You answer that you really want to practice.

You realize that your sword and dagger skills need improvement.

Therefore, in response to the mercenary’s question, you nod. For the next hour you practice defensive movements when fighting with a sword and dagger. Mercenary Oswald trains you, staggering slightly.

He says in a half-drunk voice: “One of the stupidest things is static blocks blade to blade. It's stupid, ineffective and dangerous. Remember, guy! Techniques for deflecting an enemy blade must be agile and dynamic. These techniques should naturally lead to subsequent counterattacks. You should deflect the blows of the enemy's blade with the flat of your own blade. Let the enemy's sword slide to the side by inertia. And your sword at this moment, after deflecting the enemy attack, will continue to move towards the enemy’s throat.”

You repeat defensive movements over and over again with your thin elven sword and elven dagger.

The mercenary does not stop making attacking movements with his sword. You barely have time to parry the blows of his blade. You are sweating from exertion. However, it is obvious to you that Oswald is moving much slower than he could have been moving. It's just a training session. If this was a real battle, then, unfortunately, you would already be lying on the wooden deck with your throat cut.

Simultaneously with the movements of the blade, the mercenary continues to comment on your actions: “You are too clumsy... We need to act faster! Here! Parry not with the sharp edge of the blade, but with the flat of the blade! Move your opponent's sword to the side... Remember the dagger! A dagger is needed to cover your close zone, your soft underbelly... With a dagger you can intercept an enemy blade and take it to the side... With a dagger you can counterattack..."

After finishing your workout, you sat down exhausted on the floor of the deck. Oswald left the deck and went into the galley.

You breathed heavily and looked around the endless expanses of sea through which the ship was moving.

You thought: "The captain was right about the poor visibility..."

Light breeze. Fog on the sea. Visibility is poor. The sailors shudder from the dampness and quietly curse at the weather. The sails are only slightly filled with a weak wind. The sails were wet from dampness. Therefore, the ship's movement is slower than usual. The dull splash of the waves and the oppressive silence are oppressive with their hopelessness. It was as if the ship, along with its entire crew and passengers, found itself in a dull, joyless world outside of time and space.

About half an hour passes. You remain on the deck of the ship. You think that you have to return to your cabin soon.

You hear Captain Gregor loudly scolding the sailors.

There are some changes happening in the situation. Quite unnoticeable small changes. Or does it just seem so to you?

The splash of the waves was not as uniform as it used to be...

Intangible movements of unfamiliar silhouettes appear to your eyes in this thick fog...

You are trying to peer into the distance...

But you can’t see anything...

Suddenly you hear the ship's captain furiously shout: "Idiots! Can't you hear the splash of the oars? The threat is behind us, on the starboard side!"

You jump to your feet and you look to where, after the captain’s cry, the gaze of many of the sailors turned.

In the silence, the silhouette of a small sailing ship emerges from the fog. Oblique triangular sails. Long oars are carefully lowered into the water, without making unnecessary noise...

This ship is moving quickly towards your ship. The distance is only about 30 meters.

Then two more similar ships emerge from the fog. One of them moves a little further than the first. The second ship goes around your ship on the port side. Each of these three ships is moving much faster than your ship.

You mumble incomprehensibly: “What? What's happening?"

Nobody answers you.

You hear Captain Gregor's thunderous cry: "Fucking shit-eaters! They will go on abordage! And we will all die! Grab your weapons!"

Captain Gregor runs to the stationary aft ballista. With the help of a couple of sailors, he loads and aims this ballista at the target. One of the three small ships has almost caught up with your ship.

Loud crack. Shot! The ballista projectile rapidly flies towards the target. This large projectile, which looks more like an iron-bound log, pierces the wood of a maneuverable small ship below the waterline. You see how this small ship loses speed and begins to quickly sink. You also see the crew of the dying ship getting into the boats. These boats start moving in your direction.

The two remaining fast sailing ships are catching up with your orlanian dromon. One of these ships approached close to the port side, the second - to the starboard side.

"Pirates!" – the cry of one of the sailors seemed to bring you out of your state of stupor.

But it was too late, the pirate ships were close enough.

The grappling hooks are already flying aboard the dromon. The hooks cling to the wood of the sides. You see more and more sailors running out onto the deck from the interior of your ship. In their hands are weapons: short swords, falchions, axes, maces, short spears. Some sailors have short bows.