grimoire. Bound in shadows and humming with mystic energy. It appeared, clutched in her left hand. A wickedly sharp, short blade materialized at her hip. The last resort.
Their gear was functional. Made for combat, with just a few tinge of aesthetics. It spoke of brutal efficiency.
"Ready, Dear?" Reina's voice was steady as she asked. It was her first time fighting for protecting others. The people in this town. And she was ready.
"Let's go." Jack met her gaze. His eyes held no hesitation. Only the cold fire of impending judgement.
It was just a few minutes, maybe less, in actual time. They turned back to the shimmering portal. The Mirror Space dissolved.
They re-emerged into the restaurant bathroom. The clamor outside was deafening now. Shouts of men. The clang of steel. The distinct thump-thump of heavy cannon fire.
The restaurant itself was deserted. Tables overturned. Some chairs splintered. But no bodies yet. The patrons had either fled or were now cowering outside.
They stepped out onto the main street. Chaos reigned.
The quaint, picturesque streets of Calmcoast Town were a warzone. Fires licked at some of the buildings.
Pirates swarmed through the thoroughfares. A motley crew of brutal-looking men and women. Armed with cutlasses, crude firearms, and even some heavy axes. They wore tattered clothing and grimy bandanas.
They were looting. Destroying. And engaging the Town Defenders. A mix of uniformed guards, armed civilians, and what looked like a small contingent of retired adventurers. The defenders, though courageous, were clearly outnumbered and outgunned.
Jack surveyed the scene with his cold, appraising eyes. He saw the brutality. The greed. The casual disregard for innocent lives. His internal judgement for 'guilty' clicked into place. These were not misguided souls. These were predators.
"South side, Dear. Less organized resistance there." Reina pointed. Her voice was calm despite the surrounding chaos. She saw the tactical weakness. The gaping hole in the town's defense.
Jack nodded. Her pragmatism was a welcome constant.
They moved. Not rushing headlong into the thickest fight. But flanking. Assessing. And then striking where they could make the most impact. They moved like shadows. Blending with the shifting chaos until they were in position.
A group of four pirates was trying to smash their way into a small bakery. Laughing as they terrified the baker's wife who was pleading from within. This was their first target.
Jack raised his Steamrune Shotgun. The weapon was a masterpiece of his Steamrune Engineer class. A compact but powerful instrument of destruction. It hummed with contained energy.
He didn't waste words. He didn't issue warnings. He just fired.
BANG!
The sound was like a thunderclap. A brutal disruption in the cacophony of battle. The lead pirate, a heavily muscled brute with an iron hook for a hand, was simply... destroyed.
The blast tore through his leather armor. Splattering crimson and bone fragments across the bakery's wooden door. The remaining pirates froze. Their crude laughter dying in their throats.
Before they could react, Jack moved. His new artifact, [Chains of Vengeance], was activated. From his outstretched hand, fiery chains shot forward.
They moved with impossible speed. Wrapping around two of the remaining pirates. The chains glowed with a faint, malevolent flame. Constricting, digging into flesh. The pirates screamed. Struggling against the invisible bonds that held them immobile.
BANG! Another shot. The shotgun roared. Tearing into the chest of one ensnared pirate. Blasting him backward through the air like a ragdoll.
The un-ensnared pirate, a gaunt man with a cruel sneer, lunged at Jack. His cutlass was raised. He was fast. But Reina was faster.
Before the pirate could reach Jack, a shimmering, opaque sphere of mist condensed in the air before him. Reina's illusion magic. It distorted his vision. Making the world swim. He stumbled. Disoriented.
Then, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Three ethereal projectiles, formed of concentrated fog and mystic energy, appeared in the air and shot forward. As Reina opened her grimoire and mumbled some incantations.
These were her unique version of Magic Missiles. The [Fog Missiles]. They weren't just soft and blunt force. They struck with the deadly force of solid projectiles. But upon impact, they dispersed into a thick, choking mist.
The pirate gagged. Clawing at his face as the vapor filled his lungs. Searing like acid. He dropped to his knees, choking violently. Reina's magic was elegant. But brutally effective.
Jack let the [Chains of Vengeance] constrict further. Pulling the last still-standing pirate closer. The man screamed. His face contorted in fear and pain.
Jack simply leveled the shotgun.
BANG! A final, definitive shot. The pirate's head snapped back. A red mist blooming in the air. And he crumpled. Lifeless.
Four pirates, eliminated in seconds. No grand speeches. No theatrical flourishes. Just cold, hard, decisive action.
The baker's wife peered out from her door. Her eyes wide with terror and then a glimmer of desperate hope. Jack ignored her. He was already scanning for moving to the next group of the guilty.
The couple was a whirlwind of focused destruction. Jack, a walking tank of steam-powered firepower and righteous fury. Reina, a graceful dancer of death, weaver of illusions and mystical projectiles.
A group of pirates, emboldened by their initial success, were cornering a small group of Town Defenders. Jack didn't hesitate. He charged. A hulking figure of retribution.
"Die!" One pirate yelled. Raising a rusty axe. Trying to stop him.
Jack didn't even look at him. He simply pointed his shotgun and pressed the trigger. BANG! A devastating shot that shattered the pirate's chest. The man collapsed. In silence.
Another pirate lunged with a spear. Jack sidestepped with surprising agility for his bulk. Letting the spear harmlessly pass.
Then he swung his shotgun around in a brutal arc. Just like swinging a baseball batt. The pirate's jawbone broke under the impact.
Reina, meanwhile, was a phantom at his back. A silent, mystical assassin. As pirates tried to flank Jack, she would conjure shimmering phantoms that drew their attention. Or send out a volley of [Fog Missiles] that struck with chilling precision.
They weren't just damaging. They confused, disoriented, and choked her targets. Making the enemies easy targets for Jack's relentless barrages.